Pain from a Blessing

This entry came about because of some very personal things that happened in my life recently that God has used. It all happened around Thanksgiving, and largely because of my sister’s wedding. These two things brought everyone in my family together in a way it really hasn’t been in a while. This was a blessing, but it also caused some pain when it came to an end.

We were left reminded of the days that were behind us. Personally, I was reminded of the years I spent where my relationship with my parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, and other relatives pretty much defined my life. All I did was with them for many years of my life, and those relationships brought me great joy. While many of those relationships remain (some of the people from those days have passed on) my life is now totally different. I live with my wife, and three of my siblings are now also out of the house. Things are different now. What we once had isn’t gone, but it is much different than it once was.

This is what can cause pain. Looking back on the happy times we had with loved ones can cause us pain. I know this is a common experience. People lose loved ones to death all the time. Parents have children go to college, or daughters get married. We must deal with someone we were used to always being around suddenly being on their own, and not with us so much. It’s painful, and some people never recover from the pain because they forget a very important principle. This pain is a blessing.

Many never get to know this pain because they never knew the blessing. Some people never get to have children to miss. Some don’t get to know their parents, or wish they never did. Some don’t have good families, and consider the day they get to leave them and never return a blessing. Some are beaten, abused, or killed. Some have children who never get old enough to start their own lives. Some never had a best friend who went in a different direction in life, or a spouse to miss when they had to go away on a business trip.

If you are hurting because of such things remember this. One of the primary signs that this is a fallen world is that these blessings are accompanied by pain. Don’t get wrapped up in the pain, but thank God for the blessing. The pain cannot erase the blessing. It can keep us from moving on in life, or help us make stupid decisions to fill the void. This is less likely if we remember to be thankful to God for the blessings, and to let Him help us with the pain.

Too Good

The final lesson of this parable is often overlooked, but it is arguably the most important lesson of the parable for those that are saved. It is a key lesson on many topics, but especially forgiveness and jealousy. This portion is less about the prodigal son, and more about his older brother. The brother who did not turn from the father. The brother who stayed loyal to him, and honored him. He finds out about the celebration going on over his brother returning, but he refuses to join in. His father came to him in Luke 15:28-32:

“But he (the prodigal son’s brother) was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.”

The ‘good’ son refuses to join the celebration. He is jealous, angry, and bitter. In a sense his anger is out of defense for his father, but he is primarily jealous. What does he get for his jealousy? He misses out on the feast.

In so many ways we can easily act like this brother. Most significantly, we can often refuse to forgive someone who the Lord has offered forgiveness to. We can be upset because we have always been loyal to the Lord, and we have always been good to the Lord, but when this person who took all that the Lord offered to them and used it for evil is forgiven we get upset. Why should they be celebrated over, and not us? This line of thinking can extend to our personal lives. At our jobs a new employee can come in, and get all this recognition. Meanwhile, we’ve been slaving away at this same job for 20 years and have never even been invited to the Christmas party. We want to know not just when we’re gonna get what we deserve, but why do those who do worse than us get celebrated over?

Want to know what we get for having such a high opinion of ourselves? Nothing. We miss out on the feast. While those who are willing to forgive much because they’ve been forgiven much get to enjoy the rewards of it we get nothing for our bitterness. We get to stand outside, and be alone. God can plead with us to change our attitude, but we can even let our bitterness extend to Him when we see those we think aren’t as good as we are get blessed with friends, power, money, and what we view as a great life. We wonder why not us? This is foolish to wonder. It only keeps us out of the feast.

Overcoming Guilt

It is easy to tell that the son is shocked by the joy his father shows at his return. He knows he doesn’t deserve it, and initially tries to reject it. This is shown in Luke 15:21:

“And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.”

Even though the father has shown the son his love he is still absorbed by the sins he committed. He still considers himself unworthy. We can be the same way with God, and tell Him we do not deserve His forgiveness. Verses 22-24 shows us that the father, and our Father, will have none of that:

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us be merry; for my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.”

The father is joyful to have his son back, and will pay no attention to his talking about how unworthy he is. This father has offered him ultimate grace, and rejoices that his son that was lost is found. God is the same way.

God knows we have sinned. He knows we are depraved. He doesn’t care. He offers us grace. He forgives, and forgets. If we will just come to Him then He will come to us. He will celebrate because we have come to Him. He will bless us in immeasurable ways we do not deserve, and not hold our previous evil acts against us.

Do not hold onto shame. That feeling of shame is a weapon used by the enemy to bring us back down to his level again. Let go of the shame, of the anger toward yourself, and of the self-loathing. God will have none of it. Accept His grace, and know there is a God in heaven that loves you, and will rejoice because His child has come to Him. Love Him, and know you are loved in return.

One last, unrelated note. Have a Merry Christmas! Whether with familes or apart remember this is a celebration of the great gift we were given in the form of Jesus Christ. That is always a good reason to celebrate. Merry Christmas!

A Great Way Off

The next set of verses teaches us a lot about who God is, and how much He loves us. They display when the prodigal son returned to his father. The son expected to be scorned, for he had truly done evil, and wasted away all his father had given him. He didn’t expect much from his father. He just knew things would be better near him than far away. He did not expect the actual reaction. Jesus tells us what happened in Luke 15:20:

“And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.”

The father responds not in anger, but in love. Not with judgment, but with mercy. He had compassion. This is a great reflection of our heavenly Father. When we turn from our evil ways He can see us even when we are still a great way off from coming to him. He will run to us. It was beneath the man in this parable to run to his son. It was socially unacceptable for so many reasons. This son had disgraced him by telling him life would be better if he were dead. Associating with him made the father seem like less of a man. Beyond that, in order to run in the outfit it was traditional for one such as him to wear he would have had to lift up his cloak, and run in a way that was considered very dishonorable. The father didn’t care. He did whatever he had to so that he could go to his son he thought was lost.

God doesn’t care either. He will come to us. It doesn’t matter what society says about how God should be. It doesn’t matter if others tell us they will not forgive us when we’ve done wrong. Our father is above society. He will run to us, and embrace us when we need him. He will see us from a long way off, and have compassion on us that we do not expect or deserve. All we have to do is turn to him. He will come to us when we do.

Unworthy

Verses 18 and 19 of Luke 15 act as a sort of caution against a certain type of thinking. They are the thoughts that immediately come to the prodigal son after he has come to his senses, and realizes he has greatly dishonored his father. He knows now he needs forgiveness, and his life can be immensely better if he draws near to the father. The next thoughts he has are ones we can often have when we realize our own depravity, and we want to come to the Lord. Verses 18 and 19 say:

“I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”

The son is ashamed, and in his shame he does not feel like he really deserves the forgiveness of the father. He doesn’t feel like he is worthy of the position he once held, and he will be satisfied holding some lowly place in his father’s house. We can feel this same way when we turn from our evil ways, and think we don’t deserve the grace we know God can offer us. This way of thinking is a trap set by Satan, and by our own insecurities.

Sometimes we really mess up just like the prodigal son did. Often we realize our need for forgiveness, and our need for God, but we are ashamed to ask for it. We don’t feel like we deserve forgiveness. We don’t deserve to be in God’s presence, and the best thing we can do is spend the rest of our lives hiding from him in the hopes He will spare us His wrath, for His wrath is just what we deserve.

This is true. His wrath is all we deserve, but that is not what God offers us. No matter how we’ve fallen, or how we’ve sinned the Lord wants to forgive us. Jesus died on the cross for that, and that shows just how screwed up God knows we are. He knows of the many evil things we’ve done, and He wants to save us. Don’t let your mistakes consume you, and convince you that you cannot rise to the same position God once had in store for you. Do not think that you cannot be forgiven. Overcome your shame, ask for forgiveness, and go the Lord. He did a lot so you could be forgiven. Don’t allow your sin to destroy you. Don’t let your mistakes consume you. Instead go to God, accept His forgiveness, and accept the great things He has planned for you.

But when we come to Ourselves

I love the way the next verse, Luke 15:17, starts. The first six words reflect so much how things can rapidly turn around for us, and how God can instantly rip us from our evil ways. That verse states:

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘how many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!”

Those first words of “But when he came to himself” are the key here. It’s the moment he realized that pursuing all these things outside of God were leaving him in want. They were literally and figuratively causing him to perish with hunger. This singular thought is an important thought that can turn someone’s life around. When we finally admit to ourselves that the things we pursue are causing us to perish with hunger, and following God will ensure we have bread enough to spare. Not literal bread, but the bread of life that satisfies our inner desires, and leaves us forever full.

I have had to deal with the same type of turn around as the prodigal son. There were many years of my life where I chose to run from the calling the Lord had for me. I instead wanted to study Asia, go to Asia, live in Asia, and love all things about Asia. Asia not being something evil in itself, but it is not God. It is not as good as God. It was wrong to put it up there as the thing to pursue instead of my Father’s will. Putting Asia in the place of God left me perishing with hunger just like the prodigal son.

