Category: My Discoveries

The Central Focus of Life

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Hebrews 10:24-25

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

What is life but a series of relationships?

When I was born, my first relationship was with my mother and father, and then my siblings, and then my extended family. After a few years, I started discovering relationships with people that were not blood relatives such as other families at church, classmates in pre-school, teachers at pre-school. And then there were classmates and teachers at school, and teammates at the soccer club, and more people coming and going at camps, birthday parties, hospitals, the shops etc. There were relationships for which I hope would go deeper than a stock-standard ‘relationship’. And there were relationships that turned from sweet to sour, and relationships that turned from sour to sweet. did I also mention the relationship I had with that irate customer who yelled at me when I wasn’t fast enough at the checkout? Or that girl I met at church one week who I thought was attractive and then never saw again? Or the relationship with the driver of the car I rear-ended? I went 20 years without knowing that my wife existed on the face of the earth, but we have a very, very close relationship now.

My life can be sorted, organised and defined by the relationships that I’ve had.  But it’s my relationship with God that is an important relationship that I struggle to visibly sort, organise and define. My relationship with God is the reason I make certain choices and why I feel guilty when I make other choices. I know that my relationship with God is the one relationship that is the only enduring one and yet I’m not consistent in letting that reflect out into my life.

I have learned over the years first-hand that possessions and achievements don’t give my life fulfillment, and that had made me realise that fulfillment must come from relationships. Since relationships with other humans can turn sweet and sour, start and end over the years, that means the only truly fulfilling relationship can be with God; a sweet relationship for which there is no end. But having a relationship with God is reflected through my relationship with others here on earth. If the choice is between achieving a thing or achieving a God centered relationship, I need to choose the relationship, as that is a relationship with God. If the choice is between doing something to meet my own needs or the needs of someone else, I need to choose the needs of someone else, as that is a relationship with God.

 

How to move head knowledge to the heart – 1 Thessalonians 2:13

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1 Thessalonians 2:13

And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.

My core struggle in life is searching for comfort. My head knowledge knows that the only source of true comfort is God, as everything else on this earth is fleeting and could be taken at any moment. Replace ‘comfort’ in those two sentences with ‘identity’, and that might be your story. Replace ‘comfort’ with ‘joy’ or ‘satisfaction’ and that might be your story.

Although we are all searching for different things in our lives, the answer, I believe, is always Jesus. It’s unfortunate, I think, for kids that have grown up in the church (like myself), that we have so much head knowledge about where to find what we are looking for to fill the deep, dark recesses of our heart, but we are unable to shift that head knowledge to our hearts. I have seen it time and time again; friends and family with incredible head knowledge about Jesus and God, but they fall away because they do nothing to move their head knowledge to their heart. So how do we move our head knowledge to our hearts?

I think the only way we can do it is through putting our complete reliance in God for everything. As in: My core struggle is searching for comfort. To rely on God for my comfort means that I should be willing to throw every other piece of comfort on Earth away and still feel comfort because I find my comfort in him who is not of this Earth. People with head knowledge often fall away because they see people around them with the same head knowledge, but without actions that show they have their reliance in God.

Putting our reliance in God for everything is a risk for us humans, but I think it is ultimately the most rewarding way to live life: If you find your joy, comfort, identity and satisfaction in God and rely on him for everything, what on Earth could possibly bring you down?

ASK YOURSELF: What am I searching for in life? How is that search visible in my day-to-day actions and activities?

Dear God, I need your help. I need you to be the center of my life for which everything else revolves around. Help me stay aware of your presence around me and you promptings to put my reliance on you. Amen.

The Distractions – Romans 8:5

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Romans 8:5

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

Procrastination and distraction made me take a good dozen hours longer to finish and assignment than what was required. The easy appeal of watching a movie, reading a book, playing a game or anything that required less brain power than researching and writing down words into the report. I’ve seen studies that show genetic influences on the propensity to procrastinate, so I could just blame my ancestors. But whether genetics plays a part or not, I know I am highly prone to distractions.

The reason I haven’t written a blog article in over a month is because of distraction. The reason I haven’t done any solid bible reading or meditating in God’s word it because of distraction. I can assure you that I have been praying; not as regularly and only for my own salvation with just a peppering of prayers for others. Everyday I am aware of my distraction when I dismiss the ‘Bible Study’ reminder in my calendar.

I just wrote and deleted ‘My distraction was a genuine distraction’, but that possibly shows how far I’ve gone from knowing that nothing is a worthy distraction from God. Being in constant contact with God through bible reading, prayer and loving others is not just good to do because God alone is worthy of our time and energy, but it is also good for us. Focusing on God will help us when we are faced with tough decisions; God can bring us everlasting comfort when those tough decision and/or circumstances around us cause us distress.

