Than man and woman have disobeyed God, and everything is different. They know it, and then they hear the sound of God walking in the garden. This had to be a regular occurrence for them to recognize the sound of His footsteps. They existed in a perfect relationship with God, and they probably walked with Him each day, enjoying His presence is a way that no other human being has since this tragic event.
God desires fellowship with humanity. He knew they had sinned, and He knew everything was now going to be different, His plans were now changed, and yet He still comes to meet with man. When people hurt us, do something against our wishes, our initial reaction is not to go and fellowship with them. Personally, I get sick of people and when people hurt me I don't want to be around them. My human reaction is to say forget it, they aren't worth my time, and just ignore it, never dealing with it, and try to move on without dealing with it. Worst case scenario you try to get even, and I'll admit my mind goes there, but I've grown and matured beyond the point of personal vengeance, so that's a step in the right direction.
Vengeance and ignoring the circumstances destroy community and relationships, fortunately God does not stoop to that level. God does not cast man aside, rejecting him for his disobedience, He comes to meet with them just as He always does. God does not smite these disobedient people, but calls for them, seeking them out, and inviting them to speak with Him. That is who God is, a god of community and relationship.
Let us seek to imitate God in this way. Let us always pursue community, even with those who disappoint us. Let us always pursue relationships, never seeking to get even for wrongs committed against us.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Monday, December 31, 2018
Friday, December 28, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 3.2-7
The serpent has planted the seed of manipulation in the the woman's mind and it begins to grow. She doesn't twist God's words, but she adds to them, and this gives the serpent an opportunity to continue to cause doubt in her mind. He lies about the goodness of God, making it seem as if God is withholding something from them, something that is now within their grasp. He makes God out to be an insecure liar who is threatened by the potential humanity has.
The temptation become too great, not only is the fruit pleasant to look at and edible, but it also gives wisdom and insight, giving knowledge of good and evil. The woman takes the fruit and eats, as her husband stands by and watches, refusing to play the man and lead and protect his wife, then he eats too, and everything falls apart. They realize they are naked and feel shame for the first time, they cover themselves in order to hide from each other. The relationship is broken because they believed a lie.
God is truthful, and He has our best in mind. God is not withholding anything from us, but was keeping us from knowing and feeling shame, and protecting relationships in an unbroken state. God was truthful, when the fruit was eaten, man knew right from wrong, and he sacrificed immortality and perfection.
Let us choose to trust and believe God. Let us accept His goodness, knowing that He has our best in mind, not looking for greener grass, but finding joy and contentment where we are. Ignore the manipulative lies and hold firmly to the loving truth.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
The temptation become too great, not only is the fruit pleasant to look at and edible, but it also gives wisdom and insight, giving knowledge of good and evil. The woman takes the fruit and eats, as her husband stands by and watches, refusing to play the man and lead and protect his wife, then he eats too, and everything falls apart. They realize they are naked and feel shame for the first time, they cover themselves in order to hide from each other. The relationship is broken because they believed a lie.
God is truthful, and He has our best in mind. God is not withholding anything from us, but was keeping us from knowing and feeling shame, and protecting relationships in an unbroken state. God was truthful, when the fruit was eaten, man knew right from wrong, and he sacrificed immortality and perfection.
Let us choose to trust and believe God. Let us accept His goodness, knowing that He has our best in mind, not looking for greener grass, but finding joy and contentment where we are. Ignore the manipulative lies and hold firmly to the loving truth.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 3.1
Sorry this is coming so late in the day, the past 48 hours have been slightly chaotic. Hoping you all had a Merry Christmas.
Genesis 3 introduces the villain of the story, as well as the main plot. The serpent is identified as the most crafty of all the animals God has made. One day, probably after several weeks of observation, and probably more than a few conversations (but I'm just speculating on this and it really doesn't matter), he asks the woman a question, "Did God really say this?" He twists the question, wording it in a way that challenges the goodness of God, setting up his next attack.
The enemy twists God's words, because that is all he is able to do. The devil does not have the power to create, he can simply take what God has made good and corrupt it, twisting it for his own attempts to lead man astray. Here, he takes what God has said and twists the words of God in order to lead man into disobedience. This passage, though it seems to focus on the enemy, tells us that God speaks. God had spoken to man, giving him instructions about how to remain in perfect relationships with Himself, others, and creation. Here, the enemy twists the words of God because that is all he is able to do.
God speaks to man. I have never heard Him audibly speak, though I know people who claim that they have, but I have felt God speaking in different ways. He speaks through the Bible, making certain truths stand out at different times. He speaks to the spirit, giving guidance and direction when asked (there's been something I've prayed a lot about this year, asking God to guide me, and He has done so very specifically, it's been awesome to watch Him work). God speaks through others, using them to point out things, bring things to our minds, or hear things in a new way.
God is not silent, He speaks. The enemy will try to twist the words of God, even the words of the Bible, look at the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4, so we must make sure that what we are hearing from God lines up with the truth of His character. The enemy is crafty; he managed to convince two people who walked with God in the cool of the day to do the one thing God said not to do.
Let us learn to know the voice of God, and as we do so we will know when the enemy is twisting His words.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Genesis 3 introduces the villain of the story, as well as the main plot. The serpent is identified as the most crafty of all the animals God has made. One day, probably after several weeks of observation, and probably more than a few conversations (but I'm just speculating on this and it really doesn't matter), he asks the woman a question, "Did God really say this?" He twists the question, wording it in a way that challenges the goodness of God, setting up his next attack.
The enemy twists God's words, because that is all he is able to do. The devil does not have the power to create, he can simply take what God has made good and corrupt it, twisting it for his own attempts to lead man astray. Here, he takes what God has said and twists the words of God in order to lead man into disobedience. This passage, though it seems to focus on the enemy, tells us that God speaks. God had spoken to man, giving him instructions about how to remain in perfect relationships with Himself, others, and creation. Here, the enemy twists the words of God because that is all he is able to do.
God speaks to man. I have never heard Him audibly speak, though I know people who claim that they have, but I have felt God speaking in different ways. He speaks through the Bible, making certain truths stand out at different times. He speaks to the spirit, giving guidance and direction when asked (there's been something I've prayed a lot about this year, asking God to guide me, and He has done so very specifically, it's been awesome to watch Him work). God speaks through others, using them to point out things, bring things to our minds, or hear things in a new way.
God is not silent, He speaks. The enemy will try to twist the words of God, even the words of the Bible, look at the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4, so we must make sure that what we are hearing from God lines up with the truth of His character. The enemy is crafty; he managed to convince two people who walked with God in the cool of the day to do the one thing God said not to do.
Let us learn to know the voice of God, and as we do so we will know when the enemy is twisting His words.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Monday, December 24, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 2
Genesis 2 focuses on God's creation of man. Genesis 1 gives an overview of creation, all of it amazing, seriously, just go outside or take a walk through the zoo (I was at the zoo with some friends Saturday night for the Christmas lights and I saw a wombat for the first time, those go right us there with orangutans for me on the awesome list). Genesis 1 says God spoke and it was so and God saw that it was good. Then it gets to man, God makes man in His image, according to His likeness, but there are only a few statements. Genesis 2 focuses on this final part of creation.
Man did not evolve from a lower life form that emerged from the sea one hundred million years ago, science, amazing as it is, got that one wrong. I don't have an answer for the various archaeological discoveries of humanoids as they fall into creation and the Biblical narrative, I won't say they didn't exist because I've seen the fossil remains, but I do know man did not evolve. My simple answer right now is God created them, and until I come up with a more complex one, which at some point I will, that is going to suffice.
When it comes to man, God formed him from the dust of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and at that point man became a living being. Man exists as the representative of God to creation, exercising dominion over the rest of creation, tending it, and ruling over it. He names the animals, cares for the garden and sets out to cultivate the rest of the world, but something is missing. Man is a lone, and God, who exists in community, says that this is not good.
He makes the man fall asleep, and takes part of His image, the feminine part, from the man and fashions it into a woman. He brings the two of them together, and at this point creation is complete, at this point God finishes His work, and at this point God rests.
Creation was not complete without marriage. Creation was not complete without community. Man alone was insufficient, and so God creates a helper suitable for Him. The term is ezer kenegdo, a phrase meaning lifesaver, or essential companion. Adam needed Eve because she now held the other half of God's image that man was created with. This is the point of marriage, two people who are deeply connected to God, secure in who He made them to be, coming together in order to present the full image of God to creation.
That is the story of Genesis 2. God made man in His image to show creation who He is. Since isolation is not part of God's design, He takes part of that image and makes woman, then He brings the two halves back together in marriage. That is who God is here in this chapter.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Man did not evolve from a lower life form that emerged from the sea one hundred million years ago, science, amazing as it is, got that one wrong. I don't have an answer for the various archaeological discoveries of humanoids as they fall into creation and the Biblical narrative, I won't say they didn't exist because I've seen the fossil remains, but I do know man did not evolve. My simple answer right now is God created them, and until I come up with a more complex one, which at some point I will, that is going to suffice.
When it comes to man, God formed him from the dust of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and at that point man became a living being. Man exists as the representative of God to creation, exercising dominion over the rest of creation, tending it, and ruling over it. He names the animals, cares for the garden and sets out to cultivate the rest of the world, but something is missing. Man is a lone, and God, who exists in community, says that this is not good.
He makes the man fall asleep, and takes part of His image, the feminine part, from the man and fashions it into a woman. He brings the two of them together, and at this point creation is complete, at this point God finishes His work, and at this point God rests.
Creation was not complete without marriage. Creation was not complete without community. Man alone was insufficient, and so God creates a helper suitable for Him. The term is ezer kenegdo, a phrase meaning lifesaver, or essential companion. Adam needed Eve because she now held the other half of God's image that man was created with. This is the point of marriage, two people who are deeply connected to God, secure in who He made them to be, coming together in order to present the full image of God to creation.
That is the story of Genesis 2. God made man in His image to show creation who He is. Since isolation is not part of God's design, He takes part of that image and makes woman, then He brings the two halves back together in marriage. That is who God is here in this chapter.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Friday, December 21, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 2.22-24
God said it was not God for the man to be alone. He had mission (a career), and he had companionship, but there was something missing, intimate relationship with another human being. God created woman, taking part of man and making woman, the other half of humanity, and then brought the two together. God is the designer of gender and the author of marriage. God created humans as male and female, and designed them to be together in marriage.
Men and women are different, and that is intentional. There are things that men are designed to do and things that women are designed to do. One gender is not superior to the other, and both are essential. God made man, then then He made woman and brought her to the man. God made man in His image, and then took part of that and made woman, and then brought them together to be joined as one in marriage. God uniquely made humanity as male and female to represent Him to creation, and He intended for the two to be joined as one in marriage in order to reflect Him to the rest of creation.
It is in marriage that the two unique representatives of God's image come together, and when they come together as one, life is created. Three is no shame in this intimate relationship. It is meant to be a beautiful expression of worship, and it is something incredible that God blessed married couples with to enjoy each other.
God created men and women to reflect Him to creation. He blessed them with each other, making each gender specifically, intentionally, and beautifully. Let us embrace who God created us to be, fully becoming the men and women He intended for us to be at creation. Let us celebrate marriage as God created it, preserving it as a representation of Him.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Men and women are different, and that is intentional. There are things that men are designed to do and things that women are designed to do. One gender is not superior to the other, and both are essential. God made man, then then He made woman and brought her to the man. God made man in His image, and then took part of that and made woman, and then brought them together to be joined as one in marriage. God uniquely made humanity as male and female to represent Him to creation, and He intended for the two to be joined as one in marriage in order to reflect Him to the rest of creation.
It is in marriage that the two unique representatives of God's image come together, and when they come together as one, life is created. Three is no shame in this intimate relationship. It is meant to be a beautiful expression of worship, and it is something incredible that God blessed married couples with to enjoy each other.
God created men and women to reflect Him to creation. He blessed them with each other, making each gender specifically, intentionally, and beautifully. Let us embrace who God created us to be, fully becoming the men and women He intended for us to be at creation. Let us celebrate marriage as God created it, preserving it as a representation of Him.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 2.18-22
Genesis 1 tells of the creation of man on day 6 of creation. God says, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." (Gen. 1.26) Genesis 1 states that God exists in community, "Us" and "Our" show plurality, and so man in made in the image of a communal God. Genesis 1.27 says, "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." Genesis 1 gives an overview of creation, Genesis 2 goes into detail about how man came into being.
Initially there was just Adam, one mane who bore the image of God, alone in the world (there are when times that idea sounds amazing), but God looks at the man and says, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." God knows that man who exists in isolation is not fully alive, we were created for community.
Man has companionship, every animal is there, including his best friend, the dog, but that isn't enough. Man has a purpose, tend the garden, name the animals, care for creation, but that isn't enough. Man needs community, and so God does something about that. He creates woman.
This is where it really gets incredible. The word for rib is difficult to translate because it implies more than simply a bone. Here in the context it refers to the feminine nature of humanity. God takes half the nature originally in man and makes woman. Men reflect part of the nature of God, women reflect another part, they are unique and different, and that is how God intended for it to be. He made man, then from man He created woman. Men represent God's strength and protection, women His beauty and nurturing. And then God brings the two together.
Let us embrace who God created us to be as men and women, each bears a clear part of His nature, and each is essential with their own role to play (more on this in the future, I'm a little pressed for time this morning).
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Initially there was just Adam, one mane who bore the image of God, alone in the world (there are when times that idea sounds amazing), but God looks at the man and says, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." God knows that man who exists in isolation is not fully alive, we were created for community.
Man has companionship, every animal is there, including his best friend, the dog, but that isn't enough. Man has a purpose, tend the garden, name the animals, care for creation, but that isn't enough. Man needs community, and so God does something about that. He creates woman.
This is where it really gets incredible. The word for rib is difficult to translate because it implies more than simply a bone. Here in the context it refers to the feminine nature of humanity. God takes half the nature originally in man and makes woman. Men reflect part of the nature of God, women reflect another part, they are unique and different, and that is how God intended for it to be. He made man, then from man He created woman. Men represent God's strength and protection, women His beauty and nurturing. And then God brings the two together.
Let us embrace who God created us to be as men and women, each bears a clear part of His nature, and each is essential with their own role to play (more on this in the future, I'm a little pressed for time this morning).
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Monday, December 17, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 2.15-17
Man has been made, the garden has been planted, along with the two distinct trees, and now God places the man in the garden to care for it, cultivate it, and to be provided for. God tells him that he is free to eat from any tree in the garden except one. The fruit from any tree in the garden will provide for his needs, but he is not to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God is clear with his instructions, don't eat from this one specific tree. And he doesn't simply say don't do it, he tells them what will happen, the day you eat of it you will surely die.
