Archive for the ‘Life’ Category

Here is something that God has been showing me lately.

As Jesus said, he came to give us life. (John 10)

If Jesus came to die so we could live, assumedly, life is a rather important thing? Then we need Him to do that, live. Both good theological thoughts but not specifically where I’m going with this, just the root of it.

I got to thinking about life and how each of our lives consists in three main chunks; our past, our present, and our future (even if it is a short one.)

All my life in movies and such I’ve heard warnings about not living in the past. Example: Uncle Rico or the song Glory Days from Springsteen (yeah, I just mentioned ‘The Boss’) Moral: no one likes someone who is stuck in the past, reliving it over and over. This is a hindrance to moving on with life, or noticing what is around you and where God wants you. I’ve had phases where I’ve been caught up in the thought of past sin, how I could have done things differently or maybe how things *would have* gone had I not acted in that way. All of this is quite pointless to dwell on, what we can hope to do is learn from our past – this does not involve focusing on the past, simply using it as a tool to not make the same mistakes in the present.

So, I’m sure we all agree that living in the past is bad and, that we’ve all heard at some point a warning about living in the past.

Yet something has occurred to me recently that I’ve heard very few if any warnings about living so heavily in the future. Which is something I started to do, and have done so much of in my life – making plans about where I would be at whatever age and what I would do and so forth. Then I began to think about the book of James, specifically:

Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit–14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

- James 4:13 ESV

So, this I feel like is a pretty heavy handed warning against living or focusing too much in the future. Now, by no means do I think this means we shouldn’t make future plans but I do think it makes it pretty clear that we should be most heavily focused on where God has us right now. Sometimes following God’s prompting will involve something that seems to make sense for our future but may be for an entirely different purpose than we think. Example; I’m currently working multiple jobs and working on finishing my degree. I’ve met several non-believers in this stage who I’ve been able to share Christ with, and love on. People I may never have met if I weren’t working on something seemingly for my future… yet this is also something that I chose to do now, because it was where I felt God wanted me to be at this point.

If we make this our focus, living for God now, then I believe our futures will more closely hit where God wants us, then – even if it is a totally different ‘then’ than we had planned in the beginning. Because, we have no idea what the now will do to the then…

All throughout scripture the languages suggests this; submitting to God and others, dying to ourselves, acting as the church, loving people and so on – these are all ideas that are based around what we’re currently doing. All of these are actions, things to be doing, not to be done.

God longs for us to be following him. This is a lifelong action that involves constant growth and effort that should be ever present in our hearts and minds. If we begin to put so much effort into what we plan to be doing next then how will we ever see what God has for us now, the things that will lead us to the best future we have – one that is in Him and as He would have it?

“Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth

He does not faint or grow weary;

his understanding is unsearchable.”

- ESV

Is this comforting to anyone else!?

What faith? Did you not hear or understand that God is infinite? Jump up and do something! God is impenetrable.

Indefinable. Unbeatable.

A pillar, indestructible.

Do you not realize God doesn’t quit? He carries on forever. He doesn’t grow weak or tired yet carries on into the night and through eternity. He does not give up or grow weary & fall. He cannot be weak of mind or lose direction.

He made the world and everything in it!

God is not leaving, not giving up, not going anywhere but right in front of you – shouting your name.

“Wake up!” he says, “Go on! Realize what I have for you.”

“But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”

- Hebrews 10:39

Go on, then. God has your back… though things may be hard and tiresome know that you have a God who is there, and is in your corner. Know that you while you may grow weary that He does not! Right there behind you, picking you up when you fall, redeeming your mistakes and encouraging you along.

We are not the ones who shrink back and are destroyed, because, really…

…we have no excuse to be.

A reflection on my quiet time from the other night:

²⁸And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.²⁹And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” ³⁰Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. ³¹And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” ³²And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. ³³The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. ³⁴And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

I was reading through Matthew the other night and something that had never really hit me before clicked, these people asked Jesus to leave.

Jesus comes to their town, casts out some demons (which is good, and amazing) and the whole town hears and comes out to see him. I mean, these people are pretty amazed… but, they ask Jesus to pack up and leave. At first I read this and I’m thinking, what a buch of jerks, don’t they know who is in their town? Then I realized… I do that, all the time. I think we all do.

How many times are you living your life and God shows up and does something incredible. At first you are amazed, you run out to see him but then as you are running out you realize maybe his awesomeness has affected some other area of your life (the pigs ran off the cliff). So, it’s like these people heard and were amazed, came out and were like ‘Wow, this Jesus guy is pretty incredible… but the whole pig thing is a little inconvenient, I mean pigs cost money. Sorry Jesus, could you pleeeease leave now?’

It sounds ridiculous I know but, you do it to, trust me.

Following Christ is tough. Letting Him work in your life will not always be convenient, things of The Spirit are ‘folly in the world’s eye’. (1 Corinthians 2:14)

I hope this is making sense – I’m sort of scattered here but, it’s just something I wanted to share. I’m challenging you, and myself to not only run out to meet Christ but then to invite Him in. Don’t get freaked out when things don’t look right – keep running toward Him.