Did you know that God is the tailor of our lives? He formed us perfectly in the womb of our mothers and knew from the dawn of eternity the day that we would come into this world. God had His hands in it all. I sat down with my friend David tonight and I have been shaken to my very core about what the Creator has done to make me who I am.
In Psalm 139, David is praising God for what he has done in creating the man he is. "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb" (vs. 13). Imagine what it takes for a tailor to sew what amounts to a masterpiece in fine thread. It take hours of hard work, constant measuring, precise cutting, painstaking threading of every seam. Now imagine what it took for God to create you from 2 cells into who you are today.
God painstakingly "knitted" every cell, every system, every organ, every thought, every experience, every person into the fabic of what is now our life. He created everything that is us from the day he dreamt of us so long ago. We are his unique masterpiece, signed and authenticated as a creation of the most artistic, the most inspired Creator of all time. We are created for Him to do His work.
So I ask this question: How would you handle a piece of precious artwork that could never be duplicated by it's creator again, because he died doing what he loved? That is how God looks upon each and every person on this earth. They are His creation. They are His artwork. They are His. If only we could look at others as God's creation and not the discarded practice work of our awesome and wonderful God.
Viewing the artwork of God,
Jesus Freak Out!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Funny Jesus Videos
I am going to leave you to your own thoughts on these, but I find them enlightening and downright hilarious.
Funny Jesus 1
Funny Jesus 2
Jesus Freak Out!
Funny Jesus 1
Funny Jesus 2
Jesus Freak Out!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Check this out!
This is one of the coolest things I have seen in a long time. Give it a minute and you will see what this really means.
The Truth Spelled Out in Contradiction
Jesus Freak Out!
The Truth Spelled Out in Contradiction
Jesus Freak Out!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Pass the Grace, Please
Lately I have been learning a great deal about the grace and mercy that God bestowed upon us when he died on the cross. As long as we would simply claim aloud that Jesus Christ is our Savior, it's the free-est gift in the world (I know, free-est is not a word but it works here). There is no other gift in existance here on earth, or anywhere else for that matter, that comes with no strings attached and a love so unconditional.
In 2 Corinthians chapter 8, Paul goes into the reasons that he sent Titus back to the Corinthians with this second letter. It was to complete an act of grace that Paul had been wishing for some time. "So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part." Paul sent Titus back to show the Corinthians that no matter what, he was gracious towards them and that he loved them unconditionally. God has bestowed His grace upon those who will BELIEVE AND FOLLOW Him. Note, that doesn't only say believe.
Now, for those of us who have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, and for those who have committed our lives to following Him, we have one other thing to do with that grace: Pass it on to others! God's grace does not stop with that which he gave through our Savior Jesus Christ. It STARTS there! Now it's our job to extend that grace beyond as a testament to the grace God has bestowed upon us. Did Jesus turn His back on the prostitute, or the blind man, or for that matter the Pharisees? No. His grace extended to all who would receive it. But, for others to receive it, it must be given. So, as Christ followers, we must be willing to extend the grace of God to those who are hurting, to those who are in the ditches of life, to those who are misguided by this culture. Who are we to hoard a gift when someone else could use the same gift. Share it, and share it generously.
Working to pass it on,
Jesus Freak Out!
In 2 Corinthians chapter 8, Paul goes into the reasons that he sent Titus back to the Corinthians with this second letter. It was to complete an act of grace that Paul had been wishing for some time. "So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part." Paul sent Titus back to show the Corinthians that no matter what, he was gracious towards them and that he loved them unconditionally. God has bestowed His grace upon those who will BELIEVE AND FOLLOW Him. Note, that doesn't only say believe.
Now, for those of us who have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, and for those who have committed our lives to following Him, we have one other thing to do with that grace: Pass it on to others! God's grace does not stop with that which he gave through our Savior Jesus Christ. It STARTS there! Now it's our job to extend that grace beyond as a testament to the grace God has bestowed upon us. Did Jesus turn His back on the prostitute, or the blind man, or for that matter the Pharisees? No. His grace extended to all who would receive it. But, for others to receive it, it must be given. So, as Christ followers, we must be willing to extend the grace of God to those who are hurting, to those who are in the ditches of life, to those who are misguided by this culture. Who are we to hoard a gift when someone else could use the same gift. Share it, and share it generously.
