You can't handle the Truth...or can you?

Tonight I took a walk around my neighborhood. I love walking at night because it is just still. You can hear the wind blow through the trees. Their branches sway and peace resonates over what once was hectic.  When I was in London I enjoyed walking to Waterloo Bridge at night. As they say cities never truly sleep, but a different sort of peace settled over it. A quiet you couldn’t find during the day found its way at dusk. I would just sit on my own little bench and just ponder out the day. I could ask questions I didn’t have time to consider in the middle of the day.

John 3 records a famous conversation between Jesus and a man named Nicodemus. Jesus didn’t get along very well with a group called the Pharisees. In their day it was the ultimate religious clique.  If you have seen the movie Mean Girls they were the Plastics (They didn’t use a slam book, but they literally slammed people) They set the standards for the people, and made an example of those that failed to live up to their standards. They pointed out the weakness in others to try to distract from their own vile habits: pride, greed, and selfishness. Jesus threatened them because he called them out on their hypocritical ways. He saw beyond their “holy” appearances; he saw their hearts. Nicodemus was a Pharisee. To be seen with Jesus was a big time no-no for him, but he had questions and something inside of him said Jesus held the answers. In the cover of night Nicodemus met with Jesus. Nicodemus knew that Jesus was from God, but didn’t know what to make of it. The famously quote John 3:16 comes from their conversation. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The next verse goes on to that God sent His Son to save the world, not to condemn it. What does that really mean? I quote that a lot and I believe it, but what does it look like in my own life? What does it look like in your life? God’s love is for us. It means that God chose us. God wants us. God desires and plans good things for us. When we accept His love for us and the way He showed His Love we receive the ultimate reward: a life with Him, a life with the One who loves and wants us.

Nicodemus came to Jesus with questions, and He answered them; however, Nicodemus didn’t understand. God can handle our questions. He made us. He knows how to answer them. The real question is are our hearts ready to receive the answers. Personal opinion: I don’t think Nicodemus was ready. He wanted to hold onto his pride. He wanted to believe that he could somehow save himself through religious ritual. Today people believe that good works or reliance on their intellect can justify them. Jesus vetoed that idea then and He rejects it now. He said that his belief couldn’t be found in himself. He could only find life through Jesus Christ. Some of you reading this have been looking for the truth for a long time. I pray that you are ready to receive this truth. I also know that some of you will not understand. It doesn’t change the fact that this is the truth. Truth doesn’t become truth simply because somebody believes it. Truth is truth whether you believe it or not. God loved us enough to give of Himself to a world that rejects and hates Him. You may think God is crazy, and you know what you are right. He doesn’t think like us and his ways are not like ours. His ways are better. Much better.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. Isaiah 55:8

Clumsy + Careless= Catastrophic Consequences

 

Have any of you ever broken anything really valuable? As a child I was probably the clumsiest kid you could ever meet. Okay, if I am being real I am still pretty clumsy. One time in particular stands out to me. When I was 12 I accidentally shattered my mom's Lladro. If you don't know what that is just know that it is really expensive and on top of that it had sentimental value to my mom (catastrophic combination!). I remember how it happened so well. I was sitting at the computer with my friend Mattie. I was being stupid and pushing the rolling chair back and making it stand on its wheels. Yeah, I know what you are thinking. That really helps a clumsy girl be more graceful... Needless to say the chair fell completely back and I tried to stabilize myself by grabbing the desk. The shaking desk knocked the Lladro to the ground. I remember watching helplessly from the floor as the Lladro descended in slow motion. All I had to do was reach out and catch it, but nope I was paralyzed. My friend Mattie just stood there. He said he saw it going in slow motion too, but he couldn't move either. I grabbed all the pieces and put them in a box under my bed. I went to find my dad. Before I could my mom walked in the room, BUSTED! I looked at her in shock, tears starting to form. She somehow just knew. She exclaimed, "MY LLADRO!" Yeah that is when I full on ran out the door. I found my dad and he asked if there was anyway we could put it together again (can you tell that this was a conversation me and my dad had often? yeah...) It was shattered, completely broken, beyond repair. My mom accepted my apology and forgave me, but it didn't change the fact that something precious was broken through my careless actions.

At the end of John chapter 2 Jesus full on loses it when He goes into the temple courts. He sees that what should be a place of worship has turned into a mall of sorts. People are using the temple of God to sell cows and sheep! All I can imagine at this moment is how filthy they must have made His House. Animals don't really control their bowels if you catch my drift. Sacrifices had become common business to the people rather than out of a place of repentance and humility. The people clumsily and carelessly had forgotten about the Most High God. They had failed to show Him the adoration that He deserved. They brought unworthy things into His presence, and what should have been a house of prayer became a den of thieves (Matthew 21:13). Instead, of desiring intimacy with God their pocketbooks ruled their lives. Sound familiar?It became more about what the temple could do for them than what they could bring to the temple. The temple of God was built for who? GOD! Today this sentiment still exists. "I don't go to church because it does nothing for ME." Part of the problem is we care too much about ourselves. Our appearances, our reputations, our money, our clothes, our cars, etc. All of those things will one day pass away. We are missing out on something precious by making church about us, and not about going to recognize the greatness of God. John 2:24-25 ends with these verses: "But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person." He didn't trust them because they believed readily in signs and wonders for their own enjoyment and pleasure. They didn't want to know Him and befriend Him. They wanted the spectacular more than they wanted a relationship with Him. 

