No One Else

I am what I hate
Infested with sin
When I open the gate
And let the demon in

That old man dies
Uncountable times
Yet he still tries
To commit more crimes

Against God and man
And who I love most
I hate the plan
Of which he boasts

To hunt and destroy
And make me a slave
Stealing away my joy
As he digs my grave

Lust of the eye
And lust of the mind
Ways that I die
Aren't hard to find

It feels so good
Feeding lies and hype
But I know I should
Want a different type

Of passionate thought
Than this spiritual heist
Because I have been bought
By the blood of Christ

Help Jesus, there's no on else
Who can save me from myself

The Heart of the Matter

The situation: The kid gets into the candy jar when he is not supposed to. The kid runs and hides to unwrap and consume his ill gotten loot. Dad catches him and asks if he stole the candy. He says no with his candy covered mouth and holds up his candy covered hands.

Thief. Liar.

He didn't have to be taught how to steal, and he didn't have to be taught how to lie. The problem is in his heart. "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him." (Proverbs 22:15 ESV)

However, this is not the world's assessment of the problem, and a wrong assessment is bound to lead to a wrong solution. Sadly, wrong thinking and wrong solutions have infested the minds of Christian parents as well.

Two popular lines of thinking are that the real issue is either low self esteem or environment. Both are wrong.

Dumb assessment/solution #1 is that the child must have a low self esteem, and if he just had a higher self esteem, he wouldn't do bad things. Right. How well has that worked over the past couple decades? We tried that and ended up with demon teenagers and adults who think amazingly high of themselves. I was one of them before, saturated in wickedness but thinking I was a really good person, before Jesus gave me a new heart. The "boost his self esteem" route will turn our candy thief into an arrogant candy thief who flips Dad off after stealing the candy. We need something better.

Dumb assessment/solution #2 is that the child's environment is the problem and we need to change it to correct his moral behavior. He's really just a victim of too easily accessible and too good tasting of candy and of bad friends, so let's hide the candy and shoot the friends. Is that how it went down with Adam and Eve? No. The tree was in the middle of the garden, easily accessible, with good tasting fruit, and they were the only people in a really good neighborhood. Really, what good would it have been to have the tree on a mountain with an electric fence around it? That wouldn't drive out folly. It's the same with the candy. You can move it to the roof and say "Look, my kids behave!" You'd also be a moron. Your kids still want to sin in their hearts, but it would be harder for them because they don't have a ladder. We need something better.

With the popular thinking the world offers, you can make kids proud, and you can make kids moral. If you do both, you make them into the type of people Jesus ripped into the most. Bad idea.

What we need instead of these surface changes, we need to go deep and teach children the heart of the problem is the problem with the heart. What we need is to teach them the Bible properly from a young age and discipline them properly. What we need is for them to get we are all sinners by nature and choice. What we need is to point them to Jesus as the answer to that problem. What we need is to address the root cause behind it all, not just effects of that root cause. What we need, for us and for them, is a new heart.

That is what creates humility instead of pride, and that is what leads to obedience out of love instead of compliance out of circumstance. That is the heart of the matter.

I Dare You

I dare you to pray one or more of these. If you take the dare, it should probably be ended with "Please help me to really mean what I just said." I know I have to do that quite often. Lips are cheap, but hearts are priceless.

1) Take away ANYTHING in my life that is keeping me from growing closer to you and experiencing the full joy I could be in our relationship.

2) Show me the sin in my life and do WHATEVER IT TAKES to remove it.

3) Always keep me humble before you, NO MATTER WHAT.

4) If it brings you greater glory with it than without it, BRING SUFFERING into my life.

5) Help me to always both boldly speak the truth, and speak it in love, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS.

6) Give me the desire to go ANYWHERE you want, ANYTIME you want, to do ANYTHING you want.

7) Help me to be more and more like Jesus, AT ANY COST.

8) Help me to ALWAYS be a witness for you, NO MATTER WHAT PEOPLE THINK.

9) Help me to see the world through your eyes, NO MATTER HOW IT CHANGES ME.

10) Help me to love ALL people like you love them, NO MATTER WHAT THEY'VE DONE.

For the record, I have foolishly been too chicken (read selfish and sinful, among other things) to pray these as written. It's pretty easy to figure out which words I change or omit. Yet, I know in my mind that this is the kind of attitude we should have, and it is the one that brings God the most glory and us the most joy.

Grace and peace brothers, sisters, and friends.

The Really Real World

Here's an interesting spin on Romans 6:23a -- want to see the wages of sin? Look at the affluent world around us and then look at the conditions of many hungry and dying children in Africa. Something about this lifestyle and wealth difference is bothering me more and more.

I know in my head it's not going to go away, and I know there are people in need in many other places in many other ways as well. But when someone doesn't have the food and water they need to stay alive, it tears at my heart, especially considering that I spend so much on things that are frivolous by comparison. I pray that my eyes and my heart stay open to the needs of others globally, not just locally. It's so easy to forget about hurting people so far away.

