I Surrender All?

Many of the songs I've been listening to seem to revolve around a common theme - surrender. And this includes more than just worship; Toby Mac's new CD, Eye On It, has been convicting me too!

We really have to be more careful what we're singing. I've been singing words like: "My dreams, my fears, my family, my career, take it away God." And, "All that I hide, could You bring it to life? Could You open my eyes and show me?" I bought Eye On It a few days ago, and while I'm loving the music, yesterday I finally realized the depth of the lyrics I was singing.

Another song I've been listening to has 1 line that grips me every time I hear it: "I've walked by this fire so many times, but now I'm coming in." How many times in my life have I said "no" to God? How many times have I been too afraid to really let Him in? How many things have I missed out on because I couldn't give Him freedom to move and work on me?

Too many times. And for way too long. If I was God, I would have given up on me a long time ago. In fact, since God is all-knowing, I probably wouldn't even have bothered with me in the first place! But thanks be to God that He is not like me. He's not like us! He can see the end from before the beginning. He not only sees all of our past, but He sees us seated in Heaven with Jesus right now. Ephesians 2: 4 - 7 says: 

⁴ But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, ⁵ that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) ⁶ For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. ⁷ So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. (NLT)

This is great news! It means that even though we are physically here on Earth, battling with sin and our enemy, we are spiritually seated with Jesus. Jesus is seated because He is finished. He is done. He overcame sin, death and the grave. When God looks at us, seated with Jesus, He sees us as finished. Done. We have overcome, because we have died and risen with Christ. 

Which is at least one of the reasons that He doesn't give up on us - even while we are holding onto what we think is "life" so tightly.

I don't know why I have always been so afraid to embrace the fire of God. But no matter how much fear I have, there is always something that draws me, urges me to surrender to Him. My spirit man really wants to give everything over, but my flesh has been putting up the fight of the century for a long, long, long time.

Although, when I think about it logically, (yes, it is possible for my brain to handle some logic!) it only makes sense to surrender to God. After all, when He created us, He put certain things and characteristics and gifts and dreams inside us on purpose. He gave them to us for our enjoyment, His pleasure and to be a part of His plan for the world. The only things He wants to take away from us would have to be the bad stuff - the stuff that makes us miserable. We always think if we really give everything to God, He is going to snatch our lives away from us. "I can't surrender my family to God! He'll take them away from me!" Apparently we forget that God is sovereign, and He can take whatever He wants anyways, regardless if we are holding onto it or not!

But He wants us to release the good and the bad into His hands - not so He can take it away, but so we can live freely. I heard someone once talk about the concept of living with open hands. Open hands are not holding onto anything - whether good or bad. Open hands are free to receive, and free to let go. This has stuck with me for years now, and I can't erase it from my memory - because it is truth!

This is how He meant for us to live, and it's the only way to really be free. Lord, help us to live with open hands, in complete surrender to You. Help us to trust in Your love for us and live with complete confidence that You really do only want the best for us. We can trust You with our lives, our families, our careers and our futures!

Why Do We Fight Him?

Our whole lives as Christians can be a constant tug of war between our flesh and the Holy Spirit. Some of us live our whole lives without a total surrender to the One who loves us, the One who gave everything He had so that we might have LIFE - and yet we refuse this life, true life, by not giving all of ourselves to Him.

John 10:10 (NLT) "The thief's purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life."

If your hands are already full, how can you accept a gift? Imagine that you are holding onto 2 rotten apples, one in each hand. Then a close friend comes along with 2 ripe apples, nice and red and juicy and crisp - 2 perfect apples. (I am making myself hungry here!) You look at those apples, and you know they are good. You know they would be much better for you than the rotten ones you have in your hands. Your friend desperately wants to give you his apples, but even though you want to do it, you can't accept the perfect apples he is offering you because you are still holding onto the rotten ones. You don't have room in your hands to have all the apples - you have to put down the rotten ones before you can accept the perfect apples.

Ok, I know that using apples is a little different, but I'm pretty sure that you get the picture. I know I do!

