This grace in which we stand

Something really struck me the other day as I was walking home and thinking of how the day went. What struck me was the life of Jesus in the Gospels. I realised that Jesus understood something about his relationship with God more then I do. Of course Jesus knows and understands more then me in everything, but there is one thing that really caught my attention.

Have you ever noticed how Jesus went through so much hurt and rejection and yet never stumbled? He never doubted himself or his relationship with his Father. I know Jesus is God, but as I am thinking on a human level I was reminded how Jesus really did grasp and understand how his worth and identity was completely in the Father. He knew that no matter how much the world rejected him, his standing was still the same with the Father. 

Imagine if we truly grasped that? If in our hearts we really did understand that our worth and identity was in Jesus and no matter how the world views us, whether they praise us or rejects us - it can never change our standing with God. Never. 

Imagine if our hearts really treasured this truth the same way Jesus did?

Where we no longer strive for the praises of man or believe that I need to do things to earn the praise of God. But that I truly rest in what Christ has done for me on the cross. There I am secure in my relationship with God and can no longer worry about the praises of man or what people think of me. 

Then Romans 5 does seem sweet indeed:

     Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
(Romans 5:1-2 )

When you forget your first love...

Some days are such a battle where you just compare yourself to everyone. You look across that room and its so easy to feel worthless, its so easy to be in a situation where you feel like you can't handle it and you wish you were like someone else.Its really easy to get lost in your own thoughts about how you should be, to get lost in your own self righteousness - in the sense that you feel that people ought to tell you "well done". You continue along that road waiting for someone to give you approval and you live for it. How it satisfies your heart for about two seconds as you hear your name in a sentence of approval. Your heart lives for it. 

My heart lives for it. I live a life of wanting approval from everyone. Believe me I want to be the best staff worker not because of Jesus, but because people think I am. I want people to think I am creative,intelligent, an amazing evangelist, theologian and apologist oh and also sociable and the best friend they have ever had. I want their approval and I will strive to get it until I am exhausted and crying. Believe me this will only end in tears and a broken heart. It will end in a breaking point where I am so worried about what people think of me and if they think I am doing a good job, that I only fix my eyes on this and my insides begin to rot, my heart becomes hard and my first love is no longer Jesus but myself and approval. I will become a very sick person.

You know what needs to be done? I have discovered two things:

1. Repent - if this is you...repent and believe. I need to pour my heart out before God and say I'm sorry and ask him to soften that hard heart... 

2. Remind yourself of the Gospel and your status- Oh we have a sweet sweet Gospel. And this is because of our sweet Jesus and how beautiful He is. Everything is about Him and we need to come back to our wonderful Jesus. Pray for our hearts to yearn for Him and love Him because He is worthy and He is love. And do you know what? Your status is in Christ and this is not trashing your character, but its bringing you into the best relationship you will ever have and you will be adopted as a son or daughter. God "lavishes" his Grace upon us (Ephesians 1:7-8). This isn't a sprinkle its a lavishing, its plentiful and its right there in your relationship with Christ. So come back to Him because He gives you a beautiful status that is never changing and your approval continues to be in Him and continues to be by Him. Come back to Christ as your first love and be reminded of the glorious riches of His Grace...this speaks straight to my heart, I need to come back to Christ and have Him as my first love.

How much better it is to truly know who you are in Christ and to love Him with your whole heart. No longer are you fighting for other people to tell you what you are worth, but Christ gives you your worth. Its wonderful to be a Christian, its wonderful to know Jesus and to be loved by Him and no longer needing approval from anyone.

Telling the Christmas Story...

We all love to hear stories. The drama, getting to know characters, becoming a part of the story and being plunged into the depths of different plots and seeing them come alive!

So over at Natwivity is a group of people telling the Christmas story this December...why not check it out?

Here is a snippet....

#Natwivity Darkness falls on Nazareth, Galilee. A breeze sweeps through the town, down streets, round alleyways, into Mary’s house

#Mary Has anyone ever seen an angel?! So bright, white light, kind of beautiful. He was just here. Right in front of me.


