Sanctification Before Service

How many of us Christians want to do something great for God? How many of us want to do the big things for God, be a missionary, lead a ministry, or start an organisation? I would say probably most of us want to do the great things we see in the Bible. We see the great Biblical figures and think "I want to do something great like that!" But there's a problem with this. Every Biblical character we see that is labelled as "great" also had sinful donwfalls. David had his sin with Bathsheeba leading to murder. Samson lived most of his life in sin. Moses disobeyed God and had anger issues. Lot lived in one of the most wicked cities then got drunk and slept with his daughters. Solomon had many wives and concubines. Each Biblical figure also had their downfalls which means they were nothing special. They were simply people chosen by God to carry out his plan. 

Think about this for a minute. God created every single person to have ever lived, but did not create a higher class or "race" of humans to do great things. He used ordinary people in great ways. We are all equal creations in God's image and when we die, it doesn't matter whether you were a king or peasant, we are all humans accountable to God. David was a mere sheppard boy. Moses was a Hebrew baby that was in danger of being murdered at birth. Samson was a common boy born to a common woman. The difference is that God used them, even if some were not initially willing. But God does not always call everyone to a large ministry or to lead a church. He has a mission for each person on all different levels, all of which are important. But sometimes, I think we get too tied up in trying to do the great things, that we miss the small things.

In the book of Luke, we see two woman who are contrasted that are sometimes overlooked. Luke chapter 10, verses 38-42 says,

• Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

I think this verse applies to each of us and has one main mesage to it. We see two different people with two different ideologies.

Martha was the busybody. Jesus came to visit her house and what do you do to prepare for guests? She was in the kitchen preparing the meal, serving the food, and working to be a great host. I'm sure she cleaned up her house with maybe some last minute tidying to make the place spotless. She probably had her best china and silver out on the table to be used. She was serving to her best efforts for Jesus.

Then we have Mary, Marthas sister. Unlike Martha, Mary did not work to prepare the meals or clean. Afterall, it's Marthas house isn't it, not Marys? She, instead, hung out with Jesus and listened to him. Martha was obviously irritated with Mary when she said "dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?"

There is an obvious difference between these two women and Jesus addresses this in the last two verses of the passage. How often are we like Martha? Trying to keep busy doing things for God? Leading the small group Monday, perticipating in the nursing home ministry Tuesday, attending the Bible study Wednesday, volunteering at the community meal Thursday. We work so hard to serve Christ and try to please him, but what is our motivation? Is it out of love and wanting to genuinely serve God? Or is it to satisfy the rest of the church and keep your holy "status"? Or maybe your belief is that your good has to outweight your bad? But we, like Martha, miss the point.

Having quite a bit of experience in ministry and service in the church, I know a thing or two about trying to be involved in all of the service I can be. But I noticed something, maybe not right away, but I noticed something. Yes, I was growing in Christ, but what was my focus? My focus was on serving, not growing in Christ.

You see, Martha was doing her best to serve Jesus, but that is not what Jesus calls for. He tells her "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things." Martha was to caught up and worried about the service and not actually listening to God. However, Mary was said to have "chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

God calls us to grow closer to him in our relationship. That is the true purpose of our Salvation. Yes, it keeps us out of Hell, but it's ultimately so we can have a relationship with God and live with him eternally. And God wants us to focus on growing closer to him through our prayer life and meditation in his Word. Mary understood this and wanted to just spend time with Jesus. Neither of them cared about the food or how clean the house was. Mary wanted to just have that time with Jesus and Jesus with her. And Jesus praised her for it.

We try too hard to "serve" God when really we just need to spend time with him. We try to do the great things by being in service for God, when we really need to spend more effort on the small things and strengthening our relationship with God. When we grow closer to God, he will give us opportunities to serve. We cannot lead others if we can't lead ourselves and we can't guide people spiritually or serve spiritually if we don't have a close relationsip with Christ.

David spent his life trusting God as a boy, long before God used him to slay Goliath. Samuel spent his childhood growing and learning before God used him as a priest. Solomon spent his life living for God and building a relationship with Christ before becoming king. The point is, before God can use us effectively, we must have a close, growing relationship with him. Sure, you can work your way into a ministry, but how effective will you be if God does not bless that ministry because it's outside his will? We must be called into whatever field, ministry, or service we are involved in. If not, it will lead to suffering of some sort. Serving God in a ministry is a priviledge he gives us and is a great satisfaction, but must be in his timing. Don't worry about trying to get involved. Spend your life just living for God where you are and whatever God has in store for you will be presented to you at the right time.