Working to pass it on,
Jesus Freak Out!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Who's #1?
Throughout my journey as a Christ follower, I have had many people ask why I believe the things that I do: Do you really believe that Jesus was a real person? Do you really believe that the Bible is fact and not a collection of fiction writings by men bent on controlling others? Do you really believe what the Bible says and that it doesn't teach fear? Do you believe ALL of the Bible or just some?
"Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith" (Rom 1:5 NIV).
It's hard for someone who relies only on themselves to have faith in anything but them. This world teaches total reliance on #1. But in the life of a Christ follower, #1 changes its face. That face now turns from a broken down wreck of a person who could do nothing, as hard as they might try or think they are doing it right, into the image of one who laid his life out for the sins of the world and died on a slab of wood. #1 turns into the face of Jesus Christ. Our life now depends on the faith we have that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, not on the faith we have in ourselves.
Many so-called Christ followers struggle with this everyday. Faith must shift from our own abilities to His abilities. It must shift from the things that we can do to the things that HE can do.
So how do we get it through their thick skulls about our faith? We might as well bang our heads against a wall if we think that we have anything to do with it. We are just the planter, not the seed or the water. Jesus Christ has everything to do with it, not us.
Judge our own faith first, before we judge that of someone else.
Heart Searching,
Jesus Freak Out!
"Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith" (Rom 1:5 NIV).
It's hard for someone who relies only on themselves to have faith in anything but them. This world teaches total reliance on #1. But in the life of a Christ follower, #1 changes its face. That face now turns from a broken down wreck of a person who could do nothing, as hard as they might try or think they are doing it right, into the image of one who laid his life out for the sins of the world and died on a slab of wood. #1 turns into the face of Jesus Christ. Our life now depends on the faith we have that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, not on the faith we have in ourselves.
Many so-called Christ followers struggle with this everyday. Faith must shift from our own abilities to His abilities. It must shift from the things that we can do to the things that HE can do.
So how do we get it through their thick skulls about our faith? We might as well bang our heads against a wall if we think that we have anything to do with it. We are just the planter, not the seed or the water. Jesus Christ has everything to do with it, not us.
Judge our own faith first, before we judge that of someone else.
Heart Searching,
Jesus Freak Out!
Monday, February 2, 2009
The Shoulder
I was talking with my wife last night about what a dork I was in high school. I was (or should I say still am) the geek who befriended all the girls, yet never dated a single one of them. I was always the one they would turn to with their relationship problems because obviously I was not a threat or someone they thought they could ever date. I became the wet shoulder. I became adept at listening and not solving the problems for them, just suggesting. I also got myself deeper into some problems than I should have and probably made the situation worse over better.
Fast forward about 14 years and now we are in today. I got a bizarre call last night from someone I have only met once. I am not going to go through the circumstances of who and what and where, but let's just say the people involved are a young married couple facing some tough challenges that are not insurmountable, yet worse than anything I have had to deal with or understand from the first person. I was the one that both basically turned to, including one of their parents.
Over my years of being the shoulder, I have learned some hard truths about being a listener: don't put yourself into the situation-it's not yours to fix; and don't get emotionally attached-you will end up the bad guy some how, some way.
The simplest scripture I have is this: "Do to others as you would have them do to you." (Luke 6:31 NIV). In other words, would I want someone walking up to me and asking me intimate details about a life problem if I did not already entrust them with a certain level of intimacy or privacy? There are men that I would trust to come up to me and challenge me with the hard questions and we should all have these people in our lives, but there are other men whom I would not. It's finding those key people in your life and being that person in someone else's life that makes the difference. Lastly, remember to temper all advice with the wisdom of God's word, and not that of this culture.
