"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15
Who do you serve?
In today's society it almost seems impossible to serve just God. We tend to let other things master us. Maybe it is school, athletics, friends or maybe you are a parent and it is your kids events, athletics, jobs, and so much more. We tend to put God aside when we get really busy and then maybe when we aren't busy we might decide to pick up a devotional book.
I am right there with you. I sometimes think that I am too busy for God. Now, I don't actually say this or realize that I am doing this, but if you look at my life I think you could see this attitude many times. I start to make excuses for why I don't do certain things like read my bible or pray. I say I don't have time or "I studied my bible for the lesson that I am going to teach on Wednesday that should be good for a week or so."
Who do you serve?
I love sports. I watch ESPN it seems like 24/7. I have a passion for sports and enjoy watching them. I can watch the same SportCenter 5 times in a row and never get bored. I hardly ever miss a day without watching ESPN. I am very faithful to it, I spend at least an hour (more like 3) watching ESPN. What is weird about this relationship that I have with ESPN is that it has never done a thing for me. In fact ESPN doesn't even know that I exist. But I am still very faithful to it.
Who do you serve?
It is a very simple question, yet a hard one to answer. It shouldn't be this hard it should be a no brainer right? Do I serve ESPN that doesn't care about me or a person that died for me so that I could go to heaven even though he knew that I was going to mess up every day? Easy Jesus Christ, but why do I struggle with letting things get in the way of my relationship with Christ? Now we could say, "well we are all human", but do you really want to live life that way, always making excuses.
What if not only did we decide who we were going to serve, but we told people who we served in everything we did? Not just our words, but also our actions. Talk is very cheap in today's world. My favorite example of living boldly is Peter. Peter is one of my favorite characters in the Bible. Now he does say some stupid things every now and then, but he is also the first person to take action. In Acts time and time again he is the one that speaks very boldly to the officials even through intense persecution. This is the same Peter that seemed to always be sticking his foot in his mouth in the Gospels.
In Acts 5, I think Peter sums up what it looks like to serve God and not anything else. The apostles had just been arrested for preaching about Jesus Christ. They were put in jail and during the night an Angel appeared to them, opened the prison doors and told them to go preach in the temple. Now I don't know if you understand what just happened or not, but basically the Angel busted them out of jail. The next morning the jailer cannot find the prisoners anywhere and then finally they find them preaching in the temple. Can you imagine how ticked off the chief priests were? To make a long story short the officials bring the apostles before a council and basically say we told you not to preach the gospel yet you are doing just what we told you not to do. This is where Peter stands up and says,"We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him." (Acts 5:29-32)
What boldness and conviction Peter had! We must realize why we should serve God before we know if we serve him. God gave you everything you have and all he wants is for us is to live for him. It shouldn't be hard. Live boldly for your Savior and let him be your master in everything you do. "Obey God rather than men."
Who do you serve?
- Ryan
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Way: T.I. and J.T.
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10, ESV). "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:8). Do these two verses characterize you? I mean really? Truthfully? Honestly? Because if I was honest with you, they don't. Yet they are at the core of who we are to be. People filled with joy and peace, who are living life to the fullest. And loving every minute of it. But Christians can sometimes be the most miserable people you know. Why is that? I know that in my life I feel that way because I don't measure up. Everyday I fail God. Everyday I sin. And I hate it! I totally feel like Paul in Romans 7 (read it if you don't know what it says).
Do you feel the same way? I always tell myself, "Well, this time I won't mess up. This time I'll try harder and do better." Have you ever said that same thing to yourself? What if I told you that that was a wrong way to think? Would you believe me? Would you agree?
Regardless of your answer, that is the wrong way to think. There is no amount of trying or effort or willpower on my (or your) part that can work to overcome sin. And that is a liberating idea. As Paul wrote to the Galatians in chapter 3, "Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" Christ's death, which we are partakers in, freed us from sin. But so often, we try to take over the second part, which is our sanctification. How ludicrous is it that we, who could not save ourselves by our own power, would think that we can rid ourselves of sin after we're saved. Paul puts it another way in Philippians: "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). See! It was never about us, and it will never be about us. So how do we overcome that sin in our lives that depresses us and makes us feel like we don't measure up?
