Promise -> Motivation -> Means

Promise:
“Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.
By myself I have sworn;
from my mouth has gone out in righteousness
a word that shall not return:
‘To me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall swear allegiance.’
(Isaiah 45:22-23 ESV)

Motivation:
“For my name's sake I defer my anger,
for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you,
that I may not cut you off.
Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.
For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it,
for how should my name be profaned?
My glory I will not give to another.
(Isaiah 48:9-11 ESV)

Means:
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.
(Isaiah 53:12 ESV)

Good News.

Boom

Law -> "Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." Hebrews 9:22

Grace -> "[Christ] entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption." Hebrews 9:12

Result -> "For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified...I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." Hebrews 10:14&17

Sick-Tight huh?

Self-Protection vs. Self-Sacrifice

I just finished reading my first book of the summer, Tullian Tchividjian's "Unfashionable." It went a different direction than I thought it would, but all in all, I really enjoyed reading it. I'd definitely give it my recommendation. Though there are many take-aways from a book like this, one theme that I really enjoyed was what Pastor Tullian described as "Self-Protection" vs. "Self-Sacrifice."

The main idea and motivation for this is the Gospel. Simple enough, right? Tchividjian argues that because of the Gospel and the work Jesus has done for sinners, Christians are freed from self-protection and freed for self-sacrifice.

First, no longer must Christians toil and strain for approval from the world, our parents, our friends, our co-workers, our church, and even our God! The beauty of the Gospel is that Christ secured for us a perfect standing before God the Father because of the cross. Our identity is no longer defined by what we do or don't do. Paul put it this way in his letter to the Galatian church, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Gal. 2:20 ESV) Christian, it is no longer your deeds that define you, it is the PERFECT righteousness of Christ. No longer do you need to protect your identity because it is already secured before the Father.

Second, in light of our objectively defined right-standing before God, we are freed to self-sacrifice for others. Our biggest problem is solved in Christ.

Think about how freeing this is. Having received all the kindness and tender-heartedness and forgiveness we need from God, we become free to give to others without risk, because our deepest needs have already been fully met in Christ. "Unfashionable" pg. 148

We have every spiritual blessing! Our biggest need is sufficiently and completely satisfied in Christ. Therefore, we are free to give to everything we have because we have everything we really need. Because of the Gospel, we are able sacrifice time, money, and energy radically because we are no longer defined by them. Giving becomes a privilege instead of a burden when the Gospel invades our lives. In the same way someone who is rich can give much or what they have, those who are infinitely rich in Christ can give everything they have.

So what will this look like for you? Because of how well you've been served by Christ, how will you serve others? Because of how much grace you've been given by God, how much grace will you give to your family and friends? Because you are infinitely rich in Jesus, how will you spend and invest your money?

What power the Gospel provides in our lives!!!

The Source of Joy

From what do you derive happiness, optimism, or positive thinking? There is little doubt that optimism is a good thing. After all, it is contagious, empowering, and generally enjoyable to be around. However, the question remains-- what makes you feel this way or how does this come about?

I should state two rather large qualifiers initially. This is speaking to day-to-day optimism and is separate from situations that can evoke extreme negative emotions such as death, loss of job, etc. Though the truths here may speak into situations like these, it is generally ill-advised to throw “feel-gooderies” at someone who is in intense emotional turmoil. Also of note, this is only the case for those who follow Jesus Christ.

Many, including myself, tend to seek optimism for the sake of being happy and empowering others. I don't think this is a bad thing; however, I would argue that this should be the outcome of a positive point of view and not its source. When making people happy is my ultimate goal, there are usually seedlings of people-pleasing and pride behind the the positive facade. There must be a different starting point.

In the midst of multiple contending motivations, I hold that the Gospel is the purest source of happiness or optimism. What the world says is “Be happy because that is how you're supposed to be. It's the popular thing to do!” What the Gospel says is “The biggest problem in your life, namely your sin, is solved. You are guaranteed an eternity with the Creator of the universe. Therefore, delight in this reality.” What relief the Gospel provides! How can this news not evoke positivity!?

The Gospel in its entirity is something that is intended to evoke positive emotions. After all, it is, by definition, good news. It is the news that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) It is the news that God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) It is the news that we have now been reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present us holy and blameless before Him. (Colossians 1:22) How difficult would it be to look at those three truths and say, “Bummer, woe is me!”?

