What are YOU here for?

Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV)
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

What are you here for?

I read a great comment over at Dave Blacks blog today, that got me thinking.

But no matter what happens, our calling is to live in the confidence that God is always in control. Life itself is a lethal disease. Paul called it “the law of sin at work in my members.” From the moment we are born we begin to die. Believing that God can turn anything into good is what makes life bearable.

For context – Dave’s wife has cancer, and is due for another checkup on the progress of the treatment. But despite this, their life and work goes on. Dave teaches New Testament Greek with a passion that is obvious (Sorry, I don’t know a word, but I am encouraged to try – maybe someday I will get the DVD set and give it a go!). On the side Dave and his wife Becky do a lot of work with missions to Ethiopia. Despite the obvious struggles in their life, they get on with what God has called them to do.

So, what has God called me to do? What has God called you to do?

You are still here on this planet reading this post. So, God still has a use for you. God still has a use for me.

Now, I’m sorry, I can’t tell you specifically what God wants for your life, but I did post some guidelines for What is God’s will recently. Maybe you need to quit your job and enter the ministry, or go to full time missions. Maybe you need to work hard to support your family and put your time and prayer to ministry and missions, sharing with those around you. Maybe God has blessed you with an abundance that you can be a generous supporter of those He has called to full time ministry.

Whatever it is, God has a purpose for you until the moment He takes you to be with Him.

So, Go find it!

Capable and Strong? John 10:11-15

John 10:11-15 (ESV)
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Here are a couple of interesting facts about sheep. They prefer to be in flocks and they will generally follow a leader. That leader doesn’t need to be a sheep, sheep will ‘learn’ the face of their shepherd and follow them as well. Also, sheep do not like to be separated from their flock – in fact forced separation will often cause stress, which can lead to illness and death.

On a totally different topic, how do you think these words relate to you? Intelligent, smart, capable, strong, self reliant, accomplished, adept, skilful and talented. Now maybe you would take them all for yourself, but I am sure most of us would pick at least one or two of those to apply to areas of our life.

Quite simply, we are none of these things.

We may seem competent, knowledgeable, adept and skilful in many things. But in reality, we are powerless, able to only subsist, to get through this life with the bare minimum. Yes, we can have ‘good’ lives, because we have defined ourselves what is ‘good’. Yes, we can have lots of stuff, and we think that is great, because we have decided that having stuff is good.

But really, we are just like sheep. We were or are completely dead in our sins – with nothing we can do about it. This speck of a life we live, that is here one day and gone the next,  is but a blink of an eye in comparison to all of eternity. And eternity is what is at stake, because God can’t stand sin. Therefore, He will punish all sinners with eternal punishment. And there is nothing we can do about it.

Or at least, there was nothing. Because Jesus came to this world, lived a perfect life and then died a substitutionary death, that our sins would be covered by His blood for all eternity. And since that has happened there is one thing we can do – accept Jesus to cover our sins. We can recognize we are not competent, not capable, not able to do anything – and come to the good shepherd to be saved.

Because He is the good shepherd, and we are the sheep. We can choose to run off and do our own thing – but that will just mean stress, pain and death in the end. Or, we can follow the good shepherd, who will look after us in this life, and the next.

Sometimes I like to think I am capable. I know sometimes I do a good job at work – but that is the best I can do. A good job in a short career. But I know that I am weak and powerless, and it is through the power of God that I can be truly saved and strengthened, and in the end, do all things in Christ who strengthens me.

The good shepherd is calling His sheep, “come home, be safe, be warm, be fed, because I have defeated the enemy.”

Will you respond?

My Precious…

We wants it, we needs it. Must have the precious. They stole it from us.

As some of you will no doubt know, my favorite series of fiction books is Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. With that in mind, I hope you will forgive the quote below straight from Fellowship of the Ring.

Bilbo flushed, and there was an angry light in his eyes. His kindly face grew hard. “Why not?” he cried. “And what business is it of yours, anyway, to know what I do with my own things? It is my own. I found it. It came to me.”

“Yes, yes,” said Gandalf. “But there is no need to get angry.”

“If I am it is your fault,” said Bilbo. “It is mine, I tell you. My own. My precious. Yes, my precious.”

