God is not a GPS

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Some believe that God is like a GPS. He has a direction He wants you to travel (His “plan”), and He leads you in that direction each step of the way. Maybe you’ll take miss a turn or get off on the wrong exit here or there, but like a GPS, God’s always there to “reroute” you back on the right road.

This analogy, however, is severely lacking, if not in direct opposition with reality. If God were like a GPS, that would imply that we men and women are in the driver’s seat. We would be in control, deciding when and where we want to go. God would merely be an advisor, knowing the right route but having no control over what path we actually take. This view undermines God’s sovereignty.

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Light Pollution

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It’s one o’clock in the morning, but I’m driving – driving for hours and hours.  I pass the grocery store, then the gas station, until I’m finally miles from any hint of civilization.  Some would call it “the middle of nowhere,” but I’ve arrived at my destination.  I step out of the truck, look up at the night sky, and immediately my eyes are met with billions upon billions of bright lights, shining like the very angels of Heaven.

Then I wake up.

I climb out of bed and stare out of my bedroom window.  But, to my disappointment, there is not a star to be seen; only dozens of street lamps, gleaming with a hazy dullness in the foggy night. 

This is light pollution.

Okay, okay, so that never actually happened.  It was just a clever illustration to segue to the point of this post.  Even so, we’ve all experienced light pollution to some extent.  In some places, because of all of the artificial light, it’s nearly impossible to see the natural lights that the Maker of the universe has placed in the sky.

In the same way, we can often become light pollutants, preventing those around us from gazing upon the glorious Light of the Bright Morning Star. 

(Revelation 22:16, 21:23)

You see, we are to be lights shining in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation (Philippians 2:14-15), but sometimes we’re shining the wrong light.  There’s only one light that is acceptable: the light of Christ.  This light is impossible to produce of our own doing, but is the natural effect of Christ living in our hearts.  Every other form of light is unacceptable, and only prevents the True Light from having precedence.

If those around us are not seeing the light of Christ shining in our lives, it is likely that the “light” we’re displaying is only bringing attention to ourselves.  This real purpose of being a light, however, is that others would look and immediately see not us, but Christ alone (cf. Matthew 5:16). 

In this sense, we are to be like a mirror, simply reflecting the Person of Christ without attempting to be seen ourselves, similarly to the way the moon reflects the light of the sun.  

Let us all be so focused in our love for Jesus Christ and for other people that we reflect – and become – His one true light, not polluting the earth with the dullness of our own self-centeredness but instead pointing solely to Who He is!

"On Fire" for the Lord

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In the modern Church, we have so many “Christian” clichés and words we like to use.  These phrases can often lose their meanings over time, as we continue to use them without a full understanding of what they mean.  Even so, Christian “catch phrases” aren’t bad in and of themselves, so long as we ensure that we know what we’re saying.

One of my personal favorites is “on fire for the Lord.”  We mostly use this in reference to someone who has an outwardly evident passion for the Kingdom of God.  But I think we often forget a number of key aspects of being on fire for the Lord – aspects that are crucial to our understanding of what such a passion looks like.

Fire needs fuel

In order to burn, any fire needs heat, oxygen, and fuel.  You could take each of these three elements and further the analogy, but let’s just focus on the fuel.  If fuel feeds fire, what feeds faith?  The answer boils down to three basic things: scripture study, prayer, and fellowship.

Now, I should clarify that these are not the source of the fire.  They are only three “spiritual disciplines” that help us to connect with the source – Christ.  It is certainly possible to do all three and still not know the Savior.  But this would be like having the wood without the heat!  Nevertheless, scripture, prayer, and fellowship are all necessary for Children of God.

Back when I was in scouts, we would occasionally have fire-building competitions, in which you had to burn a piece of string about a foot off the ground.  The problem was that most of the scouts just threw leaves into the fire without giving it any substantial, lasting fuel!  Obviously, the flame died quickly.  In the same way, if the proper “fuel” is not given to the fire, or not given frequently enough, our “fire” will soon die.

Fire consumes

Let’s face it.  Christian phrase or not, the idea of a person being “on fire” is unpleasant, to say the least.  This is, of course, because fire burns.  It hurts.  It consumes everything in its path.

What does this mean for us?  What is consumed in a Christian’s life?  Well, everything.

If we truly want to be “on fire” for the Lord, we cannot hold anything back from His consuming fire (cf. Hebrews 12:29).  Just as gold is refined, God will burn up everything in our lives that is not of Him, whether it be relationships, hobbies, habits, comfort-zones, or any other idol.  He will leave behind only that which is a part of His desire and plan for our lives.

