Careful to Walk in His Path

Today my wife and I had to make a tough decision to leave the church we were attending.  There seems to be lessons that the Lord teaches you that are not instantly understood.  Today's choice was difficult but the right one and had been coming for a while.  We leave our church with hopes of blessings and growth for them.  We have appreciated our time there and will cherish the memories of the wonderful way we were ministered too and loved on.

I know many of you may be asking why would leave if we feel this way.  The answer is that Jesus is moving us somewhere new.  I honestly don't understand completely but I do know that His will is best.  I completely trust in His ability to bring us to a new church that will meet our needs and grow us in a new way as we encounter a new stage in our lives.  I look forward to the church He is going to lead us to as I mourn leaving the church we called home for almost a year.  Though I do not always understand the directions of Jesus, I hope that I am in His will and following the direction he has for my life as I lead my family.

Whenever you feel the Lord leading you in a new direction, do not hesitate to follow Him.  He is good, kind, and faithful.  He will not lead you astray and you will only bring heartache upon yourself in choosing not to heed His will.  We all know what happened to Jonah when he chose to defy God's will.  I ask that you pray for us as we begin the process of seeking the church that the Lord has for us.  We want to be careful to heed His will in this matter and land exactly where He wants us to be.  I thank you all for your prayers and, as always, would love to know how I can pray for you.

Blessings,

Greg

Sufficient Indeed!

You know, pain is a funny thing.  Pain can affect you emotionally, spiritually, and physically.  Sometimes pain can be to much to bear and other times pain can be something tolerated for a lifetime.  Pain can be caused by our own actions, the actions of others, and the actions of no one.  Pain is something none of us wants to experience and yet we are united through the pain we have all carried.  


I have suffered from a lot of pain in the last few years in the form of tendonitis and tight muscles.  Much of my suffering has been difficult for my doctor to fix.  I find myself managing the pain by dealing with it till the point that I can no longer handle it.  Some of my pain has been with me for more than half of my life now.  Other pains I have experienced, have lasted only short but intense moments.  


I have begged and pleading, like Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, for God to remove these thorns from my flesh and yet I feel like I have received the same answer Paul did, "My grace is sufficient for you."  I have to admit that I have not wanted to accept God's answer at times.  I don't want His grace to only be sufficient.  I want to be healed.  But I have realized the danger and error of these thoughts.  Without God's grace, my state of pain doesn't matter because ultimately I would never be with God.


It is easy for me to only focus on the pain I am experiencing and forget about the pain the Trinity has endured from me.  Jesus died on the cross because of my sin.  The Father can't even be in my presence in my sin  And I know that I have grieved the Holy Spirit in the addiction of my sins at times.  I can't even imagine the pain and betrayal God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit must feel each time I sin.  My pain is nothing in the grand scheme of things.  


Does this make my pain it any less real?  Does this make it any less intrusive?  I would say no but there is a peace and assurance that come from knowing that I will not experience this pain for all of eternity.  In Revelation 21:4 it says, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."  Even Paul who asked for the thorn to be removed from his flesh said this in Romans 8:18, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."


If you are feeling pain tonight, no matter what kind, know that there is hope.  Know that it is temporary.  Know that there is a place where it will be no more.  As far as I know, there is no promise that we will make it through this life without pain as Christians.  Even Philippians 4:13 which says, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me,"  promises we will be given all the strength we need to handle this life but does not promise it will be easy.  So also know that the Lord will always, always, always give you the strength to handle the pain even if He sees fit to not remove it from you.  I exhort you to hang in there, trust Jesus, and know that God's grace truly is sufficient for all you will face in this life.  I hope in this you will find peace.


Blessings,


Greg

Broken Past, Hopeful Future

There is a fine line between hate and love.  Unfortunately Christian history is filled with "Christians" proliferating hate in the name of love.  What seems so obvious to us today was not so simple at different points in history.  We now live in a time where everyone in the western world has access to the Bible and we each have the ability to read and understand it.  This has not been so for most of Christian history.  Imagine trying to be a follower of Christ and only getting input from a priest.  Most of the people in Christian history would not have been able to read the Bible even if it had been available to them.  There have been many times in our history where "the church" spawned more hate and murder than the most sinful of nations.  Oh how well the devil has been able to harm the world's view of Jesus through jaded followers.

