Reflecting truth

What is it that helps a person become a fully devoted follower of Christ?  That is the question Trinity Church is looking at with our current spiritual life survey.  According to the results from other churches that have already participated in this survey, the Word of God is central to that process.  This fact should not catch us by surprise.

Psalm 119:9 says, “How can a young man keep his way pure?  By guarding it according to your word.” (ESV)   As followers of Jesus Chris it is absolutely essential that we become people who not only read the Bible, but take the time to meditate on Scripture and what God is saying to us.  We must internalize the truth in order to be transformed by it.  The Bible is all about transformation not simply more information. 

The centrality of Scripture in the transformation process is the reason I believe every follower of Christ should be able to verbalize a recent truth from Scripture that God has revealed to them.  The question that I ask is what is God teaching me? 

So as you consider all the things that you could do with your time, why not consider what God might have to show you in His Word?  Ask yourself what God is showing you.  Allow the truth of Scripture to transform your thoughts, attitudes, and opinions.  Spending time reflecting on Scripture is critically important to growing in Christ likeness.

Consumer prayers

I am attending the Great Lakes District conference this week.  The theme of the conference this year is “The Prayers of Jesus.”  I have been attending breakout sessions focused on the prayer ministry of the local church.  The break out sessions have been led by a former missionary to India who has a great heart for prayer and a retired seminary president.  The former missionary is a true inspiration in seeking God through prayer.  The seminary president has had some great teaching about prayer and good questions about prayer in the church today.

In the breakout session we discussed an interesting observation of prayer in the church today.  Well, it was interesting to me at least.  We were discussing the idea of American consumerism invading our prayer life.  So what do you think?  Has the idea of having things our way right away influenced how you pray and what you pray for?

Another topic that surfaced during our discussion is faith.  What does it mean to pray with faith?  

The discussion we had was interesting and I am interested in your feedback on these issues.  What do you think?

The Right Path

My thought in starting this blog was to give people an opportunity to engage in an exchange of ideas around spiritual issues.  So I would like to encourage you to respond to any of the posts I make. 

This past Sunday I read the following verse in my quiet time, “The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway.” (Proverbs 15:19)  As I read that verse it struck me that often the opposite seems to be more the case.  It appears in the world in which we live that those who choose the path of least resistance often seem to have it easier than those who choose the right way.

But we must step back and look at the big picture of the choices we make.  God does not call us to take the easy path.  God calls us to walk in the path of the upright.   That means when there is a choice to make which might include discomfort but is right, we have to choose what is right.  Being a follower of Jesus often means living counter to the culture that surrounds us. 

The author of two of my favorite collections of personal devotions Chris Tiegreen writes, “God calls for diligence.  Laziness and discipleship do not mix.  He doesn’t mean for us to obsess about every minor choice, but He expects us to draw a line in the sand and refuse to let the culture dictate our lives.” 

We must not only pledge allegiance to Christ with our words but also demonstrate that allegiance through our choices and actions.  At times this can be incredibly difficult and it requires that we are not lazy in our choices. 

What do we trust?

As I stated in my previous post, I have been reading through the writings of the prophet Jeremiah. While the prophecies that are written there are to a specific people at a specific time and place, the principles we observe speak clearly to our nation.

In God we trust and God bless America have simply become slogans in American culture. The slogans are thrown about loosely, by many Americans and especially by those who hold political office. Have you ever thought what it will take for God to bless America? It will take America to actually start trusting God.

The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.” (Jeremiah 17:5 ESV) The pivotal question for God seems to be what we trust. In God we trust is more than a slogan, it the very essence of what God desires from each one of us.

Have you ever thought about what it is that you trust? Notice that God is not condemning the person who commits horrible crimes against humanity, although that person would be included, instead he says the one who is trusting in people and their ideas is cursed. I observe this characteristic throughout our culture. If I get real honest I see it in me too.

