Creating something

out of nothing.

You have heard this phrase used many times and with many connotations. It is used to describe what God did on in those glorious moments when he animated the inanimate and made all the things we see today out of nothing. Nada, zip, zilch. Others apply this statement to a certain time in their life where they accomplished the impossible.

Creating something out of nothing.

I am in this phase of my life. I am enjoying summer as much as the next college student. I have a full-time job where I am able to work temporarily, but it’s different. I feel called to ministry, and it’s not the church. I work for the rich. I make money for myself.

I was driving the other day, and it hit me. I hate being in a position of greed. I hate being in a situation with no opportunities to do ‘ministry.’ I mean, what real effect am I having for Him? None that I could count. But I was wrong.

Often times, I feel as though I must be in an environment that is furthering my education, fitting into my vocational “niche,” serving God in ministry. But I discovered that Paul, although he was a full-time missionary, provided for himself by making tents. Indeed, Peter and many other disciples, provided for themselves as fisherman while ministering. Jesus used all these men to do amazing things while they were still “gainfully employed.”

Why God didn’t assign me to a certain church or a certain camp this summer? I don’t know, but I can’t dwell on the fact that I don’t understand why God puts me in certain situations. Instead, I must strive to apply myself to God’s will day by day, and be used by Him. While I am casting my fishing nets and assembling my tents, I am still on mission for Him.

You see, God is in the something from nothing business. Even my attempts at godliness and righteousness are cut short by sin. If I were left to fight it on my own, I would lose the war against sin. It would be like me bringing a knife to a gunfight. But God, in his awesome providence, has created something out of a whole bunch of nothing.

Creating something out of nothing.

This seems possible, and it is…except with God. Be reminded that although God allows us to be in less-than-ideal situations for what can seem to be unending lengths of time, we can still be used in that moment for His glory. God is creating something (godliness) out of nothing (you).

Quotes

Here is a list of interesting quotes that I have gathered over the past few years that I think you may find interesting:

“Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace.
And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.”
-Jerry Bridges, “The Discipline of Grace”

“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.” -Anonymous

“I was unhappy because I have no shoes, until I met a man with no feet.” -Anonymous

“The devil can quote Scriptures and so can his ministers and they can quote them in perfect King James English.” –Gary Amirault

“He that but looketh on a plate of ham and eggs to lust after it hath already committed breakfast with it in his heart.”  - C.S. Lewis

“People suck, and God saves us from ourselves.” –Mark Driscoll

“What we want is not more little books about Christianity, but more little books by Christians on other subjects—with their Christianity latent.”  -C.S. Lewis from God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics

Why is it that…

Christians love to spend so much on clothes and food, and yet, when it comes to tithing, we give what’s “in our pocket” at the moment?

Christians frown at the idea of alcohol or smoking?

Christians are more known for what they hate than what they love?

Christians are looking less like Christ and more like the World?

Christians get uncomfortable talking about their own sins?

Christians are content in finding truth outside of Christ?

Think on these questions.  Reflect on where you stand in each question.  These questions arose from the top of my head, so not much thought went into them, which is a bad thing in this context.

Do you love? Do you forgive? Do you live? Do you exist? Do you think? Do you reason? Do you embrace truth?  Then respond.

Mega

I’m not too good at this update thing but here is my excuse this time: schoolwork.

/RANT ON/

It’s ridiculous how much I have to do in so little time.  What do papers accomplish? Someone tell me, so I can be motivated somehow.

/RANT OFF/

Excuse my rant, now I feel a little better, believe it or not.

Mega.  This word is usually tied into other words such as megaman, which was a phenomenal game on the sega I must add.  Other words that start with mega include mega-church, but I heard a new word this week that began with mega, and it made me pretty sad: mega-christian.  Since when did we have to start labeling what a christian should be?  Wasn’t the original meaning of christian simply “an imitator of Christ”?  Do I now want to take on this new understanding of a ‘mega’-christian because it’s better?

Where did this thinking come from?  I am in no way speaking for Jesus, but I’m sure that Jesus didn’t mean for us to obey him by becoming a mega-christian.  I’m sure he wanted us to just imitate him, how he related to people, how he loved on people, how he connected with people, and how he obeyed the Father.

