The Life of Surrender

We are getting to the age where we are starting to celebrate big numbered events: this past year Peter and I celebrated fifteen years of marriage and just this weekend, our oldest daughter, Emily, turned thirteen. God has blessed both our marriage and our daughter’s life. We are blessed to get to raise this daughter whom we are so proud of. It has been a gift from God to see her grow into a young woman that wants to serve the Lord with her life.

When these big celebratory days come, I am tempted in a couple of ways: 1.) I am tempted to take credit for the gifts that God has given me and 2.) I am tempted to put my feet up and pretend that the work is finished.

I can be tempted to look at our marriage and our children and take the credit for how they have turned out. I start to believe our marriage is good because we make it a priority to communicate well together or our children have turned out so good because we have made it a priority to disciple them well. The Bible teaches that: “Every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). God brought Peter and I together and He gave each of our children to us. Any good in our marriage or our parenting is from God. He has led us to disciple our children and given us the tools that we use for our family to run well.

I am also tempted to look at our happy marriage and our well adjusted teenager and believe that our circumstances will always be favorable. I start to believe we have put in the time to make our marriage great and we have put in the time to raise our teenager so now we can put our feet up and sit on easy street. The problem with this way of thinking is I have no idea what challenges our marriage and our children will face. I know that Jesus tells us “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Jesus promises that we will have trouble. We need to keep depending on Him throughout our entire lives. Our jobs as parents aren’t done when our children are teenagers, we keep depending on God in our marriages and in parenting as long as we have breath in our lungs.

These verses vividly contrast a person who is depending on their circumstances and a person who is depending on God:

This is what the Lord says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives."

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." --Jeremiah 17:5-8

The man who depends on himself is utterly alone. The man who trusts in the Lord flourishes in any circumstance. I am so thankful for the circumstances that God has given our family. I know that they may not always be favorable circumstances, but I know that I can rest in God knowing that even when circumstances seem hard, we do not fear when heat comes. God will give us what we need. We just need to keep depending on Him and being grateful for what He has already provided.

As we celebrate these big numbered birthdays and anniversaries, I hope that we will overflow with gratitude to God who gives us everything we need. I also hope that we will rest not in our perceived strength in our gifts, but that we would depend on God as we continue to live our lives glorifying Him in our marriage and in our parenting.

We are getting very close to Christmas. If you are like me, by now you have probably already heard the Christmas story read from the Bible and found it to be a real temptation to gloss over these familiar words without truly thinking about the gift of Jesus coming to the world as a baby. The book of Isaiah tells of this gift: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

But why, out of all the gifts we will receive this holiday season, is Jesus the best gift we could get? Let’s pause just for a few moments and look at eight ways why Jesus is the best gift. This is by no means an exhaustive list and it isn’t ranked in any order. It is just a list so we can pause and worship our Immanuel – God with us.

1.) Forgiveness of Sins- When the angel told Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife the angel said, “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). It is clear from the beginning that Jesus came to save us from our sins. What an incredible gift to be seen with Jesus’ righteousness. No matter what terrible sin we have committed, we aren’t too far gone for Jesus to save us from that sin. There is also nothing that we can do on our own to earn Jesus’ righteousness. Forgiveness of our sins is given to us by Him, and Him alone. We can’t receive any other gift that would provide us forgiveness for our sins.

2.) Eternal Life– When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we not only receive forgiveness of sins but we receive eternal life. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). We often think of death as the enemy or the worst thing that can happen to us. To be sure death is hard because it separates us from our loved ones here on earth, but if we are Christians, death is just the beginning of our eternal reward. “‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Jesus gives us eternal life in glory.

3.) A Purpose-After we have received forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life, Jesus gives us a purpose for our days. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Our lives are better when they are lived with the purpose of serving and glorifying God.

4.) Everything We Need to Live a Godly Life-When we are given a purpose to serve and glorify God with our lives, we will need His help. “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3). We are never alone. There is nothing that God will call us to do that we can’t complete because we have His help. We have the Holy Spirit living in us who replaces our desires with God’s desires and helps us to live lives that are good for us and good for others around us.

5.) Empathy– Because Jesus gave up His heavenly dwelling to join us here on earth, He can sympathize with our suffering here on earth. He knows what it is like to be a human and experience negative human emotions. He also knows what it’s like to be tempted to sin but unlike us, He was sinless. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Just like a friend, we can tell Jesus what we are going through and He understands.

