2 of the Enemy's Biggest Lies

For those who are in Christ Jesus, we have an adversary, the devil. There are many descriptions of him through out the Bible. One of those is that he is a liar. John 8:44 says, "There is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." From the early days of time he has been telling lies. You will recall how he appeared as a serpent in the Garden of Eden to officially launch his activity that would impact all of humanity from that point forward. He is the liar of all liars.

Sin separates us from our holy God. Sin starts with temptation, which is when the enemy will try to lie and persuade you to do something that is blatantly contrary to the Word of God. Therefore, the enemy will tempt us with lies that twist the truth in order to cause us to fall away from God. 

In this post I want to expose two of our enemy's biggest lies. Now, I realize that any lie is big, but these certainly have enormous ramifications if believed. If the enemy can cause you to doubt and lose faith, he wins. In my years as a youth pastor, these are two lies that I saw break the legs of many teens and would lead them to a crippled walk with God.

The first is that the Bible is too hard to understand. This has been the biggest excuse I have heard over the years for why young people don't read the Bible or have a personal quiet time with Jesus.  To this I typically respond, "Where are you reading, Leviticus?" Yes, some parts of the Bible can be hard to understand with no background explanation or teaching. However, there are plenty of books within the Bible that provide a buffet of easy-to-understand truth for the novice follower of Christ. 

The reality is, even though parts of the Bible were written 3,500 years ago, they are as understandable and life-transforming as the moment they were written. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires." The Bible can be understood by the newest of Christians and enjoyed by the veterans who have been reading the Bible for 50 years. If you find yourself struggling to understand the Bible, let me encourage you to start in the Psalms or the Gospels. The Psalms have truth for every emotion we will ever face, and the Gospels are filled with the action that took place in the life of Jesus.

The second lie that the enemy wants you to believe is that God does not hear your prayer. It is so easy to pray for something and then give up. It is so easy to pray and not see God work immediately or in the way that we have prayed, and then think that God must not hear me because it didn't happen the way I prayed. When God doesn't respond the way we have prayed, it is a natural response to lose faith and come to the conclusion that God doesn't hear. When this happens, we are falling right into the plans of the enemy. He wants to do all he can to discourage us. 

I have come to the place in my walk with Jesus where prayer is the umbilical cord that allows my food source, Jesus, to feed my soul. Prayer is my lifeline because it connects me with the source of life, Jesus. It is the gateway that unleashes the power of Jesus in my life. Without the power of Jesus, the Christian walk becomes too religious and pious. If your prayer life has become stagnant, it's time to seek the filling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will ignite your prayer life. If there is something keeping your prayer life from taking off, the Holy Spirit will reveal that to you so that you can overcome it. God not only hears your prayers, He is constantly at work even when it is not exactly how we ask.

The enemy tries to drag us down. The enemy wants to guide us away from Jesus. Follower of Christ, drive a stake in the ground today, YOU BELONG TO JESUS. Don't allow the enemy a foothold in your life that begins with a lie. Declare the truth of God over your life. James 4:7-8 says, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." Amen! 

Spare the Rod - Spoil the Child

No-one anticipates raising children who turn out rebellious or spoiled. However, that is the result of parents who fail to discipline their children. If a child grows up under weak authority or no authority, they will most likely turn into disrespectful human beings. I have discovered that if I really love my children, I will go the extra mile to correct them when they do wrong.

Joanna and I have had great success over the years in disciplining our children. However, recently, we have needed to coach one of our children to a better understanding of the motive and reason for discipline. He has come to the conclusion that discipline, because it is painful, is done out of our dislike of him. He feels that because we discipline him, and discipline is painful, we somehow don't like him. That is the furthest thing from the truth.

Anytime our children have questions, it is the perfect time for a teachable moment. We have taken this opportunity to teach our child about the reason why he is disciplined. First of all, it is biblical. 

Proverbs 12:1 "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid."

Proverbs 13:24 "Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them."

Proverbs 15:5 "A fool spurns a parent’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence."

Proverbs 15:32 "Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding."

Proverbs 19:18 "Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death."

Secondly, we discipline out of love, because we know what is best for our children. If we desire for our children to grow up as mature, respectful and Christ honoring individuals, that begins in the home. Parents are the first authority figures in the life of a child. Parents set their children up for a future of success or failure as it relates to responding to the authority figures in position over them for the rest of their lives. In my years as a youth pastor, I have been around many students who have shown a lack of respect for authority. In most situations, this falls back on their parents. In these situations, it will be up to the students to develop a respect for authority on their own because their parents failed to teach them. They will be more likely to live a problematic life because of their failure to respect authority.

Discipline is vital to a child's well-being. By finding a form of discipline that works, we are setting our children up for a lifetime of obedience. We are God's system for developing children who submit to earthly authority, but most importantly we are coaching them to be sensitive to obey God's authority.

The Overwhelming Grace of God

Lately, God has been hitting me upside the head with a deeper understanding of His grace. It has been overwhelming. Last week I wrapped up a teaching series in our youth ministry on grace. As I reflect on the four weeks of study and prep, I realize how utterly blessed I am to have such a gift.

I define grace as "undeserved favor". Undeserved because there is nothing that we do to earn it, it is simply given. Favor because it is a demonstrated delight or blessing. Ultimately God is the giver of grace. Then, I also believe that followers of Christ have the ability to extend grace to those who need it.

I have been the benefit of grace many times in my life. Let me share. The most significant time happened the day that I decided to follow Jesus. When I was eight years old, for the first time in my life, I acknowledged the reality of sin that separated me from God. I discovered that I couldn't deal with my sin on my own but that I needed Jesus. I discovered the life changing message that Jesus died and rose to give me pardon of my sins and ultimately new life, eternal life. Wow! Jesus did that for me. That is grace! Throughout my life, every time I have repented of sin and received the forgiveness of Jesus, I have done so because of the grace of God. Romans 3:23 is clear in that I deserve death because of my sins. However, this verse is just as clear that Jesus gave us a gift in eternal life. Grace. I received what I didn't deserve.

The second biggest moment of my life when I received grace happened when I was in middle school. I will spare you all the details, but I found myself answering questions in a police station. I had done something inappropriate and therefore had people who wanted to press charges against me. I remember that night sitting in the den of our house, across from my Dad, as we talked about the personal and spiritual consequences for my poor decision. We ended our time together by kneeling shoulder to shoulder as I asked Jesus to forgive and cleanse my heart. I received the grace of Jesus. Then we prayed and asked for wisdom about what to do. As you can imagine, I had a hard time concentrating in class the following day at school. I was having continuous thoughts of what would happen to me if I went to court over this. I would be punished and need to serve time. I would also need to mention what I did on every job application in the future. Yikes. That afternoon, when I was dismissed from school, God led me to stop by the home of the offended to apologize. I remember being terribly nervous, but at the same time, I was relying on God to give me the words to say. The man of the house opened the door, and then I mustered the best words that I could come up with in the moment to say that I was sorry for what I had done. Then he returned with words that I will never forget, "I forgive you." Whew, what a weight lifted! I totally didn't deserve that! That night, I received a phone call from the police station that my charges had been dropped. Through this experience I had so many burdens lifted. Grace.

