Hard Soil

Summer Scripture - 2 Timothy 2:15

2011-07-23T20:44:00.001-07:00

2 Timothy 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
· When I first read this passage, I thought it seemed pretty straight forward, but the more I tried to memorize it, the more confusing it became to me. Like, how are you supposed to “present yourself to God", and what exactly does “approved”? I asked those same questions to a lot of the volunteers this weekend, and the general consensus was that you present yourself to God with how you choose to live your life. I think that's exactly what Paul was trying to tell us, for sure, but I found that there was another way to present yourself to God that most people overlooked - Prayer. When you pray to God, you're presenting yourself before Him and trying to grow closer to your creator and your savior. I think that's important to mention because the ones that are "approved" are the ones who are tryign to do exactly that - grow closer to God and in hopes of pleasing him. A famous bible scholar named Adam Clark suggested that this meant to study the bible to cultivate and improve your heart and mind so you can be above reproach.

· The other question I asked was how should we “correctly handle the word of truth”? The Greek word “orthotomounta” is what is translated as “correctly handles”. It literally means to “cut straight”, like if you were to cut a board or a piece of paper into equal parts. Other translations rendered this word “rightly divided”. It's also important to notice that the "Word of Truth" is one used several times in Paul's letters to refer to the scriptures, what we would call the Holy Bible, and not just the gospel of Jesus. Wait - that made it more confusing didn't it?

Paul isn't telling you to cut your Bible in half. Just before this verse, Paul talks about sin as though it were a sickness or defect that would result in amputation. Some books render these words as cancer or gangrene, a sickness that often results in hands and feet having to be cut off to save someone's life. When you tie all this together, Paul is simply telling Tim to use the Bible as his measuring stick to determine what is right, what is good, and what God wants to see in him and live that out! As he compares himself to this example, however, Paul is encouraging Tim to cut the sin and temptations out of his life so that he can be an effective tool used to further God's kingdom.

All of the volunteers agreed that's some advice that we need to practice. The ways to practice it are straight forward, too! Read the Bible! How can you handle the word of truth if you're not learning it? Present yourself to God, both in the way that you're living and by praying, and lastly, set an example that would make you proud to be called one of God's

1Tim 6:20&21

2011-07-09T20:16:00.001-07:00

“Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. Grace be with you.”

What are the things that have been entrusted to your care? There are a lot of things you’ve been entrusted with. Your school work, your family, and your friends were all examples that I heard last weekend. In this chapter, though, I think Paul was talking about two things specifically. First, he was talking about the first church at Ephesus. Several times in the 1 Timothy, Paul tells Timothy how important it is that he stay there and keep spreading the gospel. So, one of the things he’s been entrusted with are the people of the city who may not know about Jesus yet. The second thing would be the message of the gospel.

That second part about Godless chatter and “opposing ideas” were people saying that Jesus isn’t the way to salvation. Paul was talking about Tim being entrusted with the gospel and keeping the message of Jesus pure from corruption. At that time in history, only about 50 years after Jesus had been resurrected a religion called Gnosticism was starting to surface in Ephesus. Gnosticism was an early heresy (that’s a religion that takes a little bit of one religion, but completely changes it) that taught people we’re saved by knowledge, not the grace of God. The word Gnosticism comes from the Greek work “knowledge”. You see what he means when he says “ideas of what is falsely called knowledge”?

Do you think this is something we still need to resist today? You betcha! There are a lot of ideas and ways of thinking that try to take God and Jesus out of the way you view the world or how things work. Turn away from that nonsense, and guard the thoughts and people that are most precious to you.

Summer Scripture - 1 Tim 5:24&25

2011-06-30T20:39:00.001-07:00

Hey, guys!

The scripture we read during 1st hour service was 1 Timothy 5:24 & 25.

"The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden."