Because of the paragraph above, Christians have a great deal of reason to have a life marked with happiness. What the Gospel is says to you and I is this: “You deserve nothing but the wrath of God for your sin. You should suffer eternally because your opposition to the Father. However, BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU, you are free from the penalty of sin. Moreover, you are righteous and without sin because of the work of Jesus Christ. You are free to enjoy Him and His creation because you no longer have to worry about the penalty of sin any longer!” (See Col. 2:13-14, Romans 6:23, Hebrews 10)

How can I feel entitled to anything? Or how can I be upset when things don't go my way? I deserve worse! I deserve hell and separation from God! Instead, I get God... for free! What joy is found in the fact that God pardons sinners.

So here is the kicker. What is the most challenging part of living in light of these truths? Remembering them. It seems like this application would be easy. I mean, it's the best news in the world, right? However, remembering the freedom we have in the Gospel in the midst of a traffic jam, stubbed toe, or long work shift can prove to be challenging. Though I am far from being an expert in this, I have a couple (fairly straightforward) suggestions.

1. Memorize the verses cited in this article

2. Pray often that God would remind you of these truths

Stressed about anything???

Are you stressed about something in your life?

If yes, read:
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tullian/2011/03/18/the-gospel-everyday-2/

If not, read:
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tullian/2011/03/18/the-gospel-everyday-2/

An Encouragement to Prayer

The realization that faith is the gift of God- not the result of the persuasion of the evangelist (and I use that term to refer to anyone who shares the gospel with another person)- should encourage us to pray with confidence. It means that no one, however hardened he or she may be, is beyond the regenerating, life-creating work of the Holy Spirit.

I think of some for whose salvation I pray regularly. One is stridently opposed to the gospel, wanting nothing to do with God. Another is happily indifferent, seeing no need of a Savior because he is a good, moral person. Others, at this point in our relationships, would be highly insulted to be told they need a Savior because, after all, they are both moral and religious. What hope is there for these people? It lies only in the sovereign, mysterious work of the Holy Spirit. And I pray regularly that He will work in the hearts of these people through the gospel message to create the faith they must have to believe in Christ.

-Jerry Bridges in "The Gospel for Real Life"

A Present Reality

Taken from Jerry Bridges' The Gospel for Real Life

"Unfortunately, many believers do not live as if justification is a permanent, abiding state. They have divorced their hope of eternal life in heaven from their relationship with God today. They think as if they will "put on" Christ's robe of righteousness at death. Meanwhile, in this life they draw their sense of God's acceptance from their most recent performance of Christian duties or their avoidance of certain sins. Their "robe of righteousness" for daily living is not that which they have from Christ, but one that they have stitched together by their own performance. They do not live in the here and now as if they are righteous in the sight of God solely because they have the righteousness of Christ...."

Guilty...

Pray

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5koVKBGrmY8&feature=player_embedded

Take a couple minutes today and pray for a country where it is illegal to convert to Christianity...

Why do we hold on to past sins?

"We are not nearly as vigorous in appropriating God's forgiveness as He is
in extending it."
-Jerry Bridges

Read Hebrews 10:17-18

Tension

There are numerous "tensions" found in the Bible. However, there is one that I'm thinking about a lot right now...

Exodus 20:12 and Luke 14:26...

Giving 2 Corinthian-Style

For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.
-II Corinthians 8:3-5

Notice in the last phrase the order of the giving of the Macedonian church which I think might be the Philippian church that Paul writes to later. They gave themselves first to the Lord. Next, they gave to missionaries like Paul. They commit themselves to God, then they gave to other believers in need.

Why should they do this? What is there motivation? This is what I interpret to be the driving force of why they (AND WE) should give abundantly.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
-II Corinthians 8:9

Yes, we are commanded to be generous with our money. However, we should not be guilted into giving. Rather, we can turn to the Gospel for what Jesus thought about giving. In comparison to God, we are the poorest of the poor. We bring nothing to the table. However, here's the sweet part, He became poor to the point of death. For what? In order that we may have richness in Him.

So when we are given the opportunity to give, we can look at the Gospel and see it as a clear motivation for giving generously. It's a really sweet way to reflect the Gospel for others.

By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission flowing from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others...
II Corinthians 9:13

Wow. Boom goes the Paul and Gospel dynamite.

Something I've been learning a ton about in the past year or so is the centrality of the Gospel. My brother gave me a sick book that focused on it and I started listening to sermons by C.J. Mahaney and Tim Keller. C.J. really focuses on how the Gospel is really the fuel to any Christian's life. Our motivations as Christians should flow from the Gospel, and in order for this to happen, we must be learning and growing in knowledge of the Gospel. That's why Paul says the Gospel he delivered to the Corinthians was "of first importance." I feel like I could type all day on this one and I only got into the first 5 verses. However, since I'm going to class soon, I'll just give some links to some sweet stuff that has been really helpful for me when it comes to Gospel centrality.