Turning from the Father, and considering other pursuits more worthy of our time than the pursuit of the Lord’s will can cause us all to perish with hunger. It is in this hunger where God can speak to us, and remind us that those that serve him are never left empty. It is in that moment where He reaches out to us that we should repent of what we’ve done, and turn to Him. It is in that moment that everything in our lives can change.

Being Stubborn

Things would have been easier for the prodigal son if he would have accepted his need for the father as soon as he was left in want. Unfortunately, the prodigal son turned out to be a little stubborn. Luke 15:15-16 tells us:

“Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.”

Instead of turning back to the father the son continued to rely on other things even though those other things refused to help him. This is very much like us. Sometimes we turn to money for security, but we can never seem to hold onto it. Do we refuse to turn from the pursuit of money as a result? No. We instead look for new ways to acquire what we desire even though there has never been a time that it has satisfied us. Also, when we choose to worship sex, do we turn from it after it has left us wanting? No. We instead keep looking for new people to have sex with, or turn to porn, ourselves, or anything else to fill that void within us. Or we can choose to put other things in the place of God hoping they’ll satisfy us. When money fails we can turn to sex. When sex fails we can turn to friends. When friends fail we can turn to power. When power fails we can turn to ourselves. We can always find something else to pursue when we are left in want.

We can choose to never really admit that we are worshiping the wrong things even if we, like the prodigal son, get so desperate that we find the filth of the swine desirable. We can be stubborn just like him.

Fortunately, things turned around with the very next verse. If we stop being stubborn, and turn from the things not worthy of worship, for it is evil to worship anything that is not God whether it is porn or our children, then things can also turn around for us. That is easier said than done, however, and I realize that. Difficult, however, is not impossible. Soon we will see just how we can break the chains of the things that always leave us in want, and learn how to turn to the one who can always fill us. It starts with the very next verse.

Left in Want

I’m sure the prodigal son started out being very happy with the decision he’d made. He’d rejected his father, and left his presence. He was out from under his father’s rule, and he could do whatever he wanted. He was free. Luke 15:13 tells us:

“And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.”

It sounds like he was enjoying himself to me. I don’t know everything he did, but I do know he had sex (his brother later tells us that). Sure, he paid for it, but he probably thought it was great at the time. The world taught him to pursue sex above all else, and he did. He had money, and he had sex. Who knows what else he had? Maybe friends who stuck by him as long as he flashed money around. Maybe he gambled, and got a rush from it. I’m not really sure. I’m sure that it made him feel fulfilled. For a time. In the same way we can feel satisfied if we turn from God so that we can sleep around, gamble, use drugs, or just worship ourselves by accumulating wealth. For a time. The very next verse shows us precisely what happens when we turn away from God for such things:

“But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in the land, and he began to be in want.”

Sin will always cause us to be in want. No matter how much we try to fill our hearts with our wealth, our families, our video games, or physical health, or anything else it is wrong to worship we will eventually be left in want. There is only one thing that we can fill ourselves with that will never leave us wanting, and that is the living water offered to us by Jesus Christ. Only with him can we be filled, and stay filled. No matter how we try to hold to other things, no matter how much we try to deny that they don’t really satisfy us, and no matter how hard we try to convince ourselves that we don’t need God the fact remains that we do. We need Him if we ever hope to be satisfied. We need him if we ever hope to be filled.

If God wasn't real...

I am not quite done with forgiveness, for these next entries will center on perhaps the most famous parable concerning forgiveness; the parable of the Prodigal Son. Most who have been to church just a handful of times have likely heard at least one sermon on this passage. I know I’ve heard lots of sermons on it, and I used to honestly role my eyes when I realized I’d be hearing yet another one. That was until I really studied the passage, and realized that countless amazing biblical truths can be found in this single parable. There are so many lessons that teach us so much, but also point us to one fact. God loves us, and wants us to be forgiven.

The first two verses, 11-12, teach us a lot about how we can choose to relate to God. They read:

“A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood.”

Sounds polite enough in the translation, but these words are not polite. To the Jewish audience Jesus was speaking to they would not have been. What the son was really saying is he wishes his father was dead. He is tired of him hanging around. The son wants his inheritance now. He demands it. It’s the right of the father to slap the son at this request, and drive him out of town, but he doesn’t. He loves the son, and gives him his inheritance. He allows the son to live as if his father were dead.

Many of us relate to God in the same way. Most of us are afraid to admit it. I know I have allowed the thought creep into my head in the past that maybe it would just be easier if all this stuff I believed in wasn’t real. Maybe I would be happier if I just turned from God, and did whatever I want. I could at least know more joy if He would just bless me with riches now, and not make me wait to enjoy treasures in heaven. Sometimes those of us who have accepted God can fall into the line of thinking that life would be better if we didn’t serve God. We would live greater lives if we just did whatever we wanted. Some who look at the evidence, and know God is real refuse to accept Him for this very reason. They only want to live for themselves.

This way of thinking is wrong. Very wrong. The rest of the passage will show what results from living in such a way. The obvious reason is that none of this stuff we enjoy so much would even exist if God hadn’t created it. Aside from that is that man was not made to be separate from God. As the created we were made to be filled with the Creator. When we are not filled with the Creator than our lives are never as good as they could be. The rest of this passage shows things do not go so good for us.

God loves us, and will not strike us down because we desire to turn from Him. Sometimes he’ll let us see for ourselves what life is like apart from Him. It isn’t as glamorous as Satan tries to tell us it is. The coming verses make that very clear.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit

Many who want to be saved do not come to Christ because they believe the sins they’ve committed cannot or should not be forgiven. That isn’t true. Christ died for all sins. All can be forgiven. Only one sin is unforgivable, and it is not one that can even be committed by someone who has never been saved. Jesus tells us what that sin is in Luke 12:10:

“And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgive him, but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.”

Many get confused by this verse and tend to generalize blasphemy. There are multiple types of blasphemy, and the Lord states that only one kind is unforgivable. Anyone who claims God does not exist can be forgiven. Those who claim Jesus is not the son of God can be forgiven. Paul was forgiven of this very sin. The one type of blasphemy that cannot be forgiven is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a sin a nonbeliever cannot commit. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit can only be committed by someone who has been saved, and who has felt the redeeming power of Christ in their lives. Unforgivable blasphemy occurs if a saved person later claims to no longer believe in the Lord, Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Anyone who has been redeemed by the Lord should always be able to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. To be redeemed, and then to reject that redemption is a terrible thing to do. By doing so we betray ourselves, and betray the God who died on the cross so we could be redeemed. It’s rejecting the new man or woman the redemptive power of Jesus turned us into, and turning back to our old ways. Turning away from the Spirit is a sin the Lord will not forgive. Anyone who has never been saved has never felt the power of the Holy Spirit, and therefore cannot blasphemy against it.

This does not mean the Lord will not accept someone who turned away from Him, and later returned. He will accept your redemption, but He will not forgive that sin. He is angered when one His Spirit has resided in rejects Him, and He will not forget it even if that person later repents. I’m not a smart enough person to pretend I know exactly what this means. I only use the verse so those who have not been saved know they can be forgiven for anything they’ve done.

Betrayal

It is hard to forgive someone when they’ve betrayed us. It wounds us, and hurts us. It reveals to us that a person we thought could be trusted isn’t even the person we thought they were. Betrayals can tear us down, and throw our lives in disarray. Betrayals can cost us our jobs, break our families, and destroy our relationships. While God can use all things for His good there is nothing good about being betrayed.

Even when we know we should forgive a betrayal we often don’t want to. We can even use the Bible and what we’ve been taught in church to justify it. Didn’t Jesus speak of how someone can get divorced over adultery? Isn’t adultery a betrayal? It is. It’s when a husband or wife betrays the vows they made on their wedding day. Also, consider Judas; known as the great betrayer. Isn’t he one of the most hated and scorned figures in history? Wasn’t Absalom, the son of David, hated because he betrayed his father’s love, and overthrew his kingdom? Isn’t the whole reason this world is fallen because Adam and Eve betrayed the Lord? The Bible is filled with betrayals, and things don’t usually turn out too well for the betrayers. Are we not just in our refusal to forgive our betrayers?

No. We are not. The Bible teaches of betrayal, but also of forgiveness. God forgave Adam and Eve, and taught them how to live in the fallen world. He clothed them. David forgave Absalom, and mourned bitterly over his death. The betrayal of Judas teaches a powerful lesson taught us in scriptures, for it shows how all things can work together for the good of those who love the Lord. Without the betrayal of Judas there would have been no crucifixion, and no resurrection. There would be no forgiveness without the ultimate betrayal. Also, while it may be just to divorce someone who has committed an affair it is not just to refuse to forgive them for their sin.

Paul wrote these words in 2 Timothy 4:16 about those that had betrayed him:

“At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them.”

