All things?

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV

 

In this verse, Paul is talking about food offered to idols. Paul was trying to express our freedom in Christ and the fact that we are no longer bound by the law. People were worried about sinning by eating food from the market that had been offered to idols. Paul was basically saying that it’s not the food we eat that could cause sin but the intent behind it. As I look at my own life, it’s clear that I have areas that are not glorifying God.

I have been a “gamer” for most of my life. One of my earliest memories is receiving a Nintendo Entertainment system. It was awesome. It came with Mario, Duck Hunt, and the Olympic track game. It even had the pad you run on! I was hooked. Fast forward 30 years and video games are still a huge part of my life. While I am not saying that playing video games is necessarily bad, I am asking, “Is this glorifying God?”  It’s a question that I believe God has placed in my heart for a reason. It’s a question that has recently rocked the way I am looking at a lot of the things in my life. Maybe a more important question is have I replaced my joy from God with video games? Am I seeking out something from earthly means that can only come from God? If that’s the case, then it is sin.

For the month of February, I am going to fast or abstain from playing video games with the goal of putting the controller down for good. My challenge to you is to take a look at your life and see if there is any area that could be used to bring glory to the Father. It may not even be something inherently  bad, Paul was talking about eating meat, but something that is distracting you from God. I pray that as we fast from these distractions we would gain a closer relationship with Jesus.

Cracker Jack

This morning I was in the gym (killing it #humblebrag) and this thought kept popping into my head, “crackerjack clean”. It just kept repeating itself in my mind, crackerjack clean, crackerjack clean, crackerjack clean. I thought on it and what it meant. It just kept going over and over again, crackerjack clean, to the point I was starting to get annoyed. After returning home and getting my son to school, I started looking through old notes, googling the phrase, and after a few minutes I found it. A quote in one of my study bibles by Chuck Swindoll, a former Marine.

“Few things are more infectious than a godly lifestyle. The people you rub shoulders with every day need that kind of challenge. Not prudish. Not preachy. Just crackerjack clean living. Just honest-to-goodness, bone-deep, nonhypocritical integrity. Authentic obedience to God.” -Chuck Swindoll

Chuck was talking in reference to David in 1 Samuel 24:1-7 when he found King Saul, who was trying to kill David, a little exposed. David had the opportunity to take King Saul out, but chose not too. Why? King Saul was God’s anointed one. David stood for a righteous principle. He stood for God, and he was obedient.

For me, this quote by Chuck means something else. It means I need to adjust my life. It means I need to remove every stumbling block in my life that may cause another brother or sister to stumble or hinder a nonbeliever from coming to Christ. It means living a “crackerjack clean” lifestyle. A living sacrifice.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 8:13 NIV, “Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall in sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.” That’s pretty intense! Paul is saying that if by him eating meat it causes a brother or sister to stumble or fall away from Christ, he would stop eating meat altogether! But maybe today, for us, it’s not meat, maybe it’s a beer or a glass of wine. Maybe it’s encouraging gossip or slandering someone. In reality, it’s ANYTHING that would cause a brother or sister to stumble.

We have been called, by God Himself, to point others to Jesus Christ. An anything that would hinder that needs to be eliminated from our lives. Crackerjack clean.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Talking Body

“Now all of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27 NLT

 

The bible states over and over again that we, Christians, are the body of Christ. The body of Christ, that’s kind of a weird analogy. But lets really take a look at this. Like a body, we Christians all have a purpose. We were all created to have a function on this earth that will help the church. We each have a calling in this life that will further God’s kingdom.

Now, like a human body, not every part of the body of Christ is as glamorous as others, (nobody wants to be the colon…) but they are each one just as important as the others. The bible says, “But God made our bodies with many parts, and he has put each part just where he wants it.” 1 Corinthians 12:18 NLT. I know a lot of us would love to be the fiery preacher on stage, when in fact God may be calling us to drive the church bus full of seniors to pick apples. But we must not look down on these parts of the body, or feel bad when we are not called to be the “glamorous” parts of the body. Each part is essential for a healthy body.  “In fact, some of the parts that seem the weakest and least important are really the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect from the eyes of others those parts that should not be seen, while other parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together in such a way that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other equally.” 1 Corinthians 12:22-24 NLT.