It can be pretty obvious when someone is doing something wrong, can't it? In the movies you see a bank being held up by men in ski masks, and there's no question who the bad guys are. As you go through life at work and at school, there are people who are doing things that you will immediately recognize as sin. Sometimes that sin isn't so obvious though. Sometimes the things that hurt you or are hurting others are things you can't prove. Maybe it's bad gossip that is going to make someone really embarassed. Maybe it's making money in a way that isn't honest or is going to hurt someone else. You don't often see that sin happening, and often times the person sinning will never see the final result of their actions, but that doesn't mean someone didn't get hurt.

In the same way, doing the right thing is always obvious. I was in New York a couple of weeks ago, and I was having breakfast in a small cafe in Times Square at around 8am. There were hundreds of people bustling about the sidewalk trying to get to work. Most of them were listening to iPods, reading, or drinking coffee. One lady, who had a book in one hand and headphones in her ears, wasn't paying attention where she was going, and as she neared the curb to cross the street, she misjudged and fell flat on her face. She must have been completely embarassed, but as quickly as she fell, no less that 5 people stopped in the middle of the street to help her. These were complete strangers, one of them in a full suit probably headed to Wall Street, another was clearly a construction worker. As the two men helped her to her feet and then to the curb, another woman picked up all the things that had fallen out of her purse, including her wallet, and put them safely away so she wouldn't lose anything. There was no hiding that good deed, and I think that's what Paul was talking about in this passage.

When people sin, they bring pain into the world. Whether we see it, or we don't, it's going to cause harm to someone, even if it's ourselves by separating us from the God who loves us just a little bit more. When we do the right thing, though, whether people see it or they don't, you're going to make the world a better place one moment at a time. You're going to be the hands and feet of God and bring a little bit more joy in the world, and I think that makes our Father proud of us.

Be Good!

Summer Scripture - 1Tim 4:12&13

2011-06-25T08:49:00.000-07:00

I promised one of the teens I'd send out the passages I read in each of the Children's Ministry rooms every Sunday over the summer. I'm going to try to be faithful about doing that. Help keep me honest! I'm sending this to all the teens and all their parents so that there is no inpropriety, but if this feels like spam, just reply and I'll stop sending it to you and your child. No hard feelings.

Last week I read out of 1 Timothy 4:12 & 13

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching."

At first glance this looks like a passage that specifically targets teens, but it really isn't. I asked if anyone had experiences where they'd been told they were too young for something or they felt like they were looked down on because of their age. Some of the teens mentioned driving a car as an example or movies rated PG-13 or higher. Some of the adults remembered stories about entering the work force and not beeing allowed to progress too quickly in their careers because they weren't old enough to convince their superiors they had enough experience.

Both are great examples, but I feel that to understand this passage fully, you have to stop and think about why these age driven criteria are considered important. We want to make sure that anyone who gets behind the wheel of a car recognizes they're taking their lives, the lives of their passengers, and the lives of the passengers of every car they come near into their hands. That's a huge amount of responsibility. The age limit doesn't mean you're physically incapable of driving. It's a safe guard to make sure you've probably matured to the point that you will make responsible descisions when mom and dad aren't sitting right next to you, and what happens if you prove to them that you're not? License or not, you're probably not going to be driving anywhere.

Believe it or not, the example about the workplace is the same kind of safeguard. Someone climbing into management, for example, isn't just taking on responsibility for the company they work for to ensure that they make money. They're also taking responsibility of coaching and mentoring the people who work for them to ensure those people have what they need and know how to do the job so that they can continue to make a paycheck that will support their families. It's a big responsibility on both sides, and you have to be responsible and mentally strong enough to handle it. Shouldn't you be sure that the advice you're getting about the Creator of the world knows what they're talking about? Who's going to commit their eternal soul and hope of salvation on someone they don't think could possibly know what they're talking about?!

Paul makes it clear to Tim that the best way to get past the "age" stigma is to set a good example in speech (what you say), in life (how you live and what you do), in love (how you treat people, even someone who can do you no good), in faith (how you trust God to lead and protect you), and purity (and he wasn't talking about bar soap). He told Tim to walk the talk because no one can argue with proof. I asked everyone to think about and share ways they could set those kinds of examples, which ones were the hardest, and as usual everyone had a different one they struggle with.