Paul forgave those who betrayed him. This is what’s right to do. We have all betrayed the Lord at one time or another, and He has always forgiven us. We must always follow His example. I know it hurts. I know it’s not fair how they treated you. I know your life may have been torn apart because of what they did. I know how miserable it made you. I know some seek forgiveness, but some who betrayed may live happy with what they did. They may always be happy about how they tried to destroy you. Do not consider them. Your forgiveness is not determined by the heart of the forgiven. Your forgiveness is determined by the heart of the one who died so you could be forgiven. The one who knows the hurt of betrayal, and who suffered for it. The one who loves us, and hates it when we hurt. Jesus teaches us that forgiving our betrayers frees us of the pain of what they did to us. It’s true. Forgive, and be free.

Retaining Sin

I do not take the responsibility that comes along with this ministry lightly. I write about how the Bible teaches us to forgive others even as they sin. I know sometimes it’s easy to see those who write such words as ignorant. We only see things in a theoretical way, and if we really knew how people really had to live we would never write such things. If we really knew the pain you feel because of the betrayal of another there is no way we would think it was possible to do that.

Do me a favor. Don’t use that garbage on me. I am human. All ministers are human. I live on the same earth as you, and am surrounded by the same humanity you are. I have been betrayed. I have been hurt by others in ways that impacted my life for years. Some of those hurts still impact me. So when I ask you to forgive others for what they do you can know that I have had to make sure I did the same. Jesus never asks us to do something He was not required to do. I try to follow His example, and I will never ask others to do something I haven’t had to deal with.

I say this because there are good biblical reasons to forgive. John 20:23 states:

“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

I almost didn’t use this verse because it’s potentially dangerous. It tells us we have the power to make sure others are never forgiven for their sins. That is not a power any forgiven person should ever want to use. I instead use it to show why we have to forgive others as they sin against us, or forgive those we have withheld forgiveness from for years.

Consider Stephen. He forgave those stoning him as they stoned him. We should be very grateful for that, for one of those participating in the stoning was a man named Saul. Stephen never knew that this man would soon have an encounter with Jesus Christ on the road to Gethsemane. Stephen had no idea Christ would turn him from a great persecutor of Christians into one of the greatest ministers this world has ever known. Stephen did not know Saul would become Paul. He only ever knew him as a man who wanted him dead.

What if Stephen had not forgiven Saul? Would have that prevented Christ from appearing to Him? Would have Jesus chosen another man to do what Paul did? If Stephen had cursed Saul, and retained the sin the story of Saul may have been quite different. Paul may never have been. The gospel may not have been spread to Rome. There would be no book of Romans, Philippians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, letters to Timothy, or much else. Those churches may not have been there for Paul to write the letters to. All of that could have been undone if one man had chosen to condemn and not forgive with his dying breath.

Consider all those you choose not to forgive. You have no idea what God has planned for them. You know nothing of their futures, or who they may become. Is it likely they’ll have the same impact on the faith as Paul? Are all things possible with Christ? If Stephen can forgive Saul for killing him you can forgive your coworker for taking your pencil off your desk. You can forgive that person who didn’t believe in you when you needed them to. You can forgive that person who lied to you. It is always better to forgive, for there’s no way to know who that person can become with your forgiveness.

Following Jesus

The previous entry is perhaps the easiest to shrug off because it’s about Jesus. Of course Jesus can forgive others while they sin against Him. He’s Jesus. He’s capable of doing things we could never do. No one else could ever live up to his standard. Jesus is God, and we are man. We never could forgive like Him.

Unfortunately for anyone who wanted to get away with that, Jesus is not the only one who ever forgave others as they persecuted him. If you doubt that you must forgive others as they sin against you because you are only a servant of Christ and not Christ Himself you should consider the actions of Stephen in Acts 7:59-60 as he was being stoned to death:

“And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not charge them with this sin.”

Before he was stoned Stephen gave one of the most brilliant sermons recorded in the entire Bible. He traced the existence of Jesus through the entire scriptures before the Jewish leaders who refused to believe, and made a strong case for Jesus being the Messiah. He was guilty of nothing more than following the will of Christ. For doing this he was stoned to death.

I don’t think any of us would hold it against Stephen if the scriptures instead read that he called down hellfire on his persecutors, and they were all killed right then and there. We’d probably then refer to this set of scriptures as one of the greatest Christian victories against persecution. Instead, Stephen showed his worthiness and asked the Lord to forgive them seconds before death.

Anyone reading this has never been killed in service to the Lord, and sins committed against us cannot be as great as those committed against Stephen. He followed the example of Christ, and forgave those who persecuted him. Christ expects all of us to do the same.

Immediate Forgiveness

If any of us feel that there is some sin we cannot forgive someone for we are ignoring the words Christ spoke as He was being nailed to the cross. At that time in Luke 23:34, Christ cried out:

“Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

Can we comprehend such forgiveness? He came to forgive His people, and they repaid Him by driving nails through His hands and feet, torturing, crucifying, and murdering Him. None of us have ever gone through such a horrible experience as Christ did on the day He was crucified. Yet in the midst of the torture He cried out to the Lord, and asked Him to forgive His torturers for their sins.

How many of us have asked the Lord to forgive our persecutors as we were still being persecuted? It’s hard to even consider doing so, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t. We need to forgive those who sin against us even as they commit their sin. If others slander us because of their sins we must forgive them as they try to. We can fight the slander, and oppose it, but we cannot hold the sin against those who commit it. One who persecutes the Lord’s followers does not know Him, and may still come to know Him with forgiveness.

We must forgive all of their sins in the midst of persecution just as Christ did on the cross. Christ proved on the cross that He expects nothing more out of us than what was expected of Him. If He could forgive in such a way so can those who follow Him.

Revenge

How is it that we, as people, naturally respond to someone sinning against us? When we are wronged by someone, or someone hurts us in some way how are we naturally inclined to respond? Sometimes with sadness, and by inflicting pain upon ourselves, but not always. Not usually. The most commonly accepted way to respond to someone hurting us is not granting forgiveness. It is seeking revenge.

I know this has been true in my own life. When I was in high school a classmate of mine took this coat I loved and kicked it across the floor. The coat was covered and dust, and pretty much ruined. I did not respond by turning my eyes to heaven, and crying out, “Father, forgive him this sin.” No. I got angry. I wanted revenge. I declared to others this desire for revenge. I didn’t see this classmate all day, and I spent that night plotting how I would get him back.

Fortunately, it didn’t turn out all that bad. I had cooled off about it by the next morning, and word had gotten to him. He was mature enough to apologize, and I got over it without inflicting the pain upon him I initially wanted to. I could have sought revenge, but I backed off. That’s good. The Bible warns us against this clearly. It’s written in 1 Thessalonians 5:15:

“See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.”

The world teaches us to seek revenge. The Lord teaches us to be good to those who are evil to us. The world teaches us to harm whoever harms us. The Lord teaches us to always seek what is good for ourselves and for all. The world teaches us revenge is good. The Lord teaches us revenge is evil.

Seeking revenge is never acceptable under any circumstance. When many of us are wronged our main desire is to get back at the one who wronged us. We must turn against this foolish thinking, and never seek revenge. What kind of a massacre would there be if the Lord took revenge against all of those who have ever wronged him? He forgives and forgets, and we must do the same. We cannot seek revenge, but must respond to sin with immediate forgiveness. Under no circumstance is revenge considered acceptable.

A Need to Forgive

Christ later discusses the danger of not forgiving others, and what he teaches isn’t easy to hear, or to write about. He uses the analogy of a man who was forgiven an enormous debt by his master. This same man who was forgiven refused to forgive the small debts of another. Matthew 18:32-35 shows the results of his inability to forgive:

“Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So my heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

We are asked to forgive little, and show a lack of understanding of the forgiveness we’ve received when we refuse to forgive. We want God to forgive us for everything, but we can’t forgive our son-in-law for stealing our baby girl away. We beg His forgiveness when we fall, but think it’s okay when we hold a grudge forever because someone gossiped about us. We demand apologies, and expect people to bend over backwards to earn our forgiveness. Even if they do as we demand it is entirely up to us if we forgive. We can refuse, and feel justified in being angry forever.

This is not the behavior of someone who has been forgiven. Pay attention to the final warning again:

“And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So my heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

Heed this warning spoken by Christ, and forgive those you have been unable to forgive. It may be difficult, but the difficulty of forgiving another is nothing compared to being delivered to the torturers. When we are forgiven it means we will not receive the punishment we deserve. If we do not forgive we are condemned, and will receive that punishment. If we are condemned we can do nothing in His name. Swallow your pride, and forgive. Do so in your heart because the Lord can tell if you only speak forgiveness, for a refusal to forgive only destroys you. The Lord will give you nothing that you cannot give to others.

Endless forgiveness

Many of us are willing to forgive, but only so much. Sometimes a betrayal is too great, or a person just keeps sinning the same way too many times. Sometimes we’ve just had enough, and we’re tired of showing mercy. We’re tired of forgiving. Enough is enough. We stop forgiving, and shut whoever it is out of our lives. We punish them. We hold a grudge. We do not forgive.

