Category Archives: Our relationship with God

Following Jesus wherever He leads

Posted on June 27, 2016 by | Comments Off on Following Jesus wherever He leads

following JesusFollowing Jesus wherever He leads is often a journey that is easier to discuss than to simply begin in complete obedience. This past October (2015), I made a decision that was not easy to make. Since 2012, I have been an active member of a local Baptist church and had a variety of roles. I had the privilege of serving as a trustee, a Sunday school teacher, a Christian discipleship mentor, song and worship leader, and even operated a small printing ministry, and video recording and editing of the various services for the church’s YouTube channel. I was active in the various ministries of the church but had struggled with the ministry the Lord had laid on my heart. Starting in November of 2012, the Lord began laying a burden on my heart that I could no longer ignore – the small and struggling congregation.

Following Jesus: the first steps are the most difficult

There’s a hymn that immediately comes to my mind. It’s chorus goes, “footprints of Jesus that makes the pathway glow; we will follow the steps of Jesus where’er they go” (full text of the song available here). It’s an easy song to sing; it is a much harder thing to actually do. All through the gospels we see people who came to Jesus but for some reason, when it came to following Him, they were simply unable or unwilling to let go of what they understood and were comfortable with what following Jesus would require them to do.

I think of the passage in Matthew, And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead (Matthew 8:21-22) and the one found in Mark, Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions (Mark 10:21-22). In both cases, these men were willing to follow Jesus until they realized the personal sacrifice that would be required. Both men decided the cost was too great. Both men walked away.

Since 2012, when the Lord began working on my heart, I knew that He had a purpose for my life and a specific way He wanted me to serve Him. What the question came down to was I willing to step out on faith and accept the work that Jesus set before me? I could either be obedient or I could stay where I was – which would be continued disobedience. For a while, I was willing to stay in disobedience and even congratulated myself for “working” on the calling through my efforts to meet the needs of the church we were already attending. In the process, we began a printing ministry, became the administrators for the church’s Facebook page and web page, and began filming the Adult Sunday School and a.m. service for YouTube and DVDs for shut ins, plus many smaller ongoing projects. 

Being busy is not the same as being obedient

Yes, we were busy, and for a while, I believed the Lord would be pleased with our best efforts. Many people, myself included, make the mistake of thinking that just because we are busy doing things at the church, then we must be serving the Lord. One of the ways the Lord has taught me about my relationship with Him is by the use of my relationship with my daughter. A while back ago, she wanted to help me do chores; instead of putting the pillows back on the couch as I had asked, she went into the bathroom and began to reorganize the items in the sink cabinet. Yes, she was busy, but she wasn’t helping me accomplish the goals for the day that I had set out. I remember thinking to myself, this is how the Lord must feel about what I am doing. Yes, we were extremely busy at the church but it wasn’t the right kind of busy. Our efforts were simply getting in the Lord’s way.

By early 2015, I had reached the point in my life where I could no longer just sit by in comfort and in continued disobedience. I began praying that the Lord would make it painfully obvious what He wanted me to do and that I was ready to do whatever it was He had for me to do. It was hard, beginning in October of 2015, to start the process of preparing to change from one church to another, to fully surrender to the full-time ministry, to leave friends behind at one church as we strive to be faithful to the calling placed in front of us by the Lord. It hasn’t been without some pain. There have been some earthly costs.  We have lost some friends along the way.

Following Jesus is an ongoing process

While most of this post has been about following the calling of Jesus into a specific ministry, there are other ways we follow Jesus. Recently, the Lord laid on my heart to purge my CD collection and as a result, nearly 14 inches of CDs were taken and sold to a used CD shop. Did I like the music? Yes. Was keeping those CDs more important than my obedience to Jesus? No. If I had kept the CDs then I would have allowed things – possessions that I cannot take to Heaven – become more important than following Jesus. Everything in life boils down to a simple and child-like choice: is it bringing us closer to the Lord or is it pushing us further away. I think at times we have a tendency to make things more complicated than absolutely necessary.

