Sharing Life and Christ

I realized something about an hour ago. I realized that I often find myself asking God why. And there is a sweetness in that question that I’d like to share. Now, perhaps you are expecting me to say that it is good to question why bad things happen. I am not immune to asking God “Why” in bad situations (like Japan), but that is not the point of this writing. Scripture is clear that the world is fallen and bad things are going to happen. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoptions as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Romans 8:22-23 This groaning is good because it points us to our desire to be redeemed. Groaning is a means of God’s grace to us. I want to direct this groaning upwards to Christ and allow God to use it to give me an eager longing for His Kingdom. The que...

I want to try and unpack an idea that I believe is critical to being able to serve others faithfully. I desire to think rightly about serving, and it is my hope that this effort may encourage others as well. In leadership class this morning, Bruce said that serving was a sin detector. What I believe he meant was that as we seek to serve other people, we become aware of many manifestations of the pride in our sinful hearts. Whether it be serving as a means of self righteousness or serving to gain the approval of men or serving ourselves under the veil of serving others, pride is an evil that lies close at hand when we desire to do good to others. The Apostle Paul says it this way: So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. Romans 7:21 In other words, if we aren’t acknowledging the presence of pride (however small it may be) in serving others, we are failing to evaluate ourselves honestly. By God’s grace, I can see the p...

He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32 What can be said about Romans 8? -There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. -The Spirit of life has set us free from slavery to sin and death. -We who put our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ are children of God. -Some day, all of creation will be completely redeemed and restored to the way God originally designed it, including all of us who are in Christ! -Because of God’s love, we are more than conquerors. -Present sufferings, though very real and painful, are not worth comparing to eternity with Jesus. -Joy in Christ must consume our focus regardless of the present circumstances of life. I don’t know a single person who defaults to right thinking about any of the above truths found in Paul’s letter to the chu...

Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, “They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.” And I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter my rest.” Hebrews 3:7-11 The above passage is quoted from Psalm 95:7-11. It is speaking of the time in the wilderness when God’s people Israel grumbled against God because their exodus from Egypt was not going the way they desired it to. The account from Exodus 17 immediately begs the question “how could the Israelites be so foolish?” They had been waking up every morning to find fresh bread brought down from Heaven by God. And they still questioned whether God was among them or not. How could they fail to see God’s love for them? How could they grumble after being rescued from slavery in Egypt? Why were ...

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, [Jesus] departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed. Mark 1:35 I love being a “morning person.” I love waking up early before the busyness of the day has begun. I love the freedom of having the first two-plus hours of my day spent in almost complete silence without distractions and schedules. I love the opportunity to start the day slowly and prepare for the hustle and bustle that awaits me the moment I walk out the door of my apartment. But mostly, I love waking to a loving God who never sleeps who desires for me to know Him intimately. It is in the sweetness of the morning that I am able to focus on pursuing Jesus Christ. My interests at 5:15 a.m. are not divided. I know why I am awake. And God has blessed that in spectacular ways. I’ve been an advocate of morning devotional time for the past few years since I got serious about studying the Bible and deepening my relationship w...

Having risen this morning with the Son well before the sun has peaked above the horizon, I have come back to this question asked to everyone who attended CrossWay Community Church on Sunday. Pastor Mike Bullmore asked us to consider why we would actually commit ourselves to Jesus Christ and follow Him. As a musician, I know the importance of fundamentals. If I don’t practice scales and articulation exercises and breathing exercises, I will not be as successful when it comes time to play real music. It is always good to go back to the fundamentals no matter how skilled at something we become. It is no different with our faith as Christians. And the question, “Why should I entrust myself to Jesus?” is a fundamental question that is good to return to. It begs us to search the deepest reaches of our hearts to find comfort. Even when the world (and possibly our loved ones) claims to offer a better alternative, as Christians, we know through experience that Jesus Christ ...

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus… Philippians 2:5 And when He drew near and saw the city, He wept over it… Luke 19:41 Here is Jesus nearing Jerusalem only days away from being beaten and hung on a cross. He had been telling His disciples that this day was approaching, and they refused to believe it. Now, Jesus is coming into town riding on a colt, lowly, meekly, yet with such exuberant joy from His followers. At this point, Jesus is the only one that knows how His kingdom will be established, and I imagine that had His followers known, their welcome rally may have looked a little different. Nonetheless, their King has arrived in Jerusalem. Jesus sees the city and weeps. It isn’t for the city but for the people that He weeps. He weeps for their hardened hearts and murderous thoughts. He weeps for their darkened souls and impending destruction. And these aren’t just any people. These are the people that will yell, “Crucify Hi...