Fear

I am a fearful person. And you probably are, too. Everyone's fears are different, but we all have them. The most common fear among Americans is the fear of public speaking, and presenting in front of an audience. This particular fear has very little ground in my life; I love getting up and talking in front of people. But........ I do get scared of things creeping around in the dark, under my bed, waiting to jump out and scare me.

Darkness scares me. I'm not "afraid of the dark", per se, but I am scared of what it can do. Darkness can hide things under its blackness. Darkness can magnify insignificant things and make them seem huge. Olivia Rogers and I have had more than one conversation about how things seem so much more terrifying in the dark. If my little brother sneaks into my room in broad daylight and tries to scare me, I'll jump.....but if he does it at night, or when I'm on edge, my heart will leap to the other side of my chest, and I'll scream loud enough to wake up everyone on my street. 

Unless, of course, I'm in my bed. I love my bed, and its friendly cozyness. No matter how dark it gets, if I can just nestle further down under my comforter, I'm safe. I'm under that false perception that nothing can get me in my bed. 

Whether of not you're afraid of things jumping out at you when you get a drink of water at night is beside the point: all fears stem back to Darkness.

Fear is NOT from God.

The Bible says over 365 times: "Do not be afraid". Fear is a byproduct of darkness. It's one of Satan's instruments to keep us from acting.

Because just think about what it would be like if Christians stopped being afraid. We'd stop worrying about whether or not the Gospel would offend people, and share it with a passion. We would let go of our anxieties, and plunge headlong into dangerous situations when God calls us to action. We would embrace His plan for our future, instead of stopping to wonder about possible repercussions. We could start living completely for Him.

And Satan knows it. So he haunts each one of us with some sort of fear. Fear that God doesn't have our best interests in mind. Fear that our dreams and plans for our future may go askew somewhere along the way. Fear of death. Fear of reaching out. Fear of disapproval. Fear of discomfort. Fear of creepy crawlers and public speaking. Fear of Darkness.

When you're afraid of something, how often do you go out and fight it?  If you're scared of public speaking, is your first inclination to go out and debate in the final round of a nation championship?  If you're afraid of dying, are you going to go to Afghanistan to spread the Gospel?  If you worry about disapproval, would you really go up to somebody and do something they may not think is "cool"?  If you get scared of things jumping out from under your bed at night, are you actually going to get up while it's still dark?

No. We'll just stay in our beds, curl up under our comforters, and tell ourselves that it's okay, and nothing can get us there.

That's why fear is such a powerful weapon. It sterilizes action. It prevents radical abandonment to God's will, and puts a qualifier on obedience to His voice. It blinds us to the real danger.

Peter wanted to follow Jesus with his entire life. And when he saw Jesus walking on water on a stormy lake, he was inspired. He called his faith to arms, and jumped eagerly over the side of the boat. And then Satan got a hold of his heart. He became more acutely aware of the wind and the waves crashing around him, and was overcome by fear. At that moment, he began to sink.

When we read this story, I think we often perceive Peter to be a failure, since he doubted the power of God. But actually?  He was one of the braver ones. The rest of the disciples with him didn't even have the courage to leave the boat. They were afraid before they even set foot on the water. Overcome by the fear of the crashing waves, they decided to play it safe, and stay in their comfortable boat.

Fear is one of Satan's strongest weapons against Christians today. But here's the catch:

FEAR IS NOT REAL.

"Danger is very real.... but fear is a choice."

And the real danger happens when we choose not to step out onto the water. The danger isn't found in the waves; it's actually in the boat. The true, spiritual danger occurs when we choose to give in to fear, to play it safe, and to ignore the gentle voice of our Savior calling us out onto the waves. Most of us are probably under that false perception that if we stay in our beds and curl up under our blankets, everything is going to be okay. But that's not the way it works. Fear of the waves, and safety in the boat, is more dangerous than what the waves can do to you.

Fear is not from God. Fear is a weapon of darkness. Fear is the danger, not the creepy crawlers. And fear is not real.

It's a choice.

And the god of this world rejoiced.....

Sunday, November 3rd.  12:37am, local time. Ghaziabad, India. I lay in my bed, trying to drown out the sound of constant M-80 size fireworks outside. I'd never heard so much noise in my life. The whole nation of India was celebrating Diwali.

And I think the god of this world was celebrating, too.

"Diwali" is the Hindu festival of lights. Each November, Indians hang Christmas lights on their houses and light fireworks to celebrate Kali-Mah, the goddess of death and destruction, and her victory over a demon, as well as to praise Shiva, the god of light.

During my two trips to India thus far, I've been able to see both Kali-Mah and Shiva. I once heard an Indian pastor we support talk about the massive bronze statue of Shiva next to the Ganges River. A friend of his had walked by it, and had nightmares about it for weeks afterward. "When you look at the Hindu gods," he had said, "There's more than just a piece of clay that's been cleverly painted. They're powerful, and real."  C.S. Lewis alludes to this idea, too, in Book 7 of the Narnia series: The Last Battle.

               "In the shadow of the trees on the far side of the clearing something was moving. It was gliding very slowly Northward. At first glance you might have mistaken it for smoke...but the deathly smell was not the smell of smoke. ..... It was roughly the shape of a man but it had the head of a bird; some bird of prey with a cruel, curved beak. It had four arms which it held high above its head, stretching them out Northward as if it wanted to snatch all Narnia in its grip; and its fingers--all twenty of them--were curved like its beak and had long, pointed, bird-like claws... It floated on the grass instead of walking, and the grass seemed to wither beneath it. ........... 'I have seen it once before,' said Tirian. 'But that time it was carved in stone and overlaid with gold...[in] the great temple of Tash. .......... It seems, then, that there is a real Tash after all."

