What Will You Do With the Word of God? (Blogs Revisited)

What Will You Do With the Word of God? (Originally posted July 19, 2014)

“I was writing in my journal the other day about my desire to have a closer relationship with God. Not just a “see you at worship service” relationship, but a “walk alongside him” relationship. I thought, what better way to get closer to him and learn more about his will than to read the bible more. Sometimes we think its hard to feel God’s presence or that we can’t figure out his will for our lives, but the truth is, he gives us everything we need for life and godliness in his word. I’ve mentioned in previous posts how powerful and informative God’s Word can be.  The words of the bible are his very thoughts.  Jesus is the Word manifested in the flesh.  So in order to have a relationship with him, I need to be studying his Word more. 

The thing is, what do we intend to do with the word of God?  In James 1:22, we are reminded that if we hear the word and don’t do it we deceive ourselves. Satan is the great deceiver, but sometimes we make his job easy for him. He’s likely thrilled to watch some of our worship services. He’s probably sitting there thinking, “Sweet!  Look at all these “Christians.”  They gather to hear a message from God that they’re not going to apply. They deceive themselves. My job is done.”  But that is not the reaction that God wants when we hear or read his word. He is a God who desires repentance, change, of actually turning away from the world and following him.

If we’re honest, there are several ways that we can respond to God’s word, only one of which he would be happy with.

1. We respond with disbelief (We can hear something from the word of God and flat out not believe what it says. We can assume that God didn’t really mean that, or that he’s a loving God who would not really punish us. Against our better judgement, we walk away from what we know in our hearts to be the truth.)
2. We respond with “That doesn’t apply to me” (Somehow, Christians have gotten into the habit of cherry-picking the bible, thinking that some parts apply to my life while others do not. God’s word is perfect. We cannot throw some of it out because we disagree or it doesn’t match the life we want to live. It’s our responsibility to mold our lives to fit what God wants, not the other way around.)
3. The word “breaks us” but we do nothing (Sometimes we hear a well-delivered message from God’s word or we read a passage that really hits home.  We dwell on how important it is, how right and true, but no change is made. Like the soil with many thorns, we get sidetracked worrying about our lives. We forget that God’s word has no effect on us until it is applied.)
4. The word “breaks us” and we change (“The man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it- he will be blessed in what he does” -James 1:25.  A disciple is a follower of their master. They listen to instruction, and then put that instruction into practice. Like Romans 12:2 says, we are to be transformed by renewing our minds with the word of God. Only then will we know his will.)

Next time you open your bible to study or you’re listening to someone deliver a message from God’s word, read or listen with a purpose. Ask yourself, “What will I do with the word of God?”

It’s amazing to look at the Bible sitting on my desk next to me and think of the amazing importance of that text.  I know this to be true, but it still stuns me at times to realize that these are the very thoughts of the God that I believe in and worship.  I’m astounded by the Bible’s permanency and its power.  I’m encouraged by its message of hope and grace.

I think, as Christians, we lose track of that at times.  We talk about how important the Bible is, but we don’t necessarily show that daily in the way we live or respond to the world around us.  We proclaim that the word of God has the great ability to transform lives, but it may not be entirely evident that it has transformed our own.

I wrote the above post many years ago to provide a reminder that we cannot only read God’s word or even memorize it or quote it when trying to prove a point.  We must be changed by it!  It should be evident in every aspect of our lives that the transforming power of the word of God has taken control of us.  That by reading it we respond to our sin with remorse and repentance.  That we take seriously our calling to make disciples of all nations.  That we realize that the grace and forgiveness that God has given us was meant to be passed on to others as well.

Ask yourself, “What will you do with the word of God?”  Will you set it aside in disbelief or pick it apart to eliminate the inconsistencies with your chosen lifestyle?  Or will you relish in the saving words of a God who loves you dearly and choose to daily follow his commands?

