Friday, May 17, 2013
Feeding Ourselves
I've been touching on the Word of God a lot lately. Welp, I'm not done just yet. I've got a bit more for everyone. In actuality, I'm pretty much saying the same thing in every post. I'm just finding new ways to say it each time. This post won't be any different in that respect. It's on, you guessed it, getting into the Word. Just a few last thoughts on it...at least that's my plan. God might throw a curveball, though. So no guarantees on my end that these will actually be my last thoughts on the subject for awhile.
As Christians, all too often, we will only get spiritually fed if someone spoon-feeds us. We need a preacher talking to us to take anything in. We expect that to be all we need.
We haven't learned to do anything else except sit in a high-chair with a bib on while our pastor makes airplane sounds with his mouth as he "flies" the spoon of scripture into our mouths. That's all cute and actually pretty hilarious when I picture my pastor from the pulpit doing those motions in front of the congregation.
The only problem is that most of us aren't six-month old babies in our faith. We would claim to be much older, much more mature. When you put it that way, it's not cute anymore. It's just kind of sad and embarrassing when I get the mental picture of a perfectly capable adult sitting in a high-chair with a bib on getting spoon-fed.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying it's bad to go to church and listen to your pastor preach. That's actually fantastic. What I'm getting at is that so many never get fed any other way. We rely on others to feed us because we don't feed ourselves.
Sure, having your significant other give you a bite of their food while on a date can be cute, even romantic to some...but if your significant other is always feeding you by putting the food in your mouth for you, it's just really weird. Hopefully, the majority of the food you put in your mouth comes from you putting it in there, not someone else doing it once every blue moon.
All too often in Christianity, we have failed to learn how to feed ourselves. That's a pretty serious problem because most of us can only have someone spiritually feed us once a week. Yeah, that 30 minutes to an hour, where the pastor is actually preaching. And we expect that to sustain us throughout the week. If you did that with actual food, you sure wouldn't last very long.
We can't just mooch off of what our pastor preaches on Sundays and live only off of only that. Sadly, a lot of Christians don't even get fed on Sundays. Only getting fed once a week or none at all will leave a very malnourished and ineffective Christian. We cannot expect to be alive spiritually if we don't ever feed ourselves. As Christians, we need to learn to feed ourselves throughout our days and weeks by actually reading the Bible.
There are two kinds of Christians though concerning this topic...at least two that I will touch on. Those who just don't care enough to read the Bible and Christians who come up with excuses as to why they don't read the Bible. It can really show where someone's priorities are.
If you're starving to death, you don't go to a fancy restaurant, have them bring you food, then refuse to eat it because you don't know how to use a fork. No, you just start eating because you're about to die of starvation. It doesn't matter how sloppy you are or if you use your fingers, you're at least eating and putting food in your belly. You're keeping yourself alive. That's your priority. You don't make excuses as to why you can't eat.
Hopefully, we will stop this fasting from scripture. We are starving but rarely realize it. We have food at our fingertips but don't eat it. We have tons of excuses but in the end, they just don't hold water in a country where good, spiritual food is so easily accessible. It's not like we're living with some undiscovered tribe in the middle of nowhere. We are so blessed to have access to the Word...but what are we doing with that huge blessing? Aren't we wasting it by not digging in?
I'm going to take this spiritual food concept a step further. If all we do is spiritually eat but don't exercise our faith and what we learn, we become unhealthy and ineffective as well.
Rachel's cousin used to have to eat something like 8,000 calories a day. That's nuts if you ask me. Try eating that with no exercise. That's not going to work out well for a person. So why did he do it? He was a competitive cyclist. Eating that many calories allowed him to put more work in on his bike. He was able to train better which allowed him to compete better. Without all that food he ate, he would have been weak and ineffective in chasing the goals he set before himself.
God sets goals for us too. Do we even know them? How can we reach those goals if we don't know them? How can we achieve them if we don't feed ourselves the nutrition our faith needs? The solution is to get in the Word more...or maybe even for the first time. Only then will we be able to truly feed our faith, grow, and move towards those God-given goals.
As Christians, all too often, we will only get spiritually fed if someone spoon-feeds us. We need a preacher talking to us to take anything in. We expect that to be all we need.
