Who is God and how do we please Him?

Hey everybody, check out my friend Jeremy's blog: Who is God and how do we please Him? It's really good stuff.

Moved!...and other miscellany

Alright, so I have just recently moved. I moved from a four bedroom house in Clinton where I've lived for the past 15 months with three or four other guys (depending on the month) to a two bedroom condo on the east bench of Ogden with my good friend Micah Krishnan. The view is amazing. We have an unfettered view of the mountains right out our sliding glass door. And we're only separated from those mountains by a park and a golf course. It also located at the head of a bunch of trails, including a three-mile exercise trail that goes up the mountain a little ways and circles the golf course (I got a great picture of the sunset on my phone from there Saturday). However, there is a drawback - I don't have internet access at my house. Right now I'm at the coffee shop down the street paying two much for a drink I wasn't exactly in the mood for in order to get internet access. But I think this will actually be a very good thing for me. It's kind of a forced internet fast, and I definitely needed it. I used to get home and check the internet first thing and waste a bunch of time doing absolutely nothing and checking to see if anybody sent me e-mail, which doesn't happen :) So, overall, I think this is going to be really good for me. It will definitely free up more time for naps :) I took a two hour one earlier today. I guess I was tired.

I'm sorry I haven't written for so long. I don't like to go to long without an update because then I forget what's happened and I don't have anything to write about. However, today is not that day. I do have something to write about. Seeing that the summer is about over I'm going to give my summer a report card.

Fun: B
So far I've had a pretty fun summer. I got to go to a conference with my youth group, I've seen some decent movies, Kellen and Jen came down for a week, during the first month I picked up paintball and played some basketball, and I moved to a pretty cool place and have already had people over and I really enjoy my roommate.

Friends: A
I have reestablished my friendship with Jeremy Bair over the last few months. He has been one of my best friends over the last five or six years, but over the last couple we kind of drifted apart thanks mainly to different circumstances. But he hurt his knee and hasn't been able to work for the last few months, which has enabled us to hang out a lot. He is a great friend and really loves the Lord. I have grown so much over just the last few months because of his influence. We love going to Denny's on Saturday mornings and just hanging out there for a couple of hours just talking. I'm also going to be one of his groomsmen come October :) I also got to see my friend Matthew Emadi, whom I've known for about 12 years, while he was back from seminary for a week. I also got to meet his fiance, which was cool. I probably won't make their wedding :( since it will be in Kentucky.

Personal Growth: A-
I gave this an A- instead of an A or A+ simply because I have so much further to grow and there will be more times of growth like this (Lord willing Heb. 6:3). But, in recent memory I have never experienced a time of growth quite like this summer. God has been humbling me in a way that I so desperately needed. It started about half-way through June. I was having my monthly meeting/get-together with my friend Nino and he really challenged me on some things that were lacking in my life. One of the things that God has put on my heart that I don't think I've announced on this blog is the need for a church in downtown Ogden and I believe that God may be calling me to plant or at least help plant a church there. My plan was to really begin getting ready for that this summer. In my mind that meant getting my theology down and really growing and reading there, as well as developing a mission and vision statement, and then trying to get a core-group started and really intentionally plan to plant. God had the same basic plan of preparing me for that (or whatever it is that God really has planned for me) but it has looked so dramatically different than what I expected. It began with Nino. He challenged me on some areas of my life that were lacking and missing in my life. There was a "humble boldness" that lacked in my life. I needed a humility that resulted in an absolute abandoment to God's plan and purpose. I need to follow God wherever and whenever he calls. I need to say and do whatever God wants me to. I need to be a Jeremiah who is not dismayed by the people who don't listen to God's word but knows that God is for me and there is no one who can be against me. Nino let me borrow his copy of "The Pursuit of God" by Tozer and God granted me a lot of humility to hear Nino's and Tozer's words and begin to really see the pursuit of God as ultimately costing less than not pursuing him. If I had to describe my growth this summer in one phrase it would be: The cost of not pursuing God is far higher then the cost of not following him. On the one hand, I may not experience the loss of my life or any other kind of suffering. I won't have to take up my cross and die to myself. But, on the other hand, I would lose Christ and that loss is everything. My life is nothing if it is not spent completely on Jesus. There is not just a cost of following Jesus. There is an opposite cost of not following him. When we read "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it." (Mark 8:34b-35 ESV) we see a dual cost. I had only really seen (or at least taken notice of) the cost of discipleship. Following Christ is a hard road and it will require loss. But I had never focused on the opposite cost. God has been smacking me upside the head with that reality this summer.