6.) A Light in the Darkness– We don’t have to look far to see sadness and darkness in this world. My own heart has felt very heavy this December. Jesus is the light of the world and He gives us a hope that will never fade away. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). We can look to Jesus and know that He is our light and our salvation. This world is dark and hard but Jesus is light and life.

7.) An Inheritance that Doesn’t Fade-This world is a throw away world. The Christmas presents we open will be outdated and old by the end of this month. They won’t have the same luster they did when we opened them. Jesus is a gift that will never fade. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:3-7). Though our earthly possessions and relationships can tarnish and fade, Jesus gives us an inheritance that can’t be taken away from us.

8.) Shows us God’s Glory– God is hard to imagine sometimes. We don’t fully understand His full glory, but when Jesus came to earth as a man we were able to get a taste of what God is like. “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3). We can look to Jesus’ life on earth and see how to live a Godly life and how God interacts with His people.

Maybe you have already accepted Jesus’ gift of Himself in your life. Maybe you haven’t accepted His gift, but are seeing that the world can’t provide what Jesus provides. Wherever you are this Christmas season, I hope that you see what a gift that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus was and is for us this Christmas season and beyond.

It’s the beginning of November and it seems like everywhere I turn people are asking the question, “Are you ready for Christmas?” I don’t know about you, but the holiday season seems to start encroaching earlier and earlier every year. I have started to feel pressure to have my Christmas cards ready, have presents bought, have the house decorated, and November just began.

Just so you know, I am not a total Scrooge. I have enjoyed hearing my children play Christmas music on the piano to get ready for their recital. I just bought stockings to hang for decorations and we have talked through gifts we want to buy and we have even purchased some gifts. I don’t hate Christmas, but I do think Christmas has become a little too big for its britches.

Christmas is supposed to be a remembrance of Jesus’ first coming and a reminder to be ready for his second coming. The word Advent means coming and we celebrate the season of Advent to remind ourselves that Jesus came and is coming again. This celebratory season was never meant to be the end, but a means to an end. Eternity is what we are ultimately looking toward. Advent season is meant to point us toward eternity.

Instead of asking the question, “Are you ready for Christmas?” we should be asking, “Are you ready for eternity?” We should be approaching the holiday season with our eyes on the ultimate prize. We can use all the great things about the holidays to point us towards eternity, but they shouldn’t distract us from remembering that this world is not our home.

Jesus said:

Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Matthew 24:42-44

The author of Hebrews said:

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. Hebrews 2:1

This Advent season, let’s not idolize the holiday but let the holiday point us to Jesus who is truly worthy of our worship.

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.  In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
    and honor and glory and praise!”
Revelation 5:11-12

Let’s look at our holiday traditions with an eternal perspective:

• Christmas Carols One of my favorite holiday traditions are Christmas carols. The kids and I have been listening already and I find it is one of the best ways to be reminded that Jesus has come once and is coming again. These lines from O Little Town of Bethlehem have stuck out to me this year:

O holy Child of Bethlehem,

descend to us, we pray,

cast out our sin and enter in,

be born in us today.

We hear the Christmas angels

the great glad tidings tell;

O come to us, abide with us,

our Lord Immanuel!

• Christmas Tree: Our family has been cutting down a Christmas tree every year and we love the smell that fills our home. We have heard that the pine tree not changing colors in the winter reminds us that Jesus is always with us and goes on forever. The tree also points upward toward heaven reminding us that this world is not all that there is. As you decorate your tree or just sit and enjoy its lights, remember that Jesus is always with us.
• Christmas Cards and Family Parties: As you send out cards to loved ones remember that we are made to be in community with others. We are relational beings and God instructs us to encourage one another. As we send out cards, remember to pray for your loved ones and ask God to help you find ways to encourage your loved ones this holiday season.
• Exchanging Gifts: As we buy gifts for and receive gifts ourselves, let’s remember that Jesus is the ultimate gift. There is nothing else on this earth that can satisfy our hearts like Jesus. In Him, we are forgiven and able to be in relationship with Him for all of eternity.
• Christmas Programs and Services: Instead of thinking of church services as another item on the checklist, try to really soak in the messages this Christmas season. Remember that this is the reason we celebrate Christmas. These events should be attended with joy, knowing that we need to be reminded over and over again the good news of the season.

This Christmas season, let’s not get bogged down in trying to be ready for a perfect Christmas; let’s make sure that we are ready for eternity.

