What are three things you can't live without?

       What are three things that you can't live without?  I am sure many of you upon reading the title to this blog are beginning to determine what three things you would say you can't live without.  I am sure I have answered this question, or questions similar to it, in the past, but the most recent time I heard this question it really, really, bothered me.  I was listening to Christian radio and the DJ asked this question.  A listener called in and answered it by saying.....  Faith, family, friends.  The DJ followed up by saying, if you could choose one more what would it be.  The listener responded by saying, "KTIS" (that was the radio station I was listening to).  While the DJ and listener laughed and the next song began to play I was left not laughing but instead feeling deeply saddened and troubled by the question.  "What are three things you can't live without?" should never be a question that we as Christians ask, and if we answer, we should not be able to come up with numbers 2 and 3.
       The reason that this question so deeply disturbed me is because as Christians there is only one thing that we truly cannot live without and that is the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ that restores our broken relationship with the God of the universe.  That is the ONLY thing that we cannot live without.  As soon as we began to add to the list, we are saying that a relationship with the God of the universe is not enough, and that my friend is a very dangerous place to be.  God is enough, and always will be enough. As great as family, friends, money, jobs and on and on are, you can live without all of them because God is enough.  Praying that you and I would realize that God is enough regardless of what else happens in this life.  GOD IS ENOUGH!!!!
       So the next time we are asked the question what are three (or two, or ten) things you cannot live without may you simply respond by saying, "God"  God is the only thing I cannot live without and because of Jesus Christ, I have God and HE IS ENOUGH!!!!!

What is your goal in life???

       If you were asked what is your goal in life, what would you answer be?  If you were asked what is your goal in marriage, what would your answer be?  What is your goal in parenting?  What is your goal professionally?  What is your goal in life?  Do you ask yourself those questions?  Do you think about that? I hope so, because it really, really matters.  Whatever you goal in life is, regardless of this being a formal or informal goal, will determine how you live your life day in and day out!  It will set standards by which you will decide if you have failed or succeeded in any given task.  It will also determine if you will continue at something, or will simply move onto the next thing.  So determining what you goal in life, is of extreme importance.
       As Christians, Scripture makes it very clear what our goal in life should be.  2 Corinthians 5:9, "So we make it our goal to please God."  Pleasing God, or glorifying God, or making God look great, that should be our goal in life.  I was reading the book Sacred Marriage this morning and reminded of the importance of having, "Pleasing God" as the goal of our life.  Since it is the goal of our life, it will be the goal of our marriage, parenting, work, and on and on we could go.  Gary Thomas states, "The first purpose in marriage- beyond happiness, sexual expression, the bearing of children, companionship, mutual care and provision, or anything else- is to please God.  The challenge, of course, is that it is utterly selfless living; rather than asking, 'What will make me happy?'  we are told that we must ask, 'What will make God happy?'"  In all aspects of life, pleasing God, should be our goal.  We will not reach perfection this side of eternity, but how much different would all of our lives be if we became much more accustomed to asking the question, "Will this please God?" in all areas of our life?
       So will you join me in setting your goal in life to please God in all you do?  May we all begin to ask the question, "Will this please God?" a whole lot more!  As we do I am convinced that we will see change in our life as our attitudes, desires, and passions align themselves more and more with God's attitudes, desires, and passions!  "So we make it our goal to please God."

One day we will all approve of God's performance!

