We can know!

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I don’t know about you, but May 21st was definitely a significant day for me and it wasn’t because of the rapture (or lack thereof). It was a day I will never forget because it was the day that my family celebrated and honored the life of my Grandmother, Mary Lou Clements. Funerals are never fun, yet they present us with an opportunity to think and reflect deeply about this very brief gift we call life. The writer of the book of James comments, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). Unfortunately, it often takes losing someone close for us to remember this stark reality. However, this is not the only reminder we receive. As hard as it is to deal with the reality of death, we also have been given the amazing hope that death is not the end of the story. Can I get an amen?

What the “you can know” rapture believers got right was the who and what, although they were horribly off on the when detail. Indeed, revealing with 100% confidence the exact date of Christ’s return just makes everyone look bad. I can’t tell you how many jokes were flying around on May 22nd. It makes me want to shake my head in embarrassment because now the entire world will most likely associate all Christians with this incident.

The truth that hopefully doesn’t get lost in all this negative hype is the message that Jesus really lived, that He did die on a cross, that He did rise again, that He is the son of God, and that He will return in glory sometime in the future. This is the promise that we can know! Sadly, people have taken this promise further and have been predicting Jesus’ return since He left this earth. So far, every single one of them have been dead wrong. What’s funny to me is why people after people keep thinking/believing that they have it figured out, especially when scripture says, “No one knows” but the Father. Even Jesus doesn’t know! If Jesus doesn’t even know then what gives someone the arrogance to think that they could be in the know? Enough about that though…

The only thing that matters is that we can know that Jesus is Lord and that He will return and restore creation in His glory. That is the all-important hope that Christians are called to live out and share. That reality should change who we are and what we do – it should shape the way we love, care, and treat others. If it doesn’t then do we really believe in the message of Jesus?

As I was faced on May 21st with the reality of just how temporary this earthly life is, I was also reminded of how every moment counts. Do I make the most out of every opportunity? Am I living a life of purpose and following after the call of Jesus? Unfortunately, I think I speak for everyone, that this is easier said than done. But my hope and prayer is that we, as the body of believers, encourage each other to pursue this life. After all, we’ll never know when our time will come. Until it does, let us run the race with perseverance and strength, fixing our eyes on Jesus our Savior. And who knows…maybe He will come back tomorrow! If He does, oh what a glorious day it will be!!!

Sweeter than honey

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Psalm 119

97 Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.

103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.

I love honey! Especially smothered on a biscuit from KFC or drenched in a sopapilla! Man, there’s nothing better! But, what still confuses me about honey is how it’s made. Yeah, yeah, I know. Bees and flowers. But how on earth is sweet, gooey honey made from hundreds of bees eating nectar, storing it in their stomachs, going back to the hive, throwing up that nectar into a comb produce honey? Sound gross to anyone else? That to me is a mystery! But, I still love honey.

Another thing I absolutely love is the Bible! It is the most beautiful and confusing book of all time. I believe wholeheartedly that it is God’s Word that He inspired through individuals to be a testimony of two things: 1) Who God is, and 2) How to have relationship with Him.

The Bible is sweeter than honey to my mouth!

I say it’s confusing because there is a lot more to the Bible than we tend to think. It’s simply not as cut and dry as many people assume. In fact, it is nearly impossible to just pick up the Bible with the assumption that it will be clearly understandable.

How could this be?

Why would God not make His word clear?

Perhaps it is because God wants us to look to Him, and not only His Word. Maybe just maybe the Bible has the potential of becoming an idol if we aren’t careful to handle it properly. Maybe God doesn’t want us to have it all figured out, and so somehow not to have any need for Him in our daily lives. I for one am guilty of going straight to the Bible for answers instead of praying to the living God who promises to be dwelling inside me. I don’t know…just a thought…

The danger I see is that we can twist and skew the Bible to make it say whatever we want it to say – within reason of course. Ultimately, the Bible has caused more divisions, more church splints, and created more denominations and religions than anything else.

Wait a minute?

Did I say the Bible has done this?

Okay, maybe what I mean to say is that people’s understanding of the Bible has created these things. It’s not the actual Bible that creates any division, but rather it is what people claim the Bible actual says that is the author of such division. It is this fact that makes my heart heavy.

The reality is that we all have certain lenses in which we view the Bible. Each person who picks up the Bible and reads it, interprets it through their own worldview. A Bible professor of mine used to say that once the Bible is read it ceases to be God’s Word. Instead, it becomes the reader’s interpretation of God’s Word according to their own values and convictions.

