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The more and more I look at culture and the world we live in, we are consumed with mediocrity and living sub-par. Not just in Christianity but especially Christianity. We have given ourselves this sub-par standard to live up to so that when we don’t have far to meet up to or when we completely plummet then we weren’t that far off.
As Christians we label ourselves as people that “don’t do” certain things. “Oh if you don’t do drugs, don’t drink too much, or don’t commit any felonies then you are set!” I heard an elderly man state one time, “Man it is not so good to see kids working in the community instead of doing drugs and getting into trouble.” (As he watched them work) That comment just broke my heart because there truly is a level of mediocrity that has infiltrated not just our culture, but our churches as well. Being considered a “good person” only requires that we don’t do “bad stuff”. But is it enough to be known for what we don’t do, or should we be known for what we do?
It is exactly why terms such as “Radical” flood the Christian world as this new standard to live as! But even David Platt would say the reason these terms flourish is because we are so accustom to the sub-par we need radical to help motivate us to live differently. Because what is defined as Radical is really just basic Christianity! Yes friends, basic Christianity is radical because you are living beneath it. Christianity is not just a list of “don’t dos” but a lifestyle of constant obedience and pursuit of righteousness!
Psalm 1 tells us that “blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord on His law he meditates day and night.”
Charles Spurgeon comments, “Perhaps some of you can claim a sort of negative purity, because you do not walk in the way of the ungodly; but let me ask you–Is your delight in the law of God? Do you study God’s Word? Do you make it the man of your right hand–your best companion and hourly guide?” If not, he concludes, the blessing of Psalm 1 doesn’t belong to you.
God’s Word is clear that just “not sinning” is no standard. We’re not only called to “flee from lusts” but to “pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace.” We’re not only called to “put to death what is earthly in us” but to “put on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” In order to reach God’s standard for his people and to enjoy the blessing that He promises, we must get beyond simply avoiding bad stuff. The Apostle Paul makes this calling clear when he writes, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”
So what now? Don’t settle. Don’t settle for sub-par Christianity but live in constant pursuit of righteousness to glorify the Father who gave you life and asks more of you. Be known for what you do for His Kingdom and nothing else!
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When we receive bad news, we can be tempted to fear. We receive a frightening medical report or a notice the job opportunity we wanted will be ending, and we can feel the icy fingers of fear wrapping around our heart.
In 2 Chronicles, messengers give Jehoshaphat the heart-sinking news of a great army marching against Judah. Though he’s terrified, he does the right thing – he seeks the Lord:
Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah (3).
His prayer is instructive. First, he acknowledges God’s sovereignty and power:
“O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.” (6)
Then Jehoshaphat recalls God’s past faithfulness and mighty acts:
Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? (7)
He expresses faith that God hears prayer and is willing to save:
And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ (8, 9)
He cries out for deliverance and confesses Judah’s weakness and total dependence on God:
“O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (12)
God graciously responds with news that we need to hear when our backs are against the wall:
And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah… And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s’ (14-15).
Let us pray like Jehoshaphat when we look at fearful circumstances.
The thing we have to remember is, no matter what we face, the battle is not ours but the Lord’s. Just because the news is frustrating. Just because you are faced with uncertainity. Just because the answers are primitive and not what we want. God’s timing and his plans are better than ours. Bad news usually creates chaos for us, but without chaos you don’t see your need for complete surrender to Him.
All for His glory, not ours.
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I have a really good friend who is going through a major trial – massive hurt and uncertainty. I also have other friends struggle through little things as well. I’ve noticed that at times my prayers for these people are limited to nothing more than asking God to bring the trial to an end. Nothing wrong with that. I really care about these people and don’t want to see them suffering. But is there more that I should be praying for? Scripture would say yes. So how should we pray for those who are suffering? A few thoughts:
Pray For Their Joy
James 1:2 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…” The Christian is called to count trials as joy. Sounds impossible right? What sort of crazy person would rejoice in the midst of suffering? This kind of joy can only come from God. So when we pray for the suffering, let’s pray that God would give them his joy. Only supernatural joy can sustain someone through the crushing heartaches of this world.