The last part of the passage about reading scripture, preaching and teaching I thought was Paul following up with a simple way for Tim to get opportunities to set an example in all of those ways he'd just listed by encouraging him to get out into the real world and in contact with other people in the name of God.

The last question I asked everyone was what they thought the difference was between "Preaching" and "Teaching"? That one stumped a lot of people, and others seemed to have it on the tip of their tounge. I'm no pastor, but the way I've come to understand it is that Preaching is sharing the ways someone can walk closer with God and Teaching is a back and forth dialogue to help someone better understand something that might be confusing, hard to accept, or hard to explain. To use an analogy - think of Preaching as singing a beautiful song that helps someone enjoy music and want to hear more. Think of Teaching as instructing someone in music theory so that they could take the sheet music and sing the song themselves for others.

It took a whole lot less time in the classrooms than it did to type it all up, but I'll try to keep this up like I promised!

Gentle Reminder

2010-10-04T18:47:00.000-07:00

I was praying yesterday morning that the Lord would show me how I could walk closer with Him, how I could make Him proud, and I asked that He show me in a very real way. I've been disheartened by some stress in my career and ambition over the last several weeks that frayed me emotionally, and I was having a hard time getting pointed back in the right direction.

I serve every Sunday as the leader of our church nursery. I coordinate and minster to the volunteers, and I work to make sure every child is presented with a clear image of Jesus in the hours they spend with us. Last Sunday was tough, but I felt God with us! Hill Country Bible is a mega-church by most standards, and last Sunday we had the yearly "Child Dedication Ceremony". As you can imagine, our numbers were through the roof, and that was clearly reflected in the nursery's headcount. That was exacerbated by two classrooms worth of teachers in the neighboring toddler hall that weren't present, forcing their leader into a teacher role, and leaving me to handle both sections. Babies were crying, and I would fly in, carry them with me as I managed my weekly tasks, and when they were calmed and comforted, I'd take them back to their regular teachers.

By the time I made it to worship, I was dripping with sweat, my arms aching from a genuine work out, and I was ready to collapse. As I settled in next to my wife, the sermon began, and my prayer was answered. Pastor Tim Hawks preached a wonderful sermon on the same parable of the sower I started this blog with. He pointed out that so often ministers preach this lesson with a "Fire and Damnation" slant designed to scare people into salvation. Admittedly, it makes for good preaching, but that is not at all what Jesus was talking about in this story.

Look at the last verse Jesus teaches about the good soil results;

"But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."
Matthew 13:23 NIV

Jesus was talking about being fruitful, kind of like when His Dad blessed humanity saying,

"Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth."
Genesis 1:22 NIV

We need to be making new disciples! We will be judged by the fruit of our labor, and for a guy who has a hard time keeping goldfish alive, that scares me slightly. Still, the answer to my prayer was clear. I need to stay committed to what I start! I need to keep track of the people who I'm building into, and I need to keep my eyes focused on the Lord's work at all times, regardless what I'm doing.

Feeling Tired

2010-05-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

Feeling really tired this week. I've been falling off of my quiet time schedule, which is a huge problem, and I see a difference in my attitude as a result of it. I was listening to a great lesson by John Piper yesterday that talked about the need to open the Bible every day, and he pointed out how important it is we be in the Word regularly.

I agree!

I think I'm getting distracted by the day-in, day-out routines. I'm clinging too much to control and not letting go and surrendering myself to the Lord like he commands us to. So, once again this morning, I'm surrendering.

No word from the Mormons yet. They didn't come by this weekend like I expected, but please continue to pray for them and for me.

They're BAaaack!

2010-05-18T18:15:00.000-07:00

Praise the Lord! The Elders came back today! Well, one of them came back, and he had a new side kick. Apparently the other one got sent to San Antonio. I got a good 45 minutes of their time, and God was so very with us.

