Discipleship

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In The Beginning God . . .

In the beginning God . . .. 

Four words that in a lot of ways, form the very foundation of the Christian’s belief.  The Bible begins with a very simply stated and straightforward verse, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” 

While much focus is put on the second half of that verse, and the debate rages over the origin of what exists, the larger question centers on what we believe about the first half of the verse.  Nearly every origin of life theory requires a belief, or faith, in something existing prior to life as we know it.  There is an unproven foundational element that everything else is built on.  From the various evolution, big bang, and creation theories come a variety of foundational assumptions of what existed “in the beginning” to cause our current life and world to come into existence.  For most of these, there is always some form of matter . . . some combination of basic elements that were present to begin the process of the heavens and the earth, and everything in and on them, coming into existence. 

For Christians, that foundational assumption is a faith and belief not in some original presence of matter, but in the presence of an eternal being — God!  It is a belief that God has no birthdate.  A belief in a God who always was and always will be.  A belief in a God who created everything just as He said.  While the early chapters of Genesis gives an overall picture of God creating the heavens and the earth, there is really very little detail given.  We have a timeline. . . . We have God speaking things into existence. . . . We have God taking the dust of the earth and forming man. . . .  We have God taking the rib of man and forming woman. . . . We have God breathing His breath into mankind.  So, exactly how did all of that happen?  In reality, only God knows but if we believe the Bible to be the written Word of God, we know that it was done entirely by His power and ability at His desire.

Many might ask, “What difference does it make?”  Personally, I don’t think the details make a whole lot of difference or we would have more of them.  I do believe that the acceptance by faith that God existed prior to everything else, and therefore is the creator of everything, is that foundational block to understanding His eternal nature.  It is that quality of always being that enables a trust that He always will be. 

In the beginning God!  God was in the beginning.  God was before the beginning.  God is, God will always be.  Grasping the eternal nature of God as we stuggle to comprehend the incomprehensible will give us confidence in God’s ability to draw us to  himself in eternal life because we can trust He always will be.

May you and I have that confidence of believing in an eternal God who always was and always will be.

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Why Not?

Why?

If you are around young children very long, chances are that you will hear this one word question more often than you would like.  A child’s curiosity makes them want to know how things work and why things happen the way they do.  Everything is questioned to the extent that many parents and teachers begin to dread hearing the word, “why?”, and they long for the day that it is no longer used with such frequency.

Sure enough, the day arrives when “why?” is no longer the question of choice.  The age of self-discovery has come.  Much to the dismay of many a parent, the question changes to a constant “Why not?”.  An explanation of the way things are is no longer good enough.  A reason is demanded for why things can’t be different.  As irritating as the constant questioning might be, it is good to be reminded that it is through this process that discoveries are made that can bring about much of the growth and positive changes that we enjoy.

As individuals and as congregations of Christians, we need to ask why.  Why are we here?  Simply put, we exist to bring glory and honor to God and to do so in such a way that we bring others into complete relationship with Him also.  When we understand the why, then we can begin thinking and dreaming of ways to do that more effectively.  When we grasp the “why”, we begin to grow into the “why not” stage.  Churches and ministries often do that as organizations.  “Why not add new and multiple worship services?”  “Why not have events and programming focused on teens, children, seniors, college students, or other specific group?”  “Why not reach out as a congregation to people in the community that have needs?”  “Why not . . .?”  While these and other “why not” questions often get asked by churches and groups, what about individually asking, “why not? “.

Individually, why not be more involved?  Why not give more of my time and money to ministry?  Why not serve others?  Why not teach a children’s class, a teen class, a small group, or other class?  Why not pray for my neighbor, co-worker, family member, etc., and talk to them about my relationship with Jesus every opportunity that I have?  Why not . . .?

Why not?

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What Are You Craving?

“Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.  Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”  1 Peter 2:1-3

Have you ever had a craving for a meal or particular food item that just can’t be satisfied short of giving in and enjoying the thing you crave?

I would guess that we’ve all been there, I know I have.  For me, it’s often a steak, Skyline Chili, shrimp, or just plain ice cream.  There are times that I will go to great lengths to satisfy these cravings.  I let nothing stand in the way of my obtaining that which I crave.