We haven't learned to do anything else except sit in a high-chair with a bib on while our pastor makes airplane sounds with his mouth as he "flies" the spoon of scripture into our mouths. That's all cute and actually pretty hilarious when I picture my pastor from the pulpit doing those motions in front of the congregation.
The only problem is that most of us aren't six-month old babies in our faith. We would claim to be much older, much more mature. When you put it that way, it's not cute anymore. It's just kind of sad and embarrassing when I get the mental picture of a perfectly capable adult sitting in a high-chair with a bib on getting spoon-fed.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying it's bad to go to church and listen to your pastor preach. That's actually fantastic. What I'm getting at is that so many never get fed any other way. We rely on others to feed us because we don't feed ourselves.
Sure, having your significant other give you a bite of their food while on a date can be cute, even romantic to some...but if your significant other is always feeding you by putting the food in your mouth for you, it's just really weird. Hopefully, the majority of the food you put in your mouth comes from you putting it in there, not someone else doing it once every blue moon.
All too often in Christianity, we have failed to learn how to feed ourselves. That's a pretty serious problem because most of us can only have someone spiritually feed us once a week. Yeah, that 30 minutes to an hour, where the pastor is actually preaching. And we expect that to sustain us throughout the week. If you did that with actual food, you sure wouldn't last very long.
We can't just mooch off of what our pastor preaches on Sundays and live only off of only that. Sadly, a lot of Christians don't even get fed on Sundays. Only getting fed once a week or none at all will leave a very malnourished and ineffective Christian. We cannot expect to be alive spiritually if we don't ever feed ourselves. As Christians, we need to learn to feed ourselves throughout our days and weeks by actually reading the Bible.
There are two kinds of Christians though concerning this topic...at least two that I will touch on. Those who just don't care enough to read the Bible and Christians who come up with excuses as to why they don't read the Bible. It can really show where someone's priorities are.
If you're starving to death, you don't go to a fancy restaurant, have them bring you food, then refuse to eat it because you don't know how to use a fork. No, you just start eating because you're about to die of starvation. It doesn't matter how sloppy you are or if you use your fingers, you're at least eating and putting food in your belly. You're keeping yourself alive. That's your priority. You don't make excuses as to why you can't eat.
Hopefully, we will stop this fasting from scripture. We are starving but rarely realize it. We have food at our fingertips but don't eat it. We have tons of excuses but in the end, they just don't hold water in a country where good, spiritual food is so easily accessible. It's not like we're living with some undiscovered tribe in the middle of nowhere. We are so blessed to have access to the Word...but what are we doing with that huge blessing? Aren't we wasting it by not digging in?
I'm going to take this spiritual food concept a step further. If all we do is spiritually eat but don't exercise our faith and what we learn, we become unhealthy and ineffective as well.
Rachel's cousin used to have to eat something like 8,000 calories a day. That's nuts if you ask me. Try eating that with no exercise. That's not going to work out well for a person. So why did he do it? He was a competitive cyclist. Eating that many calories allowed him to put more work in on his bike. He was able to train better which allowed him to compete better. Without all that food he ate, he would have been weak and ineffective in chasing the goals he set before himself.
God sets goals for us too. Do we even know them? How can we reach those goals if we don't know them? How can we achieve them if we don't feed ourselves the nutrition our faith needs? The solution is to get in the Word more...or maybe even for the first time. Only then will we be able to truly feed our faith, grow, and move towards those God-given goals.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
April Update P.S.
In our updates, we often end up remembering stories just after sending it out or just don't have enough room to get them in the newsletter. Sadly, we can only stretch our newsletter templates so far.
One of the things that didn't make it in the official newsletter, though, was how much emotion we saw in our Japanese students as we said our goodbyes with them heading back to Japan. Both guys and gals teared up as they said goodbye. They thanked us many times as they tried to fight back the tears from running down their face.
It was tough to see students you can't help but love go but we know seeds have been planted and the Holy Spirit is continuing to impact their hearts.
One of the students said that his favorite memory of being in the States was spending Christmas with Rachel, my mom, and me. It was a special time that included going to a Christmas Eve candlelight service at our church. He really enjoyed that and the time with our family as did we.
Another student said that his view on Christianity and Christians had been radically transformed in a very positive way through coming consistently to Christian Challenge, the conversational English classes, and hanging out with us. The feedback we get from our students really touches our hearts and is encouraging.
