“I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.”

               -Genesis 32:10

Let me know if I’m off the mark here, but it seems like Christians today have become increasingly consumed with self-confidence. Maybe it’s because the world would have us believe we are all worthless, but many who disagree with this have taken things to the opposite extreme by suggesting God couldn’t live without us and wants nothing more than for us to “ask Him into our heart” so we can fill a man-shaped hole in His. If you don’t know what I mean, simply tune in to your local Christian music station or visit the inspirational section of any bookstore. It probably won’t be long before you find yourself squarely confronted with the idea that God actually needs us as much as we need Him. “We were worth dying for,” is the message.

What I have a hard time with, however, is beholding the bruised and bleeding Son of God and thinking for any length of time that I was worth that. Certainly we must have held some value in God’s eyes if He sacrificed His very life to gain us, but God’s love is not the result of our own goodness. Did adulterous Gomer deserve for Hosea to take her back? No, and we didn’t deserve for Jesus Christ to be killed on our behalf. Since when are we the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:45-46)?

In “Dug Down Deep”, Joshua Harris puts it this way: “I had always heard [the cross] explained in terms of my great worth. I am so valuable that God would send Jesus to die. The question [John] Piper closed his message with deeply challenged me. “Do you love the cross because it makes much of you” he asked. “Or do you love it because it enables you to enjoy an eternity of making much of God?"  Turning the cross into a monument of humanity’s worth is to rob our Redeemer of the glory for the greatest thing He ever accomplished.

Again, I believe it’s important to combat the lie that humanity is worthless. Each of us has been created in the Divine image of our Creator, but to think that we were worth even a drop of Christ’s innocent blood turns His sacrifice into a mere transaction. Only when we recognize just how unworthy we truly are can we fully experience the joy of being God’s child.

A couple years ago I attended a two-day homeschool expo with my family. The last workshop I attended was unplanned until nearly the last minute when I decided to check out a class focusing on the importance of memorizing Scripture, which was  something I had recently become very interested in.

While there I met Jim Woychuck, director of Scripture Memory Fellowship, and Phil Walker who is also very involved with the increasingly-popular Bible Bee, memverse.com, and his own international Scripture ministry located in Indonesia. In particular, Memverse and Scripture Memory Fellowship completely revolutionized the way I memorize and strengthened my commitment to continue doing so throughout the rest of my life.

SMF’s primary goal is to encourage people to systematically memorize Scripture in the most effective ways possible, while the main purpose of meverse is to make this process easier and less time-consuming. Though they aren’t technically affiliated, this dynamic duo of Scripture memory tools makes memorizing the Word of God easier than it’s ever been and leaves us without excuse before our heavenly Father.

Whether or not you are currently memorizing Scripture, I highly recommend taking advantage of these two tools. My decision to become involved with these ministries has truly transformed my walk with God by filling me with both a greater love for and knowledge of Scripture and I am confident they can do the same for you.

Have you ever found yourself eager to be used by God, yet totally unprepared when the opportunity to take a step of faith and obey His leading presents itself? This upcoming book by Bruce Wilkinson provides practical advice for those willing to open their hearts and wallets to the needy and presents the reader with what I would consider a radical and potentially life-changing concept: what if we are merely managers of God’s resources and not actually the owners? As the subtitle states, when we recognize God as the giver of every good and perfect gift, “suddenly, everything changes.”

My first impression when receiving this book was that it would be a general guide to handling money in a Christian way. Instead, what I had really found is the path to a truly unique method of generosity that relies entirely on God’s leading and provision. You probably won’t see this on any best seller lists or read it more than once or twice yourself, but within these pages lies a concept with the ability to completely transform the way you look at money. Not only is it God’s provision for you, but is in some cases His intended provision for others.

To those who enjoy a quick read with a powerful message, consider purchasing this book. Though I often find myself bored with authors intent on filling 300+ pages with a relatively simple idea, this particular volume took little time to complete and left me excited about what I’d just read. It doesn’t release until October 11, so don’t head to your local bookstore just yet; but do be sure to check it out as soon as you can get your hands  on a copy. It’s worth it.

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

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Disclaimer: I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review and all expressed opinions are my own.

“Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”

               -Galatians 3:3

One of the greatest struggles for any Christian is finding the delicate balance between discipline and legalism. In my own experience there have been occasions when everything seemed to be going so well that I actually took mental notes on what I was doing at the time and determined to keep doing those things indefinitely. If spending 2-3 hours a day in my prayer closet seemed to do the trick, I would make that my standard and feel ashamed anytime I fell short.

Of course praying for hours in a day is excellent, but, as I soon learned, is not always possible. It’s certainly possible much more often than we’d like to think so, but the truth of the Gospel is that God gave us His very best and asks in return that we give Him ours. If our best gift to Christ is consistently offered we can rest assured in the truth He will be pleased with our service, just as He was pleased with the widow who offered her entire substance of only two mites at the temple’s treasury (Mark 12:42).

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”

               -Ephesians 2:8

The key to true spiritual discipline is not always found in devotional books or Bible reading plans. These are indeed powerful tools, but, like all tools, are only constructive when used properly. I’m obviously not encouraging you to forsake routines which have proven helpful in the past, but simply to ensure these things are treated as stepping stones in your journey to heaven rather than an end in themselves. As the Apostle reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15:19, if Christianity offered hope only in this life we would be “of all men most miserable.”

Good days and happy prayers are too small a thing to live for. If the yardstick whereby we measure our spiritual progress is nothing more than the minute hand on a clock, then we need to seriously examine ourselves in the light of Scripture and pray with David, “search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24)

This is one of the most powerful new songs I’ve heard in a long time. When you hear the story behind it, it seems to make the entire message that much more powerful and so I encourage you to check that out as well. Forgetfulness has always plagued God’s people and this song serves as a compelling reminder of who we are in Christ. Take a listen!

“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

               -2 Corinthians 9:7

Unlike tithing, spontaneous giving is not usually planned far in advance. Whereas we might take tithes right off the top of our paycheck, immediately setting it aside for God, this kind of giving follows no definite pattern or system of rules; we give willingly when the need arises, remembering that the greedy are doomed to poverty and the generous promised a blessing (Proverbs 11:24).

Now to those of you already paying tithes, please don’t fool yourself into believing you’ve already done your share by giving 10%. Just because you do what many others fail to doesn’t earn you extra credit with God. Is a child considered prodigious when she obeys her father? She may indeed be above-average, but when sin is the average we can’t settle for that. God will use us if we let Him, but we can’t limit how much we’re willing to sacrifice.*

“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

Obviously I don’t recommend donating to every charity that shows up in your mailbox or reaching for your wallet every time you see a homeless person. I find it particularly frustrating when a Christmastime donation to feed the hungry turns into a year’s worth of solicitations which often cost more than you ever gave in the first place. We should always exercise discernment, while being careful never too become so cautious that we don’t give at all.

The need is out there, and we hardly demonstrate the love of Christ by withholding good from them to whom it is due (Proverbs 3:27). Let us instead learn to give just as our Lord did: not out of necessity, but from a heart overflowing with love and compassion. In a world where nearly every need has a ministry dedicated to its resolve, all we must do is realize which of these God has called us to support. Whether it’s a periodical sacrifice to bless the persecuted church overseas, or something ongoing such as child sponsorship, let me encourage you to discover through prayer which facet of ministry God is calling you to participate in. Few things bring greater joy than knowing you have made an eternal investment with otherwise temporary resources.

*I once met a man who had made it his goal to live on 10%.