Tullian Tchividjian speaks at DesiringGod 2010 about Gospel Math
The Gospel Primer - Milton Vincent (This is the book my brother gave me. It's very short but by far my favorite book second to the Bible. If you promise to read it within a month or so, I'll give you a copy)
Of First Importance Blog
Tim Keller Article


If you have an hour (or if you don't), you should watch the Tullian Tchividjian talk on Gospel Math. He was just one of the seminar speakers, but this was my favorite talk at the conference.

Also, the Gospel Primer is great for devotions time because it has short chapters that set your mind on the Gospel before going off into your day.

The Of First Importance Blog (Nice name huh?) is very similar to the Gospel Primer but is a daily blog with each post containing Gospel truth.

What Paul Does With The Gospel

In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
I Corinthians 9:14-16

In the past year or so I've been really interested in the idea of preaching the gospel to oneself. This seems to me to be evidence that Paul does it on a regular basis. The sweet part about proclaiming the Gospel to others is that we are reminded of the truths contained in it. There are many Gospel truths that have rocked my world in the last week, month, year, etc. And when I proclaim these truths to others, its just as good for me too because I am reminded of them.

Side note: I have a sick (short) book that has just rocked my world when it comes to preaching Gospel truths to myself. Probably the most helpful book I've read outside the Bible. Let me know if any of you are interested in this.

Also what this text tells us is that the Gospel should be free from pride. The central theme of the Gospel is the work that Christ has done for us. If we are to boast at all in it, it would be taking away from that central theme. Pride and the Gospel are totally at odds with each other.

One more section of scripture that stood out to me was 10:32-11:1.

...just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
I Corinthians 10:32-11:1

This was really helpful for me. At first glance, one would think that Paul is a total cheeseball. Then it points to me being a cheeseball. "I try to please everyone in everything I do..." Yeah Paul, you and I both seek to please people. However, here's the difference. Whereas I'm looking for people to approve of me and think better of me, Paul isn't seeking his own advantage. Rather, he is seeking to please them in order that he might have influence with them so that they may accept the Gospel he proclaims and be saved. I was really convicted of this, a lot of times I try to justify my people pleasing with attempts to share the Gospel, but more often than not, I'm only looking to make myself look good. This was good for me to read. What do you guys think?

Filled

"On the most basic levels, I desire fullness, and fleshly lusts seduce me by attaching themselves to this basic desire. They exploit the empty spaces in me, and they promise that fulness will be mine if I give in to their demands. When my soul sits empty and is aching for something to fill it, such deceptive promises are extremely difficult to resist.

Consequently, the key to mortifying fleshly lusts is to eliminate the emptiness within me and replace it with fullness; and I accomplish this by feasting on the gospel. Indeed, it is in the gospel that I experience a God who glorifies Himself by filling me with His fullness. . . . This is the God of the gospel, a God who is satisfied with nothing less than my experience of fullness in Him! . . .

Indeed, as I perpetually feast on Christ and all His blessings found in the gospel, I find that my hunger for sin diminishes and the lies of lust simply lose their appeal. Hence, to the degree that I am full, I am free. Eyes do not rove, nor do fleshly lusts rule, when the heart is fat with the love of Jesus!"

-Milton Vincent

American Idol

Even though Ezekiel is really wordy and tends to be a tad repetitive, I was really convicted of sin when I was doing some catchup reading last night. Check out Ezekiel 9 sometime. Basically, God sends out the executioners of the city throughout Jerusalem in Passover style. There is a "man clothed in linen" who goes out before the executioners and marks the heads of the people who aren't idolaters. When the executioners go out through the temple and city, they kill everyone who does not have a mark on his or her head including elderly, women, and children.

This is really convicting for me. Obviously God has strong feelings about idolatry. I've been thinking a lot about idols lately. Idols take a very different shape in the present day as opposed to the 500's BC, but the concept is the same. It is something worshiped that is not God. The idols in the Old Testament tended to be very obvious, i.e. golden calfs, mountains, etc. However, the idols now are a little more subtle. They can be sports, grades, social status, television and movies, ministry; and the list goes on. Imagine there is a visitor who comes to the United States who has no presuppositions of the culture or religious climate of the country. If they were to observe people's day-to-day lives, they would probably see people waiting for the weekend idolizing free time, or observe people studying the "word" (ESPN.com) for a prediction for this week's "worship time" (NFL game), or see people doing just about anything to gain social status whether it is serving others with the motive of getting others' approval or cutting others down in order to seem superior.