Understandably, this hurts.  It stings!  We may be pushed to do things we don’t want to do or may not feel comfortable doing.  We may be ridiculed by friends or family.  We may have to give up something to which we’ve been clinging.  Whatever the case, it is up to the Fire to decide.

Fire brightens the dark

Physically speaking, fire releases energy, and it does so in two forms: heat and light.  If fire is present, these two will be as well – guaranteed.  The same is true in the life of an “on fire” Christian.  Since the Bible has so many examples of light in darkness, let’s focus on that.  

If a Christian is “on fire,” there is no question whether the light of that flame will be shining.  Also, it is said that, in complete darkness, the human eye can see a flickering candle from up to 30 miles away.  Combining these two facts about light, it follows that, in this dark generation, the light of an “on fire” child of God will most certainly be noticed by those around them (Philippians 2:14-15).

For this reason, we don’t need to be concerned with whether others are seeing our light.  Our concern must instead be whether that light is even shining – whether we are truly on fire for our Lord!  If that is the case, our light will not be able to be hidden (cf. Matthew 5:14-16).

When we say we want to be “on fire for the Lord,” we have to know what that means.  Fire requires a constant fuel to feed it.  It consumes everything in its path, burning up anything that is susceptible to flame.  Lastly, it brightens the darkness around it without fail.  To be on fire for the Lord is by no means and easy or a comfortable affair.  But is it worth it?  Absolutely.

When the Light Meets the Dark | Guest Post By MimeforJesus

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“This would be so much easier if my eyes were still used to the dark!” I muttered to myself as I crept through the dark downstairs of my home. I’d unwisely turned on the light in my bedroom just before leaving to go get a drink, and I was regretting that decision because I couldn’t see clearly anymore.

Light changes things – you can be perfectly happy seeing in the dark, until someone turns the light on for a second or two; then you can’t see anything when the lights go out again. God’s light affects how we see in the darkness around us, too; if you live in God’s light, whenever you’re in the darkness you’re not gonna be as comfortable as the folks who’ve lived there all their lives.

Like it or not, we’ll never see well in the darkness – we’ve been accepted into the service of a God who is described as Light, and His light has permanently changed how we see things. It’s also true that we’ll never blend in when we’re in darkness, and whether we try to or not, we’ll be shining a light wherever we are, and people will not like that.

I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve sometimes wished that I could be more comfortable in the darkness – I’ve wanted to be able to listen to the same songs as my co-workers, and not be turned off by the lyrics. I’ve wished I blended in with the darkness, too – I’ve wanted to be a part of the only teen group at my church, which is almost entirely made up of nominal Christians.

 But then I realized: that’s not my job. As followers of Christ, we are called to be the “goody-two-shoes”; we’re not supposed to blend in. Folks should wonder what’s wrong with us, why we aren’t like them. That’s how we will reflect God’s light into their lives.

I know, they’re not probably going to like the way we live, they are likely to talk behind our backs about how we’re uptight - but we weren’t called to be friends of the world.

When we live lives of light, people will notice, and they have two choices – they will either be interested and ask why we act like we do, or they’ll brush us off as legalistic, fundamentalist Holy Rollers who need to get a clue about the real world.

The second response is more common – people who are in darkness “will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. (John 3:20-21)” In my experience, we make people feel guilty without even trying, because we’re living relatively clean lives, and then they look at their lives and they see everything that they justified for so long because they were no worse than the other people they knew. They will try to push away any light that makes it into their area.

But there will be people who wonder what makes you different, and who will want what you’ve got. They are the ones who will be drawn to your life of light, even if seventy-five percent of people think you’re nuts. So for the sake of those who will be affected by our lives, let’s go out there and let our light shine!

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5) 

“The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Matthew 4:16)

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MimeforJesus (otherwise known as Grace Owens), is a homeschooled sophomore from the East Coast. She is the third-youngest of eight children, and she loves every minute of it! When she's not doing schoolwork or working at her part-time job, she can be found speaking Spanish, reading, or writing.

A Lesson from Freddie the Bird

This morning, as I was preparing to go to work, I happened to look out the window and into our backyard.  On the side of our deck, I saw a number of young birds perched.  The birds had obviously just recently learned to fly, and they still had some of their early, soft feathers.  Some of the young birds were fluttering to and fro, down to the ground, and then back up onto the deck.

However, there was one bird who didn't seem to want to move all that much.  Freddie, as I called him, just sat as low as he possibly could on the edge of the siding, occasionally getting a bit frightened if one of his fellow fledglings flew too close.  Come on, Freddie! I thought. Why don't you fly like all the rest of your little bird buddies?