Two of my favorite theologians put it this way: "That part of me left yesterday. The heart of me is strong today. No regrets. I'm blessed to say, the old me dead and gone away....oh hey, I've been travelin' on this road too long. I've been tryin' to find my way back home, but the old me's dead and gone, dead and gone." That is courtesy of T.I. and J.T.
As funny as that might be for me to quote, they nailed it on the head. When Christ died on the cross, we were "crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Gal. 2:20). Because of this, Paul writes, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Cor. 5:17). So, we see that our old selves and our sin nature is gone. Just as T.I. said, "That part of me left yesterday. The heart of me is strong today...the old me dead and gone away."
As Francis Schaeffer once said, "How should we then live?" We should live with great joy and in great freedom. "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery" (Gal. 5:1). But what are we free from? What is the yoke of slavery? The law. All of it, including the Ten Commandments. We're free from it all. We're free to live in the Spirit and in God's great and marvelous grace.
Before you condemn me as a heretic, check out the following verses: Romans 3-8; Galatians 2-3; Ephesians 2:14-15; Colossians 2:20; 1 Timothy 1:8-11; and Hebrews 7-8. The one that sums it up best though is 2 Corinthians 3:7-9:
Instead, the law has been replaced by grace and the Holy Spirit. "And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:16-17). Some people are worried that this would lead to a lack of self-control and an increase in sin, but Paul has this to say:
"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:1-4).
However, that is not a problem, because walking in grace means walking under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, which as Paul says:
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law....But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;AR)"> against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:16-18, 22-23).
My prayer is that if you struggle with a performance-based faith as I have for so long you would be free of that. All that does is strangle the joy from our walks and lives as Christians. Instead, let us shift our focus back to Christ, who not only saves us but is the one who grows us spiritually. No strivings or amount of willpower will free us from sin. Only a true relationship with Christ and the Spirit can do that. And only then will we walk in true joy, for sin has lost its power over us.
"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15:56-57).
-Trace
Do you feel the same way? I always tell myself, "Well, this time I won't mess up. This time I'll try harder and do better." Have you ever said that same thing to yourself? What if I told you that that was a wrong way to think? Would you believe me? Would you agree?
Regardless of your answer, that is the wrong way to think. There is no amount of trying or effort or willpower on my (or your) part that can work to overcome sin. And that is a liberating idea. As Paul wrote to the Galatians in chapter 3, "Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" Christ's death, which we are partakers in, freed us from sin. But so often, we try to take over the second part, which is our sanctification. How ludicrous is it that we, who could not save ourselves by our own power, would think that we can rid ourselves of sin after we're saved. Paul puts it another way in Philippians: "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). See! It was never about us, and it will never be about us. So how do we overcome that sin in our lives that depresses us and makes us feel like we don't measure up?
Two of my favorite theologians put it this way: "That part of me left yesterday. The heart of me is strong today. No regrets. I'm blessed to say, the old me dead and gone away....oh hey, I've been travelin' on this road too long. I've been tryin' to find my way back home, but the old me's dead and gone, dead and gone." That is courtesy of T.I. and J.T.
As funny as that might be for me to quote, they nailed it on the head. When Christ died on the cross, we were "crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Gal. 2:20). Because of this, Paul writes, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Cor. 5:17). So, we see that our old selves and our sin nature is gone. Just as T.I. said, "That part of me left yesterday. The heart of me is strong today...the old me dead and gone away."
As Francis Schaeffer once said, "How should we then live?" We should live with great joy and in great freedom. "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery" (Gal. 5:1). But what are we free from? What is the yoke of slavery? The law. All of it, including the Ten Commandments. We're free from it all. We're free to live in the Spirit and in God's great and marvelous grace.
Before you condemn me as a heretic, check out the following verses: Romans 3-8; Galatians 2-3; Ephesians 2:14-15; Colossians 2:20; 1 Timothy 1:8-11; and Hebrews 7-8. The one that sums it up best though is 2 Corinthians 3:7-9:
"Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory."
Instead, the law has been replaced by grace and the Holy Spirit. "And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:16-17). Some people are worried that this would lead to a lack of self-control and an increase in sin, but Paul has this to say:
"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:1-4).