God is not vague or silent, He is direct and honest. Eat from any tree you want, just not this one. If you eat from any other tree you'll be fine, you will live in perfect harmony with Me, with each other, and with creation as you live forever. If you choose to eat from this one tree, the only way I have commanded you not to, then you will die, relationships will be broken, and creation will be cursed.
God put that tree there so that man was free to choose to love Him and enjoy relationship with Him. That tree had to be there, but God didn't put it there for them to wonder about. He didn't establish a rule and not inform them about it, He didn't leave them to figure out what would happen if they did eat from it, He was direct with what would happen. God is not vague, waiting for us to fail, He doesn't leave them to wonder what will take place if they disobey. He lays out everything that He has given, every good thing that He has provided, and then clearly shows them the opposite; man knows he has a choice, and he knows what the result of that choice will be.
As men, made in the image of God, let us speak as He does. Let us be direct and honest. Let us focus on the good, the incredible blessings that we have been given and how we have been provided for. Let us be clear about the other option, and even clearer about the outcome of that option. Let us not try and sugar coat it, glossing over the reality or severity of what will take place if we choose to reject the blessing in favor of what we see as being withheld.
God is good, He has provided for all of the needs we have, including the need to be able to choose something different. Let us realize what we have been given, and realize the cost we will pay if we choose what is opposite.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
God is not vague or silent, He is direct and honest. Eat from any tree you want, just not this one. If you eat from any other tree you'll be fine, you will live in perfect harmony with Me, with each other, and with creation as you live forever. If you choose to eat from this one tree, the only way I have commanded you not to, then you will die, relationships will be broken, and creation will be cursed.
God put that tree there so that man was free to choose to love Him and enjoy relationship with Him. That tree had to be there, but God didn't put it there for them to wonder about. He didn't establish a rule and not inform them about it, He didn't leave them to figure out what would happen if they did eat from it, He was direct with what would happen. God is not vague, waiting for us to fail, He doesn't leave them to wonder what will take place if they disobey. He lays out everything that He has given, every good thing that He has provided, and then clearly shows them the opposite; man knows he has a choice, and he knows what the result of that choice will be.
As men, made in the image of God, let us speak as He does. Let us be direct and honest. Let us focus on the good, the incredible blessings that we have been given and how we have been provided for. Let us be clear about the other option, and even clearer about the outcome of that option. Let us not try and sugar coat it, glossing over the reality or severity of what will take place if we choose to reject the blessing in favor of what we see as being withheld.
God is good, He has provided for all of the needs we have, including the need to be able to choose something different. Let us realize what we have been given, and realize the cost we will pay if we choose what is opposite.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Friday, December 14, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 2.9
God has planted a garden for man, and in the middle of garden are two specific trees. Out of every other plant in the world, these two trees stand out as unique. One is the tree of life, and the other is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (and no it most likely wasn't an apple tree). God has given man every plant bearing fruit to sustain him, and has set these two trees apart to give man a choice as to who will reign over his life. God gives man choice, because wants humanity to choose to love Him. If there is not the option of something else, real love is not possible, and God, who is love according to the New Testament, creates us with the ability to love. Love means choice, and God gave man the ability to choose.
God took a risk, a big risk, when He created these two trees. He gave man the ability to reject Him, to choose something other than Him, but with that came the chance for man to choose to deeply love Him. God is not insecure, where rejection shakes Him to His core and He's unable to function if humanity says no, which of course it did, but God didn't create us to be robots or slaves who had no choice but to serve Him.
In this there are two things for us to take. First, let us choose to love God. Life was made by God, and it only works properly with God, that's just the reality of it. Man was made to live in a deep and personal relationship with God, and when we choose not to do that we are left to search for fulfillment in other areas of creation, but no part of creation can fulfill the longing for the Creator.
The second thing to take from this is that we are made in the image of a risk taking God. Let us also boldly take risks. Don't play it safe, because playing it safe doesn't bring satisfaction. You may fail epicly, but you may succeed even more greatly; you won't know unless you take the risk.
She could say yes, if she says no you won't die.
You could get that job, if you don't there are other options.
What are you afraid of? Why are you afraid? I'm not saying recklessly go after things so that you end up in financial ruin, but be willing to go after your dreams, plan and prepare, but then go for it, don't just dream.
God took a risk when He gave us the ability to choose. Not only do we choose to love Him back, but we also choose to risk or play it safe.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
God took a risk, a big risk, when He created these two trees. He gave man the ability to reject Him, to choose something other than Him, but with that came the chance for man to choose to deeply love Him. God is not insecure, where rejection shakes Him to His core and He's unable to function if humanity says no, which of course it did, but God didn't create us to be robots or slaves who had no choice but to serve Him.
In this there are two things for us to take. First, let us choose to love God. Life was made by God, and it only works properly with God, that's just the reality of it. Man was made to live in a deep and personal relationship with God, and when we choose not to do that we are left to search for fulfillment in other areas of creation, but no part of creation can fulfill the longing for the Creator.
The second thing to take from this is that we are made in the image of a risk taking God. Let us also boldly take risks. Don't play it safe, because playing it safe doesn't bring satisfaction. You may fail epicly, but you may succeed even more greatly; you won't know unless you take the risk.
She could say yes, if she says no you won't die.
You could get that job, if you don't there are other options.
What are you afraid of? Why are you afraid? I'm not saying recklessly go after things so that you end up in financial ruin, but be willing to go after your dreams, plan and prepare, but then go for it, don't just dream.
God took a risk when He gave us the ability to choose. Not only do we choose to love Him back, but we also choose to risk or play it safe.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 2.8
God made man, and then God put him in a special place He had created just for him. God planted a garden, a paradise in a perfect world, and it was here that He placed the man. God's plan and desire was for man to spend his life in the garden, Eden was the plan, a beautiful place on earth created specifically for man.
God's plan was always for man to work, the garden needed tending, but the work God gave man to do would be fulfilling, rewarding, and it would abundantly provide for his needs. God's plan was never for man to spend his time lazily lounging around, nor was it for him to endlessly toil reaping nothing for his labor. God's garden would allow man to work, caring for creation, and serving for a launching station as man set about making the rest of the world like Eden. It would provide for his needs, and allow him to rest after a hard days work.
God worked for six days and then then rested. Each day was fulfilling and rewarding, and at the end of each day, the work was declared good. The seventh day was a day of rest, a day to enjoy the beauty of creation, looking with satisfaction at the work accomplished over the past week. This was the model that God set for man, and then He gave him a place to begin following the example he had been given.
One of my favorite quotes is from the movie Kingdom of Heaven, "What man is a man who does not make the world better?" If a man is not working to leave the world better than he found it, what kind of man is he? If his life is not spent in a worthy cause, serving someone greater than himself, living for a purpose much bigger than personal comfort and achievement, what kind of man is he?
When I leave this world, I want to know that I did everything I could to make it a better place than it was when I arrived. I used to think that meant I had to do something on a Billy Graham level, speaking to packed stadiums, reaching millions, but I've realized that that isn't what God has in mind for me to do, and honestly, I'm glad. Over the past few years God has been leading me to self-discovery, helping me understand what my role is in building His Kingdom, and I'm looking forward to being able to more fully embrace that role throughout the rest of my life. I want to be a man who makes the world better.
God has a role for us, a role that will not be done aimlessly or fruitlessly. Let us embrace this, working diligently, taking time to rest, and leaving the world a little more like Eden when we leave it.
Fight the lion 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
God's plan was always for man to work, the garden needed tending, but the work God gave man to do would be fulfilling, rewarding, and it would abundantly provide for his needs. God's plan was never for man to spend his time lazily lounging around, nor was it for him to endlessly toil reaping nothing for his labor. God's garden would allow man to work, caring for creation, and serving for a launching station as man set about making the rest of the world like Eden. It would provide for his needs, and allow him to rest after a hard days work.
God worked for six days and then then rested. Each day was fulfilling and rewarding, and at the end of each day, the work was declared good. The seventh day was a day of rest, a day to enjoy the beauty of creation, looking with satisfaction at the work accomplished over the past week. This was the model that God set for man, and then He gave him a place to begin following the example he had been given.
One of my favorite quotes is from the movie Kingdom of Heaven, "What man is a man who does not make the world better?" If a man is not working to leave the world better than he found it, what kind of man is he? If his life is not spent in a worthy cause, serving someone greater than himself, living for a purpose much bigger than personal comfort and achievement, what kind of man is he?
When I leave this world, I want to know that I did everything I could to make it a better place than it was when I arrived. I used to think that meant I had to do something on a Billy Graham level, speaking to packed stadiums, reaching millions, but I've realized that that isn't what God has in mind for me to do, and honestly, I'm glad. Over the past few years God has been leading me to self-discovery, helping me understand what my role is in building His Kingdom, and I'm looking forward to being able to more fully embrace that role throughout the rest of my life. I want to be a man who makes the world better.
God has a role for us, a role that will not be done aimlessly or fruitlessly. Let us embrace this, working diligently, taking time to rest, and leaving the world a little more like Eden when we leave it.
Fight the lion 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Monday, December 10, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 2.4-7
I'm sorry this is coming to you at the end of the day, the past week and weekend were absolutely nuts, I had a paper due Sunday night that I got an extension on until tomorrow night due to the craziness, and so I am just now getting today's post out.
Genesis 2 is not a contradiction of Genesis 1, it does not describe an alternate creation account, but instead focuses on the creation man on the final day of creation. With the rest of creation, God spoke and the words of God brought about His creative will, but when it came to creating man, God was doing something even more amazing, making a being in His own image, and so when it came to creating man, God intentionally formed him. God did not speak man into existence, but formed him from the dust of the ground, and breathed the breath of life into him so that he became a living being.
God formed man in a way that no other part of creation came into being. Man was given life when the very breath of God filled his lungs. God made man in His own image and in doing so place a visible representation of Himself on earth to both rule and care for creation.
The paper I'm working on for tomorrow night is looking at two Old Testament passages and how they are used in the New Testament, and the central idea of the Old Testament passages is that the value and dignity of man comes from the fact that God has made him in His own image. Man has worth because God has given Him worth, and that worth comes from the fact that man is made in the image of God, and given life by the breath of God. No other part of creation has this distinction.
As beings made in the image of God, let us live with a sense of value and worth, drawn from the goodness of God.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Genesis 2 is not a contradiction of Genesis 1, it does not describe an alternate creation account, but instead focuses on the creation man on the final day of creation. With the rest of creation, God spoke and the words of God brought about His creative will, but when it came to creating man, God was doing something even more amazing, making a being in His own image, and so when it came to creating man, God intentionally formed him. God did not speak man into existence, but formed him from the dust of the ground, and breathed the breath of life into him so that he became a living being.
God formed man in a way that no other part of creation came into being. Man was given life when the very breath of God filled his lungs. God made man in His own image and in doing so place a visible representation of Himself on earth to both rule and care for creation.
The paper I'm working on for tomorrow night is looking at two Old Testament passages and how they are used in the New Testament, and the central idea of the Old Testament passages is that the value and dignity of man comes from the fact that God has made him in His own image. Man has worth because God has given Him worth, and that worth comes from the fact that man is made in the image of God, and given life by the breath of God. No other part of creation has this distinction.
As beings made in the image of God, let us live with a sense of value and worth, drawn from the goodness of God.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Friday, December 7, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 2.3
God has finished His work in six days, but the week we have contains seven days. God made seven days, and on the seventh day He rested from His work. God was not tired and worn out from a hard week of work. The word used here is shabath and it means to cease, desist or rest. God is ceasing His labor, and creating a sacred time of rest and celebration.
Man, made in the image of God, needs this sacred time. God made us to work for six days, and to take the seventh as a day to cease from our labor, to rest, to enjoy fellowship with Him and with others, to celebrate what has been accomplished. God does not intend for us to go on constantly, never stopping to breath, smell the roses, and enjoy the creation He has given us, though that is the direction the world has tried to go. We have permission to take a day and rest, we need that day of rest, God created it and it is good.
This was has been a difficult thing for me to follow, especially over the past year. I'm nearing the end of my master's degrees, yes plural, and there is a push to get this done. On top of this, the weekends have been when I've had my girls, and so this idea of a day of rest has been a concept I'm looking forward to someday in the future. During the week I work my job and try to get all of my school work done so that my weekends are completely free to devote fully to my girls. For a while I wasn't sleeping a ton, but I've learned to function very well on little sleep, most parents do I feel, and it's worked. But recently, I've felt the need to take some time by myself and hit a trail in the woods.
My vision quest didn't happen this year, life did, and I'm feeling the lack of this time. I feel like much of my time has been non-stop, where I'm always doing something. I'm two thirds done with an assignment as I'm writing this, and I still have an essay to research and write by Sunday, with a pretty busy weekend, and next week is short week. I've found myself thinking, as soon as school is over I'll finally be able to take a sabbath, but I know that isn't the right mindset. God gave me a day to rest, He created it specifically so that I had the time to do everything I need to do and then be able to cease from my responsibilities for a day and celebrate who He is.
God created the seventh day for us, let us take the time to rest and celebrate who He is.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Man, made in the image of God, needs this sacred time. God made us to work for six days, and to take the seventh as a day to cease from our labor, to rest, to enjoy fellowship with Him and with others, to celebrate what has been accomplished. God does not intend for us to go on constantly, never stopping to breath, smell the roses, and enjoy the creation He has given us, though that is the direction the world has tried to go. We have permission to take a day and rest, we need that day of rest, God created it and it is good.
This was has been a difficult thing for me to follow, especially over the past year. I'm nearing the end of my master's degrees, yes plural, and there is a push to get this done. On top of this, the weekends have been when I've had my girls, and so this idea of a day of rest has been a concept I'm looking forward to someday in the future. During the week I work my job and try to get all of my school work done so that my weekends are completely free to devote fully to my girls. For a while I wasn't sleeping a ton, but I've learned to function very well on little sleep, most parents do I feel, and it's worked. But recently, I've felt the need to take some time by myself and hit a trail in the woods.
My vision quest didn't happen this year, life did, and I'm feeling the lack of this time. I feel like much of my time has been non-stop, where I'm always doing something. I'm two thirds done with an assignment as I'm writing this, and I still have an essay to research and write by Sunday, with a pretty busy weekend, and next week is short week. I've found myself thinking, as soon as school is over I'll finally be able to take a sabbath, but I know that isn't the right mindset. God gave me a day to rest, He created it specifically so that I had the time to do everything I need to do and then be able to cease from my responsibilities for a day and celebrate who He is.
