The kids went back to school today. What a bitter-sweet occasion that is! Bitter for them, that Summer is over; sweet for their parents--for the same reason!
What the first day of school reminded me is that we all need to be willing, and actively seeking, to learn continually. Summer is a great time to have fun, relax, take vacations, and allow the insidious creeping of intellectual and spiritual laziness worm its way into our lives. The first day of school is a great day to take stock and see if we have allowed that to happen.
What have you done this Summer to further your knowledge of God? Have you read any good books, attended a conference, participated in a Bible Study or Small Group, or read the Bible on a regular basis? What have you done to grow closer to God, to serve Him, to be served by Him? Having trouble answering that question? You're not alone.
It is hard to continually grow. It takes time, it takes resources, it takes effort. And let's face it--most of us do not have an excess of any of those. It is so easy to just slide by, enjoy the Summer (or Fall, Winter, Spring), and coast along. I know enough to get by, right? I mean, I've invested my time, learned what I need to know; I'm doing good enough, right?
Wrong.
We can always be better. We can be better at home, at work, with our families, our friends, our God. The access we have to incredible tools available to help us grow leaves us no excuse to become stagnant. Whether we are talking about our Christian faith, our parenting, our marriages, other relationships, our work--whatever--we all have potential to be better. One avenue to improve ourselves is through learning. Back in the Dark Ages when I was young, there was a short Saturday morning cartoon with the catch-phrase Knowledge is Power. Remember that? Well, it's true.
Knowledge is power. That is one idea which both the world and the Bible agree upon. One difference is that the world knows this, and many times tries to keep knowledge from us (or feed us false knowledge), while God knows that His knowledge builds us up, and offers it freely to us. Much like salvation through His Son Jesus Christ, God's knowledge and wisdom is a free gift to us, delivered to us through His Word. Why would we turn that down?
So, have you taken the Summer off? Have you neglected God's Word and your ongoing growth in Him? If so, today is the first day of school. What better day to get back in the swing of things.
Monday, August 18, 2014
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Buried With Him, Raised With Him
Does sticking your head under some water while someone says some flowery words over you really do anything? According to the Bible, and our Christian faith, yes.
The baptism of a believer in Christ is a mysterious, awesome, and today, courageous act. Baptism is mysterious because the Bible says that in some way, when we allow ourselves to be immersed in water for the purpose of being baptized, we are being symbolically buried with Christ and united with Him in new life. If that is not mysterious, I don't know what is. Don't get me wrong--I absolutely believe it--but I believe it through faith, not through complete understanding. Baptism is awesome for the same reason; through such a simple act of obedience, we have closer communion with Christ. What a low price of admission for the greatest privilege ever granted. And today, such an act is courageous because, as I and many others have said before, almost anything goes in this world except for adherence to Christian values.
I was honored to witness the baptism of two men today. Yes, two grown men. They have families, they have lives, they are long past childhood, when many people think of being baptized. But they came to the point in their lives that they were ready to make that outward confession of their inner decisions to follow Christ. As always, it was a powerful experience for me.
Watching someone else get baptized always reminds me of my experience. I was baptized as an infant, but later in life decided that I wanted to experience full immersion as an expression of my changed life. When I came out of that water, I felt something, something powerful and magnificent. I cannot go so far as to say that everything changed at that moment, but I guess in some ways everything did. I have never forgotten that feeling, and that memory has influenced many of my actions and words. I do believe that I became closer to Christ on that day, and what could be more life changing?
When we make that decision to be baptized, we are buried with Christ in order that we may be raised again to life through faith in Him. Baptism is not salvation, but rather an action someone who is already saved takes in order be in obedience with God's will. Doing so brings us closer to our Savior. What greater honor could there be?
The baptism of a believer in Christ is a mysterious, awesome, and today, courageous act. Baptism is mysterious because the Bible says that in some way, when we allow ourselves to be immersed in water for the purpose of being baptized, we are being symbolically buried with Christ and united with Him in new life. If that is not mysterious, I don't know what is. Don't get me wrong--I absolutely believe it--but I believe it through faith, not through complete understanding. Baptism is awesome for the same reason; through such a simple act of obedience, we have closer communion with Christ. What a low price of admission for the greatest privilege ever granted. And today, such an act is courageous because, as I and many others have said before, almost anything goes in this world except for adherence to Christian values.
I was honored to witness the baptism of two men today. Yes, two grown men. They have families, they have lives, they are long past childhood, when many people think of being baptized. But they came to the point in their lives that they were ready to make that outward confession of their inner decisions to follow Christ. As always, it was a powerful experience for me.