Both of them confessed their doubts, and admitted they had to rely on blind faith to see past it.
They accepted my Bible as a gift, and they promised they'd read the passages I highlighted.
They took my 3 pages of questions and promised to look for answers.

I knew that He had a purpose for this effort, and seeing them show up (yes, unannounced again) is one of the ways He showed that to me. The other was when I made introductions to the newest member of our team at work yesterday. Any guesses where she's from? You got it; Salt Lake City, Utah!!

In our brief conversation that was really supposed to be a training session, she admitted the her husband and her kids are Mormon, but that she's not. She was raised Catholic, but she apparently had a falling out with Jesus. I shared my faith with her, and I told her I'd be happy to talk to her about it in more detail whenever it was convenient for her.

I've been praying for opportunities to see God at work in my life. He's answering. He always does.

2010-05-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

Psalm 24:
3. Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God his Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
Selah

A couple of weeks ago, I had a couple young men come up to my house as I was finishing up yard work with my daughter. They asked if they could pray with me. I asked them who we would be praying to, and they said "Jesus", so I agreed. Then his prayer started "Holy Spirit...". When he was finished, I said, "You must be Mormons.", and one of them said they were, and would I be willing to talk with them.

I set up two chair for them, while my daughter and I sat on the ground. I told them I was an active Christian, but I confessed I didn't know much about their religion and could I ask them some questions. I was somewhat surprised that the responses I got to my questions were very in-line with my beliefs. After about an hour, my wife came out on the porch to remind me we had a dinner date that I needed to get ready for, so I sent the Mormons away and promised to research their faith a little more that week so that we could have a more insightful conversation the next time we met. They asked when they should come back, and I explained that I have several commitments to my family, my church, and my job making scheduling a necessity, but I gave them my business card and asked them to call me during the week so I could plan time with them.

I kept up my end of the promise and researched Mormonism. Although sharing several of the prominent moral lessons of Christianity, I uncovered a starkly different belief in the truth of Jesus, God, and the nature and purpose of the Salvation purchased with Christ's attoning sacrifice on the cross. I found a religion that claimed belief in the bible when "it was properly translated", which any Christian would agree with. However, the amount of the bible they believe is improperly translated is astounding.

Feeling drawn to show the patience and humility that God expects and Christ modeled for his followers, I took a bible and highlighted several key passages of difference. I bookmarked each section with sticky notes that notated the significance of those discrepancies, and then book-ended the bible with facts about the translation, the extent manuscripts modern translations are based on, and questioned some of the additions that the Mormon faith inserts into the Holy Bible.

The Elders showed up the next Saturday while I was coaching Felicity's soccer game unannounced. They showed up again the following Saturday while I was away trying to get parts I needed to fix my wife's push cart for school. She reminded them that I really needed them to call and schedule, but having seen the work I had been doing for them, she also told them I really wanted to talk with them.

They called this Monday and asked when I'd be available. I told them I could schedule 1 hour with them on Wednesday, but the only other time I could commit to would be Saturday. They promised to be here at 8:30am this morning, but something must have come up because they no-call, no-showed.

Not wanting my preparation to be in vain, let me share these thoughts with you if you find yourself in this situation.

Mormonism is not Christianity. Although they call on the name of Jesus there are very real differences in the Christ taught in these two different worldviews.
Mormonism has a very solid moral code of ethics This is important because they believe that salvation is as much from works as it is from faith, and that God does not completely forgive.
Although Christian beliefs are different, you should not approach any conversation with the intention of "converting the unbelievers". If you expect them to honestly consider your view of the gospel, you have to be willing to objectively listen to theirs.
If you're going to engage in this type of conversation, you need to be very solid in your foundations. It took me more than a week to thoroughly research,and there are several opportunities for Mormon's to slightly shift the tone of scripture to support their beliefs. Do your homework, and don't engage in a conversation like this until you have.