Throughout Scripture we see God giving grace and people receiving His grace. One of my favorite grace texts is in 1 Timothy 1 when Paul shares his experience in being overwhelmed by God's grace. Verse 13 says, "The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." Paul knew the grace of God. He, a persecutor of Christians, met Jesus in a significant way. Then, through the grace of God, Paul was used to reach so many for Jesus. Grace.

The fact that any of us are able to sin and survive the wrath of God is total grace. God's grace says that no matter what you have done, Jesus is sufficient. Be careful to not take God's grace for granted. It is not a licence to sin. God's grace is incentive to walk in freedom. If Jesus has set you free, you are free indeed. Jesus wants to meet you wherever you are today.

May the grace of God overwhelm you as it has me.

Idolatry in the Home

This last Sunday, I preached a message from Deuteronomy 6:4-9. In this text, Moses gives his farewell address to the people of Israel and is preparing the way for a transfer of leadership to Joshua. This is Moses' last chance to speak into the lives of those he has led for several decades. It is monumental what he says.

Moses challenges the people to love God and obey His commands. Then, he tells the people to teach these things to their children. Each of these admonitions are powerful. However, each of these are preceded by a crucial statement: "The Lord our God, the Lord is one." The reason Moses says this is because the Israelites had a history with idolatry. Idolatry is putting anything else in the place of the one true God.

In Exodus 32 we read of a sad situation when Moses was away from the Israelite camp and the Israelites began to grumble and complain because of his absence. Then, they turned to Aaron in their grumbling and said they wanted to erect a god to worship. They fell hard into idolatry. This was such a problem that God intentionally created a commandment against it. We read in Deuteronomy 5:8, "You shall not make for yourself an idol." In his farewell address, Moses wanted to remind the people to love the one true God.

In our American culture, we have allowed idolatry to creep into our lives and homes. Many who claim to have a relationship with God, sacrifice their walk and intimacy with Him to pursue other earthly attractions such as TV, music, internet, video games, food, sports, money, toys, etc. These are not bad in themselves, but they become bad as they take the place of God in our lives.

I have heard my Dad say from time to time, "Our children will run after the biggest god that they see." As parents we must rid our homes of idols. If we long to see our children walk with Jesus, we must clear the stage and allow Jesus to be the center of our homes. If our purpose, as parents, is to raise the next major league baseball player, then that will be at the center of our universe as a family. If that is the case then everything that we do will be to bow to the whims and wishes of the baseball gods.

However, if our goal is to produce followers of Jesus Christ in our homes, then we will develop a vision and execute a plan to lay a foundation for multi-generational faithfulness to the Lord. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, "If anyone come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me." If we are going to usher in the manifest presence of Christ in our homes, we must first deal with the idols, then we must schedule times of worship for our family to grow closer to Jesus. The sacrifices we will make to deny ourselves and our children the worldly distractions to focus on what matters most will result in eternal significance.  

What do you offer God?

Recently, I read again the account of Jesus feeding the five thousand men from John chapter 6. Now, I have read this passage numerous times and have heard it taught in different settings as well. One of the magnificent facets of God's Word is that no matter how many times you read it, there is always more to learn and understand. I had one of those experiences in reading this account as the application bomb went off in my heart as I read it again.

Here is a description of this account. Five thousand men were hungry. It wasn't just a Promise Keepers rally, there were woman and children there as well, but there is no record as to how many of them there actually were. It was late in the day and their stomachs were growling. Jesus didn't want to send them away and lose His audience. Jesus probably just assumed to keep them there so He could keep preaching. The disciples didn't have a clue what to do in order to feed this many people. They scratched their heads in mystery. Jesus sent them to find food. Andrew brought a young Jewish boy to Jesus who had five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus then took what the boy offered and He gave thanks. Then the disciples facilitated a lunch for everyone in the crowd. The Bible says that "they all ate and were satisfied". They actually had leftovers when they were full.

Here is what hit me as I read this: No one knew what to do except Jesus. He simply asked the disciples to do what they could to find food. All that was available was a Jewish boy's lunch. When Jesus took seriously the boy's offering (lunch), I could imagine the disciples snickering at Him. I mean, how could such a small meal feed such a large crowd? In the eyes of the world, it was a joke. But with Jesus, it was potential for a miracle.

The beauty of the Jewish boy is that he offered all he had. Yes it wasn't a lot, but he offered everything. The principle that I learned is that God takes what we offer and multiplies it. The disciples represent our own human flesh. We may think that what we have to offer the Lord in terms of our gifts, talents and abilities isn't all that great, however, in the hands of a miracle worker, God can use us mightily for His honor and glory.

I have seen this principle in my own life. Since I was young, I always sensed the Lord calling me into ministry. One fear I had almost derailed my calling. Growing up, I always had a fear of public speaking. I would watch my Dad do it week after week as a pastor of our church and in other settings, and I saw him as being a great communicator. I never felt that I had what he had, if you know what I mean. I was actually terrified of speaking in public. 

I remember as a senior in high school considering my calling and being afraid to declare a ministry major in college because of my fear of getting up in front of a group to say something. This fear was crippling my ability to follow the call of God.

As I started college, I declared as a business administration major. I figured, I could easily go into business and not have to do much up front communicating. After all, I was better in small groups and one-on-one. Every time I considered getting up in front of a group, I would literally get sick to my stomach. I thought, there is no way I am cut out to be a pastor.

During my freshman year in college, the Lord spoke to me about my calling through a guest speaker we had in a chapel service. He challenged us to not allow anything to keep us from the calling God has on our lives. He pointed out how Moses, when called by God, looked at his inadequacies and questioned God's call. But God commanded Him to trust His power and His provision. That day, I went to the registrars office and changed my major to youth ministry. God told me that He was going to give me the strength to overcome my fear.

Overcoming the fear of public speaking has not been an easy road. I remember the first time I stood before my public speaking class as a sophomore in college and with fear and trembling delivered a seven minute speech in front of my professor and my critiquing classmates. God gave me strength and I made an A in that class. Every time I have spoken since, the Lord has given me everything I have needed to become a better communicator.

I have heard it said that God will equip those He calls. I have seen this true in my life. God can make impossible situations a possibility. God can take what we offer, or what we "bring to the table", and multiply what we bring and make it better. All that is required is our willingness to step out and make an offering. He won't bless and multiply if we are holding back and not stepping out for His use.