God created the seventh day for us, let us take the time to rest and celebrate who He is.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 2.1-3
On the sixth day God created man, finishing His creation, and declaring it very good. Once His work was completed, God rested, giving man a seventh day of the week that is set aside for rest. But it isn't until the work is complete that God rests. When God starts something, He sees it through to completion. God does not leave anything unfinished, nor does He endlessly work at something never completing. When God begins a task, He sees it through to the end, no matter what it is.
When I was young, the church my family attended held Sunday night service, and during the even service they would take song requests from the hymnal and chorus book. Almost every week I would request chorus 160, "He's Still Working on Me".
He's still working on me
To make me what I ought to be
It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars
How loving and and patient He must be
He's still working on me
I don't know why I liked that song so much as a kid, but the reality is God has spent more time working on me then He did to create the universe. In six days the heavens and earth were completed, and it's been 32 years and one month since I was born, and God just now seems to be touching some areas of my life. God started this work before I was ever born, and even though it has been more than three decades He is still at work. And even though the end is not in sight for me, God is not going to rest until this work is completed.
Because God whose image we bear sees things through to completion, let us do so as well. Let us finish what we start, and let us finish well. And when we are done, let us take time to rest and enjoy what we have done, just as God did.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
When I was young, the church my family attended held Sunday night service, and during the even service they would take song requests from the hymnal and chorus book. Almost every week I would request chorus 160, "He's Still Working on Me".
He's still working on me
To make me what I ought to be
It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars
How loving and and patient He must be
He's still working on me
I don't know why I liked that song so much as a kid, but the reality is God has spent more time working on me then He did to create the universe. In six days the heavens and earth were completed, and it's been 32 years and one month since I was born, and God just now seems to be touching some areas of my life. God started this work before I was ever born, and even though it has been more than three decades He is still at work. And even though the end is not in sight for me, God is not going to rest until this work is completed.
Because God whose image we bear sees things through to completion, let us do so as well. Let us finish what we start, and let us finish well. And when we are done, let us take time to rest and enjoy what we have done, just as God did.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Monday, December 3, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 1
Genesis 1 gives us the first glimpse of who God is. The opening verse tells us that God existed before the beginning, and that He created the heavens and the earth. From there, the story of the creation unfolds. We see that God spoke and from the words of His mouth everything, from light to humanity, came into being, and then at the completion of each day's work God declares it good..
Genesis 1 shows that God is a god of process. He could have easily completed the whole work of creation instantaneously, but He didn't. He took six days, gradually adding to His masterpiece, letting complexity increase, and culminating with beings made in His own image.
Genesis 1 shows that God is a god of order. He creates light and separates from the darkness creating day and night. He contains light to the sun and stars, and in this makes seasons and years. He separates the water making the sky, then fills sea and sky with fish and birds. He gathers the water in one place and then brings forth dry land, which He fills with vegetation, then He creates the land animals to fill the earth. Everything takes place in the proper order.
Genesis 1 shows us that God is a god of life. He creates the plants with seeds so that more plants will be produced. He instructs all creatures to be fruitful and multiply, filling the sea, the sky, and the earth. He creates a cycle where life continues.
Genesis 1 shows us that God is a god of authority. He speaks and by the power of His words it is so. He charges man with the authority to have dominion over the earth, representing Him before creation, and caring for it.
Genesis 1 shows us that God is a god of relationship. He creates man and woman. He makes man in His image so that He may engage in relationship with him.
Genesis 1 is just the beginning the story, but it gives us an amazing introduction to who God is. Now we turn the page...
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Genesis 1 shows that God is a god of process. He could have easily completed the whole work of creation instantaneously, but He didn't. He took six days, gradually adding to His masterpiece, letting complexity increase, and culminating with beings made in His own image.
Genesis 1 shows that God is a god of order. He creates light and separates from the darkness creating day and night. He contains light to the sun and stars, and in this makes seasons and years. He separates the water making the sky, then fills sea and sky with fish and birds. He gathers the water in one place and then brings forth dry land, which He fills with vegetation, then He creates the land animals to fill the earth. Everything takes place in the proper order.
Genesis 1 shows us that God is a god of life. He creates the plants with seeds so that more plants will be produced. He instructs all creatures to be fruitful and multiply, filling the sea, the sky, and the earth. He creates a cycle where life continues.
Genesis 1 shows us that God is a god of authority. He speaks and by the power of His words it is so. He charges man with the authority to have dominion over the earth, representing Him before creation, and caring for it.
Genesis 1 shows us that God is a god of relationship. He creates man and woman. He makes man in His image so that He may engage in relationship with him.
Genesis 1 is just the beginning the story, but it gives us an amazing introduction to who God is. Now we turn the page...
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Friday, November 30, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 1.28-31
God makes man in His image, but doesn't set them on the earth to figure out what to do, or to fend for themselves. He gives man a task, a mission, a good work to do.
Be fruitful and multiple- create families and communities. God created man to exist in relationship, not simply with Him and with creation, but with each other. People were made to have relationships with other people. God is a relational God who exists in community as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; man is made in the image and likeness of a communal God. It is hardwired into who we are as human beings that we need relational community.
Fill the earth and subdue it- explore this wondrous creation I have given you. God created man for adventure, not simply to sit tight and exist, but to embrace the risks and challenges that are in the world. The command is to conquer creation, to see a challenge and overcome it, to look at danger and face it with boldness.
God calls us to community and adventure, love and courage. He made us specifically for these things, and they are written into our souls. We crave adventure, we desperately long for relationships. That is how God made us.
The second part of this is that God didn't just crate man and give him instructions, but He also provides for the physical needs. He gives humanity men and women, establishing the grounds for family, and creating the means for the earth to be filled and community to grow. He gives man the world, full of mountains and rivers, jungles and deserts, and says you are free to explore all of this, it's for you. And then He says, every plant that bears fruit will sustain you. Food was readily available, and man was free to enjoy it. God provided everything man could ever need.
God creates man for a specific purpose, with a specific charge, and needs that are good.
God provides everything that man needs, taking care of every aspect, and making sure that nothing is lacking.
As people, let us embrace who God created us to be. Let us live in relationships, having meaningful community. Let us adventure, coming fully alive as we explore the amazing world God has given us. Let us thank Him for providing for the needs we have.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Be fruitful and multiple- create families and communities. God created man to exist in relationship, not simply with Him and with creation, but with each other. People were made to have relationships with other people. God is a relational God who exists in community as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; man is made in the image and likeness of a communal God. It is hardwired into who we are as human beings that we need relational community.
Fill the earth and subdue it- explore this wondrous creation I have given you. God created man for adventure, not simply to sit tight and exist, but to embrace the risks and challenges that are in the world. The command is to conquer creation, to see a challenge and overcome it, to look at danger and face it with boldness.
God calls us to community and adventure, love and courage. He made us specifically for these things, and they are written into our souls. We crave adventure, we desperately long for relationships. That is how God made us.
The second part of this is that God didn't just crate man and give him instructions, but He also provides for the physical needs. He gives humanity men and women, establishing the grounds for family, and creating the means for the earth to be filled and community to grow. He gives man the world, full of mountains and rivers, jungles and deserts, and says you are free to explore all of this, it's for you. And then He says, every plant that bears fruit will sustain you. Food was readily available, and man was free to enjoy it. God provided everything man could ever need.
God creates man for a specific purpose, with a specific charge, and needs that are good.
God provides everything that man needs, taking care of every aspect, and making sure that nothing is lacking.
As people, let us embrace who God created us to be. Let us live in relationships, having meaningful community. Let us adventure, coming fully alive as we explore the amazing world God has given us. Let us thank Him for providing for the needs we have.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 1.26-27
God had already put in a solid days work on day five. Creating all of the bugs and animals would have been enough for anyone else to call it a day, but God wasn't done.
"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
Man was not an after thought, an add on, or an evolutionary being from a lower organism. Man was intentionally made in the image and likeness of God. What's interesting is that if you study the Hebrew, the word Image, tselem is a masculine noun, and likeness, dĕmuwth is feminine. Bearing the image of God carries the meaning of being a representative figure, holding a measure of power and authority on behalf of the one you represent. To be made in the likeness of God is to bear a resemblance to God. Power and beauty are the two things that are present here.
Man was made in the image of God to bear the likeness of God to creation. He was placed in a position to over the rest of creation, not to dominate creation, but to protect, nurture, and cultivate the rest of the world. All people, both men and women, are made in the image of God. One gender is not better than the other, but more on this in the near future.
Man was made in the image of God, and therefore man is a sacred thing. Man has value and worth because man bears the image of God. Man is the dominate species on this planet not because he evolved to a point of advancement above everything thing else, but because God placed him in authority to care for everything else. Man's position of power is not so that he can strip the earth of everything it has to offer, hunt animals to extinction, and dominate those that are left, but to care for the earth and all its inhabitants, faithfully fulfilling the charge given to us by the creator.
Let us see ourselves as we truly are, image bearers of the almighty, put on this planet to represent Him before the rest of creation, and charged with the care of the world.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
Man was not an after thought, an add on, or an evolutionary being from a lower organism. Man was intentionally made in the image and likeness of God. What's interesting is that if you study the Hebrew, the word Image, tselem is a masculine noun, and likeness, dĕmuwth is feminine. Bearing the image of God carries the meaning of being a representative figure, holding a measure of power and authority on behalf of the one you represent. To be made in the likeness of God is to bear a resemblance to God. Power and beauty are the two things that are present here.
Man was made in the image of God to bear the likeness of God to creation. He was placed in a position to over the rest of creation, not to dominate creation, but to protect, nurture, and cultivate the rest of the world. All people, both men and women, are made in the image of God. One gender is not better than the other, but more on this in the near future.
Man was made in the image of God, and therefore man is a sacred thing. Man has value and worth because man bears the image of God. Man is the dominate species on this planet not because he evolved to a point of advancement above everything thing else, but because God placed him in authority to care for everything else. Man's position of power is not so that he can strip the earth of everything it has to offer, hunt animals to extinction, and dominate those that are left, but to care for the earth and all its inhabitants, faithfully fulfilling the charge given to us by the creator.
Let us see ourselves as we truly are, image bearers of the almighty, put on this planet to represent Him before the rest of creation, and charged with the care of the world.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Monday, November 26, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 1.24-25
The sun rose on day six, greeted by the songs of countless birds, and God went to work. Life filled the sea and sky, but God still had plans to carry out on the land. God speaks again, and animals begin to cover the earth. Cows and ants, lions, tigers, and bears. Orangutans and squirrels, ducks, wolves, and beavers. The jungles, deserts, forests, and prairies were full of life, and it was good.
From the mouth of God comes wondrous variety. Look at how many different types of dogs their are, and the numerous species of insects, who knows how many have yet to be discovered, and how many we have destroyed without even realizing it. There are thousands of mammals, and nearly one million insects in the world, and these numbers don't include the undiscovered or the extinct species. It's estimated that more than five billion species, 99% of all the species that have ever lived, are now extinct. Think about that, the amazing variety of life on this earth (including plants, birds, and fish, as well as the animals created on day six), is only 1% of God's original creation.
God is far from boring, just start by looking at the animals He made, the ones I named at the end of the opening paragraph are some of my favorites, and four of those five just make me smile. These creatures, and the countless others, all came from the mind and mouth of God. He thought them up, then spoke them into existence. My girls love the zoo, we're their all the time, literally my membership is paid for in less than a month. But seeing these animals, how they work, the environments they survive in and how they are built to survive there, it amazes me. Each animal plays a vital role in its environment, the world is meant to function with variety, and when part of that variety is lost, the world doesn't function the way that it was intended to.
Each of us is unique, and each one of us is a vital part of the world. There are things that only you can do, thoughts that only you will have, and things you can say in a way that no one else can say it. Let us learn to embrace the variety, and let each of us be uniquely who we were created to be. That is the way God intended us to be.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
From the mouth of God comes wondrous variety. Look at how many different types of dogs their are, and the numerous species of insects, who knows how many have yet to be discovered, and how many we have destroyed without even realizing it. There are thousands of mammals, and nearly one million insects in the world, and these numbers don't include the undiscovered or the extinct species. It's estimated that more than five billion species, 99% of all the species that have ever lived, are now extinct. Think about that, the amazing variety of life on this earth (including plants, birds, and fish, as well as the animals created on day six), is only 1% of God's original creation.
God is far from boring, just start by looking at the animals He made, the ones I named at the end of the opening paragraph are some of my favorites, and four of those five just make me smile. These creatures, and the countless others, all came from the mind and mouth of God. He thought them up, then spoke them into existence. My girls love the zoo, we're their all the time, literally my membership is paid for in less than a month. But seeing these animals, how they work, the environments they survive in and how they are built to survive there, it amazes me. Each animal plays a vital role in its environment, the world is meant to function with variety, and when part of that variety is lost, the world doesn't function the way that it was intended to.
Each of us is unique, and each one of us is a vital part of the world. There are things that only you can do, thoughts that only you will have, and things you can say in a way that no one else can say it. Let us learn to embrace the variety, and let each of us be uniquely who we were created to be. That is the way God intended us to be.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Friday, November 23, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 1.20-23
The Sun has set for the first time on day four. For the first time the earth is being lite by the moon and the sky is full of stars. Imagine what that must have looked like; no electric lights, not even a single fire, no pollution, just absolute darkness, and the clearest sky with every star visible. At this point there is light and darkness, sea and sky, land and plants, now heavenly bodies, but the earth has no life aside from vegetation. The only noise would be the sound of waves crashing on the shore, or the wind blowing in the trees. Honestly, that sounds pretty awesome, I'm not going to lie, but God had much more in mind.
When the sun rose next next morning, God went back to work, and for the first time a animate being is able to move. God fills the sea with life. Fish, sharks, whales, dolphins, sea stars, crabs, lobsters, and clams. All the sea creatures we know about, and all those we don't, all the ones we have fossils of, and those we have no idea ever existed. The waters are alive.
God is not done, next He fills the sky. He makes the eagle and the sparrow, the owl and the raven, the hawk and the song bird, I'm guessing turkeys and chickens come into play on this day too. And I'm willing to say that the flying dinosaurs were made on day five. Those things were real; the Natural History Museum recently hosted a traveling exhibit that featured different exhibits for these creatures, they even had a flight simulator where you could fly as a pterosaur, my girls loved it and by the end they got pretty good. One of my brothers wanted to take his wife to the Art Museum which is across from the Natural History Museum, and so they came up and went to the museum with my girls and me. As we walked through this exhibit, looking at the fossilized remains of these amazing creatures he asked me, "Old Testament guy, where does this fit in?", my answer, "Day five." I don't know how the dinosaurs died out, or when, honestly I don't care. I think their fossilized remains are amazing, and they constantly fascinate me, and I can say with certainty that they existed and God made them. Those that swam in the seas and those that soared above the earth came into existence on day five at the word of God.