We can try to justify this all we want, but the words of Jesus make it impossible. He had a conversation with Peter about this very subject in Matthew 18:21-22:

“Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”

We are supposed to forgive someone as many times as they sin. It doesn’t matter how difficult this is. It doesn’t matter what’s been done to us, or how we’ve been hurt. We must never stop forgiving because we will never stop being forgiven.

Jesus asks nothing of us He was not required to do. He had to forgive countless sins. We may need to forgive a lot in our lifetime, but not as many as Jesus. If not for His forgiveness we would not be forgiven. We cannot hold back the forgiveness that was so freely given to us. There is no number of times we have to forgive that is too many. This doesn’t mean being a pushover. This doesn’t mean we should never wage war, never put people in jail, or never stand against evil. I’ll get to that stuff more in later entries, and what it means. For this entry just understand there is one rule there are no exceptions to. We must always forgive.

Mercy

Often those most guilty of not forgiving are those within the church itself. Jesus struggled against the religious leaders in His time because they were eager to condemn. They would condemn those without sin, and did so famously when they worked furiously to ensure Jesus would die on the cross. Jesus knew what was coming in His life, and He had good reason for speaking these words in Matthew 12:7:

“But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.”

This verse speaks to many of those who call themselves saved today. We sometimes get twisted, and think being Christian means we have to give up certain things, and condemn those who do not. This is far from the truth. Christianity was formed by the astonishing forgiveness Jesus offered us on the cross, and we are to follow His way. We are not to condemn. Christ desires mercy.

Mercy is a refusal to condemn someone who deserves to be punished. It’s forgiving someone who doesn’t deserve forgiveness. That’s what Jesus did for us. He showed all of us mercy when it was His right, and the right of the Lord, to condemn us to eternal suffering for all our sins. The death of Jesus was the greatest act of mercy there’s ever been, and yet we think we can condemn someone because they didn’t buy any candy from our child’s fundraiser? We think we can condemn someone because they cheated on a test, had sex before marriage, drank some alcohol, told a lie about us, or read a Harry Potter book? Some things may be wrong, but all things are not our place to condemn. If those we condemn sinned the sin was against God. He will deal with it. We don’t have to. When we try we open ourselves up to many types of sin. Pride, gossip, wrath, being judgmental, and so many other sins can easily emerge from an eagerness to condemn. We condemn ourselves.

Remember who it is that had mercy on you. Remember Jesus, and walk in His ways. Show mercy.

Forgive, and be forgiven

Most of us find it extremely difficult to forgive everyone for the things they’ve done. Sometimes we have trouble forgiving someone for a minor act like calling us a name. Other times the sin we have trouble forgiving is much larger, like killing a loved one. Whatever the sin is we must learn to unconditionally forgive the one who sinned. Matthew 6:15 tells us:

“But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your father forgive your trespasses.”

We must forgive to be forgiven. We don’t like to think about this, and want to pretend there is some exception for us. Clearly whoever made that statement hasn’t been through what we’ve been through. Clearly they don’t know the pain we know. They’ve never had to forgive what we have to.

The problem with that is Jesus said those words, and He forgave everyone for everything. He forgave those who nailed Him to the cross as they were doing it. We have many justifications for not forgiving someone, but none of them really stand up when we consider the forgiveness of Jesus.

Often times whoever committed the sin feels no sorrow for their actions. We have convinced ourselves that someone not seeking forgiveness does not deserve it. This is untrue, and we must forgive someone even if they feel no remorse. Those nailing Jesus to the cross felt no remorse, and Jesus knew they had to be forgiven. Forgiveness is as much about the forgiver as the forgiven.

Other times it does not matter if the person apologized. We convince ourselves that what they did is so hurtful that we can continue to hold it against them. We want to be able to gossip about someone, and we enjoy holding a grudge against them because it often makes us feel better about ourselves to do so. Do not fool yourself into thinking that there is some exception to the rule of forgiveness. When you forgive someone that means you completely forgive them, and you do not hold their sin against them, gossip to others, slander them, or do anything that goes against forgiveness. You forget the sin, and give the sinner a fresh start. Refusing to only hurts you. You must forgive others.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is simple. It is often only thought over for moments because of how simple it really is. It deserves a thorough examination, however, because while forgiveness may be a simple concept it is also a difficult thing to understand. It is essential for faith, for all must be forgiven. Jesus died so we could be forgiven. If we don’t understand this we don’t understand anything.

We have been forgiven, and we must forgive. We are saved by grace, and should offer out grace. Sometimes it’s easy to forgive ourselves. Sometimes it’s not. Sometimes it’s easy to forgive others. Sometimes it’s not. Forgiveness brings about freedom. Refusing to forgive only keeps the one who refuses in prison chains.

There are many verses on forgiveness, and much to write about it. It is an important topic, and I may discuss it for a while. I’ll use scripture a lot. I’ll write a lot. Be ready. I want everyone to understand all there is to know about forgiveness, and I’ll use this to try and teach everything I understand. Some of this stuff will not be easy to hear, but it needs to be said. If you are suffering because of the evil acts of others you need to understand forgiveness. If you’ve fallen in some way, hurt someone, betrayed someone, made a mistake, or turned from God and think it makes you too depraved to be useful to the Lord you need to know about forgiveness. If you are holding grudges you need to understand forgiveness.

Forgiveness is needed. Forgiveness is essential. I’ll write all I can about it, and hope you read. Be ready.

Saved by Grace

There are many church denominations that exist for many reasons. They have their own belief systems that are sometimes slightly different than other denominations, and sometimes very different. This division has created competition, and has led to something Paul warned the early members of the church against.

In the book of Acts there was a very important battle over whether or not new followers of Christ needed to be circumcised. I know this seems off topic, but stay with me. Paul and Barnabas were adamant that salvation was through grace, but others believed there needed to be additional qualifications. There was a major church council, and James, the brother of Jesus and the head of the church, sides with Paul. He said in Acts 15:19:

“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the gentiles who are turning to God.”

Paul won that battle, and it is the reason the church rose from a sect of Judaism to a worldwide movement. Unfortunately, the debate did not stop there. The church again started putting additional yokes, and that’s why Martin Luther started the protestant reformation. Today, 2000 years after Paul’s victory, those who believe still try to insist upon some additional yoke.

Some say you need to be baptized to be saved. Some say you need to confess your sins to a man, and pay some defined penalty for them. Some say you can never dance, drink, or read a version of the Bible that isn’t KJV. Some say you must witness to a certain number of people, or speak in tongues. It’s said a saved person must tithe, or must take part in communion.

Most of these things aren’t bad on their own. Baptism, communion, tithing, and witnessing are all great things. Just because they’re great does not mean they should have ever been used as something to bar the gates before potential believers. Through such beliefs we have made baptism, communion, and other good things into circumcision. In our attempts to give them a higher place of honor we have instead corrupted them by tainting them with legalism. We have put additional yokes around the necks of people who would have been ready to be saved if we didn’t make them jump through our hoops. By doing so we have hurt the church, for many who would be saved turn away because of these additional yokes.

I am saved through the grace of Jesus Christ. He forgave my sins by dying for me on the cross, and defeated death by rising again. My belief in this is what saves me. Nothing else. I was baptized, and am proud of it. I love communion, and believe tithing is a very important part of our walk with Christ. You may like some other things, but don’t twist them. They are not what saves us. Jesus saves. Salvation is through acceptance of the grace of Jesus Christ, and nothing else is required to be saved than a belief in the truth.

Cynics

Cynicism is a dangerous sin. It is one sin that can easily start to control us, but can also cover its tracks pretty well. It can even latch onto our intelligence, and use our smarts to keep us cynical. Many who are cynical often realize it, but that doesn’t stop them. Some people are proud to be cynics. This just makes them represent Romans 1:22. “Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.”

Cynicism is present in the church. Cynicism can grip a person in ways that are hard to see through. Can make one realize they are not as faithful as others who worship the Lord, but also consider themselves more intelligent for not being so faithful. Cynicism can trick us into thinking we don’t need to truly worship. Cynicism can condemn us.

It causes us to look at those who raise their hands during worship, and cross our arms while we think we are so much better than those who embarrass themselves. We listen to the sermon, pick apart every word, and consider it a matter of pride to find something we think the pastor said wrong. It makes us feel more intelligent if we can find ways to consider ourselves better than others.

Cynicism gets worse than that. It can also cause us to think about the miracles of Christ, and know such things could never happen in the world of today. It causes us to look at lost people, and know there is no point to witnessing because they will never listen. It keeps us from trusting God, and from having complete faith. Cynicism is simply another disguise for doubt, and we should wipe it out when we discover its presence in our lives.