What I didn't know is that in order for me to be ready to plant a church I need to pursue Christ first at all costs. I learned this summer that I had made ministry my god. It is a good thing, but I believed it would satisfy me and give me purpose to be in the ministry that I believe God is calling me toward. Just like with a wife, to follow God's calling is a good thing, but if it takes the place of God, then it turns into a very bad thing in my depraved hands and I've perverted its purpose. God's calling isn't the summum bonum of my life. God is. And when calling takes that place, I'm an idolater. I've spent most of the last year being an idolater and it's time that stops, by the grace of God. I have by no means arrived there and I don't know if I ever will. There have been so many things that have caused much growth in me this summer and there have been a number of challenges along the way. Recently I've been convicted with my areas of lukewarmness and I've had to fight for my assurance along the way. It's a long road up a steep mountain to crucify yourself, but each day is just about carrying the cross and learning, by God's grace, to deny yourself and keep moving. One day, we will see fully the hope to which he has called us and we will rejoice in his glory like we never have before. This body of sin will be removed and we will be given a new body of glory. The corruptible will put on incorruptible and mortal will put on immortality. In that day we will never lose sight of Christ and our long hard journey will be complete. And our current troubles will be as nothing in the realization of our glory in Christ. And this life and these troubles and trials will be worth it. It is worth it. It is worth everything. Praying and walking with you through these trials. Christ in you, the hope of glory. He is our hope. We have no other hope but Jesus. False hopes will disappoint, but Christ will always satisfy and fulfill. Come Lord Jesus, come. We hope in you.

Religious Affections

On a couple of occasions, I've taken advantage of the online reading club (I don't know what else to call it) that takes place on Challies blog. I read through "The Mortification of Sin" by Owens and this time they're reading through "Religious Affections" by Edwards. I thought this was an opportunity to be held accountable to reading through this great work and I jumped at the chance. So far I have read through the first section of the second part. It is shaping up to be a great read - perhaps one of the best books I have ever read. The basic premise of the book, if you aren't already aware, is to determine from Scripture what affections, or earnest longings of the will, mind, emotions, and inclinations, are evidences of a heart that has been genuinely converted and transformed. Already, in the introduction alone, I have been convicted of the weakness of my own affections and I look forward to future conviction and, Lord willing, a closer and deeper walk with God by reading this book and applying it's Biblical truths to my heart. I can't guarantee any future insights to be posted to this blog. Those who have read me for a while know that I tend to not finish what I start. (What a horrible reputation. By God's grace this must be remedied.) But hopefully, if I don't post about the book directly, you will see the gracious hand of God at work in the other posts that come. If you haven't yet read "Religious Affections," then I highly recommend that you do. If you have, perhaps consider reading it again. I have yet to dive into the meat, and already I am highly anticipating the rest of this book. Praise be to God for the wonderful gifts he has given us in the works of his devoted saints. May we continue to be drawn closer to Christ through their works and each other. Until the next post - God Bless.

Summer is the time for love

Or so it would seem. Over the last three weeks, two of my good friends got engaged. Both are getting married this year. That means, that by the end of this year, I will be officially the only single guy in Utah. I jest, there are at least five of us. And I think the other four might be my only single friends. Anyway, I'm really happy for both of them and I can't wait to see them get married. It will be awesome. I'm going to get to be in one of them (this will be the only wedding I've been in since my sisters were married in a double ceremony almost three years ago). As for the other one, I'm not sure, I just found out about his engagement today through a facebook message. Other then that, I'm thinking about moving cross-city to my friends condo. Less congestion (I live in a house with four other guys), and a much better view (it's nestled up right next to the mountains...and yes, I just used the word "nestled"). I'll let you know how that develops later on this summer. Sorry for the lack of posts, I guess I just haven't been too inspired to right recently. Hopefully I'll bounce back though and you'll see a bit more of me. Until then, God bless.

