Food For Thought

Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man's nostrils, and the man became a living person.  

[breathelifefromdust]

The Sin of Pride

"These are six things that the Lord Hates, seven that are an abomination to him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among his brothers." -Proverbs 6:15-19, ESV

"Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon [Saul's] head [and said] the Lord has anointed you to be captain over his inheritance...you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down unto you, to offer Burnt Offerings, and to sacrifice Sacrifices of Peace Offerings: seven days shall you tarry, till I come to you, and show you what you shall do.  And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart...And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel,thirty thousand charitos, and six thousand horseman, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude...and all the [Israelites] followed [Saul] trembling.  And [Saul] tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal and the people were scattered...and Saul said, bring hither a Burnt Offering to Me, and Peace Offerings.  And he offered the Burnt Offering.  And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the Burnt Offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him.  And Samuel said, what have  you done?  Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me and that you came not within the days appointed and that the Philistines gathered themselves...Therefore, I forced myself and offered a Burnt Offering...Samuel said to Saul, you have done foolishly: you have not kept the Commandments of the Lord your Go, which he commanded you: for now the Lord would have established your kingdom upon Israel for ever.  But now your kingdom shall not continue: the Lord has sought him a man after His own heart. -I Samuel 10:1-:13:14, KJV

In Proverbs, Solomon, one of the wisest men to ever liver, lists the things God hates most.  The first thing that he lists in pride and this was not an accident.  Look at the things which follow pride; Solomon is telling us that God considers pride as bad as--if not worse than--lying, murdering, and intentionally plotting to do evil against others.  But why is that?  Here are some things that stood out to me in my readings and prayer.  (David Wilkerson presented a great sermon on pride that is also reflected in this.  Please feel free to listen by clicking here).

I. Pride prevents us from following God's will.

Pride at its very root is sin because it separates us from the will of God.  I Samuel shows us that Saul, the first king of Israel, was instructed by Samuel, the prophet of the Lord, to wait seven days before going into battle with Israel's enemy, the Philistines.  On the seventh day, Samuel would return before battle, offer a sacrifice to the Lord, and the Israelites would have victory.  Samuel took longer to arrive than Saul expected him to, and the Israelites were trembling and scattering before the massive army of the Philistines.  Rather than wait for Samuel, Saul decided that he would offer up the sacrifice himself and act.  This act was a grave offense to the Lord.

Sometimes, our pride will make us outside of God's will...especially when God's will is for us to wait for something.  We grow impatient waiting and we want things to be given to us according to our own time.

There is no way around it--Saul acted outside of the message and will of God.  Samuel did not arbitrarily say that he would return in seven days--he was the messenger of God, and he offered the message that God had given him.  Even though the odds didn't look to be in favor of the Israelites, God had delivered the Israelites many times in unconventional ways (He did, after all, break down the walls of Jericho with shouts and instruments).  Why did Saul willingly disregard the commandment that was given to him from God's messenger?  He assumed that he had the authority to offer the sacrifice himself.  Why?  Because:

II. Pride inflates our own importance

When Samuel arrived, he asked Saul, "What have you done?"  Saul replied that he forced himself to offer a sacrifice in fear that the Philistines would arrive before Samuel's return.  It was pride that allowed Saul to feel he was qualified to offer the sacrifice in the first place.  He not only acted outside of God's will, but offered up himself in the place of Israel's intercessor to God.  

And the Body of Christ (or the church) can sometimes do the same.  We place smooth services, good music, and a sense of community at our core rather than redemptive and transformative power of Jesus Christ.  Saul's decision did not only affect him--it affected his entire lineage and the entire nation of Israel.  And our pride can do the same; what we present is received by other believers and unbelievers and can have disastrous or beneficial effects. 

III. Pride is contentious and fails to acknowledge the gifts of God.

Pride in and of itself has been a stumbling block for the church and the Body of the Believers since its foundation.  In 1 Corinthians 4:7, Paul admonishes the Church of Corinth because it has allowed pride to seep within it and cause contention amongst the believers.  Paul asks them, "What do you have that you did not receive?  If you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?"