However, that is not a problem, because walking in grace means walking under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, which as Paul says:
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law....But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;AR)"> against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:16-18, 22-23).
My prayer is that if you struggle with a performance-based faith as I have for so long you would be free of that. All that does is strangle the joy from our walks and lives as Christians. Instead, let us shift our focus back to Christ, who not only saves us but is the one who grows us spiritually. No strivings or amount of willpower will free us from sin. Only a true relationship with Christ and the Spirit can do that. And only then will we walk in true joy, for sin has lost its power over us.
"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15:56-57).
-Trace
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
What are you doing?
It is funny how, as Christians, we know what we are suppose to do, the right answers and what is important, but for some reason we don't always reflect these beliefs in our lives. For instance we all know that the Bible is very important and is inspired by God himself, yet how many of us read it on a normal basis?
Growing up in a Christian home was great for me. I have very Godly parents and they were a big help in me growing up. I am so thankful for them. However, growing up in church I tended to memorized answers, I always knew the right answer to every questions. I was an all-star at playing church. My dad was the pastor so I knew my books of the bible, I knew scripture, and I even knew big fancy words that could impress people during prayers. The only thing that was missing was a good Christian walk with Christ. I was a Christian, but I was not doing anything for Christ. I got my salvation and grace, but I did not give anything back. Their was no sacrifice for me. I definitely did not "take up my cross daily". (Luke 9:23)
I fear this is how most students and kids grow up in church. I have known and met so many people that tell me they really didn't get Christianity and what a relationship with Christ looked like until they got out of high school. What are we waiting for to get serious about our walk with Christ? Maybe you are waiting until you settle down for marriage, maybe you are just "building your testimony". Whatever the case is why not start now? I am pretty sure there is not a scripture in the Bible that says, "Get saved at 6. Go to church for 14 years then start to get serious about your walk with God." In Romans 12:1 Paul says, " I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living SACRIFICE, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." Paul tells us to be a living sacrifice. Normally when something is sacrificed it dies.
We are to give God all of us, to not hold back anything. We must trust him in every situation, no matter what the situation is. If you hold parts of your life back you will struggle much more than you will if you give everything to God. Wouldn't it be great to see God one day and he tell you, "You messed up some and were disobedient, but you were a living sacrifice you gave your everything for me."
If you grew up in church and you know all the right answers, but you feel like your relationship is hardly there then I can try to help you out. I don't know the answer to change everything, but I can tell you were to look and where to start. As a Christian you must be reading your Bible. It is God's word. We have it for a reason. Spend time talking with him, praying, you can't have a relationship with someone without talking with that person. Lastly, be a sacrifice for him daily. Wake up each morning and die to yourself, your ways and surrender to God fully and follow him. This might take swallowing your pride, but His ways are far better than your ways.
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isiah 55:9
-Ryan
Growing up in a Christian home was great for me. I have very Godly parents and they were a big help in me growing up. I am so thankful for them. However, growing up in church I tended to memorized answers, I always knew the right answer to every questions. I was an all-star at playing church. My dad was the pastor so I knew my books of the bible, I knew scripture, and I even knew big fancy words that could impress people during prayers. The only thing that was missing was a good Christian walk with Christ. I was a Christian, but I was not doing anything for Christ. I got my salvation and grace, but I did not give anything back. Their was no sacrifice for me. I definitely did not "take up my cross daily". (Luke 9:23)
I fear this is how most students and kids grow up in church. I have known and met so many people that tell me they really didn't get Christianity and what a relationship with Christ looked like until they got out of high school. What are we waiting for to get serious about our walk with Christ? Maybe you are waiting until you settle down for marriage, maybe you are just "building your testimony". Whatever the case is why not start now? I am pretty sure there is not a scripture in the Bible that says, "Get saved at 6. Go to church for 14 years then start to get serious about your walk with God." In Romans 12:1 Paul says, " I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living SACRIFICE, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." Paul tells us to be a living sacrifice. Normally when something is sacrificed it dies.
We are to give God all of us, to not hold back anything. We must trust him in every situation, no matter what the situation is. If you hold parts of your life back you will struggle much more than you will if you give everything to God. Wouldn't it be great to see God one day and he tell you, "You messed up some and were disobedient, but you were a living sacrifice you gave your everything for me."
