I used to think that a change in my behavior was the right kind of response to the gospel. For me, this reduced Christianity to a set of rules and morals. It was all about not doing x, and making sure I did y. But recently I have been convinced that a genuine, heart felt acceptance of the gospel will lead to a much deeper change then that of just my behavior. It will lead to a change of my very character. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." And Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but
Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
When I thought behavior change was enough, I was really taking my salvation into my own hands. I was believing that if I lived right, I would be saved. And yet the scriptures clearly tell us that we can't accomplish this on our own. No matter how many bad behaviors I manage to curb, I'll never be able to accomplish making myself new. No matter how much of myself I "put to death," I could never really give myself new life. The scripture is equally clear that how we choose to live does matter. We must choose to "live by faith." But moving beyond changing my behavior or morals and allowing Christ to make me new is where salvation is found.
So its about a character change, not just a behavior change. And its not something I can do to or for myself but It is something that the Lord does in me. I am starting to see how the gospel is less and less about me and what I do, and that it is more and more about Him and what He has done or promised to do! I rejoice that He has made this promise in His word: "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
Friday, July 20, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
False Gospel Fridays 3.0 Qualified
Sometimes I find myself believing that the more training, education, qualifications that I pursue the more God can use me. This is really only half true. I remember hearing a friend quote something like this a number of years ago..."God doesn't call the equipped. He equips the called." We find this concept true throughout scripture.
The disciples were noted in Acts as being unschooled men and yet they were able to teach with such wisdom that it simple amazed all of those who heard them (Acts 4:13). Consistently throughout the new testament the Lord chose to use those who came from humble backgrounds. Moses was afraid of public speaking (Exodus 4:10), Gideon was found hiding in the wine press and asked the Lord how he could possibly be the mighty warrior needed to lead Israel (Judges 6), Solomon started his reign as king with such a humble view of himself (1 Kings 3:7), Paul called himself the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). And the list could go on and on!
Personally, I have put a lot of emphasis on my own education and training. At times I lean on these qualifications in pride. But if we think back to the disciples, the thing that qualified them more than anything else to speak and teach was the time they spent with Jesus himself. That time was a true gift of grace from Him. Nothing can prepare you for life better than time spent soaking up God's grace!
In conclusion, and just to be very clear, education and training is a very good thing! But we should remember that it is not the ULTIMATE thing! Lets not trade worship of the Creator God for worship of a created thing (Romans 1:25). Sometimes, I don't need to read another book or attend another seminar to teach me how to be a better wife and mom. I just need more time with Jesus so that he can carry on the good work he started when he began to change my life, heart, mind (Philippians 1:6). Sometimes, I don't even need another bible study to gain more understanding or knowledge. I just need more practicing living out the knowledge and understanding that he has already given to me. Sometimes, I don't need another degree to be a better servant in His church. I just need to step out in faith and serve trusting him to take care of the rest.
God doesn't call the equipped. He equips the called. And he is faithful to meet all of our needs out of his immeasurable grace!
2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work."
The disciples were noted in Acts as being unschooled men and yet they were able to teach with such wisdom that it simple amazed all of those who heard them (Acts 4:13). Consistently throughout the new testament the Lord chose to use those who came from humble backgrounds. Moses was afraid of public speaking (Exodus 4:10), Gideon was found hiding in the wine press and asked the Lord how he could possibly be the mighty warrior needed to lead Israel (Judges 6), Solomon started his reign as king with such a humble view of himself (1 Kings 3:7), Paul called himself the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). And the list could go on and on!
Personally, I have put a lot of emphasis on my own education and training. At times I lean on these qualifications in pride. But if we think back to the disciples, the thing that qualified them more than anything else to speak and teach was the time they spent with Jesus himself. That time was a true gift of grace from Him. Nothing can prepare you for life better than time spent soaking up God's grace!
In conclusion, and just to be very clear, education and training is a very good thing! But we should remember that it is not the ULTIMATE thing! Lets not trade worship of the Creator God for worship of a created thing (Romans 1:25). Sometimes, I don't need to read another book or attend another seminar to teach me how to be a better wife and mom. I just need more time with Jesus so that he can carry on the good work he started when he began to change my life, heart, mind (Philippians 1:6). Sometimes, I don't even need another bible study to gain more understanding or knowledge. I just need more practicing living out the knowledge and understanding that he has already given to me. Sometimes, I don't need another degree to be a better servant in His church. I just need to step out in faith and serve trusting him to take care of the rest.
