Who do you Love

I had a conversation with a guy the otherday and he was very upset at a friend or acquaintance of his. The guy thought he had been wronged by this friend and was literally saying he had a hard time not condemning this friend. I could relate - and explained a situation that took place in my past where I had the exact problem. What I had learned is that I could condemn the wrong but not the person. Jesus said, Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing. Forgiving people is an affront to our sense of vengeance - but vengeance is God's not mine or anyone else's! So we should -as Christians- grieve more over the sin rather than avenge the wrongs suffered. The truth is we love ourselves more than we love other people and we fail to properly apply the gospel to and at them. The concern is more about the wrong done to us and not about what that person has done against God. We should want the other person to experience grace and not vengeance. 

    The opposite can be true as well rather than telling the truth and confronting others about sin, they hide behind a lame excuse "Man, I just want to love that person like Jesus. I don't want to hinder them from experiencing His love, and create conflict, I want community I don't want to point out their sin." Here is the problem - it isn't that you love the other person like Jesus. You love yourself more and you prefer to save yourself the trouble. Check out 2 Tim 2:24-25. We need to find the balance confront evil without condemning people. 

Surrender

At the end of Psalm 62:11 it says,"....power belongs to God." and if we do according to Romans 6:13 and 22 "Present ourselves to God." The word for "present" means -to put at ones disposal. Put myself at God's disposal is the thought. In other-words present yourselves absolutely to God become His property and allow Him to use you however He wills.100% surrender in response to God who is infinite in love, infinite in wisdom, and power. He will do His best with me and you. We may not see immediately that it is His best but if I trust that it is then sooner or later I will see it. God floods the heart of the Christian who surrenders absolutely to Him with His light and joy and fills his life with power.John 7:17 If anyone's will is to do God's[a] will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.(ESV). Knowledge of the truth comes with the surrender of the will.John 1:5 says, "God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all." Surrendering to God opens our eyes to the light that He Himself is. It will bring to me and you harmony with all truth. The reason some won't see or cannot see is because they wear the blindfold of self-will and it has a tendency to block spiritual vision.

So Surrender today!
Mark

I am a very visual person. I learn best by seeing, I think in pictures, and as such, I see God constantly in creation. It comes naturally to me. I see a flower and all the intricate colors, or the design on a leaf, or the colors of a sunset or the majesty of a mountain and am immediately drawn to my Creator, Jesus. As John 1:3 reminds us;


3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

When I hang out with my kids outside I pause often, showing them flowers, and bugs, and leaves and trees, and they seem to love it...looking around and experiencing things for the first time. This got me thinking - do you and I get so busy that we stop looking for God in our lives around us? Or perhaps more to the point, do we stop seeing God? He is there...He is everywhere. He is in us, through Christ, and He is constantly working. I want my relationship with Christ to be like my children's relationship with the world around them - each day is a day of discovery, of new things, of new colors and experiences, a day of seeing God at work in my life and in the world around me.

13 People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. (Mark 10:13-15)

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation (Psalm 51:12a)


Put these verses together and I think it hits what I'm talking about. I want my relationship with Christ to, in some ways, mirror elements of childlike-faith, and a constant joy of the salvation that God brings. And I believe a big part of that is found in "seeing God"...and one of the ways He reveals Himself to us is through His creation. Take time today to look for and see God...and may His revelation return to you the joy of His salvation.

In His Grip
Mark

My Dad

For the past few years my father had suffered from heart problems. We all knew that time was precious, and I made a conscious effort to build as many memories as I could. I visited whenever I could took my kids to visit him, I called and talked to him whenever I got the urge. He was one of my very best friends as a little boy and we were always sharing stories and swapping tales. He was funny and smart, and knew how to fix anything.

Watching the father I loved slowly deteriorate, was heartbreaking for me and Jessi, because no matter how hard we wished for it, he wasn't going to get better.

I got to sit and visit with him one last time a few months ago, watched my son and daughter interact with him as much as they could. I sat and looked at him in his grey warm up and noticed how small he was. He seemed so big to me when I was a kid and even as a teenager. He was the life of the party, all his buddies would just hang out to be around my dad.

I will miss him every day of my life. I will miss seeing his face, and hearing his voice, and I would give anything in this world to be able to talk to him just one more time.
I was remembering when I was small how he was my special hero, and I can never thank him enough for all of the things he taught me, all the funny things he used to say and think and for all of the wonderful memories he has given me to treasure.

He and I took a trip in 1997 to New Mexico, just me and my dad, I got to tell him how I had become a Christian how my life was different, and how much I loved God and thanked God for him. I asked if he wanted that same relationship, one like I had with Jesus. I never got a straight answer. I can only hope that he heard the gospel message and said yes to Jesus.