By no means am I saying I don't have idols. I love the feeling of doing ministry and sharing my faith. However, sometimes I see ministry as an 'end.' It becomes an idol for me really easily because my motivation is not to bring God glory, but instead to make my name great or impress others. It's pretty twisted, huh? Does this mean that I should stop doing ministry? I don't think so... However, I think there needs to be a change in mindset to "God is good. He brought others into my life when I didn't know the gospel. I worship Him. Therefore, I am humbled by the opportunity to share God with others."

After I read Ezekiel 9 I took inventory of the idols in my life and wrote them down. I found that it was really helpful to see them outside of my "justifying head." In order to kill those idols you need to see Christ for who He is and put Him in the place of those idols. Find out how your life is ordered around worshiping these idols and look to find how you can order your life around the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Joy

“Heartfelt confidence that, because of Christ, our all-controlling God is 100% for us, is the key to indomitable joy.”

- John Piper

A New Year

Wow, I believe it's been a good few months since I've posted on this blog.... ok, It's been over half a year, but nonetheless here I go.

A new year. What is it about a new year that sends a person into a feeling of a whole new beginning for their life? If you are anything like me, you must be feeling like there is a new start for you right here right now. When you think about it, today is just like yesterday, except for a little longer. But according to the calendar, there is only time forward and not behind. Therefore, the past year is something that can be out of sight and out of mind.

I'm not sure. This feeling may be because I graduate this year, and I will be making several significant changes in my life with which school I attend this fall and what I study and do there. This post was purely a pondering on paper.. so if you don't gain anything from this don't worry. Haha, Happy New Year.

It's OK to have sorrow...

I wanted to write a blog about my thoughts on the last few weeks in Pelican Rapids, but quite honestly, didn't have a clue where to start. There were too many jumbled up thoughts going through my mind the whole time I didn't know what to write about. That was until I read a sermon by a guy named John Piper.

It just so happens that the weekend of the bus accident, my brother was home visiting and we were talking and he recommended that I check out some media by Johnny P. First of all, I will give you a bit of background behind Johnathan. He grew up in a Baptist family and is now a preacher at Bethlehem Church in Minneapolis, MN. He is the founder of a most interesting theology which he calls Christian Hedonism. The main principle behind Christian Hedonism is the belief that God is most glorified when we are happy and delight in him. So, out of curiosity mostly, I checked out his site and found an interesting looking sermon in text form on the main page.

In his message, John talks about sorrow and how godly sorrow is not only possible but available to us if we are willing to look at things from the right point of view. After all, Jesus, himself, wasn't without sorrow. (Matthew 26:38) Therefore, godly sorrow is possible. John talks of two things governing whether or not sorrow is good. Cause & Outcome.

Cause
In a nutshell, If the cause of your sorrow is from something that is not "right" then the first half of godly sorrow is occuring. If we experience something that is not good, not kosher, not moral, not "right", we are already noticing the right things as we know that there is something better, something greater than this. One way a band I know of showed this lesson with a song entitled "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine". When we are going through life and we hit a "shadow" - a dark spot, misfortune, catastrophe, etc. - then we are experiencing merely a shadow in the great awesome light and love God has in store for us. This is the point in time in which we need to put our trust in God 100% that He will take us out of the mess and show us His glory. Which brings me to the second half of godly sorrow, Outcome.

Outcome
I find this part of sorrow incredibly important. What we do after a negative event is what can make or break the godliness of the sorrow. Since that Saturday, I've heard more than once, "This sort of stuff happening to a town like Pelican Rapids will do one of two things to each individual person. They will either blame God and give up being a Christian OR they will look to a higher power for guidance and therefore strengthening their faith. For each and every one of us should make a decision, "Should I go on with my life the way it was before the accident, get back to normalcy OR should I learn and take something from this to strengthen my faith?" I think if we choose the latter it can speak volumes to both believers and nonbelievers. I guess what I'm trying to say is, " If people see how Christians react to disaster, that being, trusting in the Lord, knowing that there is something greater than what is happening, and believing that God has the power and will use it to take you out of the mess; then, those people witnessing this will have to notice your faith, and hopefully increase theirs because of it.

