Worth it

This past Sunday I referenced the story of the "Eight Cow Wife". It's a beautiful story about the power of transforming love. Johnny Lingo paid eight cows for Sarita and this showed her how much she was worth to him. She hadn't thought very highly of herself until that point.

I think it's the same for us. Oftentimes, we don't feel like we are worth anything. We tend to beat ourselves up with negative talk ("You're so stupid, you'll never amount to anything, you're such a loser", etc). Even the enemy will try to discourage us by reminding us how much we miss the mark - but the good news is that God doesn't see us that way.

When God looks at us, He sees his Son Christ Jesus living in us. Numerous times the Bible talks about how our identity and worth are found in Christ. We live in Him and He lives in us. And as far as paying a price: 1 Peter 1:18-19 says, "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers. but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect".

God sees incredible worth in every person which is why He sent His Son to be the ultimate, perfect sacrifice and pay the ransom for our sins. Be reminded of that powerful truth the next time you are tempted to feel worthless or no good. God didn't die for junk!

Making the Connection

We have been reading this week about the building of the Tabernacle. God gave specific instructions on how this was to be built and what materials to use. It was a massive undertaking. The point of the Tabernacle was so God could "come down" and dwell (tabernacle) with His people. It was also a way for the people's sins to be forgiven through offering sacrifices. Only the priest was allowed to enter the holiest place once a year and offer these sacrifices for the people. There were all kinds of rituals they had to go through before they could enter.

There was alot of killing this, purifying that, sprinkling blood here, there and everywhere. Here's what it means for us:

According to Hebrews 9:11-14, when Christ came as a high priest...then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands) he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls...sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!

I mean - thank God we do not have to go through all of these requirements just to have our sins cleared and to be redeemed anymore.

Hebrews 9:24-26 says, "For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands..., but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; ...But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Keep in mind, the Old Testament continues to point us to what Jesus ultimately fulfilled on our behalf.

Beyond Disneyland

Sometimes I think so much about "church stuff" that I neglect my calling as a Christian. I often think more about "how can I get more people in the seats" rather than "how can I share the gospel with people in the streets". Here's what I mean:

The predicament of the American church is that we live in a kind of Magic Kingdom. Like going to Disneyland, you buy your ticket, and once you are inside the gates, everything you experience is controlled. The rides, the food, the shows are all there to entertain and amuse you. All you have to do is be there and observe.

Yet just beyond the walls of Disneyland is Anaheim and the rest of Los Angeles. This is the real world with real problems: pollution and congestion, drugs and violence, islands of upscale neighborhoods surrounded by slums. Inside the Magic Kingdom, the outside world is almost inconceivable.

As Christians, we too are tempted to see our world that way. We can start thinking that our job is to invite a few fortunate others into the theme park, away from the troubles outside. But our job is not to increase the attendance at Disneyland; it's to tear down the walls and transform the world outside.

Excerpt from Richard Stearns, "Shedding Lethargy," Leadership Journal (Winter, 2012)

The Second Half

Today is the last day of January and it is also the last reading of the book of Job. It's been great to re-read and study this man's story. In today's reading, God continues to challenge Job with questions that he can't answer and Job repents. God then turns his attention to Job's friends and says that they will receive grace after Job prays for them (that's a whole 'nother story!) but here is what stuck out to me today. Job 42: 12 says, "So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning."

I turned 45 at the beginning of this month. According to life expectancy experts, I am in the second half of life. Do I consider it to be more blessed than the first half?

Sports fans know that it's really the second half that matters more. It's important to play a good first half, but the outcome is determined in the second half. And things can turn around dramatically in the second half! (Just ask any team that has come from behind to win it all).

Job had some serious trials in the first half of his life, but God used them to bring him to a deeper dependance upon God. I'm sure Job had a different outlook on what was really important after God had restored everything he had lost. The same can be true for us. There is opportunity to find new meaning and purpose for your life even in the midst of crisis and chaos.

Job had been very successful in the first half of his life and I'm guessing that after his life-changing ordeal, he saw things a little differently; that he went from being successful to being significant. He really had a story to tell after God blessed him, forgave him, and also extended grace to his friends (who didn't deserve it by the way).

So - if you are in the second half of life, do you consider it more blessed than the first? If you are still in the first half of life, think about how you would like to enter the second half. Stephen Covey says to "begin with the end in mind." That's a good principle to live by.

It's not so much how you start out, it's all about how well you finish. The second half determines how the game will end. Think about it.

Don't Get Hooked by Temptation

I was thinking about last Sunday's sermon. As I usually run it over in my head, oftentimes there are additional illustrations that come to mind. Here is one concerning fishing that illustrates how temptation works - and how we should urgently run from it instead of flirting with it. (remember Joseph's example with Potiphar's wife).

They say to catch a fish you have to "think like a fish." A fish's life is about the maximum gratification of appetite at the minimum expenditure of energy. To a fish, life is "see a fly, want a fly, eat a fly." A rainbow trout never really reflects on where his life is headed. A girl carp rarely says to a boy carp, I don't feel you're as committed to our relationship as I am. I wonder, do you love me for me or just for my body? The fish are just a collection of appetites. A fish is a stomach, a mouth, and a pair of eyes.

Fish are just plain dumb. Hey, swallow this. It's not the real thing; it's just a lure. You'll think it will feed you, but it won't. It'll trap you. If you were to look closely, fish, you would see the hook. You'd know once you were hooked that it's just a matter of time before the enemy reels you in.

You'd think fish would wise up and notice the hook or see the line. You'd think fish would look around at all their fish friends who go for a lure and fly off into space and never return. But they don't. It is ironic. We say fish swim together in a school, but they never learn. Do we?

Jesus is Greater Than Religion - video

This video has over 6 million hits on youtube. I say, "Amen."

The Gap Theory

As we have started reading the Chronological Bible, one of the first questions that arises in the creation account is: "Why is the earth formless, void and dark? I thought God created the heavens and the earth to be good." One plausible answer seems to be what is called the "gap theory". This is the belief that between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2, there could be a HUGE time gap. God originally created the heavens and the earth out of nothing at some point in the past, (this would include a time when angels were also created), but became "formless, chaotic, dark and void" because of Lucifer's rebellion. See Isaiah 14:12-14, Ezekiel 28:12-19, Luke 10:17-18 and Revelation 12:3-4.

A cosmic war broke out where Lucifer became Satan and was thrown out of Heaven. This could also explain how Satan was in the Garden of Eden to tempt Eve.

So proponents of the gap theory suggest that in verse 2, God actually "re-created" the earth because of what had taken place sometime before. And that God could have "re-created" in six, 24-hour periods, resting on the seventh. Here is a video of Greg Boyd (author of God At War) explaining this theory.

Whether this theory is accurate or not, the most important thing to know is that God is the One who is Creator and His intentions are always good.