It all seemed a little far-fetched to me.... until I saw that very same bronze statue of Shiva near the Ganges, four years ago. The feeling hit me again just last month, as I found myself looking into the fierce eyes of a Kali statue in a Buddhist monastery. There's something terrifyingly real about them. People aren't just hallucinating when you hear things like that. And, as Christians, those statements make sense. After all, God has an Enemy. And he's not just interested in waiting around in hell for the final battle. He's roaming the earth (Job 1).  In fact, he is, in the apostle Paul's words, "the god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4). Satan has power in those idols. He has power in Muslims and extremists. He has power in atheists, and new age pantheists. And he has power in Christians.

Guys?  It's not supposed to be that way.

The Church is supposed to be the Light of the World. When people look at us, they're supposed to see the life and hope and LOVE of Jesus Christ.

Instead?

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

-Mahatma Gandhi (unsaved)

Recently, I found an article on the Huffington Post entitled "10 ways Christians fail at being Christians". The general consensus from the article and comments following was that Christians are quick to point fingers, are more focused on politics than faith, and, while attempting to follow the teachings of Jesus (although most thought this was failing, too), Christians are abandoning the person of Jesus, and don't even care about learning from who He was. One of the boldest comments was:

"Personally, I think that once the church became a political entity and 'weapon' it all pretty much went out the window. But that's just me. Hence my hatred for them."

-Internet User (probably unsaved)

Guys.... WHAT HAPPENED?!?!?! 

People are dying out there right now, rejecting Jesus, because the "light of the world" cares more about condemning, being politically correct, and pointing fingers than we do about reaching across the lines, and loving the broken like He did. Jesus gave His life so the world could see the Light. Instead, we're giving Satan full access to our lives. Sadly, most of us aren't even trying to fortify ourselves against him. So often, I make up my mind to fight for Jesus, and not let Satan have the upper hand in my life. But once my life routine sets in, I forget that I'm even trying to protect my heart. It's no easy struggle. After all, Satan doesn't want us to fight in God's strength because, when we truly allow that to happen in our lives, he loses. So he fights to make us let our guard down and let him in. And, 90% of the time, he wins.

Satan is deceiving people everywhere, through apathy, regret, guilt, blindness, etc. And his power is real..... you can see that, even without looking into the eyes of a Hindu god.

But the power of Jesus Christ is stronger.

And God will have the final say.

As the fireworks of Diwali exploded overhead, thousands of Americans on the other side of the world settled down to their lunch meetings, ignoring the light, while, at that very moment, hundreds of Indians faced death having never seen that light. And the god of this world rejoiced.

Where's the Intercessor?

Ellerslie Mission Society Short Film:

Intercession



Failure and Fulfillment

We've all failed. Whether at sports, or cooking, or music, or friendships, or projects, or speech and debate.  I, for one, have failed multiple times at all of these things. Failed spectacularly and embarrassingly. I slip easily into the bog of self-pity, frustration, depression, and even suicidal thoughts.

When I fail, I push God away, and then wonder why he isn't there for me. Some days, it seems like a never ending struggle to trust God and let him help me. I pray this prayer,

"God, please take these thoughts away from me. Help me to turn my thoughts away from me and towards others. Help me to let you be enough for me today."

This came from a verse I found,

Psalm 73:26

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Whenever I slip into self pity and depression, I want to feel fulfilled in myself.

I wanted to know that I was perfect, that I was enough. I wasn't.

Then I found this verse,

Psalm 57:2

"I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me."

I was looking up "fulfillment"  in the concordance that day. I found that "fulfillment" in the Bible has nothing to do with our finite happiness.

It is the fulfillment of a promise,  purpose, or law:

Psalm 148:8

"The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; Your love, O LORD, endures forever - do not abandon the work of your hands."

God will not abandon you, the work of His hands, His daughter, His beloved, His Church.

Psalm 16

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”
As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.
The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.
The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

P.S. I still don't have it all together. I still fail. But now I can remember that God is my portion. He fulfills his purpose through my weakness. Think of Paul in the Bible. God used his weaknesses to help millions of people a thousand years after his death. God can use anyone and anything to fulfill His purpose for the world.

Written by Alyse Laporte

What's A Servant?

Last year I did a study on the words servant and serve. As I was flipping back through my journal, I happened upon my study and realized how important these words are for us. What is a servant?

1 Samuel 3:10

The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

Once Samuel realized who was speaking to him, he immediately answered that he was listening.

However, he did not stop there. He listened, but then he acted according to the Lord's commands.

A servant listens and obeys.

Philippians 2:7

... but made himself (Jesus) nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

A servant makes himself nothing.

Matthew 20:26-28

... whoever wants to become great must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Jesus is the greatest servant of all. His entire life was dedicated to serving. In fact, he gave his life for us.

A servant gives his life for others.

Deuteronomy 13:4

It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.

God is testing his people. When faced with idols of other cultures, the Israelites must follow God alone, and hold fast to him. What about us? What idols lead us away from God? What things in our lives cause us to no longer revere God?

A servant follows, reveres, and holds fast to God.

2 Chronicles 19:9

... You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the Lord.