In closing, I want to ask you, what do you offer God? Are you allowing Him to use you at your full potential. Matthew 11:12 says, "God's kingdom is advancing and forceful people are taking hold of it." As followers of Christ, we are called to be missional. Being missional means to have a heart for and to be proactive in living the gospel before our neighbors with the intentions of leading them to faith in Jesus Christ. This can be done by getting involved in local church ministry, sharing Jesus with your neighbors, or living out your faith before your co-workers and classmates. I pray that each of us will offer God what He has given us. Bring to God what you have and watch to see what He will do to multiply your offering.

The Importance of Integrity

I have learned many lessons in my life. One thing that has been clear to me as I have sat and listened to countless stories of heartache and pain, is that it is so important to be a person of integrity. Integrity will either make or break a person. I want to be a man of integrity because I believe God calls us to that.

If you do a Google search on the word integrity, you will read things like: the quality of being honest, having strong moral principles or moral uprightness. I believe integrity to be the way someone is when no one is watching. If you are one way in public but are different in private, no one will trust you. Integrity is when your public life matches up with your private life.

As you read through the Bible, we come to understand the importance of telling and living the truth. In the book of Proverbs 6, we read a list of what the Lord hates. Each example that is listed in this passage has to do with integrity. The reason for this is because truth is one of God's attributes. He is the Truth. Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life." God and dishonesty do not operate in the same room. Also, we read in John 8:44 that the devil, is the "father of all lies".  Therefore, if a person is living in dishonesty, they are in a sense giving birth to death and giving ground to the enemy. If a person is not walking in integrity, then they are probably not walking with the Lord.

Integrity is something that takes a person a lifetime to achieve, but only takes a moment to destroy. Integrity is built over a lifetime of living in and walking with the truth. It is claiming what David said in Psalm 101:2, "I will walk in my house with a blameless heart."  God desires for us to be the same person in public and in private.

Imagine with me. Imagine if I were to fall into a sin that would severely damage my reputation as a follower of Christ, as a husband and dad and as a leader in the church. The affects of one fleeting moment would have a ripple affect that would throw away years of service and integrity. It would take me a long time to rebuild the trust of my family, friends and our community.  It would be as if I were to take a pillow outside on a windy day, cut it in half and let the feathers blow all over town. Then, go out later and try to gather up all the feathers to put my pillow back together. There is no way. The damage would already be done.

In conclusion, how does a person walk in integrity and avoid driving in a ditch? It takes tenacity. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit at work in a person's life. It also takes accountability. It is important to have people in your life who will ask you the tough questions. People who love you enough to point out your blind spots. Even in this setting of accountability, honesty is the key. If you can't be honest with yourself and close friends, then you will surely wind up in a place of failure. In a world that is becoming increasingly dishonest, may our lives be marked with the Truth. May our private lives match our public, to the honor and glory of God.

Journaling

I have recently started to journal. January 8 to be exact. At one point in my past, I journaled off and on, but it was never consistent. I would write a page and then miss a couple months. Like anything in life, in order to be good and to do it consistently, there needs to be discipline involved. Journaling takes time.  For me, it has become an important part of my quiet time with the Lord.

So, why have I all of a sudden taken up journaling? The main reason is that I feel God has led me into this. In addition, it was through a teaching I heard at a conference last December, where the speaker challenged everyone to take up a new discipline this next year to go deeper with Christ. In addition, my Dad has shared with me before, the inspiring reason for why he keeps a journal. He says, "If someone gave you $100, where are going to put it? (in your wallet) Then, if God gives you a word or message, do you have a place to put it?" Journaling allows a person to record these priceless deposits from the Lord.

There are basically three different areas that I write about in my journal:

1) Messages from God. These can be insights into His character or Scripture verses that jump out at me during my quiet time. These are any nuggets the Lord gives me that I don't want to forget.

2) Personal life details. As life unfolds, I want to record the highs and the lows. This will allow me to look back and see where I've been in order to recognize the faithfulness of God.

3) Prayers and Answers. As the Lord leads me to pray for specific needs, I write them down. Then, as I see the Lord work in response to these prayers, I go back and record what He has done.

My desire is to take the idea of a diary with a lock on it to a whole new level. I want to redeem the blank pages that my journal came with. By implementing this discipline, my life will be inspired by the faithfulness of God. Spiritual health is a result of incorporating good habits into your plan. Journaling is one that God is using to take my walk with God to a whole new level.

What has been your practice in journaling?  I would love to read your insights.

Lessons learned from watching my sister battle cancer

By way of background, I received a phone call last July from my Mom telling me that my sister, Andrea, had cancer.  I had never heard news of this magnitude, outside of finding out when three of my grandparents each passed away. My heart sunk. Of all things, I was on a service project at a cemetery. 

My mind began to race in a million directions. I thought of the seriousness of this disease and how difficult it would be for my sister. I was thinking of all the people I have known over the years who have had cancer. Some beat it and some didn't.

That night, I was able to talk with my sister for the first time following her diagnosis. I realized that this would not be your typical battle with cancer. All the worry that I had, the anxiety that I had laid at Jesus feet, was exchanged with peace and replaced with encouragement. Andrea was confident. I could hear the smile in her voice. It was obvious that God was at work in my sister's life.

Every phone call since that first one, for the last 6 months, have been similar. I have never heard my sister complain once. She has stayed positive through this entire fight. I had the opportunity to spend three special days with her over Christmas. I savored every moment. All of the feelings that she communicated over the phone were magnified in person. She literally radiated joy. She was at peace. She was totally content with her life and where the Lord was taking her.

As I have observed my sister's battle with cancer, I have learned three major lessons. There are others, but these are the biggies. These lessons have been learned from afar because she lives in Texas and I'm in Minnesota. These lessons have been learned over the phone, through Facetime, and in the few days we spent together in December.

The first lesson that I have learned from watching my sister is that strength isn't manufactured. There have been times in my life when I have needed strength. Strength to make a major decision. Strength to speak in public. Strength to endure a year and a half of living with parents with three small children. These are all well and good, however, it pales in comparison with having a terminal disease and undergoing the rigors of chemotherapy with a smile. A smile is the outer expression of an inner strength, peace and joy. This strength isn't something that she just musters up or pulls out of a hat. This strength comes from her relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ. Isaiah 41:10 says, "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Andrea has always had a close relationship with Jesus. As far back as I can remember, I found Andrea in her room spending time with Jesus reading her Bible or praying. That time spent fueling the flame of her walk with God is reaping a harvest of righteousness and inner-strength that very few people in this world have. Jesus is living in Andrea and giving her strength.

Secondly, I have seen James 1:3 come to life. In a nutshell, this verse tells us that trials bring perseverance and perseverance brings faith. I have taught this verse many times, but have never understood it until this year. This is obviously a trial in Andrea's life. Cancer is not a walk in the park. The same can be said of chemo. Instead of Andrea going into depression or drowning in her sorrows and bad news, Andrea has done the opposite. She has asked the Lord to be glorified in her life through this battle. Her prayer since day one has been, "Lord, whatever you want to do in me, have your way." The Lord is our healer and we have been praying for that, but He is also our sanctifier and many times those two attributes go hand in hand. Andrea has had her faith built and has grown deeper in her love of Jesus through this season. God has taught me the value of enduring trial as a faith builder.