God is a god of life, and life that goes beyond the complexity of plants. He creates fish with the ability to swim and breath underwater; He creates birds that can defy gravity, soaring through the air. When the sun set on day five it was to the sound of song birds and whales singing. Life was no accident, it was not the result of a complex evolutionary process taking millions of years, but the instantaneous and intentional creation of the word of God.
Let us marvel at what God has made. Let us be in awe of a the Creator who designed gills to breath in water, and wings to lift a bird off the ground. May we simply take in the reality of what God has done, and be amazed by what He can do. And the reality is, He was only getting started...
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
When the sun rose next next morning, God went back to work, and for the first time a animate being is able to move. God fills the sea with life. Fish, sharks, whales, dolphins, sea stars, crabs, lobsters, and clams. All the sea creatures we know about, and all those we don't, all the ones we have fossils of, and those we have no idea ever existed. The waters are alive.
God is not done, next He fills the sky. He makes the eagle and the sparrow, the owl and the raven, the hawk and the song bird, I'm guessing turkeys and chickens come into play on this day too. And I'm willing to say that the flying dinosaurs were made on day five. Those things were real; the Natural History Museum recently hosted a traveling exhibit that featured different exhibits for these creatures, they even had a flight simulator where you could fly as a pterosaur, my girls loved it and by the end they got pretty good. One of my brothers wanted to take his wife to the Art Museum which is across from the Natural History Museum, and so they came up and went to the museum with my girls and me. As we walked through this exhibit, looking at the fossilized remains of these amazing creatures he asked me, "Old Testament guy, where does this fit in?", my answer, "Day five." I don't know how the dinosaurs died out, or when, honestly I don't care. I think their fossilized remains are amazing, and they constantly fascinate me, and I can say with certainty that they existed and God made them. Those that swam in the seas and those that soared above the earth came into existence on day five at the word of God.
God is a god of life, and life that goes beyond the complexity of plants. He creates fish with the ability to swim and breath underwater; He creates birds that can defy gravity, soaring through the air. When the sun set on day five it was to the sound of song birds and whales singing. Life was no accident, it was not the result of a complex evolutionary process taking millions of years, but the instantaneous and intentional creation of the word of God.
Let us marvel at what God has made. Let us be in awe of a the Creator who designed gills to breath in water, and wings to lift a bird off the ground. May we simply take in the reality of what God has done, and be amazed by what He can do. And the reality is, He was only getting started...
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 1.14-19
The fourth day of creation points back to the first day. On day one God created light, and on day four God creates the sun, moon, and stars. God, the source of light, now contains light stars. But something else is happening here, God creates time.
"Then God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years'" (Genesis 1.14)
Day and night, seasons, days and years. The earth now had a star to revolve around, and as it revolves the seasons change; as the seasons changes the constellations change. The earth rotates on its axis, resulting in day and night. The gravitational pull of the moon results in tide changes. The sun gives light by day, the moon gives light by night (that's what the original audience thought). The Sun moves across the sky as the day progresses, it's position changes throughout the year. God has created time.
Over the past year the idea of seasons has stuck out to me a lot. A fruit tree does not constantly yield a harvest, that isn't how God designed it to be. There is a season of new life (spring), a season of fruit growth (summer), a season of harvest (fall), and a season of dormant rest (winter) (I'm generalizing here, I know that different plants bear fruit at different times of the year, spent hours figuring out how to maximize my harvest).
In the past few years I've seen that there are times where I am growing, times when I am producing, times when I am harvesting, and times when I need to be resting. I was not made to constantly harvest, and neither were you. You were not made to constantly be producing fruit, and neither am I. God created seasons, and each season has its purpose. There are times where you simply need to focus on your own growth, producing leaves to soak up the sun light and buds that will turn into fruit. There are times where you need to focus on fruit production, allowing your efforts to be fully invested in what you're producing. There are times where you need to focus on harvesting what you've produced, enjoying the results of your work. There are times when you need to simply rest, allowing yourself to recover and heal as you prepare for the next cycle.
This is what God intended, and this is what He created on day four. As we go throughout our days, let us submit to cycle God designed, and let us intentionally live out this pattern of seasons.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
"Then God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years'" (Genesis 1.14)
Day and night, seasons, days and years. The earth now had a star to revolve around, and as it revolves the seasons change; as the seasons changes the constellations change. The earth rotates on its axis, resulting in day and night. The gravitational pull of the moon results in tide changes. The sun gives light by day, the moon gives light by night (that's what the original audience thought). The Sun moves across the sky as the day progresses, it's position changes throughout the year. God has created time.
Over the past year the idea of seasons has stuck out to me a lot. A fruit tree does not constantly yield a harvest, that isn't how God designed it to be. There is a season of new life (spring), a season of fruit growth (summer), a season of harvest (fall), and a season of dormant rest (winter) (I'm generalizing here, I know that different plants bear fruit at different times of the year, spent hours figuring out how to maximize my harvest).
In the past few years I've seen that there are times where I am growing, times when I am producing, times when I am harvesting, and times when I need to be resting. I was not made to constantly harvest, and neither were you. You were not made to constantly be producing fruit, and neither am I. God created seasons, and each season has its purpose. There are times where you simply need to focus on your own growth, producing leaves to soak up the sun light and buds that will turn into fruit. There are times where you need to focus on fruit production, allowing your efforts to be fully invested in what you're producing. There are times where you need to focus on harvesting what you've produced, enjoying the results of your work. There are times when you need to simply rest, allowing yourself to recover and heal as you prepare for the next cycle.
This is what God intended, and this is what He created on day four. As we go throughout our days, let us submit to cycle God designed, and let us intentionally live out this pattern of seasons.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Monday, November 19, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 1.9-13
Something that may not be known about me is that I love to garden. I got into gardening about 8 years ago, and over that time my dreams have grown to be pretty extensive. I hate decorative landscaping. Don't get me wrong, I think some people have absolutely amazing yards, but I've decided that if I'm going to put that much work into something, it's going to feed me, thus I'm a huge fan of edible landscaping. I began to realize the extent of stuff you can grow in Ohio, and then I began to realize the variety of each type of plant. A little bit of research and planning, and I've maximized my harvest and extended it by months in a few instances. Yeah, I'm pretty into plants.
Each of us is unique with specific interests, and because of this different things stand out to us. A few years ago when I read Genesis 1 the thing that stood out to me was verse 11, "Then God said, 'Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them'; and it was so."
Day 3 of creation God gathers the water below the heavens into a single place, then He creates land. Once the land is there God fills it with plants and the text specifies that these plants would yield seeds. God creates an ongoing cycle of life. He does not simply create plants to fill the earth, but creates plants that are capable of producing more plants, and those plants will be able to produce more plants, and so on. God has created an unending cycle of life. God is a god of life.
Years ago I heard a question, how many apples are in an apple seed? An apple seed contains the potential for an apple tree, and over the decades that tree can produce countless apples, each one with seeds that have the potential to become a tree and produce more apples with more seeds leading to more trees. You get the idea, an apple seed contains countless apples.
God is a life giver, and as such He created a cycle that produces greater and grater life. Because God gives life, we need to be life givers as well. What kind of seeds are you producing? Do you produce seeds that produce healthy trees resulting in healthy fruit that bring further production? Or do you destroy life? Do your words and actions tear others down or build others up?
God is a life giver, let us be life givers as well.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Each of us is unique with specific interests, and because of this different things stand out to us. A few years ago when I read Genesis 1 the thing that stood out to me was verse 11, "Then God said, 'Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them'; and it was so."
Day 3 of creation God gathers the water below the heavens into a single place, then He creates land. Once the land is there God fills it with plants and the text specifies that these plants would yield seeds. God creates an ongoing cycle of life. He does not simply create plants to fill the earth, but creates plants that are capable of producing more plants, and those plants will be able to produce more plants, and so on. God has created an unending cycle of life. God is a god of life.
Years ago I heard a question, how many apples are in an apple seed? An apple seed contains the potential for an apple tree, and over the decades that tree can produce countless apples, each one with seeds that have the potential to become a tree and produce more apples with more seeds leading to more trees. You get the idea, an apple seed contains countless apples.
God is a life giver, and as such He created a cycle that produces greater and grater life. Because God gives life, we need to be life givers as well. What kind of seeds are you producing? Do you produce seeds that produce healthy trees resulting in healthy fruit that bring further production? Or do you destroy life? Do your words and actions tear others down or build others up?
God is a life giver, let us be life givers as well.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Friday, November 16, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 1.6-8
I'll be honest, I had to google this one. Initially reading it, I was like what's unique about the creation of the sky? What does this tell me about who God is? So I took to the internet and ended up just typing in "creation day 2" and one of the first thing that came up was a site containing different children's lessons on the Bible.
Children's pastors don't get enough credit. The first church staff job I was at as the youth pastor, and I shared an office with the children's pastor (still the best office buddy I've ever had, and sorry about that one prank I pulled on you, well, sorry I wasn't there to see your reaction). Anyway, I was drafted into helping out with the children's ministry from time to time, even got to teach once or twice, and those were some of the most challenging lessons to write. I swear children's pastors are some of the smartest people in the world, they take these theological concepts and make them comprehensible to young people. Great job to all of you, and so much respect.
Anyway, on day 2, God created the sky, but the significance is that God created the atmosphere. He created the protective barrier from the cold vacuum of space. He created an environment that was oxygen rich. He created an atmosphere that would sustain life on earth.
I hadn't thought about it this way until a couple of hours ago. Realizing that God did so much more than simply making the sky on day 2 makes me see that God is much more complex than we initially realized. Not that making the sky is a simple task, I mean I could never accomplish that, but God was up to so much more than just that.
God is infinitely complex, let us never make the mistake of thinking we have Him all figured out. I have read the creation story countless times, but until early this morning I had never thought about the fact of what that meant. As humans, who haven't existed as long as the sky, let alone God who made it and us, let us never make the mistake of arrogance, thinking we have God all figured out. Let us never stop pursuing a deeper understanding and intimacy with Him. Let us never stop seeking to learn who He is. In this life, probably even in eternity, we'll never know everything.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Children's pastors don't get enough credit. The first church staff job I was at as the youth pastor, and I shared an office with the children's pastor (still the best office buddy I've ever had, and sorry about that one prank I pulled on you, well, sorry I wasn't there to see your reaction). Anyway, I was drafted into helping out with the children's ministry from time to time, even got to teach once or twice, and those were some of the most challenging lessons to write. I swear children's pastors are some of the smartest people in the world, they take these theological concepts and make them comprehensible to young people. Great job to all of you, and so much respect.
Anyway, on day 2, God created the sky, but the significance is that God created the atmosphere. He created the protective barrier from the cold vacuum of space. He created an environment that was oxygen rich. He created an atmosphere that would sustain life on earth.
I hadn't thought about it this way until a couple of hours ago. Realizing that God did so much more than simply making the sky on day 2 makes me see that God is much more complex than we initially realized. Not that making the sky is a simple task, I mean I could never accomplish that, but God was up to so much more than just that.
God is infinitely complex, let us never make the mistake of thinking we have Him all figured out. I have read the creation story countless times, but until early this morning I had never thought about the fact of what that meant. As humans, who haven't existed as long as the sky, let alone God who made it and us, let us never make the mistake of arrogance, thinking we have God all figured out. Let us never stop pursuing a deeper understanding and intimacy with Him. Let us never stop seeking to learn who He is. In this life, probably even in eternity, we'll never know everything.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 1.3-5
In the beginning there was darkness, and then God created light. Darkness is merely the absence of light, it's what must exist before light existed. God spoke into the darkness and created the light. Darkness is not bad, God allows it to remain. He separates the light and darkness, allowing both to have their time, and when that happens He declares it good.
Light is day, and that it good. It is when work is accomplished. The light warms the earth, bringing life. But God does not banish the darkness, He names it, declaring His dominion over it, and gives it a proper place. Darkness is night, and that is good. It is a time for rest and recovery. We need both, and God provided both.
There was this show on several years ago called "Dude You're Screwed". The show consisted of a game played by a former Navy SEAL, an active duty Green Beret, a British SAS instructor, and a naturalist survival expert. Three of them would team up kidnap the fourth and then they would drop him in the middle of nowhere is random items, and he had 100 hours to find civilization. Towards the end of the show, fans with survival expertise were invited to play, and they dropped one guy north of the arctic circle during the six months when the sun doesn't set. He would be doing something, and then suddenly fall asleep because his circadian rhythm, the thing that tells your body when to sleep, eat, and basically function for life, was thrown off.
We need that balance of darkness and light. All darkness is not good, and neither is all light. God created the light, but gave it a time to fill the earth. He did not destroy the darkness because His creation would need that too. God gave us the light and He gave us darkness, and that balance is good. I'm not speaking metaphorically, not looking at Star Wars' light and dark side of the force, but simply referring to the natural balance that God created us to live with. There is a time for action and a time for rest.
Sleep is not a bad thing, neither is work, but too much of either is. God created a time for both, and we are given both for our health and well being. Day is good, night is good. Work is good, and so is sleep. This is the cycle that God created for us; He provides for the basic needs we have.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Light is day, and that it good. It is when work is accomplished. The light warms the earth, bringing life. But God does not banish the darkness, He names it, declaring His dominion over it, and gives it a proper place. Darkness is night, and that is good. It is a time for rest and recovery. We need both, and God provided both.
There was this show on several years ago called "Dude You're Screwed". The show consisted of a game played by a former Navy SEAL, an active duty Green Beret, a British SAS instructor, and a naturalist survival expert. Three of them would team up kidnap the fourth and then they would drop him in the middle of nowhere is random items, and he had 100 hours to find civilization. Towards the end of the show, fans with survival expertise were invited to play, and they dropped one guy north of the arctic circle during the six months when the sun doesn't set. He would be doing something, and then suddenly fall asleep because his circadian rhythm, the thing that tells your body when to sleep, eat, and basically function for life, was thrown off.
We need that balance of darkness and light. All darkness is not good, and neither is all light. God created the light, but gave it a time to fill the earth. He did not destroy the darkness because His creation would need that too. God gave us the light and He gave us darkness, and that balance is good. I'm not speaking metaphorically, not looking at Star Wars' light and dark side of the force, but simply referring to the natural balance that God created us to live with. There is a time for action and a time for rest.
