You’re too busy for God? Me, too!

Is your calendar so full that you can’t even find time to do the basics like cook dinner and do the laundry? Yeah, mine is too. Do you have so many obligations at work that you bring some of them home to do while your family is sleeping? Yeah, I do that, too. Are you so concerned about making everyone happy that you forgo the simple pleasures in life so that your friends and family can have more of your attention? Yeah, I’ve done that, too. Do you ever find yourself so tired at night that you can’t even keep your eyes open long enough to give God just a few minutes of your day? Yeah, I have too.

What is the answer to the problem of busyness in the world today? How do we eliminate the things that don’t matter from our schedule and begin to focus our priorities on the important things? If that question were easy to answer, I don’t think any of the problems mentioned above would have applied to you, but I have a suspicion that most, if not all, of them did.

Here’s a perspective that might help. I like to go to these passages when I find that my schedule is too crazy and my life is slowly spiraling out of control. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? …But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:25-27, 33-34)

If you really take this passage to heart and listen to its message, you will find a very important lesson about the busyness by which you are constantly afflicted. Much of the busyness that we endure is because we try to take control of many things that God has promised to provide. When we take those things into our own hands, we not only increase our workload, but we increase our stress level which causes us to worry. The more full your calendar gets, the more you worry, right? Well, here’s the point: The more you trust and rely on God to provide the basics in life, the more time you’ll have to devote to the things that really need your attention, like playing with your kids, spending time with your wife, and reading the Word. Let tomorrow worry about itself, and focus on what you can get done today. Remember, tomorrow has enough trouble of its own.

The PASSION for CHRIST

A MAGIC SHOW. When you go see a magic show, you’re always sitting there asking yourself, “How did they do that?” If it’s a great magic show, you leave with your head hurting just a little from the astonishment. The people who perform those tricks have become so good at hiding their movements that you don’t even see half of what they do-by design, obviously. Sometimes, they’ll use mirrors or curtains, sometimes smoke or fog. The problem is that these techniques are being used in the lives of so many Christians. It’s hard to tell who’s a Christian and who isn’t because of the “hidden movements” and “smoke filled rooms” that so many people use and live in. Where is the Passion for Christ that stands out like a spotlight advertising the fair on a dark night? Do you have a Passion for Christ? Is your life such that you’re willing to give up anything for your Savior? He gave up everything for you.

THE ILLUSION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. Some people have developed their own magic show called, “I am a Christian.” It consists of them going to church, reading the Bible, and even praying on occasion. However, it also consists of them lacking the conviction to stand up for what they believe in, lacking a faith the size of a mustard seed, lacking the deeds that set them apart, and lacking the cross that should be on their backs daily. This is called “The Illusion of Righteousness.” Simply speaking, they do the bare minimum to give the appearance of holiness (to themselves) but all the while have never developed a Passion for Christ. This is just the beginning. Not only does this illusion give someone the sense they are righteous, it also convinces them that the sin in their life isn’t really sin. Lies aren’t really lies; they’ve become “I care about other people’s feelings.” Pride isn’t pride anymore; it has become “I’m just being the best I can be.” Greed isn’t greed; it’s “setting high standards.” Jealousy becomes “honest competition.” The illusion comes in and rearranges all of the thoughts in a person’s head to make them think they are righteous and holy, but in reality they are simply living on the stage of a magic show.

THE PASSION FOR CHRIST. The Passion of the Christ was a movie depicting the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for humanity’s sins. Specifically, the word “passion” in that sense meant “sacrifice.” When all the smoke has cleared and you’re looking at the basics of Christianity, what it is, what it stands for, and the primary goal, you’re going to find it all comes down to the amount of Passion you have for Jesus. Throughout the scriptures, Jesus calls you to deny yourself and follow him, to deny your desires and follow him, to deny everything, take up your cross, and follow him. The passion you have for Christ is (directly proportional to) the amount you’re willing to sacrifice for his name. The more passionate you are for Jesus, the more you’re willing to give up. The less passionate you are for Jesus, the less you’re willing to give up.

THE FIRE INSIDE YOU. Deep down inside you there should be a place that burns with Passion for Christ. It should be like a fire within you, a “consuming fire,” as God is called in Deut 4:24. 1 Thessalonians 5:19 says, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.” The imagery of a Passionate fire burning inside you shouldn’t look like a small fireplace found in a cheap hotel room. When you pictured the fire, you may have seen a fireplace or a candle (even worse). Forget that. The fire inside you should be more like the Human Torch from Fantastic Four. Seriously, the fire should come out of every limb, every joint, every finger and every toe in your entire body. The only way you’ll be able to “take up your cross daily” and “put on the full armor of God” is to be so consumed with Passion for Christ that every part of your body is radiating the glory of God! It’s the only way you’ll be able to “Resist the Devil.”

ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER. When that Passion for Christ begins to burn so bright that you can’t contain it, you’ll begin to experience changes in your spiritual life you never thought possible. The sin in your life that you always thought you’d deal with all of the sudden will seem trivial and you’ll “stand up under it.” The anger management problems you used to fight will disappear, “for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” Your life will begin to become one with your Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit will move powerfully through you and “guide you into all truth.” All it takes is surrendering everything for his name’s sake. You have to give it all up. Every sin, every person you love, every earthly possession, every dollar, every car, every mutual fund, every impure thought, every paycheck, every day of every week you’ll ever live for the rest of your life…surrendered to HIM. Sound tough? Imagine what it took for Jesus to walk the road to the cross. If you think it’s tough to give up a pornography addiction, eating disorder, or stop gossiping to your friends, imagine how difficult it would be if you were called to account for those sins and had to die for them. Thankfully Jesus did that for us already. He gave it all. Why can’t you?

PASSIONATE EMOTIONS. The passion doesn’t end with surrendering. Passion also involves your emotions. Usually when someone uses the word “passion,” they are describing an emotion. You’ll find that once you go through the process of developing The Passion for Christ through surrender and sacrifice, you won’t have any problem finding an emotional passion for Christ as well. This emotional passion will drive you even further in your sacrificial Passion for Christ. They work together and feed off each other so you are continually renewed and edified as you live for Christ. Your emotional passion drives you to a deeper sacrificial passion and then that act of surrendering leads you into a deeper emotional passion. Having the Passionate love for Christ that overwhelms you beyond anything else is what you should strive for everyday. Waking up in the morning overwhelmed by the feeling of God’s presence comes as a result of The Passion for Christ.

May God bless you as you become Passionate for Jesus. Light The Passion for Christ inside you.

Clarity after watching The Mist

If you’ve recently seen The Mist, the new Stephen King movie that was released this weekend, you might be in need of clarity. Unfortunately, I don’t have any to offer. I can give you some advice about going to see the movie: Don’t. I have seen several Stephen King movies, including 1408, which was a great movie. Usually I finish watching one with a sense of understanding or perplexity that is calming or intriguing, but never frustrating. Just a mere hour ago, I walked out of the theater having been told that the ending was “absolutely great!” I can tell you from experience, “Great!” is NOT the way the movie ended. Confusing, frustrating, aggravating, intensely bothersome, burdensome, disturbing, and extremely morbid are closer to describing the ending of the movie than “Great!”

Literally, it was probably the most disturbing movie I have ever seen in my life. I can see some vague points that were made by the movie that I will hit on through this post, however, the overall point is still eluding me. The points of the movie revolve around the our humanity and what it becomes in its most basic form. When all security has evaporated, when our dignity is taken away, when we’re reduced to survive any way we can, what do we become? What dictates our actions when there is no one holding authority over us (except ultimately God, who was portrayed as the instigator of the atrocities that took place in the movie by a female “prophetess” preaching fire and brimstone out of Revelation incorrectly and essentially giving all Christians a bad name through her role in the movie-but I’ll get to that in a minute) ?? When the government isn’t there, when 911 isn’t there, and all we have to rely on is each other, what happens? Those are the questions this movie surfaced.

Stephen King is obviously drawing an allusion between the literal monsters in the The Mist and what human beings can become when we’re forced to survive by any means. Based on the ending of the movie, it is apparent that human beings are capable of being more monstrous when forced to survive than the actual monsters forcing them to survive. However, a couple other aspects of the movie draw me to this conclusion. First of all, when the people are stuck in the grocery store, which is the entire movie for the most part, they immediately begin taking sides. One group of people were fortunate enough (if you can call it that-fortunate only because they were able to be wise afterwards) to witness the monsters first. The other group, led by a very stubborn logical lawyer who is convinced the talk of monsters is just a joke, forms their own opinions about what is happening, ultimately leading them out into the Mist. It is implied that they are all killed in the Mist. This example portrays the ability of humans to be so stuck in their ways of viewing the world and personal opinions that regardless of the evidence (actual monster guts on the floor and blood everywhere) they are unable to be convinced of the truth. The best quote in the movie comes before the monster is seen for the first time. The lead character, while trying to convince the other men they shouldn’t open the loading dock, says, “Are you willfully being dense?” This quote totally sums up about half of the characters in the movie.

