Lethal Christian Living

I'd like to introduce you to a man named Phinehas, Aaron's grandson. This man has quite the interesting story. It's fascinating, actually. Being familiar with Old Testament stories, this isn't necessarily one of those that you heard in Sunday School growing up, but I think it is so very important, and we can apply it very practically in our lives. You can find this story in Number 25. Please take some time to read it for yourself. Here is my summary:

Israel was in a mess. Many had turned to worship other gods, specifically the gods of Moab. Men were marrying the daughters of Moab and allowing them to bring these gods into their households; before long, these gods were worshiped instead of and along with the One True God. God was so displeased, so angry that He commanded all that worshiped Baalpeor (Moabite god) to be killed. He sent a plague on Israel.

After this event, an Israelite man still had the audacity to bring a Moabite with him into the camp before those who were weeping; he walked in front of "Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel" (v. 6). He took this woman to the tent. And one man, Phinehas, stood up for God. The Bible describes a gruesome scene (probably why it isn't told often in Sunday School). Phinehas goes after the man and the woman with his javelin and kills them.

The result: "the plague was stayed" (v. 8). Why? Because "he was zealous for My sake" (v. 11).

Phinehas had to take an extreme stand for God. A deadly stand for God. He swiftly and soundly cut off the problem. He gave no excuses. He gave no explanation. He stopped the problem. He loved God enough that He would not allow His name to be dishonored.

How many of us have a sin problem in our lives that needs to be drastically killed? How many times have we dishonored God in front of others with obvious problems in our lives? Our life needs to be filled with lethal Christian living. I think that we could all admit that there are some things in our life that just need to go. If we would only have the courage of Phinehas to cut off the sin in our lives, think about how much God could be glorified.

So, what needs to go? I'm not going to give any specifics; you probably already know. It's funny how God points out exactly what we need to fix. Take courage. Ask God for His strength to help you get rid of sin and choose right.

Details, Details

Confession time. I don’t have it all together. I just don’t. I struggle in my life. I have sin issues. I have fights with my siblings and parents. I have friend problems. I get completely overwhelmed and stressed out.

I am a sinner.

But I know Someone great. I know Someone who is bigger, better, best. I know Someone perfect. I don’t have it all together, but God does.

You know what? He is just awesome. He doesn't sin. He doesn't argue. He doesn't stress. He’s just got it all together. And not just the things that you might think concern Him because the things that concern Him are the things that concern you. He loves you. He’s a God of the details.

I've been recently reading in Exodus, and I just got to the Ten Commandments and all the other laws. Good grief! Talk about meticulous. To think that the Israelites had to do all that. Talk about stressing out. But God didn't. The details matter to Him. He had all his ducks in a row so to speak. He knew exactly what His plan was. And one day, He would do away with these laws by paying the ultimate sacrifice Himself.

You see, He had a purpose. He had a plan for all these little details, and He has a plan for all the little details of your life. When it seems like you’re falling apart and you don’t know what to do, run to the God who is in charge of and cares about all of those little details. He won’t let you down. 

A Teacher's Heart

For the last week and a half, I have had the great privilege to work alongside my first grade teacher in the classroom. I got the opportunity to see first hand why teaching is so important.

Yes, the education is important, but there's something even more pressing in a Christian school education. It's Christ's love.

Love is shown in many different ways in the classroom. It's shown by taking time to listen to a child's story even though he might raise his hand in the middle of the lesson. It's shown by correcting a student when she talks back. It's shown by getting a student's attention to make sure he is learning what he should be. It's shown by doing the best you can to understand a child's needs even when it may be difficult.

Most of you can probably think of a bad teacher. One who wasn't prepared. One who didn't care what you did. One who was too overbearing. But you can probably think of your favorite teacher too. It was probably someone who noticed you and loved you just for being you. You may not have realized what they were doing when you were in the class, but you know it now.

After this week, I can see what teaching is really all about because of my teacher's example. Teaching isn't necessarily about giving children the best education that they can in the classroom (even though this is what they are getting in this setting and this will be a goal for me personally). It's about showing my student's the love of Christ, that it will mold them and shape them into who they can and ought to be.

Communication is Key

I think that sometimes we are scared to pray about the little things. It's like we think that God may think our request is stupid. It's like telling a older brother or sister something. Or like telling your best friend an embarrassing secret. We want to keep it to ourselves; we don't want anyone to know. Not even God.

Why? Because we don't realize who God really is.

We don't realize that He is love. We don't realize that He knows we are human. We don't realize that He cares even for the most simple things (even tiny birds).

This is the cool thing about God. You can be you. He wants you to be yourself. Completely honest and open. We seem to think that we can hide things from God, but the truth is He already knows. He knows what you're afraid to ask for. He knows what sin you've kept a secret. He knows that one thing you refuse to tell anyone else.

Just talk to Him.

That's all prayer is. It's talking to God. It's using communication with Him not to just ask for what we want but to build up a good relationship with Him. Without communication, you cannot have a good relationship.

If you really want to see God at work in your life, communication is key. Praying is your way of talking to God, and the Bible is His way of talking to you. Get to know Him as much as you can. Strive to work on better communication in the best relationship you can have.

Remember Who You Are

"Remember who you are."