The problem that we run into today in the church is that a lot of Christians are simply not functioning the way God intended. It doesn’t work very well when your hand tries to act like a foot! We can’t pick and choose what part of the body we want to be, rather we must step into what God has called us to be. So how do we know what God has called us to be? How do we know if we are a foot, or a hand, or an eye? Well, to put it simply, you jump in! Start serving, start volunteering, see where your talents are. Try to pick up a cup with your ear or write with your feet, you’ll soon realize what and where your calling is. Some are called to be greeters, some worship leaders, and others are called to full time ministry. My point is to get out there and try! The church is always in need of more volunteers. Who knows, you may just be the next mouth of the church….or possibly the colon.

Resolution

“For I decided to concentrate only on Jesus Christ and His death on the cross.” 1 Corinthians 2:2

 

Looking back at 2016, I’ve had highs and lows. Spiritual mountaintops and darkened valleys. Like David in the Psalms, I had moments where I praised God aloud for His grace and mercy and then screamed out, “Where are You?!” I’ve had moments where I asked myself, “How did I get here? How did I end up in this situation?” If I were to be completely honest, those times of darkness were often times I turned away from God, thinking I knew better than He did, and trying to do life on my own program. But one thing always brought me back around. One emotion or concept. One feeling, love. The bible says in 1 John 4:8 that God IS love. When I was down and out, feeling blue and sorry for myself, there was always someone there to love me through it. Someone to sit me down and speak truth to my life, not anger or hatred, but love and truth. I thank God for the people He has placed in my life. People of strong faith, people to keep me accountable, people to love me. I’ve seen what my life looks like without the love of God and His people in it and it is not a pretty picture. That is why my new year’s resolution is 1 Corinthians 2:2, “For I decided to concentrate only on Jesus Christ and His death on the cross.” I’ve allowed myself to drift into the cares of this world for too long, forgetting what true love looks like. “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT.  God is love. There is no clearer picture of that than Jesus Christ on the cross. That is true love.

 

 

 

 

Crazy Talk

“I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18 NLT

 

I believe the bible. I believe every word. I don’t always understand it, but I believe it. I believe that God sent His son, Jesus, to die on the cross for the sins of the world then raised Him from the dead three days later. I believe that one day Jesus will return and we will all have to answer for our time here on earth. I believe that each and every one of us will be judged for what we have done and the only way to avoid God’s righteous wrath is Jesus Christ. I also believe that sounds completely crazy to anyone who doesn’t believe that. So how do we reach these people? People that look at our beliefs and think we are some kind of crazy. The bible says that, “Faith comes from listening to this message of good news-the Good News about Christ.” Romans 10:17 NLT. It’s up to us to tell them, no matter how awkward or uncomfortable, we must tell them about Jesus. Romans 10:14 NLT says, “But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?” Jesus has given us a commission, a calling, a command. At the end of the book of Matthew, Jesus tells us to go and make disciples.  So why aren’t we doing it? What’s holding us back? This commission wasn’t just for preachers, it’s for every man or woman that would call themselves a Christian. It can, and will, be awkward. Push through it. If we truly believe the bible, we have to believe what it says about hell and the unbelievers. “But cowards who turn away from me, and unbelievers, and the corrupt, and murderers, and the immoral, and those who practice witchcraft, and idol worshipers, and all liars-their doom is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.” Revelation 21:8 NLT. Hell is not something that is particularly fun to talk about, but it is a reality. A reality that many choose to ignore or pretend doesn’t exist. I recently read an article that said 43% of Americans were “unchurched”. 43%. Almost half of the US is headed to eternal damnation, separated from God, forever. Christians, we must step-up. If we truly believe what the bible says, and we have any love in our hearts, we must spread the gospel. We must reach out to those who don’t know the hope of Jesus. We must shine the light of God in this dark world. It wasn’t merely a suggestion from Jesus, it was a command.

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end 0f the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 NLT