As I watched the fledglings, I realized that we, too, can be a lot like Freddie.  God has so much planned for us, but we too often don't experience the amazing things that God has in store.  So how do we tap into God's incredible life plot?  Just like Freddie, there are a few things we have to do.

1. We need to get our adult feathers.  In order to fly, birds can't keep the same soft feathers they used to have.  They need feathers fit for flying, and so do we.  Our "feathers" are our understanding of the deep truths of the Word of God.  Paul explains this as moving from the "milk" to the "meat" of the Word (1 Corinthians 3:1-3, Hebrews 5:12-14).  We can't expect the fruit of a godly life without first basking in the light of the Word of God.

2.  We need to drop our baby feathers.  While this may seem to be equivalent to the first point, there's another aspect to losing our old feathers.  As Christians, we tend to carry around lingering attitudes and beliefs, which we had before we were saved.  It's critical that we leave these behind!  Any behavior that does not match that of Christ must be removed from our lives, for it will destroy us (see Romans 6).  This requires that we allow God to examine our hearts and show us what we need to change (Psalm 139:23-24).

3.  We need to jump.  We've all heard the cliche: "Take a leap of faith!"  To some, this phrase means practically nothing, but it's imperative to learn to jump out of our own comfort zones and into God's will, for the two are seldom the same.  The Bible says that we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).  We may not understand what our Father is doing or why He wants us to do this or that, but He has called us to follow Him regardless.

Sometimes, even birds are afraid to fly.  But how sad would it be, though, if they never tried, and completely missed out on God's wonderful gift of soaring through the skies!  Our Savior has an impeccable plan for each of our lives (so much better than the ability to fly!), but we are too complacent in our own lives to experience it.

I find comfort in the fact that the Maker of the universe knows when a single bird falls from the sky (Matthew 10:29-31).  We are so much more loved that birds.  How much more will our Abba Father guide and protect us as move past our Freddie-like fear and leap into His glorious will!

Arguing with the Manual Writer

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Many think that the Bible is just a book of encouragement, merely a collection of stories, or simply a bunch of rules.  However, these are all false conceptions of the Word of God.  Yes, the Bible can be encouraging.  Yes, it contains stories of men and women of history and even has rules.  But as Christians, we know that it's infinitely, unfathomably more.

Think about just how amazing it is that we have the Bible.  It's God's very Word!  By His words, the universe came into being.  With His words, He calmed storms and healed a myriad of sick people - both physically and spiritually.  And on top of that, He has given that Word to us!  The question is, though: do we act like it?

I've heard some say that the Bible is a Christian manual.  While the metaphor misses some essential elements of scripture, there is some truth in it.  Life, you could say, is sort of like building a bicycle.  Why would you attempt to build one without consulting the manual for guidance?  I've never heard statements such as these:

"Yeah, but this manual doesn't apply to my bike."
"I know it says that, but with this bike, I'm sure it would work better this way."
"But if the manual writer were in my situation, he would see that it doesn't work."
"Well he didn't really mean that when he wrote it, what he really meant was this."

See how silly that is?  Yet we, whether intentionally or unintentionally, constantly use these excuses in our lives.  The great "Manual Writer" of life knows and has revealed to us, among other things, the best way to live life.  He created life itself, so how could my plan or idea possibly top His?  I can't see the end, but He can see the end, the beginning, and everything in between.

It is crucial that we line up our lifestyles with the Will of God, according to His Word.  If an aspect of your life is contrary to His word, change it!  Who are we to argue with the Author of life?  It's as foolish as arguing with the manual writer.

Life's Kinda Like a Tree

     Throughout the Bible, analogies are used frequently.  They help us to apply what we see to our spiritual journey, and explain deep truths in ways that are easy to understand.  Among the dozens of analogies used in Scripture, we can find quite a few that have to do with plants.

     Plants, you ask?  Yes, plants!  They're nothing out of the ordinary, yet the Lord uses something so common to point out things He wants us to see.  From the Psalms to Paul's letter to the Galatians, let's take a look at three ways God uses plants to teach us about aspects of our faith:

     The first of these is Galatians 5:22-23, or as we would better know it, the "Fruit of the Spirit."  Okay, okay, so this passage isn't exactly talking about fruit from a tree.  In these verses, "fruit" simply means "a result" or "payment," so essentially this could be called "the result of what happens when you walk in the Spirit."  However, the common title is, in my opinion, much more exciting.

     But if this passage isn't about edible fruit, why am I using it?  You see, edible fruit is, in a sense, the "result" of the life of a tree.  So, let's look at the fruit of the spirit in the same way; many times, people try to get to heaven by being good - by having love, joy, peace, and so on.  This, however, is not the right way to do things.  It's called morality.

