Check It

I’m published! It’s an “Artist Spotlight” I did for The Christian Pulse on the CCM (Christian Contemporary Music) band VOTA. They got dance beats, love songs to God, and a heart for what they do. You should read it. :)

If Our Faith Has Cost Us Nothing, Then What Is It Worth?

If our faith has cost us nothing…then what is it worth? After all, your faith is only worth as much as it costs you. Salvation is free…but faith is not.

Your faith is worth what it has cost you

2 Samuel 24:18-25
Matthew 13:44-46
Luke 14:26-35
Acts 5:1-11
2 Timothy 3:10-17

John 6

I dunno why, but I felt led to read John 6 today…and thought someone else might want to. I’m going to reread it again tomorrow when I’m more awake. 0_o
-Pilgrim

Quick Update

I know I said I’d be doing a study on the analogy of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife…but I got side tracked. First with a study on the Seven Beatitudes of Revelation, which I’ll post when I’m done with it, and then I had this on my mind. I also have one I want to do on Christian standards. Wow. I got so much on my mind. Not to mention getting back to writing for The Christian Pulse (I’ll link my articles to this blog when they post, the next one is on VOTA), and trying to get everything in my life sorted out.

And, for a shameless plug here…Check out Lennox Fleary, a good musician, and a fellow brother in Christ.

Lennox Fleary’s Main Site
“Sum of my Friends” blog
“The 40th Orbit” blog

You Have Been Telling Me

(This is a new Bible study, for a personal update, see here.)

“I don’t know what it is God wants me to do.”
“I’m just waiting for His call.”
“He hasn’t given me a sign yet.”
“I think because I’m good at (A), that’s what God wants me to do.”

How often have we said things like this? Or worse, lived them?

We have a tendency to not want to do what God wants us to, even when we really know what it is, and we just say things like this as an excuse. We lie to ourselves. We try to convince ourselves that God really doesn’t want us to go to the guy we hate (sorry…dislike) at work, and be nice to him. We try to say to ourselves that God couldn’t possibly want us to say hi to the dirty homeless dude on the walk to church. He couldn’t possibly mean that maybe, just maybe, He would like you to stop paying that 25 cents for whipped cream on your daily coffee, and put it in the tithe plate instead. Nah…God couldn’t possibly want that.

It’s so much easier for us to believe that He would call us to drop life, sell everything, and go to Timbuktu to teach little African kids about Him. We hate the idea that His message and love in our hearts should change OUR HEARTS. Why? We’re scared. We’ve lost our first love. We’re running from the truth. Call it what you may, but we forget the simple words of Jesus: “If you love Me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15, NIV) And if you really are following Christ, and allowing Him to change your life, and if you believe that Christ is God, and that God is love…”There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (I John 4:18, NIV) And right before that: “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him.” (I John 4:16, 17, NIV)

But the truth is, most of us know what it is God wants us to do. And even if we have pushed past self deception or fear or backsliding, we just don’t always know how to do it. We flounder around, not sure of what to do. Still, we are forgetting, “You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:2-4, NIV) We just need to ask. “For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:8, NIV) & “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21:22, NIV)

So, what if we do ask? What is He going to say to us? What answer is it that we fear so much?…Moses was in a similar position. He was atop Mt. Sinai, and the Isrealites had just had the “Golden Calf Incident.” So, Moses was probably a bit stressed, seeing as how God had said “…I will not go ith you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.” (Exodus 33:3b, NIV) Wow. God was pissed. (And rightfully so…He is the only one deserving glory after all.) Obviously, God didn’t destroy them, He probably just wanted them to understand the gravity of the situation.

But now Moses is here, talking with God, and he says, “ ‘ You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with Me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me Your ways so may know You and continue to find favor with You. Remember that this nation is Your people.” (Exodus 33:12b, 13, NIV)

That probably took a lot of guts on Moses’ part. After all, most people would have been prideful and stubborn. “How could You have stuck me with these God? Why did You let them do this? Why didn’t You make this work?” But instead, he repeated to the LORD what He had told Moses to do, and then asked for help (sure, Moses was afraid here, but he pushed through it). He acknowledged how the LORD had blessed him, and then, he asks God to help. He realizes with his words to God his need for help. (As Christ said a few thousand years later: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, NIV))

Wow. Moses has let go of his fear, knowing that God loves him. He’s pushed aside what other people think. He’s stepped over himself and his pride.

