A man named Jesus spoke on mountain tops, in boats in seas, He talked in small and large crowds about the truth and people gathered around Him to see miracles. The acts He performed, we only dream of:
He cured the blind, lepers, paralytics, bleeding and diseased.
He raised the dead.
He walked on water and calmed a storm.
He fed 5000 people, with five loaves of bread, and two fish.
What amazes me about that last one and some of the others is the reaction of the crowds afterward. 5000 followers were miraculously filled with food and yet what was their response?
'What more can you show us so we'll believe?'(Paraphrased John 6:30)
I carry this idea over in life. The idea that we never have enough. This is a human condition. The craving, and insatiable desire of the flesh. We have not enough money, not enough house, yes ladies even not enough shoes. It's just not enough happiness. We want more signs, we want more money we want more external goods to satisfy our soul. Even Aristotle thought it was silly:"Some think that a very moderate amount of virtue is enough, but set no limit to their desires of wealth, property, power, reputation, and the like."
There are a lot of people hurting, whether in our heart or in physical pain. We come from all walks of life, we are raised in difference houses, with different principles but we all share the same pain of seeking happiness and never truly finding it. Think about that, have you found happiness? Or are you even looking for it?
Jesus responded to these crowds after they wanted more and more miracles. He said:
"I am the bread of life, No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again. But as I told you, you've seen Me, and yet you do not believe. Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me: that I should lose none of those He has given Me but should raise them up on the last day. For this is the will of My father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."
We seek to drink alcohol for fun until we pass out. We seek to steal the sacrality of sex from marriage to please our empty desires. We want perfect relationships and we seek them from imperfect people. We work 14 hour days to accumulate wealth and miss the priceless youth of our children. We watch Television daily and call it quality family time. We even eat until we have to change into elastic sweat pants!
What is the reality of it all? Without TV, we can hear the cries of our children or spouses. Without alcohol, we're not abusive, but we're happily sober and healthy. By living within our monetary means, we don't have debt haunting our dreams. By not chasing sex we seek other ways to fill that hole in our hearts. And I tell you from experience. The only way to fill that hole in your heart, is by eating of the bread of life.
I ask myself this daily. What is it that I'm seeking to fill my holes and how often does it fail to fill me? Filling my desires with this world fails me repeatedly. The love that Jesus Christ displayed in His torture, death and resurrection is the only desire that promises and delivers.
Believe it or not, there is no strength in denying that we need a savior. I've been on the other end of that stick and my true strength came when I gave my life to Him. Don't go another day without Him.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Afraid to Die
Leadership has been an interesting topic for me lately as I've had the extra time to read. I see it active in public speaking, standing out in the crowd, making important decisions and standing behind them. Leaders move people to action. They lift spirits and create a focus toward accomplishment. Leaders promote teamwork and without leaders, we would all be lost.
But what is a leader, truly? I can scan the television, read the newspapers or attend important meetings all in the course of a day but I can often spend an entire week without ever seeing a leader. Leadership isn't just a theory, it isn't a black suit, it's a personality. It's character in action. I see people following ideas or getting excited about a collection of words spoken with fervor but where are the true examples of leadership? We are sheep who look around and see a valley of never-ending wool. We can never pinpoint a shepherd. Some of us run in one direction, and the herd follows in hopes of finding a leader. What if those of us in the middle of the herd made our way to the edge, would we find the shepherd we seek? I think we'd find more sheep.
Why is it that we have leaders in history that stood up for their beliefs and yet today, I can't name a leader that will stand long enough to take constructive criticism.
JFK - As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.
Martin Luther King Jr. - A man who won't die for something is not fit to live.
Abraham Lincoln - I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.
Mahatma Gandhi - A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act.
Jesus - Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.
It's obvious what's common among the few men listed above. They stood in the face of adversity and were killed for their unwavering stances. Today, all I see is make-believe leaders. No one stands firm in their beliefs. Those in the limelight, able to make the biggest change in this world are not willing to take a stand and stay standing even when bullets fly.