God doesn't call the equipped. He equips the called. And he is faithful to meet all of our needs out of his immeasurable grace!
2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work."
Friday, July 6, 2012
False Gospel Fridays 2.0 Justified
Do you believe you are justified before God?
His word says that if we believe, we are justified. And this is not because of ourselves but as a result of God's grace. The Lord continues to work salvation in me but I have to confess that this is a way that I have failed to believe and live out the true gospel. I have discovered that I seek justification from others through my ability to verbally explain my perspective to them. If I can make them understand then I'm good and justified in doing whatever I do. It has made me self righteous, not really righteous as a result of His work, just plain, old, false gospel, self righteous. I hate apologizing and I am starting to see that at the root, apologies are so difficult for me because I have believed that I can explain anything away and in the end be justified and if I am justified there is no need for forgiveness. Oh this is so wrong!
Romans 5:1-2 says "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Ephesians 2:8 says "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God," Justification comes from faith. Faith comes from God, as a gift. And not just any gift. The best kind of gift. The one you did nothing to deserve!
God is the one who accomplishes our justification. He did it through what many people call the great exchange from 2 Corinthians 5:21 "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Jesus took on our sinfulness and gave to us his righteousness. Because of this those who believe can stand before God in confidence, knowing that God sees Christ gleamingly white righteousness instead of our dirty sinful pride, selfishness etc. God accomplished this out of his love for us and his natural goodness. Thinking we can accomplish justification on our own is just silly. We can't. But he offers it to us anyway. Therefore, out of gratitude that God has made me justified, I should seek repentance and forgiveness. Not because it gets me anything of value but because God has already given me everything I need
His word says that if we believe, we are justified. And this is not because of ourselves but as a result of God's grace. The Lord continues to work salvation in me but I have to confess that this is a way that I have failed to believe and live out the true gospel. I have discovered that I seek justification from others through my ability to verbally explain my perspective to them. If I can make them understand then I'm good and justified in doing whatever I do. It has made me self righteous, not really righteous as a result of His work, just plain, old, false gospel, self righteous. I hate apologizing and I am starting to see that at the root, apologies are so difficult for me because I have believed that I can explain anything away and in the end be justified and if I am justified there is no need for forgiveness. Oh this is so wrong!
Romans 5:1-2 says "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Ephesians 2:8 says "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God," Justification comes from faith. Faith comes from God, as a gift. And not just any gift. The best kind of gift. The one you did nothing to deserve!
God is the one who accomplishes our justification. He did it through what many people call the great exchange from 2 Corinthians 5:21 "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Jesus took on our sinfulness and gave to us his righteousness. Because of this those who believe can stand before God in confidence, knowing that God sees Christ gleamingly white righteousness instead of our dirty sinful pride, selfishness etc. God accomplished this out of his love for us and his natural goodness. Thinking we can accomplish justification on our own is just silly. We can't. But he offers it to us anyway. Therefore, out of gratitude that God has made me justified, I should seek repentance and forgiveness. Not because it gets me anything of value but because God has already given me everything I need
Friday, June 29, 2012
False Gospel Fridays 1.0 Intro
I've been hearing a lot of people talk about false gospels lately. Many are examining how in their own lives they have come to believe false gospels. In our sin we have masterfully designed new ways to feel saved and we live out what we believe. We so desperately need to take the time to learn what the True Gospel is as laid out for us in God's Word. We need to repent when we fail to believe the truth, we need to search God's word for truth to believe, we need to speak truth to others so they to can believe the true gospel.
God's true gospel is this...
Romans 5:8 says "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." I just love that verse! I love this one too from 1 John 4:19, "We love because he first loved us." The Gospel is about God. It is about what He did and when He chose to do it. He loved us. AND he chose to love us before we did anything to make ourselves lovable AND without any guarantee that we would love him back. That's awesome! So how do we receive this love? Listen carefully because this is where it gets even harder to believe...(cue loud speaker) ITS FREE! Check out Ephesians 2:8 that says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God," Anyone else think that that is just incredibly good news?! I get all excited thinking about it!
And yet, In my own life I live out false gospels every single day. This series is going to be my attempt to repent and reveal my false gospels. My prayer is that the Lord would use this series to teach me the truth to undo the lies that I believe.
God's true gospel is this...