This doesn't mean that if an opportunity presents itself, to not get involved or capitalise on it. God does call us to spread his word and do everything to our best. But we should not spend our energy on trying to be "busy" for God instead growing closer to him. Jesus even tells us that the greatest commandment is not to put in so many ministry hours a week. It's not to go to church so many times a week or be involved in so many volunteer positions. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus tells us, "...Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." How do we love God? Spend time with him and do as he asks. How do we love our neighbor? By being the Christian testimony that will lead them to Christ. That's a lot different than spending hours a week trying to be busy in service.

How To Be Single

It seems like as time goes on, fads and trends change and those things which were popular even when I was a kid is now considered obsolete. Anything from movies, to music, to games, to clothing styles. But one thing seems to stay: having a girlfriend or boyfriend. It seems like dating someone isn't just to have a relationship, but to have some sort of "status". Singleness has become almost been labelled a curse in our culture. As I went through high school, it was always the focus of every lad and las to be going out with someone. Most people can't even understand the concept of remaining single or can't stand the fact that they are single. Afterall, doesn't Genesis tell us that it's not good for man to be alone? (Gen. 2:18)

I want to propose a concept that is foreign to most people. I want to propose the idea that singleness is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, Paul even tells us in the Bible that it is good to be single. Whenever I speak on this issue, I always have at least one person who disagrees or gets rubbed the wrong way and I believe that is because too many people want to date too badly. They want it too much and I think that is why we have a problem with it in our world. However, I don't want this post to be misinterpreted. First, I'm not saying dating (or courting) someone is bad. For Christians, this can be a hard area because our world presents a warped idea of dating. But having that relationship can be a great thing. Second, I don't want to leave the impression that everyone (and in particular, teenagers) have a bad view of dating or think singleness is bad. I have actually been seeing more and more youth realising that dating is not a necessity in high school.

The problem our world has with dating is a perverted concept of the purpose of dating. I won't go so much into that because it is a whole topic on it's own. But we seem to focus so much on dating and even as Christians, we want to learn the Biblical ways to go about dating. It seems like there are endless posts on Facebook about dating and relationships, but how many do we see on singleness?

I want to look at, what I think is, one of the best passages talking about singleness in 1 Chorinthians 7:25-38.

• Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful. I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be. Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you. But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away. But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction. But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry. Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well. So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.

As I always do, I would like to break this verse down and examine everything it's telling us. Overall, this verse talks about singleness pertaining to primarily, but not exclusively, to young people. In this passage, Paul is essentially pouring out his heart of what he has learned and giving his wisdom. The theme of the whole is that it is good to remain single for Christ's sake.

I am going to examine this verse, but will also, like Paul, give you some of my wisdom and what I have learned over the past few years. I may be young, but I have a lot of experience in being single. In high school, I thought I had to always have a girlfriend and pretty well always had one. In college, I thought the same, but had a harder time with finding a girlfriend. Until recently, I was single for about 6 years and have learned a lot in those years.

One of the first points Paul makes that I want reveal is that being single opens you up to grow more and do more for God. Not that married people can't, but I agree with this passage. Whether you agree or not, having a significant other takes some of your time and energy. You think about them frequently, you do things with them, and put a lot of energy into getting to know the person and making them happy. In all of that, it can easily distract you. I noticed this in high school when my grades dropped. And that takes away from the purpose God has for singleness.

You see, God has a special purpose and mission for each of us for each stage of our lives. In your single stage, you have the opportunity to focus on growing in Christ and learning what God wants you to do, fulfilling his work. As Paul wrote this passage, he implies that he was single, doing God's work. If he would've had a wife, he might not have been able to travel to spread the gospel. His wife probably would've wanted to settle down, raise a family, have a house. Not to mention she would've been devistated with the amount of times he was in prison. My point is, he was able to 100% do God's work without having the distraction of a spouse. That's not to say having a spouse is a distraction, but realistically, you cannot put 100% of your effort into God's work when you also have to put effort into a spouse. Paul urges the single people to remain single and fulfill God's plan (the reason we are here anyways). But he does not discourage marraige as we see in the end of the passage.

The reason, I believe, for singlehood, is to discover what God wants you to do with your life. In Genesis, we are told that the wife is created to be a helpmeet to the husband. If the husband does not know what God wants him to do, how is the wife to know what she is to help the husband with? If you do not know what God wants you to do, you probably aren't ready for marraige. As I get older, I am at a good marraige age. But it seems the older you get, you more you see areas you need to grow in before you're ready to have a family.

Enjoy being single! God has different stages for our lives and has a plan. I can say that I don't want to be in a position where I'm trying to overstep God's tyming, which seems to be a real problem nowdays. Let things happen in God's time and don't rush into relationships. Take advantage of being single. Too many young people want to rush into having a relationship, but aren't ready for one. Ultimately, the purpose of dating or courting is to find a spouse. If you are in high school, or are not in a position to lead a family, what is the purpose of dating? Realistically, a high schooler (or middle schooler) or someone who is jobless is not in a position to have a family and really probably shouldn't be getting into dating yet. That's not to say you can't start exploring what God expects in relationships. But this stage in your life is intended to live for God and do things for God as a single. That is what  Paul is stressing.

