Bumper stickers. You hate them or you love them. You either see cars plastered with multiple bumper stickers polluting your vision while driving or you see blissfully clean bumpers. I'm of the none category. I don't know what it is about them but I find them distracting. Perhaps because it always makes me want to get close to the vehicle in front of me so I can read the silly things, only to be chastised with "the person in this vehicle finds you are driving too close and would appreciate that you give more space" - or something similarly worded in a not so friendly tone of voice.
However, every so often I see one that makes me think.
I was driving behind a vehicle the other day and it had a bumper sticker that blended in with the bumper. All you could see were the words:
I am sure some people are really put off by that question. But it made me stop and think. Well, I didn't really stop - I was driving after all. But I did think. Do I have Jesus?
It's sad to say that many times in my personal journey with Jesus, that I have asked that same question. Do I really know Jesus? Am I really saved? Am I really going to heaven? Do I have a faith strong enough to put that bumper sticker on my car and my blissfully clean bumper?
Sometimes I wish we were living in revelation times and we could see the marks of believers.
Revelation 14:1 - Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.
But then I remember everything else of the book and am very happy we aren't living in those times!
So how do I know if I've 'got Jesus'? Well, the Bible is pretty clear on this. And it just seems too simple.
John 6:35 - Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Believe.
I don't think I'm alone in questioning what is being told to me even from trusted friends and family members. We are also told to do so in school, and for valid reasons in many situations. If we question, then we can validate the proof of it. However, with Jesus, how do we validate it? How do we trust in something we don't see? How do we learn trust in a situation when our immediate reaction is to alter the situation with our own power/influence? How do we just believe?
Perhaps it is okay to question all these things. But then you see the power that Jesus bestows upon those who have faith, power to move mountains.
Matthew 21:21 - Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.
I have spent a lot of my life trying to control the course of my life and my family. I've realized that doing so is the same as casting doubt on my belief. I'm creating the safety net or back-up plan if God doesn't deliver. Does this mean I do nothing, absolutely not. But it tells me to believe and trust in Him. It's those times I know I've got Jesus - or more importantly, He's got me.
I'm in that situation right now. My oldest son who is 16 has left home. He has chosen to leave and live a life that is not of our choosing. It has been very difficult for my wife and I to see him making the choices he is making. And my immediate reaction is to alter the situation. To control the outcome. To force it back to my will/desire and bring him back home. However, I have felt comforted to know that Jesus has this. He's got my son's back and will take care of him. And I'm learning to trust in Him with something that is very precious to me.
So have you 'got Jesus'? Are you trusting in Him with something that you would like changed? I would love to hear your stories.
Thank you for taking the time to read one of the many 'Wandering Thoughts' that God has been putting on my heart. If this has touched you in anyway, I would love to hear from you. You can leave a comment below, share your own personal revelations or send me a personal message on Google+.
Recently, my nephew was visiting our home. He is 3 1/2 years old and developing his own personality. Unfortunately, I don't get to see him often as he lives a long 11 hour drive away. As a result, I see big changes in him each time I do.
And since I don't see him often, it isn't a surprise that he doesn't run into my arms. Even though that is exactly what I desire him to do. If I force him to do that, I may push him away and damage the relationship I want with him. His tendency is to cling to what he knows, his parents.
However, as I spend more time with him, he starts to warm up to me, wanting to know what I'm doing, watching where I am going and asking about me when I am not there. And as our relationship grows, my joy for the relationship continues to grow even though my love for him remains the same.
Isn't this exactly how God feels about us?
He wants the relationship and loves us regardless of whether we acknowledge Him but His joy grows when we do acknowledge Him. When I watch my nephew, and I see the love, attraction and dependence he has for his parents, I know that is exactly the type of relationship that God desires with us.
As I look back through the years in my walk with Jesus, when I have struggled in my journey, I was the little child seeing Him for the first time in a long time. I would cling to the things that were comfortable around me (my sinful life) and struggle to approach him (spend time with Him). However, as I spent more time with Him, the desire to be with Him grew to where I wanted to push everything else aside. I recently read that it is like getting a taste of something that develops into a hunger that needs to be regularly satisfied. So true!
