I am not claiming to have the heart of God. But I AM claiming to have a small understanding of it.
As I drove to get my daughter Carissa her coffee this morning she looked sad and downcast. When we talked, she told me she felt guilty that I was taking her to Starbucks for its inconvenience and cost.
But that was not how it was. I explained to her that one of the only things in life that truly fills me is the opportunity to bless my wife … or my kids. It truly fills my heart if I can bless them. When her eyes lit up and she said “thanks Dad” if filled me to the core of my being. It made me feel so happy. I have to say I think this is why God was so fond of David:
Psalm 9 1 I will praise you, O Lord , with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. 2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
God was enamoured with David … not because of what David did. But because David knew Who God Was … Praised Him … And Thanked Him.
And much like our kids—this is THE ONLY THING THAT WE CAN GIVE GOD.
This idea is so humbling. The idea that we have nothing for Him. And even the verse that says “your good works are like dirty rags” reminds us of this very concept. Our GOODWORKS? They do nothing for Him!!!
As I go in to my day today, as I sit here and rejoice in my life, I am so happy that God loves me. And He loves me because He just does.
So I say to Him: “I will praise you, O Lord , with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”
This word gives me so much encouragement today because it is God’s word. And when God’s word hits our hearts and His Spirit is allowed to operate … we win. Thank You Jesus.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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The greatest lawyer in the history of the world (besides Jesus) wrote Romans. And Romans 5 is the greatest passage in the Bible (besides all the others).
Romans 5 1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Romans 5 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5 20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more
One of my favorite movies (for adults) is A Few Good Men. And if I am to be fully transparent, I love a great “lawyer” or “court room” show. I love how a lawyer can “work the room”, and whether it is this way in reality or not—it is very appealing in a well written drama. There is a particular moment in A Few Good Men that is an iconic Hollywood moment:
(The Lawyer) Caffee says: “I want the Truth.”
(The Marine Colonel) Jessup responds with: “You can’t handle the Truth! I live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s gonna do it?
You? (to Caffee)
You, Lieutenant Weinberg?” (another attorney)
The movie continues and certainly captures the viewer’s attention as the drama continues right up until the ending scene.
Today, I want to go a bit deeper. The issues that come up in A Few Good Men bring us to an interesting intersection of who we are and where we might be going in life (and thereafter). As we go through our lives, one could ask: What can we hang our hat on?
If we hang our hat on the Legal System or The Law ALONE, we operate in a system of rules with no regard to the situation and, in fact, with no regard to the truth. As is boldly proclaimed in the movie: “It doesn’t matter what the truth is, it only matters what we can prove.” In God’s world, the Truth means everything.
If we hang our hat on Grace and Mercy ALONE, we get lawlessness, a lack of respect, no honor, and, eventually, complete rebellion.
If we hang our hat on Absolute Power ALONE, we get what Satan has been petaling since the beginning of time. We get only the idea of power and, ultimately, unadulterated evil.
In the legal courtroom, we are trapped with no hope of escape. But take a look at what the incredible lawyer Paul tells us.
Romans 5 1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
In Jesus, we are Justified
Romans 5 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but
In Jesus, we have Access to God
Romans 5 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
In Jesus, God Demonstrates His love for us
Romans 5 20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more
In Jesus, we have Unlimited Grace
The plea deal is this:
In Jesus, you get:
Justified Access from a God who DemonstratesUnlimited Grace
That’s the best deal you’re ever going to get.
John 1 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
Take the deal.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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So much of what Jesus taught about referenced money. It was his way to teach us in a way that we could understand. And when He walked into the Temple on Passover and cleared it out, He showed everyone how much He cared about money.
It wasn’t just about the money to Him.
It was the idea of people getting ripped off.
And He was to have none of it.
And so He made His cord and sent everyone into backpedal mode.
Fast forward to the end of Jesus ministry. This action at the temple directly lead to Him being executed. And in His last moments, He was executed in the most humiliating fashion.
The meaning of the word Tetelestai in the Greek is “it is finished”. It is the final words of Jesus as recorded in John 19:30. It makes sense that this was the last thing uttered by Jesus on the cross as He gave up His life.
The interesting part about this is that this is not the only way Tetelestai was used. The Greek word “tetelestai” was also used in business during Jesus’ time to indicate a debt or bill had been paid in full. And this changes this entire situation, especially to the seeker.
As I saw this beautiful word on a tattoo yesterday, it brought up an interesting conversation at track practice. In conversation with a young man who I coach and who I know very well, I asked: “Why would someone utter ‘IT IS PAID IN FULL’ right before they died?”
There is only one thing that makes sense to me.
Jesus died for me (and you) to pay off a debt that we couldn’t.
He paid debts that we owe, and continue to owe.
