(I'm Glad) Jeremiah 29:11 is not for Me

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"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV)

Practically all of us are familiar with this promise. It’s cross-stitched on pillows, it’s used to decorate peoples’ homes, it’s the go-to verse for graduation cards – and understandably so; it’s quite a nice-sounding promise.

There have been some dream-killers, though, who argue that this verse doesn’t actually apply to us modern-day Christians. These meanies think that we should stop claiming that verse for ourselves.

Oh, I forgot to mention: I’m one of them. And you should be too.

Now, before you close the page, understand that I’m very, very glad Jeremiah 29:11 does not apply to me. And if you’ll bear with me for a couple minutes, I hope you’ll see why.

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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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God is Good (and That's Terrifying)

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"The most terrifying truth in scripture is that God is good." - Paul Washer¹

In our world of Christian slogans and catch phrases, “God is good” has become a mere cliché. It’s become so much of a cliché that sometimes it’s used more often as a call-to-order in a church service than anywhere else.

God is indeed good. Beyond good, really! He’s so good that He’s the very definition of good! He’s so good that He can’t be anything less than good! He’s so good that nothing outside of Himself can be good! He’s perfect! There really is no set of words that would fully explain just how good God is.

But why would that be terrifying?

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God Doesn't Make Sense (And I'm Okay with That)

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We live in a world that wants so desperately to know God. That is, we live in a world that wants to be able to understand God. To know His thoughts. To predict His movements.

We want God to make sense.

But there’s a problem. We’re humans. We live in our own corner of the universe with our own worldviews, ideas, and values. We, with our peephole-sized view of the world, determine our own idea of how things should be.

So, in the face of a Divine Master that doesn’t match our concept of “God,” we humans reject Him. Even though His reality is substantially clear, we deny Him and choose to follow our own desires (Romans 1:20-21).

This is a bad enough problem in a lost society, but this kind of thinking is invasive; it’s found its way even back into the lives of redeemed Christians.

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The Gospel, The Gospel

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“The Gospel, the Gospel,
Fragrance in words.
The sea of my soul is calmed when it’s heard.”
(The Gospel, Jimmy Needham)

It’s the focal point of scripture. The entire Old Testament points forward to it, and the entire New Testament points back to it. If the Bible were a novel, the Gospel would be the climax. If it were a musical score, the Gospel would be the resounding fortissimo after an intensifying crescendo.

The Gospel is nothing short of awesome.

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Surround Me Not, Oh Lord!

During our church service today, we sang a song entitled "Surround Me, Oh Lord:"

"Surround me, oh Lord.
Surround me, oh Lord.
Surround me, oh Lord.
Let Your presence fill this place."

Perhaps it's not the most doctrinally enriching of songs in history, but I give it credit.  As I stood with the rest of the Praise and Worship team singing, a thought hit me and resonated throughout the rest of the service: Do we really want God's presence?

Sure, we love the idea of the Lord's presence surrounding us.  We want to feel empowered, uplifted, and filled with joy and zeal.  And indeed it is right that we should desire these things!  But if this is what we expect from an encounter with God, many of us will be woefully disappointed.

Think of Jesus in the temple (John 2:13-22).  I'm sure that, when the religious leaders looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, they expected a similar feeling to ours.  But what did they find instead?  The Christ drove out the merchants and animals, poured out the coins, and flipped the tables in righteous anger.

Are we ready for this same Jesus to surround us with such holiness and power?

The truth is, this Jesus wants and is ready to surround us with His presence.  But, because of our desire to dwell in our mediocre comfort-zones, we actually push Him away at the moment He tells us something we don't want to hear!

Don't get me wrong, our Father will fill us with joy and zeal; He will empower us and uplift us.  But He will also change us.  Any experience of God will undoubtedly result in a change.  Worship is the realization of who God is - in all His might and majesty - and therefore, it is a realization of how small and unworthy we are.