So why do we struggle? Why does God feel so distant sometimes? Why do I choose not to spend time with Him? What happens to the hunger? And why does He allow this to happen?!
I don't know about you but I can name so many reasons: busy with work, family commitments, disappointment with 'unanswered' prayer, too tired, a church issue, exercise, etc...
For me, it all stems back to doing things my way. It's my desire over His desire which is exactly what got us into all this trouble when Eve chose the apple instead of honoring God's desire.
It’s my desire to spend more time at work to get the promotion. My desire to spend time playing a video game. My desire to watch a movie. My desire to fill the family timetable that leaves me exhausted. My desire to ignore the unresolved disagreement that festers into anger.
My desire versus His desire. My will over His will.
As I said earlier, my nephew is establishing his own personality. He is a great kid, with lots of energy and excitement, happy to please his parents. But occasionally, he is choosing what he wants to do and what he doesn't want to do. He knows that he is choosing his own way. His desire versus his parents’ desire. And while his parents would like him to do their will, forcing him would hinder the growth of his personality and the relationship between parent and child.
God doesn't force us to do His Will because that isn't the example of a loving parent. Much like a parent, He rejoices in knowing we have chosen His desire over our own.
To know His desire, requires a relationship. Much like my nephew not knowing what my desires are, I can not hope to know God’s desire without having a good relationship with Him.
Over the last 6 months, there have been 3 specific disciplines I have practiced that have improved my relationship with Jesus. I wish I could say that they are original ideas - they are not! Just about every Christian book I read suggests these ideas in different ways. Sometimes we just need to hear it 101 times before it sinks in!
1/ The Word
Reading the Bible has always been a struggle for me. I have tried multiple times to get into a consistent pattern without success. There are so many decisions to make: which version; where to start; how much to read; what time of day to read; how to read it.
It is a daunting exercise, especially for new believers! But even after 15 years, I was still struggling with where to go/start.
My formula isn't anything special and isn't going to work for everyone. I read every day at 6 am before the house awakes. Yes, even weekends. I am reading the New Testament for the second time in the past 6 months using the 'The Message' version and earlier I did it using the NIV version. I read 3 to 5 chapters, which is considered a lot in a single sitting but my objective is to read the complete Bible, and then go back and read it again, and again.
My challenge in the past had been that I never felt the Bible speak to me. Now, there are more and more days where I get stuck on a specific passage and it just speaks volumes into me, often thinking about it hours (even days) later.
And while I may have felt I 'needed' to do my reading every day, I now 'want' to read every day. If I miss a day or two of reading, I can't wait to get up the next day to get back at it.
2/ Prayer
Our church recently finished a series about Prayer based on the book 'The Circle Maker' (an excellent book btw). As part of the series, our small group committed to praying for 30 days straight. We had a set list of 'Mountain-like' prayers that we had each shared and we prayed each and every day over those individual prayer requests.
The challenge was interesting in a number of ways. First, it was a challenge to identify our audacious prayer requests. We had to trust that God wants to honor our wishes, even the big ones and not simply throw up the prayer requests that don't necessarily impact us - such as Aunt Lilly's infected toe. We can trust Him with everything, but are we really doing that?
The second interesting discovery was persistence. 30 days may not seem like a long time but it is when you are used to coming up with excuses NOT to pray. And we learned that we needed to keep going back to God with our desires.
The third and most important discovery was relational. Saying the same thing every day just isn't my style. My prayers became more of a conversation. And when I couldn't pray in bed with my wife before going to bed, I might pray in the car on the way home - out loud!
Prayer is our communication vehicle with Jesus. He knows our needs but wants us to ask Him for them. If you are a parent, you know that is exactly what we do with our kids.