Challenge '08 part 1

Hopefully this will be the first of a few blogs on the subject. I just got back from taking my youth group and the youth group of our parent church to Challenge '08. Challenge is the EFCA's (Evangelical Free denomination) youth conference that they hold every two years. This year it was in Salt Lake City, so the youth pastor for Wasatch Church (our parent church) decided to take our youth groups to it. Although it has only been one day since the conference ended, I can honestly say that this even may very well have been the most life-changing experience I have ever had. The last time I had an experience like this was at One Day '03 when I heard John Piper speak. Before that event God had been working on my friends and I about needing to be centered on God's glory and then everything just came crashing into place at that event. This time, about a week before the conference, my friend, Nino, confronted me on some areas of my life that I had set up a functional god and wasn't seeking God for God himself. I sought ministry as my satisfaction and end, rather then seeking it as a means to the true and ultimate end and joy of God himself. So last week, I spent a lot of time praying and seeking God on this, and Sunday night - the first night of the conference - the roof got blown off of my false temple. It started with an amazing time of worship led by Starfield (if you haven't checked them out, you should, they're amazing) that really got us ready for what we were about to hear. Then Francis Chan spoke. His goal was to set the tone for the conference by giving us an accurate picture of God. He did this by going through about four passages of people seeing God and how they described him. He ended on Rev. 4 and the image of the throne and Jesus sitting upon it. Needless to say, he totally blew away the image of God that I think most people in that room (about 5-6,000 of us) had of him. After that message and a couple of well-chosen (perhaps even Spirit-inspired) songs, I sat down and started weeping like I never have before. The only thing I could think about was that image of heaven with millions of angels gather around the throne with the 24 elders shouting out "Holy, Holy, Holy" and my heart burst out "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Never before have I been so enthralled with the worship of God. Never before have I loved the fact that God is Holy and is worshiped so completely both now and forevermore. Never before have I sensed such an awesome magnificence in God and the incredible blessing that I get to join in the song the heavens sing. I have been brought so much lower by that sight that I don't think I can ever be the same. And every session after that served to chisel away a little bit more of my false gods and temples that I have set up in the throne room of my heart. Over the next week or so I'll post some more thoughts and notes from the other sessions. But I ask that, if God leads, that you would pray for me and the youth we took down. Pray that what happened to us at the conference would not stop now that we are home, but that it would continue in our daily devotional time and in our daily worship of God in our service for and through him. We can't let this stop. We can't afford to go back to our puny, self-absorbed lives. We must go forth and be continually changed by God so that we can change our world for him. I love all of you and hope that what happened to me happens in even greater measure to all of you. God bless.

All is of God

I just read this quote on the Of First Importance blog. I don't even know who William Temple is, but the quote is amazing.

“All is of God; the only thing of my very own which I contribute to my redemption is the sin from which I need to be redeemed.”
- William Temple

Today

I had a pretty powerful experience at church today. I know, I know. The word experience is taboo in our conservative, evangelical, anti-seeker-sensitive theology, but I'm going to redeem it. As Christians we are to experience God as much as we are to know him and meditate on him. My worship leader has been on vacation and so I've been blessed to be able to lead worship the past two sundays and next sunday. Today, was an awesome sunday leading worship. We did a welcome song and then, after praying, we did a responsive reading of Psalm 136 which I think really set the tone for the rest of the meeting. Then we did a few more songs leading up to communion (which we celebrate every week). During communion we did "Rock of Ages" by Sandra McCracken which turned out great. But that's not why the meeting was amazing. I don't know exactly how to explain it, but God inhabited the praises of his people this morning. I had a power behind my voice that I didn't have during practice or warm-up. The music all came together really well. No one really messed up. And we all blended together, music and voices, almost seamlessly. And all of this, combined with the scripture and prayer, served to usher God's people into his presence this morning. As I look back over the past few weeks when the set came together in my mind and selecting songs and thinking about what I was going to say and pray about, I can see God working in all of it. A few weeks ago, we sang the song "Forever" by Chris Tomlin which is based off of Ps. 136. It was at that time that I decided to do the responsive reading and that song this week. Last week, I introduced the song "Mighty to Save" by Hillsong and I did it again this week to get the congregation familiar with it, which worked perfectly as a follow-up to "Forever." Throughout this week I had been trying to think of another song to do in between "Mighty to Save" and "One Thing" by Charlie Hall, but God restrained me and led me to keep the song list shorter than normal, which I think served to keep our minds more focused on God, rather than on the music. Then, yesterday I read something in "Vintage Jesus" that served as a perfect transition between "Mighty to Save" and "One Thing" and God brought it to mind to use in prayer in that transition.

All that to say that this sunday was totally not about me. It wasn't put together by me, it wasn't orchestrated by me, and it didn't come from the power of Darren and it didn't usher us into the presence of Darren, but it was from God, through God, and to God, and God got all the glory from today. I was truly blessed to be his instrument today. And from the responses I got after church it appears that God did truly bless his people through my pitiful leading. And that's what it was. I didn't lead today. God led. He led us to his throne on which sits the king of glory, Jesus Christ and we saw God today, reflected in the face of Christ. I guess that's all I can hope for as a worship leader and all I pray for for next week. I hope all of you had an equally blessed, if not more, Sunday.

