Exploring God’s Joy’s

“and find out what pleases the LORD.” Ephesians 5:10

            Have you ever been in love? Well if you haven’t, you might not understand this (I’m still new at this). When you’re in love (especially in the beginning), you try to do whatever makes that person happy; It could be taking them out to certain restaurants or giving up your favorite genre of movies for theirs. In my case, it was action movies for sappy romantics. When you truly love someone, you try to get to know them so well in order to make them happy. You tend to want to please them and be the joy of their life.

            In this verse, Paul challenges us to do the same thing. The summery of this chapter is about avoiding immorality: lust, pride, greed, etc. He contended that instead of doing these things, you should find out what pleases the LORD. In verse 17 he again states: “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

To explore the will of God, is actually a really fun and exciting adventure. We all have a unique will for our lives. You have talents that can please God so much. You might be able to paint; I can’t do that if my life depended on it. You might be able to build or fix things, and even that can please God.  How I please God in my life, and this might sound strange, is studying for class. I study different religions, and God loves to see me challenged by new perspectives and grow spiritually.

So how do you find out what pleases God? There are actually 3 easy ways. The most obvious way is look in scripture. There are numerous verses about what God likes to see his children do. He wants us to feed the hungry, love our family, help our neighbors, worship him in our daily lives, etc. The second way is to do whatever you love, whether fishing, playing music, studying, dancing, etc, for him. In other words, dedicate it to the God that loves you. The third way is to just seek him out in prayer. Trust me, he will show you what you can do to please him. You will know this because when you truly please God, he will reveal his love to you. It might be a sensation in your soul, or it might be a physical manifestation in some way. Regardless of the avenue, he will let you know.

My question to you today is: Do you accept the challenge of Paul? Will you go on this journey with me and discover what makes our Creator joyful?

Are you worthy?

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then I urge you to live worthy of the calling you have received”

Ephesians 4:1

            Have you ever met someone that had a deep appreciation for life? This person lives life to the fullest, not for sensual pleasures, but because they realize they might not be here forever. They might spend time loving on their family or taking care of others. In many cases, these people just had a second chance in life. They could have been a cancer patient or just released from prison. These people that I am speaking of, know don’t want to waste away and, they make every breathe they have count for the rest of their lives. Does anyone you know live like this?

            The people that fall into this category for me, that truly inspire me, are those that are persecuted for their faith in Christ. In this chapter from Ephesians, Paul speaks about living in Christ. How you need to be humble, gentle, kind, loving, etc. This first part of the first verse really hit home in my heart because he called himself a prisoner, and indeed he has spent a lot of time in jail for his faith in Christ. The persecuted Church has always had this kind of place in my heart. They live their all for God. Every breath, every move, even every fabric of their existence is to live for Him.

            The second part of the verse hits even a bigger cord in my heart: “... then I urge you to live worthy of the calling you have received.” I am ashamed to say this; I do not live worthy of the calling. I do not live like I have the spirit of Christ in me. I take for granted every day the breath I breathe and the gift of salvation that I have. I have seen God; he has touched my life and continuously does it. I have seen God take the scariest looking people and make them sob like babies. I have seen him move in others. I have seen selfishness turn to selflessness, pride into humility, bitterness into forgiveness, etc. I do not live my life worthy of this. The persecuted churches live for God and realize what they have every day. They are beaten, killed, jailed, and starved for it. I on the other hand, at times, is forgetful.

            The point of this devo is not to just hate on me. I challenge you, if you are a Christian, are you living your life worthy of Jesus? The gift and presence that you have inside you, that new life, are you living for it, or are you like me just passing through life? For the person who does not believe in God, do you live life with the appreciation of every breath you breathe? Just some food for thought.

What if you were God?

Some people argue that God is unjust and violent. He is a being that is egotistical and wrathful; he is fast to anger and ruthless with punishing. Looking at certain texts of the Bible, I can understand this viewpoint; however, I started to think, what would I be like if I was God? If I was the creator of the universe, what would I do with all that power. Would I be a God that people would want to follow or would I be a God that people are terrified of?