As Christians in tumultuous times we must ensure we are trusting Christ. That not only includes with our health but also with the political and economic future of the nation in which we live.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.” (Jeremiah 17:7 ESV) The one who places their trust in Christ is the one who will be blessed. That should serve as an encouragement and motivation for every follower of Christ. Trust Christ, not the economic, educational, and political systems of the country in which we live. Then we can ask God to bless America because we trust Him.

Tolerance or Truth

I never cease to be amazed at the way God lines things up when He is trying to teach us something.  I use a daily devotional as well as a systematic Bible reading plan for my personal prayer/worship time each day.  It is amazing how often what I am reading in one has to do with the other when the two are not related at all.  This week my Scripture reading, daily devotion, and a segment I saw on TV news all met at the same subject - tolerance.

This week I have been reading through Jeremiah.  Jeremiah was addressing the shortcomings of the religious leaders, the prophets and priests, when he wrote, “They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.” (Jer. 6:14 ESV) 

One of the most popular messages of our day is that of tolerance.  In the news is the story of a first grade teacher in San Francisco who had her class attend her lesbian wedding at city hall.  This was part of a class field trip.  The guest commentator on the news program made a comment that this trip was a good thing because it taught the students about being tolerant. 

Have you ever noticed that those who who proclaim the gospel of tolerance seem to be the most intolerant of the message of Jesus Christ being the only way to God?  Is tolerance really a goal that a follower of Jesus should aspire to?  Those who claim to be tolerant vehemently attack the exclusivity of the claim of Jesus Christ being the only way to God.  There can never be peace between the world's system and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Just as the prophet Jeremiah we face a choice.  We can either embrace the claims of tolerance declaring peace, or we can proclaim the truth.  The truth is that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life.”  That message is not popular, or tolerant – it is simply true.  As followers of Christ we need not be afraid of the truth.  

Does God really mean every need?

With the economic woes of the Unites States influencing markets across the world it has become apparent the economic problems we face are significant.  The U.S. Congress passes a giant rescue package to attempt to free credit markets and the stock market reacts by dropping more than 14% in a week.  Peoples investments have taken a hard hit and many people are developing a fear for what lies ahead.  The people who are supposed to know what to do do not seem to know what to do, so what should we do?  Difficult days remind us of what we should know but so often forget.  We are in control of nothing.  Instead of looking to the best economists, analysts, and government officials we should look to Christ.

Philippians 4:19 says, "... my God will meet every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (ESV)  Could God actually mean that he will meet all of our needs?   Do we not need to help ourselves out even just a little?  That is a real temptation for all of us.  When God seems to be too slow or too silent, our impatience says we should act so we do.  What our impatience ends up demonstrating is our belief that God might not have our best interest at heart so we need to make sure we take care of ourselves.  

Use these days of uncertainty to grow in your relationship with Jesus.  Do not waste this experience with fear, worry, or grumbling.  This is a great opportunity to grow in faith that God is who He says He is and cares deeply for you. 

Trying to get with it...

One of my new adventure in ministry is to launch into the world of facebook with the intent of having it make a positive impact on ministry.  For a former computer information systems major, it seems like I have a ways to go to be with it.  It was just a couple of months ago that I sent my one and only text message of all time.  But I have decided that I need to at least try to get with it.

I recently attended a conference which I thought was going to be about building church buildings. It turns out that it was more than that.  I have known for some time the need for pastors to be able to communicate between Sundays.  It seems that blogging is one of the tools that others have found to be effective.  I look forward to being able to have the ability to communicate about various subjects and topics that simply might never come up on Sunday.  So I have decided to launch into the blogosphere.  I will attempt to post often and have those posts be relevant to what is going on in your life.  

It is not easy to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ in the days in which we live.  We need constant encouragement to press on.  I look forward to interacting with those who might happen by the blog and be an encouragement to live each and every day for the glory of God.  May God bless and keep you as you seek Him...