Slacker

That would be me. Sorry for the long delay, and today probably won't bring you any satisfaction from my blog. But then again, if this is where you're finding satisfaction, it's always going to disappoint you. But anyway, the summer is going pretty good so far out here in Utah. This week has been our first week of 90+ degree weather, thanks to the huge amount of snow we got this past winter. So hopefully it won't get too hot out here this year. However, that didn't change the fact that my house was almost unbearably hot for the past couple weeks. I would guess that my room was about 85 degrees a couple nights ago. But, praise God, yesterday, my roommate fixed our evaporative cooler (known in Utah as a swamp cooler) and our house is now livable. Lots of things going on in my life right now, but I don't have the time to go over them seeing as how I just told my pastor that I would follow his advice and go to bed and get some much needed rest. So, this is all for now. Hopefully I'll post much more in the coming days (and yes I do mean days and not weeks, Lord willing). God Bless.


P.S. The Lakers just got their butts handed to them on a silver platter in game 6 of the Finals. I can admit that the better team won but it still doesn't feel much better. I'm really going to get it at work tomorrow :) But, oh well, my hope's not in them anyway. Christ in me, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27).

Psalm 145

I was really impacted by this a fresh, so I thought I would share it with you and since I don't know how to put youtube videos on my blog I'm just going to give you the link. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI1V2uaBRZA&feature=related

Again, I have been reading the Desiring God blog and I just read this post by Piper. It consists of part of a letter from Adoniram Judson to prospective missionaries. Like Piper, I think it has tremendous value for us ordinary missionaries here at home. Here is the letter:


Fourthly. It may be profitable to bear in mind, that a large proportion of those who come out on a mission to the East die within five years after leaving their native land. Walk softly, therefore; death is narrowly watching your steps...

Sixthly. Beware of the greater reaction which will take place after you have acquired the language, and become fatigued and worn out with preaching the gospel to a disobedient and gainsaying people. You will sometimes long for a quiet retreat, where you can find a respite from the tug of toiling at native work—the incessant, intolerable friction of the missionary grindstone. And Satan will sympathize with you in this matter; and he will present some chapel of ease, in which to officiate in your native tongue, some government situation, some professorship or editorship, some literary or scientific pursuit, some supernumerary translation, or, at least, some system of schools; anything, in a word, that will help you, without much surrender of character, to slip out of real missionary work. Such a temptation will form the crisis of your disease. If your spiritual constitution can sustain it, you recover; if not, you die...

Eighthly. Never lay up money for yourselves or your families. Trust in God from day to day, and verily you shall be fed.

Ninthly. Beware of that indolence which leads to a neglect of bodily exercise. The poor health and premature death of most Europeans in the East must be eminently ascribed to the most wanton neglect of bodily exercise.

Tenthly. Beware of genteel living. Maintain as little intercourse as possible with fashionable European society. The mode of living adopted by many missionaries in the East is quite inconsistent with that familiar intercourse with the natives which is essential to a missionary.
....................................................................................

I think I need to hear each and every one of those. May we all take these into account as we go about being missionaries to our friends, families, neighbors, and co-workers. May God grant us grace.

Piper on the cyclone

This is a really good post about how we should react to the tragic events taking place in Southeast Asia.

http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1215_6_ways_to_react_to_the_cyclone/

I really like #6 because it wasn't what I was thinking at all. I think it's a great way to show how much we truly care.

Myspace, Facebook, Blogs, et al.

I had a thought tonight about myspace, facebook, blogs, and all the other things out there that people do to create a social network and display their thoughts, pictures, videos, etc. I realized that the reason they are so popular is that they allow people to create their own little world in which they are the center. If I create a myspace, facebook, or blog (and ironically I have all three) I am enabling myself to put people or thoughts or anything else that all revolves around me. What music do I like? What movies to I go to see or want to see? What books am I reading? What happened to me today? What are my thoughts on a given subject? Everything revolves around me. These websites allow us to put ourselves in God's position with a freedom and to a degree that formerly wasn't possible. And then, after we set ourselves up as God of our own little world and universe, we invite other people to worship us in our world, and, if they do, we'll go and worship them in their world. "I'll make you a god in your own eyes if you'll make me a god in mine." So is this the last post I'll ever have? In light of this thought, will I swear off blogging? No. This is just another aspect of humanity that needs to be redeemed and brought under the headship of Christ in order to glorify him. In fact, I would argue that not only can myspace, etc. be brought to glorify God, as Christians we should seek to go out into these avenues and redeem them. We should see them as an aspect of our mission field and seek to save the lost souls seeking for satisfaction in their own glorification. Far too often, I have failed at this. This blog has far too often been about me and centered on me, as has my facebook and myspace. However, I also know that God has used this blog and the others as a means to glorify him more and show his awesome wonder to others, if in only a small way. So, fellow bloggers, let us take this opportunity to make a covenant with God and seek his glory in our blogging and social networking. This doesn't mean that everything has to be post on systematic theology, but let us seek to always keep God at the center of what we are doing. And I welcome any corrective criticism when I go astray.

