Jesus is Lord

Today, I am sitting in an empty classroom, sipping on some water and eating an apple. I decided not to give my students an exam, but there is a rule in our university that we must still remain in the classroom for the entire two hour exam period. As i have been sitting here, I have been reflecting on the past semester and how many times and ways God has blessed me. I have an amazing wife, a great apartment, a great family, friends, a career outlook that looks promising, and of course, health coverage – It does not sound all that glamorous, but take it from someone that has not had it most of the last ten years – it is a huge blessing! However, that is just the beginning. I have a fully stocked fridge, clean drinking water, electricity, indoor plumbing, a car, a computer, and many, many more things! And i fully realize that because of all of this it puts me in the top .01 percent of the world as far as wealth, if not higher. I am humbled and greatful just thinking about it.

I think one of the strangest things about all these blessings is that I am not thankful every minute of every day of my life. Matter of fact, i find it quite astounding that I do not thank God with every breath I take. But, my heart often falls into sin and selfishness, and many, many days I am not thankful. So, i am extremely thankful for this quiet two hours to sit back and reflect. More specifically, i would like to reflect more on the role that God plays in my everyday life. Or, as David would say in the Psalms: “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me” (Psalm 3:5) and “I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” (Psalm 9:1,2)

Looking over the past ten years of my life, I know that i could not have made it through without the Lord by my side. Even as I felt like everything in the world was being ripped away from me, I knew He was walking beside me. I felt much like Peter in Matthew 14:30 – “But when he (Peter) saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!” Of course, I now know that I was staring into the waves and not keeping my eyes on Him, but at least I did call out to Him and of course, He responded. I know that I did not always think of Him in the way I do now, but I knew He was there. Now, after many years and much reflection, I now know that He is my Lord completely and that I will surrender everything to Him:

Matthew 28:18 – “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'”

Collossians 1:15-20 – “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

Acts 10:36 – “You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.”

I know that Christ is Lord, and that all things are for His glory. Because of this, it makes me want to turn away from my sins and turn to Him. Of course, I fail often. Really often. But, I know that as long as each time I fail, I turn to Him, He will continue to conform me to His image and I will sin less. I will grow increasingly to hate sin:

Romans 5:21 – “Just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I can already see the effects of this in my everyday life. I used to complain regularly about everything; whereas, now I can see that i more often turn towards my blessings than complaints. This has occurred by His grace over much time. I still complain, but much less often. This has also occured in the area of sinful judging as well. Now that I am dedicated to everything being for His glory, I realize that this does not honor Him and that everything that I do, needs to honor Him. God has also given me continuous grace in the form of helping me to be angry less often, to let fewer idols stand in the way of my relationship with Him, and many other areas as well.

Of course, there are still areas that I need to drastically ask for His help and forgiveness, like: humility, pride, and patience, but I know if i keep looking towards Him, He will continue to conform me to His image.

This is not the end of the road though, by any means. I do not just have to wake up, confront my sin, pray and go to bed each day. Being a Christian means so much more! After all, we are called to “immitate” Christ, which is something that each of us could work on for the rest of our lives, and never finish. In a similar manner as the disciples throughout the New Testament, we are called to follow Him and put into practice what he teaches us (Mark 1:16-20; and Luke 6:46-49). We are also called to have the “mind of Christ” including His attitude of humble, sacrificial servanthood (1 Corinthians 2:16; Phil 2:5-8). Basically, we are not just to “sin no more” and turn to Him, we are also supposed to “follow,” “imitate,” and “conform” to Him. Meaning, as new beings in Christ, we need to act in the manner that He would act: caring for the lepers, healing the sick, helping the poor, and giving our entire life for God.

As immitators, we need to live a missional life of sacrafice, where we seek out those who are lost, we love them, care for them, share the Word with them, and give our lives to bring them to God. Or basically, “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Lk. 6:31; Mt. 7:12). This is a tough thing to do and as of yet i cannot say that I have done this; however, this is my goal. I would like to spend the rest of my life trying to make this happen – and in that I have to trust God to help me along the journey.

After all, in instructing us on how we are to live our lives, Jesus said: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31). I love these lines because it does not just command us to love Him with all of our hearts and sould – but also our “mind(s)” and “strength.” So we are asked to love Him by using our minds – through thinking, studying, consulting with other Christians, etc. And we are to love Him with all of our strength as well – through good works and a and having servant heart.

Well, my two hours are just about up, but i am very thankful that God allowed me this opportunity to reflect on the many blessings that He has bestowed upon me and look towards the future as well. Of course, there is a lot of uncertainty, but at least I can have complete confidence that He will make my “pathways straight.”