Romans 5:8 says "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." I just love that verse! I love this one too from 1 John 4:19, "We love because he first loved us." The Gospel is about God. It is about what He did and when He chose to do it. He loved us. AND he chose to love us before we did anything to make ourselves lovable AND without any guarantee that we would love him back. That's awesome! So how do we receive this love? Listen carefully because this is where it gets even harder to believe...(cue loud speaker) ITS FREE! Check out Ephesians 2:8 that says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God," Anyone else think that that is just incredibly good news?! I get all excited thinking about it!
And yet, In my own life I live out false gospels every single day. This series is going to be my attempt to repent and reveal my false gospels. My prayer is that the Lord would use this series to teach me the truth to undo the lies that I believe.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Examine Yourselves, A Follow Up
Recently, I wrote about a youth group teaching on 2 Corinthians 13:5 which reads "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test
yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus
Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!". You can read that post here. These are some follow up thoughts to that post and that teaching.
Examination can be a very scary thing. Most of us can remember waking up in a cold sweat the night before an important exam convinced that we have overslept and missed it. But as I spent some time reflecting on this verse I felt the Lord reminding me that examination is not for my condemnation but it is for my restoration.
Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." O how I need to remember this verse when I feel convicted of my sin. The Holy Spirit convicts me so that I may repent and find forgiveness. So that I may have a restored relationship with Christ. He does not convict me to condemn me. Because of God's gift of grace in Christ I have already passed from the condemnation that my sin deserves into new life with him!
In the end, what have we to fear?! God is gracious and patient. We can trust him to finish the work he has started in each of us! Philippians 1:6 "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." And so, I will go on examining myself...even when it hurts...confident that God's grace is enough for me and that his power is made perfect in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Examination can be a very scary thing. Most of us can remember waking up in a cold sweat the night before an important exam convinced that we have overslept and missed it. But as I spent some time reflecting on this verse I felt the Lord reminding me that examination is not for my condemnation but it is for my restoration.
Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." O how I need to remember this verse when I feel convicted of my sin. The Holy Spirit convicts me so that I may repent and find forgiveness. So that I may have a restored relationship with Christ. He does not convict me to condemn me. Because of God's gift of grace in Christ I have already passed from the condemnation that my sin deserves into new life with him!
In the end, what have we to fear?! God is gracious and patient. We can trust him to finish the work he has started in each of us! Philippians 1:6 "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." And so, I will go on examining myself...even when it hurts...confident that God's grace is enough for me and that his power is made perfect in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Monday, May 14, 2012
Baby Signs
A friend of mine recently asked if I could put together some tips from our personal experience teaching our kids sign language as infants. This is for her!
Baby sign language is a fairly new trend in the parenting world. Using signs with your baby is a great way to help him or her begin communicating with you while its still too difficult for him or her to verbally put sounds and words together. There are a variety of online resources and studies that you can peruse. Start with a google search and go from there!
We started using signs with our twin boys when they were somewhere between 6adn 9 months old. We modeled the sign for "more" during meal times until they began to see a connection with our hands, our words, and the actions we took directly following. We also modeled the sign for "all done" to signal the end of meal time. When they began to imitate our signs, we encouraged them with all kinds of yeahs, clapping, and other such positive affirmations. At first, their signs were sloppy and didn't look too much like our own but with our help they began to improve. After learning "more" and "all done," we taught the twins to say "please" and "thank you." As their signing improved and as they began to mature verbally we continued using signs while speaking. Once they were able to talk it was important to us to be sure that signs were paired with words so that the boys didn't become to dependent on the signs themselves and remembered to use their words.
With our next baby, we started signing a little earlier. Again, we chose to teach her "more" and "all done" first. As soon as she had "more" down, we added "please" and "thank you." Other early signs that we chose for her were "diaper" and "milk." She has done great with them all! She is more verbal (as were her brothers) than most of her peers. I do not believe she would be as verbally advanced had we not used sign language early on.
So here are some of our practical tips:
Baby sign language is a fairly new trend in the parenting world. Using signs with your baby is a great way to help him or her begin communicating with you while its still too difficult for him or her to verbally put sounds and words together. There are a variety of online resources and studies that you can peruse. Start with a google search and go from there!
We started using signs with our twin boys when they were somewhere between 6adn 9 months old. We modeled the sign for "more" during meal times until they began to see a connection with our hands, our words, and the actions we took directly following. We also modeled the sign for "all done" to signal the end of meal time. When they began to imitate our signs, we encouraged them with all kinds of yeahs, clapping, and other such positive affirmations. At first, their signs were sloppy and didn't look too much like our own but with our help they began to improve. After learning "more" and "all done," we taught the twins to say "please" and "thank you." As their signing improved and as they began to mature verbally we continued using signs while speaking. Once they were able to talk it was important to us to be sure that signs were paired with words so that the boys didn't become to dependent on the signs themselves and remembered to use their words.