Sleep is not a bad thing, neither is work, but too much of either is. God created a time for both, and we are given both for our health and well being. Day is good, night is good. Work is good, and so is sleep. This is the cycle that God created for us; He provides for the basic needs we have.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Monday, November 12, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 1.4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31
In the beginning God spoke the universe into creation; by the words of His mouth, everything physical beings, colors, scents, tastes, and textures, came into existence. God speaks and it happens just as He said, and When He has finished for the day, He observes His work and upon inspection declares that it is good.
The Hebrew word is tove (long o) and it carries the meaning of something being good, pleasant, and excellent. When God is speaking here in Genesis 1, He sees His work as excellent, perfectly complete and impossible to improve on. That is how God works, when He does something, it is done in the most perfect way, a way that only He is capable of.
I've heard people point out the unique phrase in Genesis 1.31, that after God makes woman He declares what He had made very good. People like to say that woman was the crowning achievement of creation, and that it was when she was completed God saw something different, but that isn't the case. Yes, women are amazing; they were made to capture the beauty of God's nature and character in a way no other part of creation could. But it is not this one single act of creation that God declares better and above all of His other creation.
"God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good." (Gen. 1.31a). God looks at all of His creation, from light to woman, and declares the whole of creation to be very good. In that moment, at the end of day six, and yes my stance is six literal, 24-hour days because that is how the original audience would have heard the word yowm, God looks over everything and declares it very good. At the end of day six creation was complete, everything functioned exactly how God intended for it to, there was no sin, no corruption, and so God sees His completed work, lacking in nothing now, and declares it to be exceedingly excellent. It is not one single aspect that warrants this declaration, but the whole work.
Everything God does is excellent perfection. God is not a doer of half way, good enough to get by because He ran out of time before the deadline. Everything God does is done with intentional care, diligently completed, and and warrants the declaration of good. He is God, and is capable of nothing less. Since this is who God is, we need to exercise the same diligence in what we do.
In the movie The Last Samurai Tom Cruise plays an Army officer who is hired by the Japanese to train their army in the 1800's. In a battle he is forced to fight, knowing his troops aren't ready, he is captured by the Samurai he is sent to eliminate and taken to their remote mountain village. While he's there he observes their life style and notes that "From the moment they wake, they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue." That is how I want to live.
I cannot be good at everything, and honestly I don't want to be anymore. But the things I do, I want to continuously strive for perfection. I saw a quote, I believe from an unknown Delta Force operator, that said, "Amateurs train until they get it right, professionals train until they can't get it wrong." That is how I want to be. In everything I do, I want to work at it until I can't mess it up. Until I've done it properly so many times that it is second nature to do it the right way.
Everything God does, He does exceedingly perfect. As part of His creation, part that is made in His image, that is the way I am called to live. I am called to live with passion, striving for excellence, because that is the nature of the God whose image I am created in. God's work is excellence, and thought I cannot attain that level of perfection, because of who He is, I am to strive for that.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
The Hebrew word is tove (long o) and it carries the meaning of something being good, pleasant, and excellent. When God is speaking here in Genesis 1, He sees His work as excellent, perfectly complete and impossible to improve on. That is how God works, when He does something, it is done in the most perfect way, a way that only He is capable of.
I've heard people point out the unique phrase in Genesis 1.31, that after God makes woman He declares what He had made very good. People like to say that woman was the crowning achievement of creation, and that it was when she was completed God saw something different, but that isn't the case. Yes, women are amazing; they were made to capture the beauty of God's nature and character in a way no other part of creation could. But it is not this one single act of creation that God declares better and above all of His other creation.
"God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good." (Gen. 1.31a). God looks at all of His creation, from light to woman, and declares the whole of creation to be very good. In that moment, at the end of day six, and yes my stance is six literal, 24-hour days because that is how the original audience would have heard the word yowm, God looks over everything and declares it very good. At the end of day six creation was complete, everything functioned exactly how God intended for it to, there was no sin, no corruption, and so God sees His completed work, lacking in nothing now, and declares it to be exceedingly excellent. It is not one single aspect that warrants this declaration, but the whole work.
Everything God does is excellent perfection. God is not a doer of half way, good enough to get by because He ran out of time before the deadline. Everything God does is done with intentional care, diligently completed, and and warrants the declaration of good. He is God, and is capable of nothing less. Since this is who God is, we need to exercise the same diligence in what we do.
In the movie The Last Samurai Tom Cruise plays an Army officer who is hired by the Japanese to train their army in the 1800's. In a battle he is forced to fight, knowing his troops aren't ready, he is captured by the Samurai he is sent to eliminate and taken to their remote mountain village. While he's there he observes their life style and notes that "From the moment they wake, they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue." That is how I want to live.
I cannot be good at everything, and honestly I don't want to be anymore. But the things I do, I want to continuously strive for perfection. I saw a quote, I believe from an unknown Delta Force operator, that said, "Amateurs train until they get it right, professionals train until they can't get it wrong." That is how I want to be. In everything I do, I want to work at it until I can't mess it up. Until I've done it properly so many times that it is second nature to do it the right way.
Everything God does, He does exceedingly perfect. As part of His creation, part that is made in His image, that is the way I am called to live. I am called to live with passion, striving for excellence, because that is the nature of the God whose image I am created in. God's work is excellence, and thought I cannot attain that level of perfection, because of who He is, I am to strive for that.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Friday, November 9, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 1.3, 6, 9, 14, 20, 24, 26
Throughout Genesis 1, two phrases are repeated over and over, "Then God said" "and it was so". God speaks and what God says happens exactly as God said. The first chapter of the Bible tells me everything I need to know about the origins of the earth; it tells me how, when, and by whom the earth was made. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Then God said... and it was so. In the beginning, whenever that was, a few thousand years ago or a few billion, it was in the beginning that God created everything by the words of His mouth. That is all that the Bible tells me in terms of dates of creation, and that is all I need to know. Science can claim, apologists can debate, but the reality is that all the Bible says is "In the beginning God created... Then God said... and it was so."
However, these verses tell us more about God than simply how He made everything, it speaks of His infinite creativity. God is the one who made light so blinding. God is the one who created the sound of water falling over rocks. God is the one who created the colors that fill the earth, every color in my daughter's box of 120 crayons, as well as the countless other varieties in the universe, originated from the mouth of God. God invented color. 'The way a rose smells and the scent of a pine forest, came from the mouth of God. The taste of an apple, the way the juice of a peach feels running down your chin, all from the mouth of God. The way orangutans look, the way squirrels act, the way ducks walk, the way a wolf sounds, all of that came from the mouth of God.
Everything that was made came form the mouth of God. God spoke our universe into existence, thinking up everything that fills it. I had a teacher in high school who offered an extra credit assignment that would allow you to not do any other work for the rest of the class, it was impossible and no one even attempted it, create a universe that involves nothing found in our universe. He told us that it was impossible right after he offered the assignment. I think his point was to give us a glimpse of God's infinite creativity.
Everything you see, every color and shape, came from God.
Everything you hear, every sound and the various volumes and tones, came from God.
Everything you smell, every scent and fragrance, came from God.
Everything you taste, everything sweet, salty, or savory, came from God.
Everything you touch, every texture, came from God.
God is infinitely creative, we've only gotten a glimpse of one small aspect here and now, and as amazing as this world is, it's been tainted by sin. Imagine what fruit tasted like in a perfect world; imagine how flowers smelled before creation was cursed. I feel that my words don't do this justice, and in all honesty they can't.
Let us begin to see the world in a new way, realizing that all of it came to be by the words of God. God is infintley creative, and He has the power to bring His creativity to life...
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
However, these verses tell us more about God than simply how He made everything, it speaks of His infinite creativity. God is the one who made light so blinding. God is the one who created the sound of water falling over rocks. God is the one who created the colors that fill the earth, every color in my daughter's box of 120 crayons, as well as the countless other varieties in the universe, originated from the mouth of God. God invented color. 'The way a rose smells and the scent of a pine forest, came from the mouth of God. The taste of an apple, the way the juice of a peach feels running down your chin, all from the mouth of God. The way orangutans look, the way squirrels act, the way ducks walk, the way a wolf sounds, all of that came from the mouth of God.
Everything that was made came form the mouth of God. God spoke our universe into existence, thinking up everything that fills it. I had a teacher in high school who offered an extra credit assignment that would allow you to not do any other work for the rest of the class, it was impossible and no one even attempted it, create a universe that involves nothing found in our universe. He told us that it was impossible right after he offered the assignment. I think his point was to give us a glimpse of God's infinite creativity.
Everything you see, every color and shape, came from God.
Everything you hear, every sound and the various volumes and tones, came from God.
Everything you smell, every scent and fragrance, came from God.
Everything you taste, everything sweet, salty, or savory, came from God.
Everything you touch, every texture, came from God.
God is infinitely creative, we've only gotten a glimpse of one small aspect here and now, and as amazing as this world is, it's been tainted by sin. Imagine what fruit tasted like in a perfect world; imagine how flowers smelled before creation was cursed. I feel that my words don't do this justice, and in all honesty they can't.
Let us begin to see the world in a new way, realizing that all of it came to be by the words of God. God is infintley creative, and He has the power to bring His creativity to life...
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 1.2
In the ancient world, water was a symbol of chaos. It is powerful and unpredictable, and even though it is essential to life, it can easily destroy life. In the beginning there was formless, empty, chaos, but God was there.
"The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters."
This verse has caused some debate in the theological world, which has resulted in what is known as "The Gap Theory" or "Ruin Restoration Creationism". This theory says that there was a first creation in Genesis 1.1, then a gap of time in which the fall of Satan occurred, ruining that creation, and then in Genesis 1.2 God begins by restoring the ruined creation. It's an attractive theory because it allows for faith and science to be easily reconciled, if we have a gap of time it can account for millions of years, dinosaurs, and everything else, but we have to remember that we're dealing with a book of theology, centered on God, written to real people in history.
The original audience of the Genesis was the exodus generation. Up to this point, the only thing they had was oral traditions passed down to the generations, but it is in the wilderness journey that these things are being written for the first time. The original audience isn't reading into this two separate creations, and so we can't do that either.
The key to this verse is that there is emptiness and chaos before God moves. There is a formless void, that is covered with darkness and chaos, but in that God is there, and God is not stagnant. In the darkness, amidst the chaos, God is moving.
God is never absent. Though He may be silent, He is always present. When there is chaos, when there is darkness and uncertainty, God is there. God is over the chaos of your life. God is present in the darkness, and God is at work in those moments.
The Exodus generation would have heard this in the wilderness, a place that was formless and empty, and seen what God could do. They would have heard the chaos imagery and seen the presence of God in it. And that is what we have to focus on. This does not give us a solution to science/faith question, it tells us that God is there in the darkness when everything is in chaos...
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
"The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters."
This verse has caused some debate in the theological world, which has resulted in what is known as "The Gap Theory" or "Ruin Restoration Creationism". This theory says that there was a first creation in Genesis 1.1, then a gap of time in which the fall of Satan occurred, ruining that creation, and then in Genesis 1.2 God begins by restoring the ruined creation. It's an attractive theory because it allows for faith and science to be easily reconciled, if we have a gap of time it can account for millions of years, dinosaurs, and everything else, but we have to remember that we're dealing with a book of theology, centered on God, written to real people in history.
The original audience of the Genesis was the exodus generation. Up to this point, the only thing they had was oral traditions passed down to the generations, but it is in the wilderness journey that these things are being written for the first time. The original audience isn't reading into this two separate creations, and so we can't do that either.
The key to this verse is that there is emptiness and chaos before God moves. There is a formless void, that is covered with darkness and chaos, but in that God is there, and God is not stagnant. In the darkness, amidst the chaos, God is moving.
God is never absent. Though He may be silent, He is always present. When there is chaos, when there is darkness and uncertainty, God is there. God is over the chaos of your life. God is present in the darkness, and God is at work in those moments.
The Exodus generation would have heard this in the wilderness, a place that was formless and empty, and seen what God could do. They would have heard the chaos imagery and seen the presence of God in it. And that is what we have to focus on. This does not give us a solution to science/faith question, it tells us that God is there in the darkness when everything is in chaos...
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Monday, November 5, 2018
Who is God: Genesis 1.1
The Bible has been used as many things throughout history. Some have tired to use it as a historical narrative, trying to piece together a time line or world history. Others have looked to it for answers to science, looking for keys to the origins of life. Still others seek it as a moral code, seeking instructions and guidance for life. Others seek comfort in the promises that it offers. While none of these things is inherently bad, all of them miss the point of the Bible. The Bible is not history or science, moral law or comforting promises. Above all, the Bible is theology, it is the source of our knowledge of who God is.
The very first line of the Bible makes this fact evidently clear.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
This opening statement introduces the main character of the story and tells us some essential things about Him that we need to know as we move forward.
When: In the beginning
Who: God
What: created the heavens and the earth.
The opening phrase tells us that in the beginning, whenever that was, a few billion years ago or a couple thousand, God was there. Before time began, God existed, and it was God who set everything in motion at the beginning. In the beginning, maybe at the beginning is better, God created everything. God made the heavens and the earth, all that exists came from God. This opening sentence tells us that God is eternal, all powerful, outside of time, and identifies Him as the subject of Scripture.
The Bible is the story of God. It tells of His nature, His creation, and His redemptive work to reconcile His creation to His nature. The story begins by introducing the main character, and giving us the first essential details about Him, but like any good story we aren't given everything at once. We get enough to catch our attention, but we have to keep reading in order to learn more.
The Bible is God's gift to us so that we might come to know Him for who He is, not who we would have Him be. When we learn about who God is, we come to see ourselves as we truly are. God is the eternal creator and we are finite humans created by Him (more on this soon). This alone means He is deserves our worship. But this is simply the beginning the first information we are given. Let's keep reading...
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
The very first line of the Bible makes this fact evidently clear.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
This opening statement introduces the main character of the story and tells us some essential things about Him that we need to know as we move forward.
When: In the beginning
Who: God
What: created the heavens and the earth.
The opening phrase tells us that in the beginning, whenever that was, a few billion years ago or a couple thousand, God was there. Before time began, God existed, and it was God who set everything in motion at the beginning. In the beginning, maybe at the beginning is better, God created everything. God made the heavens and the earth, all that exists came from God. This opening sentence tells us that God is eternal, all powerful, outside of time, and identifies Him as the subject of Scripture.
The Bible is the story of God. It tells of His nature, His creation, and His redemptive work to reconcile His creation to His nature. The story begins by introducing the main character, and giving us the first essential details about Him, but like any good story we aren't given everything at once. We get enough to catch our attention, but we have to keep reading in order to learn more.