Cultural Message: Our identity is:

• How we look
• How we perform
• The people in our lives (and how they appear and perform)
• The communities we live in
• How much money we make and the jobs we have
• Our gifts and talents
• Who we affiliate with politically
• What sports teams we are fans of

There are many things we can try to find our identity in, but all of these things will falter at some point or another. When these things falter, our identity will crumble with them. Our appearances and performances are circumstantial and will vary, our relationships may become strained at times, money and jobs also may not last forever. There is only one firm foundation to trust with our identity.

What the Bible Says:

1.) We are created by God for a purpose.

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground. Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground-everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food. And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day. Genesis 1:26-31 

We are created by God, in His image. We are a special piece of creation that is very good. God created us male and female and instructed us to rule over the earth and subdue it. God also created us to glorify Him. God is zealous for His glory.

Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, "Give them up!" and to the south, "Do not hold them back." Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth--everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. Isaiah 43:5-7

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. Romans 9:17

God used Pharaoh’s evil treatment of the Isrealites for His own glory. Even though Pharaoh’s heart was wicked and he wasn’t obeying God, he still displayed God’s glory and worthiness.

Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and
power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and
were created.  Revelation 4:11

We are called by God’s name to bring Him glory. Our identity is in our image bearing of God and our purpose is to glorify Him.

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the
glory of God.  1 Corinthians 10:31

2.) We are fallen creatures but redeemed by Jesus.

Genesis 3 gives the account of humanity’s fall into the sinfulness of this world. We are a fallen people and there is nothing that we can do to bring ourselves back to a relationship with God. Thankfully, God would not allow us to stay dead.

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.  All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:1-10

Even though we are broken and sinful people, we can still be called children of God. When we are relying on Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins and salvation, we are made right with God and are co-heirs with Christ.

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— John 1:12

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. Romans 8:14

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:17

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2

3.) We are now strangers in this world and we need to walk in God’s ways.

After being made new in Christ, we find out that this world is hostile towards Christ. This also means that the world will be hostile towards us. Our identity still lies with Him.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1

This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. 1 John 3:10

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. 1 Peter 2:9-12

So What?

All of humanity was created by God so that we can glorify Him with our lives. We were made male and female in His image to be fruitful and multiply to subdue the earth and fill it. Unfortunately, mankind fell in the Garden of Eden. We became separated from God because He can’t be in the presence of sin. We started out being very good image bearers and then fell to objects of wrath. Because of God’s great love we were able to be called children of God through Jesus’ punishment on our behalf. Now that we are called children of God we walk in this world as aliens and strangers because the world doesn’t know God, so it won’t know His children.

So who are we? We are God’s created children that are set apart to do His good works and glorify Him with our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin, and we aren’t measured by how much money we make or how we perform. Our identity is being a child of God and we now live to serve Him with our lives.

The Cultural Message: The worst thing that can happen to you is missing out on something.

The world seems to be moving faster and faster. The dawning of the internet age seems to have shifted us into fast forward. Looking back just one generation points to a simpler time where life was lived at a slower pace. With the internet, we have access to information at our fingertips. With the invention of social media, we see what our friends are up to all the time. This creates a go, go, go atmosphere. There always seems to be something going on and there are always opportunities that we are going to have to choose to say yes or no to.

What the Bible Says:

This phenomenon is so prominent that they even coined an acronym F.O.MO. (the fear of missing out). F.O.M.O. is used as a word to easily be able to communicate this feeling. We are a culture that is fearful of many things and thanks to social pressures, we can add this one to the list as well.

1.) Our lives are not supposed to be lived at a frenetic pace.

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” 
Exodus 14:14

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 
Psalm 37:7

God instructs His people over and over again to be still. If we are still before the Lord, we are not anxious, we are at peace in His presence.

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. 
Genesis 2:2-3

God gave us an example of what He wants of us by resting after He created the world in six days. God doesn’t need to rest, He could have created the world without resting on the seventh day but He let that be an example to us.

2.) If we are in Christ, we aren’t missing out on anything.

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:5-8

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Psalm 91:1-2

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 
Psalm 23:1

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: "I am the first and the last; besides me there is no god." 
Isaiah 44:6

God is sufficient to provide everything that we need. In Him we are truly whole. There is no special occasion or party that we could attend that will fill us like God can.

So What?