A prideful person refuses to accept that every good and perfect thing has been given to them by God anyway.  What sense does it make to boast of your abilities when they were given to you by God?  In the parable of the talents, Jesus very intentionally gave each of the servants a different amount of talents (one was given five, one was given two, and one was given one, each according to his own ability--Matthew 25).  It would make no sense for the man with five talents to mock the one with two talents simply because he started with more in the first place!  What was important was that they used what they took what was given to them and made the most of it.

Pride would have us look at our successes and talents and think, like the Pharisees, "I'm glad I'm not like that other man."  Pride would have us categorize ourselves as greater and lesser than others.  But the truth is, God has equipped each of us with unique talents that we are to use according to his will for the up-building of his kingdom and for the up-lifting of one another.

IV. Pride takes our eyes off of God

The example above is just one of many examples how pride can distort truth.  Where do we go wrong?  Pride is a byproduct of taking our eyes off God.  I Samuel 10:9 says. "When [Saul] turned his back to go from Samuel, God game him another heart."  This does not mean that God made Saul disobey him.  When the writer of the book of I Samuel states that Saul turned his back to the prophet, he describes not only a physical action (of leaving Samuel), but also a spiritual one.  Saul turned away from God, and God let Saul do what Saul wanted to do.

And this is what pride will do--it turns our eyes away from God.  Saul had just received a great message about all that he could become, and he turned his eyes onto those things--worldly things.  The problem with putting your eyes on worldly things is that, unlike God, they change.  With worldly eyes, Saul saw the large army of the Philistines; he saw his people tremble; and he saw that Samuel had not returned yet.  His actions were the consequence of seeing these things with worldly eyes rather than within the context of his covenant with God.

And we have a tendency to do the same.  God does not change.  And he has made covenants with the believers throughout his word and within our hearts.  We have a choice: we can give ourselves up to pride and take with it both the highs and lows that follow, or we can anchor ourselves to Christ and trust him to lead us where we may follow.

V. Pride blinds us to other sin

It is the consequence of pride taking our eyes off of God that is why Solomon says God hates pride; when pride takes our eyes off of God, we are susceptible to all attacks of the enemy.  Paul made the church of Corinth aware of the same thing.  He wrote, "There is sexual immorality among you [which would not be tolerated by unbelievers], and you are arrogant!  [shouldn't] you mourn?" (1 Corinthians 5:1-2).  The problem is, when we give ourselves over to pride, it clouds all of our decision-making, not just in some domains.  The church openly had sins within it that any moral person (not just Christian person) would declare to be wrong.  But they were arrogant!  An arrogant person cannot see their own sin!  Why do you think Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites and told them to take the log out of their own eye before trying to take a speck out of their neighbor's?  Pride makes us blind to our own sin--not necessarily the sins of others--and leads us blind to the will of God!

If we have pride within our lives, we cannot be sensitive to hear God's voice?  Pride can become a willing form of sin if you refuse to pray and ask God to help you remove it from your life.  And that is particularly a shame because:

VI. Pride prevents us from repenting and robs us of our blessings

When you are blinded to your sin, how can you possibly repent?  When Saul was asked why he offered the sacrifice rather than waiting, he had every excuse in the world (and from a worldly perspective, they make sense): his people were scared, Samuel had taken a long time, the Philistines could attack at any moment.  Pride will make a person offer up excuses why they made a mistake rather than humbling themselves and admitting they were wrong.

It is not only the action of Saul, but his refusal to repent that costed him his blessing.  Samuel said, "The Lord would have established your kingdom upon Israel for ever."  Jesus could have came from the bloodline of Saul rather than David--there would have been no need of David at all if Saul would have humbled himself!  Saul missed out on the greatest blessing he could have ever hoped to obtain because of his pride and his refusal to simply repent!

Repentance must follow pride and pride must be removed before we can ever have true clarity from God.