A cynic doesn’t believe. The Pharisees were cynics. Cynicism can and will prevent us from ever becoming the true follower of Christ we are meant to be. It emerges from many sources, but most commonly when other people let us down, or we fail at something. It creates an inability to forgive in our hearts that eventually transforms into cynicism. We need to learn to see through it, and not take pride in it. Christ died for us, and rose again. He did not let us down. He did not fail. He is our wonderful merciful Savior, and we should not let our cynicism enable us to scoff at such an idea.

Let go of cynicism. Have faith. Worship. Praise. Forgive. Believe.

Election thoughts

When getting fired up about an election it's easy to lose sight of things a bit. As we go out in vote, and watch the results I just wanted to point out a few things:

-We may vote Democrat, Republican, Green, The Rent is Too...High, or for any other party, but our faith should not be in that party. Our faith should be in God.

-What we believe when it comes to politics should arise from the person God within us is teaching us to be. This means we shouldn't necessarily hold a certain political belief because the party we usually vote for tells us we should. We should think for ourselves, and make our decisions based on the person our Lord teaches us to be.

-Don't only pray for those you vote for. Pray for all candidates. Pray that Lord the Lord will make sure those who will honor Him, and bring glory to His name gain power this day. We may not know what a candidate is hiding from us, but the Lord knows. Let Him divide the good seed from the bad. He knows who should be in power better than we do.

-Vote. Don't think this is unimportant. 1 and 2 Kings taught us regularly that when the leaders of a nation are good the nation is good, and when the leaders of a nation is bad the nation is bad. I love my country, and want it to stay a blessed nation. We should do our part in trying to make sure it does.

-Don't be afraid to bring your religion into your politics. The interpretation of the separation of church and state today is usually out of sync with what our forefathers meant. Even if we strictly believe, however, what some try to claim it as we cannot separate our religion from our politics. God is always within us, and it's stupid to try and pretend like He shouldn't be when we vote. He should. He'll guide us right.

Finally, whatever happen today, and whoever gets elected remember to praise the Lord. Pray for those who are going into or staying in office. Trust God. Remember that all things can work together for the good of those who serve Him. He can work in our nation no matter who is leading it.

Wrong riches

Before I get into this entry I want to say a few words about the inconsistency with which I've updated. I want everyone to know this won't continue. I've been dealing with dial up lately, and it is difficult to access this site, facebook, and twitter on dial up. That will change. I will have regular acess to high speed soon. Just be patient with me until that happens. Anyway...

A couple of months ago a child came to the school I taught at in Korea with a few stickers. They looked like they probably cost about $1. She had no interest in showing this off to the other students. She was actually upset when they showed any interest at all because she was afraid they might try to take what she had. She was so determined to keep these cheap stickers all to herself that she actually hid under a table so no one else could get her precious stickers. She was willing to isolate herself and be alone to protect the worthless thing she considered valuable.

People don’t change that much when they get older. How many grown people acquire a small sum of money or some sort of material thing and do everything they can to guard that possession? Many have chosen to be alone so they could protect their wealth, and keep others from wanting it. The joke about relatives you never knew you had appearing when you become famous is often true, and we get afraid people only show an interest in what we have because they might try to take it from us. We feel we must protect our money or new car, ipod, ring, antique, or other material possession from others. We get garages, safes, safety deposit boxes, or whatever we need to protect our treasure from others.

This is a sign of screwed up priorities. We should be laying up treasures in heaven for ourselves, and not holding tightly to the useless things of this earth. Our clinging to material things shows the idiocy of spending all our effort trying to protect our things here on earth. No matter what we do they will eventually get damaged, lost, destroyed, or taken. We can’t keep them forever. The treasures we can keep forever, however, are those we set up in heaven. Those can be acquired simply enough, and are of much more value.

When we witness to the transforming power of Jesus Christ we lay up such treasures for ourselves. When we sing out to the Lord, study His word, pray to Him, and walk in His footsteps we are doing just that. The pursuit of this real lasting treasure doesn’t create isolation, but actually encourages fellowship with those around us. The soul of a lost person is of much more value than anything made with the hands of man.

We can have material possession and be saved. We can be wealthy and be saved. Things and wealth, however, must not be our treasure. We should own our things. They should not own us. We do not owe it to our PS3 to play it at least once a day, or to our HDTV to spend money on channels that really show it off. We owe our possessions nothing. They belong to us. We belong to God. One of the great things about Him is He never changes. He doesn’t constantly come out with new versions of Himself the media insist we just have to have to be a real functioning human being. He is unchanging. The treasures we lay up in service to Him never lose their value, and never need to be updated or replaced. These treasures are what we should always pursue.

Not what it meant

Sometimes the Lord allows you to have certain encounters so that he can cause you to consider something you hadn’t before. This happened to me as me and Ashley as we were walking home from work one day in Korea.

As we crossed the bridge that meant we were close to our apartment a Korean man carrying a briefcase approached us. He spoke a little English, and asked us if we were saved. I said yes, and was at first hopeful he might tell us about a good church in the area. That was before the conversation took an odd turn.

Pretty soon he started mentioning this heavenly mother. I thought he meant Mary. He corrected me, and showed me Revelation 21:10-11:

“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God.”

In his broken English he tried to explain that Jerusalem was the heavenly mother, and the bride of Christ. He showed me a picture of a Korean woman who he said was this heavenly mother come back to earth, and later a picture of a Korean guy who he said was Jesus returned to earth. I made an attempt to explain that Jerusalem is a city in Israel, but he was insistent. My Korean wasn’t good enough for me to really explain the truth. I tried, but I couldn’t get through to him.

I later asked others about this, and they told me that guy is from a pretty large cult in Korea. They believe Jesus is this Korean guy who is now sitting in a Korean prison because he’s used this literal and terrible interpretation of scripture to convince people they need to let their daughters sleep with him (a common teaching of cult leaders). I was pretty surprised by all this, but also learned something.

Those of us who know how to interpret the Bible properly have allowed such things to happen. If we knew little of geography or history, and took all the figurative language in the Bible as literal we might believe something very similar. I never imagined the scriptures could be twisted in such a way, but I should have. Just look at a lot of things Isaiah says, or much of Revelation. There’s a lot that can easily be misinterpreted.

Does this mean those without a seminary education shouldn’t be allowed to read the Bible because they might not understand its words? Absolutely not. What I believe it means is that it shows the importance of witnessing. The Holy Spirit resides within us so we can speak the truth to others. Not just so we can hand them Bibles, and hope they figure it out for themselves. Cults are what can result from that. There are people who need someone to explain the meaning of scriptures for them. Americans were raised in a society where we are very aware of the geography of the Middle East, and Jewish people live all around us. The Middle East is rarely ever discussed in Korea. There are only very small Jewish and Arab populations. This lack of knowledge can be used to twist people.

The misinterpretation of scriptures has been used to manipulate people for generations. This should be fought. Those of us who know the truth should witness to the truth. We should do so in an effort to keep others who witness to a lie from gaining any power. The truth saves. These lies manipulate, abuse, and condemn. Witnessing to the truth helps take away the power of the liars. We cannot simply hand out a Bible, and walk away. This can save many, but confuses a few. It’s our responsibility to make sure the truth is understood.

Faith in the Vision

Sometimes God gives you a vision no one else can see. You have strong faith in this vision, but someone can rock that faith by showing their doubt in you, and in the vision. This concern is why many keep the things they feel called to do to themselves. We know others may doubt us, and we keep our vision to ourselves so others can’t hurt our faith. This can be healthy for a time, but also a problem when we keep it to ourselves too long. If we hide it forever it never does any good.

It hurts when others doubt the vision God has given us. It does. It especially hurts when it’s those close to us who we expect to have faith in us. Sometimes this makes us doubt the vision, but it shouldn’t. Our faith should not be in others because the vision was not from others. The vision was from God. The dream that motivates us comes from God. If He gave us such a vision it’s because He knows we’re capable of pulling it off. He has faith in us. If God believes in us we should believe in ourselves. Our faith should be in Him. He will never doubt us, and we can count on Him when others fail us.

It can be hard for other people to understand because it is not their vision. Paul dealt with this. He saw Jesus on the road to Gethsemane, but no one wanted to hear that. They remembered who he was, and what he’d done. The disciples doubted him. That didn’t stop Paul. He knew he had a vision, and that vision drove him to use his whole life to spread the truth of Jesus throughout the world. He didn’t give up because of the doubt of others. He kept the faith because he knew Jesus had faith in him.

We should follow Paul’s example. There will always be doubters. There will always be people who only see us as the sinners we used to be. There will always be those who are jaded because of the world, and refuse to have faith in the things not seen. Such people can be very close to us. Do not worry. God trust you. God has faith in. Our God is for us, and no one can stand against us. If he gave you a vision then it doesn’t matter if others doubt it. Have faith in Him, and faith in yourself. Know that you can accomplish what you were made to accomplish.

Waiting

In the opening of this blog I wrote a lot about mistakes, how to see through them, and how to overcome them. It was a topic fresh in my mind because I had just overcome my own mistakes. As I am now a couple months from overcoming them, but still some time from being able to attend seminary I have another lesson that comes from personal experience.