The Bible is God's gift to us so that we might come to know Him for who He is, not who we would have Him be. When we learn about who God is, we come to see ourselves as we truly are. God is the eternal creator and we are finite humans created by Him (more on this soon). This alone means He is deserves our worship. But this is simply the beginning the first information we are given. Let's keep reading...
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Friday, November 2, 2018
What's Next?
The past few weeks have been a bit of a struggle for me in terms of topics. For a while everything just flowed and made sense, ever since I finished the wounds topic it's felt like I've been struggling and sometimes it's been a day to day thing, if I was lucky I had a week at a time. In addition to the chaos my life has undergone in the past few months, this is part of the reason my posting has come at weird times.
I've also been wondering what I should share. I've mentioned the book I'm working on, and so much of what I'm blogging about lines up with that, pretty much if not I'm working on school my mind is on the book, and I don't want to share too much of that yet. Then there is the issue of my personal journey with this stuff. I have gone back and forth about sharing the name God has given me, sharing the pledge I wrote and took before my brothers. Part of me wants to share it, believing it can help others gain clarity about what I'm talking about and maybe even have a break through in the area of identity. At the same time, it's a deeply personal thing, I've only shared it with one person outside of my group of brothers and the few men who have walked with me through this process. Originally that was my plan for this post, but I don't know that I'm there yet, and until I'm sure I'm not going to share that part of me.
And so now it's Friday, time to post again, and my one idea has been postponed, leaving me to write a post about what I'm thinking is next. So what exactly is my plan? Vision quest 2018 hasn't happened yet, the summer was hectic, and I was hoping to get to it next weekend but something came up and the later it gets in the year the less likely it is to happen. Maybe two weekends out, but if not I'm saying it's probably a no go this year, which I'm a little disappointed about.
The next topic of my focus is passion, but I'm only just beginning to understand what that looks like. The identity aspect took me three years to understand, own, and grasp enough to be able to communicate it clearly. If that trend continues it's going to be 2021 before you really get anything on that. So what's next?
For the past few years I keep thinking about who God is. The more I think about it the more I realize how crucial it is to try and grasp that, and it is only as we come to know who God is that we are able to begin to understand who we are in light of who He is. And that is where I'm feeling led to take this. If I ever go back into church work, highly doubting that's where God is taking me, but if I ever find myself teaching a congregation on a weekly basis I'm going to simply focus on what the Bible teaches us about who God is. After all, He's the subject of the book.
For the next little bit I'm going to begin working through the Bible and sharing what it teaches about who God is. I'm not going to commit to go straight through form Genesis 1 to Revelation 22, I plan on taking breaks as topics come to me, but I can't get away from the sense that this is where I need to take this.
It is in God that Identity is discovered.
It is in God that Passion is recovered.
It is in God that Destiny is pursued.
It is in God that Community is experienced.
It is only when we know God that we are able to begin to understand ourselves.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
I've also been wondering what I should share. I've mentioned the book I'm working on, and so much of what I'm blogging about lines up with that, pretty much if not I'm working on school my mind is on the book, and I don't want to share too much of that yet. Then there is the issue of my personal journey with this stuff. I have gone back and forth about sharing the name God has given me, sharing the pledge I wrote and took before my brothers. Part of me wants to share it, believing it can help others gain clarity about what I'm talking about and maybe even have a break through in the area of identity. At the same time, it's a deeply personal thing, I've only shared it with one person outside of my group of brothers and the few men who have walked with me through this process. Originally that was my plan for this post, but I don't know that I'm there yet, and until I'm sure I'm not going to share that part of me.
And so now it's Friday, time to post again, and my one idea has been postponed, leaving me to write a post about what I'm thinking is next. So what exactly is my plan? Vision quest 2018 hasn't happened yet, the summer was hectic, and I was hoping to get to it next weekend but something came up and the later it gets in the year the less likely it is to happen. Maybe two weekends out, but if not I'm saying it's probably a no go this year, which I'm a little disappointed about.
The next topic of my focus is passion, but I'm only just beginning to understand what that looks like. The identity aspect took me three years to understand, own, and grasp enough to be able to communicate it clearly. If that trend continues it's going to be 2021 before you really get anything on that. So what's next?
For the past few years I keep thinking about who God is. The more I think about it the more I realize how crucial it is to try and grasp that, and it is only as we come to know who God is that we are able to begin to understand who we are in light of who He is. And that is where I'm feeling led to take this. If I ever go back into church work, highly doubting that's where God is taking me, but if I ever find myself teaching a congregation on a weekly basis I'm going to simply focus on what the Bible teaches us about who God is. After all, He's the subject of the book.
For the next little bit I'm going to begin working through the Bible and sharing what it teaches about who God is. I'm not going to commit to go straight through form Genesis 1 to Revelation 22, I plan on taking breaks as topics come to me, but I can't get away from the sense that this is where I need to take this.
It is in God that Identity is discovered.
It is in God that Passion is recovered.
It is in God that Destiny is pursued.
It is in God that Community is experienced.
It is only when we know God that we are able to begin to understand ourselves.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Have You Embraced Your Identity?
Learning your identity is a crucial first step, but it's only a step. You can know who you are and still fail to do anything with it. This realization led me to study 1 Peter 5.1-11 intensively, as well as sharing my name and it's meaning with my brothers, before taking a pledge I had written, challenging myself to be who God had called me to be.
However, the thing that really led me to realize the need to embrace identity came from the second Bible story I focused on throughout this process. Below is more of what will be in my book, so again, no one take it.
Samson was a judge of Israel, blessed with divine strength so that he could free his people from their Philistine oppressors. This was a man who was so gifted, but who wasted his gift and never lived out his calling. It's a tragic story with a depressing ending that I don't want to emulate at all. The saddest part is that the tragedy of Samson could have been avoided had he embraced his God given identity.
Samson was given an identity from God before he was born. "Then the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, 'Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son. Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.'" (Judges 13.3-5)
Before his birth, before his parents even knew about him, Samson was given an identity from God. He was to be a Nazirite, set apart for God, who would deliver Israel from their enemies. He would grow up knowing who God had said he was, and why God had put him on this earth. He knew who he was and what he was here to accomplish without ever doing anything. But the story of Samson goes beyond that, and before he ever had to fight a Philistine, God showed him that he had what it took to do so.
"Then Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came as far as the vineyards of Timnah; and behold, a young lion came roaring toward him. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, so that he tore him as one tears a young goat though he had nothing in his hand; but he did not tell his father or mother what he had done." (Judges 14.5-6)
On his way to Timnah to meet his future bride, Samson is attacked by a lion. In a moment when most people would panic (to say the least) Samson, empowered by God, steps up and tears the lion apart with his bare hands. God had not only given him a clear identity, but the tools to live out that identity. He had it all, and he wasted it.
"But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him. 21 Then the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze chains, and he was a grinder in the prison... Then Samson called to the Lord and said, 'O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.' Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left. And Samson said, 'Let me die with the Philistines!' And he bent with all his might so that the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life. " (Judges 16.20a-21, 28-30)
Samson wasted his gift, and his death accomplished more than his life. He died with the enemies he should have driven out of the land. This guy had it all, but he refused to embrace who God created him to be.
Let us not commit the same error as Samson. Let's not wast our lives, but let us instead embrace our identity so that we can fully live out who God has called us to be.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
However, the thing that really led me to realize the need to embrace identity came from the second Bible story I focused on throughout this process. Below is more of what will be in my book, so again, no one take it.
Samson was a judge of Israel, blessed with divine strength so that he could free his people from their Philistine oppressors. This was a man who was so gifted, but who wasted his gift and never lived out his calling. It's a tragic story with a depressing ending that I don't want to emulate at all. The saddest part is that the tragedy of Samson could have been avoided had he embraced his God given identity.
Samson was given an identity from God before he was born. "Then the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, 'Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son. Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.'" (Judges 13.3-5)
Before his birth, before his parents even knew about him, Samson was given an identity from God. He was to be a Nazirite, set apart for God, who would deliver Israel from their enemies. He would grow up knowing who God had said he was, and why God had put him on this earth. He knew who he was and what he was here to accomplish without ever doing anything. But the story of Samson goes beyond that, and before he ever had to fight a Philistine, God showed him that he had what it took to do so.
"Then Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came as far as the vineyards of Timnah; and behold, a young lion came roaring toward him. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, so that he tore him as one tears a young goat though he had nothing in his hand; but he did not tell his father or mother what he had done." (Judges 14.5-6)
On his way to Timnah to meet his future bride, Samson is attacked by a lion. In a moment when most people would panic (to say the least) Samson, empowered by God, steps up and tears the lion apart with his bare hands. God had not only given him a clear identity, but the tools to live out that identity. He had it all, and he wasted it.
"But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him. 21 Then the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze chains, and he was a grinder in the prison... Then Samson called to the Lord and said, 'O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.' Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left. And Samson said, 'Let me die with the Philistines!' And he bent with all his might so that the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life. " (Judges 16.20a-21, 28-30)
Samson wasted his gift, and his death accomplished more than his life. He died with the enemies he should have driven out of the land. This guy had it all, but he refused to embrace who God created him to be.
Let us not commit the same error as Samson. Let's not wast our lives, but let us instead embrace our identity so that we can fully live out who God has called us to be.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
To My Readers...
I want to apologize to you all for the inconsistent nature of my posting over the past few weeks. My life has seen some unexpected complications related to the divorce and custody of my two girls, all of which is being needlessly dragged out. My focus has continued to be on being a good dad and doing what is best for my princesses. I would appreciate your prayers for me and them as we navigate through this, and hopefully come to a final conclusion, I really don't want to keep fighting this battle until my youngest is 18, but I'm prepared to if that's what it's going to take.
On top of this, I'm nearing the end of grad school. For the past four years I have been working on completing two Master's degrees. I finished my first one in June of 2017, and am in my second to last semester for my second one, finishing this upcoming May. With this, I'm also starting to look at the future, post graduate work is part of the plan, and I'm trying to nail down my doctoral thesis topic, as well as trying to figure out what my career looks like after grad school.
Due to all of this, my posting has not been following the pattern that I have set over this past year, and I want to apologize for that. My hope is that starting tomorrow I will be back on the normal schedule.
Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read what I write, I am deeply touched that there are people all around the world who care about what a guy in America has to say. I hope that God uses what He gives me to share to touch your lives so that you can come to a deeper understanding of who He is and who you are as a result of that.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
On top of this, I'm nearing the end of grad school. For the past four years I have been working on completing two Master's degrees. I finished my first one in June of 2017, and am in my second to last semester for my second one, finishing this upcoming May. With this, I'm also starting to look at the future, post graduate work is part of the plan, and I'm trying to nail down my doctoral thesis topic, as well as trying to figure out what my career looks like after grad school.
Due to all of this, my posting has not been following the pattern that I have set over this past year, and I want to apologize for that. My hope is that starting tomorrow I will be back on the normal schedule.
Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read what I write, I am deeply touched that there are people all around the world who care about what a guy in America has to say. I hope that God uses what He gives me to share to touch your lives so that you can come to a deeper understanding of who He is and who you are as a result of that.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Monday, October 29, 2018
Where Do You Draw Your Identity?
As I began this search for my identity I had to first begin by looking at the things I had let define me. I'm going to share part of what's going in my book, so no one take my concept. In the book of Daniel so many things were against him, so many things tried to define him.
He was carried off from Israel to Babylon, he was refugee.
The Babylonians changed his name, educated him in Babylonian language and customs, and they tried to change his diet, he was forced to adapt another culture contrary to the covenant God had called him to.
Kings sought his counsel, one even bowed before him in worship, and he continued to advance in his career, he was successful in his profession.
Daniel had countless opportunities to let his circumstances define him. He could have fallen into a victim mentality after being forced form him home land, but he didn't. He could have compromised his integrity, fully embracing the Babylonian culture, but he didn't. He could have given in to pride, basking in the glory his success had brought him, but he didn't. If Daniel had, his life would have looked very different, and we probably wouldn't know his name, or at least we wouldn't count him as a hero of the faith.
In everything Daniel did, he never forgot God. This was so evident that even his peers knew that the only way they could find fault with him was in terms of his relationship with God. "Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs; but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him. Then these men said, 'We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God.'" (Dan. 6.4-5)
It was because of God that Daniel didn't allow his identity to be shaped by his circumstances. And it is because Daniel's identity was rooted in God that he was able to endure the most difficult trial of his life.
"Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions’ den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, 'Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.' A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel." (Dan. 6.16-17)
Daniel's refusal to embrace a false identity caused jealousy among his peers, and it resulted in him being thrown into the lion's den. But because his identity was rooted in God, God delivered him.
"Then Daniel spoke to the king, 'O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.' Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God." (Dan. 6.21-23)
When your identity is rooted in God, your circumstances can't define you. In success and failure, ease and hardship, you're foundation is consistent. And when you enter the lion's den, you will not be consumed because God will shut the mouths of the lions.
Where are you drawing your identity?
For more, watch for my book, coming ?
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
He was carried off from Israel to Babylon, he was refugee.
The Babylonians changed his name, educated him in Babylonian language and customs, and they tried to change his diet, he was forced to adapt another culture contrary to the covenant God had called him to.
Kings sought his counsel, one even bowed before him in worship, and he continued to advance in his career, he was successful in his profession.
Daniel had countless opportunities to let his circumstances define him. He could have fallen into a victim mentality after being forced form him home land, but he didn't. He could have compromised his integrity, fully embracing the Babylonian culture, but he didn't. He could have given in to pride, basking in the glory his success had brought him, but he didn't. If Daniel had, his life would have looked very different, and we probably wouldn't know his name, or at least we wouldn't count him as a hero of the faith.
In everything Daniel did, he never forgot God. This was so evident that even his peers knew that the only way they could find fault with him was in terms of his relationship with God. "Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs; but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him. Then these men said, 'We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God.'" (Dan. 6.4-5)
It was because of God that Daniel didn't allow his identity to be shaped by his circumstances. And it is because Daniel's identity was rooted in God that he was able to endure the most difficult trial of his life.
"Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions’ den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, 'Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.' A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel." (Dan. 6.16-17)
Daniel's refusal to embrace a false identity caused jealousy among his peers, and it resulted in him being thrown into the lion's den. But because his identity was rooted in God, God delivered him.
"Then Daniel spoke to the king, 'O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.' Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God." (Dan. 6.21-23)
When your identity is rooted in God, your circumstances can't define you. In success and failure, ease and hardship, you're foundation is consistent. And when you enter the lion's den, you will not be consumed because God will shut the mouths of the lions.
Where are you drawing your identity?
For more, watch for my book, coming ?