The wizard’s face remained grave and attentive, and only a flicker in his deep eyes showed that he was startled and indeed alarmed. “It has been called that before,” he said, ‘but not by you.”

“But I say it now. And why not? Even if Gollum said the same once. It’s not his now, but mine. And I shall keep it, I say.”

My Precious! I wonder, in our lives, do we have things that are the same, our very own ‘precious’? I am sure that none of us have magic rings (though if you do, please let me know, I would love to find out I am actually living in Middle Earth), or that most of us don’t have things so dear to us that we would follow someone to the death to retrieve them, biting off someones finger just to get it…

But I know in all of our lives there are things that are close to us – important to us. Take a moment – what are the things in your life? (for the sake of not spending all day, let’s exclude family from this list – just ‘stuff’)

For me? I am a technology person. I’ve been surrounded by technology almost constantly since before I was a teen – back when computers were primitive, but there you have it. I could probably rid myself of most of the things in my house, but my computer and kindle would be the last to leave. Maybe a thing or two else, but not much.

So what is it in your life?

Now, what if God called you to give that thing up? Again, I know many of us would claim ‘no problem’. But look deeper – that is not true is it. I know I would go to many lengths to try and keep hold of at least my kindle, and hopefully my laptop. I am a ‘solutions man’ – my job in life is fixing things, surely I could ‘fix’ it so I didn’t have to give these things up?

I know in the end I could give it up, but it would be a battle.

And it is these things we need to keep an eye out for.

Luke 16:13-15 (ESV)
“No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.“

If God called me to truly forgo these things for His purposes I would – because I know God’s purpose is better than anything I could conceive, and I hold Him above all of my things.

What things in your life risk becoming more important that God?

Another great Bible study resource

I’ve just come across another great Bible study resource – mystudybible.com. It has web and mobile versions, and even works (if a little slow) on the iPad! It also has a ‘mobile’ version for phones, but I haven’t tried that one.

What is so great you say?

Well, it has a commentary or two fully available, Bible dictionary, but the greatest thing is the original language tools. You can just hover over a word and get the details of what the originial translation said, and details about that word, where it was used elsewhere, how else it is translated and more. If you are serious about ‘digging in’, this is a great tool.

And while it defaults to the HCSB, it also has others versions like the ESV available. I’m not letting go of esvonline.org (as the study notes there are brilliant), but it’s another great tool to work along side. I really like that these tools are online, free, and that anyone can use without spending thousands on ‘full featured’ software. Nothing against that software, but it is out of the financial reach of many people, and sites like this just make study accessible to all.

Every Decision Counts

Isaiah 46:8-11 (ESV)
“Remember this and stand firm,
recall it to mind, you transgressors,
remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
calling a bird of prey from the east,
the man of my counsel from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
I have purposed, and I will do it.

Do you know, that for every single decision you make, there can be a massive chain reaction of other events that you did not plan, may not want, and probably don’t even know about? To illustrate, I’m going to write a little story. With two endings. This story may seem farfetched – but I have heard many more amazing things in real life!

So lets say you are on your way to church, but in a little bit of a hurry. As you get to a major intersection, there are a lot of cars, but there is a gap. It’s probably too small, but you might be able to make it. In that moment, rather than be patient, you nail the accelerator and merge.

Unfortunately, the gap wasn’t as big as you thought, and the guy behind, Aaron, had to jam his brakes to avoid denting your car. Unfortunately Aaron also spilled his coffee (debates about drinking coffee while driving aside…). Even more unfortunately, Aaron has a temper issue. But before he can stop at a set of lights and abuse you for your indiscretion, you turn off to church and he goes his way.

Aaron is still pretty mad, and is driving like it. A little too fast into the next corner and he spins, ending up stopped head on against a tree. He’s not particularly injured, some minor bruising, but his car is busted. Aaron is now not going anywhere.

And now for the final kicker. Aaron needs his car to get to work, and has absolutely no money or credit to get a new one or get one repaired. And due to his frequent temper issues, Aaron doesn’t have anyone he can rely on to get him to work. As a consequence, Aaron has lost his job.

All because you chose to rush in, instead of being patient. And really, you don’t know any of this – it is all just a hidden consequence of your actions.

