Focus on This (Trust) pt 2

Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment is. Jesus responds in Matthew 22 to love God and love people. Today, we will focus on the first aspect of loving God.

Trust

I think that one of the hardest things for us to do is trust God. Yet, that is one way in which we show our love for Him.

Jesus says himself that we need to have faith like a child. Let's look at how a child acts. A child is completely dependent on its mother and/or father. The baby looks for food from the parents. A child looks for comfort from parents. The baby looks for attention and care. Children often believe until a certain age that his/her mom/dad can do anything. "Mommy, can you make it stop raining?" "My dad can beat up your dad!" "Daddy, why is the sky blue?" Mom, can you make the pain stop?"

We think our parents are our answer for everything. Yet, the One who has every answer and can take care of every need gets ignored. If Jesus wants us to have faith like a child then maybe this is kind of what it looks like. We need to start trusting Him for more.

Let's get a bit more practical (though I honestly don't think that was impractical advice.) Too often we don't trust God because, quite frankly, we don't have patience. We take the first job possible because we can't believe that God will get us a better one. We want to do things our own way and at our own time. We find ourselves with the wrong guy or girl and it's too late to get out, or so we think, because we couldn't pass the first one in line because we didn't trust the Maker of all things to find us a suitable partner. We get tired of being at the church we're at because it's too boring for us, even though God is about to do great things, but we just can't wait because we just can't trust Him.

I think trust and patience go a little hand in hand. We don't trust because we just don't like God's timing. But this is one important way that we must show our love for God. We must trust Him. It's too important not to.

Focus on This (Intro) pt 1

I think as Christians, especially those of us that have been Christians for a while, tend to focus on so many of the little things. Because of that I think we tend to ignore the really big things. So, with the next six posts, I want to focus on what could quite possibly be THE biggest thing.

In Matthew 22:34-40 an expert in the law tests Jesus asking him which commandment is the greatest (v 36) and Jesus responds:

"Love the Lord you God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." (v 37) The second is: "Love your neighbor as yourself." (v 39)

I think it is absolutely important for us as Christians to focus on these two commandments with our lives. So over the next six posts we'll look at how we can love God and love people. Here's what those next posts will look like.

Love God

1) Trust

2) Worship

3) Obey

Love People

1) Give

2) Serve

3) Care

The Lost Disicpline

You know you thought about not opening this up, didn't you? You weren't gonna read for fear of feeling convicted. Discipline is just simply a word we don't like to hear. Discipline means we have to tell ourselves no and that's just not fun.

Fasting is one of those disciplines. So why is it we don't fast? Can we not trust God that if we are disciplined in the form of regular fasting that we're gonna miss out on something.

I bring this up because I recently decided to start fasting again. I say again because generally speaking I would fast once a week when I was a pastor. That wasn't every week and there were a lot of times I broke my fast when I shouldn't have but I still probably fasted more than I didn't.

So I recently decided to start fasting again. I was then reminded of the benefits of fasting. I'll list them for you.

1) Obey God. (Can't go wrong with that)

2) Become more disciplined. (Hmmmm...)

3) Lose weight. (Yay!!!!!)

4) Hear from God. (Hence the last like 10 posts that were all written in one sitting (I love the word hence and I love that I am now using double parentheses.))

5) Getting closer to God (Nothing clever to add to this one - guess I should fast more)

6) Purity and holiness are closer to being achieved

7) Spit in the Devil's face!!!!!!

What do you think of my awesome list? Add something or just comment. No one ever comments and it makes me sad. I just want to know 3 people are reading. That would be sweet. And yes, I am begging for comments and, yes, I am pathetic.

The Lost Science

What is the lost science? Obedience.

Since when did we decide that as Americans we don't read to listen to anyone else? When did we decided that independence was even possible? The truth is we must live in a state of dependence on God. When did we decided that we don't need to obey God?

God makes things really simple for us. He speaks, we listen, then we do. We are the ones that make things so difficult. We are the ones that think we know better. Or else we think that God is ruining our fun or our independence or our right to think for yourselves.

Well tell me this then. When is the last time you sinned and things worked out better for you?

Random thoughts

When you read a book or blog or something do you hear the other person's voice in your mind's ear or your own? Why is that?

Do you ever have a good day and then people (or one in particular) ask you if you are having a bad day? Then does this change your outlook on that day?