#Mary It’s like there’s this light and fire in my stomach. Life exploding inside me. "Nothing is impossible." That’s what the angel said.

Colossians - Suffering to make Christ Known (Pt3)

Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that  does not show itself in protection from suffering.... The love of God did not protect His own Son.... He will not necessarily protect us - not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process. – Elizabeth Elliot

It can seem too easy to think that our Christian lives were made for comfort. And perhaps we can sway to the other extreme and think that if we are suffering then it proves that we are ticking the right boxes. Yet Paul in Colossians 1:24 - 2:5 is quite clear that he is suffering not for the sake of suffering but to make Christ known. He is not living in comfortable christian bubbles nor suffering and grumbling about it. But he is making Christ known and is suffering because of it and through his suffering he is making Christ known.

1v24 "I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions" is a bit tricky and at first sight we think that Paul is saying that what Christ has done on the cross is not enough and he has to add to it. But we know from before that this is not the case!!
John Piper explains this well:

"What is lacking is that the infinite value of Christ's afflictions are not known in the world. They are still a mystery (hidden) to most peoples. And God's intention is that the mystery be revealed, extended to all the Gentiles. So the afflictions are lacking in the sense that they are not seen and known among the nations. They must be carried by ministers of the Word. And those ministers of the Word fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ by extending them to others."

So then what should we expect as Christians and how does that affect our sharing of the Gospel? I hope it gives us confidence. That for Jesus being honoured and shown to the nations is not just through amazing lunchbar talks, catchy sermons, loud worship times or fancy events. It will be when His church is humbled, mocked, beaten, dying to self and through that still loving each other and Jesus, clinging to Jesus and sharing his word no matter what.

Colossians - Jesus has done everything (pt2)

Colossians 1:13-23 - an epic and most used passage about who Jesus is. But we can take it just as a nice list of things about Jesus, place them on our mental mantelpiece and then move on.
OR
We could start asking the question - Why has Paul written this here? I am learning to ask the best question ever - why?.

In the book (and its now a film) Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert expresses her view of what she means by God. -

“In the end, what I have come to believe about God
is simple. It’s like this – I used to have this really
great dog ... She was a mixture of about ten
different breeds, but seemed to have inherited the
finest features of them all. She was brown. When
people asked me, ‘What kind of dog is that?’ I would
always give the same answer: ‘She’s a brown dog.’
Similarly, when the question is raised, ‘What kind of
God do you believe in?’ my answer is easy: ‘I
believe in a magnificent God.’ (Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth

Gilbert p. 15)"

Yet this leaves me feeling slightly disappointed. Surely God is more then just "magnificent"? Its very impersonal and doesn't cover the scope of who God is. Of course He is magnificent. But Paul is saying He is more then that in Colossians... in fact the answer to the resounding "why", is that Paul is showing that Jesus has done everything, He has completed everything and without Him what hope could there be?

Why would you ever go after a different Gospel if everything has been completed in Christ?
Why would you add on to the Gospel if Jesus has done everything?

Therefore if we are to be confident in Christ, it should change the way we share Him with our friends.

I hope it means I am not ashamed of Him and can be bold in sharing Him and know fully in my heart that I don't have to add on my works to what Jesus has done! It is good news.

Life without God

I found this on Justin Taylor's blog and thought it was really good and quite shocking in a way.


Fallen from Sascha Geddert on Vimeo.


On the vimeo website they say "A little meteor learns the biggest lesson of life on it's way down to earth." Which is basically that we are all going to die and we can't stop it, so we may as well enjoy life before we go to the abyss. But I guess this is what life looks like for those that don't know Jesus and the life He gives us. There is no hope in this.

Edwards warns us to not flatter ourselves

"Sinners in the hands of an Angry God" sounds like a sermon to avoid. But if I was to encourage you to read or listen to a sermon that will grip you, shock you, warm your heart and bring you to your knees, I would suggest reading this sermon. This is surely not for the faint hearted but if any Christian was to read this sermon by Jonathan Edwards and come away feeling anger towards Edwards and bitterness towards God then they come away not understanding the sermon at all. I really believe that this sermon was designed to arouse the heart to the acknowledgement that we have a very Holy God that is angry at sin and sinners and yet a very gracious God for not allowing us all to perish right at this very moment.