Thirdly, I have learned that nothing should come in between our relationship with Jesus. The verse that our family has rallied around during the last six months is Romans 8:38-39, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." That is an incredible truth and has brought so much hope to our family. The flip side of that verse would be that we, as followers of Christ, should not allow anything to get in the way of our love for Him. There are many things that could create a wedge and drive us away. I have counseled people in ministry over the years who have allowed cancer to drive them away from the Lord. It has been incredible for me to observe my sister growing closer to Jesus even in the midst of this fight. She has not allowed this horrible disease to keep her from all that is hers through faith in Jesus Christ. I have been challenged to not allow my circumstances to stand in the way of pressing into Jesus.

I want to encourage you. If you find yourself in the midst of a fight, don't give up. God has a plan. Isaiah 55:8 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord." God knew from the day Andrea was born that she would face this battle. This didn't catch Him by surprise. He has a perfect plan for Andrea and He has a perfect plan for you. Trust in Him. Our only hope in this world is Jesus Christ. Do you believe that?

Discipline

Discipline is the key to physical and spiritual vitality. Without discipline our physical weight would balloon. Without discipline our hearts would fall prey to the temptations of the world and we would fall away from God. Discipline is the way in which we are trained which in turn brings success. This training will often bring pain, but the pain is totally worth it.

Accepting discipline doesn't come naturally. I remember as a child, dreading the verdict of what my punishment would be for doing wrong. I recall thinking, "Wow, my parents are so mean, I will never treat my children this way." My parents would tell me that discipline was their way of loving me and teaching me lessons in life. At the time, I didn't understand.  I couldn't see past the pain that I was experiencing from the punishment inflicted.  

However, now I understand why my parents used discipline in my life. As a parent myself, I realize that my parents knew what I needed in order to develop maturity. They wanted me to grow. They wanted me to not just learn specific rights and wrongs, but to learn the value of respecting authority. They were using discipline to train me.

A parent's discipline is similar to the discipline that our Heavenly Father brings. Hebrews 12:9 says, "Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

The Lord brings correction for wrongdoing and the result in us is righteousness. If we fall into temptation and sin, we can expect the Lord will punish us. He punishes us for our own good. His purpose in punishment is to make us holy as He is holy. His punishment can be painful but it is profitable.

I have never been very disciplined in the areas of physical exercise and eating right. Recently the Lord has spoken to me about this area of my life. He is calling me to a deeper level of discipline. I must be willing to go the extra mile to make sure I take care of my body. It is not easy to avoid certain foods or to take smaller portions. It is not easy to incorporate exercise into a busy schedule. All of these practices can be painful, but they are totally worth it.

The most important area of life to be discipline in is our personal quiet time with the Lord. This takes effort to set aside all distractions, or to get out of bed early, and to be consistent in seeking the Lord daily. Jesus is our example in this. Luke 5:16 says, "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." If Jesus did it, we better do it.  If we're going to accomplish anything worth while in our day, we must be disciplined in spending time at the feet of Jesus. Martin Luther said, "I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer." If we are going to grow closer to Jesus, we must be vigilant and disciplined in spending time with Him.

God calls us to a high standard, just as parents should be calling their children to high standards. May we be disciplined. May the Lord empower us to be what God has called us to be. If you are struggling in an area of life, may God give you the strength to be more disciplined.  Discipline is totally worth it.

Longings

Last week, I had a lot of time to sit, think, pray and spend time with Jesus. I was deer hunting. Considering I didn't see many deer, I had a lot of solitude and idle time because I wasn't looking at deer through binoculars, or getting my gun ready to pull the trigger, or even following a blood trail through the woods. When you sit, in the middle of the woods, it is very easy to connect with God and hear His voice. There are no distractions. It is peaceful. It is quiet. This is a formula for personal renewal.

As I sat in the stand, the Lord quickened my heart with His word from Psalm 42:1. Of all things, this happens to be a passage that speaks of deer. The verse says, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, my God." As I sat and reflected about this verse, there was one principle the Lord was teaching me.

I sat and considered the analogy of this verse. Since taking up deer hunting, I have learned a lot about the habits of these animals. Deer get up from their bedding to eat and drink. They will move for miles in order to fulfill their need of hunger and thirst. Deer are known to settle down near a river because water is a necessity to keep them going. Out of all the analogies the Psalmist could have used here, he used the deer and their longing for hydration.

The Psalmist used this analogy as a description for his own personal longing for the Lord. The Lord used this verse, in my heart, as a barometer for my own passion and longing for Jesus. One of the litmus tests for a person's passion for Jesus can be found in how they treat corporate worship in singing. Is worship a time to read the lyrics to a song or is worship a time to give our all and to exalt the name of Jesus? Is worship a time to day dream about Sunday lunch or do we long for the manifest presence of God? There are many things in this life that can get a person excited in anticipation. I was reminded of the anticipation I was having in waiting for a deer to walk out in front of my stand. I wanted so badly to see a large buck come out. The Lord inspired the question in me, "Do I anticipate being in the presence of the Lord just as much?" This was a convicting question.

God was challenging me to anticipate meeting Jesus each and every day, and especially on Sunday. The description the Psalmist uses is a longing. We all long for something. Some fill that longing with the wrong things such as money, sports, popularity, sex or alcohol. The only Person who can satisfy the longing we all have deep down inside of us is Jesus Christ.

Jesus, in a conversation with the woman at the well, talks about the satisfaction we receive from Him in John 4:14. Jesus says, "Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Jesus is the living water. Anytime we come into His presence, He will satisfy every longing that we have.

Do you long for His presence?  Do you long for more of Jesus in your life? May we take the example of the deer as we seek to satisfy the longing that we have. Only Jesus can truly satisfy. Seek Him. Spend time with Him. Receive Him. Live for Him. 

Don't Waste Your Summer

My most recent blog article was written for parents, which totally left out the next generation. In light of that, I want to share some thoughts that I spoke to our youth group recently in preparation for the summer.

Life is passing us by quickly. I can't believe my oldest son is 10 years old, which means I have been a parent for 10 years. Time is moving too fast. Because of this fact, we need to take advantage of our days. Summer break is a great time for students to unwind from a school year, get a job, take vacations or just enjoy a different change of pace. However, all too often, and this happened to me one summer when I was in school, we get to the end of the summer and we wonder, what did I accomplish that was worthwhile?

As we consider taking advantage of our summer and not just doing a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants summer and wonder what you're doing that's worth while, let me challenge you. Jesus wants to be a part of your summer break and He will help you make your summer a success. I want to share with you 5 different areas of your life where you can invite Jesus into your summer to make the summer of 2013 the best ever.

