Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God. (Romans 10:1-4, NLT)

I hate to admit it, but what Paul says here strikes a cord with me today. I may have the right level of enthusiasm for God, but am I directing it in the right direction? Am I refusing to do things God’s way because I want to do them my way? Am I clinging to my own way of doing things…including getting right with Him and walking with Him…or am I truly trying to do things God’s way?

Sometimes His way is the hard way. He doesn’t do things the way I want them done. He doesn’t do things when I want them done. Sometimes it’s not even about me–SHOCKING!!

At the same time, His way is so much easier. After all, Christ has already done the hard work…the part I couldn’t do myself. He has made me right with God. All I have to do is truly believe in Him. I’m going to work harder at letting go of “My Way” and embracing “God’s Way”…with His help of course! ;o)

Love One Another

It really does all boil down to this “simple” command and He says it over and over again in Scripture. And the more I study it (which I have been doing lately for several reasons), the more convicted I am. This isn’t a feeling of love for others, but an active demonstration of love.

It’s much easier to say that we love someone; it’s something else entirely to prove it with our actions. John dares us to prove our love for others:

Let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. (1 John 3:18, NLT)

Jesus says this is our test as disciples. It’s a test we’re taking every day:

Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. (John 13:35, NLT)

Unfortunately, I think I’m failing the test. And I’m not trying to be self-deprecating here, just an honest assessment. I’ve got the feeling part down (mostly); it’s the active demonstration of love where I’m falling short. Which is bad news, because Scripture is very in saying that my love for others demonstrates how much I love God. John again…

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:7-8, NLT)

Ouch. Too much saying and not enough doing on my part. Why? Good question…one I’m off to pray, ponder, and meditate on. I’ve got to start doing better.

This morning I read a story I’ve read countless times and have even taught and preached it: The story of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-30.  (I encourage you to read it for yourself before you continue…with fresh eyes). I was positive I wouldn’t get anything new out of this story (great attitude huh?). I was wrong.

What I saw this morning comes after the rich man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life (not a bad question, if not the best). And it comes after Jesus answers him by telling him to follow the commandments (not the answer you or I would give by the way). What I saw was in the rich man’s response to Jesus’ answer:

“I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?” (Matthew 19:20, NLT)

What else must I do? Are you kidding me?!?!

Jesus answers this man’s question, and the man says he’s already done what Jesus says he must do. Walk away dude! Mission accomplished! You got what you came for. You got the right answer…why press for more?

Why indeed? Why did this rich man press for more? Why would he ask: “What else must I do?” He obviously saw that something was missing…that the answer was incomplete. I’m not saying that Jesus gave an incomplete answer, but that this man knew there was more for him. And he takes the risk to ask the next question: “What else?”

I typically read the result of that next question and feel sorrow and shame for the rich man because he walked away from Jesus. But he did ask the question…which is more than I do sometimes.

There was something in this man’s soul that yearned for more in his religion. In fact, he wanted more than religion…he wanted something real. He just wasn’t willing to pay the price demanded.

I want more too. I wonder though, am I willing to pay the price?

What else must I do?

However, we need to be careful not to use that as an excuse in our spiritual lives. We are supposed to be teaching others about spiritual things…

You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others.
Hebrews 5:12, NLT

As I read this passage,a couple of thoughts come to mind:

1. There is an expectation of growth in our spiritual lives. We are supposed to learn and graduate from “spiritual milk” to “spiritual meat”. It’s natural…and it’s unnatural not to grow.
2. There is an expectation that we will take others on the journey with us…we are supposed to be teaching others the spiritual truths we learn as we grow. You don’t have to be some Biblical scholar, but you need to be sharing your experiences…how God has been teaching you and how you have grown.

I’ve been praying this week about who God wants me to pour my life into. Who should I be taking on the journey with me? Who can I teach…and learn from at the same time?

I got my answer…how about you?

But it has been a good journey too. I am becoming more like Him…but I have a loooooong way to go! I trust His heart. I trust His intentions. I know He has the best in mind for me. So I listen and learn…too slowly, but it is happening.

Just this weekend Go gave me this passage to wrestle with:

If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—
your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life.
Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.
And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple…
So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.
Luke 14:26-27, 33

Take a second and read that again…take it all in.

It’s a steep price to pay…being His disciple, following Him. Have I counted the cost? Am I willing to pay this price? Is this where my heart really is? Are His priorities my priorities? They easy answer is “yes”, but is that the honest answer?

That’s my challenge this week. He and I are working through the questions and the answers. It’s a process. It’s a journey.

This is no easy task, and we have done a lot of homework in preparing for this journey already. We have prayed. We have talked. We have studied. One of the best books on this subject is Raising a Modern Day Knight by Robert Lewis. In the book Lewis talks about defining manhood and instilling this definition in your son(s). He also talks about using ceremonies in your son’s life to initiate him along the pathway to manhood (a rite of passage that is missing in our society). Lewis details four principles of manhood in his book (chapter 4):

1. A Real Man Rejects Passivity
2. A Real Man Accepts Responsibility
3. A Real Man Leads Courageously
4. A Real Man Expects the Greater Reward

I can’t argue with any of that (especially when you get into the details), but I think there is something missing. I sat down last night and prayed about this, asking God to help me define manhood for my sons. What is it I want my sons to know about manhood? How do I define manhood? What does it mean to be a man?