We've all gone through a lot in the last couple of weeks, but we can trust in the Lord. He will take us out of the shadow. (Psalm 28:7)

You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your reaction to it.
- Rob Bell as the apostle Paul

Kansas Golf Trip - Day 3

Lawrence, KS --->Omaha, NE (211 miles)

YES, another promising day for golf. We got to sleep into 7:30 this morning. Outside the sun was shining brightly as expected. The continental breakfast included a donut, toast and about three bowls of fruit loops. The day's schedule included 18 holes of golf at Eagle Bend once again, and after that we would eat and travel back to Omaha for the night. The first tee time of the day was at 9;38 so we got to the course and started chipping at about 9:20 or so. The weather was noticeably colder than the day before. It wasn't anything too significant, but it was definitely chillier. It was probably from the 20 M.P.H. North wind that we were in. Still, the high was in the mid-60's for the day.

For this round I played with Andrew and my father again minus a Brian. My front nine smelled similar to the farms we passed going through Iowa. I couldn't get into any rhythm whatsoever. Through that though, I got my first birdie of the year! It came on one of the toughest holes for the wind we were in. It was on hole #9. I was very happy about it.

The second nine was a little better than the first, and I ended up having the best back nine of the group. The highlight of the back nine was definitely hole #18. My father, Andrew, and I might have been playing a gambling game(if we would have been it would've gone something like the following). IF we were gambling, a few events could have doubled the bets... 3 times. So on this hole we were playing for two dollars a point in a 5 point per hole game(5 being the maximum amount of points). Andrew and I were on the same team and we ended up playing the hole almost flawlessly (Andrew with a par and a birdie for myself. My father on the other team played the hole flawfully. It turned out that both Andrew and I won 5 points each of dearest daddio. It was kinda funny because that's ten dollars for the both of us from him. Whoops. :) OK, I'll stop bragging now...sorry.

Score : 88

Putts: 36

Greens in Regulation: 6/18

Fairways: 3/14... yikes again

After the round we piled into the cars and headed off to find something to eat. As it was Good Friday, we were looking for something for lunch without red meat in it as directed by Grandma Ripley. It turned out to be a challenge, but we ended up finding a McDonalds that provided us with some delicious fish sandwiches. Unfortunately, every trip must have its end and it was time for us to depart from Lawrence. As we left we saw a landmark... well if it would be a landmark if I was into watching cars driving in circles. We passed the purple colored Kansas motor speedway which I noticed was HUGE! But thats about all it had going for it. After that my trip from Lawrence to Omaha was pretty uneventful other than the Jesus Christ Superstar Soundtrack that I was listening to at a fitting time of year.

Once we got to Omaha we sort of relaxed and ended up going to Applebees for supper. The shrimp alfredo was pretty good. And those events bring me to the present time in which I am blogging because our game of 31 got cancelled due to lack of interest. Tomorrow's plans are still up in the air because there might be some nasty weather moving in. Golfing in the 30's isn't my favorite. So I might end up in Pelican a bit early. That way I can say that I got sunburnt and frost bit in the same weekend :).

Kansas Golf Trip - Day 2

Omaha, NE ---> Lawrence, KS

Thanks Mitch, you are the reason we don't need an alarm clock. Oh well an early awakening gets the worm or something like that. I took the first shower and got out of the room to go to get some breakfast. As with the custom of Southern hotels, this hotel had some delicious biscuits and gravy served for breakfast. This is one of my favorite parts of the trip. What made the morning even better was a sunrise rivaling the sunset from the night before shining through the windows of the lobby. It was very impressive (see picture). I got the internet to work that morning and promptly finished my NCAA bracket on facebook before we left (UCLA beating Kansas for the Championship by the way).

We got on our way at about eight o'clock towards the forecasted high of 68 degrees. The three hour drive seemed to go by very quickly as I was writing the previous post during it. Something noticeable from Omaha onwards was that there was absolutely no snow on the ground.

We arrived at the second McDonalds of our trip at a little before noon. This one was unique in a different way than the previous one. This one was in the middle of the interstate. That's right, right in between the North-Bound and South-Bound traffic there was a McDonalds!

FINALLY, we arrived at the golf course, Eagle Bend. It was everything that I remember it being from 3 years ago. It was excellent to be able to chip and putt on GRASS!!! My foursome was comprised of me, my father, Andrew, and Brian. My first hole of the year was a bogey sadly, but I came back with a par on the second.

My Stats:

Score: 90 (Not bad, but definitely could've been better)

Putts: 39 (Bad, needs to get better)

Greens in Regulation: 7 (So-So)

Fairways: 3/14..... YIKES

But the day was all in all a success because I got to golf. It was awesome and great to finally get out golfing. Once we got back to the hotel we decided to go to eat. My golf group walked to a steak house and I had a delicious ribeye.

That's what brings us to the present time!

Oh yeah, the high for today was 69 degrees!!!