First of all, spend time in the word and in prayer. Psalm 119:9 says, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to God’s word." Mark 1:35 says, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus went out to pray." Prayer and Scripture study will ignite your passion for Jesus. You can’t have a strong walk with Jesus if you’re not spending time with Him in prayer and digging into His Word. When you spend time with Him and experience His presence, He will anoint you with power. Imagine if every Christian teen were to spend a half hour each day in prayer and Scripture study this summer? Imagine how on fire you would be next school year? Your town would change. Your schools would be changed!

Secondly, obey and respect your parents. Ephesians 6:1 says, "Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. Honor your father and your mother -- which is the first commandment with a promise." Obey your parents. It’s pretty clear. When your parents tell you to do something, you should do it right away. Too many children wait until their parents are to the point of nagging them before obedience happens. Obedience is a right away deal! Now, I realize this is difficult for some of you because your parents are not walking with the Lord. God still calls you to obey them. If your parents aren't walking with the Lord, you should make that a priority in prayer and watch God work. As you obey your parents, the home can be a training ground for you in preparation for being an adult. No matter where you end up in life, you will always have authority over you. Learn these lessons now.

Thirdly, build relationships with Christians. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:33, "Bad company corrupts good character." I have heard so many youth over the years tell me, Fred, "I can spend time with my non-Christian friends and it won't affect me." You will become like the people who you spend the most time with. If you spend time with Jesus, you will become like Jesus. If you spend time with your parents, you will be like your parents. If you spend time with Christian friends, you will be like them. If you spend time with non-Christian friends, you may have good intentions, but you will become like them. You will be forced to compromise your beliefs for them. Christian friends will build you up. Christian friends will help you stay accountable in your walk with God. Get plugged into a youth group and ask God mend your hearts together. You may be thinking, why doesn't he challenge me to build relationships with pre-Christians? It is important to do so if you intend to share the gospel, but all too often we build friendships for the wrong reasons and we get pulled away from Christ.

The fourth area is to avoid the devils traps. The beginning of Colossians 3 in summary says, "Put to death all immorality. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming." God calls us to a standard of purity. Anything short of that is immorality. With that in mind, the enemy will tempt you to immorality. What are some of these traps? Sleeping with your significant other. Watching Rated R movies. Looking at porn. Playing video games or listening to music that is not appropriate. Let me challenge you to avoid situations where you will be forced to make a decision to sin or not. If you’re at a friend’s house who isn't a Christian and his/her parents aren't at home and there’s beer in the fridge or there’s a rated R movie in the DVD player or they have the Playboy channel: run from it! 2 Timothy 2:22 says, "Flee the evil desires of youth." Stay strong in the face of temptation. Don’t put yourself in a situation to compromise.

Lastly, look for opportunity for service. Ephesians 6:7 says, "Serve wholeheartedly as if serving the Lord, not men." Jesus was a great example of this. He was a servant. He came not to be served but to serve. When was the last time you did something for someone and didn't expect anything in return? Your town needs more kindness. Could you imagine what your town would be like if a group of youth decided they were not going to just cruise through the summer thinking about themselves, but instead they intentionally looked for opportunities to serve those in need? Wow, that would be the best! Kindness becomes prideful if the service is done to boost one’s ego rather than to give God the glory. Open your eyes to the needs around you and seek to meet those needs with the strength God provides. There are many widows and single mom's in your town who could use some help with various jobs around the house.

In conclusion, friends, I want to see you have the best summer ever. The only way that’s going to happen is if you seek to honor God. If Jesus has center stage in your life, then your summer will be the best ever. If you put yourself on center stage this summer, chances are you’ll get to the end of your summer and think, wow what did I do? Live for Christ and you’ll have the best summer ever! Your legacy is not only determined by what you do as you get old but also by whom you are when you're young.

More is Caught

I have many significant roles in my life. None more important than being a Dad to my three children. They are my pride and joy. As a father, my main passion is to point my children to Jesus Christ. I desire for my children to embrace Jesus: to know Him and to serve Him.

Our culture makes my role as a Dad difficult. The world is full of evil. My kids are bombarded daily with temptations that push them to the edge of compromise. The world has become more and more accepting of what was considered out of bounds 15 years ago. Television, movies and the internet promote an accepting of immorality, violence and evil that has taken what is sacred and made it common. As a Dad, I want to protect my children and their innocence. In protecting them, I want to empower them to navigate temptations, on their own, by knowing right from wrong. 

From the day they are born, our children begin to take small steps of freedom in moving out of our care as parents. Every day that we have with our children, we are preparing them for the ultimate freedom of living on their own, which in most cases happens when children go off to college. We must take advantage of our time with our children. 

When I was studying youth ministry, back in college, I learned a phrase that applies well to my mindset as a Dad. One of my professors shared: "More is caught than taught." My children are more likely to grab a principle or truth of God's word if they see me live it out, than they would if I presented some clever devotional lesson. I am not discouraging family devotions, because they are important. As a matter of fact, we have them as a family. However, if I lead a devotion on tithing and my children see my wife and I put our check into the offering plate, that speaks volumes to them on the importance of giving to God what belongs to Him. 

Our children watch us closely. They see how we respond when we're faced with difficult situations. They see how we spend our free time. They observe more than we realize. This puts a lot of pressure on us as parents. The reality is that we will reproduce who we are. In student ministry, I have been around a lot of troubled students through the years. In most cases, the ones who have the biggest problems in their lives are ones who do not have quality examples to follow in their parents. 

If more is caught than taught, then I want to be there for my children and I want to model Christ for them. I can't expect my children to learn enough at Sunday School, Children's church or Awana to suffice their spiritual growth. They need encouragement and inspiration from me. This requires me to spend quality time with each of my children. By quality time, I'm talking about having eye ball to eye ball conversations with them about what is significant in their life. This also means to allow them opportunity to be with me as I make important day to day decisions in striving to live for Jesus. Yes, sometimes this requires admitting my shortcomings.

God calls us to submit to His authority and to obey His truth. When we do this as parents, then we are able to call our children to obey our authority. By God's grace, we will point our children to Jesus as we live for Him.

Don't Waste Your Life

I led my first funeral last week. I have been to many funerals in the past and have even participated in them before, but I was never called on to lead and facilitate one. Funerals have a way of helping us define reality. There are two truths about life that hit me this week as I processed this funeral: 1) I am not promised tomorrow 2) Neither is anybody else

Our life is but a blip on the radar in terms of all eternity. Here we are 2000+ years after the birth of Jesus. Who knows how long we have left until He returns. The average person lives 70 years. Many live past that, and as I was reminded of this last week, there are many who don't have a chance to reach that average age. We are not promised tomorrow. God makes this very clear throughout the Bible. Psalm 39 says, "Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere breath; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure." James 4:14 says, "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." In my reflections of this truth, I realize that too many people waste their life. I love the song by Christian artist, Lecrae, Don't Waste Your Life. The message of that song has been ringing in my heart this week.  This reality motivates me to live every day as if it is my very last. Because I have a relationship with my Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ, He enables me to live life to its fullest. Jesus died so that I can truly live.  God has given us only one life to make a difference in this world. I want to do all I can to make sure I am on mission with Him. I want to take advantage of every day to grow more in love with Jesus and to seek more opportunity to serve Him. We only live once. We can play it safe when we get to heaven.

