So, there is this story in scripture where Jesus tells His disciples that they are going to go to the other side of a lake (Luke 8:22-25). The lake in this passage is the Sea of Galilee. Jesus and His disciples get on a boat and set sail. Jesus goes below deck and goes to sleep. His disciples (many of which where fishermen) were up on deck taking care of the task of sailing and navigation.
While Jesus was sleeping a huge storm came upon the Sea. These storms are known to be so violent that small ships caught out in them were capsized and sunk by the ferocity. I remember a professor I had, who owned a home in Israel, telling our class that these storms could produce 30 foot swells.
"Such storms result from differences in temperatures between the seacoast and the mountains beyond. The Sea of Galilee lies 680 feet below sea level. It is bounded by hills, especially on the east side where they reach 2000 feet high. These heights are a source of cool, dry air."
"In contrast, directly around the sea, the climate is semi-tropical with warm, moist air. The large difference in height between surrounding land and the sea causes large temperature and pressure changes. This results in strong winds dropping to the sea, funneling through the hills."
"The Sea of Galilee is small, and these winds may descend directly to the center of the lake with violent results. When the contrasting air masses meet, a storm can arise quickly and without warning. Small boats caught out on the sea are in immediate danger." www.christiananswers.net
When this storm came up these disciples began to panic. They couldn't conceive how they would survive, yet Jesus slept peacefully. In their moment of fear and weakness they abandoned the rigging,the rutter, and the sails. They went below deck a woke up Jesus.
These guys had abandoned hope. We see this in their words to the Lord, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" or as Matthew records it, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"
Like these guys so many of us get caught up in the storms of life. They seem to overwhelm us as wave after wave crashes over us threatening to sink our ship. We may feel as though God has abandoned us, that he doesn't care that we are going to drowned.
In our panic, weakness and desperation we call out to Him like the psalmist, "Listen to my prayer, O God,do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught at the voice of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked; for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger. My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me." Psalm 55:1-5
The beauty of this story isn't the sheer desperation of these men, it isn't the panic, it isn't the storm. LIFE IS FULL OF STORMS. The beauty is that the Lord was with them in the storm. Jesus wasn't worried because He had already told them the outcome of the trip. In Luke 8:22 Jesus had told them, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." He wasn't worried about the storm because He knew it wasn't going to stop them.
After waking Jesus, He got up and walked up on deck and rebuked the wind and the waves and they became still. The Bible says, "...ALL WAS CALM." The Storm was calm, the wind was calm, the disciples were calm, Jesus was calm!
Jesus then questioned His disciples, "Where is your faith?" I can see it now... Guys, don't you understand, I will never leave you or forsake you. Storms will come and go, sometimes you won't see a way out but I have already declared the outcome, "You win." Trust me, I am the good shepherd, I will surrender my life for you and you will still make it to the other side.
The fact is that many times God allows us to go through storms because it is during these turbulent, uncertain times of our lives that we develop character. It is when things get tough that we are faced with the depth of who and what we are. It is during these times that we find out what we are made of.
Whatever storm you are facing right now, remember this. You are not alone, God is right there, He is cheering you on as a Father watching His son on the ball field. "you can do it! Your my child and I made you to be victorious! I have trained you with hours of practice, now give it your All. I love you and I am right here with you. Just trust me."
Jesus died for your sins and He conquered the grave to give you VICTORY!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
God's Artwork
Art is often considered one of the greatest forms of expression. In art the masterpiece is limited only by the medium and the imagination of the artiest. This got me thinking about God as an artiest. With His infinite mind and infinite power and infinite knowledge I would expect to find to find art that is beyond our thoughts and imagination. This got me thinking about the complexity of the universe. God's canvass if you will. So I thought it would be nice to look at some of God's artwork in this blog.
(from http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/space/)
(from http://www.star.ac.za/)
(from http://science.howstuffworks.com/dictionary/astronomy-terms/space-collision.htm)
(From http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/bruggers/2007/04/out-of-this-world.html)
Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."
Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."
Psalm 8:3-4 "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?"
(from http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/space/)
(from http://www.star.ac.za/)
(from http://science.howstuffworks.com/dictionary/astronomy-terms/space-collision.htm)
(From http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/bruggers/2007/04/out-of-this-world.html)Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."
Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."
Psalm 8:3-4 "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?"
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Defeated
Defeated! This one word speaks volumes to countless people all over the world. It is a word that is not limited to race, gender or economic standing. It is an overwhelming feeling that people carry with them. I see and hear it in the lives of non-Christians and Christians alike. We feel stuck or trapped walking aimlessly through this life searching for some meaning or purpose to the things we do.
For years I saw life as a continual chain of one disappointment and heart ache after another. I was searching for anything that could bring me a little comfort to suppress the pain I carried day after day. Now, I see a world desperately seeking after instant gratification. We want it NOW. We want something to take away the edge of defeat in our lives. We see this in the form of drugs, alcohol, smoking, pornography, casual sex, adultery, violence, and thousands of other ways that people use as a form of escape. At first these escapes may be great but as time progresses we need more and more to satisfy the beast within that craves something real and meaningful.