So what’s the point?

Should we not even attempt to read the Bible because it’s impossible to understand?

I don’t think that’s the case at all. I think the important factor in helping us understand the Bible is historical and cultural context. The Bible must be read with the knowledge of who the original audience was. For example, when we read the book of Colossians, we are reading a letter from the Apostle Paul to the Colossian church. This letter and others like it were written to a specific group of people, in a specific time in history. To ignore audience and the historical/cultural context would be pointless in understanding its message. Too often we read it and think it is talking directly to us within our 21st century, American context. I do believe that the Bible speaks directly to us. I do believe that God uses the Bible to teach us and guide us, but we must be careful and open to what it is actually saying and who it is saying it to.

The bottom line is that there is mystery when it comes to the Bible and there is mystery to God – something that our minds can’t fully comprehend. But thankfully He doesn’t require us to have it all figured out! To me that’s the beauty of the journey. Let us jump in and continue to strive towards more understanding of God and His Word. After all, it’s sweeter than honey to our mouths.

On the Road…

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Well, since traveling the streets of Italy, Spain, France, Greece and other European hotspots, I have always had a dream to own a Vespa. Now, that dream has finally come true! Yes, I’ve officially fulfilled the inner-European in me and it feels good. It also saves on gas. :-) While getting 75-80 mpg, I filled the tank up the other day and it cost me a whopping $5.86! You just can’t beat that!

Some may scoff at the decision to invest in a scooter, wondering why I didn’t “just get a real bike” [motorcycle]. But, I am quite happy with my Vespa 150 S and, as a bonus, I got a great deal on it through Craigslist. What I’ve loved most is the feeling of freedom you have while driving. It’s both relaxing and peaceful.

I recently took an early morning ride near the Superstition Mountains and captured a few shots along the way. Check them out!

Consistency vs Complacency

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It’s easy right? To do the “minimum,” the “status quo.”

Let me ask you a question though. When you take your car to the mechanic are you okay with complacency? How about when you go to the doctor?

A few years ago I got this wild idea to do a triathlon. I know, big mistake! For whatever reason, it sounded like a great thing to do – until the training started. It was exhilarating shopping for a bike and all the latest, greatest “must have” gadgets that promised to give me an added edge. Although my wallet hurt a bit, buying the gear was the easiest part of the triathlon. Training, on the other hand, was a whole different story.

I was gung-ho for the first few weeks, training once, sometimes twice a day. It was tough, but I could feel the hard work pay off. However, it didn’t take long before I began to skip training days here and there. It may not seem like a big deal, but skipping one day of training can set you back a long way. Often, if you skip too many training days you’ll wind up throwing in the towel and giving up altogether. I had to fight this urge more than I realized. Seeing my goal through to the end came down to a matter of consistency.

So it is with life. Especially when it comes to our faith. If we are not actively and consistently pursuing growth then we won’t develop. The more “training days” we miss, the easier it is to simply throw in the towel. Thus, the danger lies when we opt for complacency instead of consistency. It is so easy to become complacent in our faith, choosing to go through the motions instead of desiring to grow and flourish. I don’t know how many times I’ve started a Bible reading plan and failed to finish, or set out to have a daily prayer time only to push it aside a few weeks later. Why is this so great a challenge? Why is it so easy to become spiritually complacent?

In John 10, Jesus says that He came so that we may have life, and have it to the full. It’s ours, but we must take it! We must desire it and fight for it. It will not fall into our lap. What Jesus doesn’t offer us is complacency. That is something we choose on our own. In fact, I would argue that complacency is in direct competition with the fullness of life that Jesus offers. When it comes down to it, this fullness is offered to us as a gift, yet we have the freedom to squelch it.

So, when it comes to your spiritual life, what word would best describe you?

Consistent or Complacent?

If you find yourself in a place of complacency with God, then I encourage you to take some steps towards re-engaging that relationship. Make a choice to set aside 15-30 minutes of your day to dig into God’s Word and have a prayer time. If this practice has become foreign to you then I’m confident you will be pleasantly surprised at how God can open up your eyes and begin to show you what the fullness of life can look like in your life.

Despite the constant battle and lack of desire to train, I finally accomplished my goal in competing in a triathlon. The process was hard, painful, and there were numerous times I wanted to give up. That made crossing the finish line all the more rewarding! My consistency paid off and it was worth every single minute of it. I only pray that my journey with Christ will be met with the same consistency – and I pray yours will be too!