Romans 8:5 is an oft mentioned verse, probably because it is so readily applicable to our fleshy, human minds. The context is Paul is trying to teach the Jews in Rome that just walking and living according to the old laws isn’t going to be helpful anymore for their salvation; they need to ‘walk not according to the flesh but according to the spirit’ (Rom. 8:4). I feel, as a Christian, I often times see salvation as a law, not a personal relationship; ‘I’ve been saved. I’m all good now. I can focus on my worldly things, and I’ll get back to God when it’s convenient to me’. And being saved does mean I’m ‘all good now’. I know I’m saved no matter what I do, but the whole point of being saved is to be in a relationship with God.

ASK YOURSELF: What are your distractions? What’s keeping you from relaxing into the knowledge that you are a child of God? What can you do to your day’s schedule to allow you to have time along in the scripture and in prayer.

Dear God, please give me strength. Give me a soft heart and open eyes to see where my life is pursuing worldly comforts and achievements rather than looking to serve you through loving others. You are a gracious God.

Should Christians charge money for Christian Resources?

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Romans 8:32

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

I have always had this conviction that Christians should never charge money for Christian resources. I have had this conviction since I was a young teenager, because it is what makes sense to me: Christians have freely received grace and mercy that we don’t deserve from God, but then we charge others to learn about this amazing free gift by charging for books, DVDs, recordings or other resources. Producing resources costs money (books need to be printed, websites need to be paid for), and I’m not suggesting a Christian author should ever withhold payment from a book printer or anything like that. I think the perfect model for Christian resources is that people get behind gospel-centered projects and donate money to allow that resource to be free. Thanks to the internet, this is happening. Websites like The Bible Project and Desiring God (among others I’m sure) release their resources completely free. Desiring God even has free downloadable versions of John Piper’s print books. We need to support these projects that are doing what they do in faith that God will provide for them through the support of other Christians.

Giving away resources which may have cost significant time and money to produce takes a big leaps of faith if you don’t recognize what is at stake for those consuming the resources. Imagine the message it would send to the world for the unsaved to see that Christians care so much about them that they’re willing to potentially sacrifice their worldly incomes for the purpose of reaching out.

In addition, we need to support our local churches so that when they run events, they can do it without needing to charge door prices or ticket prices. Encourage our Pastors that the congregation believes in what they do by fronting up money or time or your insight to enable the Church to reach further into the community, and share the amazing message of God’s saving grace.

The Validation Quest – Galatians 1:10

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Galatians 1:10

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

So much of what we do in life is a quest for validation from others or ourselves. We play sport so that we can have our sport skills validated. We try for promotions, or even just a job, to have our work skills validated. We undergo creative endeavors to have our creativity validated. For everything in my life where I don’t think I’m doing it for validation, there is something else for which I am.  In his letter to the Galatians, Paul writes  ‘If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ’. The context of this is Paul is disputing that he is like the false teachers, trying to please man. Instead he is being faithful in his God given commission to preach to the Gentiles and say what needs to be said through love. Even Paul, a great man of God, was being accused by his opponents that his messages were an attempt to please men. How much easier it is for our own opponents of Christianity to look at our lives and where we seek validation and accuse us of not pleasing God but attempting to please man.

I personally experience how difficult it is to find my validation in God alone, not in others. Even this blog, in some ways, is seeking the validation in myself that I can communicate the Gospel to others, and I have a firm grasp on some difficult theological ideas.

Psalm 37:5-6

Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
    your vindication like the noonday sun.

ASK YOURSELF: What am I doing for the validation of others, not for the glory of God? Who is seeing me pursuit earthly validation?

Why Did Jesus Perform Miracles? – Mark 7:34-35

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Mark 7:34-35

He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

Jesus came to earth as a baby; fully God and fully man. He grew up with a human family; a mother, father and multiple brothers and sisters (Matthew 13:55-56). He performed dozens of extraordinary miracles that are recorded in the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. John 21:25 hints that there were many more miracles that weren’t recorded. Why did Jesus do miracles? Was it to prove to everyone he wasn’t just a human? Was it to solve issues for people that they couldn’t solve themselves? Was Jesus just impatient, and using miracles was the quickest way to get things done?

I think it comes back to the main characteristic of Jesus, which is love. Jesus is all about love. If someone came across him with a problem, he did the loving thing which was to help them with their problem. One would also assume that Jesus did his miracles to show other people that he had supernatural power, but Mark 7:36 says:

Mark 7:36

Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it.