We know, though, that we couldn't do this alone. You guys have had a huge part in helping seeds be planted in these students' lives, and I ask that you would continue praying that those seeds would one day produce great fruit! Thank you so much!
Cheers and God Bless,
Mike and Rachel
One of the things that didn't make it in the official newsletter, though, was how much emotion we saw in our Japanese students as we said our goodbyes with them heading back to Japan. Both guys and gals teared up as they said goodbye. They thanked us many times as they tried to fight back the tears from running down their face.
It was tough to see students you can't help but love go but we know seeds have been planted and the Holy Spirit is continuing to impact their hearts.
One of the students said that his favorite memory of being in the States was spending Christmas with Rachel, my mom, and me. It was a special time that included going to a Christmas Eve candlelight service at our church. He really enjoyed that and the time with our family as did we.
Another student said that his view on Christianity and Christians had been radically transformed in a very positive way through coming consistently to Christian Challenge, the conversational English classes, and hanging out with us. The feedback we get from our students really touches our hearts and is encouraging.
We know, though, that we couldn't do this alone. You guys have had a huge part in helping seeds be planted in these students' lives, and I ask that you would continue praying that those seeds would one day produce great fruit! Thank you so much!
Cheers and God Bless,
Mike and Rachel
Christian Challenge April Update 2013!
Hello Family & Friends,
It’s been an amazing semester that has now come to an end. Finals week is over. Graduation has passed. We have been blessed to see firsthand what the great things God is doing at FLC and in the lives of our students.
FCA has been amazing with a really solid, core group committed to growing together in Christ. We have also made connections with John L. Smith, the new football coach. He is behind FCA 100% wanting us to start up new Bible studies for the team and to travel with them. It’s a huge door opened by God!
Christian Challenge and our international ministry have also been amazing building relationships and helping our students walk with Christ.
Even though the semester is over, we aren’t done yet. We will continue meeting with students over the summer. We are also still taking three students to the Philippines on a mission trip in June. We’ll have more info on the trip and students going in next month’s letter. Rachel and I will fill in the rest of our summer support raising wherever God opens doors for us. Thank you all for making these past two semesters possible with your prayer and financial support! Keep praying for FLC!
Here are some pictures highlights from the semester!
GRADUATION SPOTLIGHT:
Dan Read: Dan is from the Kansas City area. He studied World History at FLC. His next step in life is attending the Duke School of Divinity in the coming months and years to obtain his Masters of Divinity. Pray for him as he seeks the will of God for his life and his future ministry.
Randi Lash: Randi is from Kirtland, NM. She graduated from FLC with a degree in Psychology. Lord willing, she plans to come on staff with us to do ministry at FLC starting in the fall for the next two years. Pray for her as she steps out in faith to further the Gospel at FLC.
OTHER PRAYER NEEDS:
-For our mission trip to the Philippines, that our hearts would be prepared for the trip and that funding would come in.
-That we find some rest and recovery time this summer between support raising, the mission trip, and continuing to meet with students.
-For our students, that they continue to grow in Christ and make good choices over the summer.
-That God would help us raise the funds to continue ministering at FLC.
Love you guys, Mike and Rachel
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Just jump in, the water's fine...
I always hear a lot of stories about Christians who don't read the Bible. They want to but they don't. Many have a long list of excuses why. One of the biggest excuses, though, that I have heard is that people don't know where to start. And because they don't know where to start, they just decide they won't read it. They want to jump into the water but which way should they jump? Where should they jump in? Should they dive or cannon ball? Shallow end or deep end? Maybe they should just use the steps? So many questions and decisions to make. It's overwhelming to someone who has never entered the water. Does it really have to be that tough, though? Nope, not really...unless you over-think it.
So here's the thing with the Bible, reading it doesn't have to be complicated. Often times, we over-think things and make them way more complicated than they actually are. In reality, you can't really go wrong with the Word of God...unless of course, you're only using it as a paperweight. In all seriousness, though, you can jump into it anyway you want. It's all good stuff. Don't be afraid of starting in the wrong place. I started in the Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. That's certainly not an easy one to interpret. A lot of people laugh when I tell them that was the first book of the Bible I read...but I survived to continue reading more of the Bible.