Here the king of Judah is appointing judges. Although they are placed in authority, they are to use their post to serve others, in the fear of the Lord.

A servant serves faithfully and wholeheartedly.

Psalms 2:11

Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.

This verse also admonishes those in authority. Kings are told that to be wise is to serve the Lord.

A servant fears the Lord and rejoices in him.

Galatians 5:13

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

God has given us freedom! Not freedom to sin, but freedom to love and serve. Freedom to dedicate our lives to his service. What could be better than that?

A servant is free to serve out of love.

Ephesians 6:7

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.

When we only think of men, our service changes when others are not around. How many of us are guilty of cutting corners when there is no one to compliment us on our work? I know I am. But when our mindset is of service to the Lord, our service takes on a new aspect.

A servant serves wholeheartedly, no matter the circumstances.

1 Peter 4:10

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

God gives each of us special gifts. It is up to us how we use them. Do we use them to serve others? To faithfully administer God's grace?

A servant uses his gifts to serve others.

Drawing from all of this, I can add:

- a servant is humble

- a servant is loving

- a servant is joyful

- a servant loves God

So, what is a servant? It's not an easy answer, but I hope you have gained a better idea through this post.

Written by Magali Laporte.

The Darkness Shall Not Overcome (Be a Firework)

John 1:5 "The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

If you don't live in Lincoln, you may not have heard about Ellen Kopetzky. She is a student at Pius X High School, who, a few weeks ago, walked into the ladies' bathroom to be confronted by a girl who stabbed her in the face and hit her over the back of her head. (It has been determined that Ellen was not the target of the attack: it was pretty much random.) It was the most violent school attack that has occurred here in Lincoln for 27 years.

Ellen Kopetzky. For you, a name. Someone you've never met.

For me, a friend. She goes to my church. I was in youth group with her a few years ago. Many nights, we walked home from youth group together, and if there were events that required driving, we sometimes carpooled.

When I hear about things like that in the news, I never think it could happen to people I know. And then it did. The world's darkness can seem remote and almost a little unreal, until that day when it roughly intrudes itself into your life.

Lately, I've become a lot more aware of the darkness of the world. And, honestly, it can be really depressing. Abortion. Abuse. Crime. Human trafficking. Horrible poverty.

My friends, the world is a very dark place. But how, as Christians, do we deal with it? In the face of so much darkness, what can the light do?

I like to think of Christians as candles, in whom the Holy Spirit has lit a flame. Sometimes, though, I feel like God has taken His little candle and set her in the middle of an immense, dark plain. Complete blackness for miles, pressing in unmercifully. Cruel winds. And this little, tiny candle with its fragile flame. And then I cry out, "God, help me! I'm so small, so little, and the darkness is so great." I feel overpowered by the blackness.

The problem is, that's looking at it the wrong way. We're not alone in the darkness: God is there, cupping His hands around our flames and shielding them. If we let Him, He will shine in that flame, so that it pierces through the darkness and stands brave, and warm, and true.

Those who know me well know that I love floating lantern fireworks. (Is that what they're called? I'm not sure. I'm talking about the big bag-like contraptions that you light a light in and they float away, like in the movie Tangled.) We don't set any off because my dad thinks they're dangerous, but I like watching them anyways. :)

On the Fourth of July, I went out on the field behind my house and watched them float, little spots of glowing, flickering light in an immensely black sky. I was over-thinking this the other day, and I realized that fire lanterns are an analogy of the Christian life.

Because when people watch fireworks, nobody is looking at the blackness. Yeah, there's way more of it, but no one cares. They're looking at the light. The darkness does not overcome it, but makes it more beautiful and draws more people to see it.

The darkness may be bigger, but the light is what matters.

Christians are called to be that light in this world upon which the darkness is falling so quickly. In Romans, Paul tells us to "cast of the works of darkness and put on the armor of light." (Romans 13:12b) And once we put on the armor of light, we must take the light into the darkness, bringing it to those who don't know about it, or don't care about it, or who have forgotten.

Yes, there will be darkness. But it will NEVER overcome. That's a promise. In the end, the light will win out. Meanwhile, through the grace of God, we'll shine, bright and brave, beacons of hope in a sea of despair. Let us walk as "...children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom [we] shine as lights in the world." Philippians 2:15

Grapes - The Continuing Saga

I've been blessed with a lot of friends and acquaintances over the past few years. 100% of them are Christians. 50% seem to want that identity to consume their lives, on some level. 30% try to make that happen, and only about 11% succeed.

11% succeed.  That means only 1 out of every 3 who seem like they're trying actually appear to have reached their goal to the casual observer.

Today's a little different than a normal week. This is an active participation devotional. You don't have to share your answers to these questions with anyone; this is meant to be an opportunity for you to be openly honest with yourself. No judgmental eyes are watching you. No one's going to force you to explain your answer to them. This is just you and Jesus.

Now. Where would you classify yourself, under those numbers at the top?  (you are not allowed to scroll down until you've answered this :)

I won't post my answer here, but I'll tell you this:  I'm not part of that 11% yet.

Why not?  Why can't we all honestly say that we've not only "surrendered our lives to Jesus", but are actually living out that promise in every aspect of our lives?  How does that even work?

A couple weeks ago, God drew my attention to a new aspect of the Grape metaphor. I think John 15 gives a lot of direction on this question.

