As many of you know, I am leaving this weekend to study abroad in Barcelona, Spain. So for the past few weeks, I have been hurrying around, shopping, fixing, gathering items, planning, and, of course, stressing. Now this trip has not been the only cause of my stress; I have also been moving and assisting with some family-related needs. But I was really feeling overwhelmed by the whole situation and I was starting to doubt my decision to go abroad in the first place. Why did I think this was a good idea? What is the point of all this?
I was at services and explaining all of this to my friend and she said something profound. I am sure she did not think it was profound, but it really changed my outlook in an instant. She just looked at me and said, "Well don't get too stressed out, you're going to Spain!"
And it made me realize. Sometimes, I spend so much time absorbed in my own worry that I don't see the blessing that is right in front of me. My friend was simply pointing this out. The Lord has given me enough resources at this time to be able to live in a beautiful country for 4 months, full of vibrant people and exquisite scenery! Have I even stopped to thank the Lord for this trip?
Here is my opinion: Stress and anxiety blinds us to the blessings that we have already received. We get so busy running in circles, with our heads in the sand, that we forget to look at what is right in front of us. We go knocking on God's door when he is already in the room with us.
So here's my challenge to you: How have you been blind? What blessing has the Lord already given you to enjoy?
Monday, August 30, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Justification and Judgment
Yesterday, I had something of an "Ah-ha" moment. For those of you who don't know what those are, they are moments when you have an instance of revelation, which often results in one saying, "Ah-ha!", and some problem or mystery of the universe becomes clear.
I am a big fan of these moments, and although I can't really say that this moment will be terribly groundbreaking, or revolutionary for everyone, I thought it was pretty fascinating, so I figured I would share it.
It all began as I was walking home from work. I came up to the intersection at Race St. and 33rd, and I was about to cross when I heard a car come up behind me, so I paused to let them go. That was then followed by that awkward, "You go" "No you go!" kind of situation, because every time I took a step, this person revved their engine a little bit (albeit, it was most likely unknowingly), and I would stop. I would rather not be on the receiving end of vehicular homicide. When I finally crossed, I looked back at the person who was driving behind me, and they naturally had that pissed-off look on their face, and probably cursing me under their breath. I thought to myself, "Dang, that guy totally judged me without knowing any of the facts of why I behaved the way I did. And that's when it hit me. He judged me, without first trying to justify me.
There are two things that I gleaned from this "Ah-ha" moment, the first relating to the obvious way in which we should judge. More often then not, I find myself casting judgment on others without knowing any of the facts. I think it is safe to assume that I would have behaved similarly to the man driving that SUV, and assumed that the person crossing the street was just jerking me around out of spite. I will admit, my disposition changes drastically when I am behind the wheel of a car. It's quite awful, and I am trying to correct it, but this still presents an interesting take on how to judge righteously. We all know that we cannot read people's hearts, or what they are thinking, so how then can we judge?
It occurred to me that if we first try to justify (and I don't mean that in a spiritual sense, FYI) those around us, we will more often than not, judge rightly. For instance, if that guy driving took the time to look at things from my point of view, he would hopefully have realized that I just didn't want to get hit by his large car, and that would have prevented him from getting angry. Hopefully. Likewise, if we take the time to first justify the actions of those around us, then I think we will find that a lot of times people will have decent reasons for doing some of the things we might think are strange.
The second thing I gleaned from this, which I found to be the more profound thing, was the way in which God has justified us, before committing us to judgment. What is even more amazing, is that God didn't have to. While we don't know everything, God does. He could easily judge us at any time, and have the right to do so, but he doesn't. He patiently justifies us, and gives us the ability to avoid judgment. God's justification also surpasses our own. Where we have to seek out the means of declaring someone to be "right", God provides us with righteousness when we had none. We can only follow what the facts show us, but God can supersede the fact of our sinfulness, and declare us good in his sight.
It is often these small parallels between things in daily life, and God's character that really blow my mind because they just go to show much God has authored Himself into all of His creation.
I am a big fan of these moments, and although I can't really say that this moment will be terribly groundbreaking, or revolutionary for everyone, I thought it was pretty fascinating, so I figured I would share it.
It all began as I was walking home from work. I came up to the intersection at Race St. and 33rd, and I was about to cross when I heard a car come up behind me, so I paused to let them go. That was then followed by that awkward, "You go" "No you go!" kind of situation, because every time I took a step, this person revved their engine a little bit (albeit, it was most likely unknowingly), and I would stop. I would rather not be on the receiving end of vehicular homicide. When I finally crossed, I looked back at the person who was driving behind me, and they naturally had that pissed-off look on their face, and probably cursing me under their breath. I thought to myself, "Dang, that guy totally judged me without knowing any of the facts of why I behaved the way I did. And that's when it hit me. He judged me, without first trying to justify me.
There are two things that I gleaned from this "Ah-ha" moment, the first relating to the obvious way in which we should judge. More often then not, I find myself casting judgment on others without knowing any of the facts. I think it is safe to assume that I would have behaved similarly to the man driving that SUV, and assumed that the person crossing the street was just jerking me around out of spite. I will admit, my disposition changes drastically when I am behind the wheel of a car. It's quite awful, and I am trying to correct it, but this still presents an interesting take on how to judge righteously. We all know that we cannot read people's hearts, or what they are thinking, so how then can we judge?