God’s simple reply? “The LORD replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ “ (Exodus 33:13, NIV)

Imagine that. Wherever you go, the God of all creation, the One who knows everything, made everything, and has all power, will be with you. And, He will give you rest. Reminds me of more of Christ’s words…”Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30, NIV) And “ ‘…the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.’ “ (John14:26b, 27, NIV)

And keep in mind, we’re always telling ourselves that if God asks us to go across the world, then we’ll do it. Then we’ll listen. Then we’ll give up our Starbucks…But, here, God was asking Moses to do just that, and it was still hard for him. There were times when Moses was afraid, skimped out, or failed to obey. He didn’t all of a sudden become the amazing soldier God needed. He still had to work through everything. He still had to ask for help. Someone once told me, “If you can’t trust God with the little things, how can you trust Him with the big things?” If you can’t trust him to take care of you when you give up your whipped cream, how can you trust Him to keep you save from maleria and raiders and death by persecution? If you can’t trust Him to take care of you while you tend the flock of sheep in the desert, how can you trust Him to take care of you when you have a whole nation to be responsible for?

I guess the real question is: are we willing to ask, truly ask the Lord, to be with us, and to trust that He will be. Are we willing to say to God, “If you are pleased with me, teach me Your ways so may know You and continue to find favor with You.” And, even more importantly, are we ready to hear the answer?

“My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
“For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
“…the Counselor, the Holy Spirit…will teach you all things and will remind you…”

My Life as of Late

I am going to start this blog anew, and I am going to keep at it with some semblance of regularity. Maybe not daily, but at least weekly.

The main things on my mind lately, in (mostly) descending order…

1. God
2. Jessica
3. My Life
4. Survival-ism
5. My Career
6. My Family

That’s pretty much what I’ll be blogging on. It’s 11:04pm right now and I have work at 5:30amish…But I couldn’t sleep until I at least hammered out this post.

As far as deep thoughts go…I’m going to be working on a Bible study focusing on the story about Joseph and Potiphar’s wife. (Genesis 39) I read a devotional the other day in Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest and he mentioned the story. I can’t remember how, but it made me think about the correlation of (1) Potiphar can represent God/human judge, (2) Joseph the Believer, (3) Joseph’s responsibilities the blessings God gives us or just human given responsibilities, (4) Potiphar’s wife temptation, and (5) the punishment…See, that’s where I fizzle out. I was starting with that being the punishment for sinning, but Joseph didn’t sin here. So it could be that Potiphar represents a human “judge” who can punish us, and then when Joseph comes through in the end as Pharaoh’s right hand man, that can represent how the righteous will in the end win. Or, maybe it can somehow represent both. I dunno. I’m too tired for this and I’m haven’t done an in depth study yet. However, any links, thoughts, or comments would be nice in helping me figure this one out.

And on that note…I’m hitting the hay…

God Bless,
Tack.

Since When Are Presents The Meaning Of Christmas?

Since the Magi “went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” (Matthew 2:9b-11, NIV)

And, more important, since God “…so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NIV)

—–

On the other hand…

“The Greatest Omission”
by Anthony

Two-thousand years ago, a Babe was born,
Destined to become the object of scorn.
To save the earth & die for sins,
the beginning of the end, now begins.

The magi, they saw the star,
Went to see the Christ from afar.
Yet, we won’t go down to our knees in prayer,
And give our life, our all, to our Savior.

Farm animals, a manger, shepherds & yet,
That the cross is our focus we often forget.
Presents & carols & wishing for snow…
Why won’t we share what we know?

So during this time of merry & cheer,
Remember that it isn’t just once a year.
For daily is the Walk, & constant the Mission,
To not tell of Jesus: the Greatest Omission.

—–

And again…

Another great one to read is O Henry’s “Gift of the Magi.”

—–

Just a few thoughts…
Merry Christmas

Foolishness

I feel lost. I feel stupid. I feel like (hell, I know) I have no clue or idea on what will happen or take place or where I will go. I have no freakin’ clue as to what anything or anyone or anywhere is.

I guess I’m a fool.

