walk with me as i walk with Him
David was a man after God’s own heart.
It is described in Acts that David fell asleep after his time serving the Lord. How beautiful is that? He came to a point in his ministry where he could just lay down and wait for the gates of Heaven to open for Him. There was sin in his heart, yes, but these things couldn’t compare to the ultimate desire that David had to please his God.
Are you ever scared of sin? of the guilt or the responsibility of that sin? I promise you that not only will God love you through sin, but He will also use that sin as a tool to bring others to Christ. If we desire to please our Father, there is nothing that will stop us from Heaven. Death is nothing but a night’s sleep before we come face to face with Him.
***
God is so cool. Just a couple hours ago, I was asking myself why I am not in awe of God more often. I’ve begun to realize that while I’m not in awe enough, His perfection and His love for me still amaze me often. How am I supposed to fathom what He gives me? Can a goldfish understand the heart of the hand that feeds it?
God. is. good.
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Be prepared for another faith verses works post. If you think you’ve had enough of it, think again. I personally think that there is never a point where you can hear about faith verses works and say “that’s enough, I don’t need to hear about faith vs works again”. Why is it so important?
Normally the typical sermon on faith and works starts off quoting James on the verse that says we are not justified by faith alone but by works. Obviously, the context of this passage is vital to understanding how it plays out or else the reader will simply think that his righteousness is achieved through the tedious repetition of confession, giving to the poor, and holding punches when wronged. The preacher or pastor will then turn to numerous passages in Galatians, Ephesians, Romans, etc. to show the vast amount of times that the Bible explains that it is not your works that justify you, but your grace, (Romans 4:5) ultimately leaving the audience confused as to which to believe. But then we talk a bit about how if you’re not bearing fruit then you probably have no faith or have not truly encountered Jesus, sprinkle a little bit of Calvin in there, and boom, you have a good faith verses works message that covers the basic information that you need. But other than simply storing helpful head knowledge, what does that mean for us?
JSPark recently blogged a video from Tim Keller about a week or two ago. Great message, but the one reference that really sold his point to me was Hebrews 11:29.
By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned
Hebrews 11:29
Obviously the key word here is “faith”. It’s the title of this blog post, it’s one of the most used words in the Bible, and it is the basis of our lifestyle under Jesus. But back to my question of what it really means for us. I’m going to address a matter of works not in terms of how many times you go to Sunday school or whether or not you keep up with your devos, but in terms of our confidence as Christians sometimes.
Lets get this straight. Christianity is a status. You are either Christian, or you are not. There was a survey that was taken on whether or not people were Christian, and a majority of people gave the answer, “Yeahh… well you know, I’m trying”. What does that mean? You’re trying to be a Christian? My friends, it does not work like that! And let me tell you why.
Why did the Israelites cross the Red Sea? Because they had faith. Why did the Egyptians fail? Because they had no faith. To the Christians who struggle with the idea that they’re not “Christian” enough, or are overshadowed by the more “spiritually mature”, you have faith! What does that mean? That means you are a Christian, and it sure as hell doesn’t mean you are any less of a Christian than the small group leader who can use perfect hermeneutics to exegete Scripture in Hebrew. Upon experiencing the unending love of Jesus, from that day forward you are a new regenerate creation in Him.
When crossing that Red Sea and seeing a million fish swim by you in a wall of water, there must have been a huge mess of emotions going on within the Israelites. There must of been at least a great number who were pumped, screaming things like, “In your face Egyptians! Look at what our God can do!”, but without a doubt I can tell that there were at least a bunch thinking to themselves, “Oh my gosh we are so going to die. Look at that whale what is life.”
So you have a plethora of people, all thinking different things, some struggling with the ridiculous concept that they are currently walking through an ocean. But whats the outcome? They all made it through. The weak, the strong, the worried, the nervous, the slow, the fast, and the anxious. And what does that say about us? We either have faith, or we don’t. You’re a Christian, or you’re not, and if you can confidently say that you have experienced the mind boggling love of Jesus Christ, then you are a Christian. You’re not less Christian if you’re struggling with pornography, you’re not less Christian if you’re going through a spiritual dry spell, you’re not less Christian if you just can’t seem to match up to your small group co-leader. You are loved.
To the struggling Christians, you are loved.
To the pastor who feels lost in the world sometimes, you are loved.
To the praise leader who just can’t seem to get the chords down, you are loved.
To the millions of Christians who just think that sometimes not sinning is so extremely hard, you are loved.
When you have faith in a love like that? Who wouldn’t want to work?
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i wish i could make a greater influence in other people’s lives. that might seem like a prideful ambition, but i truly desire to be someone that people look to for encouragement.
as of now i’m just the tall awkward kid that’s kinda bipolar/super flirty with girls. right? i think that’s a safe assumption.
that’s not who i want to be though. i’m not expecting God to change me into a perfect person (no matter how hard I pray), but i want to be better than the person i am.
better than someone who not only struggles with, but also sins with acts of lust, lethargy, and general lack of self control. better than someone that fills up a day with extracurricular activities then complains about bad grades. better than someone who has an often offensive sense of humor and a tendency for bluntness. better than who i am.
i am not saying that who i am now is horrible, for God made me this way. but i know that God also intended for this to just be the shell of who i can be. somewhere inside is the person that i imagine. a more Christ-like man that can really be a rock in both KCCC and GSF ministries. i really hope that the transformation isn’t too slow.
i don’t want to be impatient but at the same time i truly desire to know Him and myself better.
humblehumblehumble.
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where has another such man existed in our history? a prophet with an unimaginable connection to God. someone who conveyed God’s Word with such eloquence and such faithfulness.
and yet, with ONE transgression against God, He was shunned from the Promise Land. In perfect mind and perfect health, Moses went to die on Mount Nebo for a sin that we commit every single day.
Moses was a great man, “whom the Lord knew face to face,” and he was denied the promise land (Deut 34:10).
We are so sinful and because of Jesus we are given ALL the treasures of Heaven.
I still complain. I still yearn for more.
God let me grateful. Let me appreciate all that You have given, WHO You have sacrificed.
Amen.
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Learn to know Christ and him crucified. Learn to sing to him, and say, Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, I am your sin. You have taken upon yourself what is mine and given me what is yours. You have become what you were not so that I might become what I was not.
Martin Luther
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because I’m coming undone.
Jason Min came to KCF the other day and sang at the KCF coffeehouse. it was really inspiring. his one song, The Man and His Wife really touched me. I’ve heard it before, but hearing him tell the story of the song and how it related to him was really beautiful on another level. Jason’s a fellow Christian and I loved the way he put the idea of religious alzheimer’s.
like a wife who’s losing her memory — forgetting every strand of what keeps her upon this earth — but still reaching for something that faintly resounds in her heart, so we are with Christ.
God weeps for us so often, wishing every moment that we will remember His name, acknowledge His presence and truly appreciate the glorious grace that He has bestowed upon us, yet so often we fail to do even that. we as humans ache for Something to give meaning to our lives, Someone who will ease the pain of the original sin that we live with, but we rarely realize how close salvation is to us.
ironically, I just bought the book Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit, and it just so happens to be right next to me. I haven’t yet delved into it, but I imagine Francis Chan has a similar message.
—-
God is wonderful.
why do we forget this so often? why can’t we recall His name when we are on our knees and desperate? in the valley we curse Him, on the mountaintops we don’t remember His help. we forget the glory and the beauty of His kingdom all the time.
forgive me.
Amen.
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