It was apparently Jesus ultimate hope that those around him would see him for who he was, and all glory would be reflected up to God, rather than to himself. Jesus was sent to earth to love humanity through the ultimate act of love; dying in our place for our sins so that we can have an uninhibited relationship with God. So Jesus came to earth and did all he did to love other people. What are we, as Christians; ‘little Christs’ going to do when the bible commands us to ‘think and act like Christ Jesus’?(Philippians 2:5-11)

ASK YOURSELF: Do you fully understand what being a Christian means, and what has needed to take place to allow you to be in a relationship with God? How are you going to reflect that knowledge in the next person you talk to?

How to be successful and influential – Proverbs 16:3

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Proverbs 16:3

Commit your deeds to the Lord and your plans shall succeed.

The titles of self-help books are always eye catching; ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’, ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’. The books are aiming to help the reader become something that the reader feels they’re not, for example ‘influential’ or ‘effective’. We learn in the bible, there’s no ‘self’ involved in being successful or influential. Yes, working really hard for yourself can make you successful or influential to the world’s standards, but that is fleeting and certainly the path to going further away from God, rather than towards (Matthew 19:23-24).

The Bible is a God-help book. The Bible offers up sound advice for how one can be successful and influential, and they all involve searching for help and support from God, not ourselves. Why would the bible not contain the phrase ‘God helps those who helps themselves’? That’s not what grace is all about. Grace is about God loving us because he knows we can’t help ourselves. Surely the fact that there are plethora of self-help books released every year shows that no one has truly worked out how to help them-self with every aspect of their life, or really what ‘success’ actually is. The whole point of the gospel is faith and trust alone in Jesus is all we need to be saved, and that is the success everyone is searching for. God doesn’t need our good works. He certainly requests that we work hard towards the furthering of his Love and the gospel (1 Corinthians 10:31), and doing so is evidence of a strong faith and trust and understanding .

I have plans to succeed. I have plans to live comfortably, provide for my family, have a good job in a good workplace and let others know about God. Which of those deeds should I commit to the Lord? All of them, certainly, but I feel that providing for my family and letting others know about God, the two plans that align with God’s desire for spreading his Love and the gospel, are going to do better at succeeding. Why? Because if I’m focused on providing for my family and letting others know about God, it might mean myself not living comfortably, and not having a good job in a good workplace. All four plans might succeed, by God’s grace, but there is no reason I should expect all four to, and God could take away my living comfortably so that I focus more on spreading the gospel. Being successful means choosing what you want to be successful in; we can’t be successful in everything. For me, I feel being successful in loving others holds so much more worth than being successful for myself.

ASK YOURSELF: What are your plans? Are your plans for comfort or the furthering of God’s Love to this broken world? Have you committed your deeds to the Lord?

 

Cut it off, Cut it off, Pluck it out – Mark 9:43

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Mark 9:43

If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.

Jesus and his disciples escaped the crowds by going to a small fishing village called Capernaum, which sits on the edge of the Sea of Galilee. There, Jesus is giving some private lessons to his twelve disciples. Vv. 33-50 of chapter 9 change subject a number of times, leading one to believe that the writer of Mark is giving us just the highlights of the teaching. Vv. 43,45 and 47 follow the same teaching: ‘if x causes you to stumble, get rid of it. It is better to enter heaven impaired in some way than be thrown into hell.’

As usual in the interpretation of verses there is a range of extremes that interpreters see in verses. On the less extreme end, these verses could be interpreted as talking about the church, and that it is necessary to get rid of a member if they are causing other members to stumble. On the other extreme end, Jesus is telling everyone to chop their hands off and get rid of their eyes, as there is no one that has not used these parts of their body for sin. Verse 42 may offer us a clue for what the following verses are referring to:

Mark 9:42

“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.

This is such passionate language from Jesus. He is passionately against people that cause believers to stumble, and one can imagine that if it is better that someone dies on earth rather that cause a believer to stumble, whatever is in store for them on the day of judgement is not going to be joyful. With this in mind, v. 43 and it’s companion verses would then be talking about the church, or the body of Christ. Two major points remain:

1. Can we apply vv. 43,45,47 to the context of our physical body causing us to sin?

Until a really studied this verse, I thought that it could apply to our literal eyes. I have sinned through my eyes. I don’t know you, but I’m guessing you could attest to the same issues, and so we should all have an ‘eye going away’ party. But notice that the verses say ‘Our x causes us to stumble.’ My eye doesn’t cause me to stumble. My sinful heart wants to sin, and I use my eyes to stumble. Blaming my eye or hand or foot for something I did wrong would not even stand up in an earthly court room, and there is no reason why an infinitely wise God is going to judge with lower standards. Cutting off a body part is not going to stop our sinful hearts. We stumble from the sinful heart; to only way to get rid of that is using God to transform our hearts.