John 15

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

I don't know if you've ever witnessed the natural phenomenon of a grape growing by itself on the ground.... I know I haven't!  If grapes are going to grow, they need the vine. It's impossible for us to follow God's calling to be grapes in the world if we don't remain on the vine. The church can't be Jesus to the world if it doesn't stay attached to Him.

I love the way Eric Ludy put it one of his sermons..... a lamp can't shine unless it's plugged in. If it's not attached to its outlet, then it just stands in the way, as a pointless piece of decorum, and people trip over it.

Grapes aren't designed to be decorations. You don't see people walking around a vineyard, complimenting the grapes on how beautiful and ripe they look. Grapes are made to be crushed. They are designed to be poured-out.

Second question: What is it in your life that's cutting you off from the vine?

And here's the toughest one of all: Are you willing to remove that from your life?  Even if God wants it to be completely gone (and not just lessened)?

I've been reading Leslie Ludy's book Set-Apart Femininity, and in it, she referenced a study guide that was on her blog. This guide was called: "Cleaning the Sanctuary". The goal was to identify and remove all the garbage that was cluttering your heart, and preventing Jesus from entering those areas. It included almost 15 entire pages of tough, direct questions about how you were handling your life. It was a pretty excruciating process to complete. Jesus called to mind all kinds of things that I'd done in the past, and not only did He call me to remove those actions from my life, but He also probed me to confess to my mom that I'd done them. Cleaning the Sanctuary, and all that it involved, was no cakewalk...to say the least! 

But now that it's over, I can't even believe how much closer I feel to Jesus!  Everything that I'd been hiding now lay completely exposed at His feet, and now, He has the space to turn that into something beautiful.

Chances are, if you didn't classify yourself as part of that 11%, there's something cutting you off from the Vine. And without the vine, us as grapes die fast.  The things keeping you from the vine may not be inherently wrong, like some of mine were; in fact, they might actually be good things taken too far. But, whatever they are, I promise you: if you choose to lay them down at the foot of the cross, and completely let go... He will make something beautiful out of it. 

Injustice

Today. Today in the world approximately 7 billion people call earth their home.

Out of those 7 billion people, there are 250,000 thousand child soldiers.

Out of those 7 billion, about 3 million women, girls, and even a small number of boys are currently enslaved in the sex trade.

Every year 1.5 million people die of hunger. That's one child every five seconds.

Every year 3.4 million people die of a water related disease. That is almost the entire population of Los Angeles.

Statistics, as sad as they are, have a way of numbing us to the pain and reality of the situation. Let's break it down.

These people aren't statistics. These people have faces with names who have dreams and hopes. In reality, they're probably not much unlike you. These people are someone's daughter, son, wife, grandparents, husband, baby. These are real people, not just a number written down on a piece of paper. These people are not just statistics.

We could talk for hours of the different injustices in the world. The list goes on and on and we've only mentioned a few. If I were to ask you what the biggest injustice is, what would you say? Is it abortion? Is it the alarmingly rate of orphans whose parents have died of aids? Is it the lack of clean water and food?

While all of these are important issues, there is a bigger issue at hand. It is an issue that all the other issues stem from. The biggest injustice in the world is that there are people out there in the world today who have never heard of the name of Jesus. That is where all of the under issues fall under. I remember on my mission trip to Nepal we met a lady who have never heard of Jesus and God and so, beginning with creation, we shared the Gospel with her. How do you explain the Gospel to someone who has never heard of Jesus? Living in a Western culture, it's difficult for us to wrap our minds around the fact that there are people who haven't heard of Jesus. But the fact of the matter is, people are dying everyday without ever hearing about Jesus.

And what are we doing about it? Please know I'm not trying to guilt trip you into going on a mission trip (even though I'd highly recommend it!) or anything like that. But we must learn to capture God's heart for the nations. We must begin to realize how desperately he loves these people, these people who have never heard about His Son and live their lives in captivity and fear and hopelessness. Because, you see, Jesus died for these people just as much as He died for you and me and all of us living in the Western world. We are blessed to grow up in a country where we have all heard the Gospel multiple times but we can't be selfish with what God has blessed us with. Pray that God will give you His heart. Pray that your heartbeat will become one with His.

You don't have to go overseas to tell people about Jesus. I promise you that, if you really look, you will realize that you are surrounded by people who desperately need Jesus. Maybe they've heard of Jesus before but their perception of the Gospel is warped. There are people who are broken, homeless, hurting, lonely, feeling unwanted and unloved and desperately need to hear about a personal God who loves them so much that He gave up His most precious Son to die the worst possible death so that we wouldn't have to be separated from Him for eternity. I challenge you to go out and radically love others!

Losing

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered to loss of all things... in order that I may gain Christ, and be found in Him. … That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

~ Philippians 3:7-11

You're a loser.

No offense, and don't stop reading because you feel insulted. :)

Let's break down this passage from Philippians in order to understand why. But before we do so, a quick disclaimer: I'm not responsible for any random tangents or ideas that don't make sense that may appear in this post. I wrote those, um, while I was, um, asleep.

Now, let's talk about losing! Some of you may be familiar with the idea that when we give everything we have and are to Christ, we can be deemed losers; there's even t-shirts out there that say it! But what does this really mean? That's the question I'd like to explore today.