Edwards says -

"Almost every natural man that hears of hell, flatters himself that he shall escape it; he depends upon himself for his own security; he flatter himself in what he has done, in what he is now doing, or what he intends to do"

Edwards wasn't just preaching to the non Christian here, but also the Christian. Do we flatter ourselves in thinking that our works get us out of hell? That God owes us grace and freedom because of what we are doing right now? Edwards warns us against this and warns us to repent of this because - "God has laid himself under no obligation, by any promise to keep any natural man out of hell for one moment...till he believes in Christ."

It is only in Christ that we have any promise of eternal life with God. It can only rest in Christ and nothing more. If we think for one moment that its our doing and God owes us, we will be in for a shock. Read this amazing sermon and let your heart see how gracious God is over your life and repent and start relying on Christ for your salvation instead of who you are and what you are doing. Read it here.

There is no glamor in mission, only Jesus.

There is something about being in a different country that can make you seem like a real missionary. A christian taking the steps of faith from one culture to the unknown culture. Sacrifice is melted into the experience. People at home feel like their money is going to a real missionary and you email back stories and conversions and what God is doing and people praise you. Missionary work abroad can look glamorous but its not. People put you on a peddle stall when you would rather hide. Half the time you are wondering if you are making a difference - is Jesus really using me or is this a waste of time?

There are many times when you feel like you have lost faith or you feel numb and useless. A darkness wraps itself around you and blinds you into comparing yourself to every other missionary with thoughts of "Surely I should be converting the town... I should be doing this...or being like the other missionaries..."

This isn't just about being abroad or being a missionary but being a Christian wherever you are. Its about seeing your sin and for some reason when your placed in a situation that highlights your weaknesses and takes away your comforts, you then see your sin illuminating. There were many times I was on my knees struggling with the selfishness within me and asking God to make my ministry seem worthy to other people and that there would be spectacular results. But I realized that it wasn't about other people and it was in these hard times that Jesus showed me how faithful He is. Through those tears He was the one that held on to me and was faithful above all. He showed me that He worked in my weakness and that his Grace was sufficient.

There is no glamor in mission, only Jesus. And that's enough.You dont need glamour or praise or recognition. It doesnt matter how well you do or dont do or how many hours you work. Compared with eternity it doesnt matter. Above all, Jesus is who you need to sustain you through everything.
And although you can come away feeling broken and having a case of return culture shock, the truth still remains that the savior of the world is still enough for you in your small town in England. He is enough and He has to be enough or we will be lost and everything will be pointless. The love of God shines through those hard times and its the times when your most hurting that God is most showing you Jesus and how beautiful He is. We can feel like this wherever we are and that's the point - you don't have to go a thousand miles away to do great things for Jesus or be a missionary. Sometimes we go abroad because we want the status or glamor, but that will all be stripped away and you will be given just Jesus - which you will either resent or joyfully accept.

The high price of comfort

What do you say to someone with depression or suffering poverty or just not satisfied in this world? Pray more? Read your bible more? Do more christian activities? Ignore those uncomfortable questions and pretend that everything is ok so that church looks good? Pray that God will restore their personal comforts of christian living? Larry Crabb writing in his book "Inside out" says:

 "This kind of response turns church into a country club offering its benefits to those who are fortunate enough and well mannered enough to qualify for membership. We sit Sunday after Sunday enjoying fellowship of others who are comfortable and committed while the broken hearted and poor press their noses against the window, looking in at us with resentment, envy and despair...."