I look at the behavior of certain people, and am glad that they are not God. My sister is one that I would be terrified of. She once had this cat that peed everywhere. It would pee on pillows and the bed. I don't know if you realize, cat pee smells horrible. I am a janitor and few smells are worse then the strong sour smell of cat urine. When this cat peed, my sister would yell and throw things at it. She would get so mad, that her wrath would be terrible. If she was God, I would of been thrown out or smited a long time ago =)

If I was God, I would probally be no better. When I get extremely angry (not to often mind you), I tend to shut down and give up. I might even lash out. Would you want a God that just shut down and ignored you if you messed up? If I created the human race and the majority abandoned me (like they have and do many times even today), honestly,  I would of eventually abandoned them long ago and allow them to destroy each other. People can get on my nerves. You would not want me as a God would you?

The western society hates people that have absolute authority. We don't like tyrants and want to spread out the power among many. This idea is the very building block or America's constitution. History shows that when man gets to much power, they become currupt. We have Hitler, Stalin, Napolean, and the numerous kings, emperors, and czars to refrence to. Power can curropt even the most noble. Now imagine the power of God.

So my question is, What if you were God? What would you do and how would you rule?

To be honest, I think the God I serve is doing a better job then anyone I can possible imagine.

Your Ranking in Christ

“Very Truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.” John 13:16

            You know, Jesus and his fellowship is an interesting bunch. All these people are following Jesus and serving him. They are going out on mission trips, feeding the hungry, listening to Jesus’ unique sermons, and healing people. Yet, in this chapter, Jesus reveals something very profound concerning leadership. Jesus shows his disciples that ultimately there really is no ranking in his fellowship. Jesus was their leader; however, he served his disciples more than they served him. Think about that for a second.  In this chapter, Jesus who is the savior and head of God’s kingdom got on his hands and knees to wash the feet of those who are under him. Think of it in this context; imagine the president coming to your house to help you pay bills, or your teacher going to your house to tutor you personally. It is a week comparison, but it does the trick.

            When you look at leadership in the bible, you notice that the higher you go up in “rank” the more service you perform. Jesus is the ultimate example; however, King David is a good one to. He led his people in every battle and served their every need to the best of their abilities. In John 13, after Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, he told them to do likewise. In Timothy, Paul writes about leadership of the church and all these functions like Deacon and Elder; these were positions of serving. These job descriptions were to look after the flock of the church. They are to teach and meet the needs of the congregation. Christianity is unique in that regard. I am not sure if any other religion has that. Concerning leadership, most religions to my knowledge have the chief function of serving their gods by offering sacrifices or doing deeds to benefit themselves or their deity. However, Christianity is different. The Christian leader is called to serve the people under him. In doing this, they are following the command of God, and thus serving Him. Also something unique unlike any other religion is that the God of the universe still serves us and meets our daily needs because he loves us.

This devotion is for the leadership out there. I just want to encourage you and remind you what leadership ultimately is. Leadership is not about you; it is about the people you are serving. The pastor of a church should not think about himself; he preaches for the benefit of those who are listening. If you are some small group leader, your concern is for the group, and your goal should be trying to get them closer to God. Don’t lose sight of this. Jesus says this best after he washes his disciples’ feat: “I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you”- John 13:15. Now lets go serve some people.

Dedication without Understanding

Then Thomas said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” –John 11:16

            We all have doubts and don’t understand the ways of God. Some people say that they will not follow God because they just don’t get “it”. They don’t understand qualities about him or certain concepts like the trinity. Some might say that they don’t believe in miracles and so forth. This is one reason why I really enjoy reading about Thomas. In this chapter, Jesus was saying that he was going to raise some guy from the dead. It had been over 4 days since this guy died. The disciples did not understand what he was talking about. Jesus’ words went right over their heads. They just kept nagging Jesus saying that people were going to kill him and he was in danger. Then my man Thomas steps up and says something like “You know what, let us also go with him that we may die alongside him.” Later on in the bible Thomas doubted that Jesus would be raised from the dead. All throughout the gospels he had these doubts. History calls this man Doubting Thomas, yet he is the one who was willing to die for Jesus.

            It is just mind blowing that Thomas was willing to go that far for someone he did not understand. This is an awesome example of faith. In the world of college, students want to know everything there is to know about everything. Many claim that they will not follow something that they can’t rap their minds around. However, Thomas had no problem. I am not exempt from having doubts; however, I want the faith and dedication that Thomas had. He did not understand Jesus, but he was willing to die for him. Christian tradition says that Thomas brought the good news of Jesus to India and was mutilated for it. This guy died a martyrs death. Do you have that much dedication? I challenge you, even though you may have doubts, continue to follow Jesus. We will never be able to understand God; he is mysterious and his ways are not ours. Being a Christian is a process of stretching on every level of existence: mental, spiritual, emotional, and even physical. Don’t just drop it because you have a lingering doubt.