Sure, some things are easier to digest than others. Some books are easy like the Gospels in the New Testament. Some books are quite tough or difficult to swallow and get through...like half of the Old Testament. Some verses may speak to you more than other verses but in the end, you really can't go wrong by just picking a place to start and reading a chapter. If the chapter or book you're in is a bit tough, try another section of the Bible. That's not to say that you don't ever have to tackle the tough parts. God gave us the Bible for a reason, not to just pick and choose only the easy parts.
Personally speaking, I'd suggest starting in the Gospel of John. You can find it in the table of contents. It's a good place to start, and after you're done with it, you can pick another book of the Bible to read. It's as easy as that. (I suggest sticking to the New Testament if you're just starting out.) You can even start by just reading five minutes a day. Increase your time as you go. Don't feel like you have to get through the whole Bible in a week.
For a Christian, there really are really very few, if any, good excuses to not read the Bible. This is coming from a guy who has dyslexia and trouble reading. If you want to start but haven't, just do it. Don't put it off.
The whole thing reminds me of a guy Rachel met at the soup kitchen the last time she went with our students to serve. Rachel was able to sit down with a guy and just talk with him. He basically said that he just wasn't going to work until he figured out what he really wanted to do with his life. And why should he work? He had everything provided for him through the soup kitchen and other avenues there for people who actually need it. He wasn't disabled. It wasn't that he wasn't educated. He just wasn't working because he didn't know what work path to start down. He didn't want to start if he couldn't figure it all out beforehand.
That makes sense, right? Yeah, no...it doesn't make sense at all. That's just crazy. Just because you don't know what you want to do with your life or where to start doesn't excuse someone from working. You don't work, you don't eat...unless you are blessed to live in America, I guess. You shouldn't get to be lazy and mooch taking away assistance from people who actually need it because you feel you have the right to do nothing until you have an epiphany about your work life. Wow. I'm not going to pull punches here. The man needs to start searching and applying for jobs so he can support himself until he figures it all out. I think most people would agree with that.
So why do we treat our spiritual lives differently when it comes to reading the Bible? Stay with me here. In reality, the same applies to Christians and getting into the Word. It seems somewhat crazy to decide you won't read it until figure out where to start with it. No, just crack it open and go. You figure it out along the way. You adjust to what works for you as you go.
Just don't wait. It really doesn't matter how you do it or where you start as long as you do start. Everyone does it a little differently. They find what works for them over time. It's okay to figure it out as you go. It's okay to ask friends and family for help as you get into it. You've even got a Holy Spirit you can ask for guidance from. Not a bad deal if you ask me. In fact, praying for guidance from the Holy Spirit is always a good idea whether reading the Bible or just living life.
It's time to put excuses aside and just jump in. We don't have to over-think it or make it complicated. It's really not as scary or overwhelming as we make it in our minds. The more you do it, the easier it will become. After awhile, it will become a habit. Do it enough and it can become a craving or even an addiction. That's exactly how it should be. But in that, you will never become addicted to something if you never try it, if you never start.
So as a Christian, why put it off? Why wait? God's waiting for you to just jump in. Don't worry, the water's fine. Remember, pools aren't just made to look pretty. They're made to be used. They are a lot more exciting when you actually get in.
So here's the thing with the Bible, reading it doesn't have to be complicated. Often times, we over-think things and make them way more complicated than they actually are. In reality, you can't really go wrong with the Word of God...unless of course, you're only using it as a paperweight. In all seriousness, though, you can jump into it anyway you want. It's all good stuff. Don't be afraid of starting in the wrong place. I started in the Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. That's certainly not an easy one to interpret. A lot of people laugh when I tell them that was the first book of the Bible I read...but I survived to continue reading more of the Bible.
Sure, some things are easier to digest than others. Some books are easy like the Gospels in the New Testament. Some books are quite tough or difficult to swallow and get through...like half of the Old Testament. Some verses may speak to you more than other verses but in the end, you really can't go wrong by just picking a place to start and reading a chapter. If the chapter or book you're in is a bit tough, try another section of the Bible. That's not to say that you don't ever have to tackle the tough parts. God gave us the Bible for a reason, not to just pick and choose only the easy parts.