It occurred to me that if we first try to justify (and I don't mean that in a spiritual sense, FYI) those around us, we will more often than not, judge rightly. For instance, if that guy driving took the time to look at things from my point of view, he would hopefully have realized that I just didn't want to get hit by his large car, and that would have prevented him from getting angry. Hopefully. Likewise, if we take the time to first justify the actions of those around us, then I think we will find that a lot of times people will have decent reasons for doing some of the things we might think are strange.
The second thing I gleaned from this, which I found to be the more profound thing, was the way in which God has justified us, before committing us to judgment. What is even more amazing, is that God didn't have to. While we don't know everything, God does. He could easily judge us at any time, and have the right to do so, but he doesn't. He patiently justifies us, and gives us the ability to avoid judgment. God's justification also surpasses our own. Where we have to seek out the means of declaring someone to be "right", God provides us with righteousness when we had none. We can only follow what the facts show us, but God can supersede the fact of our sinfulness, and declare us good in his sight.
It is often these small parallels between things in daily life, and God's character that really blow my mind because they just go to show much God has authored Himself into all of His creation.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Looking Back
Lately I have been trying to spend time looking back over my life and seeing how God has influenced and worked in it to bring me to where I am now. It has been a pretty interesting introspection, and as I look, I see God's hand moving in many different areas of my life.
I think the thing that struck me the most was the churches that I have ended up at and that being at Calvary Chapel Chester Springs was one of the best things that ever could have happened to me. I say this not only because of the great teaching I received from my pastor, and the friends that I will have most likely until I die, but because of some of the more subtle ways that God has used that church in my life.
I began this whole thought process when I was thinking about some of the different times I have shared with people that I have crossed paths with, whether it was roommates, Jehovah's Witnesses, or just people I have talked to on the street. I thought about all of the times that I would talk to people and be able to reference verses in scripture that I hadn't heard in ages, or stuff that just seemed far beyond what I can normally comprehend. I can definitely attribute all that to God, and the moving of His Spirit, especially if you know how terrible my memory is. So I began to wonder where exactly did that knowledge come from? The engineer in me didn't want to just assign the label of "divine intervention" to it without first giving it due thought, as doing so can rob God of more glory than we think.
Eventually, I realized that much of the knowledge I have of scripture, I can attribute to the teaching I received at Calvary Chapel, and that all of those sermons were prepared by God so that I might use them at a later point. And how incredible is that! As I have been understanding this point more and more over the years, I have been able to recognize the effect of a godly sermon more readily in my life. Even now as I attend Calvary Chapel Antioch, I can see the different topics lining up in my life to cater to different events that have been happening, and relating to the people I meet. I am also realizing the importance of being at a church where the pastors are truly seeking to reflect what God desires for the people to hear, and they are grounded in God's Word. I say this, because what we hear and learn has a far more reaching impact on what we believe than we might first imagine. It also means that we need to make sure that we ourselves are grounded in what the scriptures teach, and that we are students of the Lord first, and students of our churches and pastors second. I have found that I have taken many teachings for granted in my life, and I can't explain some of the basic doctrines of what we believe.
This is all just one way in which I have seen God at work in my life, and I can't even begin to describe some of the other ways, as each time I reflect on it, I discover even more ways. I encourage all of you to try and do a similar thing, because I can guarantee that you will be just as blown away as I am.
I think the thing that struck me the most was the churches that I have ended up at and that being at Calvary Chapel Chester Springs was one of the best things that ever could have happened to me. I say this not only because of the great teaching I received from my pastor, and the friends that I will have most likely until I die, but because of some of the more subtle ways that God has used that church in my life.
I began this whole thought process when I was thinking about some of the different times I have shared with people that I have crossed paths with, whether it was roommates, Jehovah's Witnesses, or just people I have talked to on the street. I thought about all of the times that I would talk to people and be able to reference verses in scripture that I hadn't heard in ages, or stuff that just seemed far beyond what I can normally comprehend. I can definitely attribute all that to God, and the moving of His Spirit, especially if you know how terrible my memory is. So I began to wonder where exactly did that knowledge come from? The engineer in me didn't want to just assign the label of "divine intervention" to it without first giving it due thought, as doing so can rob God of more glory than we think.
Eventually, I realized that much of the knowledge I have of scripture, I can attribute to the teaching I received at Calvary Chapel, and that all of those sermons were prepared by God so that I might use them at a later point. And how incredible is that! As I have been understanding this point more and more over the years, I have been able to recognize the effect of a godly sermon more readily in my life. Even now as I attend Calvary Chapel Antioch, I can see the different topics lining up in my life to cater to different events that have been happening, and relating to the people I meet. I am also realizing the importance of being at a church where the pastors are truly seeking to reflect what God desires for the people to hear, and they are grounded in God's Word. I say this, because what we hear and learn has a far more reaching impact on what we believe than we might first imagine. It also means that we need to make sure that we ourselves are grounded in what the scriptures teach, and that we are students of the Lord first, and students of our churches and pastors second. I have found that I have taken many teachings for granted in my life, and I can't explain some of the basic doctrines of what we believe.