Jesus encourages all who will listen, Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:4), and Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein (Mark 10:15). As I began to seriously study what these verses were saying, I was again reminded of my interactions with my young daughter. She will come to me and ask me the same questions every child asks, “why do plants have flowers” and while she is looking for an answer, she’s not wanting the scientific explanation complete with chemical formulas. She just wants to know why on the level as a child. It is how she can understand and it is all her young mind can handle. When we set to follow after Jesus, we have to have the mindset to see the decisions that must be made on the same, simple terms. It is either going to bring us closer to Jesus or it will keep us separated from His complete and perfect will for us. And once we have made our decision, follow through with it to the best of our ability and daily seek His help to do it.

 

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Posted in Journey in the Salvation Army, My Walk, Our place within the local church, Our relationship with God

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Do you have obscured vision?

Posted on May 16, 2016 by | Comments Off on Do you have obscured vision?
© Sjanie Gonlag | Dreamstime Stock Photos

© Sjanie Gonlag  Dreamstime Stock Photos

Obscured vision can keep us from some of life’s most simplest pleasures. As someone who suffers from chronic migraine headaches, there are times where my eyes cannot focus. While others may not know, except for when I grab my bifocals, I do. For me, it becomes difficult to even do the simplest of tasks when I face those moments of having obscured vision. Obscured vision is simply having something, such as a health condition or physical object, that acts as a barrier that keeps us from focusing on a target.

Obscured vision comes from a lack of focus

Within our Christian faith we can also develop obscured vision when we shift our focus away from the things of the Lord. I’m reminded of the verse, No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Luke 16:13). Jesus, in speaking with his disciples, was telling them that either they could follow after Him or follow after the world, but not to do both. Through the scriptures, He calls upon us to do the same thing; as long as our loyalties are divided between this world and following after Jesus, we will always have obscured vision. Paul understood this and wrote, Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier (2 Timothy 2:3-4). He was providing Timothy, and us, with the most important advice to support clear vision – to stay firmly focused on Jesus and the work He has called us to do. He knew that Timothy, or any Christian, would not be effective for Jesus if there were other distractions in his (or our) life.

We live in a world that has an abundance of distractions that can easily give us obscured vision. It is easy to become distracted by a favorite television show, a hobby, and other things that keeps us from focusing on things that strengthen our walk with the Lord. It is easy to become distracted and develop obscured vision when we know we need to read the Bible, spend time in prayer, or share the gospel with others. I think of this passage of scripture: And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.  And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.  Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.  And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.  And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:57-62). 

In the case of the first man, Jesus was warning him that if he was to follow Jesus he wouldn’t have a home in the traditional sense. For many people, and it is no different two thousand years ago than it is today, where they live is decided upon two main factors: where they grew up or where the extended family lives. Please do not underestimate the power of this – when I was in the service I saw a number of marriages end when the spouse would refuse to move to where the Army was sending the wife/husband. For some people, the familiarity and need to have family nearby overrides all else – including the willingness to follow Jesus. The second man wanted to follow but stated he had a family obligation – to go bury his father. Contrast this with Abraham and the testimony that is preserved within the Bible: And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice (Genesis 22:15-18). It is not that God wants us to forsake our family obligations, but that He wants us to place our family – the ones whom we love – in His hands and simply serve Him. This is exactly what Abraham did. He was determined to fulfill the ultimate sacrifice – the offering of his son – as requested by the Lord. Our desire to follow the Lord should be so strong that we trust Him completely with our family and loved ones. (1)

The third man told Jesus he wanted to go home and tell those there that he was going to follow Jesus. He responds by telling them, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. It wasn’t that the Lord didn’t want this man to bid farewell to his family and friends, but this man was placing that desire above all else, including his following after the Lord. This man didn’t want to postpone his following Jesus for the sake of saying goodbye; he wanted one last day living within his old lifestyle. 