But there's more to the story. I need to do more than just keep my eyes open -- I have two little girls that I'm responsible for, and my most important job is to give them the proper spiritual foundation. Part of that includes opening their eyes as well -- and it became clear to me that I was lacking in this area. Sure, I've taught them that we need to be generous givers, have a heart for God, and have a heart for people. Sure, I've told them about persecuted Christians in other parts of the world. Sure, I've told them about poor conditions elsewhere.

Talk is cheap. It's a lot different to SHOW them.

I played a video showing some hungry kids in Africa for the girls. They asked some questions about the children, and when Trinity grasped the horror of what she was seeing, she cried out "Don't people see this?!" What could I counter with but "Don't WE see it?!" I'm so glad she had compassion for those poor kids, but I also wanted to drive the point home that it's not only about "someone else," but us and how we manage what God has given us.

So Christian, teach your kids the Bible. Teach them to trust God and love him. Teach them proper morals and build up their character. But please, in addition to all that good stuff, to keep them from turning into something totally warped by the materialistic culture in which we live, really get it into their heads what the rest of the world is like. I know I need to get that into my head myself much more than I have it now -- and there's no app for that.

Kids can handle and understand a lot more than we think, and sheltering them in a nice happy suburban bubble really isn't going to help anything.

Grace and peace friends.

Give Well

What's behind our giving? Of time. Of money. Of things. Of whatever. There's a few good motives and a lot of bad ones.

Do we give because God wants us to give, but do it grudgingly? "Bah, they're asking for money again!" Would we rather spend the money on new toy for ourselves? Would we rather spend the time hanging out with friends, watching television, or playing sports? If that's your motive for giving something, keep it. God doesn't want it.

Do we give because we feel a sense of duty? "Well we're Christians so we better give; its the thing to do." Maybe we're not reluctant about it, but we're not fired up about it either. It's just another check box to tick off on our list of things to do to look like we're good little Christians keeping our i's dotted and t's crossed. If that's your motive for giving something, keep it. God doesn't want it.

Do we give because we feel guilty? "We have so much and they have so little. That's not cool. Let's give them something so we don't feel as bad." This one is probably most common in rich western cultures. We recognize there is an imbalance in the world and that we didn't end up with the short end of the stick. We have some recognition of where all that we have comes from and don't feel entitled, but we still squander it and know it. Giving is a way to suppress that feeling we don't like. If that's your motive for giving something, keep it. God doesn't want it.

Do we give because we don't want something bad to happen to us? "If I do this for God, then God will be nice to me." If we do this, what god do we think we worship? Some pantheistic God-is-everything nonsense? Some other false god in a false system that demands we "earn" salvation through good works? Do we actually think we can bribe God? If that's your motive for giving something, keep it. God doesn't want it.

Or do we have a real reason for giving? How about giving generously because God first gave to us so generously -- showing love because he first loved us? How about giving because we are so thankful that he paid a debt for us that we could never pay ourselves? When we give for these reasons, we give well.

I have given both out of proper motive (as far as I can tell anyway!) and wrong motive, and I can say with certainty that there is no reward, eternal or temporal, for any work done from a heart that isn't in the right place.

Give often, give much, and, most importantly, give well.

Grace and Peace

What's More Important?

I run into something now and then that completely pisses me off. Yes, pisses me off. It's putting things like nationalism, freedom, government, and its laws on this pedestal, making them false gods and using them to excuse actions, or lack of actions, and a bad attitude.

We do that kind of thing a lot when we start sentences with "you can't" and throw in a "because". You can't sleep here. You can't come in here dressed like that. You can't come in here at all. You can't live here. You can't, you can't, you can't. Why? Because. Undoubtedly "because it's against ", be it anything from company policy to federal law.

You know what though? I don't believe that's the real reason at all we use that standard line. If people had that much respect for rules and laws to chalk them up as real reasons for "you can't", we'd drive a whole lot slower on the freeways, stop talking on our phones while we're doing it, and never jaywalk. None of that's ever going to happen. Instead, I believe far too often we hide behind rules and laws as an excuse -- something to cover up the fact we're uncomfortable with the situation and just really don't want to be loving our neighbor at the moment. If we justify it with a "you can't" and a "because", the problem goes away so we don't have to think about it or deal with it without feeling bad.

We in first world countries do this kind of crap all the time to the many types of outcasts in our society, often without realizing it. Maybe we don't like coming outside of our box to see the real world around us. Maybe doing that makes us realize that there are people in need and we should be doing more and giving more, but we won't want to hear that. Maybe doing that makes us think we'll have to give up a bit of what we think "is ours" and we don't want to do that. Instead, we hide behind a system.

It's hogwash. Did not David eat the bread of the presence from the temple? Did not Jesus heal on the sabbath? Did not the disciples glean on the sabbath? Why? Lawbreakers going against the system! Why? Because human need is more important. It is more important to God and it should be more important to us.

So before anyone hides behind some policy, protocol, or government, including myself, I suggest they take a look at the people involved and the motivation behind their actions. Generalizing, detaching, and passing the buck and the blame to faceless systems is sinful, plain and simple.

Grace and Peace

There Are No Pockets In A Shroud

Wow, its been a while. We've been busy packing, moving to a new apartment, and unpacking.