But Romans 5 states:
Romans 5 20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more
The trespass? It is Paid In Full.
I can’t outdo on the evil side what He did on the side of grace…and neither can you.
This is incredible.
And it is my testimony moving forward.
He can forgive.
He can forgive me and He can forgive you.
For God is the ONLY one who can set out in a situation and make it so all of us can win.
Thank You Jesus.
Tetelestai
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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So much of the Old Testament is hard to read. Blessings and Curses … and a lot of rules. But only if you read it without considering who wrote it.
John 1 says “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God from the beginning”
Let me say this again: He was with God from the beginning.
Yes. Jesus. He was with God from the beginning.
So let’s read this through those glasses:
Deuteronomy 286 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.
As you move forward in your life, God wants to bless you as you arrive and when you leave.
What a promise!
Now certainly we need to read one small verse and seek to understand it by putting it in context with the entire passage and the entire book. At the beginning of Deuteronomy 28 it says:
Deuteronomy 281 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.
IF. IF we fully obey.
Certainly God is not asking us to be perfect. Noah found favor in his eyes. So did David. So did Abraham. And ALL of them made major mistakes that made them far from perfect.
In reading this in context, I think His point is for us to do each of these items:
Trading Pride For Repentance
Proverbs 16 18 “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall”
Trading Religion For Worship/Devotion
1 Samuel 13 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”
Realizing The Magnitude Of Our Forgiveness
1 Timothy 1 15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.
In these three things, we have a chance … to receive the promise of Deuteronomy 28:6.
Deuteronomy 286 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.
So I encourage you this very day to raise your hands to the heavens and cry out the Living God … to thank Him for loving you beyond your sin. He is worthy of our praises. He is greater than our sins. And He is certainly worthy to save.
And that makes you, and me, Blessed …
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Jesus is seeking you out in the same way that He sought out a rejected woman at a well some 2000 years ago.
And when you understand this very important truth, you understand that you are saved for a purpose.
John 4
4 Now he had to go through Samaria.
6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. ) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?
12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
18 Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” 19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.
23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.” 27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ ?”
30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. 42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
My point of emphasis on this passage of scripture is NOT about the fact that Jesus cut the humanistic ties with racism, misogyny, elitism, economic class, religious rules, and every other item that we, as humans, have created … Even though it could be.
My point of emphasis on this passage of scripture is NOT about forgiveness for all … Even though it could be.
My point of emphasis on this passage of scripture is NOT about the fact that Jesus claimed to be God … Even though it could be.
My point of emphasis on this passage of scripture is NOT about Jesus being the LIVING WATER … Even though it could be.
My point of emphasis is this:
YOU, just like the woman at the well, are saved for a purpose.
So if you lack Purpose, then check in with Jesus and connect with Him in a deeper way … because when He saves you He gives you purpose.
And if you are in need of saving, cry out to Him to be your Savior … He is worthy to save. And He has such a great purpose for you.
He is worthy … and He wants to put something on your life that is bigger than anything you could ever imagine or even ask for.
YOU … were saved for a purpose.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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As I was preparing to speak to our FCA group last week, the phrase “It Just Got Real” was on my heart and in my head.
Two of our students were in a terrible car accident. And when looking into the details it was truly a miracle that they were still alive to talk about it.
All of us have had “It Just Got Real” moments that challenge us to rethink who we are, what we are doing, and why we are even here in the first place. It is in these moments that we have opportunities to make important decisions … I encourage you to do this with God at the forefront of your mind.
It Got Real with Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3 as he came to the realization that his life had no meaning.
Ecclesiastes 3 11He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end”.
What is the meaning of life has been asked by mortal men since the beginning of time.
It Got Real for John as he penned John 1 and made the boldest claim in human history:
John 1 14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
He had seen Jesus crucified and raised from the dead. And only after did he put all the pieces together.
It Gets Real for ALL OF US when we see the true commitment of Jesus to who we are and what we are doing.
John 11 35Jesus wept.
Mary had told Jesus that He needed to be there … and, had He been there, her brother would not have died.
But that’s just it, isn’t it?
We expect Jesus to NOT BE THERE … but Jesus IS there. He IS ALWAYS THERE.
And as He sat on that hill and looked over Jerusalem this is a truth that you must take with you EVERYWHERE YOU GO AND IN ALL THAT YOU DO.
He Shows Up
God is there for us.
He is there for us in the flesh … but more than that, and when we can not see His work as Mary couldn’t, He is there in the spirit.
His Kingdom is eternal and it is an invitation for all who would dare call Him king.
His Kingdom is for the rich and for the poor, for the strong and for the weak.
His Kingdom is for the put together … and for the broken.
It Just Got Real.
What are you going to do about it?
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Abraham had the hand of God on him no matter what he did. Even when he was a coward, God protected him.