I would like to believe that since we now live in an age were the Bible is readily available and accessible to all in the western world that we would no longer have the problems of our past.  Unfortunately, we all know that this is not true.  We still have people who twist the Bible and then teach their twisted perspective to willing followers who chose not to read and understand the Bible for themselves.  What is even worse is today we not only have hating, bigoted, vile people who profess Christianity, we also have many Christians today that believe Christianity is no better than any other religion and is only one way to find peace and heaven in this world.  The devil is still at work in our churches and there is still a large majority of people who have chosen not to read the Bible for themselves but to be swayed and wooed by men who intend to use the Bible for their own purposes.

Though I have to admit that I struggle greatly with both ideologies in our world today, I know that the only answer to truly battle the false teachings within the Christian realm is to truly live Christ authentically and boldly.  Hatred plus hatred does not equal love.  Vile words plus vile words does not equal peace.  judgment plus righteous anger does not equal living Jesus.  We have to live love.  We have to live truth.  We have to stand for the principles that Jesus set in place.  We have to love our enemies and let Jesus be the judge not us.  We have to be willing to humble ourselves to serve.  We have to be willing to go the second mile with the one who forced us to go the first mile. We have to be willing to lay down our lives for our brothers.  We have to be willing to sacrifice everything we are for the love Jesus lived and died for.

Jesus did not reach the world for himself by fighting the world but by dying in the place of sinners that they may have salvation available to them.  We have to learn from Jesus, Paul, and the disciples.  We have to stand up and be  different from the world.  We have to live love even when the world wants to perpetuate hate through intolerance.  We have to want to speak the truth when the world want all truth to be equal.  We have to live counter culture.  We have to authentically live Jesus daily no matter the consequences, which may include: broken relationships, lost jobs, and persecution.  Jesus intended for His followers to draw the world to Him not repel the world from Him.  It is our time to live authentically in Christ!  I challenge you to stand up and live Christ fully today.

Blessings,

Greg

Pruning for Life

Today, I had the opportunity to prune the apple tree at my job.  I had pruned the pear tree the day before and was a little worried about how to properly prune our apple tree.  It is important to understand that our apple tree had been allowed to overgrow a tad.  As I spent time learning about the proper way to prune an apple tree and spent time looking at a bunch of photos and illustrations on what the tree was supposed to look like, I knew that I had my work cut out for me.  Our tree had limbs going literally everywhere.  They were going up, down, backwards, through each other, and every over way possible.  My first thoughts as I was reading about how the tree was supposed to look, was that I would kill it by pruning it to the extent needed.  After talking to my boss, he assured me that the tree would be fine and that the pruning was necessary to have a good harvest next year.

So the first thing I did this morning was get my gloves, ladder, pruning shears, and hand saw.  Though I still felt a little overwhelmed, I decided that all I could do was to trim one limb at a time till the tree began to take the shape it needed to have.  I slowly worked my way around the bottom limbs of the tree taking off all the limbs that needed to be removed for it to be fruitful.  I ended the job on a ladder at the very top of the tree and had to make some executive decisions that involved removing some limbs that had been there for a few years.  Once I was finally finished, I admired how well the tree had shaped up and yet I still wondered if I should have removed the many limbs now laying at the base of the tree.  I even had an employee come out at one point and ask me if I was cutting the tree down.  I assured her that this was necessary for a good harvest next year and she worriedly smiled back at me. 

Through this experience, I have a new perspective on the beginning of John chapter 15 with Jesus saying, 

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

I now understand why it is necessary to cut off the branches that don't bear fruit and I know what they look like.  I realized how necessary the vine is to the branches for life.  I now know first hand what it feels like to cut, pickup, carry, and burn each branch that is not productive to the tree.  Another thing I now am acutely aware of, is the time, love, and care it requires of the vinedresser to keep the vine fruitful.  There are even times when the vinedresser has to make drastic cuts that concern others in order to help the vine and branches flourish next spring.

Just as I wondered if I was taking off the right amount of branches, I have often asked the Lord if certain pruning of my own heart was necessary.  It can be hard to understand why the Lord wants to remove certain things from your life.  The pruning can be painful and time has to be allowed for healing and new growth to begin.  There may even be times when you think that if the Lord works on anything else He will kill you but the beauty of Him being the vinedresser is that He has a perspective you don't have.  The vinedresser can see the big picture.  The vinedresser can see that it is necessary to remove one limb to provide another limb the room it needs to flourish.

