As I write this on a Friday night, I’m very aware that the last thing most of you want to hear or think about as you begin your weekend is work. You’re probably either looking forward to spending the next two days with your family doing things you wouldn’t otherwise have time for, or, as in my case, are counting on a restful Saturday and Sunday to end one week and begin another. But as I’ve learned by way of experience over these last several months, living for a two day weekend is a tragic waste of the gift of life. If you wake up every Monday morning with a sigh of reluctance and drag off to work, already wishing it was Friday, then you’ll spend more than 70% of your life unhappy. Lamentations 3:22-23 reminds us that God’s mercies are new every morning – not just on our days off.

One way I’ve been able to realize God’s grace on a daily basis is to make the most of my commute. There are numerous ways to get to work from my house, but I make it a priority to take the scenic route whenever possible. Something about seeing the beauty of an autumn sunrise with worship music playing on my car stereo is able to dissolve that longing to go back to bed and pull the covers over my head. Of course if you live in the city the picture above may be the closest you’ll ever come to a scenic commute, but that’s not what matters; simply find a way to start your day off on the right foot by giving God the opportunity to reveal His love to you afresh.

“Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto Thee.”

-Psalm 143:8

Finding 30 minutes to spend in a prayer closet every morning may be next to impossible for some people, especially if getting up at 4 AM barely gets you out the door on time. But the point is not for me to set in stone how you should spend your day with God; it’s for you to identify the often subtle, daily opportunities you may now be overlooking to spend time in prayer and fellowship with your heavenly Father. For me, this means not taking the interstate; for you, it may mean opening up the Bible during your lunch break and feasting on what Job valued even “more than [his] necessary food” (Job 23:12). If your love for God and desire to serve Him is sincere, He will provide and reveal more opportunities to serve Him than you ever realized you had. You just have to keep your eyes open.

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

               -1 Peter 3:15

I’m someone who enjoys debate. Not that I enjoy disagreeing with another person over trivial issues, but, especially when it comes to God and the Bible, I always welcome the opportunity to defend what I believe. An ability to defend the Faith is one of the most important skills a Christian should have, not only because it deepens his personal understanding of spiritual things, but because it enables him to be used by God in revealing these things to others.

Of course no person, however knowledgeable of the Scriptures, is able to impart saving faith to another (Rom. 2:4). We can preach night and day of justification and propitiation, and yet there will always be those who disagree with us regardless of how plainly the truth is presented (1 Cor. 2:14). I’ve met professed-Christians through the blogosphere who hate what I have to say about salvation, yet will contradict me without the use of even a single Scripture and  insist that everybody goes to heaven. It’s during these times that discernment must be exercised so we are able to avoid fruitless conversations with a person who simply refuses to see the light (Matt. 7:6). Certainly God may lay it upon our hearts to continue reasoning with them for a time, but at some point we must redirect our energy toward reaching those truly hungry for truth.

The key, as Peter wrote, to being a successful defender of the Faith is not a huge reservoir of head knowledge. Yes, knowledge undoubtedly helps, but it doesn’t save people. Before all else, we must “sanctify the Lord God in our heart’s”, knowing that our efforts to evangelize are vain if we have not first presented ourselves as living sacrifices before the only One Who can reveal the Father in all His fullness (Matt. 11:27; Col. 2:9). Once we have Him working in us and through us, the task of reaching people for the Kingdom suddenly gets a lot easier.

Perhaps there’s someone you’d love to reach for Christ, but your words just don’t seem to be getting through. This might be because you’re too close to them, like the father who shares Christ with his rebellious son every time they meet but to no avail, or because you are trying to sell them a faith that you yourself have neglected. Pray about what your next step should be and be prepared to respond to God’s direction. Whether it’s to continue defending your faith to that person or simply cultivate it through prayer and fasting, God knows how to make us most effective in His service.

 

“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)

 

We all know the story of when Jesus called Peter and Andrew to leave their nets, follow Him, and become “fisher’s of men.” (Matthew 4) I find it very interesting that Christ appealed to them, not only using terminology they could understand, but also by demonstrating that to follow Him didn’t necessarily mean giving up all they held dear. They were fishers, and the kingdom of God certainly needed a handful of devout fisherman in its service.

Likewise, I believe it’s important for us to remember that God has endowed each one of us with specific spiritual gifts for us to use in His service (I Corinthians 12). Some of us are passionate about education or the ministry (I Corinthians 12:8; Romans 12:7), while others find their joy in volunteering their time and money to those in need (Romans 12:8). Whatever gets you excited, serving God doesn’t always mean giving that up; 95% of the time there’s a way for you to glorify God right where you are, doing what He created you to enjoy.