Afraid for his life, he told King Abimelech that his beautiful wife Sarah was his sister. So when Abimelech took her, God punished him immediately. (Genesis 20)
I have always struggled with this verse. Why would God punish a man who did not know he had done wrong?
What does this mean for us today?
The reality is that God is watching over all who would dare to declare Him King. And He isn’t watching us and deciding whether to give us an “Abraham Reward” or an “Abimelech Punishment”. We aren’t under karma and we don’t have to walk in fear over every decision that we make.
That being said, the power of bad human choices and sin have cursed our society. It isn’t that we made a bad choice, it is that we live in the midst of Romans 3 … For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. ALL.
We live in corruption and we are constantly facing off with it.
And today, instead of fighting against it, much of society has chosen to celebrate it.
This did not work in the time of Abraham, and it won’t work now.
And so I can declare that the need for the good news of the gospel has never been greater.
Our reality is this:
2 Peter 13 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
To those of us who would declare Him King, we have all that we need.
God has given us the power to overcome, the power to live a Godly life, and the knowledge of who He truly is.
There is no better word than this.
We have to simply follow the Savior who gave His life as a ransom to set us free.
And we can walk in that freedom … every day. We are called in His glory and His divine power … and we have everything we need.
And that … is good news.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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The Bible calls all of us as believers to many things.
And one of them is to be: Above Reproach
As we read below:
1 Timothy 31 Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
There are many things in this verse that we must read:
Faithful
Temperate
Self-Controlled
Respectable
Hospitable
Able To Teach
Not Given To Drunkenness
Not Violent But Gentle
Not Quarrelsome
Not A Lover Of Money
Must Manage His Family Well
Must Have A Good Reputation
Now, if you are A Recent Convert … what I have to say now is not for you. You are to seek God, and pray, and learn His word, and meet with other SOLID BELIEVERS, and grow in your faith.
But most of us … we grow out of that … and now it is time to step up and do the very thing that that verse above requires. It is time for us to walk into the calling that God has for us. As a coach, I would say: “Get Your Butt Going!”
You Are Called To Greater Things
Do not underestimate your influence, do not downplay it, and do not lazily disregard it. Walk into your calling!
1 Peter 2 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
This Is Not An Optional Mandate
He calls us to ministry. It is not our job to “regulate” the pastor. We are not to sit in the back pew and say “he needs to do this and this and this …” Nonsense. We are to stand up and lead. Start your ministry today, or at least tomorrow or Monday or have a plan. And aim big! The world is full of the lost.
Matthew 2818 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
24 “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ 26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 ” ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The Gold Standard
Follow the playbook in your ministry. The playbook is written in your Bible. And Jesus … He is the Gold Standard.
Proverbs 173 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.
So yes,
Be Above Reproach
Be:
Faithful
Temperate
Self-Controlled
Respectable
Hospitable
Able To Teach
Not Given To Drunkenness
Not Violent But Gentle
Not Quarrelsome
Not A Lover Of Money
Must Manage His Family Well
But then what?
Get Your Butt Going!!
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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One of the greatest verses in the Bible is Genesis 50:20.
After getting sold into slavery, falsely accused, thrown into prison, and then promoted to Governor of Egypt, Joseph’s life comes full circle.
And the grace of God falls onto his brothers in an incredible way as he tells them:
Genesis 50 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
In an incredible story of what God does…redemption…Joseph’s life saves an estimated 70 Israelites and a million people. And Joseph’s ability to move past what happened and forgive is incredibly significant.
Slavery. Slander. Prison. When we get in a tough situation, a trial, or we are simply trying to fight through things, we must ask?
Where Is My Focus?
When David walked up on the Goliath situation, he heard from everyone about the giant. Goliath. Goliath. Goliath. But David was not focused on Goliath, nor the weapons that they used to fight. He was focused on God. And God gave David a weapon that was far greater than what Goliath had. The sling that God had him use to fight wolves and lions was far greater than anything Goliath could bring.
Where Is My Focus? It should be on God … not the giant. Because God has the weapons we need to defeat the giant.
What Will You Get There?
Hope … and Faith. Hebrews 11 says that Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what you do not see. Hope is one of the most important things we can have. When our hope is not there, our thoughts go in the wrong direction. But hope gives us the motivation to get up and walk, to move forward, to begin to dream.
What Will You Get There? Hope … And Faith Is Being Sure Of What You Hope For.
God is bigger than the walls in front of us.
He is bigger than our failures and our mistakes.
He is bigger than our mortality.
Jesus Christ became one of us so that we could know that He has walked in our shoes, that He has been tempted, and that He has experienced loss.
And we can hold on to this promise … that what was intended to harm us God can use for good.
WALK in the covering of Jesus … His love never fails.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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2 MINUTE WARNING 