Personally speaking, I'd suggest starting in the Gospel of John. You can find it in the table of contents. It's a good place to start, and after you're done with it, you can pick another book of the Bible to read. It's as easy as that. (I suggest sticking to the New Testament if you're just starting out.) You can even start by just reading five minutes a day. Increase your time as you go. Don't feel like you have to get through the whole Bible in a week.
For a Christian, there really are really very few, if any, good excuses to not read the Bible. This is coming from a guy who has dyslexia and trouble reading. If you want to start but haven't, just do it. Don't put it off.
The whole thing reminds me of a guy Rachel met at the soup kitchen the last time she went with our students to serve. Rachel was able to sit down with a guy and just talk with him. He basically said that he just wasn't going to work until he figured out what he really wanted to do with his life. And why should he work? He had everything provided for him through the soup kitchen and other avenues there for people who actually need it. He wasn't disabled. It wasn't that he wasn't educated. He just wasn't working because he didn't know what work path to start down. He didn't want to start if he couldn't figure it all out beforehand.
That makes sense, right? Yeah, no...it doesn't make sense at all. That's just crazy. Just because you don't know what you want to do with your life or where to start doesn't excuse someone from working. You don't work, you don't eat...unless you are blessed to live in America, I guess. You shouldn't get to be lazy and mooch taking away assistance from people who actually need it because you feel you have the right to do nothing until you have an epiphany about your work life. Wow. I'm not going to pull punches here. The man needs to start searching and applying for jobs so he can support himself until he figures it all out. I think most people would agree with that.
So why do we treat our spiritual lives differently when it comes to reading the Bible? Stay with me here. In reality, the same applies to Christians and getting into the Word. It seems somewhat crazy to decide you won't read it until figure out where to start with it. No, just crack it open and go. You figure it out along the way. You adjust to what works for you as you go.
Just don't wait. It really doesn't matter how you do it or where you start as long as you do start. Everyone does it a little differently. They find what works for them over time. It's okay to figure it out as you go. It's okay to ask friends and family for help as you get into it. You've even got a Holy Spirit you can ask for guidance from. Not a bad deal if you ask me. In fact, praying for guidance from the Holy Spirit is always a good idea whether reading the Bible or just living life.
It's time to put excuses aside and just jump in. We don't have to over-think it or make it complicated. It's really not as scary or overwhelming as we make it in our minds. The more you do it, the easier it will become. After awhile, it will become a habit. Do it enough and it can become a craving or even an addiction. That's exactly how it should be. But in that, you will never become addicted to something if you never try it, if you never start.
So as a Christian, why put it off? Why wait? God's waiting for you to just jump in. Don't worry, the water's fine. Remember, pools aren't just made to look pretty. They're made to be used. They are a lot more exciting when you actually get in.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Christian Challenge March Update 2013!
Hello Team! Isn’t the spring weather just beautiful? March has been an exciting month. The month started off with Josh Story returning to full-time status as he took eight students down to Dallas, TX. They spent their spring break serving the inner city kids and house churches in the area. All of the students came back sharing how their hearts had been changed.
Mike worked up at the mountain over spring break to maintain his friendships and witness there as well as raise some money for our upcoming Philippines Mission. This gave me a chance to travel to Colorado Springs and see my family. That certainly was much needed.
We closed out the month with celebrating our risen Savior. We stand amazed at what He did on the cross for each one of us. Let us not lose sight of that throughout the year but remember daily the sacrifice given for us so we might live!
Easter Weekend started off with a showing of Passion of the Christ and our annual Easter Eve snowshoe service up at Andrew’s Lake, 10,800 ft. in elevation. Thirteen of us went this year and five stayed on to camp out. This was a great time to reflect on what Christ has done for us and how every sin we have committed in the past, or will ever commit, was nailed to the cross. We burned our sins (written on pieces of paper) in our bonfire resembling them being nailed to the cross. They are forgiven, gone, taken care of.
Easter Morning, we awoke to a frosty landscape as the sun was rising. I couldn’t help but be joyful and full of praise as I stood in His creation, the sun rising. He is risen! We snowshoed our way back to the car and headed straight to church. "N", the guy Mike met over unplugging his computer power cord, came with us. He invited a friend of his as well. Praise the Lord!
We certainly have so much to be thankful for as we look back on this past month!