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 
John 15:4

We need to keep first things first in our lives by remaining in God. There are so many opportunities that come calling. Kid’s activities are what keeps our family busy at this stage of life. There are so many wonderful things for our kids to take part in but we can’t do them all. When we try to be involved in too many things, we don’t remain in God. I am here to glorify God above all else so I need to make sure that my schedule isn’t taking over everything so that I can do that.

The next time you feel forgotten and not included, remember that you have everything you need in God. There is no event or invitation that will fulfill you the way that God can. We need to be willing to submit our busy schedules to Him to decide what He wants us to take part in. When we do, we can soak in His peace knowing that we are right where we are supposed to be.

The Cultural Message: The opinions of those around us are more important than God’s opinion.

We know we are fearing man when we make choices based on the opinions of others instead of God’s opinion. The fear of man can strike at any time and for most of us, it will be a temptation we need to battle our entire lives. In the school age years the temptation is to either pick on others or allow others to be picked on so that the teasing doesn’t turn our way. There is also peer pressure to engage in risky behaviors to fit in. The adult years are not void of the fear of man. In this stage, we start to compare what we have with others. We see how we measure up in careers, homes, and families. If we feel we aren’t measuring up, we can be subject to overworking to overcome the perceived failure.

We all want to be thought of as good and we will work really hard to make sure that opinion stays that way. We can get the idea there is always someone looking over our shoulder and judging all our steps. Fearing man over God can be a crippling experience in our lives.

What the Bible Says

1.) God doesn’t judge as the world does.

Humans have a way of adding rules and pressures to ourselves and others that God never intended us to have. The Pharisees are the group in the Bible that is most rebuked for their rule adding. Jesus tells them this:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Matthew 23:25

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to." Matthew 23:13

I love the story of David getting annointed to be king. God sent Samuel to Jesse’s family and all of David’s brothers were shown to Samuel before God revealed that it was David that He picked. God didn’t pick the best one by human standards, He picked the best by His standards.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

We can look at Jesus’ life as an example for us. The Bible tells us that Jesus didn’t have a physical appearance that would attract people to Him. The culture very much tells us that we need to be physically attractive, but the most important person who ever walked the face of this planet didn’t have an attractive appearance.

He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. Isaiah 53:2

King Herod was asked by his step-daughter to bring him John the Baptist’s head on a platter. Herod found himself in a situation where what he wanted and what others around him wanted conflicted. Herod knew that John was innocent and that it wasn’t right to take his life, but he couldn’t go against his dinner guests. We need to look to God’s standards and not the standards of the people around us.

The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted. Matthew 14:9

Even Jesus was pressured to do what man wanted him to do when He walked the earth. The people thought He was coming to overthrow the Roman government, but Jesus knew His purpose. This is what Jesus told Pilate before being handed over for crucifixion:

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” John 18:36

As Christians, our kingdom is in another place as well.

2.) We shouldn’t fear man, we should fear God.

To borrow from last week’s blog post on fear:

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30

3.) We are unable to make ourselves clean. Only God can do that.

The book of Leviticus tells the standards for which people were to be considered clean in God’s eyes. Before Jesus died on the cross, this was God’s chosen people’s way of being clean in front of Him. Jesus made a way for us to be clean without the sacrificial system, but we often replace Jesus’ sacrifice to make us clean with other people’s opinions. We start to get the idea that we will be clean before God if other people think that we are “good.” This is a terrible mistake because we are judging our cleanness before God by the standards of other people who have fallen short of His glory. Only God can make us clean. We can’t be made clean by other people’s opinions.

Although you wash yourself with soap and use an abundance of cleansing powder, the stain of your guilt is still before me,” declares the Sovereign Lord. Jeremiah 2:22

I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. Jeremiah 33:8

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! Hebrews 9:14

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:22

So What?

The temptation to perform will always be with us. We will cringe when the doorbell rings and our house isn’t clean. When it’s our turn for our child to throw a tantrum in the grocery store, we will want to hide. We will feel pressure to do things that we don’t want to do because that is what the crowd wants. When these temptations come, we can rest in the knowledge that God is sovereign over our lives and He is the only one whose opinion matters. If we are in right standing with God, we can rest in the knowledge that we are fulfilling our life’s purpose. We don’t need to take a poll to see if we made the right decision, we talk to our Heavenly Father and do what pleases Him.

 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 1 Peter 3:3-4

The Cultural Message: Fear Everything!

We are a culture that is swimming in fear.