If you grew up in church and you know all the right answers, but you feel like your relationship is hardly there then I can try to help you out. I don't know the answer to change everything, but I can tell you were to look and where to start. As a Christian you must be reading your Bible. It is God's word. We have it for a reason. Spend time talking with him, praying, you can't have a relationship with someone without talking with that person. Lastly, be a sacrifice for him daily. Wake up each morning and die to yourself, your ways and surrender to God fully and follow him. This might take swallowing your pride, but His ways are far better than your ways.
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isiah 55:9
-Ryan
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The Way: Desert
The Israelites were funny people. One second they sought the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. The next second they were bowing down to false gods and graven images. We all know the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt into the desert to take over the Promised Land. In Exodus 13, God leads the Israelites supernaturally with a pillar of fire at night and with a pillar of cloud during the day. In Exodus 16, God gives them manna and quail, every day. Yet in Numbers 11, they complain about only eating manna and even wish that they could go back to Egypt, where they had fish, vegetables, fruits, and spices. Seriously? Did y'all forget that you were slaves there? It gets better though. In Numbers 13, they send out spies. This is to be the triumphant time where they take over the land and fulfill God's promise. Upon return the spies had this to say:
"We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are."..."The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them." (Numbers 13:31-33)
But God had promised that they would overtake the land. Did they forget God parting the Red Sea? Or God drowning the pursuing Egyptian army? Or his supernatural guidance with the pillars? So how did the rest of the Israelites respond:
"Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, 'Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?' And they said to one another, 'Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.'" (Numbers 14:1-4)
Can you believe that? How stupid must they have been to forget what God had done for them before? Did they really think that God didn't know that there were giants in the land? Hello! He created them. Well, we know how it ends. It ends with the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years before getting a second chance to enter into the Promised Land. Once there, they conquer the land and eventually become the largest and most powerful kingdom in the world. Yet, for the rest of their existence they would exemplify 1 Chronicles 5:25: "But they broke faith with the God of their fathers, and whored after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them." In Jeremiah, God uses the word whore to describe them eight different times. Constantly, they turned their backs and forgot what the Lord had done for them.
When I was a child, I would laugh at the Israelites' stupidity. I thought to myself, "I will never forget what God has done for me." How wrong was I!
Francis Chan once asked, "When was the last time you stopped and thought, 'I should be in hell right now...but Jesus.'" See, we really should be in hell right now, if it wasn't for God's grace. It's by God's grace that I my heart is still beating long enough for me to write this (which takes even longer than it does to read it, sorry it's so long.) It's by God's grace that he sent his only begotten Son to die on the cross and take away the sins of the world. But how often do I allow that to dominate my thinking? How often do you allow that to dominate your thinking?
So often, I fail. I completely understand and identify with Paul's words in 1 Timothy 1:15: "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost." Day in and day out, I forget what Jesus has done in my life. What he has saved me from.
My prayer is that we would be people who are consumed by remembering the cross. By remembering what God has done for us. By remembering where we would be now if it wasn't for his love. I challenge you to dwell on Francis' words. To remember the grace that we have been shown, which was not given to us to give us the ability to continue sinning but to stir us on to more passionately follow Christ. Never forget.
-Trace
When I was a child, I would laugh at the Israelites' stupidity. I thought to myself, "I will never forget what God has done for me." How wrong was I!
Francis Chan once asked, "When was the last time you stopped and thought, 'I should be in hell right now...but Jesus.'" See, we really should be in hell right now, if it wasn't for God's grace. It's by God's grace that I my heart is still beating long enough for me to write this (which takes even longer than it does to read it, sorry it's so long.) It's by God's grace that he sent his only begotten Son to die on the cross and take away the sins of the world. But how often do I allow that to dominate my thinking? How often do you allow that to dominate your thinking?
So often, I fail. I completely understand and identify with Paul's words in 1 Timothy 1:15: "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost." Day in and day out, I forget what Jesus has done in my life. What he has saved me from.
My prayer is that we would be people who are consumed by remembering the cross. By remembering what God has done for us. By remembering where we would be now if it wasn't for his love. I challenge you to dwell on Francis' words. To remember the grace that we have been shown, which was not given to us to give us the ability to continue sinning but to stir us on to more passionately follow Christ. Never forget.