The second reality is that I need to do all I can to influence the lives of people around me. There are too many people in our world who are living for themselves. Too many people are settling for less than God's very best. The sad part is, this is true for followers of Christ and pre-believers alike. I personally have people in my life, who have trusted Jesus as their Savior, but they are settling for less than God's best for their lives. In light of this, I must have an urgency to speak the truth of Jesus Christ to them in love. I am responsible to disciple those who are younger in the faith than I am. 2 Timothy 2:2 says, "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others." As I experience Jesus, then I am able and responsible to minister out of the overflow.

This begs the question: Am I doing enough to influence those who need more of Jesus in their life? May we be all that God calls us to be. Ephesians 5 says, "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Colossians 4:6 says, "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." May the Spirit of Christ so fill our hearts and our minds that we influence everyone around us by our actions, speech and life.

You've heard the phrase: "Life's uncertain, eat dessert first." Well, life's uncertain, share Jesus first!

Love is Compelling

Love compels us to do crazy things. Today is Valentine's Day. It's amazing to consider the lengths we will go to in order to make our special someone grasp our love for them. On average, a man will spend $170 on items such as flowers, chocolates, jewelry, balloons and cards. It is estimated that over 150 million cards will be purchased and given for Valentine's Day. That is incredible!

It's confession time: I am a hopeless romantic. I have given my fair share of flowers, gifts and cards over the years. One year, I got this idea to create a large card for Joanna. I decided I wouldn't go to Hallmark, but that I would make her a card. I'm not much of an artist, so this card wasn't going to look beautiful. However, I was fairly good at putting my thoughts into writing. Another strike I had against me was that my writing is very close to being non-legible. With all of that considered, I proceeded to cut words out of magazines to form the message that I wanted to communicate with my Valentine. Now, I can't say this was an original idea as I had seen these done before by others, but I had never created one myself. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It would have been easier if all I wanted to put on the poster was a giant I LOVE YOU, but no, I had at least 150 words that I wanted to communicate. This took a long time!

Now, I know what you're thinking... "Why would you do that?" Here's the short answer: Love compels us to do crazy things. It's the same answer a girl would give who presses the rose pedals, from her boyfriend's gift of flowers, in a book, only to let them attract ants and other critters. Or the boy and girl who talk on the phone or text for hours in the evening before bed. Love compels us to do crazy things.

John 14:15 says, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." In other words, it is love that compels us to follow Jesus. If we are serious about our relationship with Jesus, and we truly love Jesus, then we will be tenacious about knowing Him and doing what He wants us to do.I have talked to a lot of people over years as a pastor, particularly youth, who tell me, "Wow, Pastor Fred, it seems the Bible and a relationship with God is all about rules." They say, "The Bible is too strict." I say, "Yea, but do you love Him?" If you have a lot of head-knowledge about God and you don't have a relationship with Him, then yes, the Bible is a bunch of rules to be followed. But if you have a relationship with God, all of the principles and commands are there for a reason. The reason of these commands are to lead us into a life of holiness and as it says in Joshua 1, "then you will be prosperous and successful." 

If we sincerely love Jesus as He desires, which is with our heart, soul, mind and strength, then we will be willing to do whatever it takes to show Him that we love Him. Every time we do something that is in direct obedience to the Word of God, we are telling Jesus that we love Him. Our obedience is all the proof He needs of our affection, allegiance and adoration. Our obedience is in direct correlation of how we feel about Jesus. The person who is deeply in love with Jesus is also the one who will go to great lengths to obey all of God's commands throughout Scripture. Why? Because love is what compels us.

Are you faithful to Jesus?

I have been teaching through the fruit of the Spirit with our students on Wednesday nights. Each week has challenged me personally and I have enjoyed digging into the depths of each fruit. I have been teaching through the fruit because I believe that every Christian should not be so in name only, but we should each be a Christian by the way we live our lives. The fruit of the Spirit should each be evident in our lives.

Each week and each fruit has stretched me, but this week in particular has done an inspiring work inside of me as I taught on the fruit of faithfulness.

What exactly is faithfulness? Faithfulness hinges upon what we consider as valuable or important and then we combine that with our commitment. As humans, we have this incredible ability to "get behind" and be faithful to those things that we consider important. Things such as relationships, our studies, our athletic teams, our employer or even the food we eat. The question that I want to ask in this blog is, are you faithful to God?

God is faithful to us. He has proven his faithfulness to us in so many ways. Deuteronomy 7:9 says, "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands." God is a faithful God. He promised to save His people from their sins and Jesus came and did that. He is faithful.

The question is, are we faithful to God? At the end of the gospel of John in chapter 21, we read the account of Jesus asking Peter if he was faithful. This is the Peter who walked on water. This is the Peter who denied Jesus three times, after Jesus predicted he would do so. Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him. He was asking if Peter's commitment was walking hand in hand with what he valued. Jesus didn't want to just be a part of Peter's life, Jesus wanted to literally be his life.

Faithfulness in our walk with Christ means that we love Jesus above all. As a Christian and disciple, God calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. Jesus says that we must be willing to give up everything in order to follow Him.

I don't think I've ever mentioned this in my blog, but I really love my wife. I would do anything for my wife. I value her and am committed to her. I strive to be faithful in my relationship with her in keeping my vows in our marriage. If I all of a sudden committed adultery or was looking at pornography, she would question my faithfulness to say the least. If we claim to follow Jesus and yet are unfaithful to Him by putting other things before Him, we set ourselves up for a broken relationship. Our walk with Jesus deserves the same devotion that it takes for a marriage to work.

As a follower of Christ, Jesus wants to transform every area of our lives. When Jesus takes His rightful place in your life, then the rest of life will flow from that. You will be a better family member with Jesus first. You will be a better employee with Jesus first. You will be a better student with Jesus first. You will be a better athlete with Jesus first. Your whole life will improve with Jesus first.

When others observe our lives, will they find us faithful in our commitment to Jesus?  May God empower us by His Spirit to be tenacious in our walks.

Jesus and Politics

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of the political adds and the candidate bashing that has gone on. Because this race is so close and the last 4 years have gone so poorly, both parties have received their share of stomach punches. People are calling this the election of the century. I'm absolutely ready for this election to be over and recorded in the history books.