Paul makes a comparison in his letter between gain and loss. In life, there are certain things that we “gain.” This could mean a variety of things. I'm sure that you can think of a thing or two right now that you've gained in your life. Actually, stop reading and think. What is one thing that you've gained? Maybe it was by your own accord, or maybe it was with the help of someone or something else. If you are at a total loss, I can think of one or two for all of us; have you ever broke at a qualifier? Placed at a tournament? Won a speech category? Qualified for Nationals? Even if you've never done any of these things, I know you've gained skills and talents from competing in NCFCA. These can all be classified as something that we've “gained” in our lives.

However, Paul doesn't stop by just saying that we give up awards that we've won or skills that we've learned; our gains. Rather, we count everything as loss, in order to gain Christ Jesus. Have you ever thought about what everything means? Think about it. Is everything something that you have? Is it the whole universe? Outside our universe? Every atom that's ever existed? What does everything mean to you?

Yeah, that's right. Everything.

While you're sitting there with your mind blown, let's talk about loss. Have you ever lost something important to you? We lose little things all the time; maybe we don't get an A on that test we wanted to, or we don't win the contest we entered, or a friend moves away, or someone on our basketball team plays better than we do. Stop and think about one thing that, no matter how big or small, you've lost. Little disappointments and losses in life can often get us down; but this is the exact message that these verses want us to understand. When we lose, we shouldn't think about what we've lost for ourselves. Rather, we should rejoice! Why? Because when we lose, we are gaining Christ. When we suffer joyfully the little things that let us down, we're able to be drawn more deeply into the heart of Jesus. We give everything up, so that we can love Him better.

But the heart of this message to the Philippians goes deeper. Are you ready to give up everything? Actually, you don't have to be ready. Jesus demands it of you, every day; but not for no reason. We don't just give up everything because we want to be recognized, or because we think that that is the right thing to do, or because we want people to see that we believe in Jesus, or because we want the world to know that being a Christian is the thing to do. All of those reasons could be right and good, but the real reason we surrender everything we've gained and choose to become a loser is because knowing Christ and being found in Him is worth more than anything. Ever. Paul knows this, and he wants the rest of the Church to know this, too. Nothing we have, do, or want could ever be worth more than knowing Christ Jesus our Lord, amen?

There's a song by Love & The Outcome called “Heart Like You”; some of its words go like this: “What could be worth more than You? What do I have I wouldn't lose? I give up the world to find my soul, pour out my life, give You control, I just wanna be what You want me to be, I just want a heart that's true, a heart like You....”

Let's go out there and show the world how to be the awesomest losers EVER.

God, I just want a heart like You. I give everything up, because I want to love You. I'm not afraid to lose everything, because I know that nothing could ever be better than gaining You. I'm not afraid to suffer for You, because I know that I am found in You. And I'm proud to be a loser for You.

Written by Caroline Andrews

It's Not That Complicated (Emotional Purity)

I've never kissed a guy.

I've never had a boyfriend.

I've never been romantically involved with anyone.

So how am I still giving my heart away?

This is a question I've struggled with for a long time. Physical purity is pretty easy for me to maintain. But what about all that goes on inside of my head? Many people call this aspect of purity emotional purity.

I've just finished reading a book called, It's Not That Complicated, by Anna, Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin. They point out that while violating emotional purity is not a sin listed in the Bible, it is a helpful classification of some sins we (especially girls) struggle with. 

Emotional purity can include:

• Idolizing a guy/male attention (Ex. 20:4-6, Is. 44:9, Col 3:5)
• Lustful thoughts (Col. 3:5, 1Jn. 2:16)
• Discontentment (Pr. 19:23, Phil. 4:11-12)

An area of emotional purity many girls struggle with is having a crush. Most girls have them. Some people encourage them, saying it's a normal part of our development, while others condemn it as a heinous sin. So, what are we supposed to do about it? Both sides have some truth to them. Yes, having a crush is normal, but it can also escalate quickly into sin.

So, how do we know when "liking" someone turns into a serious obsession? Again, the Botkin sisters had some helpful advice here. They list some indicators that our desires are becoming, well -- less than pure.


1. Seeking our will above God's 

• Am I seeking romantic fulfillment before God's timing?
• Am I trying to write my own love story, instead of letting God take the pen?

2. Thinking we have a claim over a young man

• How would I feel if he expressed interest in another girl?
• Am I thinking possessively about him?

3. Building castles in the sky

• Am I planning out my future with this person?
• Do I spend most of my free time imagining my life with him?

4. Letting our brains go out the window

• Am I so focused on how I feel about this person that I ignore serious warning signs?
• Am I disobeying my parents, explicitly or implicitly, by my relationship with this person?

I've found that considering these points is usually enough to get my brain back on track. When my sinful thoughts are locked up inside me, and I don't consider what I'm actually doing to myself and others, it's hard for me to stop. But when I think about what I'm doing, and ask God to help me find my way out, he always provides.

Our hearts are hidden. Emotional sins don't seem that bad. After all, it's just a little daydream! But the Bible says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." (Proverbs 4:23)

I'm assuming most of you have read or memorized Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

I recently realized that this verse directly applies to this topic! When we are constantly asking God for help, his peace will guard our hearts and our minds. I pray that this verse will speak to you as much as it has to me.

Written by Magali Laporte

True Love

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.

I love that hymn. What beautiful words.

We sang that song this morning in church, and it really reminded me of God's love for us.

Turning our eyes upon him, looking fully into His WONDERFUL face, I seriously can't wait for that day!

What an amazing day that'll be. 

God is so wonderful. Even as Christians, we underestimate that thought. We think lightly of His death and resurrection. We don't stop to think about WHY he did that, or for WHAT reason. He loved us so much that he sent his one and only Son to DIE for us. 

wait.......................ME?

