A Thanksgiving Thought

For Black Friday my family and I went hiking up in the mountains.  If I'm going to be trampled , I'd much rather be trampled by elk in the mountains than people in a clothing store!

As we were hiking, there were several times when I'd realize I was only looking down at my feet and the path in front of me, which was kind of a lame view.  Whenever I'd realize that, I'd look up around me at the view, which was spectacular.  We were surrounded by snow-capped mountains, aspens, evergreen trees, snow, different kinds of plants that had survived the winter...we walked through a herd of deer, came upon a herd of elk, and the scene was made that much more picturesque by the rays of the sun bathing the landscape in a golden light, as the sun sank behind the mountains.  I'm a sucker for beauty like that.  Even though I've grown up in Colorado, I haven't lost all wonder at the beauty of the scenery around me.

Yet, sometimes, I DO grow used to it.  I drive parallel and towards the mountains every day, and it can easily escape my attention.  I see them, but often don't NOTICE them.  Even when hiking, I've noticed people have a tendency to look only at the path in front of them, rather than the view.  Some of that is necessary, or you'll slip and fall off a cliff.  But I think it's good to stop every once in a while and look at the view.

All this made me think of life.  Especially in our American culture, we're just focused on getting things done and on the next step we're taking.  We're looking down at our feet, at the path, the next place we're going.  So much so that we sometimes fail to recognize the glory of the place in which we're located.  With Thanksgiving-y thoughts going through my minds, I resolved to stop for a minute and notice what was around me.  I believe it's essential to do as we go through life.

Each season of life is different.  While we're always moving towards a new season, it is so important to stop and appreciate the season we're in.  That's where true contentment and thankfulness comes in.  We appreciate where we're at.  I often look back at certain times and remember how awesome it was, even though there were problems and complications, that season had certain aspects that will never be experienced again!  I want to live in the moment, appreciated each time of life, whether college, working, singleness, childhood, teenage years, whatever...I want to appreciate for what it is at at that time.

Stop a moment and think about the people that are in your life right NOW, the location you're in right NOW, the activities you're involved with right NOW, and look around at the scenery of your life.  Then, thank God for it.

Me being introspective.

Lovest Thou Me More Than These?

I tend to derive my worth from how much of an impact I perceive I'm making in people's lives.  We all want to feel like we're accomplishing something--that we're making a difference.  I also tend to let my perception of impact dictate my emotions.  Recently, I was discouraged because there was a high time when it seemed like I was impacting a lot of people, but suddenly that high dropped.  I felt like I wasn't seeing fruit in the lives of many of those I thought I'd been impacting.  But in church on Sunday, God changed my perspective a little.

First of all, I realize that we can't always measure impact.  Seeds are planted and people are affected by the work of God in their lives through people years and years after the fact, and many times we may not even see the effect we have.  But there's still a problem with wanting only to have an impact in the world.

We were singing a song:
More than anything,
More than anything,
I love You, Jesus, more than anything.
More than worldly wealth,
More than life itself,
I love You, Jesus, more than anything.

As we sang, suddenly the words of Jesus came into my head: "Lovest thou me more than these?"

The words come from the epilogue of the gospel of John.  Here's the context.

John 21:10-22 KJV
(10)  Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.
(11)  Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.
(12)  Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
(13)  Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.
(14)  This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.
(15)  So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
(16)  He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
(17)  He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
(18)  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
(19)  This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
(20)  Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?
(21)  Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
(22)  Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.

The disciples had returned to fishing after Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection.  But Jesus hadn't called them simply to fish--He had called them to follow Him, and become fishers of men.  I've heard preaching on this passage before...some believe when Jesus asked if Peter loved him more than "these" he was referring to the fish, and some to the other disciples.  Either way, I was convicted.  

Our love for Jesus has to be more than anything.  I realized our reaching out and loving people needs to stem first from our love for Him.  It can't be the reverse.  I can get so focused on what kind of impact I'm making, but really it doesn't matter.  Jesus should be the most important thing in my life.  I realized I want to feel like I'm having impact because it means that I'M doing something, I'M doing something cool for God, I'M making a difference.  But it isn't about doing something cool for God...it's about God.  It's about having a relationship with Jesus.

If we love Him, it doesn't matter what He asks us to do.  It doesn't matter if it seems like what we're doing isn't making any difference (if success is measured in terms of impact, Jeremiah sure had a floundering ministry, and Ezekiel was told straight out that people wouldn't listen to him).  It doesn't matter what anybody else is doing.  All that matters is if HE asked us to do it, and if He did, we do it out of our love for Him for the rest of our lives.  It's not about what WE are doing.  It's about what HE is doing.  Don't go back to fishing...don't compare yourself to John.  Simply follow Jesus, and feed His lambs and His sheep.