[breathelifefromdust]

Light of the World

"You are the light of the world, A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:14, ESV

In John (8:12), Jesus says, "I Am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."  In Matthew (5:14), Jesus tells his followers listening to the Sermon on the Mount that they are the light of the world.  Wait...did I miss something?  Maybe an author transcription error?  I'm convinced not.  John 9:5 tells quickly remedies the difference when Jesus tells us, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  Jesus was only with us on earth for a little while, but he wasn't going to leave us alone of course!  Jesus told us he was going away, and would send a comforter (John 14).  That comforter is the Holy Spirit and is the light within us.  That in itself has life-changing consequences to the way we live and interact with others and God.  For example:

I. We Are Christ's Point Of Contact With The World

Every action we take inevitably represents Christ.  When John the Baptist was asked by the priests and Levites who he was, he responded "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make Straight the way of the Lord'" (John 1:23).  Sometimes, God will use us to make straight his path with others.  In Acts, an Angel sent Philip to speak to an Ethiopian man who was reading the book of Isaiah.  Particularly, this man was reading a prophecy about Jesus, though he had not yet heard the good news.  Phillip asked the man, "Do you understand what you are reading?"  The man responded, "How can I [know] unless someone guides me?" (Acts 8:31).  When Phillip shared the gospel of Jesus with the man, he immediately received it in his heart and was baptized.  Christ is the light of the world and he lets that light dwell in us.  That light will lead us into contact with others--others who desperately need us and need to know Christ.  Why would keep that light from others?  The same light that made our path straight can have that transforming power for anyone that wants it.  Shouldn't everyone have that opportunity?

II. Nothing Can Be Hidden That Is Illuminated

Jesus said in Matthew 5:16 to let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.  If something is lit up, it is only natural that others will want to look at it and see what it is (Christmas trees, bright Easters eggs...even lit up mangers--we all like to look at lit-up things).  Jesus also said a city on a hill cannot be hidden.  This is the same principle: something that is set up high is in a place of high visibility and leads to exceedingly high levels of curiosity. Things that are bright and high are going to naturally be seen by others and are going to be hard to keep hidden.  Paul made the same conclusion in Ephesians 5:13 when he said "when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible."  As a Christian, we live in the light; others naturally watch our choices, our speech, and our relationships.  

III. If You Have Light, Walk In Light

If I'm going to stand in the light, I would much rather do something that will make the one who gave me light look good than to take advantage of that gift.  When Paul describes those who do not know Jesus, he at one point says they are "darkened in their understanding" (Ephesians 4:18).  What is the difference between walking in darkness and light anyway?  If a person does not have light, they cannot see.  A person who cannot see will trip over obstacles (that's why I stump my toe when I wake up in the middle of the night).  However, if I have a light, why would I trip over things that are in my way?  A person with a light can see, so it does not make sense to walk like a person who cannot.  Taking a spiritual perspective, Paul says. "at one time, you were in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light...take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them" (Ephesians 5:8).  If you have a light, and you know that others are in darkness, wouldn't it make sense to use that light?  Would you rather that both of you walk around in the dark and risk hurting yourself?  This is what Jesus meant when he said "a blind man cannot lead a blind man, they will both fall" because of the obstacles before them  (Luke 6:39).  As a Christian, if you have a light, you should not only use that light, but share it with others.

IV. Some People Don't Want Light

But that does not mean everyone wants to walk in light.  Jesus said, "the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil...for every one who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works be exposed" (John 3:19-20).  When we are placed in the light, we are exposed for what we truly are.  We stand before everyone--God, the accuser, even man--acknowledging we in ourselves are filthy--full of sin.  Isaiah (64:6) saw the condition and sin of his people when he said their righteousness was like filthy rags.  Choosing to walk in light is hard and it is much easier to walk in darkness--especially if you think you can get away with it.  Trying to avoid the light will work about as well, though, as Adam and Eve trying to hide from God in the Garden because they were ashamed of their nakedness (Genesis 3:10).

V. We Must Always Be Ready To Represent Him

Before Paul's death, he wrote a letter to Timothy and told him to "be ready in season and out of season" to represent the Gospel (II Timothy 4:2).  This is a natural consequence of the fact that nothing can be hidden that is lit up and a person with a light must be ready to help those who are in darkness.  Peter said, "always be ready to explain the hope that is in you (I Peter 3:15)."  If your represent Christ and you have a light in you that can bring salvation and transformation, you don't really get the opportunity to 'take time off.'  Our relationship with Christ should be like our relationship with air--we can't really last that long without air, now can we?