• The 24 hour news cycle has allowed us to hear news quicker, but the news often is negative, sad, and feeds our fears.
• Advertisements will often use fear as a tactic for people to buy the products they are selling. Medical ads, beauty ads, online data safety, and a plethora of others all use fear as a means to scare people into needing their product. The general message being sent is: if you don’t buy our product, bad things will come to you.
• The political climate has been driven by fear.

Our fear is being used as a commodity. If we are afraid, we are more likely to buy products we never would have bought or click on links we never would have clicked. Fear is being sold to us because it works, but being surrounded by a culture of fear is not good for us. We need to know God’s truths so we can navigate this culture that feeds on our fear.

What the Bible Says

1.) Do Not Be Afraid

God commands His people over and over again in the Bible, “Do not be afraid.” He started by telling Abram (Genesis 15:1), then Hagar (Genesis 21:17), Isaac (Genesis 26:24), Jacob (Genesis 46:3), Moses (Numbers 21:34, Deuteronomy 1:21), Joshua (Deuteronomy 3:22, Joshua 1:9), Gideon (Judges 6:23), Elijah (2 Kings 1:15), King Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:15), the people of Israel in Jeremiah’s time (Jeremiah 42:11), Joseph (Matthew 1:20), Peter, James, and John (Matthew 17:7), the women at Jesus’ tomb (Matthew 28:10), Jairus (Mark 5:36), Zechariah (Luke 1:13), Mary (Luke 1:30), shepherds watching over their fields (Luke 2:10), disciples (Luke 5:10), a group of people listening to Jesus’ teaching (Luke 12:32), Daugher Zion (John 12:15), the disciples when Jesus ascended to Heaven (John 14:27), and Paul (Acts 18:9).

We need to remember that God is all powerful and He has the whole world in His hands. We don’t need to fear anything in this world because He is with us.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. Psalm 27:3

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, Psalm 46:2

Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me— Psalm 49:5

say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” Isaiah 35:4

But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. 
Isaiah 43:1

They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:8

The Bible is full of messages telling us not to fear. Some of the verses above speak of hard things like war or mountains falling into the heart of the sea, but we are still commanded not to fear. We have a God that is sovereign over the entire world. We are in the palm of his hands. No matter what circumstances we face, we ask God to help us not to fear and that we would know that He is with us.

2.) Fear God

This cultural message took an unexpected turn from what I thought it would. Along with so many verses telling us not to fear, a prominent theme also ran through the words I was reading. We need to fear God. We shouldn’t fear anything in this world, but we need to fear God.

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28

But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Luke 12:5

There are two ways we need to fear God here:

1.) We should be afraid of God’s judgement if we are not clothed in Jesus’ righteousness. We are all guilty sinners (Romans 3:23) and God is just. God can’t be in the presence of sinners. Unless we are clothed in Jesus’ righteousness, we will be eternally separated from God. We are all deserving of God’s wrath and his wrath should be feared. This is why Jesus’ sacrifice is such a good gift. We are saved from eternal punishment by Jesus’ righteousness and not our own.

2.) We should have a reverent obedience to God if we are clothed in Jesus’ righteousness. If we are in Christ, we will live our lives following a sanctification process. We will not be perfect like Jesus was when He walked the earth, but we will be daily transformed into His image. This means that we are at war with our own flesh and we are obedient to God’s Word.

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, Philippians 2:12

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. Ecclesiastes 12:13

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death. Proverbs 14:27

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. Proverbs 3:7

Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. Psalm 86:11

So What?

Fear is seeping into every area of our lives. It seems there is something new everyday to be afraid of. God comforts us by reminding us not to fear anything in this world and that fearing Him in reverent obedience is ultimately what is best for us.

If you are in a pattern of fear here are some steps you can take:

1.) Don’t live passively.

We are in a war right now and we can’t just allow the culture to put anything and everything into our minds. Be aware of what messages are affecting you. Keeping a journal is a good way to sort out truth from lies.

2.) Speak truth to yourself by immersing yourself in God’s Word and being in prayer.

When we are struggling with fear, it is good to know what God’s Word says about it. Take some time to pick out some verses that you can recite to yourself when you feel fear. Let God’s Word wash over your heart. Pray that God would help you to not have a spirit of fear.