     How silly it would be to try to make a tree by stapling a bunch of apples to some branches?  It wouldn't make any sense at all!  The tree must come first, and then the fruit will come as a result; not the other way around.  This brings us to our next analogy, found in John chapter 15.

     In this passage, Jesus tells us that He is the Vine.  For this example, however, let's say he's the "trunk."  Christ calls us the branches.  He says "Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit."

     We see here that Jesus Christ is the "trunk" (so to speak) from which we, as the branches, must grow.  Notice that it isn't until after He makes this point clear that fruit even comes into the conversation.  Again, the order remains the same: Christ comes first, and the fruit comes afterwards.  Bearing fruit is not the most important thing on the list; letting Christ be the foundation of your life is essential.

     With this, we move on to our last scripture: Psalm 1.  In it is an explanation of the man who delights in the law of the Lord.  Basically, this man has Christ as his foundation.  The plant analogy comes in verse 3: "He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers."

     Thus, by what we've learned from the previous scriptures, our life becomes a tree.  Christ is the trunk, we are the branches, and our actions (and our character) are the fruit.  This seems like a simple enough point, but it is critical that we understand it.  We, as corrupt humans, cannot be the center of things, nor can our good intentions.  Only Christ can do that.  This order simply cannot be emphasized enough.

     This has been a fairly long post, but believe me, we have not even scratched the surface.  There are dozens and dozens of other points that could be made from the passages I used.  I encourage you to discover them for yourself.  You will find a plethora of wisdom in just a single verse!

The Path to Redemption: An Allegory (Part 3)

         Just at that moment, however, Messiah arrived and dove into the sea.  With blows and attacks, Messiah freed Lost from Sin and Shame and cut the bindings of Works and the Law.  Lost, desperate for air, swam frantically in hope of reaching Redemption.  However, with Death threatening to pull him under, he could not find his way.  Much to his relief, though, Lost reached the shore.  But, unfortunately, it was the shore from which he came.  He was back where he started, with no hope of reaching Redemption. 

                While Lost was trying to find his way, Messiah struggled against the Sin and Shame under the sea of Death.  The beasts that had at first taken Lost began to pull Messiah under.  Joined by beasts such as Sorrow, Grief, Anguish, and others, Sin and Shame eventually accomplished their mission.  Messiah was dead.  Lying on the shore, without hope, Lost cried,

“Surely he has borne my griefs and carried my sorrows! 

The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all! 

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

so he opened not his mouth.”

                Lost looked longingly across the sea of Death.  How would he reach Redemption now?  His savior was dead.  What further hope would he have? 

                Just then, as these thoughts ran through his mind, Lost noticed that the waters began to recede.  The great sea of Death began to disappear as if by magic.  For

God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death,

because it was not possible for him to be held by it

                As the sea vanished, Lost looked in hope of finding Messiah, but he was not there.  Messiah sat at the right hand of the Father in Redemption, saying “It is finished.”

                With the final drops of Death disappearing, Lost saw a path clearly marked, leading the way to Redemption.  The path was called Grace.  Running at once with all the speed he could muster, Lost made his way to the palace.  Upon his arrival, he heard a voice say

“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.

                Let your name no longer be Lost, but let it be Redeemed.”

Entering into the court called Thanksgiving, the newly named Redeemed heard all the people singing praises.  The sound of their worship was so sweet, it welled up inside him.  Without shame, he sang out with the others in praise to his savior:

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

The End.

The Path to Redemption: An Allegory (Part 2)

Fortunately, the sea was quite near the country.  It was well-known to the people of Fallen; its name was Death.  At the shore, Lost looked across the sea.  Focusing intently, he could vaguely make out a glowing castle just on the other side.  The rumors were true!  There was a city, and there must be a King! Lost, with excitement, sought for a way to cross.  Just when Lost thought he would find no way of getting across, however, he was relieved to find three men with a boat at the shore.  The boat’s hull read “Deceit” and the men’s names were Legality, Morality, and Vanity. 

                “Hello!” yelled the men.  “Is there anything we can assist you with?”

                “As it might happen, I believe there is,” replied Lost.  “You see, I wish to cross the sea to find out whether or not there truly is a King and a palace called Redemption.” 

                “Oh, yes!  Redemption!” cried the men.  “We’ve been there many times!  In fact, we were just on our way there.  Hop in the boat, and we’ll take you.”

                Surprised at his luck, Lost eagerly joined the men and the four set out across the sea.  When they were just a little ways off, however, Legality, Morality, and Vanity stopped the boat. 