After the 30 day challenge, I've been nowhere near as vigilant in my prayer life but I still enjoy praying and do so in a conversational manner. And I still need work in this area! The other day I asked a friend about how I should proceed with something, and their reply was 'Have you prayed about it?'. Ouch. Still clay in the potter's hands!
3/ Fellowship
My walk with Jesus was irrevocably changed due to relationships I have with other Christians that I meet on a regular basis who were able to speak truth into my life. It is those relationships that altered the path of self-destruction that I was on.
I meet with 3 different small groups in the space of a week. Each has a different purpose but each helps me stay on a Christ-like desire versus a personal desire. And if I stray from the path too much, my friends have full permission to keep me accountable.
I also have other close friends that I meet with on a less frequent basis but equally important to helping me continue to stay focused on our true objective.
So many people (especially men), try to walk the path themselves thinking they can do it themselves. I know. I was on that path. But when the stumble happens, as the serpent is always trying to do, the relationships are there to keep us held up in Truth and Light.
We all want God to speak to us. Some want it as proof of existence. Some are looking for answers. Some are looking for the relationship. The truth is, He is all around us giving us examples to learn by and live by. My brother-in-law pointed out, as my nephew is learning to know and love his uncle, we are learning to know and love God through that same example. A child-like attraction.
What do you do keep your relationship with Jesus fresh and alive?
Thank you for taking the time to read one of the many Wandering Thoughts that God has been putting on my heart. If this has touched you in anyway, I would love to hear from you. You can leave a comment below and share your own personal revelations; or send me a personal message on Google+ or Facebook.
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27 dead in Connecticut including 20 children. 3 children under 5 apparently killed by their mother 2 weeks ago. A 15 year old commits suicide in my sons school last week.
Many believers and critics of Christianity will ask "Where are you God? Why do you allow this evil to take place?".
I recently reread a classic debate between an atheist professor and his Christian student (not sure of the authenticity of the confrontation). The student responds to the professors question about why God allows evil with the definition of evil as the absence of love.
Absence of love. Are we saying the perpetrators have an absence of love? And if it is, why would they feel a lack of love?
Do "WE" really know what it means to show love?
This is the time of year when the heartstrings are played and we feel obliged to give financially to various organizations that allow them to work with the needy. Very important and worthy causes that work to provide the physical needs. But is that what showing love is?
The tragedies in the past few weeks would not have been avoided with more money in those organizations. These were all examples of people who were "normal" by everyday standards. These are people we would call our friends and neighbors who were not experiencing love.
So how do we show love? Follow the example laid before us.
Matthew 8:1-3
When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him.A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.
Before I continue, let me give full credit to Max Lucado and his book 'Just Like Jesus'. He wrote a whole chapter telling the 3 verses from the eyes of the leper (you can read a free copy by following the link). In the chapter, we get the understanding of just how much of an outcast a leper was. How 'unclean' he was considered by society. The requirement for him to wear a bell so everyone would know he was coming. How long it had been that he had seen his family. The ache he felt for what you and I take for granted every day, human contact. And yet, Jesus touched him.
In touching the leper, Jesus showed him love that he had not experienced for years. The handouts and beggars' wages helped him live, but never showed him love.
We don't have lepers today but we do have outcasts. And while we don't outwardly like to admit it, we shun them just as badly as we used to shun lepers.
One such group are those who struggle with mental illness, predominately depression. And while I don't know if this was a factor in the tragedies described earlier, I suspect this to be the case.
I know many people who struggle with depression. Neighbors, multiple family members, close friends, members of our church, co-workers who disappear for 'health reasons', a colleague I recommended for a job who attempted suicide 3 days after starting, and more close to home, my own son.
And yet, I don't understand it. I don't understand why it happens. I don't understand how to make it better. And because of my lack of understanding, my 'comfortable' reaction is to avoid the situation and sometimes, the person. And then they become the leper. Which is the worst thing you can do with someone already struggling with issues of self-worth. We need to touch them, we need to love them. Then there will be less sad stories filling a season that should be full of joy.
Jesus came to earth to live as us. To show us how we are to live and to give us a glimpse into what we have waiting for us.