VI. We Do Not Boast In Ourselves 

Finally, and most important of all, we cannot boast within ourselves.  We are not the source of the light.  We are saved because of faith,  not because we were able to do good things (Romans 5).  Only after the filth was exposed did the Lord say, "Behold I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you in pure vestments (Zechariah 3:4).  It is not an action by us, but by God through his son Jesus.  If we were not saved because of our own merit, what is there to boast about (Ephesians 2:9)?  Jesus was perfect and blameless, yet even he did not boast.  He did not have to die on the cross (he wasn't excited about it--trust me).  When he was praying in the Garden of Eden, he said, "Father if you are willing, remove this cup from me.  Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done" (Luke 22:42).  Christ literally humbled himself to death in obedience to God.  Because he humbled himself, he was lifted up--the same stands true for us (Philippians 2, Matthew 23:12).  Only through accepting God's gift through humility rather than self-righteousness can we truly know and accept his light.

I hope this will help you all.  God bless you and please ask questions if you have any.

[breathelifefromdust]

Unity In Christ

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. -Ephesians 1:7-10, ESV

There are a million different ways to describe the miraculous work that Christ did when he died on the Christ, but tonight I want to concentrate on one aspect that is rarely discussed: In Christ's death and resurrection, we were not only sanctified, justified, and redeemed, we were also unified with God and with one another.

The wages of sin is death, but that death is not just physical, it is also spiritual!  When sin entered man's heart, we were separated from God.  In Genesis, after creating Adam, God literally walked in the Garden of Eden with him, communicated with him, and attended to his every need.  When sin entered into the hearts of man, that Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden, and no man after had that relationship with God.  (Romans 5:12-18).   Paul told the members of the church of Ephesus that before they knew God "were dead in the trespasses and sins"  (Ephesians 2:1) and said that all from Adam on literally were dead by sin (Romans 5:12).  Sin literally prevents us from unity with God; sin prevents us from having that intimate relationship that both God and Man want and would leave us wanting.

When Jesus died on the Cross, the veil of sin separating us from God was removed (Hebrews 9).  In other words, God made us "alive together with Christ" (Ephesians 2:5).  This was God's plan since sin first entered the hearts of man (Genesis 3:15), because God again desired to unite us under him, principally because he loves us (Ephesians 2:4).

When we are unified under him, we are also unified as a body of believers--if everyone is unified under the same God who does not change, how can we be separate?  In Paul's charge to the Ephesians, he actually tells them to bear with one another in love (4:2).  God has united us, but we are charged with maintaining that relationship not only with him, but also one another.

If God would have us unified under him and with one another in love, Satan would have the opposite; enmity between one another will distract us from the fact that we are all of "one body and one spirit" with one common purpose (4:4).  If we forget that, we can lose touch not only our unity with one another, but also with God and his Spirit which leads us.  

This is by no means a novel idea; Paul cautions the churches to beware of foolish philosophy and theology in many of his letters, knowing that both can act as such a distraction.  As an example, Paul's writing suggests baptism was a big theological issue at his time.  While Paul speaks of unity, he also asserts, "There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call--one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, and Father of all, who is over all through all and in all" (4:4-6).  What matters most: the way a person is baptized?  The person who baptizes you?  Or the Spirit whereby your are baptized?  It is no wonder Satan would prefer us to concentrate on the former two items--it keeps us from considering the latter!

But if we are unified under God, who are we unified under?  God is too much for our minds to comprehend, but even a small revelation of who God is was enough to change Paul's life.  In him, there is fullness of love that it takes literal strength to comprehend because of its breadth and depth (3:18) and in him there is unity in peace (4:2).  Because of that love and peace, he wants to send us "immeasurable riches of grace and kindness" (2:7).  Fullness of peace, love, grace, kindness, are just some of the words that could describe God, but he is so much more that words cannot express!  In his midst, we don't leave a lot of room for petty dissension amongst one another--especially over little things like how to physically manifest a spiritual transformation.

[breathelifefromdust]

Forgetting God's Grace In The Face Of Others

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.  For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumscription party.  And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him...But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, "If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile, and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?" -Galatians 2: 11-14

I think we've all done it before, or at least I know I have.  In Isaiah (52:11), God declares: "Come out and be pure" and after an authentic experience with God, that seems really easy (for at least a few moments).  We promise ourselves and God that we will hold on to his words and covenants with all that we are, boldly trusting in him and following his will.  Yet in spite of it all, we fail--even the earliest apostles who sat directly under Jesus did.  Often, it is because we let the things--and people--around us distract us from him.

