Entries from August 2006 ↓

Classes have started; that fact is undeniable. Syllabi, books, lectures, and homework are all stark reminders of this ever-present reality. Monday offically inaugurated this wonderful semester and already I’m praying for the grace to finish all the work that I have to do. I will be challenged - there’s no doubt. About three weeks ago I switched from majoring in Communication to Bible Exposition. I am pumped! I am priviledged to spend the next two years of my college career studying what I am most passionate about - Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God in flesh. What more could I ask for?! Along with this great opportunity comes more work. My classes are as follows:

1. Introduction to Biblical Counseling
2. Daniel & Revelation
3. Gospel of John
4. Elementary Greek I
5. Missionary Life & Experience
6. Understanding Islam

All this to say that I am praying that the Lord will give the grace appropriate to love him whole-heartly as I seek to be faithful as part of the body of Christ, a student, an RA, a friend, brother, and son. His mercies are new every morning and I full faith that He will carry me through.

“My Lord is more ready to pardon than you are to sin, more able to forgive than you are to transgress” -Charles Spurgeon

When I think about the sin that I commit so easily and regularly and then how I go to Jesus to seek forgiveness, I picture Christ granting forgiveness everytime, but with slight reluctance. I see Him as disappointed, but still willing to grant forgiveness. Spurgeon helped me to see just how great our Savior is and how the saving nature of Christ is unsearchable! I can never understand how vast and intimate His desire to forgive sins is.

It blows my mind to think that as ready and quick I am to forgive that sin. He doesn’t think about it at all, but freely grants forgiveness. For He has already paid the price for my sins. The work of the cross has redeemed me from my sin and taken away that record of debt. How glorious it is for us to run to the Savior who is more ready and more able to forgive than we are ready and able to sin! All praise to the great Forgiver!

We prioritize everything. We decide what would be better use of our time and then put that at the top of our priority list. Our days are comprised by checking off tasks from getting out of bed until we crawl back in several hours later. Productivity specialists tell us that if we want to stay organized and disciplined, then we must put our lives into lists, with first things first and then working down from there.

Organization and priority lists are not wrong, but when we make one not only for certain tasks within our lives, but for all of life, we disrupt the God-intended design of the Christian life. Most or our priority lists look something like this:

1. Jesus Christ
2. Family
3. School
4. Job

At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with a list like this because Christ is at the top and nothing is of greater priority than Him. We structure our lives around these priorities. We attend to the things which pertain to Christ first, such as devotions, prayer, ministry, etc. Then we turn to the other things of life. The crucial flaw of this model exists in the fact that Christ has become a part of life, rather than being life itself. Jesus is not just a segment of what we do, but He is to be in everything that we do. He is not just the most important part of life, He is the most important thing in all of life. He is primary.

This truth is shown in Colossians 3:17, which says, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” The truth of this verse takes Christ off the tope of a priority list and makes Him the primary center of everything. In the midst of your daily life, we can and must do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus. You must brush your teeth, eat breakfast, do your homework, talk to your mom, and go to bed all in the name of the Lord Jesus. All those things are not to be done devoid of Christ, but rather for the sake of Christ.

This truth significantly impacts our lives because it turns the ordinary moments of life into spiritual moments. Mundane tasks are no longer accomplished as a means to an end, but as worship in and of themselves. Worshiping God is not just reserved for church, mid-week youth ministry, or quiet times in the morning, but love and devotion to Jesus Christ can be expressed and practiced on a daily, moment by moment basis.

We have learned to shove our relationship with our Savior into one section of our lives. When a fellow believer asks how your time in the Scriptures has been, you flip a switch in your brain from whatever you are doing to your spiritual life. Spiritual things are only reserved for certain times and then the rest of our day is filled with our minds set on temporal things. We must move Christ from being on the peripheral of our lives, to being the very center of it. For everything must be done in the name of the Lord Jesus.

I have been very occupied as of late with pre-school activities, here in Santa Clarita, CA. Last week was SLS Retreat and this week is WOW (Week of Welcome). We are busy from about 7 in the morning until 10:30 at night. I will try to post some stuff, but I can’t guarentee anything. I am so thankful to God for what he is going to do and excited to get things underway.

On Sunday, Rick Holland preached a message on Psalm 95. The third verse proclaims this truth about God - “For the LORD is a great God and a great King above all gods.” From this verse, Rick pointed out a very intersting observation.

We have a limited amount of words and an even more limited amount of superlative words. ‘Superlative’ is an adjective which means that it expresses the highest comparison. We use superlative language to describe so many different things, many times trivial. But if we use all our superlative language on common things, what words are left to describe the things of God? I hear you say that God is great, but you also say that your trip to your friend’s house was great. You say that God is awesome, but you also say that your newest video game is awesome. Is God really on the same level as video games and common daily events? I am not suggesting that we make a definitive, legalistic rule on what words we reserve for God, but I do suggest that we be careful and thoughtful when it comes to our word choice.