-Joe Butler

What is the Christian Life…A Rich, Abundant Life (Blogs Revisited)

What is the Christian Life… A Rich, Abundant Life (Originally posted April 29, 2014)

“So being a Christian is synonymous with having an abundant life right?  Great…where do I sign up?  Has God promised us a rich, abundant life?  Well yes and no.  Today’s post on living as a Christian will focus on what a rich, abundant life really means in God’s eyes. First let’s look at the verse that sparked this study, John 10:10.  Jesus said in that passage, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”.   Some versions refer to it as an abundant life.  There is no doubt that God provides us wonderful physical blessings but many have interpreted this verse to mean that God promises what we would call the good life.  Wealth, power, life on easy street.  If you’ve taken the time to read much of the rest of bible or study the lives of Christ’s followers, you’ll know practicing a Christian life is anything but easy.  So what does this “abundant life” mean?  We must shift into eternal thinking and read some other passages to fully understand this concept.

Lets look at 2 Corinthians 9:8.  “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”  The abundant life is about the grace of God as well.  It’s about using that grace through the work we do for others.  God blesses us so we can then bless those around us.  It’s a beautiful way to show the love of God to the world and praise Him for the love he shows us.

The abundant life is also a life of power, or better yet, of God’s power living through us. Ephesians 3:20-21 says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever.”   We need to view ourselves as vessels carrying the message and power of God throughout the world.

Finally, the abundant life is having our needs met.  “My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).  Suffice it to say that needs and wants are two very different things. But as the parable of the talents teaches, those who use God’s gifts wisely will be blessed with more.  God has always provided for his children…the entire bible speaks that message.  All we need to do is put our trust in him, obey and practice his teachings, and he will give us that abundant life we all hope for and dream of.”

For today’s “Blogs Revisited” post, we’re going to take a look at post I wrote as a month-long series back in April of 2014 answering the question of what is a Christian life.  I chose the topic of the rich, abundant life because this idea is so misunderstood and misinterpreted.  Of course that’s easy to do when we only use our physical world as a means of understanding Scripture.  As we grow more spiritually mature, we can hopefully understand the eternal ramifications of God’s word and the promises that lie within.

The idea of a rich and abundant life is a good example of thinking that God’s promises have to do with the here and now.  For sure, this passage of Scripture found in John 10:10 does promise us blessings, but we may have misinterpreted that God wishes for us to live a carefree life full of financial and material success.  As the post above mentions, one need only to study the Bible in its entirety to see that Christians throughout history have not always lived a life that we would consider comfortable and easy.  And if we only think of this life here on earth, it would make sense to think in this way, but God is preparing us for eternity and gives us the blessings (grace) we need to do the good works he wishes for us to do.  God does indeed meet our physical needs in this life and he does promise to bless those who are good stewards with more, but that abundance is meant to be shared rather than hoarded.

There’s no doubt that Christians should approach life with the mindset that they are rich in Christ.  But those riches have nothing to do with the physical things we have here in this life.  The riches of God are attributes like peace, contentment, joy, wisdom, and love and if you ask me, those things promise a much more abundant life than what this world could ever offer.

-Joe Butler

Pride

Pride is such an interesting trait.  In its positive form, it manifests itself as a necessary feeling of accomplishment  that builds self-esteem and nurtures confidence.  In its negative form, it embodies an unattractive sense of arrogance and haughtiness that no one seems to enjoy.  It’s pride in the latter form that I want to discuss today.

Pride, in its negative appearance, is probably best examined by looking at its opposite…self-control.  Where pride and our desire to serve ourselves try to override the commands of God, self-control seeks to do what’s in our best interest according to God’s will for our lives.  Read with me this admonition from the Bible:

“¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, ¹² training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³ waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,”

(Titus 2:11-13)

The grace of God is a mighty thing indeed!  It not only brings us salvation, but it also assists us in living self-controlled lives in the sight of God.  Our fleshly, sinful nature usually seeks to serve itself first.  We can even serve ourselves to the point of self-destruction, introducing things into our lives that can put us in danger both physically and spiritually.  It’s our fleshly selves that separate us from God through the sin we partake in.  We can be inherently good but not good enough, consistently enough, to stay away from this prideful behavior.  It’s only with God’s help that we can distance ourselves from pride and live upright, godly lives.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.² For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. ³ For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.”