I shared what I had been convicted of with the church family I was with and someone brought up an old hymn, But I Love Jesus Best of All.  It's important to keep priority on Jesus. My mom read me a portion of a story about this televangelist who was very successful in a worldly sense who raised $17 million a year just to keep all of the many ministries he started going.  But he didn't know Jesus, and admitted that later in life when everything else failed.  "What does it profit if you gain the whole world and lose your soul?"

It's just a reminder...Jesus at the center of it all.  At the center of everything we do for Him. :)

Under Drake's Flag-an exciting new drama!

I am blown away.  I just finished listening to "The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty: Under Drake's Flag."

A friend of mine, Aaron Fullan, whom I met attending the first Lamplighter Guild for Creative Disciplines in 2011, is working for a company called Heirloom Audio Productions, which just produced it's premiere of an exciting new series of dramatizations based off G. A. Henty's amazing historical fiction novels.

It's natural to be skeptical when encountering anything new.  Who knows what the quality of the sound, acting, content, and message will be?  But I had no need to fear!  Using actors, writers, and sound designers who have worked with programs like Adventures in Odyssey, Radio Theater, Lamplighter Theater, and much more, the Heirloom Audio team has produced a captivating, edge-of-your-seat drama that will keep listeners engaged, entertained, and impacted.  The production of the entire story is phenomenal.

G. A. Henty wrote action-packed adventure stories that weave in historical occurrences from all different locations and time periods.  Under Drake's Flag centers on the 1500s during the time of Sir Francis Drake.  These dramas will be invaluable tools for parents and teachers desiring to communicate the treasures of history to students who think it's boring in an engaging and memorable way.

Not only does it communicate history in an exciting fashion, but key character qualities are emphasized and taught through the stories and characters.  Overcoming fear through faith and courage is a key element of this drama.  The main thing that stood out to me, though, is the theme of becoming a man.  In a culture where manhood is undervalued and underdeveloped, stories like these are essential for communicating the truths that boys need to know as they become men!  The main character, Ned, grows up without a father, but he learns what it means to be a man through the influence of men like Sir Francis Drake, but most of all through the trials and tests placed before him by his Heavenly Father.

I definitely recommend looking into this exciting new audio drama series!  Don't just take my word for it...listen to this 60-second promo, then go to http://www.hentyalive.com/ and download a copy for yourself!  You won't be disappointed...the story carries you along into inspiration to not live your life passively and cowardly, but passionately and courageously!

In fact, this drama will inspire you to pray along with the words of a prayer penned by Sir Francis Drake himself:

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little, When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
with the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wilder seas
Where storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask you to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push back the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.
This we ask in the name of our Captain,
Who is Jesus Christ. - See more at: http://www.hentyalive.com/#sthash.9aIiVe0g.dpuf

SEEST Thou This Woman?

One thing we all have to deal with no matter who or where we are is relationship. Relationships. With other people.  Which isn't one thing, I guess, it's a lot of things, but it all falls under one sub-heading. :)

We are relational beings.  That's why even when people are stranded on islands in literature they inevitably end up talking to coconuts or making friends with cannibals.  But sometimes relationships can be RIDICULOUSLY difficult...especially if you're friends with a cannibal.  Relationships are so complex and intertwined that it can be very hard to know how to handle them.  There isn't a one-size-fits-all answer, because every single relationship we have is different.  However, there are certain principles that will NEVER change whether it's a:

• romantic relationship
• a relationship with your parents
• or children
• or siblings 
• or other obnoxious family members 
• with coworkers who drive you up the wall
• a boss who's hard to please
• people in church
• even the people we pass on the street. 

The biggest thing I've learned is that to know how to treat people we have to get an accurate picture of how God sees them.


I'm going to throw this out there: right now the gospel of Luke is probably my favorite book in the Bible!  That'll probably change when we begin studying another book in our Bible study once we're done with this one, but there is such a richness and depth in studying and comparing the gospels and Luke is what I've been focusing on.  When you dig deep into the gospels, understanding where the writers are coming from, and who their original audience is, we can learn so much about what they were trying to communicate about our Savior, the Son of God!  As we've studied Luke, I've begun to develop a picture of how He views people and how He wants us to do the same thing.
First off, let me give you somethings to guide you when YOU study Luke so that you understand where I'm coming from:

Some Major Themes:
- The Kingdom of God is not what you'd expect.
- Jesus reaches and accepts those who are generally looked down upon or rejected.
I see these two things over and over again as I study Luke, and the two constantly overlap and connect with each other.

