What Is Heaven Worth?

But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. for what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt 16:23-26)

Jesus knew his destiny and shared with his disciples that he would be persecuted, killed and risen again in Jerusalem. Having a normal horrified human reaction, Peter responded with a simple, "May it never be!" He was then harshly rebuked by Jesus because He knew that to be sacrificed via crucifixion would be done out of obedience, but it was still tempting to turn away from God's instruction - no one wants to die.

To do the Lord's will is an honor and a privilege, but at the same time it involves tough choices that aren't the most appealing things to do...especially if we are driven by the comforts and approval of the world. For the most part, we are all driven by the need for security, the desire to be comfortable, and acceptance of our peers. As adolescents we bend over backwards to wear the right clothes, have the right style, the right gadgets -- all in an effort to be accepted and hip.

As adults, we are driven by the need to have a decent income, maybe by greed and power, but for the average person - there is desire to be secure and a good provider. Nothing wrong with that.

But, we must remember that the Lordship of God is paramount over all. Over our security, our creature comforts and our desire to obtain. The Lordship of God means that we are ready, willing and able to follow any instruction that we receive for the day - be it big or small. The Lordship of God means that we really have no ownership of anything, as it may be asked to be relinquished by God for His service at any time.

Imagine if we were wealthy - maybe not stinking rich - but perhaps with a million dollar net worth. A large sum, but in this day and age, with a long period of hard hard work - not impossible.

What if the Lord were to put a conviction on our hearts to give it all up and to donate our assets to a new missions project to spread the gospel? Could you do it? Could I do it? The question weighs heavily upon me because I want with all my heart to say "yes" without reservation.

But, I know that it would be something that would be difficult - especially if my asset was a home filled with my family and children.

To what depths will I trust the Lord? Money is nothing but temporary, no matter what the asset, but heaven or hell is eternal. Are we really poor if we exchange our house, cars or paper dollars for an eternity in heaven? How much would such a thing be worth?

Put into perspective -- the eternal perspective -- we see that such a gift is truly priceless. We have been given a priceless gift and opportunity by God. Even our earthly lives are worth giving to Christ.

Lord Jesus, may I hold nothing back for Your kingdom call. I get so wrapped up in the daily grind that I start to believe that the only things that are meaningful are things, people's opinions and bank accounts. In reality, all of those things are rubbish compared to You and Your kingdom. May I conform myself daily to You, and to righteousness and goodness. May I strive to live honorably with true character rather than to live like a prince. Thank You for Your Word today and for rebuking me as you rebuked Satan. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

The Bible Is Our Standard - Our Instruction Manual

"Then the disciples came and said to Him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"

But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. and if the blind leads the blind both will fall into a ditch." (Matt 15:14)

This one stuck out to me because we say "blind leading the blind" all the time in our daily lives, but lo and behold it came from Jesus as he was referring to the Pharisees.

Despite the fact that the Pharisees had a ton of head knowledge and devotion, they argued over minutiae while trying to twist scripture to fit their own desires to sin.

I have once heard it said very well that to RATIONALIZE = RATIONAL LIES. It has stuck with me over the last decade+ because it made all the sense in the world. If we were to sit and desire to do one sin or another, we can easily convince ourselves that there are enough good reasons to feed our sin. In the case of the Pharisees, Jesus exposed the fact that they would withhold aid to their parents who were in need based on the rationalization that their profession was dedicated to God and therefore any profits should be withheld from being given away to anyone, including their parents.

Of course, the end result of this tradition is that money was never given away to anyone but only fed their own desires and pursuits. Looking at the overall practice of the Pharisees, the rational lies are exposed -- but they were so entrenched in their rationalizations, that they had deluded themselves into thinking they had done righteousness.

Scripture was given to us as God's directions for life. He created us and knit us together in our mother's womb. The life that He breathed into Adam and Eve still flows through us from one generation to the next. Science has been able to move live DNA from one cell into another -- components of original life -- but have never ever been able to breathe life into something that was dead. God is the only one who has that spark of divinity to lend to us.

And so the Creator has given us an instruction manual - one that has many authors who were used to write down the Scriptures, but the messages are consistent from page to page...if we are to read them honestly, desiring to look at the context of the author rather than cherry picking a passage here or there that agrees with our desires to sin, we would have a standard by which to examine ourselves - a standard which could be used to repair ourselves to optimal health and vitality.

I've been a Christian for only 12 years now. Sometimes that seems like a long time, but in reality I feel like I am continually being shown new depths of the Lord in so many different ways. Still, the temptation to fall into the trap of rational lies is so easy in today's culture. It is so hard to get away from all the competing influences that vie to sway us away from the path of the Lord.