If we are truly surrounded by the presence of God, we will seldom be comfortable.  He will tell us things we may not want to hear.  We will be convicted and pushed out of our comfort-zones.

Do you really want to experience such a God?

I do.

It's Not about the Baby

There's something about that image: Shepherds standing in adoration, angels singing praise, a father embracing his bride, and that bride pondering the wonderful, peaceful moment.  And then there's the center of the whole scene - the entire focus of the night: the baby.  The child, Jesus, lying gently in a manger.  Everyone loves the thought of it.

But why?  In a society that has so forsaken God, why do people accept - and even embrace - the mention of the Son of God coming to earth?  Why does our anti-Jesus culture suddenly love Jesus?

The answer is simple: they don't.

Sure, they love the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, but they don't really love the Messiah.  To the world, the Christmas baby is a symbol of peace, of love, of hope, and of joy.  But he's just that: a symbol.  The fact is, just like the "loving Jesus" society embraces, this baby Jesus has been stripped of nearly every truly divine quality and left as a mere "feel-good" idea.

He's lost his power.  His judgment.  His terrifying holiness.  His unrelenting wrath against all sin.  And because of all this, he's lost his gospel.  The Almighty King has been replaced by just... a baby.

Perhaps you think I'm taking all of the joy out of Christmas.  However, there can never really be joy without Christ; and we've done exactly that: we've managed to take Christ out of Christmas without even removing Him.  The Church is tricked into thinking that the world is worshiping God when it's really worshiping a baby.

But the baby in the manger is also the One we worship.  He's not the same baby, though.  This baby is God Himself, Who chose to become the lowliest.  He came as a weak infant, but He was - and is - so much more.  He's still God.

He's the Maker of the universe.  He's the eternal Judge.  He's the Commander of all the heavenly armies.  He is Jesus Christ, and no one will ever be able to diminish a single thing about Him.

So when we celebrate Christmas, we worship the Lamb who was slain to pay our debt forever.  And that is the true joy of Christmas.

Knowing the God We've Forgotten

"I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers ... that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe." (Ephesians 1:16-19, emphasis added)

In today's society, the church is being increasingly compartmentalized into two groups: believers who "feel God" and ones who "know about God."  Sadly, as the dichotomy widens, both factions are pushed further and further apart to the point that both are extremes that often stray far from the Truth of Christianity.  In order to truly know God, however, it is crucial for us to find the truth in each of these viewpoints without swaying from scripture and so jeopardize a close walk with Christ.

The first view, "feeling" God, is mostly characterized by Evangelicals.  It began during the first Great Awakening, when dynamic preachers starkly contrasted the dull churches of the day.  These men gripped the emotions, but Christianity became consistently characterized by individual feeling and experience rather than true belief.  Doctrine was kicked to the curb as "spiritual experiences" took precedence.

Alternatively, as the Evangelical movement swept the country, some resisted by holding tighter to church organization, ordinance, and tradition.  While they preserved many sacred aspects of the faith and taught proper theology, they, much like the pharisees of Jesus's day, began to lose the fervor and zeal for the God they served.

And so it has continued to this day.  It is not difficult to notice that the Church of today has almost entirely embraced the Evangelical extreme.  As the philosophy of naturalism becomes much more common, belief in the Maker of the universe seems like fantasy.  Christianity has become therapeutic; "love," "faith," and emotional experience are the primary ideals of the Church, giving it a mystical feeling with little to no foundation in reality.

So what does this mean?  How does all of this help us to know God?  It's simple, really: we must regain the right perspective.  We can't develop a Christian worldview simply by having a "God experience."  Today, knowledge about God is second-priority - even shunned, but God wants us to know about Him!

But even more so, the Lord desires that we know Him.  This means that we not only feel His presence, but we diligently seek to understand who He is.  And yes, that requires studying His word.  It requires prayer.  It requires talking about Him with fellow believers.  It requires things that our "Just me and Jesus" society ignores.