The second example comes when the “Christian” woman (I must use “quotes” because she is about as far away from being a Christian as is possible) begins to make converts of the people in the store. She starts off being just a crazy woman, but as the movie goes on and some of her “predictions” are substantiated, more people begin to jump on her side. She believes that God is actually bringing the end times upon them. The monsters are a result of the wrath of God against humanity, paying us back for our pride and arrogance. She convinces the people, after being in the store a couple days, that “expiation” is the only way to appease the monsters and get through another day. “Expiation” is used to signify the giving of a sacrifice to make atonement. Needless to say, the “Christian” woman finds out one of the military boys in the store knew about the monsters and convinces the people to offer him as a sacrifice to the monster, which is probably the second most disturbing sequences in the movie. This series of events I can only assume represent the degradation of human reasoning and theological understanding when forced into impossible situations.

Finally, let’s try to put some perspective on the final scene of the movie. Just to let you know, this will spoil the ending. The main character, his 8 year old son, one 30-something woman, and two elderly people, one man and one woman, manage to get to his vehicle in the parking lot, dodging monster bugs and a killer 30′ tall praying mantis looking thing. They weren’t the only ones trying to get to the vehicle. Four people were eaten by the monster bugs on the way to the SUV. The survivors drive out of the city finding along the way total destruction and death, until they run out of gas. On the way to an empty tank, they witness the largest monster, seemingly a hundred or more feet tall. The only thing I can realize is that this image puts them over the edge in the end-I’ll explain. As the group is sitting in the vehicle after running out of gas, you experience this very long silence. You see the dad get the gun and count the bullets. He’s got four. I hate to even type what happened because it is so awful. He kills everyone in the car and then gets out to sacrifice himself to the monster. Unfortunately, this is the ending of the movie and the military drives by and the camera pans out to reveal the Mist is over and the creatures have been destroyed. WHAT? I know. It’s hard to believe. What do you say after watching something like that?

The only thing I can think is that humans are not capable of relying on themselves for survival. Hope is not something we can produce on our own. When things get so bad that mass suicide is apparently the only option, humans need something greater than themselves on which to rely. This is where the God I know comes into play. He is the giver of hope and supplier of strength when things get desperate. When all we’re left with is our own minds, our own strength, and our own capabilities, we won’t make it. Humans are not capable of determining what is best for themselves. Being able to have a God above on whom to call on is our saving grace and redeeming solace.

May you rely on God and his guidance, his hope, and his love as you survive in this world where spiritual monsters are attacking and fighting for our souls without ceasing. Only in God does life make sense. Only in God can you find true survival.

There are many more messages that I didn’t hit on from this movie. I could write entire posts on the radical “Christian” woman. If you’re interested in this discussion or want to contribute to these thoughts, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll respond if you wish.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:3)

Who invented the One-Year Bible?

I definitely am not a fan of the One Year Bible. I’m actually in the middle of it right now…well, I was a few minutes ago. I taught a class on “Getting more out of your Bible study” last week and focused on some of the disadvantages of the 1Y Bible (1Y=One-Year for all of you slow folks).

I had someone come into my office a couple weeks ago and offer me a 1Y Bible. I wouldn’t have taken it but I had to. I can’t explain why. While he was still in my office, he was asking me if my youth group kids would like copies as well. I was hesitant and told him I’d get back to him on it. It just so happened that at that exact moment I had been writing my lesson on Bible study and was coincidentally listing negative aspects of the 1Y Bible. The man in my office picked up on my hesitation and began trying to convince me of the benefits of the 1Y Bible. He said, “It’s been proven that if the sections are already split up for you, you’re more likely to complete it…pause…It’s a good thing to read through the Bible in a year…and it gives your EGO a boost.”

I had everything I needed for my lesson. Just when I was doubting my opinions on the 1Y Bible, God sends affirmation right into my office. I knew at that point I was totally on track with my thoughts on the 1Y Bible.

It’s a bad approach to study using the 1Y Bible. Imagine if classroom teachers at school used the same approach. What if they broke their textbook down into 365 parts and told you to read one part a day for homework until you finished it. When the year is up and you have to take the final, do you think you’ll have any idea what you read 364 days ago? Those sections of scripture that do the most good, i.e. Sermon on the Mount, how can you only read those once a year and expect them to have any lasting impact on your life?