(Romans 8:1-5)

The very scary truth is that Satan is out there every day waging war against our hearts, trying to convince us to live according to the flesh.  To love the world and its fleshly desires is actually showing hatred towards God (1 John 2:15-16).  It’s the epitome of pride to allow the temporal passions of our flesh and of this world to distract us from God.  But we do, and we do it all the time.  We are set free from prideful living when we walk according to the Spirit.  All the more reason why we must seek the fruit of  self-control.

“¹⁶ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

(Galatians 5:16-23)

A great way of looking at this idea of self-control is to really think of it as “God-control.”  The more God is in control of us and the more submitted we are to him and his will, the less we tend to mess up and succumb to the temptations of sin.  Self-control is also about being disciplined enough to practice healthy spiritual activities such as prayer, worship, giving, encouraging, love, and forgiveness.  When we bring ourselves closer to God and others in these ways, we can’t help but depart from prideful behavior.

Remember to always remind yourself, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).  This promise will undoubtedly apply to a life of self-control.

-Joe Butler

Monday Motivation: What Good Works Will You Do?

“⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

(Ephesians 2:8-10)

Just imagine a master craftsman.  He puts a tremendous amount of attention and detail into everything he creates.  Every part has a purpose, every piece has a role.  A designer always creates with an end result in mind: What work will this object do?  What purpose will it fulfill?

We are the workmanship of the Almighty God, created to fulfill a unique calling that no one else can fill.  We were created to perform good works.  Not to earn our salvation.  That would contradict the definition of grace.  But we were created and molded and made with a purpose in mind.  God planned these works before we were ever born and designed us in such a way that we would have the talents and resources to fulfill them.

What good works will you do today?

-Joe Butler

Monday Motivation: Self-Control

“¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, ¹² training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³ waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,”

(Titus 2:11-13)

For many of us, we have just come off of an uplifting Lord’s Day of worship and rest and are now returning to a busy work week and family/personal tasks.  In the process of performing the many responsibilities we must do every day, I pray that you would keep in mind the passage above from Titus.  While the grace of God does amazing things in our life to include offering us salvation, it also acts as our trainer, teaching us what is right and how to live.

Make it a daily reminder this week that the Lord wishes us to live upright, godly lives as we anxiously await the return of our Savior.  Be ready to turn away from unrighteousness when those situations arise and pray for self-control to face any temptation that the devil may throw at you.  And no matter what you, do it in the name of the Lord, offering him the glory he so rightfully deserves.

-Joe Butler

Monday Motivation: We All Need Jesus

“The problem we have with Jesus isn’t that he gives life and grace freely, but that we have to admit our need for it.  It’s hard to convince people Jesus is a great Savior when they don’t think they need saving.”

(Jefferson Bethke- “Jesus > Religion”)

Wow!

Just let that quote sink in for a minute.  We’re all sinners in need of a Savior.  The “I’m a good person” line of thinking doesn’t work with God.  Just because you think you’re better or more righteous than someone else doesn’t mean you meet Jesus’ standard of holiness.

Sound harsh?  Not really.  It’s actually quite liberating to let go of the rat race idea of trying to work our way into the good graces of God.  Just like the Pharisees treated God’s law as a checklist (John 5:39-40), we sometimes read the Bible as a policies and procedures manual in order that God will be pleased with us.  But it doesn’t work that way.  We have to learn that we’ll never check off enough boxes to be good enough to deserve his grace.

That’s the freedom we have in Christ.  When we humbly come to him as the penitent sinner that we are, he offers his grace and forgiveness free of charge.  We just have to get the point to admit that…

each and every day!