I could really go on and on about this.  I invite you to continue the conversation in the comment section!  In the mean time, though, remember that merely knowing about God or feeling God is not enough.  We have to know God!

The Only Way

Beaten with rods.  Whipped relentlessly.  Pierced by thorns around His head.  The Holy One of God - the King, the Son of the Most High, the Almighty - was tortured beyond comprehension.  The All-powerful Messiah's body was unable to bear the weight of the cross on which He was to die.  Eventually He was hung on it, amidst ridicule and mockery.  He died one of the most shameful, painful deaths that anyone could ever die.  But it was the only way to save humanity from their sins.

Or was it?

Sin came into the world so easily; through one man (see Romans 5).  Was all hope lost after the first sin, though?  Was God powerless against the sin that entered the earth through Adam?  Of course not!  He made a promise, even then, that He would send a Savior to the world (Genesis 3:15).

But He didn't have to make that promise.  He could have just obliterated Satan the moment Satan turned against Him, and purged the earth of sin on the spot.  He could have purified the earth with a gush of Heavenly fury.  But why didn't He?

He did it for us.  But most of all, He did it for His own glory.

God could have put everything back to the way it was.  But He's so much greater than that.  His plan of salvation is one of tragedy, but of hope; of defeat, but of victory; of agony, but of joy.  It's difficult for us, on earth, to understand God's beauty, holiness, and magnificence without first knowing the ugliness, imperfection, and woefulness of sin.  That's why Jesus died: so we could know Him, and know His incomparable, incredible beauty.

But more than this, Jesus died so that He could be glorified.  "Father, the hour has come," He prayed.  "Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you" (John 17:1b).  God is glorified in our lives when we choose Him over everything else and worship Him for who He is.  Knowing that we would better savor Him and His majesty after first knowing the worthlessness of sin, He chose to write the best, most heroic story imaginable, so that we could experience His joy to the utmost (See John 15:11, 16:20-22).

Jesus didn't have to die.  But He did.  He could have wiped out sin completely.  But He didn't.  Instead, He chose to lay His own life down (John 10:18).  He chose to endure the cross, to endure the beatings, to endure the whippings, to endure the mockery, to endure the blood, to endure the aching, and to endure the shame.  And He did it all for His glory.  He did it all for us.

The Most Important Word in History

     A baby in Bethlehem.  Angels singing praise.  Shepherds eager to spread the good news.  There's something so tranquil about this moment.  Something so... joyful.  The epitome of perfection was made flesh.  The Son of the Most High God was dwelling among men.  Our very salvation was resting in the arms of a human being!  The mere thought of it is baffling.

     But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

     We often think of this as the beginning, where it all started.  But did it really begin here?  Let's back up for a minute.  Before the manger, before the shepherds, before Mary, there sits on the throne in heaven an infinite God.

     Looking over His creation, the Father sees the sin that corrupts the hearts of humanity.  Why do they constantly turn their backs?  Yet in spite of this, the Almighty knows what has to be done.

     Speaking to His one and only Son, God says, "Do you see those people down there?  My people?  I want you to go to them.  And although they will reject you, mock you, and even torture you, I want you to live among them and teach them.  And, Son, I want you to lay down your life for them.  Will you go?"

     In this moment - this answer - rests our hope.  On it rests the lives of a girl named Mary and a man named Joseph.  On it rests the lives of every human in the history and future of the planet.  It is as if the entire universe holds its breath as the answer comes from the Savior's mouth:

     "Yes!"

     Yes!  What obedience!  What love!  That the Son of Man would be willing to live among and die for us, sinners, is unthinkable!  Who could possibly have such a willingness as to give their very life that others might have salvation?

     Yet we today are asked a similar question.  Will we commit our lives to serve the Holy One, no matter what the cost, no matter what we feel?  Do we have the obedience and love to be fools for Christ that others would come to know Him?  Will we be the Isaiah's of our generation and say "Here am I, Lord! Send me!" in a world of darkness?