When I hear the words, mega-christian or mega-church, it does not set well with my understanding of Christianity and how it is played out in America for the most part.  Disagree with me if you like, but Christ stands with open arms desiring to embrace us with his love, and the idea that we must excel in living out our “mega-christian” lifestyle may prove to be just a shortcoming of what it means to truly follow Christ in our lives.

May we escape this thinking that we must create another understanding of what it means to be a christian and embrace the fact that Christ calls us to love God and love others.

Trail of Crumbs

Tonight was great.  I went to the weekly college service at the Church I attend, Bayleaf Baptist Church.  We had a prayer night, and it was much needed, not just for the body of believers in the college, but for me as well.  God spoke through the prayers of plenty tonight.  But what stuck out to me was the final song that we sang to wrap up the atmosphere of prayer.

Derek Webb is an amazing musician.  He says what’s on his heart in every single song he composes.  A certain song, “Take to the World,” was the song that we sang tonight.  This song was a reminder to the college group at church to take the Gospel of Christ to our culture here in Raleigh.  One of the lines in the song stood out to me,

may the bread on your tongue
leave a trail of crumbs
to lead the hungry back to the place that you are from

The bread on one’s tongue is the Love of Christ that shines through a body of sin.  The trail of crumbs are the actions we take in Love to a lost world.  The place that you are from is talking about the Cross of Christ where the pure definition of Love came from.  These words that Webb composed spoke deep to my closely-held beliefs of Love and the role of it in our lives.  The greatest commandment is to Love God with everything we are and to Love others in the same way Christ loved his bride, the church.  If the love that is shown to the world is not of ourselves, but of Christ, we will leave a trail of love that will allow for non-believers to delve into the idea of Love.

Jesus Christ said that he is the bread of life, and that anyone who eats of him will never go hungry.  The world we live in is hungry for Christ.  May we, as followers of Christ, leave trails of Love for a World that is famished, so that the Bread of Life will fill up empty souls.

A glimpse

I just turned 20, and I’m not feeling too differently, but it’s ok, because my maturity level will hit me sometime in my 70’s.

Throughout my 20 years of being alive, I’ve noticed how people love to be together with friends or family. It’s a phenomenal thing actually, because God set this up for a purpose.

So that we may have a glimpse of how Christ loved us.

On a daily basis, people interact with others, and some of the interaction may not be the best, but some of the interaction is expressed in Love.

Take time to examine your life to see if you have love. Deny yourself. Think about someone else and their desires instead of yours. Take time to appreciate everything you have and everything you have been given.

I pray that you would Love God because of his ultimate Love and grace that he showed to us on the Cross.

Head Knowledge

I’ve been super busy catching up on school work, so I apologize for the lack of blog posts, but it’s ok though, because I was being productive.

Tonight I had a discussion with someone which made me stop and think later on that night about what was said. I had told her that I am learning so much in school, everything from Apologetics to Zoroastrianism, and am having somewhat of a difficult time remaining in the Lord at the same time. She responded with a simple phrase that has been ringing in my head for the rest of the night, “It’s not about the head knowledge, but rather, about the heart knowledge.”

Head knowledge. The knowledge of, in this case, the Bible, God, and Christianity.

Heart knowledge. The relationship aspect of Christianity, or the relationship with Christ that we have.

Now I can understand that a Christian must possess each one of these bodies of knowledge, but how much of a head knowledge do we need in order to be in continual growth in Christ? Or how much of a heart knowledge do we have before we just don’t know anything about the deep issues or tough topics of the Bible? I know plenty of folks who aren’t going into the ministry, and are going into secular jobs instead. Should they know as much of the Bible, of theology, of God, as I, a future minister of the gospel, should at this point in my life?

In order to grow in the Lord, one must study who God is and what he has called us to do. Not only to obey his commands, but to make disciples of all nations. But should Christians skim over the important words that were spoken in Hebrews 5:12-14,

In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Do those who are not going to be in ministerial positions need to know systematic theology? Do they need to know about Israel and God’s judgment? Do they need to know about debatable issues such as predestination and speaking in tongues? Where must we draw the line as to how much a person not in a ministerial position must have of this head knowledge?