In the verses above, we are told to crave pure spiritual milk.  Newborn babies crave milk in such a way that they simply will not be satisfied until they get it.  No peace and contentment exists for them nor those around them until the milk is provided and consumed with great delight and enthusiasm.

So, are you craving the pure spiritual milk of the Word of God with this same intensity?  Has your craving for the things of God caused you to rid your life of things that cause hurt and division among people?  It is interesting that the list of things Peter tells us to get rid of in connection with our spiritual craving, are things that are most damaging in relationships with others.  Malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander are all things that cause great hurt when harbored in individual lives and within the church.

The next time you crave that food item that you just can’t resist, think about how you’re doing in craving the things of God.

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Who Will Go? . . . Do? . . . Serve? . . .?

“And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’  Then I said, ‘Here am I!  Send me.'”  Isaiah 6:8

I love to read the words God gives to us through Isaiah.  Chapter six always jumps out at me and grabs my attention because of Isaiah’s quick and bold response in verse eight.  It makes me think about what caused this rapid, positive answer.  Also, what would it take for you and me to consistently have a similar response to the commands of God?

The reasons for us seeing a willing Isaiah are found in the preceding seven verses.  First, Isaiah saw God for who He is.  He saw the Lord seated on a throne being worshipped by angelic beings.  They were singing of His holiness.  He saw God high and lifted up.  God was established in such splendor and glory that there was no mistaking just how powerful and holy this God was.

Secondly, the absolute holiness of God brought Isaiah to the point of noticing himself for who he was.  He saw a sinful man who could not exist in the presence of the holiness of God.  His companions and surroundings did not fit with what he was observing.  The brightness of the throne room revealed just how drab and dirty Isaiah’s world was.

Then finally, he experienced complete forgiveness.  His sin was taken away.  It was out of this sense of joy, and even relief, that Isaiah volunteered to do whatever was asked of him.  It is not until after he volunteers that he receives the instructions for the task he was being called to do.

If we would daily recognize these same three things, perhaps our lives would be more fully devoted to God.  When we acknowledge our unworthiness to even gaze upon the holiness of God, and realize He paid the price to take away our sin, our response to serve Him should come just as quickly and boldly as Isaiah’s did.

I pray that God would give you and me the courage and boldness to always serve Him faithfully.

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Great Expectations!

“He has shown you, O man, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”  Micah 6:8

What do they expect from me?

We often ask this question for one of two reasons.  The first is because we don’t know the expectations.  There is confusion and no clear direction given as to what we ought to be doing.  The second way we use this question, with a little different emphasis in the wording, is when we feel the expectations placed on us are too great.

Not only do we use this question in our interaction with others, we use it in response to God.  Many times people are confused and just do not know what God expects from them  Usually this is because they don’t really know God.  The personal relationship with God has not been developed and nurtured.  We also use this question with God when we think He expects too much.

We don’t see ourselves as God sees us.  We see a God-sized task and decide we could never be a part of it.  In our mind we have limited the power of God when we say, “God could never do that through me.”  When God says through the prophet Micah that the requirement is that we would act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God, He defines what He expects and lets us know that it can be done.

How are you doing with the “great expectations” God has for your life?  Our lives often revolve around the expectations of someone . . . parents . . . spouse . . . boss . . . friends . . . children . . . our church . . . self . . . co-workers . . . or any combination of a variety of people.  Isn’t it time to center your life so that it revolves around the expectations of God?

May you and I live up to the great expectations that God has for us!

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It’s Not My Fault!

Who’s to blame?  When something goes wrong, we are often quick to try to avoid any responsibility.  I remember my grade school years.  I was not very coordinated and often paid little attention to what was going on around me.  Therefore, I was constantly splitting my head open or injuring myself in some way.  Yet I also remember not wanting to admit these injuries were my fault, so I blamed other kids for my mishaps.  Fortunately, my parents would get to the facts of the situation and hold me accountable for my own actions.