Unlike my mom's Lladro  this can be fixed and repaired. Through the grace of God He can get the church's focus back to Christ and off ourselves. The only way true peace and joy can be experienced in this life is when we let ourselves go and take the hand of Christ. Jesus allowed His sinless, perfect life to be crushed for our iniquities and our sins. He allowed Himself to be broken, so that our souls could remain intact with Him in eternity. Stop forgetting that! Praise and worship Him for He is worthy! 

"His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” John 2:17

Without Blinking an Eye

Woohoo! I woke up. Very excited about this if you can’t tell by the woohooing. I decided to stick with John 1 another day. It is just full of too much awesomeness to only do 1 blog on it. It amazes me how fast the disciples followed Jesus. For what these men would sacrifice to follow Jesus it is humbling to think they went forward without blinking an eye. Sometimes you just know without a doubt that something is right.

I graduated from Florida State University, and I can still remember applying to attend there along with some other colleges. I wanted to go everywhere, but stay in Florida. I applied to a school in Chicago, another in California, and another in New York City. Florida State was my in-state application. When I got the acceptance letter from FSU I knew that was where I was supposed to go, so I moved forward with the next steps. Only things were I had never visited the campus, had no close friends going there, and I didn’t know much about the school or the area in general. Even though it didn’t make much sense “logically,” I just knew that was where I needed to be. Couldn’t really explain it with words. Couldn’t justify it on my own.

When two of John’s disciples heard him say that Jesus was the Lamb of God they followed Jesus (1:35-37). No hesitation. I firmly believe that God set a peace in their hearts because he knew them. Many others would come to him and express with words no hesitation, but with one question Jesus would reveal how much they wavered. They also couldn’t keep the joy they had found to themselves (41-45). They weren’t even full-fledged disciples themselves, but they had to go out and make more! What they had been waiting for had finally arrived! Nathanael’s response is probably one of my favorites. When he is told about Jesus he says, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” (46). Then he is easily swayed over when Jesus reveals where he was sitting before he was approached. In response Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man” (50-51). More amazing things are to come from our discipleship under Christ. More amazing than even our conversions. Carry that with you today. The best is yet to come.

Words Matter

I’ve decided this morning that I am going to go through the book of John on this blog. With God’s help, a loud alarm clock, and strong tea/coffee I want to start off the day reading the Word of God and meditating on it. I am good at reading the Bible…you know the Speedy Gonzalez approach of checking it off my list and going about my day. That simply isn’t enough.

The first chapter of John is packed with application. I almost want to spend a week on John 1 alone. I might split the chapter into parts. Every time I read this chapter something new can be discovered. John 1:1-5 consistently stands out to me. If you don’t know me, let me tell you about my love of words. I LOVE words! I love to sing them, rhyme them, turn them into metaphors or similes, speak in hyperboles, encourage others through them, challenge them to go deeper, use them to make people laugh, etc. Words and me go way back, but not as far as the Word and God.

John 1:1-5 basically says God is His Word. God brought forth the world with words. Genesis 1:3 records that God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. He cannot be separated from His Word. That is why there is one thing that God can’t do. He cannot break His Word because it is who He is. John 1:14 describes Jesus as “the Word [that] became flesh and dwelt among us.” Really take time to consider what this means. If Christ Followers are called to be like Jesus and His Word is the same as whom He is, then we should reflect on what our words say about us. We need to mind our tongue. Words bring life or death. If you speak lovingly, then you are love. If you speak profanely, then you are vulgar. Matthew 15:18 says, “But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean’.” What do your word choices, promises, vows say about you?

Can't and Won't

Every person should read at least one biography a year. Why? Biographies show that the people we proclaim as heroes were often common and unordinary to the naked eye. We look at historical world-shakers like Martin Luther King Jr., Corrie Ten Boom, and Billy Graham, and dismiss ourselves. However, if you actually knew their stories you would know how it was simple, small moves of obedience that marked their lives with greatness.  Leading up to World War II Corrie Ten Boom lived an ordinary life; some might even call it boring. When the Nazis invaded Amsterdam she had a choice. She could ignore the inhumane, unjust, horrific actions shown to her Jewish neighbors and stay ordinary. However, if she acted God’s glory could be shown in her life. Despite knowing that if she was caught she would share their fate, she chose to act and hid Jews in her house. The chance to do great, life-changing things is never just thrust upon someone. It is a choice to accept opportunities or walk away from them.

Too many of us are our own worst enemies. Who needs Satan when we so easily take the axe to our dreams and chop them to pieces? I am going to sacrifice the words “can’t” and “won’t” when it comes to talking about my walk with God and future plans He has in mind for me.  I am sick of mediocre when Jesus Christ could never be described with such a vulgar word. If I claim to be a follower of Christ then my life should model His, and wonderful actions should be a part of it. Instead, of limiting what God can do in your life chase big dreams. Pray over holy desires that are impossible without the intervention of our amazing Heavenly Father. Expect God to move. Don’t be surprised when He does. Be ready when He calls you and prepare yourself for the discipline and commitment His calling brings. At that time get off your knees and MOVE.  Allow God to resurrect a dream that you have written off.