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

               -I Corinthians 10:31

It probably won’t take you long after reading this to think of at least a couple things you’re passionate about. If it’s sports, then perhaps you should consider running in a marathon for charity; if it’s web design, then make a website pointing people to Christ; if it’s nature, then create an outdoors-themed blog and write short devotionals once or twice a week . There’s certainly going to be times as a Christian when we’ve got to make sacrifices for the Lord, but God never intended fulfilling our life’s calling to be a burden.

 

 

 

 

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

               -Matthew 6:33

In these tough economic times, I know I’m not the only one who’s realized the need to create a weekly budget to help keep me on track financially. Without a definite course charted out I often find it difficult to stay motivated and am very liable to spend a little bit more money than is appropriate on unnecessary things, such as eating out and texting.

In the same way, it’s often necessary for a Christian to budget their time in order to maintain a close relationship with God. If you are regularly missing out on prayer, Bible study and church due to a supposed lack of time, then consider putting your facebook account on hold for a while and reprioritizing your schedule. Put God first and make everything else revolve around His place in your heart.

“And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched.”

               -Mark 9:43

For some of you, finding time to spend with God might mean setting your alarm 20 minutes early next week and trying to remember where you last had your Bible. For others, you may have to do nothing more than close your web browser after reading this post and go implement what you’ve just read. Whatever sacrifice you find necessary, just remember that it is no sacrifice to have a relationship with the living God. “So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” (Luke 17:10)

 

 

 

As you’ve probably already seen in my profile, raising ducks has become one of my absolute favorite hobbies over the past two years. When I first started out, people made fun of me because of the elaborate measures I went through to protect my birds from predators without themselves realizing how sneaky those devilish foxes and raccoons can really be. Here’s a sample of a few precautions that I took:

First of all, as you can see in my photo, I purchased a large dog kennel and wrapped the lower three feet of it with chicken wire. I also found several large pieces of scrap wood with which I lined the inside of the pen to further protect against a raccoon reaching in and catching a sleeping duck by surprise.

Chicken wire was stretched across the top of the kennel to protect against climbing/aerial predators, with any gaps being sealed off with plastic wire-ties. A tarp was also added for additional protection.

The ground surrounding the enclosure was meticulously covered with larger, more durable wire to keep away any dogs and foxes which might otherwise try and dig their way inside.

And last, but not least, a small radio is left on 24 hours a day to give local woodland creatures the idea that somebody must be in the area.

Since all of these features have been implemented, my duckyard has not suffered so much as one fatality. In fact, just yesterday I watched a fox within about 50 feet of their enclosure pass by without even attempting to find a way in! Perhaps it seems silly to go through so much trouble just to protect a flock of pet ducks, but it’s often surprising to see what a person will do in order to protect what’s important to them.

That’s why Jesus reminded us in Matthew 16:26 that there is absolutely nothing on this earth more important than our souls.

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

               -Proverbs 4:23

What measures are you taking to protect your heart and soul from the evils of this present age? Is your heart wrapped in the love of God, and your mind dwelling on those things which are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report (Philippians 4:8). Is the Sword of the Spirit firmly in hand and the helmet of salvation securely in place (Ephesians 6:17)? These are just some of the things that protect us from our greatest adversary, the devil, who goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (Ephesians 6:11; I Peter 5:8). He spends his night and day looking for ways to defeat us and, unless we are just as vigilant in our work as he is in his, we will suffer both miserable and inevitable defeat. Are you protected?

 

 

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

            -2 Corinthians 5:20

Over the past week or so this verse has been on my mind more than ever before. As Christians, Paul reminds us that we are each “ambassadors for Christ” and that everything we do, whether it be good or bad, ultimately affects the world’s estimation of Christ Himself. Now I don’t know about you, but I know that there are at least a few things in my own life that simply do not belong and fail to represent Christ accurately. Of course we know from Romans 3:23 that every human on the planet falls short of God’s glory, but we are all nevertheless instructed to submit ourselves completely and totally to Christ’s authority and allow Him to live in and through us (2 Corinthians 4:10). When we do that, we can rest assured that God will be pleased in how He is being portrayed.

“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

Wherever and whoever you are, I believe it’s time for God’s people to come to a place of humility and soul-searching as we seek to be the best ambassadors for Him as possible. We do this, not because we desire to be saved, but as an act of sincere gratitude for the salvation we have already obtained. It is only when we do this that we can begin to fully know the indescribable joy that obedience to the Word of the Lord brings (John 13:17).