It's as simple as that; they are afraid to die.
Know what I'd like to see in our leaders? Courage to make mistakes. Humility to accept our imperfections and the strength to make decisions anyway. Unwavering stances on morality and ethical practices. The ability to read and prevent problems instead of cleaning up the mess afterward. Compassion to love us enough to make tough decisions.
I think it's time to forge new leaders. No man is worth following if he'll deny you to save his own life. This new postmodernism idea is killing us one cheeseball at a time.
Stand up for your beliefs! Be open to new ideas but don't let pressure be the catalyst to change. Be the good shepherd who will lay down his life against the wolves who strive to take life away, not the hired hand.
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep." John 10:11-15
But what is a leader, truly? I can scan the television, read the newspapers or attend important meetings all in the course of a day but I can often spend an entire week without ever seeing a leader. Leadership isn't just a theory, it isn't a black suit, it's a personality. It's character in action. I see people following ideas or getting excited about a collection of words spoken with fervor but where are the true examples of leadership? We are sheep who look around and see a valley of never-ending wool. We can never pinpoint a shepherd. Some of us run in one direction, and the herd follows in hopes of finding a leader. What if those of us in the middle of the herd made our way to the edge, would we find the shepherd we seek? I think we'd find more sheep.
Why is it that we have leaders in history that stood up for their beliefs and yet today, I can't name a leader that will stand long enough to take constructive criticism.
JFK - As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.
Martin Luther King Jr. - A man who won't die for something is not fit to live.
Abraham Lincoln - I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.
Mahatma Gandhi - A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act.
Jesus - Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.
It's obvious what's common among the few men listed above. They stood in the face of adversity and were killed for their unwavering stances. Today, all I see is make-believe leaders. No one stands firm in their beliefs. Those in the limelight, able to make the biggest change in this world are not willing to take a stand and stay standing even when bullets fly.
It's as simple as that; they are afraid to die.
Know what I'd like to see in our leaders? Courage to make mistakes. Humility to accept our imperfections and the strength to make decisions anyway. Unwavering stances on morality and ethical practices. The ability to read and prevent problems instead of cleaning up the mess afterward. Compassion to love us enough to make tough decisions.
I think it's time to forge new leaders. No man is worth following if he'll deny you to save his own life. This new postmodernism idea is killing us one cheeseball at a time.
Stand up for your beliefs! Be open to new ideas but don't let pressure be the catalyst to change. Be the good shepherd who will lay down his life against the wolves who strive to take life away, not the hired hand.
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep." John 10:11-15
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
On this rock
When someone asked me about my beliefs, I used to call myself a Christian who didn't like attending church. Sure I had some bad experiences like everyone else did but I laugh at the way I looked at the church when I was younger. Perhaps the churches I had attended at that age weren't quite as biblical as they could have been or I was blind but it reminds me of a story Pastor Shane shared. He told us how he was traveling by plane, sitting next to another gentleman and inevitably waiting for the exchange of questions about each others line of work. First the other man spoke of his work and then asked Shane what he did professionally. Shane's response was of course, I'm a pastor for a church in Las Vegas. The man replied, ah church, I don't like church, it's full of hypocrites. And the most interesting response I would never expected from a pastor was, yes, you're right, we are a bunch of hypocrites, and there is room for one more.
Like this man, my childhood was also centered around this idea that I was better than the church, I had God and I didn't need the church but man, was I missing the point. I was no different than the scribes and Pharisees as the famous words were spoken to the adulteress in John 8:7 - "The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her." I was throwing stones at the church yet I had no right to. What I now find church to be is a group of normal people who believe in a central purpose and are willing and able to help and love each other while in the process of becoming better people.