This is the season to follow the example laid before us. Show love to your leper.
Who do you need to show love to today?
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Thank you for taking the time to read one of the many 'Wandering Thoughts' that God has been putting on my heart. If this has touched you in anyway, I would love to hear from you. You can leave a comment below, share your own personal revelations or send me a personal message on Google+.
Back story: This is a testimony I shared with our church on June 3, 2012. It gives the background to the change that I've experienced over the last 6 months. It was writing this experience that kept me awake at night in 'Uncomfortably Comfortable'.
Good morning church, my name is Peter. My wife, Anita, and I have been worshiping Jesus Christ here at the Gathering for 3 years with our 2 sons, Christopher and Justin.
I became a Christian about 15 years ago. I was a true born-again Christian on fire for
Christ. I attended a small group, bought
my first Bible and read it regularly. I
made a daily effort do what Jesus would do with a WWJD bracelet on my wrist and
soaked up the weekly messages. And I wasn't afraid to share my conviction with my friends and family.
But my real connection to God came through worship. I would listen to Christian music on the
radio and CD’s. At the time, I was a horrible guitar
player struggling to figure out how strum and remember chords at the same time. But I started playing my guitar and spending hours playing my favorite songs
just worshiping Him.
This past weekend, I got a invite to attend a men’s
retreat. It was introduced to me that it
was spiritual retreat where I would experience God’s unconditional love and
sense His presence.
You would think based on my earlier conviction, I would be
excited to go. The truth was, I didn't want to go.
You see, my heart had been steadily hardened over the past
18 months.
This seems pretty strange for someone who loves to worship
so passionately. As a result, worshiping has been getting more and more difficult. In my own time, I would avoid practicing
songs that have a special meaning to me.
If practicing with the team, I would avoid thinking of the words as we
played them. Worship was getting more
and more mechanical. Church was becoming
mechanical. Life has been mechanical for
the past year.
The problem with a hardened heart is quite simply like an
empty glass turned over. Obviously, the
glass can’t receive any liquid.
Likewise, a hardened heart is going to reject anything God has to offer
it, regardless of how much it may need it.
My hardened heart was a direct result of sin in the name of
ANGER.
Many of you know that we suffered a failed adoption last
year. I was angry because I felt God had
orchestrated every step of the adoption process. We had felt His confirmation and support all
the way through the adoption. We knew it
was the right thing. As well, we had
many affirmations from our pastor, friends and church family. We were even blessed and prayer for in front
of the church one Sunday.
But when things started getting tough to the point of a
potential family melt-down, I really started to wonder why He – my Lord and
Savior, would set ME up for failure. Why
would He abandon us when we needed Him most?!
If you remember, we recently had a sermon that described
bitterness of the heart and how if we held a grudge against someone – even GOD!
– the bitterness would only poison our own heart. That wasn't stopping me. In fact, I was already there.
The situation also led for me to have ANGER towards those
people or organizations that I felt may have contributed to the failed
adoption.
Finally, I was ANGRY with myself. I had failed these innocent children. I had failed my wife. I had failed my family. I had failed my friends. I had failed my church. I had failed my God.
And over 18 months, the anger grew into an impenetrable wall
around my heart.
In the space of 48 hours, God used a number of
‘coincidental’ events to ensure that I went on the retreat. I know now, the events weren't coincidences
but rather God events. But I still wasn't happy about it.
All of these God events didn't change the fact that I was
still ANGRY and my heart was still HARDENED.
Over the course of the weekend, God broke down the
barriers. Brick by brick. Stone by stone. He broke through it all and while it was
painful, much like pulling out a thorn, the relief far out-weighed the short
pain of pulling the thorn out.
I had been slowly
poisoning myself and He sucked out the poison.
After the retreat, my wife Anita, says I look like I walk
much lighter now. And she is right, my
heavy burden, my sin of Anger had been taken away by Jesus and the Cross. There is no shame, there is no guilt. There is no question WHO could have done
this.