May we be people who are not paralyzed in fear. May we continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

The Cultural Message: Follow Your Heart

We see this message all over Disney and Hallmark movies. This message tells us that the heart is supreme over all things and if the heart wants something, it needs it to be happy. This message tells us that our feelings are king and what we need most in the world is to be obedient to our feelings. 

What the Bible Says

The Bible paints a different picture of following your heart.

1.) We can’t trust our hearts.

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9

But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. Jeremiah 11:8

A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart. Proverbs 21:2

This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. Ecclesiastes 9:3

For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. Matthew 15:19

These verses show us that our hearts are not to be trusted. They are not a firm foundation for us to stand. 

2.) Our hearts are easily led astray.

Our hearts can be negatively influenced by Satan, other people, and whatever we choose to fill them with. We need to know that our hearts are susceptible to corruption from sin. 

He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. Deuteronomy 17:17

God was giving the Israelite kings instructions on how to lead the people well. God knew that kings could be led astray by their wives as well as having much material wealth. 

As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 1 Kings 11:4

We see in this verse that Solomon didn’t follow the Lord’s instructions. He accumulated material wealth and married many women who worshiped false gods. Because he didn’t obey the Lord’s instructions, he had a divided heart and it led to his downfall. 

Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Acts 5:3

Ananias was selling a field for the church, but his heart was led astray by love of money. Even though he was doing this for the church, he was blinded by his heart’s yearning for money. Like Solomon and Ananias, we are prone to follow our hearts into sin. We become blinded to God’s good plan and we start to place our eyes on the object of our heart’s desire. 

3.) Our hearts are only satisfied in God and they need to be guarded above all else. 

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Deuteronomy 6:6

Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. Deuteronomy 10:16

In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Psalm 33:21

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26

It is a real comfort to be able to place all of life’s circumstances in God’s hands. With God, we have everything that we need. 

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Psalm 139:23

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross allows us to be close to God again. When we believe that we are forgiven in Christ and submit to His lordship of our lives, we are given new hearts, and peace in those hearts. 

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. Hebrews 3:12

These verses are just a sampling from God’s Word telling us that He is the one who cares for our hearts and that our hearts need to be in submission to Him.

So What?

The “follow your heart” message is pretty prominent in our culture. I was just in a store today and saw some wall decor that instructed me to follow my heart. It is very important to understand that our hearts are evil and should not be trusted, that our hearts can be led further astray by Satan and other people, and our hearts can’t be truly filled until we fill them with God. Our hearts were made to glorify God and when we use them for that purpose, we are truly filled. 

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:16-19

We are all part of a big story about a God who created people with a plan for their good. The people rebelled and rejected God’s good plan for their lives. God made a way back to Himself through His Son’s perfect sacrifice that paid the price for our sin. When His Son comes back, everything will be made new again. Until then, we wait in a world that has turned its back on God and His good plan for us.

In this world, we are being sent messages all the time without realizing that they have an effect on us. They can come in the form of advertisements, music, television shows, social media, etc. These messages tell of what our culture defines as the good life or the way to find happiness. They tell of how we can rule our own kingdoms, get ahead, and be successful according to the world’s standards. These messages often get in the way of our relationship with God.

These messages aren’t new. The Bible is full of examples of false prophets giving information that would drive the people away from God. Jeremiah was a true prophet of God in a day where false prophets abounded. 

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. Jeremiah 23:16

But which of them has stood in the council of the Lord to see or to hear his word? Who has listened and heard his word? Jeremiah 23:18

So what do we do?

1.) We first need to become aware of what God is telling us. God gave us the gift of His Word which tells the beautiful story; the life of Jesus that reveals God’s character to us in human flesh; and the Holy Spirit that helps us understand God’s Word and convicts us of sin to bring us back to God. God didn’t leave us here alone.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

2.) The second thing we need to become aware of are the types of messages that we are taking in. As you are watching television or listening to songs on the radio, ask yourself, “What is the message being sent?” Is the message telling you that you can find happiness if you would only buy this product? Is the message exploiting a fear in you? Is the message there to stir up your anger? What are they trying to get you to “buy” with the message being sent? The world is going to lie to us and we need to be on guard with the truth of God’s Word.

This blog post is the start to a series of blog posts where we will take a look at some of the world’s messages and then we will hold them up to God’s Word. Here are my challenges to you in this series:

1.) Start a Bible reading plan of some sort.

• It doesn’t have to be the Bible in a year but start a plan so you don’t have to wonder where you are reading in God’s Word everyday. The more we are in the Bible, the more we can recite the truth to ourselves and stay away from falsehoods.  