As you go through a season of pruning in your life, I exhort you to trust the Lord who is your vinedresser.  He is good and compassionate only taking off the limbs that need to be removed to promote fruit.  He can see the parts of your life that are dead and/or unproductive and wants to remove them for your benefit.  Each cut is beneficial and necessary for growth.  Will you trust Him today?  Will you allow Him to shape you into the person He wants you to be?  Will you allow Him to help you become fruitful in your life?

Blessings,

Greg

I just added this photo because I love the brilliant oranges and reds in it.  The photo doesn't do the real life view justice but it is still pretty.  :)

Holding Hands to Share the Heart of Christ

On my way home for lunch today, I heard a story, on Klove, about a couple who had been married 72 years dying from a car accident.  They had both sustained severe injuries from the accident and were put in the ICU at the local hospital.  The nurses put the couple in the ICU room together and as their children got there they saw their parents holding hands.  Their kids recount how this couple had loved being together and dearly loved each other their whole lives.  The man died a little first and the son recounted that his father had stopped breathing and yet the heart monitor was still beating.  He asked the nurse why the heart monitor was still beating and she said it was because the heart beat of the wife was beating through his hand and being pickup up by the equipment.

As I felt the joy of love and brokenness of loss all at the same time, the Lord laid on my heart how we are all to be like this to those dead in sin around us.  Many times we try our best to stay away from the sinners around us because we are afraid that we will be tainted or brought down by them.  Jesus said the opposite should be true though because we are to be the ones to go out and make disciples and we are the ones who are to be the light and salt of the world.  How can they see and experience the beating heart of Christ unless we share it with them?  We have to love them and share our heart for Christ with this dying world.  It is by doing this that the Holy Spirit can come in repair and restart a sinner's soul for Jesus.

Have you been sharing Jesus with others?  Have you been loving the sick, the sinners, the hurting and holding their hand in the struggle of life.  Have you been showing them the love of Christ that is in you?  Or have you been keeping Jesus' love to yourself?  If you have been hiding Jesus' love, maybe it is because you are scared of what people's reaction will be.  Maybe because you want Jesus' love all to yourself.  Maybe because you do not realize the power of the Savior's heart beating in you.

I once saw a skit where a person on stage received Jesus' love, which they could hold in their hands.  At first they admired it, held it close, and cherished it but when someone else came along they decided to share it.  When they shared Jesus' love, the love of Jesus that the person had shared became almost bigger than they could carry.  As each person went on to share the love of Jesus, they would slowly walk off the stage with their hands overfilled with Jesus' love.  This continued on for three or four people and each person who shared the love of Jesus ended up with the love they had been given being greatly increased.  The final person in this skit to receive the love of Jesus loved it so much that when the next person came along they decided not to share it.  After the last person, who had not received the love of Christ, left the stage, Jesus' love disappeared from the person's hands who had hoarded it.

The point of the skit, as I'm sure most of you realized, is that the love of Jesus can only continue to grow in you when you share it with others.  Jesus said in Mark 2:17, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."  We have to meet people where they are.  We have to love them both by telling them about the saving grace of Jesus and by meeting their needs.  By extending out a hand of love to the hurting world around us, we will be able to share the most important thing we have, which is the beating heart of love and salvation through our wonderful Savior Jesus within us.


Blessings,


Greg

Fixer of the Heart

This picture beautifully displays how I feel most of the time when I encounter struggles with people.  Part of who I am and how I have lived most of my life is as a fixer.  In my current job, I am a maintenance technician and if something is broken then I fix it.  If I have any problems at my house, I fix it.  If my car is broken, I fix it.  I think you get the idea. ;)  I get so frustrated when I have issues with friends, family, coworkers, and my wife where I can't instantly fix their problems, which is often.  I don't like tension in my relationships.  I don't like to see someone else hurting and not be able to fix what hurt them.  I don't like to have arguments that don't have immediate resolutions.

When I was younger, I was never able to understand why people are so much harder to fix.  In my mind, most people's problems seemed simple enough.  The Lord has taught me a lot through the years on how to better depend on Him when I encounter struggles with others.  The hardest lesson He has taught me, which I admittedly am still trying to learn, is I am not going to be able to fix the other person's problem.  I am going to have to put the situation in the Lord's hands and trust that He will resolve the situation in His time.