ME?

He wanted to die for me?

Think about this. 

He loved us SOOOOO much that he actually gave his life for us. 

But then the question arises,

"Would I be willing to die for someone I love? Someone dear to my heart?"

"Oh yeah. Totally", comes the reply. 

hm.....

You know, I've realized recently. No one really ever knows the importance and significance of something until they're put in that position. Forced to make that decision right then and there.

...And that's when the devil wants to whisper in our ear, "Hah! You'll never make it through! You're not strong enough. You could actually be doing something in your life. and you waste it on a little friend? Someone you think you love?"

Guys.

Lately, I've realized the true importance of friendship. I've been thinking, "What if my life was put in a position where I had to decide right then and there, if I had to decide if I should either give my life for that friend who I loved most or to let him or her die and I continue on with 'normal life'?"

ASK YOURSELF THAT QUESTION. RIGHT NOW. RIGHT HERE.

Now, put your life in Jesus' shoes for a couple seconds. Just a couple. Think about what He went through in order to give us life. ETERNAL LIFE.

So, guys?

Let's think about what's ahead of us. If Jesus was so loving as to give us eternal life by dying on the Cross to save us from eternal damnation, how much more should we be stewards with the time he has given us? How much more should we start loving others? Challenge yourself to live that. Like a true Christian.

LET'S BE WILLING TO BE LIKE JESUS. 

Life as a Grape

Real Christians have been described in many different ways over the years.... they're disciples, they're image bearers of God, they're courageous, they're loving, they're filled with joy, and they're faithful.

They're also grapes.

Around two weeks ago, I (Hannah) was browsing around Ellerslie's website when I found a message called "Life as a Grape". I thought the title sounded entertaining, so I checked it out during my quiet time that day. A large part of this devotional is based on the ideas brought up in that message. After listening to that sermon, I started taking a real interest in grapes. My dad and I have figured out lots of different ways to eat grapes over the years. Our most recent rendition is putting grapes in the freezer for a few hours, and eating them during football games. I never realized how sweet grapes were!

Me and my dad weren't the first ones to figure that out. For years, the "pressing of grapes" was a huge ceremony that was always full of rejoicing. People would literally stomp and dance around in the grapes to squash them, and pour out their sweet juice. Grapes were tended lovingly in their vineyards, but ultimately, it was for a purpose:

Grapes Are Tended to be Poured Out

Think about a grape for a minute. What really makes a grape sweet?  I don't know if you've ever tried a grape skin by itself  (I've only done it once), but they're pretty disgusting. The life that makes the grape what it is, is its juice.

People don't plant vineyards so that the grapes can live a happy life on a vine, and then grow lifeless and shriveled up in a few weeks. Grapes are designed for more. Grapes are grown so that the life inside them can be poured out.

Christians are exactly the same. God didn't set us on this earth so that we could live a happy comfortable life for a few decades, and then die. Think of how unsatisfying that would be!  All humans seem to come to a point in their lives where they realize that there must be some purpose to their existence, or else it's all meaningless. We were made to be poured out, for His glory.

Two Cups (Two Comings, in Revelation)

When God created mankind, He gave us minds of our own; we're accountable for our own decisions. Ultimately, we have two choices on this earth: glorify God, or glorify self. There's no middle ground. Either Jesus has control of our lives, or He doesn't.

When it comes to the grape metaphor, there are two cups referenced in scripture: the cup of Life, and the cup of Wrath. The cup of Life holds a massive amount of significance in the New Testament. On Sundays, we drink out of this cup during Communion.

Matthew 26:27-28

New International Version (NIV)

27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the[a] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (emphasis added)

The cup of Life is the cup of the new covenant of Jesus Christ. He gave His life up on a cross to give us that cup. THAT is the cup into which we, as Christians, are designed to pour ourselves. We were created for the sole purpose of glorifying God. 

The cup of Wrath, on the other hand, is filled when we put ourselves above God. Those who thirst for righteousness will receive the cup of Life, but Jeremiah makes it clear that those who thirst for unrighteousness will get exactly that:

Jeremiah 25:15

New International Version (NIV)

The Cup of God’s Wrath

¹⁵ This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it...¹⁷ So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom he sent me drink it...²⁸ But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink, tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: You must drink it!

The Bible doesn't sugar-coat the dangers of a self-centered life. Throughout the gospels, we can see through Jesus' interactions with the Pharisees that those who live only for themselves have no place in the Kingdom of Heaven. I always think it's interesting that it's the Pharisees - the church leaders of the day - that Jesus references here. Even followers of God can fill the cup of Wrath. The phrase "thirsting for unrighteousness" isn't normally used in our modern-day vocabulary, but think about it.......how often does that describe us?  How often do we WANT to sin?  How often do we long to make ourselves the center of our lives?  I'll be the first to confess - I struggle with that all the time.

As C.S. Lewis once said, there are going to be two types of people on judgement day: those who, while they were on earth, sincerely prayed "Thy will be done," and those to whom God will say, "Thy will be done."

It's definitely easier to fill the cup of Wrath. All we have to do is follow our own nature of sin, and await the results. The call to fill the cup of Life is much more difficult. Look back at Matthew 26... "This is my blood, which is poured out for the forgiveness of sin." The cup of life is filled with blood. Jesus Christ, the ultimate grape, had to pour out everything He had to fill that cup. But He was willing to, for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). Are we?