            If you are one that this devo does not apply to, go out and practice loving someone then =) .

Comfort in Knowing

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me- just as the father knows me and I know the father- and I lay down my life for the sheep” John 10:14-15

            I must be honest; it has been a while since I have written down my devotional. It has honestly been a while since I even had one. I read this verse last night and it was really soothing. Throughout Jesus’ teachings, he keeps referring to his followers as sheep. Sheep are probably one of the dumbest creatures on the planet. I remember when I was helping an elderly person with his farm he had a group of my friends take care of his sheep. They are really stupid animals. I remember a few in particular that got their head caught in the fence. The animals also only look at the ground; consequently, they ram their heads into everything.

            Jesus constantly talks about these animals. He speaks about them needing a Shepard. Once they have a one, they will only follow his/her voice. Jesus claims to be a Shepard to a flock of sheep. His sheep are his followers. It might at first sound like an insult due to the belittling statement; however, it is actually a blessing. The Shepard cares for his sheep because it is his livelihood. John 10:14-15 takes this occupation even further. Jesus knows us on such a deep level. He compares knowing us to his knowledge of God. Think about that last statement for a second. This Jesus claimed to know what his Father was doing at all times. He even claimed to be God. If he knows God, think about the depth of how he knows us. He knows everything about us. He knows our sins, motivations, flaws, struggles, heart, hurts, etc. When we walk away from God or struggle with some closet sin, Jesus still knows. Our Shepard knows who we are and yet he lays down his life for us. He is there for us and calling for us. When a sheep is sick, its Shepard takes care of it. When it is lost the Shepard will go out of his way to find it.

            There is this story of this guy in the Old Testament about losing 2 of his sheep, he traveled from town to town to find it. King David used to be a Shepard and he fought off bears, wolves, and lions for his sheep. Jesus does even greater things. This might sound awkward, but the bond between a Shepard and his sheep is something incredible. Likewise, the bond between Jesus and his followers is so immense and so intertwined with love and longing that it is almost impossible to describe. So take heart everyone. Your Shepard understands; he is with you and is always ready for you to call on him. He will travel to the ends of the earth and back just for you. I hope this encouraged you today. Don’t forget.

Something You Might Not Want to Read

 “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you.” Matt 5:44

            For a long time, I struggled with the Old Testament God that would massacre people. I struggled with the God that would tell his people to wipe out another nation. I even struggled with the God giving the command to destroy those who hurt or persecuted the Jews. Part of the Law of the Old Testament states “eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise” (Lev 24:20). This God seemed malicious and vengeful.

            Whether if you study religion or minister to a friend, it’s only a matter of time where this topic comes up. I wrestled with it a long time and just recently I have found that even Jesus addressed this same issue. He talks about this law in the Old Testament and says that he is giving a new commandment (talk about an authoritative statement). He says that we need to love our neighbors as ourselves. In that same passage, he mentions loving your enemies. We are not supposed to be vengeful or want harm for another person. We are supposed to bless those who curse us and do good unto those who hate us.

            Osama bin Laden was just recently killed and I was happy that he was no longer a threat; however, I was also sad to see my brothers and sisters in Christ celebrating his death. I am sad when I hear people talk about the terrorists in such rage and anger. I understand where they come from but it breaks my heart to see it. Instead of blowing up our enemies we need to love them. This is a bold statement that Jesus proclaims; however, if you look at history, what does violence accomplish? It brings about more violence. Instead of putting holes in our enemies, why not pray for them? Instead of spreading bullets, why not give out food and education? Instead of destroying buildings why not build schools? We need to change our outlook on the people that hate us. We should not pick up our highly advance weapons; on the contrary, we should pick up God’s word and follow the new commandment that Jesus gave. The Old Testament was for a different era, Jesus gave words for our day and it is something we should follow.

            Many of you might not agree with this and honestly, it is between you and God. I just challenge you to look up what Jesus says about this hate and the idea of war. I have a very hard time imagining Jesus behind a gun laying waste to those that hurt him. I can’t picture him firing a round in the head of Osama bin Laden. Can you? I challenge you to love those that annoy you, love those that make fun of you, and love those that want to destroy the very society you live in