A Streetlight: A Sign of Progress in Liberia

Written by: Jessica

Africa has been on my mind and heart lately & I’ve chosen to find out what God is doing and what people there are facing. See other blogs I’ve posted on Africa: Water and Sanitation in Africa and Aids & Children in Africa.

A streetlight, pictured above is a sign of progress in Liberia , a country struggling to recover from a 14-year civil war. See a slide show of pictures from the BBC on current life in Liberia. Electricity has been restored to street lights, allowing safety for those traveling by foot at night and good light for studying. This small country, about the size of Tennessee, is of curious interest to me – maybe because of it’s amazing resolve, or because I just happened to be reading the BBC the morning that it was on the front page. I had no idea of the poverty and devastation in Liberia. The civil war has left behind poverty, (3/4 of the population lives on less than $1.00 a day), hundreds of thousands of refugees, an 85% unemployment rate, a life expectancy of 50 years, and illiteracy (50% of the population is illiterate). This is cause for a cry for help. (UN, CIA World Factbook)

Of particular risk is Liberia’s children. UNICEF reports that Liberia’s children are especially at risk—many are unable to attend schools because buildings are overcrowded. Liberia also lacks basic vaccinations and health care, thus giving it the 5th highest infant-mortality rate in the world (156 deaths per 1000 births), and an estimated 230,000 children are orphaned from HIV/AIDS, disease and armed conflict at present.
Current Liberian president, Ellen-Johnson-Sirleaf, elected in January 2006, brings great resolve and hope to this country. Reducing corruption, providing jobs, restoring basic healthcare (such as vaccinations for children), clean water, electricity, reopening schools, rebuilding many public schools and office buildings from the war are a few of the daunting challenges facing her administration. Her background in banking (Citibank, World Bank) is a great asset for cancelling Liberia’s debt & rebuilding efforts. She is working to educate the world of Libera’s needs and partner with those who can help.

What can we do? Well, perhaps the most helpful thing we can do in the US is to ask Congress to approve legislation that will increase debt cancellation of impoverished countries to meet Millennium Development Goals. Liberia has over $3.7 billion in external debt – which at current rates will take over 1,000 years to repay. Helping to cancel debts will allow the country to get back on its feet. JUBILEE USA has an online letter that you can complete and it will be forwarded to your representatives. Secondly, finding organizations at work in Libera is another way to be informed and contribute to the efforts in Liberia. I found it difficult to find any organizations at work in Libera, due to the danger of working in the country until this past year. World Vision and JUBILEE USA both are actively involved in Libera today. Besides giving, or finding other organizations that give aid to Liberia, please pray for the church in Liberia—for President Johnson-Sirleaf, for aid to increase from government and non-government agencies, for safety for aid workers in this country and for God’s help.

Giving Thanks for other Christians

I have recently been reading through Ephesians and it has really affected me. It has made me think about being thankful for all of God’s gifts and also to be thankful for brothers and sisters in Christ. I often find myself very thankful for His gifts, but am regularly very critical of my fellow brothers and sisters (especially those I deem hypocritical). It is something that I need to continue to work on and I pray that someday it will flow through me more naturally and regularly. Here are some of the passages that I have been reading in order to regain focus:

13 Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. 15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

In this passage, we are told that He has marked us for salvation and when we accept him, this mark becomes a seal “guaranteeing our inheritance,” and redemption. For this, we should worship, praise, and be confident in his glory and love for us… We need to remember his love for us in our love for others through thankfulness and prayer and he will reward us by helping us come closer to him or to “know him better.”

So, today, i really would like to meditate on how thankful i am for all of you. I have been so incredibly blessed by so many people that it would make a long list, so let me just say each one of you represents an important part of the body and without you, the body is not whole. I am even thankful for those that I disagree with or that I think are supporting false doctrine. While i will not support that doctrine, I am thankful for your love for Christ and pray that we will be together someday.

The key to remembering this and keeping it important in our lives is to keep perspective:

Ephesians 2

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

–Before we know him, we are “dead” because of our sin. We followed the world instead of him—this is how I felt much of my life, I knew him, but I was rebelling or turning away from his love—but because of his immense love for us he saves us. We had no hope without him, we were of the body gratifying our cravings, where now that we have turned to him, the sin remains, but we have hope in his kingdom and he continues to lead us towards sanctification. Once we see this, how can we judge others harshly? When we see our old selves in others, it should create an overflowing of compassion for everyone we meet – no matter how of the world they are.