2.) Start a journal and keep track of the messages coming at you everyday. 

• Pray as you journal and tell God the feelings that are being evoked in you from the messages you are receiving. Are you prone to fear, anger, or habitual sin when you receive that message? Tell God, confess if you need to and then pay attention to where you are being tempted to feel these things. 

3.) As you begin to notice which messages are the most harmful to you, seek truth in God’s Word.

• One really neat thing about the technology we have is being able to type a word or phrase into Bible Gateway and all the verses that have that word will pop up. If we are dealing with anger we can do a word search on anger, if we are dealing with fear, we can do a word search on fear.  In this series, we will do just that. We will look at different cultural messages and filter them through God’s Word.

4.) E-mail or message me if you have a message that you would like to review in an upcoming blog post. 

• New posts will come out on Mondays throughout the summer. 

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15

The last week of Advent’s theme is love. Advent is a beautiful season to celebrate the coming of Jesus and it is a great time to remind ourselves how much Jesus loves us. Throughout this advent season we have seen that Jesus suffered and was persecuted for us, he laid down his life, and worst of all he took the whole wrath of God for our sake. Jesus gives us the ultimate example of love in his birth, death, and resurrection. Because Jesus loved us so much, we then have the ability to show his love to others. When we are in Christ, his love compels us to show that great love to others.

Who has God put in your path that needs to hear of Christ’s love and see it modeled in your life?

O Holy Night is a song that tells of our reason for rejoicing. We are led through the emotions of those that were waiting for the expected messiah. They fall down in worship and then are led to show that love to others. May we be led to show Jesus’ love to others as well.

O Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of our dear savior’s birth,

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

’till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,

for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

 

Fall on your knees, oh hear the angel voices!

O night divine! O night when Christ was born.

O night, O holy night, O night divine.

 

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,

with glowing hearts by his cradle we stand:

So, led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,

here come the wise men from orient land,

the king of kings lay thus in lowly manger,

in all our trials born to be a friend,

 

He knows our need, to our weakness no stranger!

Behold your king! Before him lowly bend!

Behold your king! Your King!

Before him bend!

 

Truly he taught us to love one another;

His law is love and his gospel is peace;

Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother,

and in his name all oppression shall cease,

sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we:

Let all within us praise his holy name!

 

Christ is the Lord, then ever!

Ever praise we! His pow’r and glory, evermore proclaim!

His pow’r and glory, evermore proclaim!

O Holy Night beautifully tells the Christmas story. We see Jesus is the king of kings and we see that he is born in a lowly manger. We see that Jesus is worthy of all of our worship and that he is no stranger to our weakness. What a wonderful king that is mighty but can also empathize with his people. There is no one like Jesus.

I love how this beautiful carol shows us how to worship this mighty king. We fall on our knees and behold this king! Before him we lowly bend. We also sing sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus with everything in us. We are to proclaim his power and glory evermore! Let’s pause and think for a minute about this type of worship. Do we worship King Jesus like this? Does this good news make us fall to our knees? If not, we need to ask God to open our eyes to the splendor and majesty of Jesus. May we praise him forever!

The second to last verse proclaims that Jesus taught us to love one another. Jesus came to earth and gave us the perfect example of love. We are to spend our lives sharing his love with others. May the good news of the gospel be bursting out of us this Advent season. May we take the love that Jesus freely gives us and pass it on to everyone around us.

His pow’r and glory, evermore proclaim!

 

Journal Prompts

1.) Do you know that Jesus Christ loves you? Do you feel his love for you?

Read Exodus 34:6-7, Deuteronomy 6:5, 7:8-9, Psalm 25:7, 31:7, 33:18, 36:5, 36:7, 57:10, 63:3, 89:1, 136:1, Lamentations 3:22-23, John 3:16, 3:35, Romans 5:5, 5:8, 8:35-37, 12:10, 1 Corinthians 8:3, 13, Colossians 3:14, and Hebrews 10:24

2.) In what ways can you show Jesus’ love to others?

3.) If you don’t feel Jesus’ love for you, ask God to open your eyes to the beauty of this Christmas story.

 

Dear Heavenly Father,

As we come to the close of this Advent season, may we feel the love that you have lavished upon us that we can be called your children. May we take this love and show others the beautiful gift of our Savior. As we celebrate with family and friends, may Jesus be visible in the way that we love one another.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen