Firey Words

In many ways, words are like fire. The thing about fire is that it can be used for good or for evil. When contained and controlled fire can be used for good things like providing warmth, creating weaponry, or signaling for help. However, fire that is not under control can be extremely harmful. It can easily spread and become a huge and deadly forest fire. We all know that words can be very dangerous and hurtful. And all too often its damage spreads like wild fire. James describes this effect, "Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evils among the parts of the body" (James 3:5-6). However, words are not always a bad thing. Words can and should be used positively to build people up, spread the good news, and warn people of danger. Only when the tongue is under control can it function this way. Self-control is a result of the work of the Holy Spirit and must be given to us by God. Therefore, let us pray for God's mercy to give us gracious and edifying speech that does not harm others. "Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad" (Proverbs 12:25).

Deep Friendships; Shallow Soil

In times past, I've begun to see the value in the mundane, seemingly pointless, aspects of life. After all, how much of you friendships are formed from 'insignificant' things like shopping, sports, eating breakfast, sitting in a room doing nothing together, watching tv, eating lunch, doing yard-work, eating dinner, and even arguing?

One of my closest relationships is with my twin, Ben. Our deep conversations have been limited, and I can't think of a time (before I left for college) that we talked directly about God or the Bible, at least conversationally. Our friendship is formed on sports, food, stories about work, video games, ping-pong, fighting, etc.

Also, working with disabled people has helped build my appreciation for the 'little things' in life. I would consider JL from His Works as a really good friend. However, our friendship is founded on the fact that I can interpret what he ate for dinner last night. That makes him so happy. All of a sudden, such a meaningless conversation carries a lot of meaning.

In the end, I want to learn to appreciate and capture the small moments in life. After all, deep friendships are often founded in shallow soil. I want to learn to insert truths about God, the Bible, the Church, and the  Christian faith into my life. I want these things to become ingrained with the ordinary; an integral part of who I am and how I live. I don't want to separate the spiritual with the ordinary and I don't want to enjoy the ordinary without the spiritual.

I think one of the reasons I enjoyed Waiting for Godot so much is because the friendship between Estragon and Vladamir was so much like my relationship with Ben all those years. We never did anything significant together, yet nothing could pull us apart.

"Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" - 1 Corinthians 10:31

The Relevance of Resurrection

Many things shake our lives. It seems as though a catastrophe waits around every corner. The question is, "when life begins to shake you like a little boy shakes his etch-a-sketch, what will you do?" 

Two passages in Scripture point directly to the hope of the resurrection as the grounds for standing firm through all of life's hardships. 

The first is Philippians 3:20-4:1. Our citizenship is in heaven, not on earth. If heaven is our home, when was the last time you got homesick? Never forget, we do not belong here. Don't allow yourself to get too comfortable in this world. Never stop groaning with an eager longing to become a new creation. Remember, that one day Christ will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body by the very power that enables him to subject all things to himself! That power will not fail, we will indeed become like him. No matter what this life brings. Therefore, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. 

The second is 1 Corinthians 15:54-58. What is the worse thing that can happen to you? Death? Death has been defeated by Christ in his resurrection. It has no victory. It has no sting. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. Christ will reward every action in the next life. There is no wasted faithfulness. It will be worth it. It will not be in vain.

The only reason we have any hope is that Christ has risen from the dead. This should not be made sideline doctrine, placed on the mantle for everyone to see. It should be one of the most relevant aspects of our thoughts and desires. This is our only hope. You are a seed that will one day die and grow into something much different...much more grand. Praise God that Christ is risen! 

Daily Sacrifice

God deserves the best we have to offer. Leviticus helps show that. Animal sacrifices should be 'a male without blemish,' and grain offerings should be of fine flour. God doesn't want or deserve our second best.

It is important to note that while God requires our best, He doesn't even need our offering. If he were hungry, he would not tell us, for the world and all its fullness are his (cf. Ps. 50:12). Yes, God wants the cream of your crop, but he doesn't care about what your crop is. If you're not rich enough to give a lamb or a goat, He's perfectly happy with the two birds that you bring.

I'm just thankful that the 'best' we have to offer is actually accepted by God who owns everything. Now that's grace. Our good deeds have been prepared for us. Christ frees us to walk in them. The Spirit empowers us to obedience. It's amazing with all that God gives us that He can still call it our obedience and our faithfulness. So whatever your task is today, do it as unto the Lord.

Pleasure and Pain

The more I think about the world, the more I realize how brilliantly and intricately everything has been crafted by God.

Think about the fact that humans experience pleasure. There are things in life that genuinely make us happy. Anything from hugging someone you love, eating a piece of chocolate cake, riding a bike down a steep hill, or singing your favorite song. There are so many things in life that bring us pleasure!