Not only was I missing that point, but I had never even questioned the idea of church. What is church? Why go to church? To me, it was a place to learn about the Bible, about history and Jesus and in my pride, I knew I could learn the bible just fine without someone teaching me what I'm not intelligent enough to read on my own. But my answers to what church is, what it is supposed to be, were wrong, and I set out to find the truth.
The Greek word used in the New Testament for church is "Ekklesia":
"An assembly of citizens summoned by the crier; the legislative assembly."
As Jesus called the church into being, by definition, He never spoke of creating a building where people met, but instead spoke of uniting people under one central purpose and understanding; the good news that Jesus Christ is the prophesied Messiah. He spoke to countless people on how to live a better life, how to love your neighbor and how to give abundantly. He told us that although we've sinned before, we are saved by grace and our lives are better lived without sin. The heart of Jesus has never been fully understood in the secular and even the spiritual world but the truth is 'Ekklesia' is the calling of all who believe in Him to demonstrate His love through community, gifting and fellowship.
I've attended four different 'churches' in the past month and what I've realized is that the church is separated now more than ever. We've separated ourselves by buildings and have become prideful in belonging to a specific church; I'm guilty as well. But the calling is to be one church, united for one cause. What 500 Christians can do in a city, 10,000 Christians can do better.
If we believe in Jesus' call to be the church, then we should start acting as one church, and not many. If you belong to a church, don't think of other churches as your competitors, but think of us all as your brothers and sisters for the same cause. Make an effort to attend a different church every once and a while, make new friends and believers in Christ.
If you don't belong to a church, find one and get involved. It seems intimidating at first but it's one of the best actions you'll take in your life. If you don't believe in God, I encourage you to ask yourself why, and seek truth.
If you do belong to a church, we need to forget the semantics and cling to the truth of what we all believe and take action where it is needed. This world is hurting and at times we don't see it through our american lenses but there is work to be done. Let's exercise our faith through our works. Love God, love your neighbors, give abundantly and be unselfish.
"But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works.' Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works." -James 2:18
Like this man, my childhood was also centered around this idea that I was better than the church, I had God and I didn't need the church but man, was I missing the point. I was no different than the scribes and Pharisees as the famous words were spoken to the adulteress in John 8:7 - "The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her." I was throwing stones at the church yet I had no right to. What I now find church to be is a group of normal people who believe in a central purpose and are willing and able to help and love each other while in the process of becoming better people.
Not only was I missing that point, but I had never even questioned the idea of church. What is church? Why go to church? To me, it was a place to learn about the Bible, about history and Jesus and in my pride, I knew I could learn the bible just fine without someone teaching me what I'm not intelligent enough to read on my own. But my answers to what church is, what it is supposed to be, were wrong, and I set out to find the truth.
The Greek word used in the New Testament for church is "Ekklesia":
"An assembly of citizens summoned by the crier; the legislative assembly."
As Jesus called the church into being, by definition, He never spoke of creating a building where people met, but instead spoke of uniting people under one central purpose and understanding; the good news that Jesus Christ is the prophesied Messiah. He spoke to countless people on how to live a better life, how to love your neighbor and how to give abundantly. He told us that although we've sinned before, we are saved by grace and our lives are better lived without sin. The heart of Jesus has never been fully understood in the secular and even the spiritual world but the truth is 'Ekklesia' is the calling of all who believe in Him to demonstrate His love through community, gifting and fellowship.
I've attended four different 'churches' in the past month and what I've realized is that the church is separated now more than ever. We've separated ourselves by buildings and have become prideful in belonging to a specific church; I'm guilty as well. But the calling is to be one church, united for one cause. What 500 Christians can do in a city, 10,000 Christians can do better.
If we believe in Jesus' call to be the church, then we should start acting as one church, and not many. If you belong to a church, don't think of other churches as your competitors, but think of us all as your brothers and sisters for the same cause. Make an effort to attend a different church every once and a while, make new friends and believers in Christ.
If you don't belong to a church, find one and get involved. It seems intimidating at first but it's one of the best actions you'll take in your life. If you don't believe in God, I encourage you to ask yourself why, and seek truth.