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Friday, October 26, 2018
Finding the Meaning of My Name
I had learned my name, and God had reinforced that identity over and over, but even thought I had that, something was still missing. For years I have been drawn to two movie scenes, one from Gladiator and one from Secondhand Lions, both where men tell an adversary who they are. These scenes involve more than just sharing their name, but what that name meant, who they really were. I've been drawn to these scenes because of what they convey, and I have always wanted a name like that. A name that tells of who I am at my core.
A name like that only comes from trail and hardship, suffering and healing, something that I hadn't really experienced until a few years ago. Meaning comes out of how we respond to everything that has taken place, and defines how we are seeking to live moving forward. The search for my name was part of a ceremony that would be held at an annual men's retreat I lead, you can read about these and see insights from my brothers at http://proverbs1824brothers.blogspot.com/. The focus we've had since our first retreat in 2015 has been on becoming the men God created us to be.
The ceremony was something that I needed, had longed for for so long, it was that confirmation of identity, a calling to something bigger, and validation from those I'm doing life with. I had my name, but I knew that for this ceremony I needed more, I needed to be able share what that meant. I needed to say who I had been, what God had done, and who I was now as a result.
As I had been learning my name a common theme kept coming up, which is ultimately how I discovered the identity God had given me, and in that He gave me a Scriptural foundation. I close every post with the same phrase, "Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11" and the reason for this is that 1 Peter 5.1-11 is the passage God gave me. Earlier this year I spent several months breaking down this passage of Scripture, going phrase by phrase, and examining what it meant. I found five key themes in these verses, and from those themes began to understand what it meant to claim the identity God had given me.
My name came from God, and the meaning of that name came from Scripture. On June 9, 2018 I shared that name with my brothers, and then I took a pledge that I had written based out of what God had revealed to me from 1 Peter 5.1-11. I had a name, and I know what embracing that name entails.
Who does God say that you are? What name does He know you by?
What does Scripture say about your name?
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
A name like that only comes from trail and hardship, suffering and healing, something that I hadn't really experienced until a few years ago. Meaning comes out of how we respond to everything that has taken place, and defines how we are seeking to live moving forward. The search for my name was part of a ceremony that would be held at an annual men's retreat I lead, you can read about these and see insights from my brothers at http://proverbs1824brothers.blogspot.com/. The focus we've had since our first retreat in 2015 has been on becoming the men God created us to be.
The ceremony was something that I needed, had longed for for so long, it was that confirmation of identity, a calling to something bigger, and validation from those I'm doing life with. I had my name, but I knew that for this ceremony I needed more, I needed to be able share what that meant. I needed to say who I had been, what God had done, and who I was now as a result.
As I had been learning my name a common theme kept coming up, which is ultimately how I discovered the identity God had given me, and in that He gave me a Scriptural foundation. I close every post with the same phrase, "Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11" and the reason for this is that 1 Peter 5.1-11 is the passage God gave me. Earlier this year I spent several months breaking down this passage of Scripture, going phrase by phrase, and examining what it meant. I found five key themes in these verses, and from those themes began to understand what it meant to claim the identity God had given me.
My name came from God, and the meaning of that name came from Scripture. On June 9, 2018 I shared that name with my brothers, and then I took a pledge that I had written based out of what God had revealed to me from 1 Peter 5.1-11. I had a name, and I know what embracing that name entails.
Who does God say that you are? What name does He know you by?
What does Scripture say about your name?
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
How I Learned My Name
The day before my oldest daughter turned one I was reading the story of Samson as part of a blog project I was working on. As I read the story it stood out to me in a new way, and I couldn't move past the details. This caused me to begin looking for similar stories throughout the Bible, and I ended up finding two others. These stories began to fascinate me like they never had before. I noticed the similarities and differences; I focused on what was unique and began to look at how these all fit together.
The next day when I took my daughter to the doctor for her one year check up, and a shot (watching my princess get a shot breaks my heart because it's necessary pain but it's still pain). Afterwards we had some time to kill so we just went and walked around the mall. I'm not a huge fan of the mall, but it was March in northeast Ohio, so it was the best option for walking. We went into the book store, I don't know why but book stores are something I enjoy even though I don't buy any books from them usually, but as we were there I noticed that one of my favorite author's, John Eldredge, had a new book out. The title of the book directly corresponded with what I had read in the Bible the previous day. I looked to heaven and said to God, "You're trying to tell me something aren't You?"
At this point I decided that I needed to explore this a little more. There was something going on, something God was trying to tell me. At first I thought it was just a cool idea, something that would make an interesting couple blog posts, maybe a future sermon series, possibly even a book (this third option is where I've landed, thus the reason I'm being so vague. I've started to actually write it but life has happened and I'm reduced to a lot of note taking and processing.)
I went home and began to explore this idea over the next few days, getting really excited about it, and even sharing the idea with some of my closest friends. Over the next few months the idea didn't fade, but just kept growing in intensity and clarity, and I began to feel that God was trying to give me more than just a writing topic. I began to realize that God was telling me my name.
The final realization I had was when God told me to buy a sword. I had bought a replica Spartan shield years earlier. I had always wanted one, and then I found an insane deal on one, and my ex-wife wasn't around to tell me not to, so for my birthday that year I bought myself a shield. At that time I was still trying to fight for my marriage, trying to bring about restoration, and I would hold my shield up, get in a battle stance, and pray against Satan. One time when I did this, I felt that I was being mocked because I didn't have a sword. At the time I couldn't afford one, and I'm not big on collecting stuff so I had never planned on getting one, but a few years later I felt that God was leading me to buy a sword. I went back and forth with Him on this, because I really didn't have extra money, but He wouldn't leave me alone about it, and so I began to look, and I found a Lakonia short sword, also on sale, and got ready to purchase it.
I got it sharpened, there was no question about that, if a sword isn't sharp it's not a sword. This does make displaying it tricky at this point since my girls are so young, it ends up packed away on top of a closet so they don't accidentally find it, but one day I'll be able to display it with my shield. The other option it gave me was for engraving initials. I wasn't going to put my own initials on there, and at that point God had been leading me in the direction of my real name, my true identity from Him, and the final leading I got was to put those initials on there. I was hesitant to do this, but I couldn't get past the sense that I needed to, and so I did.
I know I'm being vague on a lot with this, and I'm sorry. I go back and forth with how much of my personal story to share, just because it is so deeply meaningful to me, and it's still very fresh. So much of this is only known to my group brothers and the few men who have walked through the past few years with me. This past weekend I shared it in detail with someone outside of that circle for the first time, and that was good.
Summing up, God revealed my name to me by making a familiar Bible story stand out in an unfamiliar way. It was something He kept bringing up to me, and something that really stirred my heart. The initials I put on my sword would become the name that went on my dog tags, and it's the name reveals who God says I am.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
I'm sorry that this is being posted later in the day, it's been a weird week and I've been strangely unmotivated and kind of uninspired. Blogs will still be posted Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and hopefully I'm back to the original schedule time wise by next week.
The next day when I took my daughter to the doctor for her one year check up, and a shot (watching my princess get a shot breaks my heart because it's necessary pain but it's still pain). Afterwards we had some time to kill so we just went and walked around the mall. I'm not a huge fan of the mall, but it was March in northeast Ohio, so it was the best option for walking. We went into the book store, I don't know why but book stores are something I enjoy even though I don't buy any books from them usually, but as we were there I noticed that one of my favorite author's, John Eldredge, had a new book out. The title of the book directly corresponded with what I had read in the Bible the previous day. I looked to heaven and said to God, "You're trying to tell me something aren't You?"
At this point I decided that I needed to explore this a little more. There was something going on, something God was trying to tell me. At first I thought it was just a cool idea, something that would make an interesting couple blog posts, maybe a future sermon series, possibly even a book (this third option is where I've landed, thus the reason I'm being so vague. I've started to actually write it but life has happened and I'm reduced to a lot of note taking and processing.)
I went home and began to explore this idea over the next few days, getting really excited about it, and even sharing the idea with some of my closest friends. Over the next few months the idea didn't fade, but just kept growing in intensity and clarity, and I began to feel that God was trying to give me more than just a writing topic. I began to realize that God was telling me my name.
The final realization I had was when God told me to buy a sword. I had bought a replica Spartan shield years earlier. I had always wanted one, and then I found an insane deal on one, and my ex-wife wasn't around to tell me not to, so for my birthday that year I bought myself a shield. At that time I was still trying to fight for my marriage, trying to bring about restoration, and I would hold my shield up, get in a battle stance, and pray against Satan. One time when I did this, I felt that I was being mocked because I didn't have a sword. At the time I couldn't afford one, and I'm not big on collecting stuff so I had never planned on getting one, but a few years later I felt that God was leading me to buy a sword. I went back and forth with Him on this, because I really didn't have extra money, but He wouldn't leave me alone about it, and so I began to look, and I found a Lakonia short sword, also on sale, and got ready to purchase it.
I got it sharpened, there was no question about that, if a sword isn't sharp it's not a sword. This does make displaying it tricky at this point since my girls are so young, it ends up packed away on top of a closet so they don't accidentally find it, but one day I'll be able to display it with my shield. The other option it gave me was for engraving initials. I wasn't going to put my own initials on there, and at that point God had been leading me in the direction of my real name, my true identity from Him, and the final leading I got was to put those initials on there. I was hesitant to do this, but I couldn't get past the sense that I needed to, and so I did.
I know I'm being vague on a lot with this, and I'm sorry. I go back and forth with how much of my personal story to share, just because it is so deeply meaningful to me, and it's still very fresh. So much of this is only known to my group brothers and the few men who have walked through the past few years with me. This past weekend I shared it in detail with someone outside of that circle for the first time, and that was good.
Summing up, God revealed my name to me by making a familiar Bible story stand out in an unfamiliar way. It was something He kept bringing up to me, and something that really stirred my heart. The initials I put on my sword would become the name that went on my dog tags, and it's the name reveals who God says I am.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
I'm sorry that this is being posted later in the day, it's been a weird week and I've been strangely unmotivated and kind of uninspired. Blogs will still be posted Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and hopefully I'm back to the original schedule time wise by next week.
Monday, October 22, 2018
New Name
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it." Revelation 2.17
There is a name that God knows you by. It isn't the name your parents gave you. It isn't anything that those who seek to tear you down have labeled you with. It isn't anything destructive or self critical you've come to believe about yourself. God has a name He knows you by. It is the name He gave to you when He created you. It is a name the reveals who you really are.
God has a name for you, a name that He personally wants to bestow upon you. This name is one that can only come from God because only God knows it. God wants to tell you what your name is. And I know this might sound crazy, it might sound like a spiritual fantasy that is disconnected from reality, but it isn't. I've experienced this, I've read and talked to others who have experienced this, and I'm currently working with others who are in the process of discovering this.
God knows you by your true name. This name speaks of what you were put on this world to do. It is reveals the characteristics you are called to embody, and it points to the destiny God has put you here to accomplish. If we will be bold enough to seek the identity God has for us, bold enough to to pursue it, embracing the trials and hardships of life, God will bestow upon us a new name, our true name.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
There is a name that God knows you by. It isn't the name your parents gave you. It isn't anything that those who seek to tear you down have labeled you with. It isn't anything destructive or self critical you've come to believe about yourself. God has a name He knows you by. It is the name He gave to you when He created you. It is a name the reveals who you really are.
God has a name for you, a name that He personally wants to bestow upon you. This name is one that can only come from God because only God knows it. God wants to tell you what your name is. And I know this might sound crazy, it might sound like a spiritual fantasy that is disconnected from reality, but it isn't. I've experienced this, I've read and talked to others who have experienced this, and I'm currently working with others who are in the process of discovering this.
God knows you by your true name. This name speaks of what you were put on this world to do. It is reveals the characteristics you are called to embody, and it points to the destiny God has put you here to accomplish. If we will be bold enough to seek the identity God has for us, bold enough to to pursue it, embracing the trials and hardships of life, God will bestow upon us a new name, our true name.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Friday, October 19, 2018
Finding Your Identity, Question 2
After the wounds have been dealt with, the false identities have been identified, we're ready to begin finding our real identity. Before we can hear from God we've got to clear out all of the lies and distractions fighting for our attention. I love the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19.
"So He said, 'Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.' And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave." (1 Kings 19.11-13a)
This event takes place immediately after Elijah's showdown with the prophets of Ba'al on Mount Carmel. God showed up in a mighty way, fire from heaven to consume a soaking wet sacrifice, stones, and a pool of water surrounding it, and then he kills the pagan prophets (I've been using the word pagan a lot recently as it relates to a paper I'm writing for grad school on Old Testament Genocide). The queen, Jezebel, isn't happy and threatens his life, so he books it to Sinai, where God meets him.
God speaks and tells Elijah that He's going to pass by the cave. Three signs of devastating power natural power occur. First a wind that shatters the rocks, but God's not there. Then there's an earthquake which shakes the foundation of the mountain, but God's not there. Then a fire that consumes the vegetation, but God isn't there. Elijah's last experience with God was a mighty display of power, a lot of Elijah's encounters with God were mighty displays of power, but he knew God intimately and personally, and was able to distinguish God's voice from all of the distractions. When we identify the lies that seek to define us, we are able to able to clearly and distinctly hear from God.
Jesus asked His disciples two questions at Caesarea Philippi, "Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?' And they said, 'Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.' He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?'" (Matthew 16.13-15)
The first question looked at the world, people who had heard stories and seen His miracles, but didn't have a deep, personal relationship with Him. The second question was directed at those who were closest to Him, the ones hand picked by Him for intentional, small group style, relational community. These men knew Him on a deeper level than just what He could do, but who He was, and so Jesus asks them "But who do you say that I am?" Again, this isn't Jesus seeking His identity from His followers, He's already gotten that from God, but the principle I'm aiming at here is that we need to direct this question at the one who knows us most intimately, God.
After we have identified the false identities given to us by the world, the ways people have tired to shape our lives, and the things we have come to believe about ourselves as a result, we're able to take the question to God and hear from Him. We've identified the lies of the wind, the misdirection of the earthquake, and the destructive self image of the first, and we're ready to hear the still small voice of God.
Ask God, "Who do you say that I am?"
It can be scary. Elijah covered his face before going out to meet God. For me, I was afraid to ask God, I've gotten really into the enneagram recently (more on this to come sometime in the future on one of the blogs, most likely), but as a type 1 part of my focus is on needing to earn everything, striving for perfection and an ideal, and so being vulnerable to ask God what He thought was scary because there's this fear of not being good enough. But God didn't disappoint Elijah, He didn't let me down, and He won't forsake you.
Identifying the wounds is difficult, it's scary and uncomfortable, and honestly it can hurt. But God is a healer, and if there is pain He causes, it's pain that leads to full healing. God is not malicious, He doesn't cause pain because He enjoys watching us suffer, everything He does is about bringing restoration (more from my paper on OT Genocide).