My heart IS now filled with God’s LOVE. Just like an overflowing glass of water.
I remember just minutes after the transformation experience,
after He removed all the junk, that all I could do was smile. Complete joy.
So you would think God would be done right? No, now that I was listening and He had my
full attention, He wanted to raise another issue He had.
You see, I've given lip service to putting Him first in my
life. While I've always kept Him in my
heart, I never gave Him my whole heart.
I never put Him first, even above my wife let alone myself.
My problem was, I had always been successful with anything I
put my mind to. I had always
accomplished any goal laid out before me.
I had always done it with as little help as possible. If at all possible, I did it myself. I gave Him very little credit in any of MY
accomplishments. This sin is called
PRIDE.
So here was the problem, I thought I could do everything
myself. I was PROUD. This allowed sin to stay in my heart and
reduce the room for God.
Romans 8:5-6 says:
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set
on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit
have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the
flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
As I allowed sin to creep back into my heart and as I
allowed it to take a bigger hold, the room for God’s love continued to
dwindle. And I am back to being an empty glass.
That’s how a seasoned Christian, who loves to passionately
worship God, who attends church regularly, who tithes and gives much of his
time and energy to God’s work, can become hardhearted.
With God #1 in my life:
·Worries disappear, it’s all His.
·Challenges at work disappear, it’s all His.
·Money issues disappear, it’s all His.
·Family struggles disappear, it’s all His.
·Sickness disappears, it’s all His.
Does it change my circumstances – NO. Has it fixed things I've done in the past –
NO. Does it change my current situation
– NO.
But it changes my frame of mind.
I don’t need to blame myself for a failed adoption.
I don’t need to worry about Zach and Kiara.
I don’t need to be concerned about my family.
I don’t need to wonder where the money will come from.
I don’t need to concern myself with ANYTHING out of my
control.
God will take care of it all.
The result is a heart that overflows with God’s Love, love
that can affect the people around you.
This past weekend, I fell in love with God again. Will I stumble again? Absolutely, I am not perfect. But I know that God’s grace will forgive and
redeem me when I don’t deserve it. My
heart cries out praise for Him from the Inside Out.
This next song spoke to me through my weekend with God. I hope it touches you.
Thank you for taking the time to read one of the many 'Wandering Thoughts' that God has been putting on my heart. If this has touched you in anyway, I would love to hear from you. You can leave a comment below, share your own personal revelations or send me a personal message on Google+.
I was recently challenged by the thought that when I become complacent in my life, work and/or spiritual life, I am probably not doing what I was called to do.
A prime example of this came about when I made the life-saving decision to follow Jesus. Prior to the decision, I had been living a very comfortable life. Both my wife and I had good jobs, were healthy, living in a very nice home and surrounded by friends and family. However, something was missing. We were comfortable but we were also uncomfortable. Uncomfortably Comfortable?
Many of us live life like this. We adapt to our surroundings rather than living a life true to our fundamental beliefs. We do things that our friends are doing because we don't want to be seen as the 'stick in the mud'. We watch shows that we wouldn't want our kids watching. We download music or movies without paying while we would never steal from our friends. We laugh at jokes that everyone is laughing at. We spend a little too much time at the water cooler listening for the story that we can share. We bring home office supplies from work. We hide behind our horn in our car as we impatiently try to get to our destination as quickly as possible.
And the truly sad part is, we attempt to justify our actions, just like some of you are doing right now! I know I do!
Being 'uncomfortably comfortable' is not just a sensation specific to non-Christians. In fact, I would argue that this is where most of us find ourselves every day.
As a Christian, I have spent most of my time living a comfortable life. Doing activities I wanted to do. Helping others when it was convenient to me. Speaking to others about my faith with people who wanted to talk about it, not with those who need to hear it. Tithing only what I was required to rather than with joy and celebration. Fitting in with my non-Christian friends. Uncomfortably Comfortable.
When I became a Christian many years ago, a fire was awakened in me to share my story with others. The sharing was uncomfortable, but I was comfortable in knowing that this is what I had been called to do. Comfortably Uncomfortable.