For some people, that can be hard, I know. I was one of those. I was always depressed if I didn't have a girlfriend and would stoop low to get one. I was desperate in high school and college. But as I got older and started to realise that God has a plan for singleness, I became more content. When you are content as a single and serving God as a single, you will be content as a couple. When you are content as a couple, you won't try to rush the relationship beyond God's tyming. Most people try to find happiness in relationships, but that is not where happiness is found. It is found in being in God's service. When you are happily serving God, it doesn't matter where you are, you will be happy. Ultimately, the relationship is not about the two people, it is about God. When God is the centre of the relationship, the relationship is more successful. And that is what singleness is about! It's about growing close to God and making him the centre of your life. That also means you should find a boyfriend/girlfriend that has done the same thing.

I know that some people will disagree with me and that's OK. Just know that singleness is not a bad thing. As a single, I have travelled the world and gotten to do things and participate in hobbies that I probably wouldn't have been able to otherwise. As stated before, I'm not against dating, courtship, or marraige. God created relationships and wants us to have those relationships. But what I am saying is that if you are single, enjoy being single and don't rush into relationships just for the simple fact that you want a boyfriend or girlfriend. Use this tyme to grow in Christ and he will bring the right person to you.

The Sovereignty of God

It seems like as time goes by, we see more of these posts on Facebook. I'm sure you know what I mean. "Share this post and God will bless you in the next hour." I cringe when I see these posts, but it doesn't stop there. It seems as if most people see God as a vending machine. "What can God do for me?" We also tend to see God as having limits, not being able to change a circumstance or perform miracles in our lives. Even as Christians, we can adopt the postmodern idea that God is a force that if we make happy, he will give us what we want. We seem to treat God like he owes us something or that he is here just to do what we ask. That couldn't be further from the truth!

So who is God and is he sovereign,or just a personal servant that simply grants us our wishes? 

First of all, I want to look in Genesis chapter 1. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." I want to look just at this verse. All of chapter 1 is the account of God creating the universe. I want to first ask you a question: if God created the entire universe (not just the earth), why do we limit what he can do with his creation? Why can God not cure someone with cancer in a blink of an eye when he is the one who created and sustains our cells? If God created the pandas, do you think he can't keep them from being extinct if he so wishes. If God created man out of dust (of which he created out of nothing), how is a virgin birth impossible? God created the entire universe and can do anything with it that he desires. 

Within the universe, God also created us, people. Genesis 2:27 is a great verse that demonstrates this. He even created us to be his most prized creation. 

It's easy to agree with everything so far, but I want to go deeper. When God created the universe, and particularly us, he had a reason for it. He didn't simply create us and say "now let's see what happens". Before he created the universe, he had a plan for every individual and knew how every circumstance would turn out, not just the "major" world events, but every aspect of each persons life. Even how many minutes you will have that cold this winter. Nothing is a shock to God and he sustains every single aspect of the universe. This fact is easily summed up in Colosians 1:6 "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him".

Since this is the case, why do we think sharing a Facebook post or donating to a televangelist will bring God to bless us or heal us as if he didn't already have a plan? It's not like he doesn't know how to help us or that he relies on us to tell him what we need. He created everything for a purpose, has a plan, and knows what is going on. We see this beautifully in Revelation 4:11 "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created." 

We exist because God wants us to exist. So why do we think God exists to please us? We tend to live day to day like we are here for ourselves, living for ourselves and doing only what we want. There's an old phrase that says the chief end (purpose) of man is to glorify God and enjoy his presence forever. You see, God created us for his enjoyment, to have an intimate relationship with him. That was altered when Adam sinned in the garden and now we have to be reconciled for our sins, but God still desires to have a relationship with us. He knows what we need but wants us to ask for it to draw us closer to him. 

Ultimately, we exist for God, not the other way around and God can use us in any way he chooses. God is to be reverenced for his sovereignty and it's sad to see that vanishing. Profanity, TV shows mocking God, people mocking God. It pains me to see that people have lost all love and reverence for God. I want to end by asking a question. If we are here on earth to serve God and fulfill his plan, what makes anyone think that God won't end their time here early if they don't follow what God asks and fulfill his plan? And I must say, acknowledging Gods sovereignty and serving him is exceedingly rewarding compared to what we gain on our own. 

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with glory which shall be revealed in us."  Romans 8:18

Free Will "vs" Predestination

I believe there is a big controversy and argument amoung Christian denominations. Most denominations have their own "signature belief" that makes them stand out as unique. Pentecostal, Calvinists, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Catholic. All have their own unique beliefs. The problem with this is that if "Christian" denominations are different in their beliefs, someone has to be wrong. There is only one truth (not relative) and if that is the case, only one belief can be true. One who might be examining them all may struggle to find which has the most sound doctrine.