The time between realizing the right thing to do and being able to do the right thing can be infuriating. Anyone who’s been accepted to college, and had to agonizingly wait for the first day of college knows what this is like to a degree. It’s always worse when it’s a major commitment. That time can be tiring, and Satan can smell it when you’re tired of waiting. He’ll come to you, and use your frustration with the waiting to make you doubt yourself.

He is always committed to getting you off the right path, and he will bring you down however he can. If you’re engaged to the person you love he can use the time between getting engaged and getting married to drive a wedge between you and the person who is right for you. If you’ve decided to become a minister he can use the time you’re waiting to go to school to make you back out.

The annoying thing about this is it’s never ending. In many situations there’s always a chance to back out. You can always drop out of med school a semester before graduation, or duck out of that mission trip the day before you go. Even if you’ve already been a minister for 15 years you’ve still got time to second guess yourself, and decide you’d rather be an accountant. Another thing that makes this infuriating is sometimes backing out of your current commitment is the right thing to do because it keeps you from what God wants for you. Don’t consider this too much, however, for by doing so many have twisted their thoughts, and simply used God as an excuse to drop out of something. Never let yourself do that.

Don’t step off the path because of impatience. Keep your eyes on the Lord, and let Him continue to guide your steps. If you’ve truly handed yourself over to Him then do not doubt yourself. This doubting is just Satan’s attempt to make you ineffective. He wants you to flounder around forever with no purpose. He wants to take you off the path. Do not listen to his voice. Don’t listen to your own voice that arises out of your insecurities, and your fear of commitment. Leave it to God. He knows what to do, and He can give you the patience you need to get where He wants you.

Do not get jumpy. Do not be afraid. Wait. Be patient. Trust in the faith the Lord gave you. Stay on the path.

The Call of Peter: Astonishing Salvation

There is more to the story than just Jesus revealing the location of all those fish to Peter. The story is much like the story of any of us, for the effectiveness of what Christ did is largely impacted by our reaction to it. Sometimes we shrug it off when Jesus does something great for us, and never really appreciate it. Other times we recognize it, and it changes our lives. This is much like the choice between accepting salvation, or denying it. Peter had that choice before him in this passage. His reaction, and the reaction of those with him (two men who also became great disciples), is recounted in Luke 5:8-11:

“When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!’ For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. ‘Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.’ So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.”

They were astonished by Jesus for so many reasons. This is shown initially by Peter calling Jesus Lord instead of chief or boss as he had before, and then spelled out. There was more to this then just the number of fish. That wasn’t the only reason Peter thought Christ was too good to be in his presence.

I wrote in the previous entry that catching this much fish was like winning the lottery. That was impressive to Peter, James, and John, but something about Jesus was far more impressive. Jesus didn’t care. There was something of more value to Him than riches. Riches Peter had been pursuing his entire life. Peter realized the insignificance of what he was pursuing compared to what Jesus was doing. Peter, James, and John were astonished by their riches, and astonished by Jesus’ reaction to it. They had been pursuing money, and Jesus showed them there was something far greater to pursue. He wanted them to pursue the souls of men and women. They forsook all so they could.

What they did is just as astonishing as what Jesus did. It is the same thing we should do. The truth about the grace of Jesus is astonishing. That we can be saved from the patterns of sin because a sinless man died for us is astonishing. Our response to that astonishing truth should be equally astonishing. We should never get used to it. Should never hear the truth, consider it, and think that it sure is nice. Should never pull Jesus out only in times of trouble, but still be astonished by Him in times of good.

We should not revolve our lives around getting more money, sleeping with more women, reading more books, getting more high scores on our favorite games, beating our friends at fantasy football, or anything else. These things are not astonishing. Jesus is astonishing. What Jesus has done and can do for us is astonishing. We should be like Peter. We should forsake all our evil pursuits, and follow Him.

The Call of Peter: Jesus knows best

The next verse in Luke 5 is laced with a deep meaning many never understand. Verse 5 is Peter responding to Jesus’ command to go out in the water, and cast out his nets:

“But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at your word I will let down my net.”

Peter addressing Jesus as Master here is usually seen as a sign of respect. There are, however, far different ways to translate the original word that was used in this passage. The word can be more accurately translated “boss” or “chief”. What this means is Simon Peter was addressing Jesus with respect, but talking down to Him at the same time. His statement is really a lot like, “Listen here, chief. I’m the fisherman who has spent my life fishing, but I’ll go out because a rabbi told me to.”

Peter was tired. He had been fishing all night because that’s when the fish come out. Peter knew this. The fish hide under rocks during the day, but Jesus was telling him to go out anyway. Peter wasn’t listening to him hoping for some miracle. He thought it was a complete waste of time. Peter was the master fisherman, and Jesus was just a rabbi. Peter simply didn’t want to be accused of disobeying the rabbi who had healed his mother-in-law. He obeyed, but begrudgingly. He had no idea Jesus was about to turn things around on him, and show him there is no one with the same expert fishing knowledge Jesus has. Jesus proves this to be true in verses 6-7:

“And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.”

Peter may not have thought Jesus knew anything about fishing, put Jesus proved him wrong. He helped Peter catch the most abundant number of fish he ever had in his life. This amounted to winning the lottery, and would have changed the lives of Peter and his partners (who happened to be James and John) for the better. It was an amazing thing, and it only happened because Peter listened to Jesus.

This reflects, or can reflect, so many of our lives. Using our own human logic we can look at a situation, and decide what we think is the right thing to do. God, however, can tell us to do something totally different. When we’re tired He can tell us to keep going, or to go out once more. He may tell us to right when everything in us wants to go left. He may tell us to go when it would be easier to stay, or to stay when we want to run. He may tell us to do things that go against everything we’ve learned our entire lives.

It is normal to wonder why, but not acceptable to disobey. We can be intelligent, but God is the true expert on everything. When He tells us to do something we will always be better off if we listen. It doesn’t matter how crazy it sounds, how tired we are, or how much it clashes with what we think is true. God always knows best. What he has in store for us is always better then what we can consider or imagine for ourselves. Peter could have missed this miracle because he thought he knew better than Jesus. Don’t let yourself miss out on what Jesus has in store for you because you think you know better. You never do. Jesus always knows better.

The Call of Peter: Overcoming Peer Pressure

Another significant lesson from this very significant account comes from verse 4 of Luke 5:

“When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Launch out into the deep and let your nets down for a catch.”

Simon had helped Jesus, and Jesus was about to help him. He had a purpose for telling Peter to launch out into the deep, and part of it was to isolate Peter from the crowd. This shows Jesus well understood the power of peer pressure. Many of those who would consider the truth are often held back by the idea “what will those who know me think?”

This is a significant problem to the church. People regularly hear the gospel, pray to accept Jesus, and then lose their boldness when the preacher ask someone to come to the front, raise their hand, or just check a box on a card. Many refuse to do this, and revert back to the sinful patterns of their lives just because they were terrified of accepting what publically declaring themselves as saved could mean. Their family and friends could judge them. They don’t even have to be there to influence the newly saved individual. We can feel the crushing weight of those who would judge us even when they’re not present. Society is ever present, and always ready to make us feel stupid for doing anything that opposes the world.

Do not feel anger for someone who fears, but understanding. They are being asked to publically declare they believe in something unseen that could have a large and potentially devastating impact on their relationship with those they can see. It’s a tough choice. That’s why many preachers spend so long explaining to people sitting in their congregations who have just made the decision to follow Christ why it is so important to make such a declaration. Peer pressure is powerful, and those who consider casting out their salvation for it need to understand that the love of Jesus is a far more powerful thing.

Whenever possible do as Jesus did. Isolate the person you’re trying to reach from that peer pressure. Jesus didn’t give Peter the chance to look bold in front of the people watching on the shore. He took Peter out to sea where he could more easily change him without society trying to interfere. He made sure Peter was without excuses, and could not ignore what was about to come just because some other people were watching Him. He gave Peter the chance to realize the truth without society trying to impact his mind. We should try to do the same. Get people alone with the Gospel. When they can accept God in private they can more easily learn to declare Him in public. Give them the chance to do that if that’s what they need to be saved.

The Call of Peter: Help by being Helpless

One of the most dramatic moments of the gospels is when Jesus first called Peter in Luke 5. There are many important teachings in this account of 11 verses, and I’ll use the next entries to discuss just a few of them. The first verses I’ll discuss are Luke 5:1-3:

“So it was, as the multitude passed about Him to hear the word of God , that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake…Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.”

Easy to miss the lesson here, but it’s a significant one. Jesus came to Peter (called Simon at this time) knowing this man was capable of being one of His greatest disciples. He did not just come out and tell Peter this. He didn’t even give Peter a long lecture on the scriptures, and teach how they point to Him as the Messiah. He didn’t shout at Him through a megaphone, or threaten him with descriptions of hell. He instead did something much more productive. He asked for his help.