-Trace
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Way: Moments
Every journey is memorable; however, it is the moments along that journey that define it. Think about a time you went on a family vacation or a roadtrip. My first roadtrip is synonymous with my first speeding ticket. Or when the Border Patrol agent asked where my kindergarten teacher was when I passed through the check point. You'll find the same in your own life. In your own experiences.
And so it is in our spiritual journey. There are moments. These moments define who we are, who we are becoming, and who we will affect. Today, was the most glorious, awefilled moment of my life. Before we get into that, let us pause. Pause and reflect on those who have gone before us. Have you ever put yourself in their shoes? Have you ever stopped to think that Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Isaiah, Peter, Paul, etc. were humans just like you and me? They had fears. Joys. Pains and sorrows. Dreams and aspirations. They felt. They bled. Just like we do. And just as we have defining moments, so did they.
These defining moments, as far as I have experienced and seen in my life and the lives of others, are marked by an overwhelming sense of purpose, an exhilirating and inexplainable feeling of humility, and an ignited/renewed passion. But don't take my word for it.
Isaiah 6:1-8: "In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
Can you imagine the sheer magnitude of coming face to face with Almighty God like that? How must Isaiah have felt? How would we feel? We see in the passage how he felt: unworthy, humbled, purposed, and passionate. He says, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips." Now, if you would allow me to step out a bit, I really think that Isaiah had this on his mind: "Why me? Why would you give me this vision? I'm not worthy. I don't compare to you. You are everything, and I am nothing. But. You must be up to something. There is something greater than me going on here. God, let me be a part of it. God, choose me. I know I'm flawed and unworthy, but you have a purpose for this. I long to be a part of that. It's all I can think about. It's all I want in life. You and your purpose." This was Isaiah's defining moment. It set him on his way. We see that purpose, that humility, and that passion. "Here am I! Send me."
And we could do this for all great men of God in the Bible. Noah and his ark. Abraham and Isaac. Moses at the burning bush. Joshua standing outside the Promised Land. David and Goliath. Peter at Pentecost. Paul on the road to Damascus. Need I go on? In the words of the author of Hebrews: "And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah." Great for them. That's wonderful. But maybe, they aren't the only people God wants to use to accomplish his plan. In fact, they aren't. God is inviting us in to this. Have you had that moment yet?
I have. Today, I walked into Catalyst '09, a leadership conference for pastors and leaders of churches. And it hit me. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I walked into the room filled with 13,000 other leaders God wants to use and is using. I was about to hear (and be 20 yards away, because we had sweet floor seats) some of the greatest men and leaders of the Christian faith in the 21st century: Matt Chandler, Rob Bell, Andy Stanley, Francis Chan, Tony Dungy, and more. And all I could do was stand in silence, while people passed me on the steps down to their seats. At that moment, I was overwhelmed by humility. That God would want to use me. Me?! God, I've failed you so many times, but you're calling me? I'm not gonna lie to you. I have a strong conviction that God has called me to do something large for him. To think of the audacity of that claim is ludicrus. Look around at the 13,000 other leaders, and you want to do something huge through me? No way! Yet again, I was at that point reminded of that purpose. That purpose that I don't understand. That purpose that feels too large for me (because it is, and that's how God wants it). And that passion. That sweet, driving, all-consuming passion for his glory.
Now, I ask you. Have you felt that? Have you? My prayer is that you have. I long for that. Whether you know it or not, God has something great for you to do. He has a role for you to play. And he is asking you, "Will you give your life up for something so much greater?" My prayer is you will. God wants to use us to leave a mark. You see, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Have you surrendered your life to be all that God wants?
Life is made up of moments. Moments define lives. Have you had your defining moment? There is nothing you can do to prepare for it. To make it come faster. But be watching, be waiting. You never know when it will come, but you will know if you have missed it. Don't miss it. Please. Please don't miss it. Be on your mark.
-Trace
And so it is in our spiritual journey. There are moments. These moments define who we are, who we are becoming, and who we will affect. Today, was the most glorious, awefilled moment of my life. Before we get into that, let us pause. Pause and reflect on those who have gone before us. Have you ever put yourself in their shoes? Have you ever stopped to think that Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Isaiah, Peter, Paul, etc. were humans just like you and me? They had fears. Joys. Pains and sorrows. Dreams and aspirations. They felt. They bled. Just like we do. And just as we have defining moments, so did they.