God has shown me that the situation is not always going to be fixed the way I want it to.  Sometimes I am going to have to watch and endure the pain of my friend or family and just support them with my love.  Sometimes the Lord has to show me that I am the reason or a part of the problem.  Occasionally the only resolution to the problem comes in my heart being able to forgive and accept the other whether they change or not.  Many times it takes me surrendering all of my desires and worries to the Lord and resting in His sovereignty.  I don't know about you but I don't like giving up complete control and I especially do not like to wait once I have.  I want things fixed now.  I have to admit though that I have learned so much about myself, my God, and the people involved when I fully trust in Jesus to remedy the situation in His glorious timing.

Romans 12:12 helps put into focus how we should act when facing trying times with another, "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."  This verse speaks to me greatly and stings quite a bit because often times, I am anything but patient during tribulation.  1 Corinthians 13:4 takes patience to another level by referring to it as being a quality of love.  This verse helps me to see that I am hurting people by my impatience instead of loving them by trying to remedy the issue quickly.   Many times I feel as though I am being loving by resolving what is distressing me quickly.  I guess that is truly the crux of the matter.  Often times when I want something fixed it is because it is causing me pain not because I care about the needs of the other who is having trouble.  Whenever we face trouble, we have to learn to be loving by approaching the situation appropriately.  James 1:19-20 says, "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." When you combine Romans 12:12 and James 1:19-20, you begin to get a better idea of how God wants us to acts during situations like this in our lives.


I am so thankful that the Lord is continually working in my heart to make me more like Him.  He is the ultimate fixer of the heart as he works to fix us from the inside out.  I am thankful that I can place the problems I encounter in His hands and know that He is trustworthy to take care of them.  Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding."  I am a witness to God's faithfulness and worthiness to trust in Him.  There is no problem too great for God and no situation too difficult for Him to handle.  


I must admit to you that many times the problem won't disappear instantly but have faith and He will bring you peace as you entrust the problem to Him.  Pray constantly for Him to do a work in you and the person in whom you are struggling with or supporting in their struggle.  He will bless you and keep you daily.  He also will continually work on your heart and the heart of the other person.  He will teach you how to love better no matter the situation and you will grow immeasurably in your walk through trusting Him with your struggle.  


Blessings,


Greg  

www.realchristianwalk.com

Reminiscent Night

This weekend I had the opportunity to attend a wedding of a friend from my high school days.  His wedding was beautiful and unique.  The wedding was performed with no attendants and in the exact same place as the reception while we were all sitting at the reception tables.  The ceremony was simple, quick, and beautiful.  Afterward, we all were able to enjoy a lovely meal followed by a great time of fellowship and dancing.  I also got to see other friends from my high school days and it was good to see that they are all doing well.

As I thought about past memories of times spent with my friends, I came up with both happy and sad stories.  It is amazing how much simpler those times were.  I remember feeling like I knew everything and yet not worrying about anything.  I knew nothing of paying bills and being careful to stay out of debt.  I had no idea what it took to be married and yet I so desperately sought a mate back then.  I honestly knew nothing about what it meant to truly follow Jesus with all my heart.  The focus of my days was earning money so I could hang out with my friends.  I worried about being accepted, having fun, and hoping I could graduate.

Also as I look back, I remember a dear and loving friend that we all lost along the way.  His name was Daniel Thomas and he died last year, around Christmas time, of liver failure.  As I talked about him with a close friend, who had flown in from Colorado and was staying at my house, we both agreed that Daniel had been a best friend to us all.  Each person in our high school group had loving stories to tell about close friendships shared with Daniel.  Daniel loved each one of us well.  We each felt he was a special and loving friend.

Daniel held a important spot in my heart because he was a pastor's kid like I am.  We were able to talk about our fathers, our beliefs, and our shared experiences.  I remember spending many late hours talking about our passion for God at Denny's restaurant.  I remember when Daniel rode with me all the way to Colorado for a friend's wedding that we were both in.  Daniel had dealt with liver trouble for many years and knew that an untimely death was possible.  We talked about God and death on that long trip to and back home.  Daniel knew who he was in Jesus.  He loved Jesus very much and he inspired me to seek an intimate relationship with Jesus also.

These were a few of the things that were brought to my mind during the wedding last night.  It helped me be able to see who I once was and who I am today.  I was able to gauge if my life has changed any since I was younger.  I was able to give thanks for the many blessings the Lord has placed in my life today like: my wife, continued relationships with my H.S. friends, a steady job, a home, and a close and constantly deepening relationship with my Lord and Savior.