In all honesty, I don't think there is a "perfect denomination". I am Baptist because I believe Baptist takes the Bible as it is and does not answer to a higher church authority. The only authority to answer to, as a church, is God himself. However, I do not think anyone should hold too tightly to their denomination. When someone clings to their denomination, they start to worship their denomination rather than God. Rituals, sacraments, policies, traditions. These can actually oftentimes stand in the way of worshipping and following God.

We could talk about all sorts of beliefs that change from denomination to denomination, but I want to talk about a very specific topic that I believe, with exception of assurance of salvation, has the most diversity, and that is predestination. There are many different beliefs as to what predestination is and I want to clear at least some of it up. I also believe that the topic of free will ought to be explained with predestination since those two often go hand in hand.

A common belief is that some people are predestined to be saved and some people not. This would lead into "do we really have free will". If we are chosen into Heaven rather than others, can we do whatever we want? Moreover, if we are predestined to take a certain path in life, do we really have free will and the freedom to make our own choices? Or are all of our choices made because we were "predestined" to make them? If I am predestined to not enter Heaven, but I decide to accept Christ, are all those verses on assurance of salvation a lie? Would that make God a liar when he says "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved?" This is a tough argument and I want to clear some of this up by showing you what I have learned in my studies. 

Let's start with looking at some common verses on predestination. Romans 8:28-30 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." I will explain this in a minute, but let's first look at some other verses.  Ephesians 1:4-5 says, "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will". And 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

These 3 verses would be easy to mistake as being predestination into salvation, but let's take a closer look. There are 3 important methods I follow when examining a verse: What is the context? Are there other verses that explain this verse? And does my interpretation contradict what God says in other parts of the Bible? I would like to examine these verses in that manner. 

I want to first look at Romans 8:28-30 since this one is easiest to explain. Yes, Romans has MANY verses that explain salvation, but it also has explanations on what it means to be a Christian and who we are in Christ. This is the passage where Paul is talking about Christians, not lost people. Verse 28 is strictly talking about those who have been saved (and I will explain that word "called" in a bit). As we go into verse 29, we see the opening phrase "whom he did foreknow". This is very important! God already knows who will accept him. This does not mean that God only selects certain people, but rather that he already knows who will accept him. 

In this passage, we even see what the predestination is: "to be conformed to the image of his Son". Only Christians can be conformed to Christ's image. When we are saved, we bear Christ's name, but conforming to His image must be a conscious decision as explained in Romans 12:1-2. What God has predestined is the path in which we are to walk as Christians. Does this mean we don't have free will? I will get to that in a bit. 

Verse 30, then, says that those of us (Christians) who have been predestined to become like Christ (all of us), are also called into a specific ministry. That ministry may be as simple as witnessing to your neighbor, or as big as becoming a missionary to a foreign country. Every calling is as important and sovereign as the next. From there, he justifies us into that calling and as we conform to the image of Christ and follow Gods calling, we become glorified through him. That is what this passage is talking about. I find this passage easier to explain  because it is straight forward. You don't need to search for the explanation of it in other parts of the Bible; it explains itself.

Let's move over to Ephesians 1:4-5 "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will." And 2 Peter 3:9 is similar in saying "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

These verses, and especially in Ephesians, it can look initially that God predestinates people into salvation. I guess that is why so many people believe it. But that belief would contradict the rest of the New Testament which clearly states that "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16, emphasis added) The whole New Testament is clear that if ANYONE chooses to accepts God's gift, he "will in no wise, cast out."

That being said, let's examine these verses. The key word in both verses is "will". Yes the verse in Ephesians states that our adoption is predestined, but the second half is according to his will. However, this is where things change. God wills that we all enter into his presence as seen at the end of 2 Peter 3:9. That is how we were initially created: pure. God designed us to dwell with him forever. But in the garden, when Adam sinned (free will), that cut ties. God cannot allow sin into his presence and that is why salvation is needed. God's created us to be with him forever, but with sin, we now need salvation. God still wills that we enter into his presence and presents the opportunity over and over. This is stated in 2 Peter when it says God is longsuffering and willing that we not perish.

God's will is different from predestination. It is God's will that we all accept him and follow him. Does that happen?  Obviously not. God's will is what he wants from us, but predestination is what God has laid out for us and chosen for each of us. We saw in Ephesians 1:4 that God has chosen us to be holy and blameless. That is God's will. Does that make sense? God wills us to accept him, but predestinates the path for those who he already knows will accept him. He does not predestinate us to be saved, but does predestinate the calling of them who he already knows will accept him. This can be something that is hard to comprehend, but that is the point. God does not reveal all of himself to us. We do not have divine understanding as God does and that is why he is God and we are not. There are some things that God reveals enough to us to know it, but not enough to understand it 100%. Some things we may simply not know until we meet Christ face to face. Just because we may not understand it fully, does not mean we can put our own twist or interpretation to it. This is warned against in Revelation 22:19-21.