These themes also make sense knowing a little about Luke.
Luke was not one of the original disciples.
He was a physician.
He was a companion of Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles.
Most likely, he was a Gentile, because of his name and the fact that Paul doesn't include him in the list of the circumcision in Colossians.  If so, he was the only Gentile writer of the Bible.

It makes sense that Luke would be giving a picture of Jesus' kingdom which focuses on accepting those who aren't generally accepted, just as he himself was accepted by Jesus when he wasn't part of the Jewish nation.

As we read through Luke we see a focus on women, children, Samaritans, tax collectors, diseased, Gentiles (like the centurion and Legion), widows, etc.  Even in just a comparison of the birth stories between Matthew and Luke, we can see the writers' different focuses.

Matthew

• Tells the story from Joseph's perspective
• Starts out with a Hebrew genealogy tracing from Abraham (the father of the Jews) to Jesus
• Visitors to Jesus are the magi or wise men bearing precious gifts
• Herod the king is jealous of this newborn king and orders the slaughter of the innocents

Luke:

• Tells the story from Mary's perspective
• Ends with a genealogy that tracks backwards from Jesus all the way back to Adam (the father of all mankind)
• Visitors first told of Jesus' birth are lowly, uneducated shepherds
• Mary and Joseph are portrayed as poor, but recognized and told by influential people like Elisabeth, Zechariah, Anna, Simeon, and the angel Gabriel, that Jesus is the one who is coming to bring about the kingdom of God in which all will be saved.

Do you see a pattern?  Matthew focuses on Jesus as the Jewish messiah who fulfills the prophecies and has come as the King of the Jews, and what that kingdom represents to His followers!  Luke focuses on Jesus as the accessible savior of all mankind!

Okay, so you may be saying, That's interesting, but what does that have to do with me?  I'll focus in on a story about Jesus and how he treats people that's unique to Luke and then tell you what he says about how we're supposed to treat people.

In Luke 7, we find this very interesting story:
Luke 7:36-50 KJV
(36)  And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat.
(37)  And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
(38)  And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
One thing Luke is also very fond of is contrasting those who should get it but don't, with those who shouldn't get it, but do.  We have a classic example here.  Here's a Pharisee who knows the law inside and out and should understand the character of God, inviting Jesus in, and here's a woman who Luke only classifies as a sinner, (which makes me think her sin was very in-your-face and obvious) and shouldn't know anything about God, who also comes and begins weeping with conviction and washing Jesus' feet with tears, and wiping them with the hairs of her head, because she doesn't know any better, kissing his feet, and anointing them with ointment.  The stage has been set.  These two characters are already a stark contrast.  The clean, lofty Pharisee with the dirty, lowly sinner woman.
(39)  Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.
This is a very significant part of the story.  When the Pharisee looks at the woman, he sees one of his theological classifications.  (We all have them.)  And as he looks, he thinks that if Jesus were a prophet he would know who she is...he would know that she is a sinner!  In reality, Jesus knew who she was better than even Simon, as we'll see, but let's look at his response to Simon.
(40)  And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.
I love the way Jesus answers him first of all.  The Pharisee only speaks WITHIN himself and Jesus answers what he was thinking, kind of proving that He has more than prophetic abilities to know about people.  But I also love the way Jesus answers him.  Sometimes we can get excited when Jesus bashes the Pharisees and say, "Yeah, that's what I want to do!"  But even though Simon's thinking is wrong in this verse Jesus answers him gently, and tries to reach his heart with a story.  Also, Luke has just been referring to him as 'a certain Pharisee', but Jesus addresses the certain Pharisee by name.  This shows me that he cares about this Pharisee's soul.
(41)  There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
(42)  And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
(43)  Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
Jesus uses a story to reach his heart...now check this out.
(44)  And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
(45)  Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
(46)  My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
(47)  Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
I love this!  First of all, look at verse 44...Jesus turns TO the woman.  He's looking at the woman at this point, but he's still talking to Simon.  And he asks this question...I always glossed over this before, but it jumped out at me when I read a book by Michael Card on this subject.  Jesus asks, "SEEST thou this woman?"  You were looking at this woman, Simon, you placed her in a theological category in your mind, but do you really SEE her?  Do you see her for who she is?  And in turn, do you see Me for who I am?  She gets it.  You didn't even treat me with common courtesy and dignity.  But this repentant woman who needs forgiveness of sin loves me MUCH.  It wasn't that Simon didn't have many sins to be forgiven...it was that he perceived his debt as small, while she realized how great her sin was, so she loved much.  It was a difference in perspective.  And Jesus turns to this woman and sees her for who she is, a woman with a name, and responds like this:
(48)  And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
(49)  And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?
(50)  And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
Jesus looked at the woman and saw her for who she was and wanted Simon to get that perspective too.  The end result of the way that Jesus sees her is that her faith saves her and she is forgiven of her sins!  The question this immediately prompts is do we see her the way Jesus did?  How do we see people?  Do we see them the way Jesus did or do we automatically put people into preconceived categorized boxes we have constructed for them?
Our problem is that we always seem to think certain people are exceptions.  If they treat us in a certain way and they know better, then we don't need to show them all the love and mercy that God shows us.  But look at the way Jesus describes the way people in the kingdom of God are supposed to act:
Luke 6:32-36 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.  (33)  And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.  (34)  And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.  (35)  But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.  (36)  Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. KJV
The whole passage is absolutely crucial to read to understand how He wants us to think of and treat people, from who He considers blessed and who He pronounces woe on versus our natural expectation of who is blessed, all the way to His warning against hypocritically pointing out other people's small faults in the face of your own.  So you should definitely go study up on that passage ;).  But these verses highlight that He expects us to treat people His way that we naturally don't want to.  Our enemies, sinners, those from whom we will probably receive nothing.  Why does He expect us to do this?  What justification is there for possibly living this incredibly difficult life?  Because then we will be the children of the Highest.  For HE is kind to the UNTHANKFUL and to the EVIL the very two reasons I most often hear people cite as justification for why it's okay for them to treat certain people poorly.  The standard of our mercy, should be our Father who is also merciful to US. How do we learn how we treat people?  Jesus, the image of the invisible God.  If we look at Him, we see the Father, so as we study the way He lives His life, we will learn how to treat people.  As you look at your relationships...in every context with any kind of people...ask God to give you His heart for them.  Ask to see them the way that He sees them.  He will show you.