-Joe Butler

Be There

I have a special place in my heart for the city of Seattle.  If you’ve never been there, you’re missing out because it’s the most beautiful, eclectic, adventurous metropolitan area I’ve ever seen.  With the Puget Sound and the Olympic mountains to the west and the Cascade mountain peaks of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, and Mt. St. Helens to the southeast, there’s no shortage of picture-postcard views.  And then you get into the city of Seattle itself with its funky neighborhoods and cool places to visit like Pike Place Market and the Space Needle.  There’s always something interesting around every bend and a Starbucks on every corner.

My dad’s side of the family all live out in Washington state within an easy drive of downtown Seattle, and it was inevitable that I would one day fly out there to see it for myself.  Years ago, when I was planning my first trip to the Pacific Northwest, I remember collecting all kinds of information to enjoy my vacation.  I visited countless websites about the city, gathered road maps and city maps and even trail maps of Mt. Rainier, and spoke on the phone with my granddad on several occasions so that I could make the most of my trip.  I could study those maps and examine those websites for hours anticipating the day we would finally fly out, but it couldn’t replace actually being there.  Smelling the strong tidal scents of the Puget Sound and seeing the majestic Mt. Rainier rising above the skyline with my own eyes was much better than reading about them.  Being immersed in the environment, experiencing the sights firsthand is the only way to know and appreciate a place.

Have you noticed that the same thing applies to Christianity as well?  We can know the Bible from cover to cover.  We can have countless verses memorized and quote the popular ones left and right, but do we really know God?  I believe this is what’s missing from the lives of a large number of Christians today.  They attend church services and maybe even serve here and there.  They know their Bible and can often correctly quote from it when the need arises.  They are good people who I believe love God, but have they taken the time to really taste who God is?  Have they allowed him to enter their heart and soul and make a lasting impact on their lives?

Like going on vacation or visiting a new place, you can spend all the time you want studying and researching but never truly know about it.  Sure, you’ll have the facts committed to memory, but true knowledge comes from experience.  You have to be there in order to appreciate a place and you have to be present before God in order to know him.

Don’t let Christianity become something you do one day a week.  Don’t let Christianity be another hat you wear or a title you identify with.  Don’t let Christianity be a policies and procedures way of living so you can be viewed as a good person before others and before God, or so you can go to Heaven.  Be immersed in the God of love, grace, and mercy.  Learn to listen for his voice.  Do everything you can to be in the presence of God.  And what should you do when you get there?  Just be still.

-Joe Butler

 

Brand New

My car is in need of a wash.  Actually, it’s BADLY in need of a wash.  Body parts of at least ten different species of bugs are plastered to the front bumper and windshield.  Road grime stains the sides because of all the rain we’ve had recently.  The floorboards have traces of scattered sand from all my visits to the beach this summer.  All-in-all, it’s sad that I’ve let it go this long without even running it through the five dollar carwash that’s up the road from my house.

But there’s a problem.  My vehicle is 11 years old and has the dings and dents that are typically evident on a car its age.  There are the minor scratches from my shopping companions at the local Wal-Mart.  There’s also the large dent and cracked rear bumper where someone decided to back into me one day while I was at work.  No matter how many times I run my vehicle through the carwash, those blemishes are still there for all to see.  They’re reminders that my vehicle lacks the luster of a brand new car straight off the showroom floor.

Sometimes we think the same way in regards to ourselves and our relationship with God.  When we come up out of the sin-cleansing waters of baptism, we’re excited to feel brand new.  We go into the world with a renewed lease on life and a hope of better days to come, confident in our standing with God.  Only later, we realize sin is still a tough thing to stay away from and it seems that temptation lurks around every corner.  Pretty soon, we’re convinced that we are damaged goods after all.  I mean, you can put a pig in a dress, but it’s still a pig right?

But that’s not how God’s redemptive grace works.  “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).  We’re not just cleansed by our faith and obedience in Christ only to become dirty again the very next day.  We are made new, as if the dents and scratches and rust of our hard-lived lives were never there.  And not just new.  We’re made better!  It’s as if I take my old Toyota Rav4 to the carwash and drive out in a brand new Corvette Stingray.  We’re given all the upgrades and fine-tuning needed to be the kind of Christian God calls us to be (Hebrews 13:21, 2 Peter 1:3).