       While scanning articles on CNN this morning I came across an article entitled, "Only 52% Approve of God's Job Performance."  After reading the short article I was saddened as I think about how flippant, and I would argue defiant, our culture has become towards the God of the universe.  How has the view of God, even among professing believers, become so small that we would tolerate the idea that we have the right and ability to judge God's performance.  Just like most things in American culture God has been set-up in such a way that it is expected that His sole purpose is to meet our every desire.  When something happens in our life that we don't like, we are quick to blame God and complain about it, we question his love and his goodness, and many people some day expect to stand before God and bring up their laundry list of all the "injustices" that have happened to them.
       We have lost sight of the magnitude of God.  We have done so many things to place God on our level that we no longer understand the transcendence of God.  We have come to the place where the creation feels comfortable to say to the creator, who do you think you are?  You can't do that?  I don't like that?  That was not my plan?  I want it this way?  We have the audacity to say to the one who created us, "YOU CAN'T DO THAT."  We need to get back to a place where we realize that God is God.  Let me remind all of us that some day when this life is over and we stand before God, no one will have the audacity to say, "You didn't do your job very well God.  I disapprove of you."  Instead our response will fall in line with what is revealed in Scripture.
In Isaiah's vision of God here was His response...
"Woe to me!  I cried.  "I am ruined!  For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty."  Isaiah 6:4
Peter, after being commanded by Jesus to put their nets down on the other side of the boat, and realizing who Jesus was responded by saying,
"Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man."  Luke 5:8
       One day when we stand before God we will respond with absolute awe, reverence, and amazement and fear.  We will never, ever, ever stand before God and tell him if we approved us His job.  As we stand before God His in all His magnitude,  and awesomeness, and Holiness, and Greatness, we will see God for who He truly is!  That day will either be most terrifying day a person will experience as their sins are laid bare before the God of the universe and eternal separation from God is pronounced, or it will be the most amazing, exhilarating moment a person will ever experience as the perfect righteousness of Jesus covers us, as sinners, and we will spend eternity in the presence of God who is so magnificent that we can't even begin  to comprehend.
       Praying for you and for me to gain a better perspective on who God is.  May we not find ourselves amongst those who believe that we have any right, and any basis, on which to disapprove of God's performance.  Instead may we daily strive to understand the greatness of God in all of life, and as a result live a life that reflects and demonstrates God's greatness to a watching world!  I recommend reading Job 38-41 today to remind us of the magnitude of who God is!!!

A toad, a lawnmower, and God's grace!

              Last night as I was mowing our lawn a little toad jumped out in front of me and quickly darted out of the way of the blades.  For the next several passes through that area the toad continually seemed to find itself in the exact place where I was trying to go.  As this was going on I reflected on how easily I could kill this Toad, and the Toad could do absolutely nothing to stop it from happening.  Don't worry, the toad is still alive and most likely happily jumping through my back yard as I write this!  After I moved beyond morbid thoughts of my ability to kill this Toad, my mind moved on to think about the grace of God. 
       I imagine that compared to God in his infinite power, glory, strength, greatness, and on and on, we kind of seem like Toads. God at any point could destroy us, and there is absolutely nothing we could do to stop God from doing that!  The verse that came to mind was Psalm 8:3-4.  "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars which you have ordained: what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for Him."  When you think of the magnitude of God it is amazing that God is mindful of us, and that God cares about us!  
       As amazing as that is, it becomes even more amazing when we realize that the same amazing God, who is mindful of us, is also the God that you and I sin against on consistent basis.  Back to the Toad!  Let's pretend that the Toad was able to bite and annoy me like a mosquito!  If that were the case, that Toad would have been chopped up and sent sailing by the blades of my lawn mower in an instant!  Yet, even though compared to God we are like Toads (in reality an ant would create even a better picture) and even though we being so tiny continually sin against God, God did something absolutely amazing.  Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates his own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  AMAZING!  
       Even though compared to God we are nothing, and even though in our nothingness we continually sin against God, God loved us so much that He sent his Son Jesus to die for us!  That is AMAZING!!!!!!  May you let that sink in today!  May you begin to comprehend how amazing and incredible God's love and grace for you is!  

You need to listen to this song!

       As I have begun working on my sermon for June 5th the song, Pray, by Kendall Payne came to mind. I am assuming that most of you have never heard of Kendall Payne, which is why I want to encourage you to listen to this song.  I had the opportunity to hear Kendall at National Youth Workers Convention and the lyrics to this song blew me away, and challenged my ideas of what we should be praying for.  It reminded me how often we pray for the American dream not the Biblical dream, and the two are vastly different dreams.  Here are the lyrics....

I will pray for you now, for you have been my faithful friends
While the road we walk is difficult indeed
I couldn't not ask for more than what you've already been
Only that you would say these prayers for me
May your heart break enough that compassion enters in
May your strenght all be spent upon the weak
All the castles and crowns you build and place upon your head
May they all fall, come crashing down around your feet
May you find every step to be harder than the last
So your character grows greater each stride
May your company be of human insignificance
May your weakness be your only source of pride
What you do unto others may it all be done to you
May you meet the One who made us
And see Him smile when life is through
May your blessings be many but not what you hoped they'd be
And when you look upon the broken
May mercy show you what you could not see
May you never be sure of any plans you desire
But you'd learn to trust the plan He has for you
May your passions be tried and tested in the holy fire
May you fight with all your life for what is true
I have prayed for you now all my dear and faithful friends
But what I wish is more than I could eever speak
As the way wanders on I'll long to see you once again
Until then, would you pray these prayers for me?
Oh, that you would pray for me

You can watch her perform this song here....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdrRSCL-EL4

You might not like this one...

      You might not like this post, but I am going to write it anyways.  When I turned on the news this morning, I quickly found out that Osama was killed.  The news talked about it, and it was even the leading story on ESPN this morning.  As I jumped on facebook I quickly noticed that the vast majority, though not all, of my friends who were commenting on the situation were rejoicing.  Sadly, I fear that many Christians in America will see this as God using his chosen nation, America, to purge the world of evil.  I struggle with the idea of rejoicing with the death of anyone.  Jesus said, we are to love our enemies, and love is not rejoicing in their death.  Love is actively desiring God's good for their life.  The ultimate good for Osama would have been a relationship with Jesus Christ and forgiveness of his sins (even though he would still have received many consequences on earth for his actions).  May we as believers be careful how we talk, think, and live during this time.  We as followers of Jesus are not to be like everyone else.  Maybe instead of rejoicing in the death of Osama, we should be mourning that in all likelihood, Osama has been ushered into an eternity without God.  Lastly, the thoughts of one of my seminary professors came to mind today,  "Osama has killed thousands, but we in America have killed over 35 million of the most innocent by abortion.  Maybe someone should attack us."  Food for thought.

A puking kind of hope

       Yesterday, as I was driving to church to Celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ my heart was filled with joy, excitement, and thanksgiving!  I was excited to gather together with brothers and sisters in Christ as together we would proclaim, "HE IS RISEN."  I was excited to see how God was going to work in the lives of those who did not have a relationship with Him.  I was excited!  (and the sun and blue sky that finally decided to make an appearance in MN also added to the excitement of the day).  Shorty after leaving my house I noticed a car pulled off to the side of the road, and than also noticed the woman with her head hanging out the door puking.  In the midst of all my joy, and excitement, and anticipation, I see a woman on the side of the road puking.  What was her story I wondered?  Long night drinking?  Leaving work because she became sick?  Leaving church because she was sick?  Or many other options that ran through my head.  The truth is I don't really know, and probably never will know what her story is, but it made me think.  I was joyful, excited, thankful, and very hopeful as I was heading to church.  She, on the other-hand, was probably not in the same frame of mind.
       I asked myself the question, "what does the easter message offer to this woman puking on the side of the road?"  What does the easter message mean for all those who were not able, or willing, to join us in worship of Jesus Christ?  The answer that came rushing into my mind was, "hope."  The easter message means that as long as someone is still alive there is hope.  Hope that does not fade or disappoint, regardless of circumstances.  It is a puking kind of hope, because even if we find ourselves pulled over on the side of the road puking we still have hope.  Hope for this life and for eternity is found in Jesus Christ BECAUSE of His death and resurrection.  My mind was drawn to Romans 8:38-39, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation (including puking), WILL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD THAT IS IN CHRIST JEUS OUR LORD."  Praying that wherever you find yourself today, and tomorrow, and everyday, you will realize that the hope we have is an everlasting hope BECAUSE of the Easter message!  May you allow that to fill you up, and may you have the opportunity to share that hope with those God places in your life today!