As my wife, friends, and I drank in the love that was shared in the beautiful wedding last night, I felt great joy and thankfulness for where I am today.  I cherished the moments of conversations, shared meals, vows, and dancing together.  As we look back on life, we are able to focus on the things that really matter in this life.  Our Lord is so faithful to bless our life's as we trust in Him daily.  He is constantly working and moving to draw us closer to Him and to transform us in to mature followers of Christ.  It is so important to show you friends and family love by sharing Jesus with them.  There is no greater act of love that can be shared with your loved ones.

A wedding always reminds me of our Savior's beautiful love for us.  He has promised to love those who will trust and put their lives in His hands.  He will always be faithful and kind.  He will be with us in sickness and health, in our ups and downs, and in every situation we encounter in this life.  I hope you will take a look back and see how far you have come in your walk with Jesus today.  Take time to thank Him for all He has done in your life and I hope your love grows ever deeper for Him as you see how loving a Savior and Bridegroom He has been.

Blessings,

Greg

Kingdom Sorrow from Apple's Loss

Yesterday the world lost a truly innovative inventor, leader, and visionary.  For those of you who love Apple products, you know who I'm talking about, Steve Jobs.  When I saw the paper announcing his death this morning my heart sank for two reasons.  First, I worry about whether Apple will be able to continue to create excellent and innovative products with Steve Jobs gone.  Second, and more importantly, my heart hoped that Steve Jobs knew Jesus Christ when he died.  Upon reading the article on his death, I discovered that he in fact was not a Christian but a Buddhist.  My flesh mourned for the loss of a man who has transformed the digital world we live in and my soul mourned for another lost soul for the kingdom.

In the next few days, weeks, months, and possibly years the world will lift up the many accomplishments and innovations that Steve Jobs amassed in his lifetime.  He will be remembered as the father of Apple, the father of the iPod, the Father of iTunes, a corporate hero, the modern day Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, and much more.  Unfortunately though, He will not be remembered as a follower of Jesus.  Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  By Jesus' own words, none of Steve Jobs accomplishments will matter one iota at the doorstep of Heaven.  The only thing that will matter is whether Jesus knew and had an intimate relationship with Steve.

The only reason I am writing this blog is because we have to remember each day that no matter how many accomplishments a man has amassed in this world, he can never walk through the gates of heaven without knowing Jesus.  We want so badly for the good and nice people around us to somehow make it into heaven without us necessarily having to tell them.  Many of us secretly hope we are wrong and that buddhist, muslims, hindus, and everyone else will make it into heaven anyways for just believing in something.  The unfortunate and sobering truth is that Jesus professed only one way for someone to get to heaven and that is faith in Him.

We all are human.  We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  We all are unable to save ourself's and there is no way we can ever do enough good to tip the scales in our favor at the Kingdom gate.  We all need Jesus, every single one of us.  We, who are followers of Jesus, have the one and only truth.  We know the Bible supports this claim.  We must begin to share our Savior with the world.  Peter says in Acts 10:34-35, "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right."  


We are surrounded by a world who is dying without Jesus Christ.  Many have not heard.  Many who reject Him are being put on pedestals by the world.  Many do not care to know Him.  Many have never truly been offered the truth about who He is and what He can do.


We should pray for the family of Steve Jobs.  We should pray that they will be comforted and be able to grieve this tragic loss.  Most importantly, we should pray that they would learn of the saving grace of Jesus and find full peace in Him.  We should pray that the world would realize that the greatest accomplishments of Apple are nothing in comparison to the works of our Savior and God.  We should pray that somehow many people could come to know Jesus even through an event such as this.  We should pray that Christians hearts would be broken everywhere for the tragedy of another lost soul for Christ and that we will each be compelled to live our lives brightly so no others would fall away without having the opportunity to hear and know Jesus intimately. 


We hold the light.  We are the salt.  We are His beloved.  Let's boldly share Him today amidst another loss for the kingdom of Christ!