Proverbs 19:3 says, "A man's own folly ruins his life,yet his heart rages against the LORD." The fact is our life is the sum of the choices we make. So many of us open our eyes one day and ask how we got to the place where we are. We begin to blame God for our problems and carry around an anger that is waiting to be released.
Proverbs 21:21 says, "He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor." Jesus came to be an example for mankind, demonstrating a life that constantly sought after righteousness and love. His demonstration was so powerful that it left a rippling effect that changed the world. He gave His life so that you and I would never have to carry the burden of our failed choices. He made a way for us to have a peace that is greater than all our circumstances.
Jesus came to give you freedom from all the junk you are carrying around. He died that your life might once again have a purpose greater than the sum of all that you are. Through His death He accepted all your hurt, all your pain, all your guilt, all your loneliness and all your weakness. Then He walked out of the grave that you could walk in a new life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
Walk now in the newness of life you can have through Christ Jesus! Ask Him to take away your guilt and pain and to give you a life full of purpose. Live in the victory you have in Christ Jesus!
"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." ~1 Corinthians 15:55-57
For years I saw life as a continual chain of one disappointment and heart ache after another. I was searching for anything that could bring me a little comfort to suppress the pain I carried day after day. Now, I see a world desperately seeking after instant gratification. We want it NOW. We want something to take away the edge of defeat in our lives. We see this in the form of drugs, alcohol, smoking, pornography, casual sex, adultery, violence, and thousands of other ways that people use as a form of escape. At first these escapes may be great but as time progresses we need more and more to satisfy the beast within that craves something real and meaningful.
Proverbs 19:3 says, "A man's own folly ruins his life,yet his heart rages against the LORD." The fact is our life is the sum of the choices we make. So many of us open our eyes one day and ask how we got to the place where we are. We begin to blame God for our problems and carry around an anger that is waiting to be released.
Proverbs 21:21 says, "He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor." Jesus came to be an example for mankind, demonstrating a life that constantly sought after righteousness and love. His demonstration was so powerful that it left a rippling effect that changed the world. He gave His life so that you and I would never have to carry the burden of our failed choices. He made a way for us to have a peace that is greater than all our circumstances.
Jesus came to give you freedom from all the junk you are carrying around. He died that your life might once again have a purpose greater than the sum of all that you are. Through His death He accepted all your hurt, all your pain, all your guilt, all your loneliness and all your weakness. Then He walked out of the grave that you could walk in a new life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
Walk now in the newness of life you can have through Christ Jesus! Ask Him to take away your guilt and pain and to give you a life full of purpose. Live in the victory you have in Christ Jesus!
"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." ~1 Corinthians 15:55-57
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Your Lost Son
I recently was thinking about the passages of scripture that God has used to guide me toward church planting. One of the passages that jumped into my thoughts was the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. This story is one of the best known stories that Jesus told to teach people about the kingdom of God.
The great thing about parables or mashalim is that they are stories to make us think. There isn't just on clear meaning but multiple meanings wrapped into a story that we can relate with.
This story is most often told from the view of the son that asked his father for his inheritance and blew it all on wild living and then returned to his father's home looking to be a servant and his father embraces him as a son. Sometimes it is told from the view of a loving father who's son took off. This father is seen standing outside everyday looking for his son to return home. And every once in a while we will hear this story from the view of the other brother who is angry by his fathers response to his brothers return.
We can take so much from these views. We can see ourselves as either or both of these sons. We see God as this loving Father that is always look for us to turn back to Him and who constantly shows us loving kindness when we get wrapped up in our own way of thinking.
As I was thinking about this passage I began to see a story in this parable that I had never herd taught before. What if God desires us Christians to put ourselves in the place of the father? How should we react if our son (child) took off? Would we just sit and wait for him to come home or would we be out searching for our child day and night?
When God called us into His family He called us to be Christ's ambassadors.
2 Corinthians 5:16-21 says, "16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
Maybe the next time we are around a lost person we will seek them as if they are our lost children in need of our love and acceptance. Rather than sit back and wait for them to come home.
The great thing about parables or mashalim is that they are stories to make us think. There isn't just on clear meaning but multiple meanings wrapped into a story that we can relate with.
This story is most often told from the view of the son that asked his father for his inheritance and blew it all on wild living and then returned to his father's home looking to be a servant and his father embraces him as a son. Sometimes it is told from the view of a loving father who's son took off. This father is seen standing outside everyday looking for his son to return home. And every once in a while we will hear this story from the view of the other brother who is angry by his fathers response to his brothers return.
We can take so much from these views. We can see ourselves as either or both of these sons. We see God as this loving Father that is always look for us to turn back to Him and who constantly shows us loving kindness when we get wrapped up in our own way of thinking.
As I was thinking about this passage I began to see a story in this parable that I had never herd taught before. What if God desires us Christians to put ourselves in the place of the father? How should we react if our son (child) took off? Would we just sit and wait for him to come home or would we be out searching for our child day and night?
When God called us into His family He called us to be Christ's ambassadors.
2 Corinthians 5:16-21 says, "16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
Maybe the next time we are around a lost person we will seek them as if they are our lost children in need of our love and acceptance. Rather than sit back and wait for them to come home.
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