The Winepress 

Grapes can release their juice through plenty of different ways, but, really, it's when the grapes are crushed that the sweetness inside truly comes out. That's when our biggest opportunity to fill the cup of life shows itself. 

When the people of this world are crushed, bitterness and anger are all usually the emotions displayed. But when God's Grapes are crushed, spectators see something entirely different flowing forth: love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control. And JOY. 

Christian grapes have endured torturous crushing over the years:

      Stephen was stoned.
      Philip was crucified.
      Paul was beaten, imprisoned and beheaded
      Matthew was slain with the sword
      James was stoned and clubbed
      Matthias was stoned and beheaded
      Mark was dragged to pieces
      Jude was crucified
      Bartholemew was severely beaten and crucified
      Thomas was thrust through with a spear
      Luke was hung
      Simon was crucified
      John was thrown into boiling oil, and exiled to Patmos
      Peter was crucified upside down

The reactions?

"I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles, my joy knows no bounds." (Paul, 2 Corinthians 7:4b)

"In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.." (Peter, 1 Peter 1:6-8)


 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Jesus, Matthew 5:11-12)


"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Paul, Philippians 4:4)
 

These are some really, really tough ideas to implement into life. But guys?  Have you ever noticed that grapes ALWAYS grow in clusters?  You are not alone, as you seek to pour yourself out for Jesus. Feel free to comment, drop me a Hangout or email me, I'd love to pray for you.




#inspiredbyEricLudy'smessageLifeAsAGrape

Weekly Devotional- Love (Part 2)

"Love is an excellent thing and a very great blessing, indeed. It makes every difficulty easy. It bears a burden without being weighted, and renders sweet all that is bitter. Love knows no limits, feels no burden, thinks nothing of troubles, attempts more than it is able, because it believes that it may and can do all things; for this reason it is able to do all, performing much where he who does not love fails and falls." ~The Imitation of Christ

Last week, I wrote a devotional on the love between God and men. However, as you might have noticed if you went outside recently, there's somebody besides God to direct our love towards: other people. There are several different types of love that can exist between two people (if you haven't read it already, C.S. Lewis's book The Four Loves goes into a lot of wonderful detail on this), but for the purposes of this post, I'm going to be talking about agape love. Unlike other types of love, we are called to have this kind of love for everybody. It is self-sacrificial and is a mirror of the love between men and God. The love we have for other people should be modeled after the love God has for us. "By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." (1 John 3:16)

So what does this kind of love look like?

First of all, like God's love for us, our love for others must be steadfast. "The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love." (Psalm 103:8) Love endures through difficulty and hardship. It does not fall away or diminish when it encounters obstacles. "A friend loves at all times." (Proverbs 17:17a) In addition, our love must be steadfast even when it is not reciprocated. God calls us to love others regardless of whether they love us or not.

Second, love is merciful and forgiving. Forgiveness can be difficult. Bess Streeter Aldrich (she's a Nebraska author whose books I really enjoy) said in her book Miss Bishop that "love is not blind, it merely sees that which another cannot."  To forgive people, we often must ask God for His eyes, to see that person as He does, to see what we otherwise would not. God loves that person, as must we. However, this does not necessarily mean feeling pleasant towards them or treating them the exact same way as you would someone else. In certain cases, if there has been wrong between two people, it is not possible to go back to relating to each other in the same way they did before. However, we are always called to desire the best--ultimately, salvation--for each and every person, whether or not they have harmed us.

Finally, and most importantly, since everything else springs from this, true love is self-sacrificial. Jesus said, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) Now, this rarely means that we must physically die in order to show love for our friends. But as St. Paul says in Romans 12:1, we are called to be "living sacrifices." We don't have to physically die in order to sacrifice, but we must "crucify the flesh with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:24) That is, we must give up our own desires in order to serve others. "Love does not insist on its own way. it is not irritable or resentful." (1 Corinthians 13:5, emphasis mine)

This love shows itself in small ways. Mother Teresa said, "Smile at each other...it doesn't matter who it is... and that will help you grow up in greater love for each other." It pleases God when we do little things, everyday tasks, with great love. Smiling at your family, cleaning the house without complaint, doing schoolwork in a timely manner, making use of the gift of time He has given us, refraining from unkind words, getting a little brother a drink of water--even the most insignificant duties can be glorified with love.

It will not always be easy. No, sometimes we will not feel like loving people. But true love is not based on emotion. Emotions arise unbidden and depart when they please, and a love based on emotion is inconstant. Love is a giving of oneself, no matter what. One trap Satan sometimes uses here is the bogey of legalism. Some Christians fall into thinking that if they don't "feel" love when doing something, but do it anyways, that is just "fulfilling duty" or "legalism." My friends, this is not legalism, this is spiritual discipline. C.S. Lewis wrote in The Screwtape Letters that Satan's cause "is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do [God's] will, looks round upon a universe from which ever trace of Him seems to have vanishes, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys." We must sacrifice and obey even when it is difficult, even when we do not feel like it. However, even if the path of love and obedience seems hard, how much more full of pain and suffering is the road of indifference or hate!

Love is the center of the Christian life. I have not even begun, with my small wisdom and weak words, to touch upon it. This is a Bible study blog--if you have something to add, by all means post in the comment section and build up your fellow sisters in Christ.