     The Maker of Heaven and earth is awaiting your answer.  Will your answer be yes?

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.

There's More to the Story

Romans 14:8-9, NKJV

     If asked what Jesus did for you, what would you say?  Most people would say that He died for them.  And what a humbling statement to think that He would die for us - unworthy, dirty sinners!  The problem is, though, many times we just stop there.  We don't see that there was much more than just a death needed to save us.  We don't see the big picture.

     Now in no way am I minimizing the death of Christ.  When He died, He took our sins forever to be labelled as His.  I can never ignore that!  But what made His death so powerful?  Thousands of people have died for the uplifting of God's kingdom.  What made this so special?

     You see, if Satan can't use us for his evil purposes, he might as well try to take us off the earth so we can't do any good.*  So wouldn't that make Jesus's death a victory for Satan?  The answer is a strong and resounding no.  

     Just after the fall in Genesis 3, God curses Satan, saying "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."  Satan certainly got his punch in, but Jesus's was yet to come.

     The part of the story we most leave out is this: Jesus rose from the dead!  He conquered death, so it couldn't have dominion on us!  Without that piece of the puzzle, we'd just be serving a dead god.

     So how does all this relate to Romans 14:8-9?  This verse emphasizes Jesus's reign over both the living and the dead.  Without His resurrection, we would have no hope!  Now, however, nothing (not even death) can separate us from Christ's love.  

      If you're living, Christ is Lord.  If you're not, Christ is still Lord.**  Jesus is Lord of all!  "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ... For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35, 38-39).

                         - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

     *Despite this fact, God will sustain those for which He still has a use on earth.  It's the reason you're here!  For a purpose.  If you didn't have one, you wouldn't be here on earth.  (But that's another post topic entirely)

     **Of course now that I think about it, I guess zombies are a little out of luck...     

Freed from the Law, Bound to Grace

     It's what most of us resented when we were kids.  It's what we can't live without now.  It's what many think that Christianity is based upon, but others think Christianity freed us from.  What is it?  Rules.

     In the Bible, these "rules" were written in the form of the Law.  The Law, in our modern Christian culture, seems like an outdated and even slightly cynical concept.  I mean, Christ came to save us from legalism, right?  True.  But if we don't view the Law in the right perspective, we'll miss God's timeless plan.  The Law did (and still does) have a purpose.  God didn't create something just because He wanted to free us from it.  He wanted to free us from sin, and the Law was simply a part of His plan to do so.

     Our perspective of the Law starts all the way at the beginning.  Just after God creates humanity, He tells them, "You shall not".  He establishes obedience by... guess what?  A rule.  Had He not given them this commandment, how would they know what was wrong and what was right?  This was the role of the Law.  Romans 5:13 says "for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law."  Before the law, nothing was officially established as right or wrong.  The King James Version explains it like this: "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." (Galatians 3:24, emphasis added).  The Law was our teacher.  It taught us right from wrong.  Because before God could free us from sin, we had to know what it was we were being freed from!  If we hadn't had the law, Christ's death would have been in vain, because we wouldn't have known the reason.  

     Now that we see the relevance of the Law, what is its relevance today?  Since we're freed from the Law, we don't need to follow it, right?  So we don't have to worry about getting tattoos (Leviticus 19:28) or sacrificing lambs (Leviticus 4, 23, Numbers 7, etc)?  Not exactly.  You see, God's law wasn't just a list of do's and don't's.  It was His will.  The Law showed the deepest desires of the Lord: to be glorified, to be worshiped  and for us to sacrifice to Him.  God's desires have never changed.  We aren't required to keep the law because Christ has set us free.  We live in grace.  But still, the concepts of the law show what God desires.  You can do what you like, but God has already given us His will.  As 1 Corinthians 10:23 says, "'All things are lawful,' but not all things are helpful. 'All things are lawful,' but not all things build up."  