Seeking God's Kingdom

This was the last meditation commentary I wrote at the college I was attending, Verity Institute, before I left, meaning that it is also the last of my med-com series.  If it waxes a little sentimental with references about Verity, you'll simply have to forgive me.  I hope these medcoms have been helpful to someone!

Command 14—Seek God’s Kingdom

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life . . . . But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”  —Matthew 6:24-33

•“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,” —Philippians 3:7-8

Name of God

•Adonai (אֲדוֹנָיִ): Lord and Master

–”And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the Lord.”    Joshua 24:21

            Seek God’s Kingdom.  What an appropriate medcom to end on, after the time spent here at Verity.  These three words should be the encapsulating phrase that sets the stage and provides the framework for everything everyone leaving Verity (and those who are staying here incidentally) does.  It is especially meaningful to me, as I leave.  I am among the ranks of young people whose futures are opening up before them.  This is one of the most exciting and adventurous times of our lives.  Decisions that will be made in the next few years will be the determining factors that set the course for the rest of our lives.  Career, further education, marriage, location, church, ministry, friends, family, life and love are all opening up and are things that must be decided on.  The overarching theme, however, are those three words.  Seek God’s Kingdom.  Romans chapter 15 is a very interesting chapter to me.  The ending especially is not something that is preached on a ton.  Paul is writing to the Romans, and outlining his travel plans for the future, which may not be something we think we would get a lot out of, especially after we read the book of Acts and realize that a lot of what he was planning did not actually happen!  His intention was to bring money to the church at Jerusalem then travel to Rome on his way to Spain to preach the gospel.  Instead, when he went to Jerusalem, he was arrested and appealed to Caesar, and ended up going to Rome on a prison ship.  Why is this travel itinerary gone bad even in the Bible?  This is a question I was wondering as I studied the chapter, but as I thought through it, I actually began to get a lot of encouragement out of it.  Paul’s whole focus was the gospel.  He was actively seeking God’s kingdom and knew that his calling was to preach Christ wherever He had not yet been named.  Paul did not have a blueprint from God about exactly what to do, though.  He was just seeking God’s kingdom.  I do not believe it was wrong for him to make plans for the future that lined up with his calling, but Paul also understood that he was a servant.  Wherever his Master took him was where he was going to go, and he was going to put his all in wherever he was at.  There are numerous times in the book of Acts when Paul was planning on going one place but the Holy Ghost led him to go to another.   It can be tempting to get bent out of shape when our plans fall through, but if we are genuinely seeking God’s kingdom, with an understanding that Adonai is our Master and King, there is no reason to get upset.  If the King wants us to drop what we are doing and go somewhere else, we will, because we are serving Him.  We cannot serve both our plans and God’s plans, though.  Our plans must be submitted to His.  All the things that we have gained, we count loss for Christ so that we can win Him.   This is actually a comforting thought!  Wherever we are, we just have to focus on God’s kingdom and what He wants us to do in that moment, at that place.  If we are shipwrecked on an island on our way somewhere, we just focus on winning that entire island for Christ!  My time here at Verity was amazing, and God used it in incredible ways.  Now, as I leave, wherever I go, my focus is going to be on serving Him, and seeking His kingdom.  Seek God’s Kingdom.  Those three words will define the rest of my entire life.