The question before the early Christian leaders was whether the Gentiles needed to make outward appearances of their grafting into the salvation of God through circumcision.  In other words, would the establishment of this religion be works-based, or would it be faith-based?  Paul proclaims the decision of the leaders who were led by the Spirit when he said, "circumscription is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter" (Romans 2:29).  

But how did they come to this conclusion?  It was Peter (Cephas) himself who God revealed this to in a vision on the rooftop where he told Peter "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean" (Acts 10:15).  Even though it was Peter that was given this command directly and audibly from God, he was the one that did not follow it!  What could be so great that it would cause Peter to not follow God?  It was other people!  Fearing the other "religious" Jews--and it is often the religious that will persecute us most--Peter did not follow God's commandment given to him through revelation.  We are not sure why Peter was afraid, but the reason is not relevant.  What is relevant is that Peter forgot who God was in the face of others.

People looked up to Peter, so when he chose not to follow God's word, all of the other Jewish Christians who sat under him did the same.  Choosing to defy God not only jeopardized Peter's relationship, but also other Christians.  If we choose not to listen to God, even in a small thing, that decision can have disastrous effects on much more than ourselves.

The letter to the church of Galatia ends similarly when Paul asks, "You were running well.  Who hindered you from obeying the truth?" (Galatians 4:7).  When God called us to be separate, we must remember that despite and in spite of what others may think--in spite of pressure, temptation, and even persecution--that even a "little leaven leavens the whole lump" (Galatians 4:9); compromising God's message just a little is a little too much.

Paul was in the right place at the right time, reminding Peter and the Galatians of God's commandments and word.  I am sure Peter and the Church were accepting of Paul's rebuke, but this also serves as a reminder that even if some people might try to distract us from God's will, he will send others to strengthen us when we need it most.

May God grant us the strength to stay strong and follow his commandments despite of those who would have us do otherwise.  

[breathelifefromdust]

The Sower & The Seed

The Parable of the Sower "Listen!  A sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.  Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil, and when the sun rose, it was scored, and since it had no root, it withered away.  Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.  And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.  And he said, he who has ears to hear, let him hear...to you has been given the secret of the Kingdom of God...the sower sows the word.  And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.  And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.  And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.  And others are the ones sown among thorns.  They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.  But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the words and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold" -Mark 4:1-20, ESV

I recently turned twenty-one.  That doesn't by any means make me old (I hope?) but I have spent a majority of those twenty-one years in the church.  In my life, I have probably seen over a thousand individuals compelled and transformed by the Holy Spirit to accept salvation through Jesus Christ.  This is absolutely amazing!  But I have seen so much more, too--both good and bad.  Many of those Christians  became evangelists, teachers, preachers, or layman who put Christ at the center of their lives and allowed him to transform their lives and they never were the same.  

I've also seen others who accepted Christ, but left communion with him over time for various reasons and at various stages in their walks.  We can can explicate any of those situations into millions of little details, but those reasons can also be reduced to their essential essence; it is almost hard to fathom--some turn away from him because everything in their lives is going wrong, while others turn away because everything in their lives is going right.

In, The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis said, "[God] relies on the troughs even more than on the peaks; some of His special favourites have gone through longer and deeper troughs than anyone else.  [He wants our wills to] be qualitative like his own...because [we] freely conform to his....merely to override a human will would be for Him Useless.  He cannot ravish.  He can only woo....He is prepared to do a little overriding at the beginning.  He will set them off with communications of His presence which, though faint, seem great to them, with emotional sweetness, and easy conquest over temptation.  But he never allows this state of affairs to last long.  Sooner or later He withdraws, if not in fact, at least from their conscious experience, all those supports and incentives.  He leaves [us] to stand up on our own legs...It is during such trough periods much more than during the peak periods, that [we] grow into the sort of creature he wants us to be...prayers offered in the state of dryness are those which please him best...He wants [us] to learn to walk and must therefore take away His hand' and if only the will to walk is really there He is pleased even with their stumbles."

God wants a relationship with us that is not contingent on our outside circumstances; he wants a relationship with us that is not contingent on whether or not we feel like praying and whether or not we can feel him present.  Why did God literally recommend for Satan to tempt Job?  God told Satan that there was "none like him in the earth" and that he was a "perfect and an upright man" (Job 1:8).  Job was literally stripped of all he had, yet in everything, "Job sinned not" (Job 1:22).  God loved Job because Job was a man who delighted in the righteousness of God, and it did not matter if had much or had little--he would not sin and he would not turn from God, nor his will.  There are countless other examples throughout the bible, but the truth is still the same--the people that God favored and used most did not let their circumstances dictate their relationship with Him.