In fact, it goes back to the very origins of man, when the Lord gifted us the earth to have dominion over. Because we (man) have dominion over the earth, we have the free will to choose God or to choose Satan. And Satan, being jealous of God's affection for man, continually tries to thwart us and influence our behavior to sin. (It also explains why God will prompt man to pray for God's help rather than intervening continually without an opening from man)

Yet through all of the centuries, God's Word has stood the test of time. It continues to prove itself time and time again as the book which leads us to peace, lawfulness, and order. Jesus still provides many miracles through His Word from the completely supernatural (like stories of reviving the dead via prayer), to the more mundane but still miraculous (healing addictions, mending hurt souls, giving a clear purpose to those who are lost).

But it's only effective if we read it honestly. We can't try to find loose passages here or there in order to justify our sinful behaviors, but instead we need to read it plainly, in the context of the culture (since all writing is ultimately contextual with cultural allusions).

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word. You have completely transformed my life in so many ways that I cannot even count. I pray that I can be true to You and honor Your ways by letting Your Word minister to me and convict me in whatever way I need to be rebuked back to the standard by which You created us. In Jesus' name, Amen.

God Allows Us to Be Partners With Him

"When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary?... So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. (Mt. 13:54-58)

God can do anything. I know that, but this verse brings to my mind the partnership aspect of spiritual life that we gloss over a lot of times. Jesus, the son of God went to his home and tried to minister to the people there. He tried to do great works and miracles, but because they knew him as a youth, they assumed that he was simply the same person that he had always been...the carpenter's son.

When Jesus tried to teach and minister as a Rabbi, they were offended, and didn't want to believe that he could do miracles -- and consequently, no miracles came.

In Genesis 1:28 man was charged to subdue the earth. In short, God gave man the earth on which to live and manage. This, in essence forms the covenant by which God operates in our lives as well. Because He has given us free will to manage our lives here on earth, He doesn't always step in when it is obvious that He should or would.

He is available to us and He presents His ways and commandments as the instruction manual for us to follow - both to gain entry to His heavenly kingdom and to live optimal lives during our earthly lifetimes. However, it is ultimately up to us to determine how much access we will give to Him.

Will we simply pray from time to time and ask for His help? Or will we live lives of complete trust on Him, sometimes risking everything knowing that He will come through for us with a miracle?

God obviously wants the latter because He continually seeks to get to know us and when we do come to Him, He is a loving parent with such a deep deep well of love and affection for us (parenthood itself is the gift of a glimpse into the type of love that God has for each of us). He knows our characters more intimately than we will ever know them because He created us in a specific and special way. He wants to help us have a life that will bring out the very best in ourselves even if that involves tremendous trial and difficulty.

But, in order to do all of that, we need to willingly let Him into our lives. We need to open our hearts to Him in prayer and accept His free gift of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. If we reject Him or limit Him in some way shape or form, than miracles will not occur there. It is not because God is limited in power or scope, but it is because He is honorable to His original covenant to man. He will allow man to sort out and manage the world even though it brings us to the edge of destruction. But, at the same time, He presents Himself ready to assist us if we would simply believe and pray to Him.

Lord Jesus, thank You for this most timely of messages and reminders. I have learned so much about You through Your word, but at the same time, I need constant corrections to get myself back on track. I know that I need You in ways that I haven't been praying for, and I pray that as a family we will seek You daily. Shape our lives Lord, make us into the people that You want us to be. Help us to face our challenges and overcome them. Help us to be people after Your own heart.

In Jesus name, AMEN.

Resetting To God Regularly

It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! (Mt 10:25)

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Mt 10:28-31)

I've been remiss in my reading and studying of His word lately. I am His disciple, but I have let the obligations, cares and burdens of the world crowd out the priority of Him. And it isn't as if the world doesn't stop hammering away at you when you take a break from God. It just does it more subtly in ways that you don't realize are weakening your defenses.

I needed to hear this chapter and set of verses today. It is a reaffirmation of everything that is a Christian life. Courage in the midst of fearful circumstances. Jesus was sending his disciples out into different towns and cities where they would be welcomed in different ways. Sometimes it would be pleasant experience, and other times they would be hated and reviled.

That's so similar to life. We represent Christ Himself wherever we are, and we are being called to live by the standards that Christ has set. Honor, Integrity, and Honesty. The sad fact is that that is hardly the standard of the world. And of course it is understandable that people are more driven by their sins and fears than they are by the Lord. But, the Lord clearly warns us about Hell -- it is our awaited punishment unless we follow Christ.