It’s not about QUANTITY. The 1Y Bible is all about reading the entire Bible. That doesn’t sound bad, right? No, it’s not bad, but it’s not good either. Reading the Bible is NOT about reading the Bible. It’s about getting to know Jesus. Who cares if you’ve read the entire Bible every year for 10 years? How well do you know Jesus? It’s not about the quantity of Bible verses that you read every day. It’s about the level of understanding you walk away with and how that understanding helps you grow closer to Jesus. The 1Y Bible puts all of the focus on completing your quota and ignores the entire relationship aspect. You can’t sit down at a table with your spouse, start a 10 minute timer, talk until it rings, and then say “I’ll see you tomorrow!” That won’t work! Don’t treat your relationship with God like you’re punching a card or checking off a To-Do List. You’re in a relationship with the Living God. Thrive on the time you spend with him. Don’t wish it away or fly through it without putting any thought into what you’re doing.

Pride creeps in and kills our effort. If you are a normal human being, which I hope you are, you thrive on affirmation from other people. If you’re a Christian, you are hopefully seeking God’s affirmation. What better way to get God’s affirmation than to read the Bible every day and complete the whole Bible every year? (sarcasm) Isn’t that the motivation behind so many people’s 1Y Bible studies? People think that by reading every day, they’re becoming more holy. People think that by reading the Bible every year, they’re learning the Bible. When in reality, they’re reading the Bible everyday because being able to say at the end of the year “I read the entire Bible this year” just feels good. In reality, they think God is preparing for them a bigger place in heaven because they pushed through Numbers yet again this year. If pride is the motivating factor behind why you or anyone reads the Bible, I’ve got some bad news: IT DOESN’T COUNT. Just look up Jesus’ teaching on the Pharisees who prayed on the street corners or the ones who fasted in public or the ones who dumped large sums of coins in the collection tray: “I tell you the truth, they’ve received their reward in full.”

Just reading your Bible is not enough. So many times I’ve sat down, read my Bible, gone to sleep, and then woke up the next morning without any recollection of what I read the night before. Happened to you, too? That means you read without thinking. You look but don’t listen. You hear but don’t understand. It means you’re not walking away from it with a better understanding of what you’ve read. The only way to fix that is to cut back on how much you’re reading-or read some time other than right before bed. Here’s the plan:

Let’s start with one of the most profound scriptures in the New Testament, John 5:39-40: You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

IT’S NOT THE BIBLE THAT SAVES YOU, IT’S JESUS. In this passage from John, Jesus says, “…you think…” which means you have an assumption that is incorrect.  That assumption is this: The Bible gives you eternal life. The crowd that Jesus was talking to was so consumed with knowing the scriptures that they failed to see the purpose. The purpose is that you are led to Jesus. You have to understand that the Bible is just a means of getting to Jesus. It’s the way you begin your relationship with Jesus, who saves you. It’s not knowing the most scripture or being able to quote the most passages that saves you. It’s a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ that saves you, when he is Lord of your life. So as you begin this new approach to Bible study, you have to realize the purpose of your labors: Developing a relationship with Jesus.

READ FOR UNDERSTANDING NOT FOR ACCOMPLISHMENT. If your main goal is just to accomplish reading a certain amount of scripture, then why even read? Based on what was just said, your Bible reading is supposed to help you grow closer to Jesus; it’s not supposed to be a card that gets punched every day. The whole perspective on Bible study has been distorted. It’s based on pride rather than understanding. The design of the 1Y Bible is to read the Bible in a year, not to understand the Bible. It is technically impossible to read through the Bible in a year and understand everything you read. (When I say “understand,” I mean actually retain some amount of information from the content.) It’s understanding the scriptures that builds your relationship with Jesus, nothing less is beneficial. So as you form your Bible study program, be sure to be flexible enough to adapt and change how much you read each day so you only get as much as you can understand.

REPETITION IS THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING. If the 1Y Bible is just one aspect of your Bible study program, that is one thing. If it is the only aspect of your Bible study program, you’re not doing yourself any favors. How are you going to truly understand difficult passages of the New Testament only reading them once a year? Certain sections of the New Testament and Old Testament need to be read and re-read as often as possible. Sections like the Sermon on the Mount, the book of James, Proverbs, many of the Psalms, Malachi, and many others should be regular recurring portions of a steady Bible study program. You’re putting your spiritual life at a disadvantage only visiting these meaty sections of scripture once a year. If you’re truly going to get the most benefit from these sections, you need to keep them at the top of your reading list. Furthermore, there are entire books that don’t need to be read once a year. You can read Ezekiel once a year or once every other year and not miss anything. While Ezekiel has some good points, the entire book can be summarized with a few sentences. Leviticus is another book with great historical value, but it shouldn’t be part of your regular Bible study program. The point is that the sections of scripture that have the greatest spiritual value and application (which not all scriptures have the same spiritual value) should be read the most often. Those with the least amount of spiritual application should be read the least often. The 1Y Bible gives the same amount of time and repetition (once) to every section of scripture. A well-balanced Bible study program is heavy in Jesus’ teachings and light on Old Testament law. You get the idea. As you develop your Bible study program, be sure to repeat the sections of scripture that you benefit from the most.