So if we are predestined to a certain calling, does that mean we do not have free will? I mentioned Adam sinning in the garden. That is the perfect example of free will. God created humans differently than the rest of creation. We are the only ones that he "formed" and breathed life into. We are the only ones created in his image. When God made Adam, he put him in a perfect environment and made him to be the perfect creation, but he also gave him a choice. He gave him certain commands, one being to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God gave him the choice.

This oftentimes gets me to thinking. God created the perfect beings in his own image (by the way, angels were not created in his image, only us), but since sin is completely contradictory to God's nature, why did he allow Adam to have the choice to sin and go against God's nature? I believe one reason is because God wants us to have free will. Think about it, if God created Adam (and all humans) preprogrammed to love God and follow his commandments no matter what, is that really love? If you force someone to love you, is it true love? I think God gives us free will and choice because he wants us to choose to love him, not because we have to.

Proverbs 16:9 says "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps." God has planned our entire lives from the beginning and predestined those he knows will accept him, into a calling that he has laid out for us. We see this is Ephesians 1:4. But we still have a choice to follow that. This verse tells us that we choose which path we take and if we choose to take the way God has for us, he directs us. But we still have the choice whether or not to follow him. Predestination does not mean we don't have free will! This does bring up the question, "If God knows who will accept him and knows what path he will take, is that path what God laid out or does God use that to his glory?" This can send us in circles and thinking all day, but the truth is: God is sovereign. He has ultimate control. Our only job is to follow God's calling and live for him as he tells us in his Word.

You may disagree with all of this, but I encourage you to forget what your denomination claims. I want you to actually examine God's word. We cannot rely on what a pastor or priest tells us, if he does not support it with scripture, and the whole scripture. Oftentimes, a verse is used to support a point, but is taken out of context or twisted to mean what a man wants it to mean. It is too often that we make the Bible support our ideas rather than believing what the Bible has spelled out for us. Again, I encourage you to really read through the scriptures and find for yourself, the truth.

Walking on Water

What does it mean to walk on water, figuratively? I wrote this lesson a while back and as I scrolled through all of my past lessons, this one recaptured my eye. The past four months has really brought me trust God more and more, and when I came across this lesson, it brought to light what it means to trust God. Our passage is not only about trusting God, but Keeping our lives on track with what God has laid out for us.


"And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased." (Matthew 14:22-32)


There are so many messages that we could extract from this one brief passage, but I want to focus on one area. The highlight of this story is the miracle of Peter walking on water. This is something I grew up hearing and learning in Sunday school, but what it really meant never really got through to me until this last year. My questions is, "Why was Peter able to walk on water?" It is an interesting question and the answer can be found within the passage.


In this passage, we see different sides of Peter, just as we oftentimes have different sides: faith followed by doubt. We first see Peter acting on getting out of the boat. Yes, he saw Jesus walking on water, but for him to walk on water must have seemed impossible. Have you ever tried walking on water? Imagine trying to walk on water for the first time, not to mention in a storm. For Peter to have stepped out of the boat, he would have had a tremendous faith in Christ. Verse 29 of the passage says, "And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus." This was Peter's act of faith, trusting that God would allow him to walk on the water.


Peter had faith, but the reason he was able to walk on water, I believe, was two-fold. He had faith, but he also kept his eyes on Jesus. In verse 30, we see that he, for a moment, took his eyes off Jesus. That would immediately imply that to walk on water, he would have had to keep his eyes on Jesus. That ties very closely to faith. When we keep our eyes on Jesus, we have faith that He will do amazing things, even though they may seem impossible to us.


As we look at Peter in this situation, we see that he had faith. But he also went the other direction. As I mentioned, in verse 30, Peter took his eyes off of Jesus. Doesn't that happen to all of us from time to time? Peter took his eyes off Jesus which implies Peter lost his faith. In fact, we see this in verse 31 when Jesus says, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" Somewhere in this circumstance, Peter began to have doubt and lose faith in Jesus, causing him to sink. Is this not a parallel to our lives?


You see, your life is the sea. My life is the sea. And as we sail our seas, we will run into storms. The questions is ,what we will do when we run into those storms? Just as Peter did, we have two options. We can trust God, keep the faith, and not doubt that God will carry us through. Through our storms, we must keep our eyes on Jesus. Or just like Peter, if we take our eyes off Jesus, we will sink into the problems of our sea. It really is that simple! It's not easy, but simple. When we face our storms, our trials, our problems, our adversity, we have the choice to trust that Jesus will see us through it.