What did Jesus promise when He said that we are to come to him all who thirsty? And I think all of us are thirsty. But what did Jesus promise to give us when we come to Him? Crabb continues with questions:

"Did He promise to bring us comfort through enjoyable relationships, rewarding careers and pleasurable activities - providing of course that we honor some level of commitment to Him? Or is the abundant life of bubbling springs a very different matter? Is it possible to have absolutely no rich communication with your husband, yet still taste those cool waters? Can a parent whose young adult son is far from the Lord know something real about peace and rest?"

I think perhaps the point is what are we satisfied in? Is our christian life about obtaining a comfortable christian life where there is no sadness, no trials, no suffering, no yearning, no groaning pains for this world. But instead a static existance of pleasure overflowing with more striving for pleasure. Perhaps there is a high price that you have to pay, so that in the place of a rich relationship with God, we instead have a rich relationship with the next best thing, the next best job - the striving to be better. This will leave us empty and hollow.

Perhaps its better to be poor in material things and going through the hard trials of suffering allowing you to cling to Jesus and therefore have a rich, satsifying relationship with Him. Where everyday is about Him and everyday you walk with Him without the worry that modern life throws at you. I am not secure in my job or my mortgage...but in Jesus. I am satisfied in Him. He is my bubbling spring. Church is therefore about the broken and being honest about it. Its about uniting in Christ and thirsting for Him.

Fascinate people to the Gospel

There is something about Christians that should be different. We should stand out. 

Shine. 

Go against the crowed. 

We have a message of hope, we carry an eternal promise of truth. We have Jesus. 

Our lifestyles should reflect this truth. We should be courageous in Love, reaching to the dirty, the outcasts, the low in society, the unclean, the hopeless. 

We shouldnt be concerned with social status or jobs, because we wear a different dress code. Our actions and words should scream a different story thats so radical from society:

that promotes Jesus over man, 

that shares the good news, 

that performs acts of extreme love and Joy and hope and not be tainted with worries of success and career and what people think. 

We should fascinate the people to the Gospel, showing them Jesus, showing them how beautiful He is, showing the cross and carrying our cross. 

We should fascinate the world by not being concerned of self image, or trying to buy the latest gadgets, or trying to be popular.

We should fascinate the world by forgiving when it hurts so much, to love when all there can be is loss, to give everything of our things, possesions and ourselves when the world is trying to claim the 'mine' label. Lets not hold on or strive for things of this world.

Lets fascinate the world to the Gospel, not to ourselves, but to Jesus. 

May the world find itself in a moment of fascination over how we live our lives because we are not living for ourselves but for Jesus, because we would rather be amoung the lowly, the poor, the meek, the hurting, the lost then to be with the rich, powerful, proud. We would rather be without and full of Joy in Christ then have everything and still be unsatisfied.

Lets fascinate the world with Jesus.

The hope in Lima

The horns beep fiercely, the people bustle and hustle on the street, the smell of pork sizzles on the road side filling the air, the combi drivers shout at you to get on the bus that you don’t want to take and the sun tries but fails to pierce through the cracks in the clouds however the heat hangs heavy like being trapped in an oven. Welcome to Lima. The Capital of Peru. It has elements of home with its Starbucks, McDonalds and giant shopping malls but it also captures the essence of Peru with different types of people, music, clothes and traffic system.

On the one side of the city there are lush parks full of tall trees and beautiful flowers that tickle the air with their scent. You cant help but walk amoung this scenary and be tricked into thinking that you were not in a giant city. Yet when you skim the edges of the city you can see a different side of living in Peru. The slums grow upwards onto the mountains that surround Peru, they are rooted in hope of finding food and clean water as they display the contrast between the rich and the poor living only a few blocks apart. This is a mirror of the world, reflecting the reality of life. The reality of sin.

But there is so much hope. Jesus has so much to offer and its more then clean water, its more then a better house or good clothes or food everyday. Jesus offers living water, an eternal house, clothes of righteousness and He offers himself - the bread of Life. I want to share this hope with these people, I dont want them to trust in magical dolls or witches or praying for the dead. I want them to see Jesus and how amazing He is and trust in Him.