In the world’s eyes that is…

—–

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.’ Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’ When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” (I Corinthians 1:18-2:5, NIV)

—–

Unfortunately, I’m a fool in my own eyes: “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” (Prov. 26:11, NIV) (See also Psalm 38)

Even worse, in God’s: “He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.” (Prov. 28:26, NIV)

Too often lately I have returned to my vomit…trusted in myself, so that “My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly.” (Psalm 38:6, NIV)

I need to realize that, to truly follow God, I need to change those things around: I need to be a fool in the world’s eyes, yes…but by embracing God’s wisdom. And in doing so, I’ll know that I am doing what is right, and in doing so, fix my wrong image of self.

(1) As a wise man of the world, I am a fool to God.
(2) To become a wise man of God, I need to become a fool to the world.
(3) To do that, I need to reject the world’s wisdom, and then embrace God’s wisdom.
(4) Then I will be a fool of God, and wise to the world.
(5) “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.”
(6) Then I will no longer be a fool (one who trusts in self) in my own eyes, and rather will be wise (one who trusts in God).

Remember, these are just my disjointed ramblings, but are well summed up in Paul’s words written to the Corinthians: “Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise.” (I Cor. 3:18, NIV)

For A Rebel From Birth He Delays His Wrath

Isaiah 48:8-11 (NIV)

“You have neither heard nor understood;
from of old your ear has not been open.
Well do I know how treacherous you are;
you were called a rebel from birth.

“For My own name’s sake I delay My wrath;
for the sake of My praise I hold it back from you,
so as not to cut you off.

“See, I have refined you, though not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

“For My own sake, for My own sake, I do this.
How can I let Myself be defamed?
I will not yield My glory to another.”

—–

Or, as Kutless puts it:

—–

As the passage and song above say, it seems we always turn ourselves away from God, even tho He’s the whole point of living. After all, Christ shed His own blood, as man (even tho He’s God), for you. Not only have we not listened to Him, we have been a Rebel From Birth. Sinners. Think about that for a while. If you get nothing else frmo this random post…ponder that one and mull it over in your mind for a while.

Yet, somehow, for some reason, God provided the above Way to save us…As far as the east is from the west that is how far He will take your sins away.

It’s His grace. For a rebel like you and me, He will delay His wrath, give you a second chance (and often more) to repent and return to Him. Amazing how that works, eh? Ya, I know I’m rambling…not sure what my point is here. Just wanted to share some things that are on my mind, related to an issue I’m dealing with that I will not put to words here. (All I’ll say is that a little prayer would be nice…)

To close, remember I Corinthians 15:57-58…”But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (NIV) (Thanks goes to my friend Soliloquy for that one.)

God Bless,
Pilgrim.

Nothing Compares

“…the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea…its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging…Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall…the earth melts…”

“…men hotly pursue me; all day long the press their attack. My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride…All day long they twist my words; they are always plotting to harm me. They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, eager to take my life…”

Ever have days where you feel like this? I do. Very often in fact. I was having a day like this yesterday. Darkness shrouded my mood, and I was beginning to shut myself off from others in order to “protect” myself and them. =/ Not the best thing to do when you are in a depression, but it’s what I do. Then a very good friend of mine came to me and showed some good ol’ fashioned friendly kindness and brought me out of it. Then later she sent me some Scripture…And in response to my thank you message, she said something that reminded me that, maybe, after all, it’s not so bad. Maybe there is more good in my life than I thought, and there is stuff to *gasp* be thankful for.

As I was thinking about all this, a line from a really good novel I’m reading came to me: focus on the solution, not the problem. Well…I haven’t been doing enough of that lately. I’ve been focusing on my failures, shortcomings, all the stress and BS I go through, and wishing it would all get better. When instead I should be focusing on the solution. The Solution.

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” (Philippians 3:7-9, NIV)

Jesus Christ is the solution to my problems…if I focus on Him, all the rest will either go away, get fixed, or seem so insignificant as to be nothing. In other words, it will all be considered a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing my Lord and Savior. Or, as Third Day puts it…

There’s a reason it’s one of my favorite songs, not only by them, but by anyone…Nothing compares, to the greatness of knowing You Lord, oh no…”

My prayer today is this: “Lord, please be the grace I need to cover my faults, and the strength I need to get rid of them. Help me just live for today, because I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. But I know that no matter if I rise or fall, I’ll never be alone, for nothing compares to the greatness of knowing You. For without Your love…I am nothing. But by Your love I am saved.”

And so when I focus on the solution to those problems at the beginning of the blog, I realize that there is an answer to them all…just go read Psalm 46 and Psalm 56 and you’ll see what I mean…

God Bless,
Pilgrim.