This avoiding responsibility was not a new problem begun by me.  From the beginning of time, mankind has been saying, “It’s not my fault!”  God came to Adam, and Adam said, “It’s not my fault.  It’s the woman that you gave me.”  Eve says, “It’s not my fault.  It’s the serpent that you created.”  From that point on, our sinful desires have been screaming out, “It’s not my fault!”

Typically parents have shouldered a great amount of the task of teaching children to take responsibility for their actions.  I grew up under the two for one plan.  If I got in trouble once at school, I received a bonus and was in trouble a second time when I got home.  This philosophy changed greatly during my generation.  Now we often see a child in trouble at school for something they have done, yet when they get home the story is different.  The child is not in further trouble, the teacher is in trouble for trying to correct the student.

This reminds me so much of the verse at the end of the book of Judges that states, “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”  What ever happened to the cry, “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner!”  “I was wrong.”  “I have sinned.”  Our society shows us a very vivid picture of the trouble that erupts when individuals cry out, “It’s not my fault!”

As Christians, as a body of believers, as individuals, may we take responsibility for our actions and repent when we do wrong.

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Living Large!

“Would you like that super-sized, up-sized, mega-sized, or king-sized?”  If you go to fast food restaurants, I’m sure you have heard this question in one form or the other.  We live in a society where, for many, a regular meal is not enough.  We want more!  We deserve more!  We need more!  More money, more time to ourselves, more things, larger meals, larger homes, larger cars, etc., etc., etc..

God tells us in Ecclesiastes that the eye is never satisfied with seeing.  “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income.”  (Ecclesiastes 5:10 NASB)

If left unchecked, the more we see, the more we want.  There seems to always be something just out of reach that we want, deserve, need, or just have to have.  We spend enormous amounts of energy and financial resources trying to find the biggest, best, fastest, nicest things we can find.  Or at least bigger, better, faster, and nicer than what those around us have.  It is so easy to get caught in this pursuit of things that we forget to pursue God.  Many times God gets the leftovers, if there are any, because we fail to plan ahead and give God from our first and our best.

I wonder what would happen if all Christians would pursue God with the intensity that we have in other areas of interest in our life.  Can you imagine seeking a super-sized Sunday School?  A mega-sized worship service?  A king-sized ministry of caring and missions?  An up-sized effort of outreach and evangelism?  It might sound something like this:  “Would it be possible to have more Bible study opportunities?”  . . . “I wish our worship service wouldn’t get over so quickly!” . . . “How can I help more people in our church, community, and world?”  . . . “Where could I best spend my time to impact lost people for Jesus?”

May you and I truly desire to live large by living large for Jesus!

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Pass The Salt, Please

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  Let you conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”  Colossians 4:5-6

How serious do you take your witness for Jesus?  Do you consistently think about how others view your actions?  As Christians, we generally try to avoid the things we consider major sins.  We would never think about stealing something or murdering someone.  Or would we?  You know, “the hotel expects people will take the towels, etc.” or “they have so much at work, they won’t miss a little of this or that.”  Or remember the teaching of Jesus, the harboring of hatred toward others is the same attitude in our hearts as murder!  It is a bad reflection on Christians when those outside of Christ look at us and see no difference in the way we live.

I’ve been to Christian conventions for both youth and adults.  At many of them, I have been told by hotel and restaurant personnel that they see no difference in the way they are treated compared to when any other group comes to town.  In fact, some hotels refuse to book rooms for Christian conventions because the youth groups or adult groups are rude, demanding, and show little respect or restraint.  Obviously, there are exceptions on both sides and some individuals and groups do quite well in representing Christ.  However, it saddens me when I hear these reports of individuals not experiencing the best treatment of their career when dealing with Christians.

We would do well to daily practice restraint and wisdom in dealing with others.  Our conversation should be gracious and “seasoned with salt”.  If you’ve ever been on a no-salt diet, you quickly learn to find seasoning of some type to avoid tasteless food.  I think that Paul is getting at a similar theme in these verses.  We’re not to have tasteless conversations that would void our attempts to witness.  As our speech is seasoned properly, we learn to answer everyone appropriately.

May God give us wisdom in our speech and actions so that we are productive and faithful servants of Jesus.