                Meanwhile, far off in the palace of Redemption, the King looked out and saw a boat in the distance.

                “There, far off, are Legality, Morality, and Vanity,” He said to his Son, Messiah.  “And who is the other?”  For a moment, silence fell, but then a voice spoke.

                “That is Lost, oh King,” replied a servant named Prayerful.  “He was a friend of mine from the country of Fallen before I came here.”

                Messiah exclaimed, “If he continues with those three, he will no doubt fall prey to their lies and be killed.  Father, allow me to go and rescue him, for

I have come to seek and save that which was lost.”

                The Father consented.  “Go to him, before he is destroyed.”

In the boat of Deceit, Lost was already learning of his mistake.  Much to his astonishment, Legality, Morality, and Vanity seized him and began to bind him.  Legality, with a rope called the Law, tied up Lost’s hands and feet.  Morality took out a cloth called Works and covered Lost’s eyes, blinding him.  Vanity, lifting Lost over the edge of the boat, threw him overboard.  This done, the three men sped off as fast as they could to the shore. 

                Meanwhile, Lost struggled in vain.  Sinking lower and lower in the sea of Death, Lost had no hope of escape.  Then, from under the water, beasts arose called Sin and Shame.  They began to pull at Lost, deeper and deeper into Death. 

                

The Path to Redemption: An Allegory (Part 1)

The Path to Redemption

By

Nathan Tasker

                Long ago, there was a land that was dark and dreary.  There was no beauty, no flowers; no sunrise to color the sky.  Everything was bleak and dull.  The country was called Fallen.  In this country, there lived a man name Lost.  Lost was no different from any of his fellow townsmen; he would walk the streets, going about his business, occasionally stumbling for lack of light to guide his way.  So it went for all the people of Fallen.  But one day, as Lost was meandering the streets of Fallen with his friend False-Wisdom, something unique happened.  Unexpectedly, they ran into (quite literally) a stranger, whose name happened to be Messenger. 

                “Good day!” said Messenger enthusiastically.  Lost and False-Wisdom weakly returned the greeting. 

                “Haven’t you heard the news?”  The stranger asked. 

                “What news?”

                “Why, the King has invited all the people to His palace Redemption, of course!  How could you not have heard?”

                “The King?” retorted False-Wisdom quickly.  “Why would anyone believe such tall tales?  Everyone knows the only ruler here is the prince of this world, Deceiver.”

                Lost, however, remained silent.  He had heard stories such as this before, but this time, he felt something deep in his heart, causing him to listen. 

                “Well, Lost?” False-Wisdom inquired.  “Haven’t you heard enough of this crazy talk?”

                Lost, ignoring False-Wisdom, asked of Messenger, “Where is this palace that you mentioned?  I reckon I might try to find this place.  I’m getting quite tired of hearing rumors that I don’t know are true.  I want to find out for myself!”

                “It’s nearer than you may think,” replied Messenger.  It’s only just across the sea.  I’d take you there myself, but I have to someone I’m supposed to meet.  If you find a way to get across the sea, though, you’ll be right there.  Good luck to you!”

                With this, Messenger bid them farewell and was off.  Lost at once set out, much to the dismay of his friend False-Wisdom, to seek out the truth in the stories that had been going around.

To Be Continued...

     We all know these words.  "To Be Continued" are debatably the 3 worst words in modern America.  Nothing crushes a great TV episode quite like a mandatory waiting period.  

     TV shows nowadays have a way of getting you to form theories, predict endings, and heighten your hopes like never before.  You have a big "plan" of sorts for how you think it may end, only to be left with these three resounding words echoing in mysterious despair.  

     Why am I going on about TV shows, you ask?  There is actually a very good reason (and it's not just because I like TV...).  Just like an audience watching an episode of their favorite show, God looks down on humanity, waiting - hoping earnestly - for His own plan to be fulfilled.  Except unlike an audience, God has power over the outcome.

     God looks down on the lives of His children, piecing together every one of our problems to evolve into a magnificent climax that could make even a grown man shed a tear or two in delight.*  

     But where does this "To Be Continued" phrase come into play?  As God watches and guides our lives, sometimes we don't see His big plan.  Sometimes we want to put the brakes on things and say "Wait a minute God, can we just stop here and come back a little later?"  

     The problem is, we push things off without realizing that God is piecing it all together into His wonderful plan.  We need to stop trying to force our own twists into God's holy "plot", and just allow the great Director of our life's film to piece together the ending that will blow our minds.

     Don't label God's plan with a simple "To Be Continued."  No one likes those words.  And remember this: neither does He.

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     *"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)