 

 

I don’t know about you, but John 10:10 rates among the most frequently quoted verses I hear from fellow Christians. This is justifiable since it truly is a great passages that gives us clear insight into the intentions of the most influential beings ever to exist: Christ’s desire is to give us a more abundant life, while Satan’s is to steal, kill, and destroy us in any way possible. Unfortunately, I think that  many times we focus solely on Satan’s intentions while forgetting the fact that Christ, too, has an agenda worth mentioning.

Unlike the devil who goes about seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8), “…the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9) With such an amazing contrast between our two options, it is obviously important to make the decision of who we serve very, very carefully since, based on these verses, it will either destroy or fulfill us. Oftentimes the path that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13) seems to be the most fulfilling, and the path of righteousness (Psalm 2:3) full of destruction; yet we must be careful to look past the brevity of this life and it’s hardships, and focus on the eternal fruit of the the decisions we make. In reality, 1,000 years from now whatever joy or sadness we are now experiencing will be long since forgotten as we finally begin to understand the concept of eternity.

Whether big or small, we make countless decisions on a day-to-day basis that we rarely take the time to notice. Even though we generally consider big decisions to be the ones that permanently alter our life in a matter of minutes, those seemingly insignificant choices we make each day are the ones that impact us the most. The decision to serve God falls into both categories: we are saved at a specific moment in time as we make the decision to repent of our sins and believe the Gospel (Luke 13:3; Romans 10:9), but the decision to serve Him is one we must continue to make on a daily – even and hourly – basis in the little things we do. When we learn to make Christ part of every aspect of our lives, we will finally attain what He promised us in John 10:10. We will have life, and we will have it more abundantly.

 

“Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

             -Psalm 55:17

One of the most important decisions you can make as a Christian is to develop a personal and intimate relationship with God by spending time in prayer and Bible study each day. This should go far beyond praying over your meals or sitting quietly while your mom or dad reads from the Bible before bedtime, but actually involve you making a serious and voluntary effort to draw closer to the Lord (James 4:8).

“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”

           -Daniel 6:10

According to the experts, approximately 10% of what we hear sticks with us. With this in mind, I discovered that even if you attended church every Sunday of your life for 78 years (the average lifespan), you would still only absorb about 17 days worth of preaching. By contrast, the average person will spend at least 64,000 hours, or 7.4 years, watching television after their 15th birthday! My point is simple: listening to what your pastor has to say about God once a week just isn’t enough. We must pursue a personal walk with God that holds a higher priority in our lives than the newest reality show or our favorite sitcom.

“And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?”

             -Mark 26:40

Years ago I heard a pastor challenge his congregation to spend just one hour in prayer each day and see what a difference it would make in their lives. Today, I’m challenging you to do the same. Though you might have to give up something that’s  important to you in order to meet this challenge, keep in mind that nothing is so important as your relationship with Christ. If we don’t hesitate to give something as insignificant as the television almost three times as much of our day regularly, then it shouldn’t be all that difficult to give God 4% of our time.

 

NOTE: Click here to see the formula I used for calculating my statistics.

A few days ago I asked you guys to briefly define Christianity in your own words. I had five great responses, with each one touching on a different aspect of our faith. But the truth is, as one follower stated, “…Christianity is a small term that defines a big thing.” In light of this, I think it would be very difficult (if not impossible!) to condense the Christian faith  into one comment or blog post. But as difficult as it’s going to be, I’m going to try it anyway!

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

          -1 Corinthians 15:3, 4

First of all, Christianity is putting into action your belief in these truths. After all, faith without works is dead (James 2:17), and so “believing” it without putting it into action is worthless. A true belief that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” will do more than just permeate our mind; it will affect the very way we live our life. To take it a step further, if we truly believe that Christ indeed rose from the dead, why do we so often live as if He is still dead? As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words, and God doesn’t care about what we profess with our mouth nearly as much as He cares about what we are professing with our our actions.

“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

                                                            -Luke 13:3

Secondly,  Christianity is much more than just a decision. Modern-day ministers often urge their congregations to “make a decision for Christ” without ever mentioning the need for repentance or Godly sorrow (II Cor. 7:10). They might speak of “being saved”, yet people leave without an understanding of what they even need to be saved from (i. e. sin and its consequences) . This type of “Christianity” might draw a larger crowd and appear to bring about more conversions, but it is without Biblical foundation and thus is not Christianity at all.