I found a great resource to start preparing, and if you're called to attempt this kind of ministry, I encourage you to check it out. http://www.mrm.org

There is one God who was before time. He is SPIRIT and must be worshiped in spirit, he sent his ONLY son to die as an attoning sacrifice for all who would believe in Him because He is a JUST God who doesn't change His mind or His values. Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit are all faces of the same Creator, and He created everything out of nothing, and for those who would accept Him and seek Him in faith, He will provide eternal life to be spent in His presence.

Bottom line? There is NOTHING you can do to earn forgiveness, salvation ,or eternal life, neither before or after baptism. Every breath we take is a gift from a loving God, and we are saved by FAITH in His promise, not by anything we do in this life.

I do hope God sends them by again. I'll let you know how it goes.

Failing Faith Causing You Hardships?

2008-12-30T06:53:00.000-08:00

What a whirlwind couple of months for the entire world! The deepest recession America has experienced since the Great Depression has sent the entire world into a tail-spin of fear and financial panic. In the month of December, over 250,000 Americans became unemployed amidst an environment where jobs are fewer and home foreclosures are at an all time high.

Will the downfallen turn away from the Lord feeling forsaken and forgotten? Does the gospel teach that the trials, pains, and hardships we face in life indicate that they have befallen us occur because of our lack of faith?

The "Prosperity" based gospel is one that indicates that both of these are true. This is not what Christ taught, however. If you believe that as a follower of Christ you are entitled to a first class lifestyle, then I encourage you to review this article explaining the fallacy of this view point.

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Let me ask you this. Did Jesus lead a luxurious lifestyle? Which of his disciples spoke of their 401k or worldly investment strategies? None of them would have been welcome into a modern country club. None of them set an example of storing up piles of gold so they could dole it out when they encountered the needy. The examples we've been given to follow teach us to lead a life of service to others, to become detached from worldly possessions. They repeatedly teach us to store up treasures in heaven, not on earth, and that we should not only expect hardships like those that many are facing today, but we should rejoice in them as an opportunity to demonstrate our faith in God.

I'm not saying the thought of losing your house, your job, your car, or putting your family into financial straights isn't a terrifying one. I'm saying that this is a worldly reminder that as humans we do not have the control over our circumstances that we often believe we do. I'm saying that now is the time for those in trouble and those still solvent should be leaning on the Lord more than ever and serving to fulfill his purpose, not our own.

The Prosperity Gospel belief that faith and words oblige God to help you places your self image as equal or greater than the creator of the universe, and that is down right illogical. The gifts you receive from the Lord are exactly that, gifts. They're gifts you don't deserve, but gifts that are given by a loving and patient creator who has plans for your life.

How have you been using those gifts? Are you serving others? Are you seeing the Lord work through you in those endeavors? Take some time this week to think about how God is working in your life, and how you're working for him.

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

We have an opportunity now to really help others! Now is the greatest opportunity in this century to fulfill one of the simplest requests of our savior, Jesus Christ. He doesn't say let your light so shine so that you can earn your first class ticket. He doesn't want you to look good for your friends and neighbors. He wants you to follow the example He set for us, and give glory and thanks to God, and you know what? You can DO IT!!

Today's Prayer:

Lord, thank you so much for the example you gave us. I love you, and I am so thankful to you for all the gifts you have given me yesterday, today, and will provide tomorrow. Father, please be with those who are fearful in these trying times. I ask that you give me the opportunity to see those who need your Word spoken into their lives, those who need the gospel...the good news...that can only be found by placing their lives and wills in your hands. Help me to shine before men, to mirror your glory and to accomplish the tasks you have set before me.

Amen.

Scent of a Woman

2008-10-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

Al Pacino played a very memorable character in the movie "Scent of a Woman". Perhaps I am dating myself slightly by mentioning this movie, but in the film a blind ex-military officer finds a reason to keep living in the friendship of a young college student. The college student with a blue collar heritage finds the courage to stand up in the face of adversity, peer pressure, and inequality at an ivy league school. The movie culminates into a courtroom style hearing where the young man is standing trial for not revealing the names of three pranksters who offended one of the schools officials. In the pivotal moment, Al Pacino's character speaks in defense of the young man's honor compared to his own saying, "Now, have come to the crossroads in my life. I always knew what the right path was. Without exception, I knew, but I never took it. You know why? It was too damned hard."