Stewardship and Responsibility

Thriftiness vs. Extravagance

Thriftiness is multiplying my resources through wise investments so I have more to give back to God.

“And so he that had received the five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliverest unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” —Matthew 25:20-21

“I have showed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” —Acts 20:35

Name of God •Our Reward:

–“After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” –Genesis 15:1

            When we are given resources as Christians, it is our responsibility to use them wisely.  We are stewards of the gifts God has given us.  The apostle Paul described his role as an apostle as a minister of God, and a steward of the mysteries of God, then in 1 Corinthians 4:2 says, “Moreover it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.”  To be a steward of God, we must be found faithful and responsible.   As we receive the ‘talents’ God has given us, we must evaluate what we are doing with them.  This certainly applies to our material, financial resources.  God owns everything, all the cattle on a thousand hills, and all the gold and silver, and thus, does not require anything material from us.  But He expects us to use the resources He has given us wisely.  Clearly, He has given us more than just money, though.  There are many blessings He has given us such as gifts, revelations, and knowledge.  As Paul said, we also are stewards of ‘the mysteries of God.’   In fact, the Bible says that God is our exceeding great reward.  The things we have been given from Him must be wisely used in this life to reflect His glory, and to be a good servant and faithful steward.  He has entrusted us with certain things that He expects us to use in accordance with His principles.  We are to invest in His kingdom by investing in other people, and influencing them to follow our great King!  What God has blessed us with, we in turn, can turn and bless others with “the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”  Philippians 2:1-2 frames this principle nicely for me.  Philippians 2:1-2 “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”  These verses highlight our responsibilities to fellow believers in light of and on the basis of what we have already received from God.  If we have received from Christ comfort of love, fellowship of the spirit, any bowels and mercies, then it is our responsibility as faithful stewards of the beautiful gifts He has given us, to accurately represent our Master, to confer those gifts on others, having the same mind, and the result will be the greatest reward of all: which is fellowship with God Himself.  HE is our exceeding great reward!

Responsibility to Lay Up Treasures

Lay Up Treasures

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”  —Matthew 6:19-21

“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen:
for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
—II Corinthians 4:18

Name of God: El-Olam: The Eternal God

            Responsibility is a word that can quickly frustrate and overwhelm and burden a person.  It can be very easy to get caught up with all the things we have to do in our lives.  We have monetary responsibilities, especially as men, who are expected Biblically to take care of their families.  We have relational responsibilities to care for our families, our friends, the ones God has given us to disciple, and the lost.  We have responsibilities at church, at school, at work, and at home.  Responsibility is a huge umbrella that covers almost every single facet of our lives.  As a guy who is thinking a lot about the future, I can certainly relate to this.  My thoughts often go to where I will be in five years or so, perhaps with a wife, children, a home, a career, a ministry, a goldfish.  All of those things require responsibility from me then and now to prepare.  I want to start becoming the best possible husband and father I can be right now, as well as the best servant of God that I can possibly be.  As I finish up school and focus on assignments and deadlines and people and family, all of the responsibilities weigh heavily.  When we begin to get overwhelmed about all the things we have to do here on earth, it is important to take a step back, and examine things through an eternal lens.  This can be ridiculously difficult.  It is a nice thought, but often we simply feel that we do not have enough time to dwell on that kind of thing. It is so important to keep things in perspective, however.  Part of laying up treasures in heaven is fulfilling responsibilities here on earth.  Having a kingdom-minded focus of responsibility and laying up treasures in heaven will not negate most of the earthly responsibilities we have to fulfill.  However, it does help to prioritize things in a different way.  Which responsibilities are laying up treasure, and which are not?  When we look at things in light of eternity, our lives suddenly come into focus with sometimes entirely different meaning.  Let us take a step back and look at the eternal things in our lives today, to compartmentalize internal things properly.