Until the next time, Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Quick thought on redemption man's way

I just finished watching the Kite Runner with my sister and brother-in-law (while eating some amazing chili I might add - thanks again Keri). I thought the movie was fairly interesting. If you're looking for a decent movie I would recommend it unless you're in the need for cheering up. This movie definitely won't help you with that. Anyway, this movie spurred some thoughts on redemption. Don't worry, if you haven't seen it I'm not going to give anything away. Basically, the plot line is you're simple redemption story. Things happen in the character's past that need to be corrected and healed so that all can be made right in his life. This is flatly stated at one point early on in the movie when the main character is told that he can be good again. So the story is told and the man sets out in search of redemption. Ultimately, you could say that redemption is found for him. But what struck me is that at the end of the movie you don't feel like the main character is in a better situation than if what had transpired earlier had never taken place. In fact, you find yourself wishing (or at least I did) that things had turned out very differently. What I learned from this is that when man tries redemption, even if it appears to have succeeded, it ultimately fails because the end result wasn't better than the beginning. However, when God works redemption, the end is always far more glorious than the beginning. Our redemption will spell a much better story, so to speak, at the end then it did at the beginning. God will be more glorified by all that has taken place then he would have if nothing that has transpired took place. The end is better than the beginning. When man tries redemption, he fails. When God accomplishes redemption all is transformed into something glorious and full of purpose.

Church as counter-culture

I've been thinking a bit about the church and it's role in regards to the surrounding culture. I think the first thing that should mark the church is that it is a counter-culture. Everything in the Bible tells us that when we were saved we were changed not just dramatically, but diametrically. We went from children of Satan to children of God (I John 3). We went from being in the domain of darkness to being in the kingdom of God (Col. 1). We went from slaves to sin to slaves of righteousness (Rom. 6). We who were once far off have been brought near. We have been completely and totally changed and are no longer a part of the world that we used to live in. Furthermore, because of our inner change the world that we used to be a part of no longer recognizes us and, in fact, hates us as it hated Jesus. And the church, being made up of these individuals, must reflect this. When we try to assimilate into the world, we lose the distinction that our very salvation gives us. We shouldn't try to hide who we are and what we are. We are completely and totally different from those around us. We must not be proud about this. After all, we did not save ourselves, but it was only by the grace of God. This should create in us a profound sense of humility. But, nonetheless, we must recognize and embrace the fact that we are changed and are no longer like that which is around us. The fact that we are now identified with Jesus and not the world is the basis for our counter-culture.

The problem comes when we look at other counter-cultures. The Amish are the perfect example of a counter-culture. They have done everything they can to demonstrate their seperation from the world around them. They go completely opposite of the culture they live in. If that's not the definition of a counter-culture, I don't know what is. The irony, though, of this counter-culture is that it rarely spreads. The inhabitants of this culture are so intent on being different that they have lost the ability to influence the culture around them. In short, the fact that they are a counter-culture inhibits the spread of the counter-culture. This is true of many, if not most or all counter-cultures. The inhabitants of these cultures see themselves and pride themselves on being the minority and having the majority and it's weaknesses figured out. They don't want to become the majority because then they lose their designation of being a counter-culture. They would, at that point, become just the prevailing culture. So the very nature of being a counter-culture is one of distance from the prevailing culture and a lack of interaction with the prevailing culture. Or at least, a lack of interaction that seeks to transform the prevailing culture.

Where does the church come in? The church is a counter-culture. As a body of saints, we go in an opposite direction from the rest of the world. But here's the difference between the church's counter-culture and the world's version of counter-culture: We attempt to engage the prevailing culture in an attempt to transform the culture into our counter-culture. Furthermore, we do so by becoming all things to all men. We begin to look and act like them in a righteous manner in order to remove any possible stumbling blocks to the message of our culture. Our counter-culture wants desperately to become the culture. We desire to see the hearts and minds and lives of the individuals around us transformed so that they can be like our Savior.