However, with that being said, what takes place tomorrow is of utmost importance. Four years ago, President Obama promised change and was himself change as our country has never elected an African-American President. In the last four years, our country has experienced change alright, change for the worse: a failure to protect unborn babies, a failure to defend historical marriage and healthy families, the national debt is higher, more people are out of work, a failure to deal with Islamic terrorism, and a failure to preserve freedom of religion with governmental involvement in churches. There are other issues, but these are the main ones. If we don't confront these issues in the next four years in a biblical and Christ-centered way, we will continue our downward spiral away from being one nation under God. If we desire to be one nation under God and seriously strive to see God bless America, then how can we put people into governmental positions who will not uphold biblical values?

As I have prayed and studied Scripture the last month, leading up to this election the Lord has put three tangible "things to do" on my heart as we face this election and as we face the next four years: PRAY, VOTE and DISCIPLE

The Lord has used 1 Timothy 2:1-6 in my life to direct me in this election season. We read of Paul's teaching to Timothy that prayer should be at the center of all worship. Specifically that prayer be made for all of those who are in authority. At the time of this writing, Nero was the ruler of the Roman Empire. His name makes me cringe as he was a killer of Christians. Imagine Timothy being challenged to pray for such a man. The message is the same for us today. We need to pray for those who are elected whether we agree with their politics or not. My prayer is that God will raise up godly politicians within my church. I shared with a few of our children's Sunday School teachers last week, what a shame it is that we don't have a born-again Christian on this year's ticket for president. I said, maybe the future council members, senators governors and perhaps a president will come from their Sunday School classes. Our country needs more elected officials who will rule and make decisions according to biblical and kingdom values.

The Roman world at the time of this writing was not a democracy, so the only thing Timothy could do was to pray. However, I believe if they were able to vote, Paul would have challenged Timothy to do so. As Americans, God has given us the privilege to vote. Praying allows us to share our desires with God. Voting allows us to share our desires with the government. I want to align my desires with God's desires. Jesus gave us a mandate as we call the Great Commission before ascending into Heaven, "Go and make disciples." It says in 1 Timothy 2:4, "Our Savior desires that all people be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth." This is God's agenda and should be our agenda. We must vote for Jesus. This means voting for the unborn, voting for the family, voting for the church, voting for a balanced budget, etc.

I have friends who are not voting at all this election or are writing in Ron Paul or someone else. They site various reasons, but the one I hear most often is because neither candidates are born again Christians. This is true as one claims to be a Christian and doesn't act like it, and the other candidate is a devout Mormon. My answer to this is that we must look at their convictions and platforms. Will they uphold biblical values? Also, a no vote or a vote for a third party is just the same as voting for the worst candidate. So, the answer is this, get out and vote for one of the two candidates. Vote for the candidate who will do their best to bring God's blessing to our country.

The final word that the Lord has challenged me with as it involves our election is disciple. As I mentioned above, Jesus has commanded us to reach the nations, starting in our own backyard. As a pastor, it is my role to lead my church in leading our neighbors, classmates, and co-workers to faith in Jesus Christ. Then it is our role to see those people brought into fellowship and walk with them to become established in their walk in making Jesus Lord of their lives. This is what the church is called to do. This is not the government's job. The government's role, as we read in Romans 13, is to encourage what is good and discourage what is evil. That is all. However, it is not their role to do the churches job. In addition, it is not the government's role to tell churches what they can and can't do. The government goes beyond it's responsibility when they try to keep the church from doing what God has called the church to do. As a pastor of a local church, I have felt the government breathing down my neck in different ways in the last couple years and it's beginning to get scary. God has called me to make disciples, and I don't want any restrictions in doing so.

With all of that being said, this election, I'm voting for Jesus. I want to cast the vote that He would be most pleased with. I plan to vote for the unborn, the family and the church. I realize that ultimately this election is in God's hands. He already knows the winner. He is in complete control. As I vote, I hope to see God bless America once again. Psalm 33:12 says, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." Proverbs 14:34 says, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people." This election, I challenge you to weigh the issues, not from the perspective of a donkey or elephant, but weigh the issues from the very Word of God. Please join me in casting a vote for Jesus.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

The Lord continues to speak to me about His longing for faithfulness in the lives of His children.  In a previous blog article entitled Lifesong, I addressed the idea of our life being a message to the world.  I want to continue those thoughts here.

Actions speak louder than words. Do you agree with that statement? Everyone can talk a good game, but not everyone can always back it up. I recall a heated argument that developed on a practice putting green, before a multi-school golf tournament, my senior year in high school. Yes, surprisingly enough, there is trash talk that can happen even in the sport of golf. Golf tends to be a gentlemen’s sport and has always been a sport played with an emphasis on etiquette. However, that day on the practice green, all it took was one student telling his opponent that he would out-drive and out-putt him the entire round. This led to a heated exchange. Golf is a game that requires intense concentration and if your mind is elsewhere during your round, you will end up having to take penalty strokes because of poor shots. To make a long story short, this golfer from the other school wasn’t able to back up his talk. He tried to get his opponent thinking negatively, and as a result it backfired and he found himself being negatively affected by his words.

In my experience as a pastor, I have come across so many people who settle for spiritual mediocrity. These people have a lot of head knowledge but it doesn’t bring life transformation. These people have trusted Jesus as their Savior and it seems they have done so only to avoid an eternity in hell. They attend church on Sunday or youth group on Wednesday night; they may even interact and answer questions about faith and Scriptures. But, when it comes to Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and the weekends, they run their life on their own. Their lives are no different than those who have yet to trust Jesus. Their mouths pour out lies or profanity. Their computers are filled with garbage. Their social media accounts are used as a place to air their dirty laundry. Their lifestyle is camouflaged because they want to fit in with the world.

This last year, the Lord has spoken to me about the importance of godly character. Jesus, in Matthew 5:13-16, calls His followers to be salt and light. Our character is what enables us to be salt and light. Our culture is full of darkness and only we have the ability to bring the light of Jesus. Salt prevents decay. Our culture is decaying with immorality, greed, and pride. It’s only as we become salt, that we can prevent the decay that is happening all around us.

This fall, I am teaching our youth about the Fruit of the Spirit. I have sensed a need to define what a follower of Jesus looks like. We have studied the last part of Galatians 5. There is a battle going on for each of our hearts/souls. It is a battle between our sinful natures and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The enemy wants nothing more than for us to believe his lies and fall into sin. However, as we trust Jesus, the Holy Spirit wants to work through the Word of God to sensitize us to the character qualities of Jesus. Each Wednesday night, we are looking at a different fruit of the Spirit. These fruit are not optional. Fruit are not like spiritual gifts. A follower of Christ may only have one spiritual gift. However, each of us should strive to display each and every fruit.

The first of the nine fruit mentioned in Paul’s list in Galatians 5 is love. Love should be at the center of all we do and all we say. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” This is simply because love should be the igniter for all the other fruit. We can experience joy because of love. We can live at peace because of love. We can be patient because of love. We are kind because of love. We enjoy goodness because of love. We are full of faith because of love. We are gentle because of love. We can be self-controlled because of love. Love is what defines God and if we are followers of Christ, love will be at the center of all we do. Jesus said in John 13:34-35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” May the Spirit of God empower each of us to live for Jesus each and every day. May we be known as those who don’t just talk the talk, but we walk the walk!