Finally, Christianity is (or at least should be) a lens through which we look at life. Those who have received salvation through the blood of Christ shouldn’t confine their faith to the four walls of their church, but instead allow it to shape every part of their new life. It should alter the way we view issues such as abortion and homosexuality, and even who we vote for in political elections. Not only that, but we should allow it to determine where we work, who we hang out with, and the amount of time and money we spend on nonessential things. You see, Christianity is more than simply a religion or a political standpoint; it is a way of life that we should be living out from day to day.

I know this is a somewhat of a broad definition, but I did my best to cover it as well as possible in a single post. Thank you guys for your input, as it helped me tremendously in putting this together. I hope that we all gained a deeper understanding of what Christianity is all about, and the weight of our words when we claim the name of a Christian. 

Usually, when you come to my blog you can expect to find an encouraging, and hopefully edifying, devotional that challenges you to move deeper in your spiritual walk and draw closer to God. But today I want to do something just a little bit different and, instead of me writing to you, I want your input on a very important question: What is Christianity?

The majority of us already know what we believe and how to defend it, what it means to be saved, and can explain to an unbeliever how they too can experience God’s grace. But for some reason the above question, as simple as it may be, can be a very tricky one to answer. That’s why I want your opinions!

Anyway, if you’re reading this post, please leave me a comment less than 100 words in length and explain your definition of Christianity (or reply to me by email if you’re reading this from your inbox). I too will be meditating on this question over the next day or so, and will use your comments as a resource for a post I’m planning on this topic.

Again, please don’t click away from this page without commenting! Your post could be just what it takes to spark an enlightening discussion.

You may have heard it said that God has instituted a “whosoever will” program when it comes to salvation. And while I don’t mean to abuse a cliché, that is the blatant truth of the matter. The Lord will force Himself on nobody, and requires each of us to make a personal choice either for or against Him out of our own free will.

In case it isn’t obvious, the phrase “whosoever will” in this passage simply means “whoever wants to.” The Lord does not give prejudice to those with Christian parents, or to those who seem to have already established a set of seemingly good morals. No, He says “whosoever will.” Whether the above description fits you, or is the complete opposite of who you are and the lifestyle that you live, “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34), and His only requirement is a broken and contrite [i.e. repentant] heart – what David called “the sacrifices of God.” – in order to be saved. (Psalm 51:17)

Perhaps the devil has been telling you that you’re too far gone, and that there is no hope for you. But yet while you’ve read these words, something within your being has yearned for this thing called Living Water. Though you may not fully understand what it is, you know it’s what you need. That, my friend, is all you need to be eligible to receive it: the desire. The invitation still stands.

“And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god.”

                                                                -Judges 8:33

Over and over again in the Old Testament, we see that the Israelites faithfulness to God was always dependant on whether or not they had a Godly ruler. If their king or judge was a God-fearing person, then so were they. But as soon as that person died, they would revert back to their sinful, idolatrous lifestyle.

That was the case in the days of Gideon. While he was alive, he kept the Israelites in line, urging the people to serve the Lord. But as it says in today’s passage, they left God “as soon as Gideon was dead.”  This gives us the impression that they never really had it in their heart to begin with! Whether their spiritual experience was just that shallow, or if perhaps they never even had one, we may never know. But one thing we can be sure of is that we must have our own personal relationship with God. 

Think of the Israelites as having been a cold-blooded animal. Such an animal has no way whereby to maintain it’s body temperature, and is thus dependant on heat from the outside world to survive. If found in a warm environment, it is lively and vigorous; if otherwise, it is lazy and despondent.  But on the other hand, a warm-blooded creature has the same body temperature regardless of its surroundings. Whether in a tropical rainforest, or in a snowy blizzard, it doesn’t change.

Cold-blooded animals are paralleled by so called Christians of the 21st century who “serve God” only when surrounded by other Christians. But as soon as their surroundings change, so do they. When around the Godly, they are “Godly”; but when around the sinful, they are sinful. They laugh at jokes they would scorn in Christian company, and maybe even tell a dirty joke or two themself. The music they listen to, the books they read, the television shows they watch – everything changes based on who their with.

A true Christian, however, is not affected in the slightest by his or her surroundings. When around the Godly, they are Godly; when around the sinful, they are….Godly. Whether in church, or in the supermarket, their identity remains unchanged. This is the same mind that was in Christ Himself, Who preached the truth when people flocked to Him by the thousands, and when His best friends on earth forsook Him and went their own way.

I know that I usually don’t say this much about a single verse, but I feel such a need to share this with you. I think it’s a message that we all need to be reminded of. Your relationship with God should be just that: your relationship with God. Not your parent’s; not your pastor’s; and not your friend’s. It has to be a genuine, life-changing experience.

 

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

                                             -II Corinthians 5:17