Blessings,


Greg

Mess of Me

Day 38, September 16, 2011

I was just listening to Switchfoot’s song called Mess of Me.  The sum of the lyric’s are:

I am my own affliction

I am my own disease

There ain't no drug that they could sell

Ah, there ain't no drug to make me well

There ain't no drug

There ain't no drug

There ain't no drug, it's not enough

The sickness is myself

I made a mess of me

I wanna get back the rest of me

I made a mess of me

I wanna spend the rest of my life alive

We lock our souls in cages

We hide inside our shells

It's hard to free the ones you love

Oh, when you can't forgive yourself

Yeah, forgive yourself

I don’t know about you but there are definitely times when I can sing this song with all my being.  I will be the first to admit that I sometimes do things and say things without thinking first.  I have struggled with many a temptation, confrontation, and a quite few bouts of procrastination.  I can own the phrase, “I made a mess of me.”  I love where Jon Foreman, the lead singer of Switchfoot, goes with this song.  First off, he points out that our disease is in our self.  Second, he points out there is no drug (worldly thing) to fix this sickness.  Third, he nails us all with the need to forgive ourselves in order to be free of this affliction. 

We as Christians know that there is no forgiveness without Jesus yet many of us have been forgiven by Jesus and still cannot forgive ourselves of our past mistakes and sins.  The important thing to understand here is that we can never forget the sin and mistakes we have made in our lives but who are we to punish ourselves for our past mistakes when God as Psalm 103:12 says, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” 

Until we get our self out of the way and let the Holy Spirit come in to work a sanctifying work in us to renew and purify us, we will continue to be our own affliction.  It is time we turn to our Lord to help us in the many things we struggle with.  It is time we begin to recognize sin as something that affects our mind, body, and spirit.  It is time we humbly seek the Lord’s assessment of our heart and life so we can learn the sin that is still a stronghold in our lives.  I know it is a tough blog and I don’t like to have the rooms of my heart cleaned either but I know I grow stronger in Christ through allowing the Holy Spirit access to all of my skeletons and sins.  How can we change and grow to becoming Christ-like if we won’t let the Holy Spirit purify and teach us? 

Humbly,

Greg        

Where are the Beautiful Feet in a Dying World?

Day 35, September 12, 2011

Today was yet another beautiful day, which truly makes me appreciate being able to work outside at my job.  I love to watch the clouds float by in the brilliant blue sky.  There is something truly magnificent about a partly cloudy day.  I am always amazed at how our God can bring me to a place of awe day after day at the beauty of this earth.  I personally believe that there is no other evidence necessary to prove the existence of a wonderful and loving God than this beautiful earth we live in. 

As I completed the different tasks I had to do at work, I took my wife’s iPod with me and listened to Christian music and a podcast from David Platt.  There is something so uplifting about listening to music about my Savior and a sermon from someone passionately in love with Jesus.  I love how it motivates me to live passionately in my own walk.  It helps me to focus on my purpose on this planet and to trust the Lord’s direction in all parts of my life. 

This afternoon we started back our small group after a summer break.  When we stopped for the summer, we were halfway through the book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt.  Tonight my wife led the study on the chapter called “No Plan B.”  This chapter is a truly challenging chapter about God laying all the responsibility on us to share the gospel of Jesus with the world.  Though God could use anything he wanted to bring the gospel to the world, he chose to leave it in the hands of us, Jesus’ followers. 

Sometimes it seems that Christianity is the perfect example of the bystander effect.  All of us are sitting around not telling people about the gospel of Jesus because we figure, that with all the other Christians in the world, someone else must be doing it.  The problem with this is that Jesus never intended for special followers to share His gospel with the world.   He intended for all of us to passionately share the gospel with a lost and dying world.  We say we love Jesus and want to passionately live for Him each day and yet we don’t seemed to be bothered by the fact that 4.5 billion people on this planet are without Christ and over a billion of those have never even had the opportunity to know Jesus or His gospel truth. 

How is it possible that these figures can be true and yet it seems that less than 1% of all Christians are trying to do anything about it?  How can we sit in our cozy homes, work our cozy jobs, attend our beautiful churches, and keep our lives focused within our family and friends without being haunted by the billions of souls going to hell.  Yes, I said it.  All people who do not know Jesus and accept Him as savior will be going to hell.  There is absolutely nothing in the Bible that indicates otherwise.  Jesus himself said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” There are no ifs, ands, or buts here.  There is only one God the Father and Jesus is the only way to Him.  If we believe this is true then why aren’t we trying to share the gospel with as many people as possible?  If you do not believe this is true tonight, then I challenge you to read every word that Jesus said and ask yourself if the Son of God offered any other way to Heaven.    