In all three of these men and the lessons as taught by Jesus, He is using these three specific sets of circumstances to warn us about losing our focus on Him. In each case, the Lord is teaching us that if it comes to the choice of where to live or following Jesus, our obvious choice is to follow Him. Missionaries, pastors, and other Christians have answered that call and have moved to locations far from home and although they miss their families and friends, their devotion to Jesus and the desire to answer His call overrides every other concern. He must come first in every aspect of our life; He must come before our family, where we live, what occupation we have, even what our hobbies and recreational activities are. If we want proper perspective in our life’s journey, we must stay firmly affixed to Jesus and not the convenient distractions of this world.

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Posted in Chrisitian Philosophy, Christian Living, Our relationship with God, Our relationships with other Christians

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The world hates the absolutes of the Bible

Posted on April 11, 2016 by | Comments Off on The world hates the absolutes of the Bible

the world hatesThe world hates the absolutes of the Bible. It seems that in our era, every teaching of the Bible is under constant attack. Biblical teachings on gender, family, homosexuality, abortion, adultery, and every other aspect of life the Bible teaches upon is literally under the scrutiny of a generation bent on promoting an “anything goes” mentality. The world hates the message of the Bible, of how mankind is naturally an evil being when left to his own devices and imaginations. The world hates the message of the Bible that God so loved the world… that in spite of man’s wickedness, God does love man enough that He did make a way where man can be reconciled to God. 

The world hates being held accountable to holiness

This morning, on my Facebook feed, I read several articles about the most recent papal dispatches from Pope Francis. I will tell you now that I am not a Catholic and I do not hold what any pope says as being the final authority on my faith; I believe in the supremacy of the Bible and the moral standards it sets. The world hates being held to that kind of standard. Within the many teachings of the Old Testament we find this basic premise taught several times: Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy (Leviticus 19:2). There will be those who claim this is strictly Old Testament and under the Law, but as Christians, we are under grace; yet even in the New Testament it is plainly taught in the writings of the apostle Peter: Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy (1 Peter 1:13-16). Within the short kingship of Saul, whom attempted to do a sacrifice himself was rebuked by the prophet:  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22).

The world hates the concept of complete obedience to the Lord and the accountability to His holiness. Instead of seeing what the Lord has laid out as bringing spiritual liberty and freedom from the wages of sin, they see it as a surrender of one’s own will, of one’s identity, and of one’s pursuit of pleasure. I am reminded of the verse written by the apostle Paul, Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season (Hebrews 11:25). Paul was writing of the followers of Jesus in his day that were willing to be persecuted for simply believing in Jesus and not to give in and enjoy the hedonism and paganism of the day. Yes, many were martyred for their faith as we still see some are martyred today. But these people have decided it is more important to be obedient to the Lord all the way to death rather than to turn to disobedience. All of a sudden Jesus’ teachings, For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it (Luke 9:24) becomes more real. The world hates Christians who are ready to give up their life and not to renounce their faith in the Lord. All it takes is just watching the evening news where news commentators sit in bewilderment as they describe ISIS’ genocide against the Christians they encounter. Watch your average television sit-com and see how the entertainment industry mocks Christians for their world view.

Jesus taught, These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me (John 15:17-21). The world hates sincere Christians because through our obedience to the Lord, we present a living faith in a living God. Our lives bear witness to His love for us and of His righteousness. The world does not want to be pulled up to the standards set by the Lord, but wants to set their own standards and demand that God recognize them. 

The world has always tried to blur the lines

The prophet Isaiah wrote, Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20). Since the days in the Garden of Eden, mankind has been faced with two standards – the standards of the Lord versus the standards of rebellion and disobedience. There are no grey areas; it is either right or wrong. As you know, I had a religious experience in 1988 but otherwise there were no real changes in my life. I continued to live exactly the way I did before my “profession” of faith. After all, during the 1980s is when our nation’s educational system really began teaching that Christianity was but one among many ways to worship God. We were told by teachers to be open-minded about other faiths and other societies. It was in the early 1980s when moral relativism first began to make its way into the nation’s educational system. This has done more harm to our families, communities, and nation than just about anything else. 

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Posted in Chrisitian Philosophy, Christian Living, Our relationship with God, Standards

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