I have been a seed choked by the thorns, snatched up by the birds, and scorched by the sun, but at some point, I just said enough was enough.  I don't want that anymore; I want something meaningful--something substantive.  I cannot spend my whole life looking for answers to questions that I already know the answers to.  And I cannot let my feelings dictate my thoughts and actions.  It is my obligation to share Christ and the fullness of the Gospel with other people--I don't want to be the reason anyone falls away, especially because of inaction.  In the parable, all good seed produces grain--it leads other to Christ.

Just on a final note, when God said they had no root in themselves, what did he mean?  We cannot stand on our own, at least within ourselves.  When Jesus asked Peter who he (Jesus) was, Peter said, "You are the Christ the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16).  Without getting into the technicalities behind the conversation, Jesus tells Peter that upon this revelation, the church is built, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).  We must stand upon the revelation of Christ as our foundation; anything else will lead us to fall (1 Corinthians 3:10-15; 10:12). 

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit (Galations 5:25).

[breathelifefromdust]

"...God so loved..."

When I was a child growing up in church, I remember learning a scripture that probably almost every other Christian child learned as well: "For God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."  The scripture is John 3:16 and it is one of the foundations to the Christian Church and faith.  Since I learned it at such a young age, I think I have taken it for granted.  Today--I mean literally today--I realize that scripture means so much more, especially as a person who has experienced all of the struggles as a growing Christian and has often felt beyond God's love.

What does it mean to love us?  The link to this blog is "Breathe Life From Dust" and that is taken from Genesis 2:7.  Most people at some point questions where they come from, and Genesis 2:7 provides the answer for a believing Christian.  Genesis 1:27 tells us that God made man in his own image, and that's a beautiful concept!  To be made in the image of the only thing that will ever be perfect and good--what more could you ask for?  It is, in fact, so great, that if you aren't careful, you might miss how that came to be--Genesis 2:7 tells us that we were formed from the dust of the ground and endowed with life from God's breath.  Again, it is a beautiful concept to think that we are filled with the breath of God, but don't miss that other part!  We came from dirt.  He loved us--the very creature he made from the stuff that we walk on each day without even a cursory thought or glance.  Most people (except for people who have a pet rock or maybe an astronaut) will never love nor appreciate dirt in their lives.  God made us from it, though, and he made us so much more.

But what about our sin?  How does that factor in?  God does consider time like we do.  I've always had my own beliefs of how God views time. A scholar named A.W. Tozer perhaps says it best:

"[God] is eternal, which means that he antedates time and is wholly independent of it.  Time began in him and will end in Him.  To it he pays no tribute and from it He Suffers no change...He knows in one free and effortless act all matter, all spirit, all relationships, all events." (The Pursuit of God)

What does that mean for us?  It means that when he sent his son to die for the sins of the World, he genuinely did it for you (and me).  When he sent his son, he knew about us before we were born.  When we cease to exist on this earth, he will still know about us and love us in just the same way.  It's great that he loves you before you were born and after you die, but what's even more impressive is that he loves you just as you are right now--even if you are in your lowest valley or highest mountain; even if you have been distanced by sin or speak boldly before the throne of grace; and he loves you just as you are whether you feel deserving (which we cannot be) or not.

My last point may be kind of apparent from the second point, but I want to say it anyway, so I will: when Paul said "nothing can separate us from the love of God," it was a divine, truthful revelation.  When "God so loved" you, it was not conditional, because conditions would imply that something might change.  God does not change (he said so himself--Malachi 3:6), and because of that, there is nothing you can do to change even one bit how much he loves you.  God's love for you isn't like man's--he appreciates you as a whole masterpiece (or what feels like a train wreck sometimes) and looks on you with eternal love.

Even though I know I am so terribly imperfect, I hope that God can help me to love others in a way that even slightly resembles that.

[breathelifefromdust]

Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to his people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us, He waits so long, so very long, in vain.

A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

[breathelifefromdust]

Psalms 91 (KJV)

Psalms 91

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.