Pray For Their Sight
The heat of suffering often blinds us to what God is doing even in the midst of trials. We desperately want the pain to stop, which is understandable. But this often causes us to miss God’s extraordinary sanctifying work that can only happen through trials. James 1:3 says that, “…the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” God does great, heart-changing things in the midst of suffering. Let’s pray that God would give our suffering friends eyes to see him working.
Pray For Their Patience
O how difficult it is to be patient in suffering! We just want some relief, some rest, some peace. Yet James 1:4 says, “And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Trials have a cleansing, sanctifying, God-glorifying effect on our lives. But this transformation takes place over time, and we can’t short circuit this process. Let’s pray that God would give our friends patience in the midst of their afflictions.
Pray For An End
God is full of mercy and love toward those who are suffering. He sees their tears and hears their cries. Pray that God would bring the trials of your friends to an end. Keep knocking, keep asking. God will be faithful.
In all things I pray Christ gets the glory
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Have the wonderful opportunity to work Centrifuge Camp this summer. I will be in Clinton, MS. At Mississippi College. I will try to keep up on pictures and updates on the summer! Looking forward to all God has in store!
If traveling to the future were an option, I’d be all over it.
The future has such promise, and I’ve spent many hours pondering what’s to come. In my singleness the future holds the promise of marriage. It also holds the future promise of buying a house.
I longed for the day when I could buy a touch screen phone and update from what felt like the stone age. Three days after I received a new phone it became obsolete, and I could look forward to getting a newer, faster phone someday.
When I was in high school I couldn’t wait to get to college. By week two of college I couldn’t wait to graduate.
Unfortunately, in my eager anticipation of the future I’ve often missed the grace that God has for me in the present.
In each season of life, God has blessings and grace for us that are unique to that season of life, and God wants us to enjoy those blessings. We get caught up in which door we want to walk through next that we miss the door we are walking right now. In his book The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis, writing as a senior demon to a junior demon, says:
“We want a whole race perpetually in pursuit of the rainbow’s end, never honest, nor kind, nor happy now, but always using as mere fuel wherewith to heap the altar of the future every real gift which is offered them in the present.”
When we perpetually long for the future, we miss the gifts that God has given us right now. We sacrifice the joy we could have now, in our current season of life, on the altar of the future.
God has a unique joy to give to singles that married couples won’t experience. He has special grace to bestow upon college students that the workforce doesn’t get. And He has special grace for renters that homeowners don’t have.
So what about you? Are you enjoying where God has you right now?
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“And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”” (Mark 15:33-34)
“And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And curtain of the temple was torn in two, from the top to bottom. And when the centurion who stood facing Him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:37-39)
An outsider got it. The point to this post is just that. Looking at this story of the scandal of the Cross, the last part often gets over looked. But there is a great significance from this simple verse. This centurion, this roman soldier, who had rapidly been a part of the crucification of Christ, stood at the foot of the Cross and realized who Christ really was. Through Christ’s death there was an immediate affect on this man.
The centurion had an open confession from Christ’s death, through this simple verse God shows us that the way is now open to anyone and everyone who will respond in faith! The outsider got it. Why the centurion and not someone else? Why not Mary, the mother of Christ? Because God knew by showing us someone who abused Christ and wasn’t a believer it would open salvation to anyone. So those who don’t know Him, who say, “You don’t know what I’ve done.” The outsiders who think there is no way for me to be good enough. Here is the reality, the Cross covers everyone. We all have been alienated from God by our sin. We all are outsiders. So even for the Christian who hides behind his/her sin, stop it. Christ has set you free. Christ, through the Cross, has purchased your freedom. His blood has freed you from your sin.
So where does that leave us? It leaves us to respond. Respond in faith. Respond in confession. Respond in the Cross. Christ calls us to respond in His death, by claiming He is the Son of God!