If you do belong to a church, we need to forget the semantics and cling to the truth of what we all believe and take action where it is needed. This world is hurting and at times we don't see it through our american lenses but there is work to be done. Let's exercise our faith through our works. Love God, love your neighbors, give abundantly and be unselfish.
"But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works.' Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works." -James 2:18
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Rooted in Solid Ground
On a daily basis, I'm reminded constantly that my faith can't reside in the temporal. There is no room for me to put my faith in jobs, in money, in relationships and other seemingly gratifying worldly things. Time and time again, although my hope and attitude does not change, the realization that I must ground myself in that which is immovable is becoming more and more apparent. Faith by definition is belief in a promise. For faith to exist, the promise must exist and in that, for faith to continue, the promise must always exist or faith is let down and delusional.
The conclusion seems silly but it's so detrimental to our life that we believe and have faith in that which on this earth, never ends so that we may continue to fight the fight in the face of adversity. What is hindering is placing my faith in those things that don't truly exist and will let me down. The more I put my faith in the ideas and things that ultimately fail, the more discouraged I can become in believing and hoping that this temporal life can indeed sustain me through the thick and thin.
I can watch a tree sway in the wind, rain and hail of a hurricane and not lose itself in the midst of the storm. I ask myself, what does it take to stand tall in the depths of such chaos? But what's easy to see, is that the tree doesn't place its faith in the sun which helps it grow, or in the water or soil that gives it nutrients, it places it's faith in the roots it's planted deep into the ground. The roots sustain the tree's life by gripping to that which is immovable and solid. When the storm comes, the sun, the nutrients and the water don't help the tree from falling prey to the wind; only the roots sustain it.
Like a tree, I can't place my faith in money that surely provides for me food, or relationships that surely help me grow but my faith must be rooted deeply in the never-ending truth: that God sustains me through His promises.
"Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn't collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn't act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. And its collapse was great!" Matthew 7:24-28
It takes money to live. Relationships are invaluable. Jobs and other worldly things give us the opportunity to live life more abundantly. But don't put your faith in the moveable objects, like sand, for they won't withstand the hurricane. Put your faith and trust in a God who knows the beginning and the end and will lead you to discover your purpose through His will. In the end, what is eternity compared to 100 years of life on earth? Put your faith in God and in what He's calling you to do. His purpose never fails.
The conclusion seems silly but it's so detrimental to our life that we believe and have faith in that which on this earth, never ends so that we may continue to fight the fight in the face of adversity. What is hindering is placing my faith in those things that don't truly exist and will let me down. The more I put my faith in the ideas and things that ultimately fail, the more discouraged I can become in believing and hoping that this temporal life can indeed sustain me through the thick and thin.
I can watch a tree sway in the wind, rain and hail of a hurricane and not lose itself in the midst of the storm. I ask myself, what does it take to stand tall in the depths of such chaos? But what's easy to see, is that the tree doesn't place its faith in the sun which helps it grow, or in the water or soil that gives it nutrients, it places it's faith in the roots it's planted deep into the ground. The roots sustain the tree's life by gripping to that which is immovable and solid. When the storm comes, the sun, the nutrients and the water don't help the tree from falling prey to the wind; only the roots sustain it.
Like a tree, I can't place my faith in money that surely provides for me food, or relationships that surely help me grow but my faith must be rooted deeply in the never-ending truth: that God sustains me through His promises.
"Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn't collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn't act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. And its collapse was great!" Matthew 7:24-28
It takes money to live. Relationships are invaluable. Jobs and other worldly things give us the opportunity to live life more abundantly. But don't put your faith in the moveable objects, like sand, for they won't withstand the hurricane. Put your faith and trust in a God who knows the beginning and the end and will lead you to discover your purpose through His will. In the end, what is eternity compared to 100 years of life on earth? Put your faith in God and in what He's calling you to do. His purpose never fails.
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