Hopefully you’ve been inspired to take a deeper look into your Bible study and make the changes necessary to get the most out of it. Remember, every time you pick up your Bible you’re spending time with Jesus. It doesn’t matter how much you read. All that matters is how much you see Jesus through what you’re reading.

Killing ME Softly…Part III

A QUIET DEATH. I feel like I’m almost to the brink of a great discovery here. After much thought and tons of discussion, I have finally realized what is going on in the world. God is getting killed, softly. I know how it’s happening, too. With the release of the Golden Compass, everyone is outraged at the idea that a movie would come out and say it kills God. To some, this is an outrage and just the thought of it makes them boil with anger towards the writer and producers of the movie, even though the movie itself won’t have many anti-God themes in it in order to appeal to a broader audience. However, the loud cry of the Christians against the Golden Compass is causing such a distraction, we’re missing the real danger here. God has been getting killed for years-decades-and we haven’t done anything about it. Why? “Because the things that have been ‘killing me softly’ have been ignored.” (That is a possible response from God.)

A REVIVAL? If the release of The Golden Compass started a revival of Christians fighting against everything that was “Killing God” in our world, wouldn’t that be a gift from God! Unfortunately, the movie is just getting Christians upset that someone has come out and said they were “killing God.” But what if this idea of “killing God” really woke Christians up to what is happening all around us? What if we realized that God is getting killed softly and started pointing it out to other believers? What if we started acknowledging the movies out there that kill God by their messages of homosexuality being normal, premarital sex being mandatory, abhorrent violence and gore being “entertainment,” ear-piercing vulgarities being funny or necessary, and their disrespect for the other standards God has established-WHAT if we stopped accepting, supporting, and ignoring the things of this world that kill God everyday? Would it make a difference? Would it cause a REVIVAL?

IGNORANCE IS STUPID. I hate it when people go to see a movie and say they were shocked by the content or didn’t know what was going to be in it. With the internet these days, that just isn’t a good excuse. With the addition of explanations of ratings directly underneath the “R” or “PG-13″ (in the little box that’s hard to read), you can no longer go to a movie and not know what’s in it. Furthermore, to say that the content of a movie or song doesn’t impact your spirituality or affect you in any way is simply wrong. For more on that, read my last blog on “Did you read the label?” Obviously, some things will affect you more than others, however, every anti-God message you absorb will have some impact on your spirituality; it will “kill God” softly and slowly. The more messages you absorb, the more dead God becomes. Being ignorant of what you’re putting yourself in contact with is not an option. It’s like going to a restaurant and letting your server pick your dinner-when you get it, you eat it up-and then end up in the hospital because you were allergic to it.

THINK=IT CHANGES THINGS. As Christians, we need to approach life with a different perspective than the world. We can’t just go around like the theater or iTunes is an “all you can eat” buffet. Look at the amount of anti-God messages that are in something and THINK: Is this going to be something that brings me closer to God, has no effect on me, or pulls me away from God? (The things that will have no effect on you would be Cars, Aladdin, Cinderella, things Rated G.) I guarantee you that if you’re struggling in your spiritual life with keeping your focus on God and following in the steps of Jesus, you very well may be “killing God” by your choices throughout the week. All it takes is a little thought, not much effort, and things will change.

ARE YOU KILLING GOD? So ask yourself one question, “Do you feel lucky punk, well, do ya?” Honestly, do you feel lucky when it comes to things that kill God? Are you going to continue to rationalize it and say, “I’m not going to see that for the nudity, but for the PLOT” or “Violence doesn’t affect me. I can take it” or whatever you say when you know something is wrong with the movie you’re about to see, but you want to see it anyway? Why do we yell and scream when a movie comes out that says it’s about “killing God” but pay no attention to the movies that are really and truly and literally KILLING GOD in our spiritual lives, in our churches, and in our families? I’m not worried about The Golden Compass turning our American Youth into atheists. I’m worried about kids whose parents let them see Rated R movies, surf the internet unsupervised, or listen to music by Soulja Boy…”but it’s got a good beat!”

REMEMBER: “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.” “…you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” “To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.”

Those who have ears to hear, let them hear! Yes and Amen.