These are the words that the President of my college challenged us with before we left for the end of the semester. He challenged us not to remember that we are college students of a Christian college, but that we are Christians.

What if we actually remembered that we were Christians throughout every moment of every day? Would it change the words you say when you are unhappy? Would it change the attitude that you have towards the person who disagrees with you? Would it change the way we act toward someone who may not know about Christ?

I imagine that it would. When you go throughout the day today, whoever you are or whatever you might be doing, remember who you are. You are first and foremost a Christian, a representative of Jesus Christ.

Same God Here, Same God There

This summer has been the greatest summer of my life. I cannot even begin to explain all the things that God has been teaching me this summer, but it is my goal to share one of those things today. 

So on a typical week here at the Wilds, the campers get here on Monday, and they leave on Saturday. It's amazing to see what the campers learn all week long. It's also amazing to see the decisions they make. They let go of long time bitterness. They change their attitudes. They get rid of ungodly living and friends....right here in the shelter of the Wilds. You see, here, it's easy to serve God. It's easy to do what is right because everyone else is doing it too. But then you go home. Back to the bad influences, ungodly friends, and worldly living. At the end of a camp week, I find myself wishing I could go home with the campers, but then God reminds me of something. This same God goes home with them! They can keep these same decisions because God is the same here and there. 

It's easy to get on an emotional, spiritual high at camp, but that doesn't have to be only at camp or in whatever given spiritual setting. God is always the same. Rest in that fact, and stay close to Him. 

Being Real

A little taste of spiritual heaven on earth.

This is the phrase that I use to describe the place where I get to serve this summer. The Wilds is a Christian camp where I'm counseling elementary age and teenage girls this summer. After a week of staff training, you would think that I would be completely prepared, right? Well, I don't know. There are going to be situations where I need help this summer, and I definitely need God with me each step of the way. But there are a couple of things that stand out to me from this week. One is that I have to be real. 

We listened to a session about the kind of Christianity that young people are witnessing. The speaker made these three points: teens are witnessing a lifeless, loveless, and legalistic Christianity. 

When I first went to the Wilds as a camper, one of the biggest things I noticed was that these people were real. They really do love God, they really do love me, and they really have fun doing both of these. A ministry at the Wilds is all about serving God and serving others. It's doing what's right even though it's hard. It's loving even when someone is very difficult to love. It's completely surrendering to God's Word and doing what He says. 

As a counselor this summer, I know that I have to be real. Teenagers can spot a phony so fast! I have to have genuine love for God and those around me. But this application isn't just for camp. God calls us to love and obey Him no matter where you are! What difference would it make if others looked at your life and said, "What you see is what you get. He is really trying to please God with his life." 

Would others say that your talk about God matches your walk with God? I hope so! Be real today!

It's Not Easy

It's not easy to get up every morning.

It's not easy to have your devotions every day. (Check out the previous post for more about this!)

It's not easy to pray every day.

It's not easy to love.

It's not even easy to serve God consistently.

Why? Your flesh is the enemy. Satan is the enemy. You are fighting an uphill battle. Sin is trying to push you down. It is not natural for us to serve God. It is a choice that we have to make.

Joshua 14:8 says, “Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God.” This was Caleb's testimony. He chose to serve God with his whole heart. When did he make this choice? Maybe it was when he was a child. Maybe it was when he was a teenager. Maybe it was just before his spy mission in Canaan. But it was before he was put into these situations. He chose to serve God wholly and completely? Will you?

I have to warn you though. It's not easy. But the Bible promises us that it is completely worth it because your uphill battle is already won! Jesus conquered all. He defeated sin, death, and the grave. Will you choose the winning side? Will you serve God wholly and completely today?

No Devos, No Facebook

Consistency is one of the hardest challenges of the Christian life. Hypocrisy is something that many outside the church complain about. This is exactly why they don't want what we have. Our mouths say one thing, but our lives say another. We may not drink, smoke, or be caught up in some major sin, but what about all the little every day things, the things that people around us really notice?

Probably one of the most over-looked areas that Christians struggle with inconsistency is in their devotional life. It's easy when you have a routine. Wake up, do your devotions, get ready, eat breakfast, brush teeth, go to work, etc. But what happens when the routine changes? For me, I've been at school the last several months, and it was so easy to get into a routine! I had it all figured out, and I was able to spend time in God's Word and prayer. Now that I'm home, I have to develop a new routine. One that will keep my devotions in check. So, I decided to sit down and figure out how to do this.

Here is where you come in. I once was challenged to a “No Devos, No Breakfast” challenge. That didn't have much effect on me because at school I don't really eat breakfast (I know, not good). Needless to say, it didn't work very well, so I decided to change it to something that will affect me. For the next two weeks, I want to challenge you to with the “Consistency Challenge.” I have decided that for the next fourteen days I will take on the motto “No Devos, No Facebook.” If I don't have my devotions, I don't have Facebook that day. It may be something else that will work for you, Google+, Pinterest, or maybe your favorite TV show or hobby. I really think that if you accept the challenge with me, you and I will see God work in great ways! You'll see that the more you get to know God, the more you love Him. We often underestimate how amazing He really is.

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” God wants us to seek Him. He wants to spend time with you! Let's not pass up the privilege we have to spend just a few minutes every day getting to know our Savior.

Are you up for the challenge?