I can't always say I chose to trust God in my storms. When I was young, my parents were divorced which set up many problems for me and my siblings. We had many issues to face and the divorce, I believe, affected us more than we realized. From there, as problems arose, I chose to trust myself, just like Peter, but I continued to sink. I took my eyes off of Jesus and as a result, I sank. I tried my best by any means I knew how to try to swim, but under my own power, I was unable to stay afloat. Turning to drinking, smoking, and an array of other addictions to "fix" my problems. But all those addictions just added weight and caused me to sink faster.


The good news is shown in verse 31: "And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him..." Jesus won't let His children drown. He is loving and wants to help us. He wants us to keep our eyes on Him and trust him. But as natural sinners, we are bound to take our eyes off Jesus from time to time. However, Jesus is right there to take our hands and pull us back up. As Peter was sinking in his own attempts to walk on water, he realized he needed Christ and in verse 30, cried "save me!" When we realize that we have tried to face the storm on our own, under our own power, and begin to sink, Christ will raise us up if we call on him and trust Him. That is what Jesus wants from us: our complete trust. He will forgive us and help us if we simply ask. Verse 31 says that Jesus IMMEDIATELY reached down to catch Peter and raise him back up. What love is that? Jesus has the same love for us, to pull us back up when we start sinking. All we have to do is trust Him, turn our eyes upon Him, and ask for His help.


The awesome thing in all of this is that we don't have to sink! Peter sank because he lost faith, he doubted, and he took his eyes off Jesus. But when we face problems and storms, or even in good times, we can continue to keep our eyes on Jesus. We are told that God will direct our paths if we look to him and trust him. When we continue to follow God and trust in him, the storms will come, but we will be able to hold fast because we have a solid rock to stand on: Jesus Christ.


2 Timothy 4:7 "I have a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."

Finding Peace in Adversity

I think if there is one misconception about Christians, it is the belief that being a Christian means not going through trials. It’s amazing how, when Christians go through some kind of hardship, a non-believer will use that to say God is ruthless or being a Christian means you are bound to suffer. Yes, Christians do suffer to a point as Christ tells us, but just because someone goes through problems does not mean that God is uncaring or that God causes us to undergo suffering.

It’s amazing how some people can think that being a Christian is the reason people suffer. I want to keep this simple in what I have observed: Everyone suffers. Everyone has problems, trials, hardships, and difficulty whether you are a Christian or not. That is why it’s amazing that people can believe that because a Christian is having problems, it is the result of being a Christian, when in fact, everyone suffers. And in contrast, some people believe that being a Christian means never having issues and when issues arise, they must not be a Christian, or they angered God. That is not necessarily true either.

We are told in God’s word that there will always be suffering. We live in a sinful, corrupt world where pain and suffering are a part of life as a result of the curse bestowed on us. It does not matter whether you are a Christian or not in this regard, you will always have trials and troubles. And I want to say that is about where the difference stops. Yes, many of the hardships we face may be similar (financial, family, work, etc.), but in the way we face these problems differ when you have accepted Christ.

Finally, I believe there is a misconception as to what suffering and adversity really is. In summation (because I believe this deserves a post on it’s own), we, in a general sense, have suffering because of the fall of man and because of sin. I know that seems broad and when facing problems, does not seem very helpful. I like to categorize adversity into two categories: saved and lost. I do this because the way we face adversity and the reasons why differs depending on if you are saved or not. For a non-believer, their suffering is a direct result of their sin. They continue to live in sinful lifestyle and are not experiencing God’s forgiveness, grace, and love. And because of that, their sinful choices and lifestyles haunt them.

For a Christian, this is not always the case, though it certainly can be. Christians experienced, and continued to experience, God’s love and grace. We are told in Romans, “For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (8:38-39) But because God loves us, it does not mean we will get by problem-free. God will allow things into our lives for various reasons such as making our faith stronger (1 Peter 1:6-7), helping us to grow to become the Christian God wants us to become (Job 23:8-10), makes us think more about Heaven and eternity (2 Corinthians 4:16-18), and disciplines our sins as a father disciplines his child (Hebrews 10-11). However, just because a Christian is going through problems, does not necessarily mean it is a result of sin, as we see in the book of Job.

That is a long introduction for what I want to share with you. I want to share a little of my heart with personal experience. When it comes to suffering, the biggest (and maybe most important) difference is the peace that can be found in the adversity. As a Christian, we have two options when we face adversity: become bitter and angry with God, or trust God and grow closer to him. For a Christian who is not strong in the faith, it is easy to blame God and become bitter, but that will lead to worse problems as well as consequences and chastisement. I have been on both sides of responding to adversity and becoming bitter is not worth it. I want to give practical verses that I have found is a world of difference when facing trials.