“He is not here, He is risen, just as He said.” Matt. 28:6a
Prayer Requests:
-We have a month left of school. Pray for energy and opportunities to continue sharing the good news, as well as loving on students.
-We have guys and girls retreats before the end of the semester. Pray students are encouraged and grow through them.
-This is our last month with the Japanese students before they head home. Pray that seeds planted would start growing and bearing fruit.
-Pray as we get back into support raising. If you know of anyone who would be interested in hearing more about what God is doing through the ministry, please let us know.
Thank you for joining with us to reach Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO! -Cheers and God Bless, Mike & Rachel
Mike worked up at the mountain over spring break to maintain his friendships and witness there as well as raise some money for our upcoming Philippines Mission. This gave me a chance to travel to Colorado Springs and see my family. That certainly was much needed.
We closed out the month with celebrating our risen Savior. We stand amazed at what He did on the cross for each one of us. Let us not lose sight of that throughout the year but remember daily the sacrifice given for us so we might live!
Easter Weekend started off with a showing of Passion of the Christ and our annual Easter Eve snowshoe service up at Andrew’s Lake, 10,800 ft. in elevation. Thirteen of us went this year and five stayed on to camp out. This was a great time to reflect on what Christ has done for us and how every sin we have committed in the past, or will ever commit, was nailed to the cross. We burned our sins (written on pieces of paper) in our bonfire resembling them being nailed to the cross. They are forgiven, gone, taken care of.
Easter Morning, we awoke to a frosty landscape as the sun was rising. I couldn’t help but be joyful and full of praise as I stood in His creation, the sun rising. He is risen! We snowshoed our way back to the car and headed straight to church. "N", the guy Mike met over unplugging his computer power cord, came with us. He invited a friend of his as well. Praise the Lord!
We certainly have so much to be thankful for as we look back on this past month!
“He is not here, He is risen, just as He said.” Matt. 28:6a
Prayer Requests:
-We have a month left of school. Pray for energy and opportunities to continue sharing the good news, as well as loving on students.
-We have guys and girls retreats before the end of the semester. Pray students are encouraged and grow through them.
-This is our last month with the Japanese students before they head home. Pray that seeds planted would start growing and bearing fruit.
-Pray as we get back into support raising. If you know of anyone who would be interested in hearing more about what God is doing through the ministry, please let us know.
Thank you for joining with us to reach Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO! -Cheers and God Bless, Mike & Rachel
Friday, March 29, 2013
Some Good Friday Thoughts
In the spirit of Good Friday, I thought I would finally get around to writing this post. It's something that's been on my mind for a long time. I figure this is a good time to get this out.
Anyway, Good Friday is a time to remember the death of Christ and to look forward to His resurrection. It was a game-changer. 2,000 years ago, the world as changed forever. Eternity was impacted. Hope was about to emerge out of great despair. Can you imagine the hopelessness, the despair the disciples must have felt after seeing Christ die on the cross? Yeah, the guy they had put all their hope in killed right in front of their eyes. Thankfully, that feeling of despair would all change days later. Hope would soon spring forth changing eternity for millions of people over the generations to come.
Today is a day of great sorrow, yet also great celebration. Thousands of years ago, Christ willingly went to the cross to endure severe pain and torture. He took our sin upon Himself and became the sacrifice we deserved to be so that we could connect back to God. He basically stepped in front of a bullet for us out of the great love He has for us. He was an innocent man without sin who paid the penalty for our own sin. I've been a Christian for a long time and I'm still blown away by the love humanity was shown through Christ's actions. And in that, knowing myself, I'm also blown away by the love and blessing He has shown me.
Throughout my week, I get the privilege of hanging out with my pastor a lot. Through meeting for coffee, small group, and Sundays at church, I get to hear his perspective and wisdom on things quite a bit. It's great stuff and such an encouragement in my life.
Some of the things that have stuck with me lately were the parables in Matthew 13. The parables about the pearl and hidden treasure to be more specific. In both of the parables, a man finds something of great worth. He then sells all he has so that he can buy that object of great worth.
Now, I have always read those verses as our relationship with Christ and our salvation in Him is worth giving up everything to obtain and pursue. There is nothing greater or worth having that is more important than our treasure in Christ. What a great truth that is!
