Tag Archives: Jesus

Out of the Dark

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Growing up, I was sure a monster lived in the dark recesses of my closet…yet in the day time he seemed to be nowhere in sight.

Walking out to the car in a dimly lit parking lot late at night sends a flash of fear deep into the heart of even the most stalwart of office managers…but walking to the car for lunch break is no problem.

The faithful dental assistant who shows up before the sun to “open up” feels the icy clutches of the dark office reaching out at her…yet the moment a co-worker shows up the fear dissipates.

No one likes being alone in the dark.

Yet imagine living in an inescapable darkness. Perpetual ink black darkness always surrounds you. What terror! The Bible tells us this is what it was like before Jesus Christ came. All of humanity was forced to live  in darkness on the border of the “valley of death” (Matthew 4:16).

Sounds pretty bad…BUT…when Jesus came they saw a great light!

The beauty of the story of Jesus is that he came to free us from the fear of darkness. He brought hope into hopelessness. Peace into turmoil. Light into darkness.

I have been rescued from the fear of darkness..have you?

People around us are still afraid of the dark. They fear the darkness in their heart. They question their existence. They desperately fear that what’s in the closet is about to jump out and overwhelm them. They need to hear that Jesus came to bring them out of the dark. That Jesus is a great light, able to bring peace, hope, and life.

Jesus brought light into the darkness…..how are we helping people see the light?

He Has Come

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Christmas is a vivid reminder to the world that Jesus did in fact come.

Jesus, having the ability to meet our deepest need and hearing the command of God, came down to earth and took on human form. He became flesh and “moved into the neighborhood”.

Having heard the call of God and having acted in obedience Jesus went on to secure for the world the opportunity to relationship with God the Father.

This Christmas as you exchange gifts, spend time with family and reflect on another year gone by may you also consider the profound truth that Jesus came.

And as you reflect may you come to see that this action of Christ’s coming is not just something to be admired by His followers but something to be emulated. We, who are children of God, are called to enter into this same world that Jesus entered in order to bring the same hope Jesus himself brought. This hope is the truth that “the world might be saved through Jesus”.

My prayer for all you this Christmas is that you would rediscover Jesus as the one who came and the one who sends. That this Christmas you would not only find Jesus but take Jesus to a world the Father still desperately loves.

Merry Christmas!

 

Sizzle, Pop and Swagger

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Sometimes I fear that Jesus would have been voted off his own reality television show.

Jesus was never really concerned with popularity. Am I?

Jesus did not call his disciples to popularity he called them to die. This is the heart of discipleship. To be a disciple is to be a follower. To follow Jesus means to take the path of suffering and death. “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23)

How do you make the concept of death and suffering pop? How do we make these ideas sizzle? Do inmates on death row have swagger?

We live in a culture that worships success. It is said that if something is to be “successful” it must “sell itself. But death does not sell itself. It cannot. We cannot make the life of Christ into something sexy. Something attractive for attractions sake. No. The first thing the would be follower of Jesus Christ is confronted with is the absolute and total command of Jesus Christ to die to everything but Jesus Himself.

The call to discipleship is a lonely call. Is a hard call. Is an absurd call. It’s the call to die. So will you follow Jesus when it’s not that popular? Will you follow him to the cross? Will you continue to live out, in the mundane and difficult moments of life, the calling of Jesus. Will you follow him even without the accolades?

Jesus is not looking for a marketing team, for men and women who can make Christianity sizzle. He is looking for followers who are willing to die in order to experience life to the fullest.

Community Questions:

Why is it hard to follow Jesus in walking away from the crowds rather than embracing them?

What does it mean to bear our cross (death) daily in the context and comfort of America?

Musings on the “Occupation”

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MORE…it’s the kind of word that seems appropriate in all caps.

Now, before you think this is just a rant on the “Occupy” movement I want to broaden our view. The 99 are certainly asking for MORE but they aren’t alone. NBA players recently reached a shaky deal with owners. Before this deal the NBA had been in a lockout. Professional basketball players wanted MORE. This past Friday, reports say, was a record Black Friday where consumers spent 7% MORE than they did last year. Yesterday MORE Americans spent MORE money than ever before to get MORE Christmas presents on Cyber Monday.

I think we could do with a little less MORE don’t you?

John the Baptist had everything going for Him. Yet when He met up with Jesus He quickly got the point. If John was to worship Jesus the right way John had to let Jesus have the spot light. So John 3:30 tells us John diminished so that Jesus could rise.

How might we become a little less this season so that Jesus might become a little MORE? Is there something you need to let go of this Christmas season in order to give a little MORE of your time, treasure, or family to Jesus? Do you need to seek forgiveness for following the crowds that are clamoring for MORE in the streets, malls, or workplace?

May you find that the MORE we become less the less we will worry about having MORE and the MORE Jesus will have His right place in our lives.

 

Find Your Sodom

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They all died. Every single one. Their violence, their immorality, their savagery led them to the brink. They reached the edge of the cliff so quickly that it was a small matter to jump off…even if it was to their own demise. They were the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.

…bu they could have been saved you know.

Hours before the fire and brimstone fell on these cities Abraham had a conversation with God about their fate. He pleaded with God to extend his grace if just a handful of righteous people might be found among the teaming masses.

But there weren’t 10 godly people to be found in the city.

So the city was destroyed.

The tragedy is that Lot, Abraham’s nephew, lived in the city. He was a major player in the town. When the angels of the Lord found him he was sitting at the gate. This was a place of honor for the leaders of the city. Lot had an incredible opportunity to influence this city for God, but instead their fallenness got to him. It seeped into his bones. It changed him.

Heartbreaking.

Lot’s family, his wife and children, his grandchildren; combined they could have outdone superman. They could have saved the city. Their righteousness could have withheld the fire.

The next time you watch an inspiring movie that makes you feel like you want to do something great for God here’s a thought; live righteously. Maybe your a father; teach your children to love God. Maybe you’re a wife; don’t give stop praying for the heart of your husband. Maybe you’re a student; don’t comprise because it’s easy. Just because everyone else is or isn’t doing it don’t stop being righteous; you just may be holding back the fire.

For many years I thought one of Lot’s biggest mistakes was going into the city in the first place, but I don’t think that quite right. 10 godly people can be enough to hold back judgment, that’s an important point to remember. 10 righteous people in a town of hundreds, 10 righteous people in a city of thousands, 10 righteous people in a metropolis of millions. We can hold back the fire if we only hold the line.

Find your Sodom. Hold the Line. Live righteously and watch as God not only sustains you but in the process saves a city!

Community Questions:

Where has God placed you to hold back the fire?

What are some of the challenges those who live in Sodom face? How can we find success in the cities?