This is an amazing thing. Most of us who are saved are regularly thinking about how we can help others, but this is Jesus asking a simple fisherman to help Him. He wanted to preach from the boat, and needed Peter to keep it steady. Peter agreed to, and enabled Jesus to preach to multitudes.

When we want to reach others sometimes the best thing we can do is allow them to help us. A lot of those in need of saving are people with a diversity of skills, and they can help us. They can repair our cars, give us jobs, do our taxes, bag our groceries, take our trash, fix our roofs, build our websites, tutor our children, or do any number of other things. Allowing others to help us is a great way to let them know that we don’t arrogantly believe that only we can help them if we are saved, and they are not.

Do they need our help? Yes. All who are unsaved need to be saved. The best way for us to help them, however, may not be to cram that idea down their throats. The best way to help them could be to let them help us. That does a lot of good, and helps establish a relationship with them God may want us to have so that we can reach them. There are countless ways to reach someone, but no one can be reached if we don’t show respect for who they are.

Follow the example of Jesus. If you want to reach someone whose identity is largely wrapped up in what they can do then use that. Let them help you, and they may become more willing to let Jesus change them.

Made to Worship

Part of the evidence for God is how each one of us is created to worship. It’s in our nature, and is meant to motivate us to seek out the one true God so we can direct our worship toward Him. If we don’t learn to worship Him we will worship other things.

Many men and women have chosen sex as what they worship. They are fully consumed by their need to satisfy whatever is between their legs, and they will do anything to make sure they can. Many others have chosen to worship money, and spend their whole lives trying to accumulate wealth they want to keep to themselves. Some worship television, and commit their days making sure they are home at a certain time every Thursday night so they don’t miss a moment of these stories that will never positively impact their lives. Others choose video games, and would rather pretend to be someone else during every waking hour. Many parents, both in the church and out of it, choose to worship their children. A lot of people worship stuff, and can’t stop thinking about the new material thing they have to get to feel complete. Some cast off everything, but by doing so choose only to worship themselves.

Every one of these things is a pitiful substitute for God, and does us more harm than good. Worshiping sex causes us to cheapen what was meant to be a wonderful thing done between a man and a woman, and encourages us to view others as nothing more than objects that can satisfy us until we move on to someone with nicer boobs or more chiseled abs. Money is a false God that will never stop demanding we get more of it, for there will never be enough for us to feel secure. There will always be a new interesting television show to drain us, a new video game to take up all our time, or a new product that advertisements tell us our lives won’t be complete without. The problem with worshiping our children is they’ll believe us, and will always behave as if they are the center of the universe. Worshiping ourselves is perhaps the most pathetic, for it will leave us old, broken, and alone.

No false gods will ever satisfy us. The sin of worshiping them will destroy us, and the only one who can save us from their destruction is the one true God who loves us. He loves us so much He sent Jesus to die for us so we could spend all eternity with Him. Worship the One who created, and not the things He created. Sex, video games, money, children, and many others things are not bad things. They are just bad gods. We need to worship, but should not worship them. We should worship God.

I love you

This is my last entry from Korea. Internet access will likely be somewhat choppy over the next couple of weeks, but I will update again. I will keep this up.

I can say this easily because I know something about this. This blog is not a blog just for the sake of having another blog. There’s plenty of those. This blog is just my first steps in what I hope will be a major and significant ministry. This blog is the first part in an amazing idea the Lord has blessed me with, and not revealing what it is to everyone before it’s ready is hard because I know it’s good. I have faith. This blog is an essential part of what will one day be something much bigger, and I can’t let this whole thing fall apart because I got tired of updating a blog. I won’t let that happen.

I am going back to the US to go into the ministry. I go into the ministry not because I want to be someone who can run around on the streets and condemn people as sinners. Quite the opposite. I will not be a minister motivated by hate, but by love. The love the Lord has for me, the love I have for Him, and the love He has taught me to have for all people.

That’s right. I love you. You out there. Person reading this. I love you. I don’t care what mistakes you’ve made, or what you’ve done wrong. I love you. Hey. Guys. Males. Take this weird phrase. I love you. Person with no electricity, and who can't possibly read this. I love you. Person sitting in your mansion that cost more than the GDP for some countries. I love you. Girl who has been abused and has had your self confidence beat down by every one around you. Woman or child who has been sucked in by the evil of human trafficking. I love you. Those who suffer. I love you. Fellow Christians. I love you. Those without Christ. I love you. Republicans. Democrats. Libertarians. I love you. I love everything the Lord has created, and I love you. Out of love for you I want you all to know the joy that can come from a relationship with Jesus Christ, who loves us all so much that He died for us.

I love all God’s done, and I love all He’s made. I love all people, the trees, the rocks, the stars, the animals, the fossils, and the bugs (though I’ll squash them if they get in my house). I love the cars God gave us the brain to create. I love tall buildings, space stations, houses, boxed cereal, and recliners. I love the Lord, I love Jesus, I love the Holy Spirit, I love my wife, and I love you to.

There’s a great song that defines this, and it’s just about the only new song me and Ashley heard the whole time we were in Korea. We heard it nearly every day, and we never tire of it. I’ll close out my entries in Korea with it. Watch it, and remember just one thing. I love you:

Human words. Human Jesus. Divinely written. Messiah.

I recently read Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, by Kenneth E. Bailey. This is an excellent book that goes through ways those from the Middle Eastern culture look at the ministry of Jesus. I’d recommend it, and will put it to use in future entries.

Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes is just one of many increasingly popular books that have been released in recent years that seek to enlighten people on other ways to look at Jesus. These books maybe give a new perspective on a parable, or something like that. Can be valuable, but there are also a couple of traps to this readers of such books can fall into if they’re not careful.

The first trap comes from the reader’s motivation for reading such books. Many who read English translations of the Bible, be it KJV, NKJV, NIV, ESV, The Message, or any other version read every word with the question, “can I really trust what this says?” I’ll tell you. Yes. 99.9% of the time you can. Trust your Bible. The voice telling you not to is not the voice of God. It is the voice of doubt placed there to destroy the foundation God gave you to build your life around. Never treat the Bible as something to be viewed with suspicion and doubt. Most of these books say to trust the Bible, and those who aren’t satisfied by that will simply continue to look for any book that tells them otherwise. It’s always possible to find someone who has based their lives around the same doubts Satan wants to fill you with, and he can use their doubt to support yours. Don’t fall for this.

My second note of caution is more important. Some of these books often take a far too humanistic approach to Jesus. They can regularly complain about how we apply things to the teachings of Jesus He would never have been teaching to His audience. It’s said there are some things He couldn’t have possibly known. Don’t fall for this. This is stupid.

Who is Jesus’ audience? Is it not you? Is it not I? Is it not everyone who has called on His name in the over two millennia since He came? Perhaps He spent His ministry speaking to poor Jews, rich rabbis, outcast Samaritans, and a few Gentiles, but the words he spoke may have been meant for more than those who stood before Him as He spoke. He is more than just a Jewish man. He is the Son of God. He knows things we could not possibly know. The only thing he doesn’t know is the one thing he told us He doesn’t (when the end will come). That tells me He knew I would one day be reading His words, and he knew you would be as well.

I consider it not only possible, but likely that Jesus spoke His words so that they would address the concerns of those who came hundreds, or even thousands of years after Him. Jesus was not just trying to teach those before Him, but each of us. His words are so timeless because they were meant to be. He spoke knowing full well how His words could impact future generations, and those in cultures far different than His own. Jesus spoke of the future. He knew the future. He remains alive today, and His words still speak to us. There is very good reason for that. They were meant to.

Lives of Worship

It’s good to go to church. It’s good to want to go. It’s good to enjoy yourself at church. It’s good to love the music. It’s good to focus on the sermon. There are all good things, but they are not the only things. Those who only focus on such things really miss the whole point.

We go to church as an act of worship to God. It should only be one of many acts of worship we commit throughout our lives. We shouldn’t just go because we like it, or because the music is amazing. Our enjoyment of those things should all come out of our life being an act of worship. It’s part of the difference between being someone who knows all the steps to take to look a Christian, and someone who really is a Christian.

Notebooks full of sermon notes are useless when not combined with a life filled with application. It doesn’t matter how many worship cds we have if you’re listening to them while cussing your head off at that other driver. We need to be more than just hearers of the word, but doers of the word. We need to go to church remembering that we are fallen, and we have to change. We have to become more like Christ, and learn to walk in His ways.

God isn’t impressed by us showing up at church to entertain ourselves. He’s impressed by those who actively work to make themselves more like Him. Keep enjoying church, but remember that you’re not there just for yourself. You’re there to worship the God who loves you, who created you, who sent His son to die for you, who rescued you from eternal death, and who now resides in your soul. Accept grace, and thank Him for it by making sure you are doers of the word, and not just hearers.

Men can be dogs. Women shouldn't learn to bark.