We all have an appointed time to die. Nothing will happen to us, especially those who stand with Christ, unless the Lord allows it. That is the truth - and it is also the truth that bad things and tragedies also happen to Christians as well. However, our responsibility is ultimately in our response to these trials.

Will we continue to stay strong and obedient to the Lord's calling, no matter what the world and Satan tries to throw against us? Or will we be battered down and give up?

It all depends on whose strength we are leaning on in times of difficulty and trouble. If we are not trained up to know God's word intimately and thoroughly, we will falter because our foundation is weak. That is the risk that I face today. Can I not even read one chapter daily to meditate and pray upon?

The Lord has reminded me of how weak I am without Him, but also how strong I can be in the midst of trial when I am near to Him.

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. (1 Cor 10:12)

As Christians we have given our lives over to Christ. We do not stand without Him, and if we ever find ourselves drifting to a place where we don't think we need to read the word or seek to do His will, then there is a big issue.

I don't think I quite got to that type of place, but surely this has been the reminder of who I am, and how I need to react in the face of trials and situations that call me to compromise.

Lord Jesus, please forgive me that I have been absent from my reading and studies. I know that this is a recurring theme in my life -- will I not learn?! Am I instead to wander in the desert in circles just outside the promised land? I know that there is so much ahead, but I need to submit to Your will, Your ways, and seek You out daily. Please help me to grow my inner strength and to have Your strength as I face the trials ahead. In Your overcoming name I pray, AMEN.

Letting Nothing Become A Stumbling Block

Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler

¹⁸ Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
¹⁹ So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. ²⁰ You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’"
²¹ And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”
²² So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
²³ But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

With God All Things Are Possible

²⁴ And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
²⁶ And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”
²⁷ But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
²⁸ Then Peter said, “See, we have left all and followed You.”
²⁹ So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, ³⁰who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

I've been thinking about this passage lately, and what it means to my life. On the surface, I think it has been misinterpreted sometimes to mean that riches are not acceptable. That we need to be poor and penniless to go to Heaven.

Reading the passage however, especially in v 29-30, Jesus explains that we must be willing to leaving everything behind for the sake of the kingdom. We have a life that we used to live without Christ, but when we became Christians, we have given over our lives to God in everything. Our orders do not come from our own will and desires, but instead have been put under the Lordship of Christ.

Our salvation doesn't come from works - it doesn't matter what they are, so simply giving away money isn't the "trick" to get to heaven. Man cannot do it on his own (v27). But each of us have a propensity to build up our own kingdoms here on Earth and develop affinities to things that we cannot live without. For the rich young ruler, it was his money. He could not let it go because he ultimately identified himself with his riches. For others they could be ultimately influenced by their parents or their peers. If they are unable to let them go when the Lord calls, they are not really following Him.

Now that I'm working again, I'm enjoying it and the pressure of finding a job in this uncertain market has eased (but it hardly fades way with the threat of job loss at any time). Budget-wise as a family we have been thinking about some of the expenses that we've held off on. A minivan - maybe a house. Each of those things are not necessities, but preparing for a larger family and establishing a home would be nice.

However, having those things doesn't preclude the chance that the Lord may call us to do something radically different and follow His call to a new place where we might have to start all over again. My employment is NOT my identity. The place I live or the car I drive is NOT my identity. Those things are ultimately rubbish when placed against the upward call of Christ Jesus (Phil 3:7-8,14).

The danger for us Christians is not obtaining possessions, but is in our ability to let go of them when we encounter Christ walking in a different direction. It can be anything (even the smallest possession that we are asked to leave behind), but if it serves to impede us, it is a stumbling block and we are no longer following Him. And as the call of Christ gets farther and farther away, where is our faith? It atrophies until we get back on the path that Christ calls us to.

For my family, moving to Southern California was the fulfillment for a calling from God. Initially, we really didn't know anything except that we needed to leave Seattle and come here. We had no promises of success or employment. We only had a reliance on God and even for the first 5 months, we were simply spending our savings - it wasn't an easy thing - yet we had peace that we were walking with the Lord.

Our faith and family bonds grew stronger as we focused in on developing our family bonds together (the first few weeks of my wife and I being together 24/7 were tough!) - and I can honestly say that I hardly recognize the people that we were in Seattle. We were settled and contented in our small kingdom with the materialistic dreams we were aiming for.

But the threat to return to that is always there. It must be guarded against through faithful living and a desire to follow Him daily. That is still a challenge today as things have been busy at work. How little time I have spent in prayer and abiding with Him lately!