I hope you will see your life and your walk in a different light tomorrow.  I hope that you are so haunted by the idea of your family, friends, coworkers, and/or acquaintances going to hell because they don’t know Jesus that you would be motivated to speak to them boldly and compassionately about the gospel of Jesus.  We can’t waste time anymore.  We have to tell the world the Gospel of Jesus, which we know to be true.  It is the only way that people can ever know Jesus. 

Paul says, “But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’”  The point I believe Paul is trying to make here is that we are to be the beautiful feet!  I believe this verse is a call to all the followers of Christ to remember who they are and what they are living for.  In America, it is so easy to get distracted by the news, technology, materialism, food, events, church services, charities, etc.  We have to break the scales from our eyes and see the desperate situation our world is in today.  Will you become another pair of beautiful feet for Christ today?  I hope so.  I look forward to joining you in ministry and celebrating with you one day in heaven as we humbly bow at the feet of Christ. 

Blessings brothers and sisters,

Greg

My 365 Day Struggle to Know Christ; Day 17, belated

Day 17, belated, August 26, 2011

Hey everyone.  Sorry for the absent blog yesterday.  Yesterday was a rough day.  I woke up feeling flu-ish.  I almost past out upon getting out of bed and going to the bathroom yesterday morning.  Though I did not lose consciousness, I did lose my strength to stand and ended up on the floor with my dog curled loving next me.  I knew that things were not okay when as I went to the floor my dog was instantly at my side caringly making sure I was okay.   I tried to see if I could jumpstart my body into feeling better by taking a long hot shower to no avail.  I ultimately spent four hours at 2 different doctors, one was the urgent care to diagnose what I had and the other was an orthopedic walk-in clinic because of pain I had been experiencing in my back due to a hard week at work.  I then spent the rest of my day curled up on the couch healing.  Needless to say that yesterday was not my best day. 

Have you ever noticed that when you are sick other aches and pains that were small before now feel enormous?  My back had been bothering me due to a particularly strenuous couple weeks at my job and when I woke up yesterday that pain had magnified greatly.  So after going to the urgent care, I decided to check and make sure I had not hurt a disk or something like that in my back.  The doctor assured me that my back was fine and that I was probably just experiencing muscle pain and tightness.  She prescribed this wonderful anti inflammatory for the pain and the pain in my back felt much more manageable after taking it. Before I was able to feel some pain relief though, I had to go to the pharmacy to get the drug.  I found that by the time I got to the pharmacy I was in so much pain that I was swaying back and forth while waiting to put in the order for my prescription.  The interesting thing about my back pain was that as long as I moved it was tolerable.  The moment I stopped, sat down, or laid down it became unbearable. 

Have you ever had pain in your life that was unbearable in the stillness and silence?  Sometimes we keep ourselves busy with jobs, task, errands, social activities, tv, movies, video games, music, and outings to keep from having to deal with the pain we feel in our souls.  We don’t want to take the time to sit down and truly have to come face to face with what is causing our pain.  Maybe our pain is due to a broken relationship, an addiction, being buried in debt, a loss, a medical condition, or maybe just distance from Jesus.  In John chapter 16, verse 33 Jesus says, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  Jesus says these words after explaining to the disciples that he would be leaving them soon.  To fully understand verse 33, it helps to hear verses 20-24, where Jesus explains what it will be like once he leaves. Jesus says,

Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.  When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.  In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.  Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

We all know that in this world sorrow, pain, death, sickness, and brokenness happen due to the curse on this world and the sin in our hearts.  Isn’t wonderful though to know that we who are in Jesus have put our trust in the one who has conquered the sin and pain of this world.  On top of that we have the ability to have a relationship with Jesus where we can pour out our hearts to Him and He will answer our heart’s cry that our joy may be full! 

In 2 Corinthians 12:9 it says that Jesus’ power is made perfect through our weakness.  So through our sorrow, sickness, brokenness, and pain Jesus’ power is perfected because his power can be seen through us as he takes our weakness and overcomes it for His kingdom.  We have a wonderful and mighty God folks.  He has overcome this world and he desires to make our joy full in Him.  If you are constantly on the move trying to stay one step in front of your pain, struggles, and/or weaknesses today, I humbly implore you to stop, fall to your knees, and lay them all at the feet of Jesus today.  Most of you know Matthew 11:28-30 very well and it says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  We have a wonderful, gentle, caring savior who is there for us even on our lowest of days.  Would you come to Him today?  Take it from me, He is completely trustworthy and fulfills all his promises.  So experience healing today.

Blessings,

Greg