We hold on to our pride - we want to be in control of our lives, of our dreams, our goals, our relationships, our decisions, our whole lives. Jesus offers us LIFE, and we look at Him and we know that what He has for us is so much better than what we are holding onto, but we don't let go, so we cannot accept what He is offering us.

The great thing about Jesus is that His patience does not end - because His love for us doesn't end either! As long as we have breath, His offer of LIFE will not expire. Christians, as soon as you let go, you will be free to accept what He has to offer you! A rich and satisfying LIFE!!

We need to let go...learn to live our lives not with a closed fist, but with open hands. Open hands don't hold onto anything in this life; not possessions, not people, not dreams, and not even burdens or offences. Open hands. It gives God full freedom to do what He has always wanted to do in your life - give you LIFE!

Where is the Love?

"Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails."

Love is essential to our human existence. Without it, something inside of us withers up and we feel like a part of us is dead. I'm not talking about romantic love or infatuation; I'm talking about real and lasting love - the unconditional kind! We were made to love and be loved; God created us with to love Him and love each other. Nowadays though, love seems to be vanishing - even in the church, where it should be the number one commodity.

We have begun to act as if love is not important; truth and knowledge are more important! However, Paul says in I Corinthians 13, that you can do all kinds of good works, speak eloquently and have huge faith, but if you do these things without love, they don't count for anything. Love is the most important part of Christianity!

Our primary motivator should always be love. Whatever we do and say to and for others should always come from a heart of love. Everything that Jesus said and did was out of love. Not once did He let anything deter Him from acting in love. He constantly put His love for others before His own needs and wants; even when He was physically eshausted, hungry and needing rest, He still had deep compassion on the crowds following Him and took care of their needs before His.

Technology has taken the place of human interaction these days, and we are talking and seeing each other less and less. This has also made showing love to one another a lot harder. There are millions of unhappy people out there, and you see many of them every day. Look around the next time you are on the bus or subway or waiting in line at the store. Your smile can lift someone's spirits and make a difference in a stranger's life. Another thing you can do to show love to a stranger or someone you know is to simply ask, "how are you?" and really mean it! This question has become a part of conversation, and most people just answer, "fine, how are you?" Let the person know that you really want to know how they are!

Don't love selfishly; instead, use I Corinthian's 13 as your guide. Remember, one day you will stand before God and He will not be judging us according to your actions; He will be looking at the intent of your heart - your motivation for doing those actions.

Living To Die

My eyes were recently opened to how many things in creation demonstrate the things of God, year after year, season after season. There are many, but today I would like to focus on one: seeds.

Every year, in the spring (most people plant on May 24) farmers and gardeners plant seeds of all kinds - vegetables, fruit, flowers and many other plants. Most of these come in seed form, and the seeds have to be planted a few inches under the ground. After a few weeks, with the right care and conditions, the planter will see a green shoot come up through the ground and before he knows it, there will be a thriving, growing plant.

Isn't it amazing that God created this process to mimic what we go through in life? Think about it...let's look at a tomato plant for example. A tomato seed has the potential to grow into a plant that will yield many tomatoes, all through the season. However, if it does not go into the ground and die, nothing good will ever happen to it. It will get old, stale and maybe even moldy, depending on where it is being stored. A seed that doesn't get planted is a waste - even though it has to die to truly live, it is always worth it!

This is what Jesus wants from us - all of us! Dying to self may be painful and hard to do, but just like the tomato seed, without dying, we will never discover what true life really is.
John 12:23-25 - "Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."
I Corinthians 15:36-37 - "What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else."

After the seed dies and starts growing, it doesn't stop there. Imagine of a farmer only looked after the seed until it came up and then stopped there - weeds, bugs and the elements would stop the plant from growing more. It's not enough for the seed to die - it still has to be cared for and protected so that the conditions will be perfect for bearing fruit.

Jesus will never stop taking care of us. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us, no matter what. He will be there when we go through the darkness of death and when we discover the light of true life.

The Key to Christianity Is...

The dictionary defines trust as: Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing.

God wants us to trust in Him. Does He have integrity, ability and good character? Many would answer "definitely!" Why then, do we find it so hard to trust Him?