Throughout my life, I wanted to make him proud and honor him by being the best person I can be. He would want me to go on with my life, to be happy and productive, to enjoy watching my own childern grow into a good and decent human being. I thank God every day for giving me my dad. I'll always love you,

To the New Calvinists

In my judgment, scripture is clear, more people will end up in Hell than heaven, but this is not what God intended.He most likely knew this would happen but He did not "choose" some to go to Hell. I am affirming here that in this world things do happen that are against the will of God. God does not will for anyone to go to Hell (2 Pet 3:9, Ezek 33:11). This is why He sent Jesus to take away our sins through His universal atoning death (Jn 1:29, 1 Jn 2:2, 1 Tim 4:10, 2 Pet 2:1). This is why He sent the Spirit to convict the world of Jesus Lordship (Jn 16:8-9). God does indeed command all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:11). Why does God command all people to repent? Because He has appointed a day when He will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ. He commands all people to repent and believe in Jesus the Lord, because He does not want them to go to Hell (2 Pet 3:9, 1 Tim 2:3-4).

Look at the parable of the Final assize, when Jesus separates the sheep from the goats. The sheep (believers) inherit life eternal, and the goats (unbelievers) inherit death and hell. If there was ever a better time for Jesus to tell us plainly about How God prepared Hell for certain people this would be it, but what does Jesus say to the unbelievers? Jesus says in Matt 25:41 to those on His left hand at the assize "Depart from Me, you cursed, ​​into the everlasting fire prepared for ​the devil and his angels." Why does Jesus not say to the cursed, "Depart from Me, you cursed into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil, His angels, and you!" with an angry sneer in His voice. Why? Because God did not prepare Hell for anyone, nor does He have pleasure when people go there (2 pet 3:9, Ezek 33:11).

It saddens me in the deepest degree that we do not love sinners the way Jesus did. However, it is as Jesus said it would be in the last days

"And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow ​cold." (Matt 24:12)

Faith

What is it? Specifically, what is faith within the Biblical context? Many people will have you believe that Christianity requires a blind faith. This is not the case. Faith, in the Bible, is not a blind surrender to superstition. God invites us: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD…” (Isa 1:18). A whole book (Proverbs) in the Bible is devoted to Wisdom and throughout Scripture wisdom is praised and superstitious belief in idols (the illogical worship of inanimate objects) is scorned. Jesus talks about wise men and foolish men. In fact, Jesus is Himself described as the Word. The Greek term translated into “Word” in English is “Logos”, which means [logical] expression. Whatever faith is, it is clearly not a simpleton's acceptance of something that lacks reason; of something illogical.

So what does “faith” mean in the Bible? The first time the word faith is used in the Bible is in Deuteronomy 32:20: “And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.” The Hebrew word for faith, from this passage is “'êmûn” and literally means “established”, “trusty” or “trustworthiness”.

When Jesus says in Matthew 6:30: “…if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?”, the lack of faith in this section comes from the Greek word “oligopistos”, which means “lacking in confidence”.

Referring to the centurion that asked Jesus to heal his servant by merely speaking the word, Jesus answered: “…Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel” (Matthew 8:10). The term “faith” in this passage comes from the Greek “pistis” which means “persuasion”, “conviction”, usually of Truth.

The implication is not blind faith, but acceptance of a Truth after being persuaded of its validity. The centurion was not hoping on some superstitious belief, but he was convinced that Jesus could heal his servant because he knew about Jesus’ ability. He had probably heard of the many instances where Jesus healed the sick and might even have witnessed some of these miracles. He was persuaded about Jesus’ power; he was convinced of His authority over sickness.

Throughout the New Testament the word translated into faith in English is the same Greek word “pistis”, i.e. persuasion of truth, or the negative “oligopistos”, i.e. a lack in confidence -- not trusting something. A better modern translation than “faith” would probably be “trust”. Trust is something that comes from experience; to have confidence in something. That is why “faith in God” is not merely saying the words “I believe in God”, nay, true faith, is trusting God. And trusting God comes from having a relationship with Him.

I like this quote below!

God never asks us to believe, without giving sufficient evidence upon which to base our faith. His existence, His character, the truthfulness of His word, are all established by testimony that appeals to reason; and this testimony is abundant. Yet God has never removed the possibility of doubt. Our faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration. Those who wish to doubt will have opportunity; while those who really desire to know the truth will find plenty of evidence on which to rest their faith. -- Steps to Christ; Chapter 12.

Choosing our walk

I was at a cafe the other day having some coffee and a bagel and had overheard a conversation of some men having a Bible study. A few of the men were talking about the various reasons their walk with God was suffering, they each said they longed to know Jesus on a deeper level. I thought, at first, that was cool. "If only He would reveal Himself, or if only we understood scripture more, if only the church we attend had more services....." It was not my place to say what I thought, but I can and will here. I have been there in those places- the "if only" place. The Lord revealed something that totally blew me away (I love when He does that), it was of Him because it was simple but yet complex! Here it is - I needed to understand that I am as close to Jesus Christ as I choose to be. God gives you and I a certain amount of Liberty to follow Him as we so choose. Spiritual laziness then comes upon us, spiritual procrastination, spiritual despair which ultimately leads to apathy(apathy is deadly). Apathy is when you feel nothing. There is no guilt, no hunger any longer you just retreat inward. So as I sat and listened I had to ask myself, "Mark (that is what I call myself at the cafe), are you content with where you are at with my relationship with Jesus?" How about you? Are you choosing to walk along with Him or content with just standing around by yourself?

In His Grip
Mark