I can’t stress this enough: I am learning daily about how much God loves me and about how little I know about Him and His creation. I beg you to ask yourself this question, do you have the head knowledge without the heart knowledge, or the heart knowledge without the head knowledge?

I invite all thoughts, insights, criticism, questions, and comments, because I’m just one voice among a sea of voices.

Love God. Love All.

People

I’m sure a lot of you own many things that keep you entertained for many hours on end, such as an iPod, an xbox 360, a tv, a computer, or a cell phone. I have been kept alive and in zombie mode by many, if not all, of these forms of entertainment at one point in my lifetime. These all share a similarity between you and I.

Tonight had something to do with these objects, only indirectly. You see, I went to dinner with a couple of friends from church to celebrate something called a birthday for one of them. While we were waiting for our seats, I got a chance to hold the door for many folks and spark a conversation with the hostess, who seemed to be busy for some odd reason, but then again, it was 7:00 PM on a saturday night at a local restaurant. While I was sitting there talking to her, I came to realize, yet again, in life, is that

people matter.

And especially their eternity. As I was carrying on a conversation with this nice hostess, my cell phone rang with a text from a friend encouraging me in a “manly” way. I didn’t use my voice, instead I used my fingers to communicate with this person my deep thankfulness for his encouragement. So, what does the hostess at this local restaurant or text from a friend have to do with your computer or iPod?

These objects are people focused.

I invite you to think on this and realize that everything you use and do somehow impacts someone other than yourself. Last time I checked, life is not about having the best computer, driving the coolest car, or even hanging out with the most appealing people.

It’s about loving people who deserve to be loved as much as Jesus loves His bride, the Church.

When you use these objects that drown you in a digital sea, remember the sole purpose of the object: to fulfill the desires of the person using it. Christ has fulfilled the desires of mankind by allowing mankind redemption for his sin and a relationship with Christ himself. He loves you, and he loves your hostess who helps to get you a table for dinner on the weekend.

Jesus loved, loves, and will love forever. Will you?

Social Barriers

Social Barriers. They are all around us no matter what you think. You don’t talk to certain people because they are different, not bad different, but just different. This world tells us that we are better than others, and other people are better than us. This is a distorted view of life. Jesus crushed this wall called the social barrier because of His Love for everyone. Did you catch that?

He loved everyone.

Through this love, he showed people how to have a personal relationship with the almighty God. How hard is this to do? You may think that this simple command to love others comes naturally, but unfortunately, this love was separated from us after the fall of man.

Do you want to leave a legacy among your peers? Do you want to obey God in everything that you do? Do you want to change the world? If so, Love.

Love has no barriers.

” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” -Luke 10:26-28

Be Still

I finally picked up a copy of the Bible Study book, “Experiencing God”, by Henry & Richard Blackaby. My church, Bayleaf Baptist Church, is going through this study. Today’s lesson in Experiencing God had to do with the inescapable truth that God still speaks through the Holy Spirit. A particular verse that was used in this part of the lesson stood out to me, as I have been dealing with difficult task of listening to God,

“He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” John 8:47

Once I read this verse, I realized that at times, I do not belong to God, but rather, I belong to the worldly desires and pleasures that keep me from hearing God. That, my friend, is a hard pill to swallow. The fact that I haven’t been hearing God is because I do not even belong to God! This verse scares me, not only because at times I don’t belong to God because I don’t hear his voice, but because I’m comfortable not hearing his voice. Jesus says in John 14 that those who know God hear his voice because they belong to Him, just like sheep hear the voice of the Shepherd.

I urge you, dear friend, be still and listen to God! He is at work all around us, and we may miss what he’s doing because of our pride. Blackaby says this about listening to God,

“The key to knowing God’s voice is not a formula, nor is it a method you can follow. Knowing God’s voice comes from an intimate love relationship with God … You must watch to see how God uniquely communicates with you. You will not be able to rely on other people’s walks with God. You will have to depend on God alone. Your relationship with Him is of upmost importance.”

Be still and know that He is God.