Lord Jesus, this passage today was a warning for my family and I. You led us here to develop and recharge our faith, and there is always the chance that we will atrophy back to where we came. Let us not do that in Jesus name. Let us never be shy to fall on our knees and simply submit to Your will - whatever that is and whatever it may entail. We know that we may never have a house, but it doesn't matter. As long as we are near to You and doing what we have been called to do, we are home. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Letting God Take Our Burdens and Stress

"Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matt 11:28-30)

What a killer week! We are going through a quarterly close and we lost a day with the July the 4th holiday weekend. In this case none of our standard deadlines moved while the workload stayed the same. On top of that a slew of work related issues came up which further decreased my free time to do my standard duties by 50%.

My wife had to also deal with my prolonged absences which caused her to have a draining week of caring for my daughter by herself. So for our family it was a tough situation.

The Lord woke me early this morning however because He reminded me that I really need to come apart and be with Him. Jesus Himself set the example for us when He would rise early to be apart from the crowds in quiet while praying to the Father. In truth, these quiet moments are really the best times that I have. All of my days are spent driving, working, meeting, chatting, watching, or even playing. But, how much of that is spending some consistent one to one time with the Lord? Very little.

What the Lord also keyed upon when He woke me was the fact that I have been absorbing a lot of blows during the week. Blows from the sales guys who are trying to book excessive revenues, blows from trying to please my boss, blows from trying to manage my staff, blows from the stress that my wife needs to vent to me, and blows from trying to watch over my child. Yes, the blows come from everywhere and I'm good at absorbing them -- to a point. At some point, the accumulated stress will lead to a breakdown.

That's precisely what happened to me at my previous job. I had tried to take on so much of the stress in my work with my own strength, that I let my faith and relationship to God slip. The consequence was that I had times of stress overload and even volunteered for counseling to talk out some issues.

What I had forgotten however, is that stressful times requires real time with God. Not to specifically do anything, but simply to read a bit of His Word, pray and let Him minister to my soul. At the same time, all the burdens I've absorbed need to be released. No judgement or accusation needs to be retained over what has happened or what was done to me, but if I need to confess my sin, then that is the time to do it. If it wasn't sin that I committed, but maybe sin against me, I need to release it and let God take the burden and judgement instead.

It is so easy to forget sometimes that God is really the one who will judge. It doesn't have to be left to us and so we are free to let go of the things that have happened to us, no matter how harsh. Yes, those who have sinned against us may not get what they deserve here on Earth, but the Lord will be just to judge each sin in the proper way (it can happen here or in eternity).

Lord, please help me to give it all over to You. I'm so grateful that You take the burdens of this life away from us because we don't need to carry all that junk in us all the time. We can learn from our mistakes and have wisdom of the ways and follies of man, but we don't need to always try to get retribution or even with every single thing that happens to us. No, we release it to You to take care of it in its proper way for You see beginning to end. Instead, we just need to follow You. The daily blows become nothing when we have a clear vision of You in front of us at all times. Thank You for being my light and my salvation. In Your healing name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

The Ease of Living Honestly

Better is the poor who walks in his integrity Than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich. (Prov 28:6)

The world seems to be resetting. Although there was great prosperity for almost 30 years from the 1980's through the 2010's, prosperity for prosperity sake seemed to take priority over simple honest living. Now that the party has been halted or even completely extinguished for many Americans, we are left to re-evaluate ourselves and our priorities.

I know that for our family, we have changed a lot during this recession. After having an extended period of being unemployed, we have been humbled, but at the same time we have also strengthened our family bonds and have a deeper reliance on each other and especially upon God. In that way God gave us a great gift that is worth more than any gold in the world.

But even now, we live pretty humbly as a family, but we are lacking in nothing. As I pause and consider the things that we are blessed with, I realize that God has been so very faithful to us. Truly he has known what is best and the ways in which to develop us as well.

We still pray and dream for a house and a bigger family, and along with that we know that it would be nice to have certain things (like a minivan), but as I look upon our lives, I realize that we have no fears or worries about our conduct. We have been able to live honestly, and so even if we have little, there is no drama or worry about it all. There is no weight upon our shoulders.

In the same way, we strive not to push too quickly to move up the ladder. We don't want to cut corners to do something so aggressive that we will run into financial difficulty later.

As I get older and hopefully wiser, I can see that the honest life is indeed best. It may come with little in terms of perks or glamour, but it is the key to a long, happy life.

Lord Jesus, your word is true in every way and when we base our lives upon it and lay down our old ways to You, You lead us upon wise paths. The future is so uncertain, but by Your awesome grace, I know we will get through it all and do so honestly. Please help us to live by Your standard and not get pulled into senseless materialism that can lead to us losing our souls. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.