Do you ever wonder why string cheese tastes better than regular cheese? Is it just because of the extra fun of peeling it?

My dog gets scared when I play my guitar. Am I really that bad or is he just afraid of the music produced? (In no way am I admitting that I'm a good guitar player, either.)

When you are truly bored what does your mind wander to?

What is God's favorite color?

Why are some people such jerks?

Why do we trust good-looking, well kept people more than ugly people?

Who decided to invent words or a language for that matter? Like the word language - really? Who came up with that one?

Why are we afraid or more cautious in the dark?

Why don't people 60 and up have to go through driver's ed again?

There you go - my random thoughts for now. Feel free to add your own random thoughts or anything random answers to the random thoughts.

The Prayer Part 3 (Forgiven and Loved)

So here I am in my prayer. I would guess that 3 minutes have gone by as I am thinking in my head and aloud with God as my witness and conversation partner. I am wondering if enough is ever enough with him and then I decide that I am the chief of sinners. Then the next song on my Zune comes on while on shuffle.

In the middle of my thinking, with no conclusion in sight, with no real word from God just yet the first words of the song are "I am forgiven and loved."

Now, call this coincidence if you want to. And maybe it is. But it doesn't mean that the words aren't true. And for that to come on in the middle of my prayer like that was just great timing.

I am forgiven and loved by my Father and Creator in Heaven who chose to send Himself down to earth to teach me and to die for me. There is NOTHING I could do once or even a million times to reach a point where God will turn His back on me because I am forgiven and loved. No matter what - I am forgiven and loved.

Know today that you don't deserve it. Not a single one of us does. If we all were willing to go into an interrogation room with God and have Him point out everything we have ever done wrong, I truly believe that we would all come out of that room saying, "I am the chief of sinners." All of us have sinned and all of us have hidden that sin from others and even from ourselves. But God knows what we really think and what we really do and what we would really do if we could.

You are forgiven and loved.

The Prayer Part 2 (Chief of Sinners)

In one of Paul's letters he decides to make the ultimate confession that perhaps many though but nobody else spoke of out loud. Many knew of his past, which obviously included himself. But, many also knew of the great things that he had done in the name of Christ as well. So maybe there was a thought by the listener(s) and the reader(s) about Paul's past but there was also the extraordinary evidence place in front of them of who Paul now is.

All this aside, Paul still claims in his letter that he is the chief of sinners. All due respect, Paul, but you were premature in your statement.

I am the chief of sinners.

Here I am having this simple, short conversation with God. I'm wondering if enough is ever enough and I'm reminded of the Apostle Paul. I look back at Paul's claim and I realize all of the horrible things that he had done. He had murdered, lied, manipulated, deceived, and purposely attacked Jesus Christ, who claimed to be the Son of Man. He then decided to pursue all of his so-called followers.

Something many of us don't think about is Paul's presence during the Gospels. Where was he? He didn't just appear out of thin air in Acts did he? Surely he had to have been around witnessing Christ first hand, right? I don't know if anything I am about to say is actually historically accurate, but it makes for good introspection.

It is likely that Paul (Saul) was there, listening to Jesus teach. Maybe Saul is one of the Pharisees that Jesus gave a verbal beat down to. Maybe Saul was a part of the Sanhedrin when the were conspiring to kill Jesus. Maybe he was there when Judas was confronted to betray Jesus for a few shekels. Maybe he orchestrated the plot to have Jesus arrested in the Garden. Maybe he was in the front row in front of Pilate, pleading for Barrabbas to be exchanged with Jesus

I know all of this is speculation but what if it is true? What we do know of Saul at this time is that he was quickly rising through the ranks of the Sanhedrin as a promising Pharisee and possibly on his way to become High Priest. Something(s) had to have catapulted him in that direction.

So, Paul claims he is the chief of sinners. I still respectfully disagree.

Paul did everything he did because he thought he was doing right for his God. Turns out that he was definitely wrong, but at least he was doing what he believed in at the time. His crimes were terrible and cruel and wrong. But he still did what he believed in.

I, on the other hand, have come to the conclusion that 93.3% of all the sins that I have committed in my lifetime were done knowing that it was sin. This leaves a very slim percentage of sins done unknowingly. I know what is deep down in my heart and in my mind. I know what things I have done and not done. I know how many times I have heard the voice and God and chosen to ignore it. 

I am the chief of sinners.