So what is the bottom line? The church needs to embrace the fact that it is a counter-culture and then embrace those who aren't a part of it in an effort to see them transformed. So, in a way, we are a counter-counter-culture. We are different from not only the prevailing culture, but also its sub-counter-cultures. We should act differently because we are different. We should seek the transformation of others, because we have been transformed. I like how Josh Harris puts it: We don't go and tell others the truth because we're right. We do it because we're rescued. Be a counter-culture, but don't act like one. Be in the world, but not of it. And only through the grace of God, through the cross of Christ - the only thing that can truly transform - can this be achieved. Work through us Lord Jesus and bring many to exalt the only Name worthy.

A thought on sports

Alright, I've been pretty good so far this year and haven't brought up the greatest sports team in the history of all sports. That's right, everybody. I'm talking about the Lakers. The only team that can really come close is USC's football team, but that's for another day. Anyway, my Lakers are dominating the Nuggets thus far in the postseason and I'm hoping for a championship this June. I even stayed up past 11 last night to watch the game. This meant that I got less than five hours of sleep last night, but it was worth it. My condolences go out to Lauren and Micah at this time. Lauren, I'm sorry your Mavs probably won't make it out of the first round this year, but, on the bright side, at least they're being taken out by your (I'm assuming) favorite player, Chris Paul (who will lose out to Kobe for the MVP). And Micah, I'm sorry that you can't enjoy the greatest sport that has ever been invented ;)

And that leads me to the purpose for this post. At work today, I was thinking about why God allowed/ordained that sports would exist. Why did God put it in the heart of man to put forth physical exertion in competition against other men? This isn't a full answer, but I have two thoughts. Sports has a sinful purpose and a sanctified purpose. The sinful purpose of sports is the same as when the Israelites asked for a king in II Sam. 8 (I believe). This regards more the watching and idolization of sports more than the actual playing of them. I believe we watch and idolize sports and athletes because we are looking for a hero that looks like us rather than worshiping the true Hero who is not like us, but transcends us and condescended to be with us and like us. The heros we watch on Sunday afternoon are but a poor shadow and symbol of the Hero of the ages who bore every sin and carried our every infirmity and took them to the grave only to conquer the greatest enemy mankind has ever faced in Satan, sin and death (I Cor. 15) by rising from that grave and living in glory for all eternity. There is no greater hero. Sports can be either a sinful escape from the reality of Christ, or it can be sanctified by acknowledging it for what it is - a symbol of Christ and a display of God's handiwork. And this is the sanctified reason why I believe sports exists.

I believe God put sports into the hearts of men to serve first as a symbol of Christ, and second to display the greatness of God's creation. Psalm 139:14 says "I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works, my soul knows it very well." God created man to display the greatness of his works. When we see how amazing the human body functions our thoughts should not terminate there on the sin of self-esteem, but rather our voices ought to resound with the praises of God for how amazing his workmanship is. Sports is one of the ways that we get to see the display of that workmanship. The human body is an amazing thing. The way muscles, ligaments, bones, nerves, sinews, etc. work together to acheive what the mind of the athlete desires is incredible. To see men jump over three feet in the air, or receivers run at a full sprint only to plant one foot and change their entire direction is absolutely incredible. The only words that we have to describe it are words that are generally used in religious contexts. And so it should be, because that display of athleticism is only a small aspect of how great and awesome our God is. His works are wonderful. He is the one who should be praised. God put it in the heart of man to play sports in order that we would look at the display of athleticism and not end there, but praise the display of God's wonderful works.

A Thought on Pain

Pain is our body’s way of telling us that there is something wrong. Something isn’t working right inside. Something has been damaged. Something needs recuperation or healing. Pain lets us know that there is something that needs to change. If we cut our hand, pain tells us that our hand needs to change from its present state of being cut and be brought back into its correct state of being whole and without damage. Pain tells us when we need to stop doing something and start the process of rest and healing. Psychological pain has different manifestations but tells us the same thing. Depression, for example, tells us that something needs to change either chemically or emotionally. Sorrow tells us that we are not in the state of joy and happiness that we should be in. And the degree of pain that we experience tells us how much needs to be fixed. If we cut our hand the degree of pain that we experience is much less than if we were to break our leg. When we break our leg, our bodies cry out that there is something desperately wrong with our physiological condition and it needs immediate attention. We know that something terrible has happened.

However, we do not make that some conclusion when it comes to our spiritual state. The physical and mental pain that we endure is a physical reminder that this world, including (especially) us, is broken and desperately needs to be restored to its perfect state. We are spiritually broken and our sin tells us over and over again that we need to be fixed. We recognize the problem but we refuse to seek the true cure. We know that we are in pain and are not who we should be but we go through a variety of mental exercises and spiritual evasions to avoid the true cure. It is as though we see our broken leg, but we refuse to see the doctor and either try to set it ourselves and treat it (having no medical knowledge whatsoever) or we try to lie to ourselves and tell us that it really isn’t as bad as it looks (even though it’s a compound fracture). Spiritually we try the same things. We either look at our sin and try to fix it ourselves through religion and self-made laws that try to reform the flesh, or we tell ourselves that we really aren’t as bad off as it seems, or we look around at everyone else and see the degree of their sin (compound fracture) and decide that our sin (leg) isn’t as bad as theirs.