Most of the time we know what the right and wrong thing to do is, but as Pacino points out, taking the wrong path is so much easier. It's more comfortable or convenient at the time. It puts more money in your pocket. It keeps people from being angry at you. Sometimes, it keeps you from being hurt or even killed. I don't think anyone has any confusion as to why temptation is so hard to resist, but it is very important that we do.

Each step that we take away from God by giving into temptation adds a little bit more wickedness to our lives. Sometimes it is such a small amount that we don't even give it a second thought, but it adds up. In Matthew 24, Jesus answers his disciples questions about how they could recognize the end-times nearing, and he gives them a very clear picture of how this culminates into the destruction of the world as we know it.

"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. " Matthew 24:12 -13

Stand firm - Sounds a lot like encouraging drug addicts to just quit, like telling the abused wife to just deal with it, like telling the unemployed father to just pull up his boot straps. It's harder than it sounds, but what's key in this passage is two things: First, this is the first speech where Jesus openly admits he is the Christ messiah that was prophesied. This isn't a conservative suburbanite showing up at a halfway house peddling sunshine and telling you to be strong. This is the savior of the world who died for our sins telling you not only will it be hard now, it's going to get worse. It's going to get worse, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The second thing this passage promises is that if you stand firm, you will be saved with an eternal existence in God's holy presence.

You've spent some time thinking about what tempts you and how it makes you feel. Now spend some time thinking about standing firm and what that will look like, what that will feel like, and how it will sound. When boxers have to face a tough opponent, they practice before hand. When a singer must perform in front of a large audience, she rehearses prior to the show. In your quiet time with the Lord, ask him to give you a clear picture of what standing firm will look like, and practice doing so. If you fail, treat it like any sin and confess it, ask forgiveness, and then accept that grace from your Father in heaven. Then, continue to work towards a firm stand against temptation by trusting in God and remembering that having the chance to be with him is why you're resisting temptation in the first place.

Todays Prayer:

Lord, God almighty, thank you for your Word. Let it speak to us, Father, and make our paths straight. Give us a clear map to follow to reach the destinations where You want us and then help us mirror Your glory for those we might help. Lord, help us to stand firm when confronted with temptation and give us the wisdom to recognize when those moments occur. Help us to rehearse these situations in Your presence so that we can make You proud when they happen. We love you, Father, and ask these things in the name of your son Jesus.

Amen.

Tempting Thought!

2008-10-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

What are you tempted by? Do you know? You are tempted every single day to do something that isn't in your best interests, doesn't mirror God's glory, and often doesn't make you look like a good person to others and or to yourself. Maybe your temptation is as minor as having something sweet when you're trying to diet or as severe as stopping into the local bar before heading home to drink your problems away, knowing full well that it will result in another night of screaming at and hitting the people you love most.

Temptation has a simple definition, but means something different to each of us. Like the Greek hero Achilles, each of us has a unique set of weakness that Satan uses to drive a wedge between us and salvation. Many of our weaknesses are unique, too. What seems a trivial event for one man can lead another to ruin and debauchery. Things as simple as a cold beer at a backyard cookout or a $20 card game with co-workers on a Friday night can have completely different outcomes for two people based on the weaknesses they face in their personal journey.

At some point, we all give in to the temptation and fail to live up to God's expectations of us, too. Although often we recognize that what we're doing is a sin as we do it, there are times where we're tempted and don't even realize it because of attitudes, preconceptions, and biases that blind us from the danger of our actions. The old saying that the path to hell is paved with good intentions is right on the money, and I think everyone can give at least one example of a time they thought they were doing the right thing, but later found that wasn't the case.