2. Are we the body parts that should be cut off?

Although we have concluded that we shouldn’t cut off our physical body parts because that’s not going to stop us from sinning, what should we do with the body parts (people) in the church who are causing others to stumble. It’s not our place to kill people that are causing others to sin; the role of judgement is God and God’s alone, but it certainly is our place to approach that person in love and help them see what they’re doing is wrong. But what if I am the body part that is causing others to sin? That is the biggest question, and from the passion that God talks about this issue, it is a question that we should all be asking ourselves daily. Are we causing others to stumble? A really quick and easy solution to this problem is to know whether our actions are loving to other people. If you’re loving everyone around you to the standard that God calls us to, you can’t be causing them to sin. They may sin, but you can’t, and shouldn’t take the blame. You can rest easy knowing you have done all that is humanly possible. Of course, this is far easier said and done, but from this verse we can see that God holds a very high standard for us in our interactions with people around us. We are only to love others, and only cause them to see God’s goodness and glory, never stumble.

ASK YOURSELF: How are you causing others to stumble? What can you do within your power to stop them from stumbling and to instead see God’s glory through your actions?

How to see God – 1 John 4:12

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1 John 4:12

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

I will admit I am a skeptic when people, in the modern age, say they have seen angels, or been to heaven and back. I very much believe in the supernatural world, and I also believe it is within God’s power to take someone to heaven and back, or send angels to earth. All of that is to say we learn in the bible that we don’t need to see supernatural things to see supernatural things. And more importantly we don’t need to be a supernatural being to live supernaturally. When we are born again (that is accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour), we are endowed with the Holy Spirit (see the rest of 1 John 4). As verse 12 says, if we want to see a glimpse of God, we need to only look at Christians loving one another. We, as Christians, need to love non-Christians so that they have the opportunity to see only a morsel of God’s infinitely larger Love waiting for them.

At the end of verse 12, John writes that ‘his love is made complete in us’. Surely God’s love doesn’t end with us? Well in verse 17, John explains this point:

1 John 4:17

 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

We are not like Jesus, as in Jesus is part of the holy trinity and the Son of God. We are like Jesus in that we are going to suffer in this world. People are going to criticize and possibly even crucify us for what we do and preach in throughput of God’s love. But like Jesus, our earthly goal is to spread God’s love. That is how his love is made complete in us; the whole point of God’s love is to reach non-Christians and Christians alike, and a method in which he does that is through us fulfilling the command to love one another.

Isn’t it amazing that we can be the ones that show God to others? We can enable others to see God through our actions. If that doesn’t prove that our lives are not our own, I don’t know what does.

Stressings over Blessings – John 14:27

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John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

It’s funny the things that cause us stress.  Often times it can actually be good things that cause stress. For example choosing between two job offers, or having to decide between two holiday locations. The blessings of being able to have the opportunity to be employed, or have the savings and time to take a holiday are not things that we deserve. God didn’t need to allow us to be in the situations we’re in, and he has every right to take away everything that is good in our lives. So why do we sometimes stress even when we’re not in what would be considered a ‘stressful situation’?

Stress is most commonly rooted in worry and anxiety. If we are dropped in the middle of a crocodile infested river, we will start to stress out of fear of becoming a crocodile’s morning tea. If we have a project deadline coming up, we begin to stress that not completing it to a high standard could lead us to losing our jobs. There are legitimate situations, like being in a crocodile infested river, when stress is a good thing, it helps us to make wise decisions like get out of the river. But a lot of the time stress and worry is caused by imagined threats, or ‘the worst case scenario’. Circling back to why we stress over blessings, many times it’s because we are trying to find the ‘worst case scenario’ in the blessing. For example ‘If I take Job A over Job B, what if in a months time I find out Job A isn’t what I thought it would be?’ or ‘What if I don’t perform/fit in/be accepted in my new job?’ or ‘What if other people think we’re too excessive if we go on holiday?’ or ‘What if the location we choose is not what I thought it would be like?’

When we stress over good things in life, there’s always a much deeper trouble in our hearts. That core trouble or issue will vary from person to person, but examples can be not trusting in God’s provision, not trusting in God’s control, seeking comfort from the approval of others, having a love over worldly goods above God. And these core issues will pop up time and time again, no matter if the situation you are in is good or bad.

ASK YOURSELF: What’s the core issue in your heart causing you stress or anxiety? Is that really the core issue or is there an even deeper trouble?