Who's Got Your Back?

I just recently returned from a youth retreat and the theme for our weekend was: Who's got your back? When you hear the phrase, I've got your back, It leads us to a place of confidence, companionship, security, relationship. It’s hilarious, in the last 2 weeks, I’ve heard that phrase come up so many different times. I was down at our theater with my family watching Ice Age 3. (Which BTW is hilarious!) There was a scene where the saber tooth tiger says to his new friend, I’ve got your back. Then a couple weeks ago, I was playing short stop at a church softball game and I overheard our right center-fielder tell our left center-fielder, I got your back.

Those words bring life! Each of us have a longing to be loved. When we know that someone has our backs, it makes us feel loved. There is nothing more encouraging. There is nothing that propels you to greater things. There is nothing that energizes us more. There is nothing more satisfying than knowing that someone has our back.

Now, as an associate pastor, I have many roles in our church. I’m the youth pastor. I oversee Christian Education. I preach on occasions. I run the Anchor (our Christian youth center). I visit people in the hospital. I meet with people for counseling. I’m officiating a wedding next month. These are all important roles. But, in addition to knowing Christ, my primary role is to support our senior pastor. As his associate, it is my primary role to support him. No matter what, I need to be loyal, I need to pray for him, I need to be there for him. I have his back no matter what!

Unfortunately, too many people in this world will turn our back on us. We may have a best friend who loves us one day and then leaves us the next. When storms come into our lives, we need to know that we have someone who will support us, love us, be there for us no matter what. We may receive this from our parents, we may receive this from our children, we may receive this from our spouces, we even may receive this from friends. However, there is a love that exists that is far greater and more sufficient than any human love and that is the love that we receive from our Heavenly Father.

Check out these verses:
Proverbs 18:24 “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5-6 "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” 6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.”
John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

My desire is for you to know beyond a shadow of doubt that Jesus has your back. That no matter what you do, what happens to you, no matter where life takes you, Jesus has your back! He loves you, He died for you and He lives today to be your best friend!

Why do bad things happen to good people?

This is a question that is often asked and is also a question that is not easily answered. Ever since the plane high-jacking incident of 9/11 happened, I have wrestled with this question. This is a question that was raised last weekend as a part of the TV coverage of the Aurora massacre. Why does God allow this to happen?

Furthermore, each of us know of situations that hit a little closer to home. For example, I know of a couple families in our church who are dealing with husband – wife separations and possible divorce. There are several people in our church who are battling cancer. Joanna and I have been through a crisis this year that I have written about in a previous blog as our son fell into a fire and burnt his hand and then our van broke down.

I honestly admit that I don’t have all the answers. I wish that there was some sort of formula for dealing with this issue. Volumes have been written on this subject. But, I do want to share with you what the Lord has spoken to me as I have wrestled with this question. If anything, I want to bring this topic to the forefront of your thoughts as it is relevant to what is happening in our world.

First of all, I have understood that it is alright to get upset with God. As I read Psalm 10, I can just sense the anger that David had because God seemed distant. He felt as if the wicked were getting away with too much. David was a man after God’s heart and even he was upset with God. God is big enough to handle our anger. Anger is a part of every relationship, although anger is often based on misunderstandings. We must deal with our anger appropriately.

Secondly, bad things happen because there is evil in the world. Ever since Adam and Eve fell in sin, humanity was knocked over the head with the sinful nature. God had two options when He created us. He could have created us in some form of robot that would be holy all the time, quick to worship Him, and quick to do what’s right, but with no real choices. Instead He chose to give us a free will which allows us to choose between good and evil. God hates sin. God is just and will punish those who do evil. When Cain killed his brother, he was punished and was never able to settle down in a land. Unfortunately, many of the tragedies that we face today are a direct result of the sinful state of our world.

Our tendency is to settle on a reason for everything that happens. Unfortunately, that is not always possible, and forcing a fake reason doesn’t do us any good. It’s so easy to get consumed with the here and the now, that we often forget that God is in control of the big picture. Our lives are like a piece to a puzzle, we get to see some of the picture, some of the colors, but we don’t see how it all fits together. 1 Corinthians 13:12 says, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.” It is so easy to want answers right away, but God wants us to rest in the fact that He is in control. God is sovereign and we can rest in that fact. He says in his word, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Even though God allows bad to happen, we can rest assure that He is in control.

As we seek God in regards to this area, may He grant us wisdom. The people in our community have questions. If you haven’t been cornered on this issue, you will very soon. I trust the Lord will use you to help frustrated people see the light of Jesus and embrace His love during these rocky roads of life. I leave you with this, James 1:2-3 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”

Where's God? There's God!

When we decide to follow Jesus, He doesn’t promise us that life will all of a sudden be a bed of roses. Some people paint a picture that a life in Jesus is full of joy and happiness all the time. Well, a life in Christ is characterized by that, but it’s not that way all the time. Job 5:7 says, “As surely as sparks fly upward, so a man was born for adversity.” If you are human, you are going to deal with hard times, whether you are a follower of Christ or not.

Last week, my family and I found ourselves in the middle of a crisis. I was in my office plowing through some Summer scheduling for the youth group and received a phone call that my youngest son had fallen into a fire and burnt his hand. I then took him to our family doctor to find out that this was no sunburn! He had a very serious burn that required special attention because of his age and because it was his hand. So, Joanna and I took Luke down to a hospital and burn unit in the Twin Cities. Well to make matters worse, two blocks from the hospital, our mini-van broke down and wouldn’t start. Joanna and Luke had to walk and check into the hospital by themselves and I was left to call a tow truck.

Now, someone who isn’t walking with the Lord, would take the opportunity in that auto mechanic waiting area to shake their fist at God and question Him. There would be others who would hear of our story and think, “Where is God in that situation?” “How could God allow this terrible thing to happen to such nice people?” “If they love Jesus and serve Jesus, then why would He put them through that?”

I remember sitting in the waiting area of the repair shop and crying out to God, I said, “God reveal Yourself to me!” Through prayer, God’s presence and love came rushing in like a river into my soul. I felt an overwhelming strength and faith knowing that God had everything under control. I was reminded of James 1 that says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” Notice the word, whenever. It doesn’t say if you face trials, it says when you face trials. No matter how strong your faith in Jesus is, trials will surely come. God uses those trials to build our faith.

I heard a statement one time from a pastor that has stuck with me to today, “Nothing that is under God’s control is ever out of control.” No matter how difficult life can seem sometimes, God is sovereign and He has everything under control. God is right in the middle of every circumstance we face and He allowed it to happen. I could write another article on all that God did in our lives because of this trial. The answer to the question, “Where’s God?” is “There’s God!” He will never leave you or forsake you!