Watching someone else get baptized always reminds me of my experience. I was baptized as an infant, but later in life decided that I wanted to experience full immersion as an expression of my changed life. When I came out of that water, I felt something, something powerful and magnificent. I cannot go so far as to say that everything changed at that moment, but I guess in some ways everything did. I have never forgotten that feeling, and that memory has influenced many of my actions and words. I do believe that I became closer to Christ on that day, and what could be more life changing?
When we make that decision to be baptized, we are buried with Christ in order that we may be raised again to life through faith in Him. Baptism is not salvation, but rather an action someone who is already saved takes in order be in obedience with God's will. Doing so brings us closer to our Savior. What greater honor could there be?
Monday, August 4, 2014
Brave Ones Against the World
They were going against the grain of the world, and they knew it. Their decision, the way they had chosen to live their lives, was antithetical to a changing world view and popular culture. They were throw backs, anachronistic outliers who were sure to be scorned, ridiculed, accused, and persecuted. But they didn't care. They were brave.
Their act of rebellion against the ways of the world was pre-planned, intentional, and publicly announced. They did not hide their intentions, nor did they commit their unpardonable atrocity against political correctness away from the prying eyes of the disapproving. They were courageous in their defiance of the current of popular culture, their outrageous act of conservative fortitude. Once committed, there was no going back; just the way they, and God, intended.
Who were these perpetrators, these pariahs, these . . . these . . . shameless misfits of society? A young man and woman, committed to a cause and belief. Their act of defiance? They got married. To each other.
Gasp!!
This is not a parody. This is not sarcasm. This is reality. Our reality.
The grain of the world, the way in which things are moving, offers little support for traditional marriage. Doubt me? Who is standing up for heterosexual marriage in popular culture? Think about it. Now, who is standing up for the other? Are laws and rules being changed in favor of traditional marriage, or the "newly defined" marriages of late?
See what I mean.
I fear the day will come that a marriage between a man and a woman may draw as much negative attention as homosexual marriage now draws positive attention. May God spare us that day!
Now, back to our young hero and heroine (not heroin!!). They are moral survivors in an immoral world. They are light in a world of darkness. They are righteous in a world of unrighteousness. They are enemies of the world, though they hold no enemity towards the world. They are targets of persecution, in our world and the one unseen.
Pray for them!
Raise them up to God in praise and adoration, in celebration of their walk with Him. Carry them in your hearts and remember them, for their walk will not be easy. Lift them up, fortify them with prayer against the attacks of the enemy, for those attacks will assuredly come, and likely have already begun. Even if you know them not by name, pray for them by the identity of their decision. God knows who they are, and they stand out to Him. Pray for this newly married couple--God knows their names.
May God bless you Brave Ones! Revel in your love for God and each other. Hold fast to the promises you made before us and your Creator. We, and He, are here for you; you are not alone. You are survivors. Hold fast to your faith, and God's blessings be upon you!
Their act of rebellion against the ways of the world was pre-planned, intentional, and publicly announced. They did not hide their intentions, nor did they commit their unpardonable atrocity against political correctness away from the prying eyes of the disapproving. They were courageous in their defiance of the current of popular culture, their outrageous act of conservative fortitude. Once committed, there was no going back; just the way they, and God, intended.
Who were these perpetrators, these pariahs, these . . . these . . . shameless misfits of society? A young man and woman, committed to a cause and belief. Their act of defiance? They got married. To each other.
Gasp!!
This is not a parody. This is not sarcasm. This is reality. Our reality.
The grain of the world, the way in which things are moving, offers little support for traditional marriage. Doubt me? Who is standing up for heterosexual marriage in popular culture? Think about it. Now, who is standing up for the other? Are laws and rules being changed in favor of traditional marriage, or the "newly defined" marriages of late?
See what I mean.
I fear the day will come that a marriage between a man and a woman may draw as much negative attention as homosexual marriage now draws positive attention. May God spare us that day!
Now, back to our young hero and heroine (not heroin!!). They are moral survivors in an immoral world. They are light in a world of darkness. They are righteous in a world of unrighteousness. They are enemies of the world, though they hold no enemity towards the world. They are targets of persecution, in our world and the one unseen.
Pray for them!
Raise them up to God in praise and adoration, in celebration of their walk with Him. Carry them in your hearts and remember them, for their walk will not be easy. Lift them up, fortify them with prayer against the attacks of the enemy, for those attacks will assuredly come, and likely have already begun. Even if you know them not by name, pray for them by the identity of their decision. God knows who they are, and they stand out to Him. Pray for this newly married couple--God knows their names.
May God bless you Brave Ones! Revel in your love for God and each other. Hold fast to the promises you made before us and your Creator. We, and He, are here for you; you are not alone. You are survivors. Hold fast to your faith, and God's blessings be upon you!
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