I have grown up as a Christian, so I have never really experienced what it’s like to not have a peace, knowing I’m going to Heaven. Even in the times I have grown bitter against God, I still knew I was saved. I can only imagine the horror of being unsaved through adversity. I imagine a loneliness, a hopelessness that your life has no meaning and no direction. Knowing you don’t have a protector to lean on and trust. No love. A life of despair and emptiness that can only be relieved by addictions which lead you to be more miserable. It’s no wonder there’s a high suicide rate amoung non-Christians.

As Christians, we have a protector that we know we can lean on and run to, a Father we know that loves us. (Isaiah 63:16)

When facing adversity, we must first “man up”. Evaluate the issue. If it is a result of your own sin, accept the responsibility. I can tell you that you cannot honestly face adversity and rely on God to see you through it without accepting responsibility for a sin and asking forgiveness. This also implies that you learn from your sin and grow from it. But oftentimes, being forgiven doesn’t mean you won’t reap the consequences from it. This can be difficult to live with. You have asked for forgiveness and have started on the path to change things, but still having long term consequences from it. This is when it’s especially crucial to trust God.

A lot of emotions can be experienced during this adversity. Loneliness, fear, anxiety, rejection, disappointment, depression, along with many others. The Bible addresses each of these emotions, but I want to focus on select verses that are universal.

One thing I have learned is that adversity is a crucible for humility. Adversity can humble you if you let it. For a Christian, it is a reminder that we are weak in ourselves. “When I am weak, then I am strong”. When we realise that we need to rely on God and that we cannot get through things on our own, it brings a genuine humility and breaks your pride. This may not initially be a comforting thought in times of trial, but as you progress, you will learn that it has helped you grow as a Christian and that is encouraging in itself. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

God wants to give us encouragement! It’s how we grow closer to him. When we have to rely on him and know that we cannot make it without him, our relationship gains a fullness. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). God does not like to see us suffer, but uses suffering to bring us closer to him as we see in Jeremiah 29: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye seek me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.” (vs. 11-12)

The most important thing to remember is that God is in control of the whole situation and if we dwell on that, it is encouraging. Prayer is essential. God is in control, but won’t help if you don’t seek out his will throughout the suffering. You may never understand his will and reasoning for your adversity, but praying is the way to grow closer to God. Secondly, you should study God’s word. This seems easier to do when we are going through trials than when we are going through a good time (same for prayer). But when we study, not just read, God’s word, we may not always see God’s reason for your trials, but what you will see is God’s sovereignty. You will see God’s perfectness and that He really is in control and that nothing can happen to you without God allowing it. Reading and studying Job is a constant reminder of this. When we adopt this attitude, it brings peace. Micah 7:7 is a great passage to memorize. “Therefore, I will look unto the LORD. I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God hears me”. This is a verse that will continually remind you that your prayers do not go unheard. Memorize it! It’s one thing to study God’s word, but when we memorize scripture, it becomes a part of our lives and dwells in our minds.

God WILL answer your prayer. It may not be in a way you expect, but God is faithful to give you, and help you in, what you really need. The Holy Spirit that intercedes in prayer for us knows more than we do, what we need. As we grow through adversity, our prayer begins to change as well. We start to see what is really important. Philippians 4:4-9 is a lengthy passage but is an encouraging verse that not only does God hear us, but that trusting in him gives us a peace. “Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say rejoice... (6) Be careful [anxious] for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus...” I love this verse! This is one of the most important verses to memorize if you are going through adversity. But understanding these principles are not enough: we must give control of our live to God!

When we give up control of our lives to God, it’s amazing that, even through a huge storm, we have a serene peace “that passeth all understanding”. That is so true. That peace you will have cannot be explained. Some of the hardships we go through, we have every reason to be anxious, but yet, have an unexplainable peace. This is proven in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Fully rely on God and give him control, and he will take any fears from you. I know it sounds like a cliché devotional phrase but it is true and real and you can experience it, but only if you give control of your life over to God. (John 16:33)

And again, we see in Isaiah 41 that God WILL give us peace and take our fear and anxieties. “Fear not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee. Yea, I will help thee. Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (vs. 10)  Finally, in Joshua 1:9, we are affirmed “...Be strong and of good courage. Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

All of these verses are great and we may have heard of every one of them, but seem like cliché proverbs. But I mind you that these verses can become a part of you. When we hide God’s Word in our hearts, it changes us: not only to keep us from sin, but ultimately gives us a closeness to God. I want to remind you that there is a difference between reading and memorizing. Not only in the mechanics, but in the way the verse affects you.