A Glance at Galatians Pt 8

Pt 8 :: First Start Walking

They say that 30 min walking a day is a good amount of exercise you need to be healthy. In Chapter 5:16 Paul tells us to walk, but for more then 30 min a day. He wants us to continue walking and to walk by the spirit. We have seen from 5v1 that Christ has set us free and now we are free to walk and once we start walking we wont start gratifying the desires of the flesh. Most of the time we think that if I just stop doing this sin, if I can just have enough strength to not do this again then I will be accepted by God, then I will be able to walk in the Spirit.

But this is BACKWARDS... look at the text:

"But I say, walk by the spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh" - (5v16)

What does Paul tell the Galatians that they must do first? Is it to not gratify the desires of the flesh? Is it to stop sinning in your strength, is it to muster up some amazing power to be perfect? No... He says, "walk by the spirit"... you first walk by the spirit, you first fix your eyes on Jesus, you first walk in His strength and His power, you taste the glory of Jesus and you see Him as better then anything in this world AND THEN... once you know Him and your walking in His ways and you are savouring Him, then you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

WHY? Paul goes on to tell us in 5v17 that the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit. There is a war here, they are opposed to each other. So we need to fight it...

But first we need to see Jesus. Then, fixing our eyes on Him as we walk through the day we will no longer have our eyes on ourselves. We will stop looking inward to our desires and start living for Jesus everyday. Paul talks about this alot in his letters, he wants Christians to stop looking at themselves and start looking at Jesus and keep focused on Him and then they will be able to continue through sufferings and trials and they will look at the things that tempt them or at the things the world strives for (career, money, sex, success, drink, house, cars, good schooling etc) and see all of that as rubbish compared to Christ. But we cant compare it all to Christ if we are not focused on Him, if we are not walking in His ways...

So you need to start walking in the spirit first...fix your eyes and your hopes on Jesus and see how He is better then the temptations in front of you and see how he helps you when struggling against the desires of the flesh.

Making much of who?

A question that caught my attention in my inbox from Desiring God.org is John Piper asking:

"Do you feel more loved by God because he makes much of you, or because, at great cost to himself, he frees you to enjoy making much of him forever? "

This is a real heart cutting question. It is about pride and worth and where we find it. I tend to feel more loved when things are going well, when I am being praised, when I am doing something well. However since when does Gods love depend on what I do? Since when does feeling Gods love be more real then Gods actual love for me in Jesus, despite not feeling it?

Piper unpacks this question nicely:

The point of that question is to expose the deepest foundation of our happiness—whether it is ourselves or God.

• Is the deepest basis of our joy God’s greatness or our greatness?
• Am I more satisfied praising him or being praised?
• Am I God-centered because of his surpassing value, or am I God-centered because he highlights my surpassing value?
• Would it be heaven to me to see God or to be God?

What is our foundation of happiness? Is it ourselves? Our success, our relationships, our possessions or status or how we are feeling at this exact moment? Are we trying to be happy by looking at ourselves and trying to change ourselves or do we have Joy in Jesus?

The Church that shows Jesus

In 1 Cor 12:12-31, we find ourselves being compared to as members that make up one body. As we scan the church we can see people that are very good at different things, they have different gifts and so do we. But there are two ways that we tend to react to other people -
1.Wishing to be like others - wanting their gifts and abilities
2. Or looking down on others - thinking our gifts are a lot better.

Both of these types of thinking could lead us believing that we don't need the church, that in fact it would be better off if it was just "me and Jesus" and then there wouldn't be any problems because I can use my gifts when and how I like without feeling inferior and without putting up with other people who are weaker then me.

Yet Paul makes the assertion that for the body of Christ to function, we can't go around saying to others that we don't need them or we can't say to ourselves that we don't want to be apart of the body. We are one in Christ therefore we need to behave like it. We cannot be a giant eye rolling around - it would be useless, but when the eye is attached to the body then its purpose is clear.