And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can BOLDLY enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19-22)
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After a long time off from Thankful Thursdays…These are the things I am thankful for this thursday:
- Thankful for such a season where God is healing and teaching me so many new things
- For my parents who I can rely on for great conversation and insight
- My sister and the new baby girl who is due today but hasn’t quite arrived yet
- For God’s continued restoration and providing new leadership opportunities
- Sojourn Community church, new opportunities and such a sweet community to surround myself with
- Centrifuge and the excitement of preparing for this summer
- For Colorado*
- The Word and the joy of being able to invest and spent time consistently in it
- For March Madness and College basketball on all day
- For the guys in my community group
- Warm weather and rainbow sandals
- For Skype and the ability to keep up with those far away
- Tv shows such as 24, I know what you are thinking but I love it
- For Christ and continuing to show grace and prove faithful even when I do not
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Dainty Preston, my Mamo, is currently in ICU at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga. Mamo suffered from a severe life threatening stroke last Monday night. She has been a roller coaster up and down fighting for her life. Last friday my family and I spent a sweet sweet time with her as she was awake and responsive to us. Since then has taken a turn for the worse. God is not only glorified in her life over the past 81 years but is glorified in her suffering even now. God is faithful to have allowed her the time He has and she has been a rock in the faith over the past 22 years of my life. As she suffers well for His name, We pray that God would give her a peace and allow her to be free from the pain.
Mamo is a sweet loving lady. She is gentle and gracious. She has always greeted me with scripture and has continuously loved on me and my sisters as her grandchildren. Whether taking her to the store or playing scrabble with her, I found great comfort and challenge being with someone who sought God with her whole life. I loved her great smile, her sweet laugh, and her funny little sayings. I love Mamo with all my heart and am so thankful for the time I have had with her. No matter what is to come, God will be glorified and that is where our hope lies in Christ and the Cross. (John 16:33)
(My Prayer)
God, I thought about You, the day Mamo hurt; and You met me between my breaking. I know I still love You God despite the agony. Just be with her and tell me Your truth. Cause if Mamo could speak she would tell me Your truth and that You can. Oh How You love me, Oh God how You love her.
Oh how He love us.
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You are driving down the road and you are approaching a green light, and as you get close the light turns to yellow. What is your first inclination? Speed up and get through it right? We may turn a little more alert and look around but we continue on or even sometimes speed up to get to where we are headed. What is my point to this? The point is caution. We often take no regard to caution. God places caution signs in our lives everywhere we go. Whether it is a sign to slow down or a sign to turn around; we often pretend to not see them and continue on the path we would rather go. We all chose the paths we take. Those paths may leads in the right way or the wrong but no matter which we take we are always on a path.
The bottom line is when you see a warning sign, turn around! In Proverbs 27:12 it says, “The prudent(wise) see danger and take refuge, but the simple(foolish) keep going and suffer for it!” Both, the wise and the foolish see the warning signs. Their responses to those sign however are different. When we see a caution sign, we have to make a decision. You either chose to act as the wise or the foolish. We often chose to ignore the warning signs and proceed anyway. Our intentions to surpass the warning signs and continue anyways may be good, but it means nothing when we surpass what God wants for us. God has a way of getting a hold of us though and if we choose the foolish way their will be consequences. Disobedience and sign have to be dealt with. Often times God is trying to spare us a lot of heartbreak and suffering by placing signs and signals in our lives to direct back to Him.
The questions remains what path are you on? Do you need to turn around from the path your on? Are you willing to suffer the consequences from choosing the wrong path? God if you let him will guide you to the path you need to take. Your intention to take the right path may be great, but unless of course you are on the right path it means nothing. Your direction, not your intention, determines your destination! Don’t waste your life on the wrong path.
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Beautiful, Inside and Out. My grandmother is beautiful. She is loving, warm, kind, and gentle. When I was younger she would make a yummy cake for every occasion, she always had cookies and ice cream, and loved to spoil her grandchildren.
She wasn’t afraid to scold us when we were into trouble, and she was always seeing what I was getting into. She loved on her grandchildren every chance she got. She babysat all of us pretty often. I knew she loved to take care of us. She would let me sit in her lap and hugged me close while watching TV. There was a lot of love… and laughter. I love hear her laugh. She laughs big… it’s infectious. I like to think that is where I received my big laugh. She was always so sweet, my mom is a mirror of her loving compassionate spirit!
My sweet Mimi has Alzheimer’s Disease. And she is beautiful, inside and out. (Via http://brittfarris.blogspot.com/)