With our next baby, we started signing a little earlier. Again, we chose to teach her "more" and "all done" first. As soon as she had "more" down, we added "please" and "thank you." Other early signs that we chose for her were "diaper" and "milk." She has done great with them all! She is more verbal (as were her brothers) than most of her peers. I do not believe she would be as verbally advanced had we not used sign language early on.
So here are some of our practical tips:
- Choose simple signs to introduce consistently
- Don't introduce more than 3 signs at a time
- Remember to give lots of positive encouragement even if signs seem sloppy at first but don't be afraid to help your baby learn how to sign correctly as he or she progresses.
- If you have older children, teach them to sign too and encourage them to use signs with the baby also.
- We love baby sign language books by Annie Kubler, they make signing fun for the whole family!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Prom 2012
Its that special time of year again and I wanted to take a chance to remind all of my prom going friends to be cautious and careful with their choices. I recently read a post from an AIM World Racer that I believe is a relevant read for all young people. Please take the time to read her story before hearing some of my thoughts on the oh-so-popular topic of sex before marriage or the oh-so-even-more-popular topic of how far is too far.
Stephanie shares from her personal experience of telling thousands of students in Uganda about her regret over not waiting until marriage to have sex. In 2004, I had a similar opportunity to share with students in Botswana, who also struggle to understand how AIDS is transmitted and how to express love for one another without having sex. At that time, I was already dating Sean (he actually proposed to me at the airport as I returned from this trip) and I had the blessing of using my personal experience of being in love with him and not needing to have sex with him to show it. I remember standing in front of class room full of students saying, "I have a boyfriend at home in the US and I love him very much but I don't have to sex with him to show it." The students were astounded, just as I am sure that Doreen was to hear this same message from Stephanie.
But here is the really important thing that I want to say to you all. Please read carefully. You don't have to have sex before marriage to learn some of the same painful lessons about sex, your body, your value etc that Stephanie mentions in her blog post. I may have made it to my wedding day with my virginity intact but there are plenty of mistakes that I made that left me (and consequently, my spouse) with the same kinds of wounds.
The Lord is faithful to heal. And he makes good on all his promises, including the one Stephanie mentioned about working everything together for good (see Romans 8:28). If you're already bearing wounds and scars, please allow the Lord to heal you before inflicting any further damage. If you're struggling to hold on to your virginity by throwing everything else to the wind, please hear me when I tell you that there is a better way. If you feel like the only who isn't having sex or isn't messing around, don't let other people make this important decision for you by pressuring you because of their foolishness, sometimes it good to be the only one ;)
1 Thessalonians 5:23 "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Stephanie shares from her personal experience of telling thousands of students in Uganda about her regret over not waiting until marriage to have sex. In 2004, I had a similar opportunity to share with students in Botswana, who also struggle to understand how AIDS is transmitted and how to express love for one another without having sex. At that time, I was already dating Sean (he actually proposed to me at the airport as I returned from this trip) and I had the blessing of using my personal experience of being in love with him and not needing to have sex with him to show it. I remember standing in front of class room full of students saying, "I have a boyfriend at home in the US and I love him very much but I don't have to sex with him to show it." The students were astounded, just as I am sure that Doreen was to hear this same message from Stephanie.
But here is the really important thing that I want to say to you all. Please read carefully. You don't have to have sex before marriage to learn some of the same painful lessons about sex, your body, your value etc that Stephanie mentions in her blog post. I may have made it to my wedding day with my virginity intact but there are plenty of mistakes that I made that left me (and consequently, my spouse) with the same kinds of wounds.
The Lord is faithful to heal. And he makes good on all his promises, including the one Stephanie mentioned about working everything together for good (see Romans 8:28). If you're already bearing wounds and scars, please allow the Lord to heal you before inflicting any further damage. If you're struggling to hold on to your virginity by throwing everything else to the wind, please hear me when I tell you that there is a better way. If you feel like the only who isn't having sex or isn't messing around, don't let other people make this important decision for you by pressuring you because of their foolishness, sometimes it good to be the only one ;)
1 Thessalonians 5:23 "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
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