There are multiple examples in the Bible where people are put in uncomfortable situations but because they were obedient to their calling, they were successful. Names like Noah, Moses, Abraham, Rahab and Job all come to mind.
The disciples ran into this problem all the time and were not always successful.
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “ Couldn't you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:40-41 (NIV)
How difficult is it to stay awake and pray? I've tried unsuccessfully and I have a lot of respect for those people who commit to waking and praying in the middle of the night to pray for a worthy cause. And I don't believe the disciples chose to fall asleep. If I had been with the disciples, I would have found a comfortable position to pray - say sitting and leaning against a tree - and that would have led to sleep.
Our challenge is to make decisions based on kingdom comfort rather than personal comfort. Sometimes those decisions are going to be inconvenient. For the disciples, if they had prayed out loud while standing or walking, I doubt very much they would have fallen asleep. We need the Holy Spirit's guidance to discern decisions between kingdom comfort and personal comfort.
A few months ago, I awoke in the middle of the night with a very clear vision of what I had to do. But I didn't want to do it. I wrestled with it. I spoke to God about it. I wasn't getting any sleep and I was extremely tired. It was only after I said yes, that I was able to sleep again. The next day, I followed through with my commitment (see From The Inside Out) and although I was very uncomfortable about it, I was comfortable in knowing that this was God's plan, and not mine. I was Comfortably Uncomfortable.
I wish I could say that I live every moment being Comfortably Uncomfortable, but every day is a new day. I must daily surrender my desires and ask what His desires are. I must daily look at my decisions as a choice of personal comfort or kingdom comfort.
And every day is made up of thousands of moments. Each moment is a chance to choose uncomfortable over comfortable.
This fall, my son was playing football in their first playoff game. They had finished in first place and the team they were playing was not going down without a fight. It was a back and forth battle that was a lot of fun to watch, but nerve-wracking at the same time. Not far from us was an extremely vocal and physically huge cheerleader for the opposition. In the 3rd quarter, a play unfolded that resulted in an opposition player performing a flagrant foul that could have been very dangerous against one of our players.
Our side of cheerleaders exploded, and without thinking, I loudly accused the opposition cheerleader of dangerous coaching habits.
Have you ever have one of those moments where you ask, was that me?
Remember that I said he was huge? Goliath like huge. He came directly at me, a women sitting beside me quickly jumped from her seat to get out of the way. Pointing his finger, talking loudly and extremely upset. Thankfully, others intercepted him. And all the while, I sat there frozen.
Part of me felt vindicated. I was wholly right. It was extremely dangerous and we were lucky our player wasn't badly hurt. Comfortable.
Another part of me was in shock. Who just said that? Why did I say that? Nobody would ever coach their kids like that! How was my behavior "Jesus-like"? Uncomfortable.
As I said earlier, every moment of every day provides opportunities for us to choose kingdom comfort over personal comfort. To show love for others before showing love for ourselves. It doesn't need to be a big incident or decision. It can be at the grocery store and allowing someone else first when they clearly weren't. It can be stopping to talk to someone in the park when you are running late. It can be choosing not to hit the horn at the light. It can be as simple as going to bed with your spouse because they like going to bed together.
But occasionally I have the tough decision between discomfort versus comfort. Am I going to be comfortably uncomfortable or uncomfortably comfortable?
For me that day at the football game, I chose comfortably uncomfortable. I prayed to God and asked for forgiveness. I then went and apologized to the opposition cheerleader who turned out to be a great guy. I then apologized to those around me who heard my outburst. I was humbled by how truly weak we are in the flesh.
I know my every action is based on a personal choice. I must strive every day for that Comfortable feeling of being Uncomfortable.
Thank you for taking the time to read one of the many 'Wandering Thoughts' that God has been putting on my heart. If this has touched you in anyway, I would love to hear from you. You can leave a comment below and share your own personal revelations; or send me a personal message on Google+ or Facebook.