Weekly Devotional- Love (Part 1)

"If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing...So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:2b, 13)

I have been offered the privilege of writing on this virtue which the apostle places above all others. I believe that there are two dimensions to love: there is the love between God and man, and the love men have for each other. The two are interconnected and somewhat inseparable, but this week I'd like to talk about love between God and man.

Throughout the Bible, we see on a grand scale the love God has for His creation. After all, God didn't need to create us in the first place, and yet He did, purely out of love. Repeatedly throughout the Old Testament, God revealed Himself to His people and demonstrated His willingness to form covenants with them and be their God, all out of love. His people were often, to put it plainly, jerks. But God was patient and steadfast, and did not forsake them. Sometimes they returned to worship Him with their whole hearts, and He welcomed them with open arms. More often, however, they fell away into ignorance and sin. After a while, I would have gotten extremely fed up. I probably would have said something like, "Well, you want to go your own way, do you? I've offered to help you time and time again and you don't listen. Fine. Have it your way. I've given you seventy times seven too many chances, and it won't happen again."

What did God do?

He became a man. He took on the nature of one of those creatures that repeatedly forgot Him, ignored Him, and offended Him.

Why?

So that He could adopt us and make us a part of His family through His covenant. In 1 John 3:1, it says, "See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are." We are not just called His children...we are His children. Not in name only, but truly His children. When we look at the love God has shown to human kind throughout history, we cannot but be a little awed. "We know and believe the love God has for us." (1 John 4:16a, emphasis mine)

This is the love God has for us. But what about the love we're supposed to have for God? What does that look like? Fortunately, we don't have to answer that question for ourselves: God gave us the answer. (Sacred Scripture is amazing that way.) "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." (Deuteronomy 6:4)

Now, most of us have probably heard this verse before. But what does it really mean? We truly are called to love God with our whole heart. To ever consider anything more important than God and His will is idolatry. That's an ugly word, because most of us (myself included) have at some time or another put something before God, and we don't want that called idolatry. But that's what it is. If speech and debate, or the desire to excel in school, or earning money, or spending time with friends, or being attractive to that one amazing guy, are more important to us than God, that's idolatry. None of those things are necessarily bad or evil; in fact, to lesser or greater extents, they can actually be good, but only if they do not become more important to us than God or cause us to do things that are displeasing to Him.

We've all heard that God is a jealous God. But suddenly, the other day, it struck me what that means. We know what jealousy is. It's not fun to think that the aforementioned amazing guy actually barely notices you and would rather hang out with that one thin, talented, gorgeous girl than with you. It can make a person feel very insecure and second-rate.

But when we don't give our whole hearts to God, aren't we doing the same thing? Aren't we treating God like He's second-rate? We don't like it when people treat us that way, but so many times, without realizing it, we treat God that way. God cannot be simply part of our lives; God must be our lives. The Christian life calls for nothing less than total abandonment of self to the Will of God.

I challenge you all this week to take a look at your lives. Are you living totally for God, or is there an area of your life that is captive to your own desires and plans? If there is, surrender it to God, and pray for the wisdom to know how to live the life God has blessed you with in total submission to Him. Later on down the road, you may need to do it again. Submission to the Will of God is an ongoing process. Sometimes it may seem as if nothing is getting better. But "be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:58)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

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MONDAY, AUGUST 12, 2013

MONDAY, AUGUST 12, 2013

WHEN TRIALS STEEP SWEETNESS

My Mom has always been the picture of feminine grace and elegance. I always thought she looked more like a heroine that stepped out of a Jane Austen novel than a 21st-century woman. She carries herself with the dignity of a proper English dame and has a deep fondness for tea, just as you’d imagine every stately lady should! 

 

I share many of dear Mom’s passions, but our feelings towards tea are not mutual; I simply do not like this hot beverage so many fawn over. Since I’ve been married, I have not kept tea in the house (except my Raspberry Leaf Pregnancy Tea; which was hard to stomach) so when my Mom came over for a visit recently, she brought some of her favorite tea in a little Ziploc baggie all the way from South Africa.

 

One of the things I don’t like about tea is the smell that immediately overpowers all others the moment you pour boiling water on it. A little teabag releases its contents and fragrance in the midst of intense heat. Constant whiffs of that signature tea smell at eleven, four, and right before bedtime (my Mom’s “tea times”) every day, have caused me to consider the precious principle hidden in those tea leaves. 

 

Just as you can immediately tell what the contents of the teabag are when the heat of the water touches it, you can immediately tell what is inside of a person when they are placed under the heat of difficult or trying situations. What comes out of us when the boiling water of life’s trials, difficulties, and challenges fall on our souls? It is easy to showcase peace and patience when things are going our way and we feel like we are walking on sunshine. But the call for us as Christians, is to emit and diffuse the sweet fragrance of the knowledge of Christ, not only when it’s easy, but especially in the moments of pain and difficulty! We ought to be so filled with His Spirit inside, that He is the scent that spills out of us when the heat is turned up!

 

Spurgeon–not surprisingly–says it well: “Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of.” What a mighty testimony Christianity is when it stands strong, remains calm, endures patiently, and radiates joy in the very flames of difficulty! Meditating on this made me rethink the way I respond to not only the bigger trials in my life, but also the every day challenges we all face. Am I spreading the sweet smell of Christ in and around my home, husband, and my little baby girl, even when I feel tired after a long day of tending to the domestic affairs of the family?

 

Let us remember the words of James (1:2) “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;” and may the Christ-life within us become all the more visible and fragrant in the midst of every trial.