Remember to live your life every day as if you’ve been made new by the blood of Jesus.  Don’t dwell on the imperfections and mistakes of the past because God doesn’t remember them (Hebrews 8:8-12).  Realize that you are a new creation, clothed in Christ, having put on his perfection and righteousness.

-Joe

 

Monday Motivation: Follow the King

“The gospel isn’t advice: It’s the good news that you don’t need to earn your way to God; Jesus has already done it for you. And it’s a gift that you recieve by sheer grace- through God’s thoroughly unmerited favor. If you sieze that gift and keep holding on to it, then Jesus’ call won’t draw you into fanaticism or moderation. You will be passionate to make Jesus your absolute goal and priority, to orbit around him; yet when you meet somebody with a different set of priorities, a different faith, you won’t assume that they’re inferior to you. You’ll actually seek to serve them rather than oppress them. Why?  Because the gospel is not about choosing to follow advice, it’s about being called to follow a King.”

(Timothy Keller- “King’s Cross”)

I love this quote for its simplicity in explaining the effect the gospel message should have on our lives. The gospel is not a list of rules to follow, nor is it a call to religious fanaticism which excludes all outsiders different from ourselves. The gospel is a proclamation of good news, a declaration that our King has come and that he calls us into a new way of life.  Choose today to follow the King.

-Joe

When Does Grace Run Out?

A while back, our washing machine broke.  I walked out to the garage to find water and soap suds spilling over the edge of the wash tub and onto the floor, and like any wise husband would do, I tried to get it fixed before my wife saw.  Sadly, the damage was done, and when she walked into the garage and saw the state of that load of laundry, I realized it wasn’t only the machine that would be having a meltdown.  We’ve since replaced the washing machine and my wife is happily doing laundry without the drama of an overflowing wash tub, but the whole affair had me thinking of God’s grace and how it overflows in our lives.

Like the glass in the picture above, God’s grace overflows and exceeds all that we can imagine.  It never runs out.  We all have that point where we believe grace should end, where there’s no more room for forgiveness, but God sees otherwise.  He keeps pouring out his grace into our lives well before we do anything to deserve it and long after it has met our needs.  The only thing that could possibly keep God’s grace away from us is if we pull away the cup.  He can only fill us to overflowing if we’re willing to stand there and receive it.  Otherwise, we’ll miss out on all that God has to offer.

In Matthew, chapter 18, we see that Peter asks Jesus how many times it is necessary to forgive (Matthew 18:21).  Jesus basically says that we should never stop forgiving and then he goes on to tell a parable about an unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:22-35).  In this story, we see a man who was forgiven an immeasurable debt, turn around and be unwilling to forgive someone who was indebted to him.  It’s a classic case of hypocrisy, and it’s one of the ways we show God that we really don’t appreciate his grace for what it’s worth.  We think grace should have a limit, that someone should deserve our mercy before we offer it.  But God teaches that we should continue to offer grace beyond what we think is appropriate.  It’s the least we can do in response to what’s been done for us.

The reality is, we are all like the servant in the parable who was forgiven of the immeasurable debt.  We can work hard, but we’ll never be able to pay it off.  God knows the tally of our debt no matter if we try to hide it or not (Hebrews 4:13). He knows the score is not in our favor and he chooses to forget it.  His grace is greater than your debt. But God also gives a warning.  His grace and forgiveness are contingent on how we forgive.  If we respond to grace like the servant in the parable and refuse to forgive others, we can still expect to pay for our debt of sin.  If we take lightly the grace of God, we have no expectation or right to the rewards that he so freely offers.

We will spend a lifetime trying to learn of God’s grace and what it means and still not come close to understanding it.  It’s a love that is beyond the ability of humans to fathom.  And yet, he shares it with us and asks us to do the same with each other.  It’s the way we show the light of Chris to the world and the way God helps us to know just how important to Him we really are.

-Joe