Lets take feeling inferior in church. It would be very easy for us to say that "I don't belong here, because I am not like them" I have heard that alot and have heard myself say it too. The problem is, is that our sinful nature says - "I will go somewhere where people are like me, so I can feel good about myself"

Feeling inferior is also a sense of pride because our focus is on ourselves and how things are not going our way. Yet God designed us all to be different to achieve different purposes together. No matter how you feel, you are apart of the body of Christ. So you have a choice, you can sit and grumble and complain that no one is like you. Or you can embrace diversity and serve your brothers and sisters in your church.

The Superior - Or maybe you think that your gifts and abilities are amazing and you don't have time for weaker people. Your head is so full of dreams and passions that you believe that the weaker people will slow you down. Who are the weak? Perhaps those that are old, traditional, theology not up to your standard, different styles of evangelism.

But although you think you are great, you have forgotten the Gospel. Verses 25-26 say:

"that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together"

The way we respond to the weak is significant. We are not lone rangers, we are a community. If one member suffers, we all suffer. Therefore there is no room for pride because God chooses the weak to shame the strong. And if the church is to show Jesus Christ and Jesus was all about the strong people helping the weak - then not everyone can be strong.

Gifts are not a source of pride of inadequacy in the church. Gifts are a way to model that we are all one body and from that as a church we can show Jesus.

*These were notes taken at Relay 3*

Jesus the Carpenter

What do you think is the most Holy work that you can do? What is the most pleasing work you can do for God? Perhaps we think being a minister is the most Holiest work you can do, or being a Staff worker for UCCF or being a missionary in Africa. In our minds we have statuses of work when someone, particularly a Christian, says what they do for a job. When people say that they are a full time mum, a factory worker, a dustbin man, a student etc. We don't tend to respond very well. But when someone says that they are a missionary in Africa or a minister, our response may well be "wow, that's amazing".

Perhaps our theology of work is wrong. So I am reminded by what Jesus did for 30 years before starting his 3 years ministry. Jesus was a carpenter for 30 years. That's hard manual labor, working with wood, splinters, hammers, sweat, being creative with wood. That doesn't sound much like "Holy Work". Where was the dog collar? Where was the pulpit or coffee shop with the bible open?

How amazing is it that the creator of the universe spent 30 years of his human life on earth working like we do in what we would describe as a mundane job. It is amazing and makes me think that its an honour to work for God in what seems the most unremarkable job.

Therefore let us not see any work as more Holy then the other, because in fact its more about your heart attitude to your work. Will you turn up to work today and be Jesus to those around you? Will you rejoice in Jesus when you are at your desk punching in numbers, when you are looking after your children, when you are emptying dustbins or when your opening a bible with your student.

In Genesis 1, God makes it clear that we were made to work. It wasn't something that appeared after the fall. Do you think when we get to heaven we will sit on clouds all day eating Philadelphia? I don't think we will, we were designed to work just as Jesus was. But we will work with joy and delight and we can put that into practice now by praying for a change of heart and making a choice of bringing your faith and Jesus to work with you. Whether that's an essay you are writing or teaching a class. It is all work and we are told to do it all for the Glory of God - Colossians 3:23-24. We are serving the Lord Jesus Christ!

William Tyndale (the guy who translated the NT into the English Language) said:

"There is no better work than to please God. To pour water, to wash dishes, to be a cobbler or an apostle is all one. To wash dishes or to preach is all as one as touching the deed to please God."

He has Risen!

"Christians must keep their nerve: the Resurrection isn’t a metaphor, it’s a physical fact" - Tom Wright

In the Time newspaper online, Tom Wright Bishop of Durham, wrote an article on the resurrection which I thought was brilliant.

Check it out here.

"The world wants to hush up the real meaning of Easter. Death is the final weapon of the tyrant or, for that matter, the anarchist, and resurrection indicates that this weapon doesn't have the last word. When the Church begins to work with Easter energy on the twin tasks of justice and beauty, we may find that it can face down the sneers of sceptics, and speak once more of Jesus in a way that will be heard."

Jesus is alive!

I am 5 years old today...

Today, the 11th April. I became a Christian 5 years ago in 2004. Today 5 years ago I gave my life to Jesus after hearing the Gospel for the first time a few weeks before.