I heard this phrase from David Jeremiah on one of his broadcasts and thought it was a very fine way of remembering what to focus our time, treasure, and talent on.

This past weekend I lost that focus entirely. I was so determined to get the whole place unpacked before I went back to work on Monday, that I ignored my wife, my kids and God doing my part to get it done. You know what happened? What had started out as a reasonable good intentioned effort that I felt good about turned into a self-centered obsession that left me feeling annoyed and angry, until I realized I was feeling that way and why.

As I write this, what I find interesting is that all too often I take something fine and wreck it, which is quite the opposite of what God does. He often takes something wrecked and broken that was intended for evil and pulls some good out of it in amazing ways.

As a baby Christian, I have seen evidence of this so often many times in my walk with the Lord so far. When I stumble, I don't realize it until I hit the ground. Then I moan and groan for a while. Then I see that He is right there to dust me off and show me the stick that I tripped over. I asked Him to do that (not in those exact words), and He has, proving His faithfulness to me at the same time He helps me in other ways. What an awesome God we have!

This time, what the Lord has shown me is something that, quite truthfully, He has shown me already on more than one occasion -- that the things of this world are just that -- of this world. We shouldn't get wrapped up in them. Rust destroys. Moths eat. Burglars steal. Fire burns.

What's more important? That the pictures on the wall of my family are hung, or that we have such a great close family to take pictures? That the girls' toys are put away neatly in there place, or that we enjoy our time together playing with them? That the books are on their shelves, or that we dig in to the Word of God?

I know what's more important. I just forget it sometimes. I'm glad I have that spirit thing to remind me. We can send heavenly treasure ahead of us, but we can't take earthly treasure with us -- after all, there are no pockets in a shroud.

We Reap What We Sow

Gal 6:7-8 says it nicely: Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

We often just don't pay attention to it enough or believe it enough.

We doubt this when we see someone appear to get away with murder through a loophole in the legal system. We doubt this when we the rich, famous, and powerful appear to do whatever suits them without consequence. We doubt this when punishment for evil does not come swiftly.

We doubt this when good people experience unimaginable suffering. We doubt this when those with a heart of gold barely scrape by with severely limited income. We doubt this when reward for good does not come quickly.

We doubt because we are limited beings and cannot see inside people's minds and hearts. We cannot see the full chain of cause and effect that happens because of someone's actions. We cannot see into the future of anyone's life on this earth, nor can we see beyond this life.

However, we have only to look into our own lives to see how this principle is true.

How often have we wronged someone else without any retaliation on his/her part, or without any guilt/shame on our part? And if we think we actually have been able to wrong someone without any noticeable negative effect, did we move a little more down a bad path? Were we able to wrong someone much more easily the next time? And the next?

How often have we helped someone else with no outward motivation without feeling greater joy for having done so, or without having him/her later do something in return? And if we think we actually have been able to help someone without any noticeable positive effect, did we move a little more down a good path? Were we able to help someone much more easily the next time? And the next?

Never be fooled by appearances; they ARE deceiving. We will ALWAYS reap what we sow, whether it is only a tiny effect felt in this life for some evil act or good deed, eternal punishment for rejecting God, or eternal life for our faith in Him.

Donkeys And Elephants In The Room

My good friend David and I were talking during lunch the other day when some political talk came up. He brought up a good point to think about -- I'm paraphrasing now from my shoddy memory mind you, so these are not direct quotes, and I pray I don't misrepresent him: How much should we as Christians get involved in the political realm? Many spend a great deal of time protesting against, or campaigning for, laws concerning morality, but in doing so, aren't we just pointing out the "elephant in the room" that the world is sinful?

If we spent a great deal of energy fighting for a law to make [insert hot button issue of the day] illegal, what have we accomplished? Sure we've probably stopped something from happening, but have we changed any hearts? Isn't the heart what really needs to change ? If we only change the law and not the hearts of many, how long will the change last (prohibition may be a fair example here)?

If I recall correctly, David said he remembered there is some Biblical guidance for this, but not off the top of his head. I was determined tonight to settle the issue (in my mind anyway) from a Biblical perspective and be done with it. I have most likely failed in that respect, but I did come across this paper I liked (and a lot of other junk I'm not linking to):

http://www.valleybible.net/PositionPapers/Politics.pdf

On a final note, I linked to the article before finishing it completely. It made me smile to see, near the end, the phrase "...change only comes from the heart." Very true.

Heart Disease

I watched some of Duncan's videos going through Matthew and the following stuck enough to prompt a post about it: The pure in heart will enjoy God in their life. Lots of our hearts are hardened, but we can fix that.

First, confess your sins to Jesus.

Second, avoid things that contaminate the heart. This could be places, people, things you watch, things you listen to, etc.

Third, remember that, if you have accepted Him, Jesus paid for your sins on the cross with His blood. He has paid the price in full, so don't doubt Him by letting guilt overwhelm you and take over your life. We are all in the same boat, we just need to trust in Him.

Fourth, pray that God would improve your heart.

If you want the full message (I recommend it, three minutes of my rambling is not as effective), you can check it out through the New Life Church web site. Here's the direct link (as of this post anyway):

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-1779473642795303380