So first, the bad ending. Aaron’s life goes pretty downhill from here, we have all seen it – no money, no job, not really any friends. He resorts to crime and ends up doing time. On top of this, where he worked the business wasn’t doing very well – it was pretty close to closing down. To save some money, the boss decided not to replace Aaron, thinking others could pickup the slack. Turns out, Aaron, temper and all, was much more important than he seemed. Inside of a month orders aren’t getting shipped, and customers are getting mad. Within 3 months the business has gone bankrupt, and 200 other people are now without work, because Aarons boss tried to save a buck, because Aaron couldn’t work, because you were not patient. Sound unlikely? Don’t bet on it!

But wait, we have a better ending! Aaron opens the paper and looks for a new job, and miraculously, finds it through a friend from years ago. And this job has a car, so Aaron is earning more, and has a car, and his friend from years ago is able to again build a friendship back, and Aarons life is back on track. Even better, Jack, and unemployed Christian father of 4, gets hired into Aarons job, and is able to again support his family and give back. Without the accident, Aaron never would have looked for and got a better job, and Jack could still be unemployed living in a 1 room basement with his wife and 4 kids. All because you chose not to be patient.

So what am I getting at? Every single decision in your life has effects far beyond what you can see, even far beyond what you could dream and imagine. I’m sure you have all heard of the shoe salesman who was saved – and shared his faith with a guy buying shoes one day. That guy? Billy Graham. Just an example of someone who made a decision to do something – and look what effect it had!

Only God truly knows the outcome to every decision, every situation.

So what is the solution?

James 4:13-17 (ESV)
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

James is getting at a big point here. We need to live in God’s will for our life – not just for the big decisions in life, but minute by minute, second by second. Every single decision we make needs to be help up to God’s will and standard and tested.

God doesn’t exist as an emergency room - I’ve said it before, God is not a paramedic! Yes, He is there when there is trouble and emergency in our lives, but He is also there all the time – not just for trouble! God is not just there for the big decisions in life, like who to marry, or what job to take, or when and where to move – but for every single decision.

So how can we bring every single decision to God? We need to ‘walk in’ God’s will. We need to hold a close relationship with Him. We need to be in constant prayer. We need to read His words to us regularly, and fellowship with other Christians as often as practical. In short, we need to be Godly. Then, and only then, can we be sure that as we live day by day, we are living as God would have us live.

Heavenly Father, guide us in our daily lives. Teach us to live by Your Word, to live in Your will, to bring every single thing we do before you and live filled with the Holy Spirit. Teach us Your ways, show is the truth we pray in Jesus Name, Amen.

Selfish! Self-Centered! James 3:13-18

James 3:13-18 (ESV)
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

One of my biggest personal frustrations is my selfishness, and my self-centeredness. I am constantly thinking of myself.

So often I look and see my motivation – self. Self glory. Self satisfaction. Selfish gain. My way.

You could easily excuse these feelings, and I know at times I do. You can easily say that they are natural – it’s just the way I am. But no! The only reason I am this way is that I am born in sin, and have become good at it through constant practice and training.

Even in our world today everything is about ‘self’. How to be successful. How to get what you want. How to get your own way with others. How to earn more. How to be happy. These are all worldly measures of self and success that are sold to us as the norm for society – there is nothing wrong with it, it is normal! This is the way you are, learn to make the most of it!

And again –No! I have read the Bible often enough to know that selfishness is not Godliness – but quite the opposite. I know that in many ways my life is significantly less self centered than it was 20 years ago, and yet, I still see so much of it! So, what does the Bible say?

Well, we could probably go for months looking at passages and examples, so I will just look at this one in James for now. So where selfishness exists, which is ‘wisdom from below’, earthly, unspiritual and even demonic, you will also find jealousy, disorder and ‘every vile practice’. Selfishness leads us far, far away from God.

So what is the answer? I think the key is the first item – purity – but let’s look at them all.

Purity. We need to remain pure before God, forgiven of our past sin, doing our best in Him to avoid any other sin. We need to keep our mind and thoughts on Jesus, and remain pure. I think if we do this, the rest will follow in due course!