Praying to God, asking for his direction in your life (and circumstances) and asking for his peace, will result in a peace that you will not be able to comprehend. Your situation may not change, and may even worsen, but YOU will change! God never changes, but we will. We will realise that God is in control and will help us. We realise that God may have even had this planned from the beginning. Romans 8:28-30 tells us “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purposed. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be firstborn amoung many breathern. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called, and whom he called, them he also justified, and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” (also see Deuteronomy 31:8) Ultimately, God wills that we use our adversity to grow closer to him and to reflect the image of his Son, Jesus Christ.

Adversity will change you in many ways if you let it. God will provide encouragement and peace through your trials, if you only rest on him and give him control over your life and circumstance; when you learn to let go of control. For me adversity has led me to become more diligent in memorizing scripture, has humbled me, has brought me closer to God, and has given me a peace that God’s love and grace is everlasting. If you go through adversity and trials, I hope that you decide to rely on God rather than become bitter. I guarantee that if you do this, you will grow and you will have peace. But don’t let that end when adversity ends. Christians are notorious for growing close to God in adversity and trusting him, but wane in their faith when times are good. Continue to follow God and in the end, be able to say “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)

Jesus is NOT the Reason for the Season

Everyone loves Christmas! Getting together with family, enjoying a big meal, exchanging gifts. I believe it's safe to say that Christmas is the biggest holiday of the year. I have many memories of growing up and having Christmas with the family, whether it was going out of town to spend it with extended family, or staying home and spending it with our parents. 

The more the time passes, the more I see what Christmas really means and this got me thinking: not everyone knows what Christmas is really about. 

Christmas is the second highest grossing holiday in America (Halloween being number one) and I believe there is more than one reason for this. One of the reasons is a misunderstanding of Christmas. Big meals, presents, Santa, elves, snow, Christmas carols, bells, sleighs, green and red, Christmas trees, lights, family gatherings, and more. Most people focus more on these things than what is really important. 

I work in EMS and it seems like after the holidays, we get an outburst of depressed patients and suicides. Why is that? Most of the reasons involve a feeling of loneliness or sense that they don't belong. And I think the reason is because they do not understand what Christmas means. If it's all about getting together with family, then being alone is devastating. 

There's a popular slogan amoung Christians for Christmas: "Jesus is the reason for the season". It's a nice little slogan that many Christians use innocently to try to keep Christ in Christmas (which is getting harder these days). But that is not the whole truth and is only half the story. 

I want to call you to think through the Christmas story a bit. I'm sure all Christians can agree that Christmas is about the celebration of Christ's birth. But I want you think about why Christ came to earth. Too often we celebrate the baby Jesus in a manger with the Christmas story and stop there. But why did He come and why was His birth so glorious? 

Romans is a great book that spells out what it means to be a Christian and what it is to be saved. Chapter 5 give the reason why Christ came. Verse 12 says "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned". John 3:16 tells us "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." When we look at these two verses, amoung many others, we see the real reason Christ came down. Christ came because we are sinners. If we were not sinners and did not sin, would Christ have come as He did, to die? Would we even have Christmas?

As I thought long about this post, my answer to "what is the reason for the season?" I would have answered that WE are. We are the reason Christ came, because of who we are as sinners. But I also believe that it goes deeper than that. Yes, we are the ones that Jesus came here to die for, but He did not have to come. The moment Adam sinned in the garden, God could have wiped humanity from existence and start over. The reason why we are still here, why Jesus came to die for us, and why we have Christmas is because of God's love. Think about that for a minute!

From the minute Adam sinned, God prophesied that Jesus would be born to die, thousands of years before it happened. And what I find amazing is that Jesus voluntarily left a perfect Heaven, born into a sin filled world, just to die for us so we can spend eternity with Him. Is that not love? John 3:16 tells us that God sent his Son. But Jesus also voluntarily came. John 6:38 is the account of Jesus saying "for I came down from Heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him who sent me". And in the account of when Jesus was in the garden, preparing to be arrested, he asked to not have to go through with the crucifixion. Jesus was a servant that loved us enough to stoop down lower than the common man and die for us. That is really what Christmas is about: Gods love. 

This is why it bothers me to see all these people who are so wrapped up in having to see family, getting the meal fixed in time, getting the "right" gift, and obsessing over Christmas decorations. Our country has changed Christmas into a winter holiday revolving around gifts and "holiday" trees. I think this is why it's harder for people to reflect on the real reason for Christmas. I have come to the point where I don't like Christmas decorations or celebration norms. Instead of following tradition of celebrating the modern version of Christmas, I take time reflect and remember Gods love and forgiveness. When that is your focus instead of what everyone else focuses on, your Christmas will be much more meaningful. 

But if you haven't experienced the forgiveness of God, you have not experienced what Christmas really is. Christmas becomes an empty holiday that revolves around greediness and holiday tradition, followed by depression because you know there must be more. If you haven't accepted Gods forgiveness, his Son and love, I encourage you to accept Gods gift, the greatest Christmas gift you will ever receive.