It was actually easter Sunday when I became a Christian. It was the best day ever and I have not regretted it since. Praise Jesus for dying for me, taking on the punishment for my sin, for bringing me into relationship with God and the body of Christ.... wooooo!!!

Today is Friday

As I look at the news, the TV programmes and the internet nothing much is said about Jesus. He brought Great News, yet no one wants to hear it. We need to hear it though, we need to come and repent, we need to grasp hold of the Good News and rejoice.

Today marks the day my savour died for me. Today the sky turned black. But soon there will be hope. Sunday is coming!

"It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.

Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.

Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!”

And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things."

Luke 23:44-49

Wasting your life...?

I was reading the blog Challies.com and he gave some startling facts about how we easily waste our life:

"According to a new “Video Consumer Mapping” study by Ball State University, Americans aged 65 and older spend an average of 420 minutes per day in front of a television screen. 420 minutes per day. Let that sink in for just a moment. That is seven hours; seven full hours. Every day. On average. That means that half of the days it would be more than seven hours. Is that three hours in the morning, perhaps 8 until 11 and then four more in the evening, maybe 7 until 11 PM? How is it even possible? It is unbelievable. And it does not even include time spent watching DVDs or Tivo."

This is astounding and scary! We so easily fill our lives up with rubbish, wasting our lives consuming ourselves to serve ourselves and to make ourselves feel better. When was it ever about serving ourselves? I so don't want to be like this, I don't want to waste my life. I want to enjoy life by enjoying Jesus and having Him as my treasure. But it is so hard, its so easy to be distracted with everything the world throws at you.

My greatest fear is that I lose my passion for Jesus, that I find myself middle aged, stuck in a middle class life, with hobbies, a nice house, money, comfortable, with my circle of friends and my routine. Not to say that these things are bad, but if thats all I have and am no longer seeking Jesus, being excited by the Gospel, seeing Jesus work in my life and those around me, praying with faith and yearning, repenting and having a passion for the lost and the poor, no longer reaching those in need... then my life is not worth living. Infact if I lose all those things I am near enough dead. If I lose Jesus then I lose everything - what would be the point in living?
As piper says, we are on this planet to make much of Jesus Christ.

What a challenge! What are we making much of right now? Are we wasting our life? Do we have a Holy Ambition?...

Lastly, a quote from piper:

“When I heard J. Oswald Sanders at the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School chapel speaking at the age of eighty-nine say that he had written a book a year for Christ since he was seventy, everything in me said, ‘O God, don’t let me waste my final years! Don’t let me buy the American dream of retirement—month after month of leisure and play and hobbies and putzing around in the garage and rearranging the furniture and golfing and fishing and sitting and watching television. Lord, please have mercy on me. Spare me this curse.’”

Spare me from this curse also - now as a young woman and then as a middle aged woman and then as an old woman.

Stay Free :: Stay with the Gospel

This was the last study I did on staying Free as a Christian. This one looked at how to stay with the Gospel and how to carry on as a Christian.

Mark 8:31-38 says some stark statements by Jesus. This is in fact one of my favorite passages in Marks Gospel. Jesus says:

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
This whole passage is a challenge. Jesus talks about how we should deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him. How do we carry on as a Christian? By not holding on to our lives but giving them up in order to follow Jesus.

This is hard for us because in our culture we have so much, giving all of that up seems like an impossible task! Is it all worth giving up for Jesus?

It is good to examine and look into what things we are tempted to hold on to rather then give them up. What are the specific areas of our lives where we have to take up our cross or lose our life? These are hard questions to chew over but its worth doing.

So how do we stay Free? We stay free by letting go of everything that binds us or everything that takes our focus off Jesus and then we take up our cross and follow Jesus. We stay with the Gospel, because the Gospel is about Jesus and reminds us of who He is, what He has done and how amazing He is. We will therefore see the immeasurable treasure that is Christ which will prompt our heart to let go of everything we have got and go after that which is most beautiful and most wonderful in Christ.

Following Jesus is all about staying Free.