Romans 8:22-23 “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

For those who have been saved, we recognize our pain and we groan for and eagerly await the day when the doctor heals our broken limbs and restores us to the soundness and perfect health that we were designed to enjoy. Praise be to God, that through Jesus our pain is not utter futility, but rather is hopeful futility that will be brought to an end. Redeem us, O Lord. Do not tarry.

II Samuel 24:1

I just got home from hanging out with some friends and watching the Office after getting our butts handed to us in our volleyball tournament. I'm actually kind of glad we were totally humbled (read: I was totally humbled) because I've really been struggling with my pride lately and I needed to be brought low. Praise God he works so faithfully with unfaithful people like me. Anyway, I wanted to post something because I've been slacking off lately, so here's some thoughts I had on II Samuel 24:1. They're pretty unpolished and need to be cleaned up and a lot more work needs to be done on them (work that I'll probably procrastinate unfortunately), but here's my thoughts:

II Samuel 24:1
“Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”

I think this is one of the most provocative statements in Scripture that deals with the will of God and the will of man and how God goes about accomplishing his purposes. This verse begins a narrative wherein David goes out and does what God wanted him to do and then is struck by the sinfulness of what he did. God then judges the nation (apparently) for the sin of David. This raises some difficult questions. Did God cause David to sin? In other words, was God ultimately responsible for the sin of David? How is it that David sinned when all he did was what God told him to do? In other words, did God give David a sinful command?

If the answer to the first question is “yes” then we have a problem with God being the author of sin and sin being attributable to God, thereby destroying all that the Bible tells us of his nature (e.g. God is light and in him there is no darkness [I Jn. 1:5], etc.). If the answer to the second question is “yes” then how can we trust God? Can we trust James when he tells us that God never tempts us to sin?

If we believe the clear teachings of the Bible, then we must believe that God is holy. He does not sin, nor is he the author of sin. Sin does not emanate from his nature. Furthermore, if we base this verse in its context we must agree that what David did was sinful and, based on James 1, we must believe that God did not tempt David to sin, but that David’s sin came from within him.

First, I don’t believe that God caused David to sin or that God gave David a sinful command. This will lead us to examine the means that God uses to bring about his ultimate will and desire. Therefore, David was responsible for the sin he committed. But the question that ultimately must be answered is how could God find fault in David, when it was the will of God that David would do what he did? This presupposes some information about God. This presupposes that God is omniscient and sovereign and omnipotent. Before looking into the deeper meanings of these verses, we must start with a right view of God and his character and attributes. Obviously that would take a multitude of books. But we can know that God is omniscient (Psalm 139 for example), that he is sovereign and he uses his omnipotence to bring about his heart’s desires. For the purposes of this meditation we will assume that these things are true. The proof of them is for another time and many other men have done a far greater job then I could hope to do. Therefore, if God omnisciently knew that David would follow his enticements and number the people of Israel and God actually did entice David to this action, then how could God find fault and bring down justice on the people of Israel? Doesn’t this turn the justice of God into capriciousness?

Short answer: No. God is just in that his justice against and toward the nation of Israel was based upon sin that caused David to act in pride and sin in the nation of Israel that deserved judgment. I think the key to understanding this dilemma rests in verse 10 and in II Kings 22:20-23 and II Chronicles 18:18-22.

In verse 10 we learn that “David’s heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the LORD, ‘I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.’” David’s heart struck him. I believe that in order for God to accomplish his purposes he hardened David’s heart for a brief period of time in order that David’s pride might be unrestrained. We see this happening to Pharaoh when God hardened his heart in order that his pride would restrain him from following common sense and letting Israel go. In like manner God hardened David’s heart. David was a man after God’s own heart and possessed a measure of humility only by the grace of God. It is only by the grace of God that we can do anything to please him. David did not earn his humility or favor from God. Rather, God bestowed it upon him as a gift. And as a constant gift, God has the right at any time to withhold that gift and show forth his justice toward sin. In this case, David listened to the enticements of God (we will deal with how God enticed him shortly) because they acted upon his pride and God did not bestow the gift of humility and grace that God had provided in the past. Therefore, God could justly punish the actions of David because his actions stemmed from a heart of pride. God is not required to bestow grace upon us (which is the very definition of grace) but God is required to administer justice upon sin. He will by no means acquit the guilty. He is a just God and his justice required punishment for these actions.