Oh sure, we can trust Him with the little things, like praying for good weather, asking Him to help us talk to someone who we are having a problem with, etc..but when it comes to keeping our kids safe, taking a test, financial troubles, health problems and the like, God is often the last person we think of.

Everything in the Bible, everything in our lives, everything in creation is all about one thing and one thing only: Trusting in God. Everything boils down to the fact that God wants us to put our trust in Him!

We all know Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." The Message says it this way: "Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own.Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He's the one who will keep you on track."

When we are truly trusting God with our lives, it means that we are not worried or fearful about anything, no not even the big things that come our way. Not worrying doesn't mean sitting back, arms crossed, doing nothing about the situation you are in; it is okay to be concerned about things, but it is not okay to worry and be anxious.

Can we trust Jesus with everything? Of course we can! Think about it...Are you breathing right now? (If you are reading this, I am betting your answer is yes!) God gives you every breath you breathe - we can't even breathe without Him, so how do we think we can do anything without Him? Jeremiah 29:11 says that He has a plan and a purpose for our lives, and that His plan is not to harm us but to prosper us and give us a hope and a future. Our God is trustworthy! Our God knows what He is doing! Our God is mighty to save, and He loves us and has an immense amount of compassion for us.

When we trust in Him completely, we give Him free rein to do what He wants to in our lives. I Chronicles 5:20 says: "They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them because they cried out to Him during the battle. He answered their prayers because they trusted in Him." (emphasis added)

The title of this post is "The Key to Christianity Is..." I called it that because trusting in God really is the key! It is how we are to live our lives - it encompasses everything. Like I mentioned before, everything comes down to trusting in God.

BUT GOD!

"BUT GOD". Those are 2 of my favorite words (especially when they are together!) Another 2 of my favorites are "I AM". These 2 phrases really go well together in my life, and probably in yours as well.

All throughout the Bible, people were afraid, or they strayed away, or something happened that was out of their control. Whatever it was, their situation was too big for them to handle... BUT GOD came and scooped them up and fought and won the battle for them. All through the Bible, both in the Old Testament and the New, God shows up in situation after situation.

In Exodus 13:10-31, the Israelites are being chased by Pharaoh and his army. They are barred off by the Red Sea and cannot run any farther. The army is getting closer and will soon re-capture the Israelites and take them back into slavery...BUT GOD parted the Sea and allowed them to walk across on dry land. Then He drowned the entire army! BUT GOD!

When the Israelites forgot all that God had done for them, and started worshipping idols and doing everything that God had warned them not to do, He got mad at them and punished them. Did He leave them in misery? No, He turned around and said, " 'For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid my face from you, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you' says the Lord your Redeemer." Isaiah 54:7-8. BUT GOD!

The biggest one of all is when only the Jews could know God, and He wanted everyone to be able to know him and spend eternity with Him. Yet, someone needed to do something about the sins of the world, both present and future. Sin was blocking man from God. BUT GOD gave His one and only Son, Jesus, who died on the cross for our sins so that we could have a relationship with God and spend eternity with Him. BUT GOD!

In the New Testament, Jesus gives us a ton of BUT GOD moments. He healed diseases that people had been suffering from for years - BUT GOD! He fed the five thousand with 5 loaves and 2 fish - BUT GOD! He brought people back from the dead - BUT GOD!

What is happening in your life these days? Life is good, but life is not always good all of the time. Everyone goes through hard times, and sometimes it seems like there will never be an end to your struggles. Think back to the BUT GOD times in your life. He was there then, and He is here now. As surely as He took care of the people in the Bible, giving them undeserved mercy, winning their battles and doing the impossible for them, He will take care of you too.

Here is the best part - here is where BUT GOD joins I AM! We know the meaning of "BUT GOD", but do we really know about "I AM"? BUT GOD intervenes for us, but I AM carries us through. I AM encompasses all of our struggles, all of our hardships and all of the unfair things in our lives. It even covers things that have happened to us because of other people's choices - things that we have no control over.

I AM is enough. He is bigger than our troubles, bigger than our fears and frustrations, yet He knows and understands what we are going through because He has been there - He's walked a mile in our shoes!