Here is my modified list (in its current form anyway, and yes some are from Lewis’ list):

1. A Real Man Knows and Walks with God
2. A Real Man Stands for Truth and Accepts Responsibility
3. A Real Man is a Servant Leader
4. A Real Man Lives for Something Bigger Than Himself
5. A Real Man Loves and Fights for the Woman in His Life

So here’s the question of the day…and I really to covet your thoughts, evaluations, and responses…are we missing anything? How do you answer this question: What Does it Mean to Be a Man? This is too important for me to think I have it all figured out (I’m working towards the goal…which is part of the lesson for the boys…this is a lifetime journey). Any thoughts, reactions, modifications, or additions are willingly accepted.

And please be praying for us this weekend as we start this journey. And if you know anyone who can loan us a sword for the weekend…do tell, we need on to initiate our boys as Pages!

The main principle in the lesson is that we are supposed to life our everyday lives with God. It’s so easy to compartmentalize our lives and have our “God Time” and our “Every Day Life” be separate. But that’s not what God wants…He wants to have a “rich relationship” with us and He wants to be part of everything we have going on. But that is SO much easier said than done!!

It’s so much easier to do my 30 minute devotional in the morning and “get God out of the way”. Taking Him with me throughout the day is another matter entirely. How about that meeting I have…does God care about that? Yep! How about my stray thoughts during the day…does He care about those too? Yep.

You get the picture.

So how do you practice God’s presence in your life? How do you keep Him front and center in everything you’re doing? I’m open to any and all suggestions, ideas, and practices (and I’m looking forward to the class this week to unpack this even more).

And if you’re not doing so well at it, join the club! The good news is God is willing to help you and me along. If you’re struggling with this one let me know and we can work on it together and pray for one another.

The passage I read this morning was from Matthew 20:20-28. In this story James and John’s mother ask Jesus if He would make sure her sons had the place of honor in His kingdom. Now, don’t get me started on the whole issue that these “men” had to have their mommy ask Jesus such a question (I mean, come on, man up dudes). Jesus tells them that they don’t know what they are asking for and moves on.

That is until the other disciples heard about their request. How did they respond? Just like I would have…with indignation. In others words, they were peeved because they didn’t get to Jesus first. That’s when Jesus gets to the heart of the matter and really starts to meddle:

“Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,
and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.”
Matthew 20:26-27

Jesus turns everything upside down:
     Want to be a leader? Become a servant.
     Want to be first? Become a slave.

My devotional book drove the point home for me even deeper, so instead of paraphrasing it, I’ll just print what it said and let you digest it for yourself:

Do we spend our days looking for those whom we might serve? Probably not. Our own agendas—godly though they may be—become so large and consuming that we rarely depart from them, at least not without feeling inconvenienced. Yet servanthood is integral to the gospel. Nowhere else does Jesus give us a path to greatness. Our desire to accomplish great things for God’s kingdom can only be fulfilled on this principle.

Color me convicted. I need to chew on this and ask God to transform my motivations from my own agendas to His agenda. I pray for a servant’s heart often…time to put it into practice.

1. Building Blocks of Christianity
2. Holy Habits (a.k.a. Spiritual Disciplines)
3. Famous Old Testament Stories
4. Famous New Testament Stories

I thought I was going to start with “The Building Blocks of Christianity” which will focus on the most important theological Christian concepts (such as The Virgin Birth, The Trinity, Second Coming, etc). However, I’m thinking maybe of starting with the “Holy Habits” seminar which focuses on spiritual disciplines (such as Prayer, Studying Scripture, Fasting, etc). Both are important, but I’m thinking perhaps starting off with the more personal side, versus the more academic, may be better??

Which would you be more interested in? Or which would you start with??

Don’t be shy…let your voice be heard!! And thanks in advance!

My first real class starts November 5th–Youth Ministry. I ordered all of the books for the course and they came earlier this week. I figured I’d get a jump start on the reading and one of the books has already captured my attention: The Godbearing Life: The Art of Soul Tending for Youth Ministry. This book is about more than youth ministry…the principles apply to all ministry.

I’m only 2 chapters in, but it’s been a good reminder that ministry is not about programs…it’s about people. And ministry isn’t just about getting to know people (although that’s important)…”youth ministry sets out to introduce teenagers to a particular relationship–namely, a relationship with Jesus Christ” (p. 27). I would argue that’s not just a goal for youth ministry.

And I would argue it’s not just for pastors! 

The Great Commandment and the Great Commission weren’t spoken for pastors only. Far from it! God wants us all in the business of introducing Him to others. No doubt pastors and teachers have an important role to play (that’s for another blog)…but we can’t abdicate our responsibility to them. We need to all be in the business of pastoring, discipling, and evangelizing each other. It’s why we are called “the Body of Christ”.

As I go about my daily life I’m trying to stay focused on what really matters–relationships not programs. I need to get involved in the lives of others–my wife, my kids, the men in my men’s group, Life Group, co-workers, and on and on…