I am going to spend the next few days exploring the topic of temptation, and as we enter into the weekend, I ask that you spend some time thinking about the temptations and weakness you are confronted with most often. You will have a much better chance of resisting temptation if you recognize it, and by searching your personal attitudes, your values, and the motivations behind your actions you will prepare yourself for the next encounter. A good way to start is to think of the things you often want to do, but that make you feel bad about yourself for doing them or have a negative outcome. Smoking is a good example. I don't think there is a smoker alive today that doesn't know the negative effects that nicotine and tar will have on their health. Take a minute to really understand why you are driven to do these things, why doing it makes you feel sadness or pain, and everyone who is impacted when you choose to give in to the temptation.

Even the best spiritual soil has temptation, and as you explore yours, remember what Paul points out in his first letter to the Corinthian church:

"God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. "
- 1 Corinthians 10:13

Whatever it is you're facing, you can beat it. What's more, you don't actually have to face it. You can just get away from it because God has given you a way out. You just have to look for it. Keep Paul's words close to your heart as you explore your personal temptations, and believe in yourself the way the Lord believes in you. You are strong because He is!

Today's Prayer:
Father, we thank you so much for Your faith in us, a faith that none of us deserves because we continually let You down. You are magnificent, Father; creator of the universe and source of all joy. We humbly ask that You forgive us for our failures, Lord, and help us to recognize our weaknesses so that we might better reflect the strength You have placed in us and inspire others to seek Your grace. All things are possible in You, Lord, and it is with You that we place our trust.

In the name of your son, Jesus, we give You praise and humbly ask You to light our way.

Amen.

It's not fair, is it?

2008-09-27T15:19:00.000-07:00

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. " - Matthew 20:1

There are still people in this world making a living performing day labor like the men in this story that Jesus tells his disciples, and just like back then, they were considered poor people. Having worked under salary for so long, it's hard for me to imagine standing on the corner and hoping someone will come by with work, but even some of the best paid salary employees in Corporate America throw out the same complaints as these field workers.

In this story, the ones who are hired to work early in the morning and the ones who are hired towards the end of the day are all paid the same amount; one denarius. Doesn't seem fair does it? It's much like the guy who is the first one into the office, works through lunch, and the last one out the door at 8pm, missing dinner with his spouse and family. He likely makes the same salary as the guy who is fifteen minutes late, takes a 2 hour lunch, and then leave 30 minutes before five so he can pick his son up from school.

This prideful anger can be found anywhere, can't it? When you get right down to it, it's the urge to cry out, "That's not fair!". Maybe you've heard this argument at a birthday party where one kid got a bigger piece of cake than another child. Perhaps you heard something similar when one grad student got a better score on their Comps than another because the questions seemed more difficult. Perhaps if you were chosen for layoff over newer, less experienced, and higher paid employees you would feel the overwhelming urge to scream it from the parking lot.

I'm not going to tell you what your mother would; "Who said life ways always fair?". I'm going to tell you what Jesus said. In the story, the man explained to the workers:

"Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?" Matthew 20-13

Jesus points out "That's not fair!" is an expression of envy, a sin. Not only that, he starts this story by saying the kingdom of heaven is like this vineyard, where the last will be first and the first will be last. It's a place where the man who only works one hour is made equal to the man who worked the entire day. This is a good thing, isn't it?

Lets say you die tonight and go to heaven. You're standing before the throne of God, and there isn't this rule of equality that God has graciously put before us. Imagine if he held you to the same standards you hold your friends, family, and coworkers to. Remember, in an eternal heaven, you're competing with the entire span of human history. You would be sized up against King David, Elijah, Mother Theresa, and Billy Graham, just to name a few, not counting any of the pastors that helped spread the church, the missionaries martyred in the name of Christ, the children who praise God around the world while they're starving to death.

What exactly do we do each day that will earn the noble title from our Father in Heaven of his "Good and faithful servant"?

The good news is that God has already worked that out for you by sending his only son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for your sins, failures, and short comings. The good news is that even if today is the first day you start to contribute, if this very moment is the moment where you give your life to Christ unabashedly and completely, you're held equal to all of them.