Peaceable. This one is a tough one to define, but the way I see it is mostly staying off our personal ‘soap boxes’. We need to be honest and truthful, and call out error when we see it (and are called to – there are times to remain silent), but we need to do in an honest, sincere, loving way. Not a divisive, ‘I am right’ (see the selfish ‘I’ there?) way.

Gentle. Gentle with ourselves and others. Not condemning, but gentle and graceful in the love of Christ. Not divisive, but peaceable. This one goes hand in hand with the one before!

Open to reason. We all do things wrong from time to time. We can’t be right all of the time! We need to be open to reason from others, open to teaching from others, and open to correction from others. Obviously, we need to be wise to who we take these things from, but we all need to be open to others that they might be the vessel God uses to bring us closer to Him, through teaching or correction, counseling and guidance.

Full of mercy. Just as God has been merciful to us, we need to be merciful to others. It is terribly easy to see ourselves as right and just, and then judge and condemn others. But God has called us to a higher standard – to show mercy just as we have been shown mercy.

Full of good fruits. An outflow of our salvation and purity should be fruits of the spirit! We all have hopefully heard them many times, spoken, shared and maybe even sung if you went to Sunday school. love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal 5:22-23).

Impartial. Not judging someone differently from another – for any reason. Maybe you judge because of color, or maybe you judge because of hair, or clothes, or the car they drive, or the house they live in. Or maybe you are more discerning, and you judge because of the church they go to, or the doctrines they preach. But God has called us not to judge one another – because we will be judged in return using the same measure! So instead of that, we need to leave our own opinions out of it, and be impartial to all.

Sincere. Genuine, Free from pretense and deceit. That is what it means to be sincere. Not ‘peddling religion’, or selling your own viewpoint (see the ‘your own’ in there?). But being honest and open, honest and sincere about God and what He has done for you.

So how do you measure up? If you are anything like me, sometimes, not so bad. The rest of the time, not so good at all! But know that there is hope. God hasn’t called us because He wants us to live under condemnation for eternity, but that we will be right and whole before Him once again. So as you go about your day today, keep these things in mind. Look at your actions with others, your actions when driving, your actions when racing down the supermarket aisles, your comments on Facebook, and measure them up to the above. And if possible, measure them before you act, and try to be less selfish!

Philippians 1:6 (ESV)
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Is the Bible still relevant today?

It’s been almost 2000 years since many of the books of the Bible were written. Lets say at least 1915 years since the last books were penned. I have seen arguments from 68 to 95AD for Revelation, so lets call it 95, just to be safe.

By almost anyone’s standard, that is a mighty long time.

A lot of things have happened since the year 95AD. In fact, a lot of things have happened since 35AD, which is about the time Jesus was crucified.

Jerusalem has fallen.

The whole Roman empire grew, and then crumbled into dust.

A few hundred years we romantically call ‘the middle ages’ happened. During this time, society started to change from the Roman way of life to others.

Come the 1600′s, global travel really started to take off, well with a few people anyway. The Puritans left England and headed for America. Come the 1700′s people were finding places on the other side of the world, and deciding what a nice place it would be to send English prisoners.

And since then? The industrial and technological revolutions of the last 200 years have been astonishing. Everything (well, almost everything) in our lives has changed. The nature of work, the nature of travel, the nature of relationships even with the advent of ‘wonders’ like facebook.

The world now is almost utterly unrecognisable from the days when the Bible was written. So back to our question.

Is the Bible still relevant for today?

The answer I believe, lies in who you think wrote the Bible.

Was the New Testament written by a motley crew of fishermen, tax collectors, doctors and others from the fringes of first century Judea? Yes? Then certainly some of Jesus words will have some application for us today, but the rest? Well, we need to contextualise it,  examine it against societal norms, and then see what we should apply.

Or was the New Testament (and the Old too) written by God, through direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Trinity, to human authors at that time in history?

I believe it was written by God Himself. And if an all knowing, all powerful, good, righteous, holy and just God wrote those words by directing authors to write what He wanted, then I am utterly convinced that God knew where we would be today, and where will be even in 1000 years should Jesus tarry that long. And so since they are the words of God, I need to treat them as such – as words written to all people, in all times, for all occasions, to teach, train, encourage, convict, reproach and equip us.

2 Timothy 3:14-17 (ESV)
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

So the question is, who do you think wrote The Bible?