These defining moments, as far as I have experienced and seen in my life and the lives of others, are marked by an overwhelming sense of purpose, an exhilirating and inexplainable feeling of humility, and an ignited/renewed passion. But don't take my word for it.
Isaiah 6:1-8: "In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!'
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: 'Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!' Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: 'Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.' And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then I said, 'Here am I! Send me.'Can you imagine the sheer magnitude of coming face to face with Almighty God like that? How must Isaiah have felt? How would we feel? We see in the passage how he felt: unworthy, humbled, purposed, and passionate. He says, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips." Now, if you would allow me to step out a bit, I really think that Isaiah had this on his mind: "Why me? Why would you give me this vision? I'm not worthy. I don't compare to you. You are everything, and I am nothing. But. You must be up to something. There is something greater than me going on here. God, let me be a part of it. God, choose me. I know I'm flawed and unworthy, but you have a purpose for this. I long to be a part of that. It's all I can think about. It's all I want in life. You and your purpose." This was Isaiah's defining moment. It set him on his way. We see that purpose, that humility, and that passion. "Here am I! Send me."
And we could do this for all great men of God in the Bible. Noah and his ark. Abraham and Isaac. Moses at the burning bush. Joshua standing outside the Promised Land. David and Goliath. Peter at Pentecost. Paul on the road to Damascus. Need I go on? In the words of the author of Hebrews: "And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah." Great for them. That's wonderful. But maybe, they aren't the only people God wants to use to accomplish his plan. In fact, they aren't. God is inviting us in to this. Have you had that moment yet?
I have. Today, I walked into Catalyst '09, a leadership conference for pastors and leaders of churches. And it hit me. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I walked into the room filled with 13,000 other leaders God wants to use and is using. I was about to hear (and be 20 yards away, because we had sweet floor seats) some of the greatest men and leaders of the Christian faith in the 21st century: Matt Chandler, Rob Bell, Andy Stanley, Francis Chan, Tony Dungy, and more. And all I could do was stand in silence, while people passed me on the steps down to their seats. At that moment, I was overwhelmed by humility. That God would want to use me. Me?! God, I've failed you so many times, but you're calling me? I'm not gonna lie to you. I have a strong conviction that God has called me to do something large for him. To think of the audacity of that claim is ludicrus. Look around at the 13,000 other leaders, and you want to do something huge through me? No way! Yet again, I was at that point reminded of that purpose. That purpose that I don't understand. That purpose that feels too large for me (because it is, and that's how God wants it). And that passion. That sweet, driving, all-consuming passion for his glory.
Now, I ask you. Have you felt that? Have you? My prayer is that you have. I long for that. Whether you know it or not, God has something great for you to do. He has a role for you to play. And he is asking you, "Will you give your life up for something so much greater?" My prayer is you will. God wants to use us to leave a mark. You see, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Have you surrendered your life to be all that God wants?
Life is made up of moments. Moments define lives. Have you had your defining moment? There is nothing you can do to prepare for it. To make it come faster. But be watching, be waiting. You never know when it will come, but you will know if you have missed it. Don't miss it. Please. Please don't miss it. Be on your mark.
-Trace
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The Way: Part 3
You know those moments. You know which moments I'm talking about, or at least I hope you do. Those moments where you know that you're in the presence of Almighty God. Those moments that send chills up your body, and you cannot do anything but be amazed at the majesty and grandeur of God. I had one of those tonight.