Being saved is not about the "good works" you do or how many you complete. It's about the reason you want to do good works to begin with and who gets credit for them.

The prayer for today:

Lord Jesus,

We praise You. We love You, Jesus, and we humbly worship You now, asking Your forgiveness for our short comings. When we get scared, or hurt, or angry, we harbor a darkness inside of us that can grow and consume us physically and mentally. Please enter my heart and cleanse me of the prideful sins that confuse me into thinking I deserve any of the gifts you have given me. I ask that you help me to be a beacon that radiates Your glory, a voice that shares Your words and a servant that carries out Your will. Father, let my actions bring your glory because they are of Your doing in me, and You deserve all the glory.

Amen.

In the beginning...

2008-09-27T08:31:00.000-07:00

I think every discussion about Christ begins with an explanation of who you are, how you came to the Lord, and where you are at in your walk with Christ. My name is Bryan Hesters. I am a 31 year old father in Austin, TX. I have been married to my college sweetheart, Valerie, for 8 years. Felicity, my daughter, turned 5 years old last week.

I came to the Lord when I was very young, 11 years old to be exact, at a Salvation Army youth camp. I had read the bible cover to cover for the first time by the age of 13, but I was not walking with the Lord. I labored under the delusion that private acts of worship were enough to atone for consistent and blatant disregard for God's intention in my self centered, pleasure driven life. This lead me to a very dark place which I did not emerge from until I met my wife to be in 1999.

Shortly after graduating from college, the Lord put a real calling into my life to rejoin the church family. I started by volunteering at the local Salvation Army in Denton, TX where I was responsible for organizing the Sunday Worship music, playing guitar, and singing in Sunday service. My wife, a music teacher, soon began playing piano in our little group, but after Felicity was born, we moved to a more local church that had a childcare program to ensure the entire family was being fed by His word.

My walk with Christ has continued to become deeper and deeper over the years. I pray frequently, multiple times per day. I read the bible daily and journal my thoughts during private bible study, and most recently I have begun to experience the hardships that are required to bring us closer to God by testing our faith. I am currently unemployed, having left a very lucrative career with a Fortune 100 company amidst an nationwide economic turmoil that has placed incredible difficulties before anyone seeking employment today.

I began attending "job clubs", which are weekly meetings of job seekers who attempt to partner together to keep up spirits, build social networks, and share job leads in an effort to help penetrate the glass walls of technology and policy that most companies put up to automate the hiring process. I've met well trained, experienced, and college educated men and women ranging from their mid 30-s to their early 60-s who have been desperately seeking gainful employment for over a year to no avail. This opened my eyes to a darker side of my local community, a situation that my safe suburban lifestyle and church had shielded me from. As I began to look around, I saw several other truths that I had been missing, which left me questioning the true commitment I had in my journey with Christ.

This collection of writing had three purposes:

To share the gospel of Jesus Christ and the "Good News" that he instructed us to pass on to all nations and people in hopes of bringing encouragement and hope to those who need it.
To point out opportunities to help those in your own community and act as God's hands and voice by sharing with you needs and opportunities to serve in His name that you might not be aware of.
To make a personal commitment to remember these trials, the people in similar circumstances, and the call to serve and help those in need once I have found employment.

Thank you for reading. It is nice to meet you, and I would love to learn more about you should you care to share it.

Prayer for The Day:

Lord,

Thank you. Thank you for my family and the love we share. Thank you for the joy that continues to radiate around us. Help each one of us to see the beauty you've placed in our lives.
We are a broken people, Father, only made whole by your Son's atoning sacrifice. Help the negativity, the pain, the trouble and fear which fills each day pass by us, and let your perfect peace and love fill us with hope and optimism. In You, all things are possible. In You, who created the universe, who filled the sea and air with all manner of creature, we can find the true purpose for our lives. Forgive us of our doubts, of our weakness, and fill us anew with your Holy Spirit that we might mirror your glory for all to see.

In the precious name of Jesus Christ we ask this of you and give You praise and thanks.

Amen.