     Because of God's grace, we can always be forgiven.  But that does not mean we should live in sin.  "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?" (Romans 6:1-2).  Live in the grace of Christ, but keep His Word ever close to your heart.  

     Next time you talk to God, thank Him for the Law.  Thank Him for showing us what sin is.  But thank Him all the more for His saving grace.  Thank Him that we are no longer held to the Law; that He accepts us just as we are.  And thank Him for His awe-inspiring plan of salvation.

While We Were Yet Sinners

     He was tortured.  He was beaten, whipped, bruised, spat upon, and countless other things.  Who knows what those who abused Him were thinking as they killed him?  Yet the Lord Jesus asked His Father to forgive them "for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).  Not only did He ask that they be forgiven, but He was paying for that forgiveness at that very moment.  As He hung on the cross bleeding, nails pounded into His wrist and thorns thrust in His head, He was accepting the punishment for their sins.  For the first time, the Father turned His face away from the Son (Matthew 27:46).  And He did it all for them.  He did it all for us.

     In Romans 5:8, it says "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  Think of the time you hurt Christ the most.  Even in the very moment of our worst sin, Christ was looking upon us.  But He didn't hate us.  He loved us.  When we slapped Him in the face with our sin, Jesus said of us, I'm going to die for them.  Yes, they've run from Me.  Yes, they've tortured Me with their sin.  Yes, they've beaten Me over and over and over again.  But I want them.  I love them.  They're My beloved children.  I will die for them.

     Even in writing this post, there are so many more aspects of Christ's life, death, and resurrection that I want to tell you.  It's the most important part of the Bible!  All of God's Word is centered around it.  It was prophesied from Genesis to Isaiah and even the Psalms.  The very story of God's love is climaxed with this moment.  Perhaps I'll share some of these things in future posts.

     Until then, if you happen to read this before Easter is over, remember this moment for the rest of your day.  Treasure Jesus's amazing love for you.  If you read this after Easter, realize that only the world celebrates Christ's resurrection on this day alone.  As Christians, we celebrate His love for us every day!  Let your life be centered around Jesus's love and sacrifice, because He not only died - but He lives.  And He's watching your life unfold.  Let it be for Him.

Understanding God's Incredible Will

     Has the Lord ever put something on your heart?  A ministry?  A task?  Or simply a random act of kindness?  Many times we ask God things like "Show me Your will for me" or "Reveal to me my calling."  It's amazing when He shows us these things.  It's our assignment from Christ.  

     Sometimes, though, we misunderstand our calling.  We want God to give us something new, something exciting - something we'll love to do.  Many times, however, we don't get this.  As a man from my church shared in our men's Bible study today, sometimes God wants us to do what we're already doing - He just wants us to do it more.  We can bounce back and forth with our own "callings" from Christ, but sometimes He just wants us to obey Him and to do what he's already asked us to do.  

     I've jumped from one thing to another, trying to somehow please God through my works, but if it's not what He's asked from me, there's not really much of a point.  It's just works.  "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast," Ephesians 2:8-9 explains.  It's not about what we can do for God, it's what He can do through us.  We just have to be humble and have faith in Him.

     The first part of God's will for our lives is that we obey His word: "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome," (1 John 5:3).  If we're not operating in line with His own words, how can we expect to please him?  Once we know we are obeying His commands, we can begin to ask for Him to reveal to us His will for our work in His kingdom.  If, for some reason, you do not see God revealing it to you, check to see if He has already called you to something, but you've not seen it.  

     Sometimes the Lord has already revealed His will to us.  He has given us our assignment, and it is up to us to do it.  He may be whispering to you, "You're already doing your calling. Just do it more.  Let Me take control and guide you where I wish."  His will is always incredibly amazing.  Has God given you a calling?  Leave a comment!  I would love to hear how God is working in your life.