I’ve never felt like I deserve the love of the amazing woman who agreed to be my wife. When I was first told that she liked me when I was 14 years old I knew it had to be a lie. How could she? She was so amazing, and I was not. At that time I’d discovered my writing ability, and cared about little else. I wanted to make it as a writer, or do nothing. I really didn’t care. I paid no attention in school, and got consistently bad grades because I honestly didn’t care. I was okay with ruining my life.

The rumors persisted that she liked me, however, and I responded by actually asking her out. We were both 14 on that day, and since that August 15th in 1999 we have been together. Why she was ever interested I still can’t say. I can say that I am very thankful, for my life changed thanks to her. God knew what He was doing when He placed her in my life because I now had someone else to care about. I didn’t want to ruin her life if I failed as a writer. I wanted to deserve her, and I worked to. I still do. She’s amazing. I love her. I want her to know she made a good choice.

I say all this mostly for any women out there, whether they’re 12 or 51, who think they ever have to give anything up for a man. Don’t. Too many women have been too loose with when they’re willing to spread their legs for a man, and that has allowed too many men to focus on women only as sexual objects. Lots of men don’t try hard for women because they don’t really need to.

Are such boys really what women want? Do women really think they need to lower themselves for these guys because the examples set by the media, Lady Gaga, and Grey’s Anatomy tell us that sex is just something you do with anyone you feel a slight amount of affection for? Actually, you can forget the affection. Just do it. Just give it up to any guy who is able to do it with you. It’ll be fun.

This is so stupid. Don’t allow men to just have what they want from you, and run off. The Bible tells us that a husband must love his wife as Jesus loves the church. If a man doesn’t love you enough to put a ring on that finger, and say I do in front of an alter than don’t you ever let him touch you. Afraid a guy might leave you if you don’t put out? Let him. He doesn’t deserve what you’ve got. You are amazing. You are special. You are worthy of someone who will fight for you, and who will work to deserve you. You are worthy of someone who loves you like Jesus loved the church.

Don’t settle for anything less. There are good guys out there. There will be even more of them if fewer women spread their legs easily for the bad guys. There are enough good ones, however, and while they may struggle with the same things that are common to man they will not just give into those urges. They fight to be pure, and even some of the bad ones can become good ones if you make them. Don’t give it up for them. Keep those legs closed. Do not have sex with anyone before marriage. You’ve got what men want to have, and they should have to prove they are worthy of it.

Every woman out there is amazing, beautiful, and deserving of a good man who will work to deserve them. God made you for good, and not so some trashy guy can make you into his trashy girl. A guy should have to work for the joy of being in your presence. Sex cannot be the main thing he seeks, but he should instead be motivated by his love for you. When you get a man who loves you, who would die for you, who puts his needs before your own, and who marries you before God that’s someone who you can trust with everything.

Even if you’ve already had premarital sex it isn’t too late to find that. God forgives all sins, and he can rescue you from the unfulfilling path you have yourself set on. He has something better for you, and you deserve better. You deserve a man who will fight to deserve you.

The God of Buts

I’m a but guy. One thing I know to be loved about the Gospel is it is full of buts that can help us with each situation in our lives. I love these buts. There are so many of them.

We don’t think we have the strength resist the sexual temptations that drive us to sleep with someone we’re not married to.
But God can give us that strength, and can protect us from the traps Satan would have us fall into.

We don’t believe we are capable of doing the thing we feel called to do.
But God gave us that calling, and made us capable to do the things He wants us to do.

We don’t see how our child can ever overcome the tight hold Satan has on their life.
But God can overcome all things, and can bring salvation to all people.

We are not worthy of salvation.
But Jesus died for us anyway.

The Bible is a book full of buts. Joseph was made into a slave, but God made him into the second most powerful man in Egypt. David was just a shepherd with some stones, but God used him to slay a mighty giant. Peter, James, and John were just fishermen, but Jesus made them into his three greatest disciples. Saul was determined to destroy Christianity, but God made him into one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known.

For every excuse we have, every time we mess up, every time we don’t feel up to the task, every time we’re afraid, and every time we doubt there is a but God in the Gospel to prove us wrong. We are weak on our own, but God is with us, and He can give us the strength of a lion. We are sinners, but God loves us. We are fallen, but God can raise us up. We are dead without Christ, but with Christ we can be alive.

We should not worry when things seem impossible. When it looks like nothing will ever get better we should remember how amazing our God is. Nothing is impossible with God. There is nothing he cannot overcome. We can have no excuse for a lack of faith because there is always a but God. But God statements are amazing. But God statements can help us see through all kinds of evil. But God statements can carry us through this life.

When you feel down, and unable to continue just remember one thing. But God. Remember that, and know the scriptures. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Faith vs. Fear

When God laid it on my heart to spend a long time writing and reading about faith I wasn’t exactly certain why. As I wrote these entries, however, I realized something about humanity (and myself) I hadn’t known before. Faith is so important because there are only two ways for people to go through their lives. People are either filled with faith, or consumed by fear.

This is true in the lives of both Christians, and non Christians. Faith or fear. Those are the things that define our lives. This has been true in my own life, and not in a good way. I allowed fear to control me, and for years I would never take the steps toward the ministry God had in store for me because of fear. I was afraid of running out of money, afraid of failure, afraid of being a leader, afraid of ruining success with some big mistake, afraid of rejection, afraid I wasn’t good enough, afraid of being filled with too much pride, and afraid of spending my life serving a God I didn’t have complete faith in. My fear drove me away from the things I was meant to do, and toward other things I wasn’t so afraid of.

I could’ve missed out because I was afraid. So many do. How many times have we heard to stories of those who were at companies like Apple in the early days, but they left before things got big because they were afraid of taking risks? How many of us have refused to go back to school like we know we should, refused to witness like we know we’re meant to, refused to ask out the girl we really want to, refused to pursue the dream we have without a guarantee of success, and refused to really believe in the God who loved us enough to send His son to die for us?

Where does our fear ever get us? Nowhere good. It helps us live half lives where we are only ever shadows of who we really could have been. It is only when we cast out our fear that we can truly become the men and women that God made us to be. I can only write these words because I’ve seen through the fear. I may be able to feel the fear still there gnawing at me, and wanting me, but I no longer let it tell me what to do. I refuse. I want a life controlled by faith, and not fear.

Let go of the fear. It may be trying to convince you that it’s smart to be afraid. Don’t listen. What would have happened to the Jewish people if Moses had obeyed His fear, and refused to go to Egypt? Where would we be if Jesus had given into His fear, and He refused to die for us? If good people hadn’t overcome their fears the Bible would be a much different book. History would be much different. Hitler was a scary guy. What if everyone had given into him because they were afraid to face him? Having the faith to believe he could be defeated is why we live with the freedom we do today.

We do not want the lives that our fear would have us lead. We must overcome, and learn to have faith in the Lord, faith in Jesus Christ, faith in the Holy Spirit, and faith in ourselves. Faith cannot stop us from failing, but it can keep us from giving up. When we learn to stop living our lives worrying about running out of money, worrying that we’re not good enough, and always being afraid we will really start living. Life without faith is empty. It is death. Fear is an enemy. Have faith, and live.

Faith, part 22 of 22

I’ve said a lot about faith throughout this, and that’s because faith is so important to our walk with God. Faith is essential. There is no Christianity without faith. Just empty people claiming to be filled with something they don’t believe. If we don’t have faith there is no reason to believe we can overcome the evil that resides within us. We might as well believe none of it. There is no hope for us without faith. We’re just flesh that dies.

Faith is crazy. Faith causes people to think the sun can stand still. Faith makes it possible to believe one perfect man can die for the sins of others. Faith makes it possible to believe that empty marriages can be filled with love once more, broken families can be bought back together, sick people can be healed, and death can defeated. It’s crazy to believe all this, but that’s okay. Faith is crazy, and it’s awesome to be so crazy.

Never think it is okay to allow your faith to diminish even for a moment. Fight the good fight, and keep the faith. Faith must remain in the face of opposition. Faith is there to help us endure it. There will always be doubters. We cannot allow them to infect us with their doubt. Always remain optimistic because pessimism is one of the many words that means the same thing as not having faith. Pessimism, doubt, negativity, fear, and so many other things are just disguises for not having faith. One with faith believes. Faith is belief. One without faith is dead. One with faith is alive in Christ.

Don’t ever only have faith in Christ, and have no faith in yourself. That’s not right. If you have faith then you believe God made you. He loves you. You were put on this earth and in this time for a purpose. God made you able to do exactly what He wants you to do, and we should never be afraid of it.

Maybe you’ve sinned, and sinned bad. Jesus came so that you could be forgiven, and overcome all that. Maybe you’ve spent your whole life hearing you’re not good enough. Don’t listen. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, and God never thinks you’re not good enough. He thinks you’re wonderful.

Don’t doubt yourself. He doesn’t doubt you. Have faith.