Drying my shirt and praying for someone's salvation,
Jesus Freak Out!
Fast forward about 14 years and now we are in today. I got a bizarre call last night from someone I have only met once. I am not going to go through the circumstances of who and what and where, but let's just say the people involved are a young married couple facing some tough challenges that are not insurmountable, yet worse than anything I have had to deal with or understand from the first person. I was the one that both basically turned to, including one of their parents.
Over my years of being the shoulder, I have learned some hard truths about being a listener: don't put yourself into the situation-it's not yours to fix; and don't get emotionally attached-you will end up the bad guy some how, some way.
The simplest scripture I have is this: "Do to others as you would have them do to you." (Luke 6:31 NIV). In other words, would I want someone walking up to me and asking me intimate details about a life problem if I did not already entrust them with a certain level of intimacy or privacy? There are men that I would trust to come up to me and challenge me with the hard questions and we should all have these people in our lives, but there are other men whom I would not. It's finding those key people in your life and being that person in someone else's life that makes the difference. Lastly, remember to temper all advice with the wisdom of God's word, and not that of this culture.
Drying my shirt and praying for someone's salvation,
Jesus Freak Out!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Budweiser Clydesdales
Imagine watching the Super Bowl commercials coming up this weekend. There on your HD TV (of course I still have a tube jobby), you see the beautiful Clydesdale horses toting the Budweiser wagon across your screen. Just as the last row of horses comes into view, their's a jackass (no, not Johnny Knoxville) tied to the last harness. That would look kind of odd wouldn't it? It just doesn't fit together.
"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers........." (2Cor 6:14)
What does yoked mean? Well, think back to the days when people used oxen as their trucks. They had to yoke multiple oxen together to get the goods where they needed to go. They needed a team that worked off the same principles and towards the same goal.
Some people see this verse and go, "So I can divorce my wife now who doesn't know Christ and marry that good looking women I have been talking to at church?" WRONG.
Still others see this verse and go,"So this means that I have to dump all my friends who do not know Christ because I am now at a higher level spiritually than they are?" WRONG again.
God was not talking about the unbelievers in our lives with respect to who we socialize with. Those people still need us. God was referring to those whom we choose to minister with. Do you think that it makes sense to start spreading the Truth to teenagers with someone who believes that oral sex is not sex because it is not specifically quoted in the Bible? Do you think that it makes sense to try and minister to a divorced man with another man who thinks that it's okay to divorce because sometimes people just don't get along? That's crazy. It doesn't make sense. This verse goes on saying:
"For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" Now that right there makes some sense. These things don't go together. I'm not saying that we get it right all the time and there won't be disagreements among us. But, we must not compromise what we know to be true just to stay on someones good side in the church. We're not doing God any favors.
Cinching up my harness for Christ,
Jesus Freak Out!
"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers........." (2Cor 6:14)
What does yoked mean? Well, think back to the days when people used oxen as their trucks. They had to yoke multiple oxen together to get the goods where they needed to go. They needed a team that worked off the same principles and towards the same goal.
Some people see this verse and go, "So I can divorce my wife now who doesn't know Christ and marry that good looking women I have been talking to at church?" WRONG.
Still others see this verse and go,"So this means that I have to dump all my friends who do not know Christ because I am now at a higher level spiritually than they are?" WRONG again.
God was not talking about the unbelievers in our lives with respect to who we socialize with. Those people still need us. God was referring to those whom we choose to minister with. Do you think that it makes sense to start spreading the Truth to teenagers with someone who believes that oral sex is not sex because it is not specifically quoted in the Bible? Do you think that it makes sense to try and minister to a divorced man with another man who thinks that it's okay to divorce because sometimes people just don't get along? That's crazy. It doesn't make sense. This verse goes on saying:
"For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" Now that right there makes some sense. These things don't go together. I'm not saying that we get it right all the time and there won't be disagreements among us. But, we must not compromise what we know to be true just to stay on someones good side in the church. We're not doing God any favors.
Cinching up my harness for Christ,
Jesus Freak Out!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