It's funny, because earlier today I tried to blog but to no avail. My thoughts were jumbled and all over the place. I knew God wanted me to write about something else. So, I'm driving to Chicken Express to get dinner, and it happened. I drive off campus, and as soon as I look up, I see a crazy lightning show. Three or four lightening bolts every second it seemed like. As this was happening, I was listening to "Soon" by Hillsong United, which talks about Christ's return. And I was silent. Chills running up (or down, however you want to say it) my body. I was struck by the thought of how great our God is. How could or why would God choose us and love us, so wrecked and ravaged by sin? He loved us enough to give up Christ, so that we might receive grace? And then, I was wrecked by the lyrics of Soon:
Soon and very soon
My King is coming
Robed in righteousness
And crowned with love
When I see Him, I shall be made like Him
Soon and very soon
Soon and very soon
I'll be going to the place He has prepared for me
Then my sin erased, my shame forgotten
Soon and very soon
I will be with the One I love
With unveiled face I'll see Him
There my soul with be satisfied
Soon and very soon
Soon and very soon
See the procession
The angels and the elders round the thrown
At His feet I'll lay
My crowns, my worship
Soon and very soon
I will be with the One I love
With unveiled face I'll see Him
There my soul with be satisfied
Soon and very soon
Though I have not seen Him
My heart knows Him well
Jesus Christ the Lamb, the Lord of heaven
I will be with the One I love
With unveiled face I'll see Him
There my soul with be satisfied
Soon and very soon
Soon and very soon
Soon and very soon
You know that, right? In the early days of the church, they lived every day believing that Christ was coming back the very next day. Christ is coming back one day. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But someday, he's coming back. How often do I live like that? Heck, do I live like that? Ask yourself the same question. Do you live with that kind of an urgency? The apostles did. Daily, they took with themselves the message of reconciliation. They had seen the risen Lord, and it consumed their very being. I pray that you and I would live with that kind of passion.
My favorite line of that song is the bridge, which says, "Though I have not seen him, my heart knows him well." Yes, the apostles had seen him after his resurrection, which was the birth of their passion; however, we can still know him well. I pray that you do. I long for that day that we can stand in Heaven together and see our God and our King, our Lord and our Savior. But for know, we still live like Paul describes in 1 Cor. 13:12: "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."
Let us always eagerly await the day of his return, as we live with an urgency to carry the message of reconciliation everywhere. 1 Corinthians 2:2: "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." May that be said of us.
-Trace
It's funny, because earlier today I tried to blog but to no avail. My thoughts were jumbled and all over the place. I knew God wanted me to write about something else. So, I'm driving to Chicken Express to get dinner, and it happened. I drive off campus, and as soon as I look up, I see a crazy lightning show. Three or four lightening bolts every second it seemed like. As this was happening, I was listening to "Soon" by Hillsong United, which talks about Christ's return. And I was silent. Chills running up (or down, however you want to say it) my body. I was struck by the thought of how great our God is. How could or why would God choose us and love us, so wrecked and ravaged by sin? He loved us enough to give up Christ, so that we might receive grace? And then, I was wrecked by the lyrics of Soon:
Soon and very soon
My King is coming
Robed in righteousness
And crowned with love
When I see Him, I shall be made like Him
Soon and very soon
Soon and very soon
I'll be going to the place He has prepared for me
Then my sin erased, my shame forgotten
Soon and very soon
I will be with the One I love
With unveiled face I'll see Him
There my soul with be satisfied
Soon and very soon
Soon and very soon
See the procession
The angels and the elders round the thrown
At His feet I'll lay
My crowns, my worship
Soon and very soon
I will be with the One I love
With unveiled face I'll see Him
There my soul with be satisfied
Soon and very soon
Though I have not seen Him
My heart knows Him well
Jesus Christ the Lamb, the Lord of heaven
I will be with the One I love
With unveiled face I'll see Him
There my soul with be satisfied
Soon and very soon
Soon and very soon
Soon and very soon
You know that, right? In the early days of the church, they lived every day believing that Christ was coming back the very next day. Christ is coming back one day. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But someday, he's coming back. How often do I live like that? Heck, do I live like that? Ask yourself the same question. Do you live with that kind of an urgency? The apostles did. Daily, they took with themselves the message of reconciliation. They had seen the risen Lord, and it consumed their very being. I pray that you and I would live with that kind of passion.
My favorite line of that song is the bridge, which says, "Though I have not seen him, my heart knows him well." Yes, the apostles had seen him after his resurrection, which was the birth of their passion; however, we can still know him well. I pray that you do. I long for that day that we can stand in Heaven together and see our God and our King, our Lord and our Savior. But for know, we still live like Paul describes in 1 Cor. 13:12: "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."
Let us always eagerly await the day of his return, as we live with an urgency to carry the message of reconciliation everywhere. 1 Corinthians 2:2: "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." May that be said of us.
-Trace
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