Matthew 11:28 says: "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Grace Is For Christians Too!

Why are there so many Christians out there that are continually bogged down? There are a surprising number of believers who have to pretend at church on Sunday morning, that all is well and they are happy, happy, happy!
As Christians, it's okay not to feel happy all the time - in fact, Jesus promised us in the Bible that when you become a Christian, life will get harder! The good thing is that He will be with us to get us through the hard times.

There are many reasons why there are a lot of Christians who have to pretend to have joy, but I want to focus on what I think is one of the biggest. Grace. When someone new comes to Christ, we are so happy for them, and even the angels in Heaven rejoice and "party on" because of it. Why are we excited? Because that person has received the grace of God. Without grace, no one would be able to go to Heaven at all!

Let's focus on this new believer...he learns more about God, reads the Bible, prays, converts some of his family and friends, goes to church, worships with other Christians, and life is good. Fast-forward a few years. He is still going to church, still prays and reads his Bible (sometimes!) life is still good (sometimes!) but he still sins. Maybe he has a reoccurring sin that is weighing him down so much that it is all he thinks about.

Now he feels guilty, ashamed and condemned. He probably hears Satan whisper things like: "You're a hypocrite!", "How can God forgive you for this over and over again?", "God has given up on you because of this!", and "You might as well do it again because its the only thing that is going to make you feel good now!"

He starts to believe these lies, and he gets trapped further in his sin. But it doesn't make him feel any better; instead he feels more guilty, more ashamed and more condemned.

He will continue on like this unless he remembers how he came to God in the first place - empty-handed. You can't earn God's grace as an unbeliever, and you can't do anything to earn it as a believer either! His grace remains the same no matter what. It is us who change, not God's grace. Jesus died for ALL of our sins, not just the ones we committed before we knew Him! Also, He knew everything we would ever think or do (good and bad) before He died for us, and before He brought us to Him. You can't surprise God!

It doesn't matter how long you have been a Christian, or how much you know about the Bible, or how big your sin is. His grace is enough to cover ALL of our sins, and it is one of the many gifts He gives to anyone who chooses to take it - whether you're new to Him or you've been around for years.

Accept His grace, read Romans 8 and live a free life!

Can We Pick & Choose?

We hear it all the time: "That doesn't matter, it's not relevant because it is from the Old Testament."
Yet, if something will be helpful to our argument or our situation, we will readily take and use truths from the Old Testament.

Some people think that the Old Testament is only made up of interesting stories that can teach children good morals in Sunday school, or that those 39 books are only there as proof that the people mentioned in the Bible were really alive. (This would be done through the genealogies).

We cannot escape the fact that the Old Testament is and always will be a part of the Bible - the infallible and perfect Word of God. We are the reason that God decided to write everything down! It is all there so that we can know how to live out our lives for Him. When the day of judgement comes, I hope no one will stand before God and say something like: "But God, I didn't know how!" or "But I didn't know what You wanted!" You know just how He'll answer that, don't you? He will pick up the Bible and say, "Um, I wrote it down for you!"

So if the Old Testament is a part of God's Word, and we are meant to use it, along with the New Testament, and apply all of it to how we live our lives, then how can we pick and choose what we will or won't use? The answer is simple - we can't.

If you are going to cut up the Old Testament and only take certain things as relevant to you, then you can't take anything from the Old Testament - it all goes in the trash. You simply cannot pick and choose what applies to you and what doesn't. It ALL applies! It is ALL relevant!

The number one thing I hear when people are doing this is: "Tithing is only for the Old Testament, not for the New." Now, I have something to confess here...I am guilty of this myself! I believed this for years, but I never felt truly right about it, and one day I decided to put it to the test. In Malachi 3:10, God says that we can test Him in this (tithing). I tithed for the first time in years. Right away, doors opened up for me that I thought were impossible, and some of them, I never would have thought to ask for! More importantly, I felt right again.

There are other issues that people like to pick and choose about in the Old Testament, and the same applies to these. If it is in the Bible, it is relevant, and it is meant for you!