This is all just one way in which I have seen God at work in my life, and I can't even begin to describe some of the other ways, as each time I reflect on it, I discover even more ways. I encourage all of you to try and do a similar thing, because I can guarantee that you will be just as blown away as I am.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Passing on the Faith
Yesterday I finished reading the Book of Judges. It had been a long while since I read through it so there was quite a bit that struck me. If you've never had the opportunity to go through it, here's the main gist: After Joshua, there was no appointed leader of Israel so the people started to fall away from the Lord. They would end up in idolatry and captivity and then cry out to God so then God would raise up a leader, or judge, for the people that would help turn their hearts back to God and also bring them out of bondage. After the appointed judge died, the people of Israel would go through the whole song and dance again.
What struck me most about the book was the many times it said that the people had no king and so they did what was right in their own eyes and that the new generation did not know the God of their fathers. For me that did not make any sense. Weren't the people of Israel teaching their kids about their God? How do you go through a generation and then suddenly God dies off with the last family member of that generation?
All this to say that it made me really value the importance of having a household of faith and making that the legacy that I want to pass on to my children. Granted, kids are a bit of a ways off in my future but nonetheless it is something to ponder and give priority to. My family has been saved for the past 5 generations. God has been so gracious and faithful to us that we can even be able to say that but He's also put it in the hearts of my great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents to raise their children with the knowledge and understanding of God. It is my prayer that none of us would let our faith in the Lord die with our mortal bodies but that our children and children's children would continue to hold fast to the Lord.
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. ~ Proverbs 22:6
What struck me most about the book was the many times it said that the people had no king and so they did what was right in their own eyes and that the new generation did not know the God of their fathers. For me that did not make any sense. Weren't the people of Israel teaching their kids about their God? How do you go through a generation and then suddenly God dies off with the last family member of that generation?
All this to say that it made me really value the importance of having a household of faith and making that the legacy that I want to pass on to my children. Granted, kids are a bit of a ways off in my future but nonetheless it is something to ponder and give priority to. My family has been saved for the past 5 generations. God has been so gracious and faithful to us that we can even be able to say that but He's also put it in the hearts of my great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents to raise their children with the knowledge and understanding of God. It is my prayer that none of us would let our faith in the Lord die with our mortal bodies but that our children and children's children would continue to hold fast to the Lord.
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. ~ Proverbs 22:6
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Sanctification takes too long
It's another quiet day here in the office. The boss is gone, along with at least half the office on meetings and whatnot, and I am sitting here at my desk quietly biding my time until some work comes along. It is during times like this I tend to spend a lot of time in reflection, thinking about various aspects of life, particularly my own.
Today, I happened down the scary path of wondering what my future looks like. I can say I have a general idea of where I think I will end up, and I definitely know what I would like to be doing, but I have no clue as to how I am going to get there. And that is where my flesh starts to kick in. That part of me that goes, "But I want to be there now!" I think we all have experienced that at some point or another, and I don't know about you, but I find mine to be quite annoying. I find myself constantly fighting it, telling it to be patient, and to shut-up. I look forward to the day when my flesh will actually listen to me, but until then, I am stuck.
It's not an easy walk we have, even when we are using God's Word as a lamp. The funny thing is, lamps give off pretty crappy light. We like to think of our halogen bulbs, and Mag-lites, but a lamp only gives enough light to see the next step, as Pastor Chris puts it. I would love to just skip so much of the process, and get right to the end result of being where I want to be, but I often find myself needing to be right where I am currently. I don't know why it is so hard to trust God with my future, because it really shouldn't be. I certainly don't have any reason not to trust Him, He has more than got me this far, but it always comes down to the same thing. I need to be satisfied with where God has me, and I need to be diligent to grow where God wants me to grow.
Today, I happened down the scary path of wondering what my future looks like. I can say I have a general idea of where I think I will end up, and I definitely know what I would like to be doing, but I have no clue as to how I am going to get there. And that is where my flesh starts to kick in. That part of me that goes, "But I want to be there now!" I think we all have experienced that at some point or another, and I don't know about you, but I find mine to be quite annoying. I find myself constantly fighting it, telling it to be patient, and to shut-up. I look forward to the day when my flesh will actually listen to me, but until then, I am stuck.
It's not an easy walk we have, even when we are using God's Word as a lamp. The funny thing is, lamps give off pretty crappy light. We like to think of our halogen bulbs, and Mag-lites, but a lamp only gives enough light to see the next step, as Pastor Chris puts it. I would love to just skip so much of the process, and get right to the end result of being where I want to be, but I often find myself needing to be right where I am currently. I don't know why it is so hard to trust God with my future, because it really shouldn't be. I certainly don't have any reason not to trust Him, He has more than got me this far, but it always comes down to the same thing. I need to be satisfied with where God has me, and I need to be diligent to grow where God wants me to grow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)