But, you might ask, didn’t God incite David to these actions? Is God just punishing David for something he made David do? Now we must look into how God went about inciting David to sin. The parallel to this story is found in I Chronicles 21. In 21:1 we learn that it was Satan that incited David to sin. So how is it that both God and Satan could incite David to sin? Does this mean that God and Satan were working together to accomplish the same purpose? No. Rather, what it does mean is that God used Satan to accomplish his purposes. Satan may have thought that he won a great victory by causing David to sin, but God was indeed the one who won because Satan was just a pawn to bring about the justice and mercy of God and to glorify his name above all others. In II Kings 22:20-23 and II Chronicles 18:18-22 we read a story of Ahab and Jehoshaphat allying together and seeking the counsel of the prophet Micaiah, who was a true prophet of God. When Micaiah prophesies to Ahab and Jehoshaphat, God pulls back the curtain and shows us what God did to bring about his purposes. “And Micaiah said, ‘Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. And the LORD said, “Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?” And one said one thing, and another said another. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying “I will entice him.” And the LORD said to him, “By what means?” And he said, “I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.” And he said, “You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.” Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The LORD has declared disaster concerning you.’”

God uses Satan to entice people to sin in order that God’s purposes might come to pass. God used Satan to test Job in order that God could reveal his glory. God used Satan to incite David to sin in order that God might bring his justice upon Israel for an undisclosed sin they had committed. God is just in punishing people because it is their sinful nature and desires that drives their wills to choose sin. And God is holy because he doesn’t sin in the process but uses sinful creatures like Satan to give rise to sinful desires while withholding his grace to ensure that those evil desires are chosen. Who can know the mind of God and who can discern his ways? May we all bow before him and worship the glory of our God.

I'M GOING TO BE AN UNCLE!!!

My sister Jen is pregnant. Praise God! It's really exciting. I can't wait to be an uncle. It's going to be awesome. They just found out last week so I'm assuming I won't be an uncle until the end of the year, but I'm really looking forward to it. Anyway, please keep her and my brother-in-law in prayer. Pray for a healthy baby and that nothing goes wrong during the pregnancy and that God would prepare them for having a child. See what the Lord has wrought! May God truly bless them and the child.

I'm going to be an uncle!!!

We Won!

My church volleyball team just won our first volleyball match...that is our first legitimate win. Our first win was against an undermanned team with a 10-year old and a guy with a crippled hand. In that match I served us to a 21-0 lead in the first game. It was pretty harsh. But tonight, in our last match of the season, we won a nail biter to pull out our first legitimate victory. Now on to the tounament!

A brief overview of Judges and Ruth

While I was in California I finished reading through Judges and Ruth and wrote this short overview of the two books in an effort to think through them in light of the redemptive work of Christ throughout all of human history.

In Judges we see the nation of Israel constantly fall into sin, come under the oppressive rule of their enemies, cry out to God for salvation, and God provide a savior for the nation in the form of warrior judges. In Judges we find warning for us about the danger of falling away, allowing sin to remain in our lives, the danger of pride and the need for humility, our own propensity to falling away, and our desperate need for a Savior. We cannot save ourselves from our sins. We need a Savior to free us. In Judges we see a variety of saviors. We see God calling many from unexpected places or backgrounds (e.g. Gideon) and all are flawed (perhaps none shown to be more vividly than Samson). In these men we see the foreshadowing of Christ and also the imperfection of human salvation and the inability of men to bring about total, complete, and perfect salvation. These men only brought, at most, 40 years of peace. These imperfections and inabilities point and direct our hope toward the perfect and holy Savior, Jesus Christ. This is why I don't believe Judges is meant to be read apart from Ruth.

In Ruth, we see the provision of our perfect Savior. In this book Ruth is a picture of the church (saved from a totally sinful background to live a life of purity and worship to the true God) and Boaz is a picture of Christ (our humble Redeemer who takes our salvation on his own shoulders and accomplishes all our hopes). From this humble background came the lineage of Christ. It is a very humble story. Christ comes not from a family of greatness or means, but from a Moabite woman of pagan background - not even an Isrealite by birth - and a humble, older, land-owner - not a warrior - from a tiny town that just came out of a devestating famine. The story of redemption does not come from where man would anticipate it but finds its roots in a humble beginning - much like the story of the incarnation, life, and death of Jesus. Jesus is constantly a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are being saved the gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of salvation.