However, no matter how much pleasure we experience on this earth, it never seems to be enough to satisfy us. It only builds in us the desire for more. More happiness. More joy.

And then there's pain, suffering, anguish. Anything from the loss of a loved one to a stubbed toe. We know from suffering that things in this world are not as they ought to be. Things could get better. Things should get better.

What if God created us so that we could only experience pain and suffering? When offered an eternity in heaven, we would probably respond with complacency. You see, the only reason we desire heaven is because we've already had a small taste of 'heaven on earth.' We can only desire everlasting joy because God has given us a very real taste of temporal joy. When you take a bite of cake, you are building a category of 'joy,' which God uses to point us to him.

What if God created us so that we could only experience pleasure? When offered an eternity in heaven, we would probably pass it up. Why would you choose heaven if you were perfectly happy on earth?

God has designed us as creatures who experience both pleasure and pain. Heaven draws us because it is in God's presence that we have fullness of joy. Already knowing what partial joy is, of course we're ready to experience joy in its fullness. Heaven also draws us because God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Not only will we have more of the good experiences in life, but we will lose all of the bad experiences.

So there you have it. Both pleasure and pain should instill in us a desire for heaven. I think that one without the other would make things very strange and difficult. Praise God for His wisdom!

Work and the Pursuit of Happiness

Take a look around. Have you ever wondered why the happiest people you know are so often the ones who live an average life and work an average job? One of the happiest people I know works part-time job behind a cash register making a little more than minimum wage. Why does he seem happier than the person who has everything? Which person really has more? The one who has more happiness, or the one who has more money (which is only a means to happiness)?

Here's a short word from the wonderful world of vanity (a.k.a. Ecclesiastes). 

1. Money doesn't satisfy the one who loves money (5:10). Remember that you cannot love God and money. If money doesn't satisfy the one who loves money then who should you love, God or money? 

2. After a long day of hard work, the laborer takes delight in sleep (5:12). I certainly hope you've experienced this. Nothing's better than climbing into bed when you're absolutely exhausted from the day's work. As you lay there under the covers, the bed somehow feels softer and your mind is at rest because you know that your work is done and you've earned your rest. Remember, you not only earn money when you work...you earn rest. Also, the blessing of sleep comes whether or not you earn enough to eat a lot or a little (5:12). 

3. In contrast, the rich man who does not work will not be able to sleep because of his full stomach (5:12). He does not partake in the laborer's rest. 

4. Not all hard workers enjoy their labor (5:13-17). Some people work relentlessly day and night, simply to lose their money on a whim. This is vanity and grasping for the wind. Plus, this man doesn't even enjoy the process of making money. Rather, he constantly eats the bread of anxious toil, with much vexation and discontentment. 

5. Some men do receive joy from their labor (5:18-20). These men not only enjoy the fruit of their hard work, but they enjoy the hard work itself, namely the lot which God has given them. It is only by the grace of God that someone can enjoy their labor as well as the fruit of their labor. That's why Solomon calls it "the gift of God" to accept your lot and to rejoice in your toil. 

6. You need God to enjoy life (6:1-2). There is an evil under the sun: "a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them." It is only by God's grace that we can accept the work He has allotted to us and enjoy the blessings of life and labour. 

Lie: money=happiness. 

Truth: love of money=idolatry, sin, and unhappiness. 

Lie: work=unhappiness

Truth: God=the Giver of all good gifts, especially work/rest

Prayers of the Saints

There is something very humbling about the nature of prayer. As my pastor would contend, the 'power of prayer' is really just the power of God. There is no inherent power in prayer. Thus, when God chooses to wrap Himself up in a cloud 'so that no prayer can pass through,' He shows that He owes us no obligations (Lam. 3:44). Prayer is not a vending machine. And if it is, then it only works when God wants it to.

I can only imagine the stories we'll hear in heaven. A missionary who was strengthened by the prayers of his sick mother thousands of miles away. A great pastor who survived college only because of the prayers of his six year old sister. Thousands of people who received new birth through the Holy Spirit in response to the prayers of faithful saints. How many of your own prayers God will show you the answer to. He'll take you aside and show you that He was listening, even though it felt like He wasn't.

One of my favorite things about prayer is that it levels the Christian playing field. When God is the one working, He can use any of His servants to perform the same task. He listens to the 40 year old pastor as well as the 10 year old girl. I'd like to think that God builds his church on the prayers of the young and the weak Christians. Perhaps for no other reason than to humble the strong and show off His strength.

Please continue to pray. Much of the fruit will not be seen until that Day, but continue to believe that it will be worth it. Prayer may very well be the most fruitful practice of the Christian life. The only catch is that you must believe that God hears and answers, and that can be difficult. May God give us eyes to see that He is working!