My pastor turned that around, though. What if we look at those parables through the lens of us being the great treasure? Did Christ not give up everything to save us? Christ sold or gave up everything so that He could buy us out of the slavery of sin. One doesn't just willingly go through the torture of a crucifixion just for the heck of it. He saw something worth saving. He paid the ultimate price to buy us out of bondage so that we could be free from sin and have eternal life in Him. To Christ, we are a great treasure worth giving up everything to save.
There is no such thing as a nobody in the Kingdom of God. There are no untouchables, no worthless people. Christ sees past the dirt, mud, and even manure in our lives to see the gold and diamonds underneath. And the awesome thing is that He doesn't leave us covered with the imperfections and impurities but He refines us if we let Him when we invite Him into our lives.
You don't find gold and just cast it aside because it's a little dirty. No, when you find it, you clean it off, melt it down and turn it into something of use. As is it with Christ, you don't have to wait to be clean of dirt before you decide to follow Him. No, you come to Him caked in mud and hard rock with all your imperfections. Out of His love, He sees the treasure within and will break away the hard rock, clean away the dirt, and smelt the imperfections out of you over time.
It not always a fast or painless process. We are all works in progress for sure. It's not always easy. Sometimes, it's downright hard...but even with that, it's still worth it. It is a treasure worth giving up everything for just as Christ gave up everything for the treasure He found in us.
Anyway, Good Friday is a time to remember the death of Christ and to look forward to His resurrection. It was a game-changer. 2,000 years ago, the world as changed forever. Eternity was impacted. Hope was about to emerge out of great despair. Can you imagine the hopelessness, the despair the disciples must have felt after seeing Christ die on the cross? Yeah, the guy they had put all their hope in killed right in front of their eyes. Thankfully, that feeling of despair would all change days later. Hope would soon spring forth changing eternity for millions of people over the generations to come.
Today is a day of great sorrow, yet also great celebration. Thousands of years ago, Christ willingly went to the cross to endure severe pain and torture. He took our sin upon Himself and became the sacrifice we deserved to be so that we could connect back to God. He basically stepped in front of a bullet for us out of the great love He has for us. He was an innocent man without sin who paid the penalty for our own sin. I've been a Christian for a long time and I'm still blown away by the love humanity was shown through Christ's actions. And in that, knowing myself, I'm also blown away by the love and blessing He has shown me.
Throughout my week, I get the privilege of hanging out with my pastor a lot. Through meeting for coffee, small group, and Sundays at church, I get to hear his perspective and wisdom on things quite a bit. It's great stuff and such an encouragement in my life.
Some of the things that have stuck with me lately were the parables in Matthew 13. The parables about the pearl and hidden treasure to be more specific. In both of the parables, a man finds something of great worth. He then sells all he has so that he can buy that object of great worth.
Now, I have always read those verses as our relationship with Christ and our salvation in Him is worth giving up everything to obtain and pursue. There is nothing greater or worth having that is more important than our treasure in Christ. What a great truth that is!
My pastor turned that around, though. What if we look at those parables through the lens of us being the great treasure? Did Christ not give up everything to save us? Christ sold or gave up everything so that He could buy us out of the slavery of sin. One doesn't just willingly go through the torture of a crucifixion just for the heck of it. He saw something worth saving. He paid the ultimate price to buy us out of bondage so that we could be free from sin and have eternal life in Him. To Christ, we are a great treasure worth giving up everything to save.
There is no such thing as a nobody in the Kingdom of God. There are no untouchables, no worthless people. Christ sees past the dirt, mud, and even manure in our lives to see the gold and diamonds underneath. And the awesome thing is that He doesn't leave us covered with the imperfections and impurities but He refines us if we let Him when we invite Him into our lives.
You don't find gold and just cast it aside because it's a little dirty. No, when you find it, you clean it off, melt it down and turn it into something of use. As is it with Christ, you don't have to wait to be clean of dirt before you decide to follow Him. No, you come to Him caked in mud and hard rock with all your imperfections. Out of His love, He sees the treasure within and will break away the hard rock, clean away the dirt, and smelt the imperfections out of you over time.
It not always a fast or painless process. We are all works in progress for sure. It's not always easy. Sometimes, it's downright hard...but even with that, it's still worth it. It is a treasure worth giving up everything for just as Christ gave up everything for the treasure He found in us.
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