Identify the false identities and the wounds they caused, let God speak healing and validation into you, giving you your true name.
Who do people say you are?
Who does God say you are?
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
"So He said, 'Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.' And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave." (1 Kings 19.11-13a)
This event takes place immediately after Elijah's showdown with the prophets of Ba'al on Mount Carmel. God showed up in a mighty way, fire from heaven to consume a soaking wet sacrifice, stones, and a pool of water surrounding it, and then he kills the pagan prophets (I've been using the word pagan a lot recently as it relates to a paper I'm writing for grad school on Old Testament Genocide). The queen, Jezebel, isn't happy and threatens his life, so he books it to Sinai, where God meets him.
God speaks and tells Elijah that He's going to pass by the cave. Three signs of devastating power natural power occur. First a wind that shatters the rocks, but God's not there. Then there's an earthquake which shakes the foundation of the mountain, but God's not there. Then a fire that consumes the vegetation, but God isn't there. Elijah's last experience with God was a mighty display of power, a lot of Elijah's encounters with God were mighty displays of power, but he knew God intimately and personally, and was able to distinguish God's voice from all of the distractions. When we identify the lies that seek to define us, we are able to able to clearly and distinctly hear from God.
Jesus asked His disciples two questions at Caesarea Philippi, "Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?' And they said, 'Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.' He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?'" (Matthew 16.13-15)
The first question looked at the world, people who had heard stories and seen His miracles, but didn't have a deep, personal relationship with Him. The second question was directed at those who were closest to Him, the ones hand picked by Him for intentional, small group style, relational community. These men knew Him on a deeper level than just what He could do, but who He was, and so Jesus asks them "But who do you say that I am?" Again, this isn't Jesus seeking His identity from His followers, He's already gotten that from God, but the principle I'm aiming at here is that we need to direct this question at the one who knows us most intimately, God.
After we have identified the false identities given to us by the world, the ways people have tired to shape our lives, and the things we have come to believe about ourselves as a result, we're able to take the question to God and hear from Him. We've identified the lies of the wind, the misdirection of the earthquake, and the destructive self image of the first, and we're ready to hear the still small voice of God.
Ask God, "Who do you say that I am?"
It can be scary. Elijah covered his face before going out to meet God. For me, I was afraid to ask God, I've gotten really into the enneagram recently (more on this to come sometime in the future on one of the blogs, most likely), but as a type 1 part of my focus is on needing to earn everything, striving for perfection and an ideal, and so being vulnerable to ask God what He thought was scary because there's this fear of not being good enough. But God didn't disappoint Elijah, He didn't let me down, and He won't forsake you.
Identifying the wounds is difficult, it's scary and uncomfortable, and honestly it can hurt. But God is a healer, and if there is pain He causes, it's pain that leads to full healing. God is not malicious, He doesn't cause pain because He enjoys watching us suffer, everything He does is about bringing restoration (more from my paper on OT Genocide).
Identify the false identities and the wounds they caused, let God speak healing and validation into you, giving you your true name.
Who do people say you are?
Who does God say you are?
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Finding Your Identity, Question 1
The search for identity begins by identifying the false identities you have been given. Before we can build something stable, we have to clear away the debris in the way. Before a scar can from, a wound needs to be cleaned. I order to find our true identity, we begin by clearing away the false identities that we've been given.
These identities can come from anyone, and from an intent to cause harm or an attempt to protect. False identities can be dealt with the best intentions, or the most malicious. The school bully can give you a false identity, and so can a loving grandmother. The search for identity begins by discovering what is false, and how we have owned and believed what is false.
To find answers we have to ask questions, it's the reality of the world we live in. In reading the Gospels I believe I have found the questions we need to ask, and they come directly from Jesus. In Matthew 16 Jesus is in Northern Israel at Caesarea Philippi (Pictures below form my trip in 2009), and He is asking His disciples about His identity. This isn't for His sake, He knows His identity, it was bestowed by the Father at His baptism and affirmed through His time in the wilderness (Matthew 3 and 4), but here He's trying to see if they grasp who He is. He asks them two questions, and these two questions are the ones we need to ask ourselves if we would know our true identity.
"Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?'" (Matt. 16.13)
Jesus asks His disciples, "What does the world say about me?" And that is the first question we need to ask ourselves. Who do people say that I am?
What have people said about you?
Who have people tried to make you?
What do you believe about yourself as a result?
All of these things serve to form our false identity. People try to tear us down, they try to make us believe things about ourselves that are unhealthy and destructive. Sometimes it's because people just suck (yeah I said that, and yeah it's completely true), in addition to this people are just mean (and yes, those are two distinct descriptions, but don't ask me for clarification right now), the rest of the time people are just insecure about their own identity and they build their false identity by making other people insecure about their identity (95% of the time this is the case, so let's show some grace to people). People give us labels that aren't us, but sometimes these labels stick, and we begin to believe them, thinking less of ourselves, or even more highly of ourselves than we should. (I recommend Max Lucado's book You Are Special it's fantastic imagery of this)
People also try to direct us, pointing us in the direction we should go, and in following their plans we can sacrifice who we really are. I think this is how your grandma gives you a false identity, she tells you to be a doctor so you do, but you really don't want to be a doctor, but you do it to make grandma happy. You can embrace a false identity by following someone else's desires for your life. And again, this may come with the best intentions, people who care about you and just want what's best for you, but it still is an identity from the world.
Finally, what do you believe about yourself based on the answers to the above. Do you believe what the bully said about you high school (or what your co-worker said to you last Thursday)? Did you follow grandma's dream for your life? What do you believe about you? Do you see yourself as worthless or priceless? A pushover or powerful? Disposable or invaluable? Do you believe that you have something to offer that the world genuinely needs (you do)? What do you believe about yourself?
The first question we have to answer if we would know who we really are is what people say about us. This probably isn't going to be a fun conversation to have, some of the stuff I had to write down I really didn't want to, but when I did it was so freeing. Jordan Peterson says that we have to face the thing we least want to face, because that is where the deepest significance lies. We have to identify the wounds we've been given so that they can be healed.
If we would find our identity, we must first identify the false identities we have taken on.
Who do people say you are?
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
These identities can come from anyone, and from an intent to cause harm or an attempt to protect. False identities can be dealt with the best intentions, or the most malicious. The school bully can give you a false identity, and so can a loving grandmother. The search for identity begins by discovering what is false, and how we have owned and believed what is false.
To find answers we have to ask questions, it's the reality of the world we live in. In reading the Gospels I believe I have found the questions we need to ask, and they come directly from Jesus. In Matthew 16 Jesus is in Northern Israel at Caesarea Philippi (Pictures below form my trip in 2009), and He is asking His disciples about His identity. This isn't for His sake, He knows His identity, it was bestowed by the Father at His baptism and affirmed through His time in the wilderness (Matthew 3 and 4), but here He's trying to see if they grasp who He is. He asks them two questions, and these two questions are the ones we need to ask ourselves if we would know our true identity.
"Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?'" (Matt. 16.13)
Jesus asks His disciples, "What does the world say about me?" And that is the first question we need to ask ourselves. Who do people say that I am?
What have people said about you?
Who have people tried to make you?
What do you believe about yourself as a result?
All of these things serve to form our false identity. People try to tear us down, they try to make us believe things about ourselves that are unhealthy and destructive. Sometimes it's because people just suck (yeah I said that, and yeah it's completely true), in addition to this people are just mean (and yes, those are two distinct descriptions, but don't ask me for clarification right now), the rest of the time people are just insecure about their own identity and they build their false identity by making other people insecure about their identity (95% of the time this is the case, so let's show some grace to people). People give us labels that aren't us, but sometimes these labels stick, and we begin to believe them, thinking less of ourselves, or even more highly of ourselves than we should. (I recommend Max Lucado's book You Are Special it's fantastic imagery of this)
People also try to direct us, pointing us in the direction we should go, and in following their plans we can sacrifice who we really are. I think this is how your grandma gives you a false identity, she tells you to be a doctor so you do, but you really don't want to be a doctor, but you do it to make grandma happy. You can embrace a false identity by following someone else's desires for your life. And again, this may come with the best intentions, people who care about you and just want what's best for you, but it still is an identity from the world.
Finally, what do you believe about yourself based on the answers to the above. Do you believe what the bully said about you high school (or what your co-worker said to you last Thursday)? Did you follow grandma's dream for your life? What do you believe about you? Do you see yourself as worthless or priceless? A pushover or powerful? Disposable or invaluable? Do you believe that you have something to offer that the world genuinely needs (you do)? What do you believe about yourself?
The first question we have to answer if we would know who we really are is what people say about us. This probably isn't going to be a fun conversation to have, some of the stuff I had to write down I really didn't want to, but when I did it was so freeing. Jordan Peterson says that we have to face the thing we least want to face, because that is where the deepest significance lies. We have to identify the wounds we've been given so that they can be healed.
If we would find our identity, we must first identify the false identities we have taken on.
Who do people say you are?
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Monday, October 15, 2018
Identity, Why it Matters
Everyone who walks the face of the earth is searching for meaning. We need a purpose, and without one we merely exist, going through the motions of our day to day obligations, and longing for something more. The search for meaning in life is fruitless without the foundation of identity.
I spent so many years unsure about who I was. I looked for validation in my job, which is probably one of the big reasons I pursued a career as a professional minister now that I think about it. I looked for validation in relationships, which is probably why I didn't let people get close to me for so long. I don't think I ever fell into the trap of validation from possessions. But everything that I thought would give me meaning and purpose, ministry, marriage, influence, did nothing but to fulfill me. It wasn't until all of that got stripped away that I began to really seek out a solid founditional identity.
I graduated at the top of my class in college, with high encouragement from my professors about my gifting and potential. I've been let go from three churches, and haven't gotten a call about a ministry position in five years. The career peg of identity didn't do anything but stress me out and drain me. It sucked the life out of me prevented me from ministering well because I was too focused on the frustrating situations I was in that didn't give me meaning, purpose or validation.
I married a girl that I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. She left just after we celebrated our four year anniversary. It would be easy to adopt this bitter and wounded label of "divorced" sulking in the failed relationship and broken covenant. But in the hurt of that trial, I began to realize that I wasn't defined by the success or failure of my marriage.
In both of these potentially defining aspects of my life, I've come to see that my identity does not hinge on either my career or my relationships, but that my career and relationships are defined by my identity.
Identity matters because it answers the most essential question of "Who am I?" Without this answer we can never go on to answer the bigger question of "Why am I here?" Identity is the foundation of everything we do, and if we don't have a solid, God-given identity, we spend our lives hopelessly trying to find meaning and fulfillment in things that have no power of validation.
It doesn't matter how good your job is, you can lose it in a heart beat. It doesn't matter how long you've been married, your spouse can leave at any time. It doesn't matter about how much wealth you've accumulated, all of that can be taken away at any time. If you're identity is built on these things, then it is a fragile thing that won't last when trials come. That's why people go through mid-life crises or commit suicide. There is no foundation for when the trials come, and when they do everything comes crashing down.
I've found this to be true in my own life. When the churches let me go it was rough. I was angry and bitter, and unsure about what to do next. My confidence was shaken, and I began to have a lot of doubt. When my marriage ended it messed me up. I couldn't function, had performance issues at work and trouble focusing at school. I'm not saying that these reactions aren't normal, even someone with a solid identity is going to be shaken by a life changing event like either of these things, but the reaction of a person with an identity is healthy and not destructive.
In Matthew 7 Jesus gives a parable of two men who built houses, one with a solid foundation of rock that withstood the storms that came, and one with an unstable foundation of sand which crumbled when the weather turned. This story marks the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, a message that seeks to redefine how we approach life. Jesus seeks to give each of us an identity, and that identity is meant to be the defining characteristic of our life that gives meaning and purpose to everything else.
Identity matters because it gives us the foundation for the trials we face.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
I spent so many years unsure about who I was. I looked for validation in my job, which is probably one of the big reasons I pursued a career as a professional minister now that I think about it. I looked for validation in relationships, which is probably why I didn't let people get close to me for so long. I don't think I ever fell into the trap of validation from possessions. But everything that I thought would give me meaning and purpose, ministry, marriage, influence, did nothing but to fulfill me. It wasn't until all of that got stripped away that I began to really seek out a solid founditional identity.
I graduated at the top of my class in college, with high encouragement from my professors about my gifting and potential. I've been let go from three churches, and haven't gotten a call about a ministry position in five years. The career peg of identity didn't do anything but stress me out and drain me. It sucked the life out of me prevented me from ministering well because I was too focused on the frustrating situations I was in that didn't give me meaning, purpose or validation.
I married a girl that I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. She left just after we celebrated our four year anniversary. It would be easy to adopt this bitter and wounded label of "divorced" sulking in the failed relationship and broken covenant. But in the hurt of that trial, I began to realize that I wasn't defined by the success or failure of my marriage.
In both of these potentially defining aspects of my life, I've come to see that my identity does not hinge on either my career or my relationships, but that my career and relationships are defined by my identity.
Identity matters because it answers the most essential question of "Who am I?" Without this answer we can never go on to answer the bigger question of "Why am I here?" Identity is the foundation of everything we do, and if we don't have a solid, God-given identity, we spend our lives hopelessly trying to find meaning and fulfillment in things that have no power of validation.
It doesn't matter how good your job is, you can lose it in a heart beat. It doesn't matter how long you've been married, your spouse can leave at any time. It doesn't matter about how much wealth you've accumulated, all of that can be taken away at any time. If you're identity is built on these things, then it is a fragile thing that won't last when trials come. That's why people go through mid-life crises or commit suicide. There is no foundation for when the trials come, and when they do everything comes crashing down.
I've found this to be true in my own life. When the churches let me go it was rough. I was angry and bitter, and unsure about what to do next. My confidence was shaken, and I began to have a lot of doubt. When my marriage ended it messed me up. I couldn't function, had performance issues at work and trouble focusing at school. I'm not saying that these reactions aren't normal, even someone with a solid identity is going to be shaken by a life changing event like either of these things, but the reaction of a person with an identity is healthy and not destructive.
In Matthew 7 Jesus gives a parable of two men who built houses, one with a solid foundation of rock that withstood the storms that came, and one with an unstable foundation of sand which crumbled when the weather turned. This story marks the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, a message that seeks to redefine how we approach life. Jesus seeks to give each of us an identity, and that identity is meant to be the defining characteristic of our life that gives meaning and purpose to everything else.
Identity matters because it gives us the foundation for the trials we face.
Fight the lion, 1 Peter 5.1-11
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
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