Things I Love

Things I love...

A smile on the face of a baby
A smile with worn creases from years of smiling on a wrinkled face

Staying up way too late and talking to my sisters
Not waking up early, (but when I do, the beauty of the sunrise always tricks me into thinking that I would like to wake up early again.)

Laughing until I cry with the people I love most
Holding hands with my little brother for an entire car ride

A good book
Incredibly loud concerts featuring mom's pot's and pans (and the world's cutest percussionist)

Eating burnt marshmallows (or plain ones or big ones or miniature ones - Purely for health reasons of course) Especially catapulting marshmallows with my little people and then eating them

Tea parties with my little sisters

Fireflies sparkling in the shadows of dusk (Amazing! Right?)
Dew sparkling in the rising sun

Snuggle bunnies that hop in my bed in the morning
Meeting new people

Doing dishes with my mom or sisters and chatting
A baby's laugh, baby's toes, baby's fingers, babies snuggles, babies kisses...okay everything baby

Watching the proud look on littlest brother's face when "he" catches big brothers fish from whom I get a wink
Painting 30 little toenails with pink polish because little brother wants his painted when I paint the little sisters' toes

Long piddling walks down the driveway with little people who stop to exclaim over beautiful pieces of grass, beautiful sticks, beautiful rocks, beautiful tree bark, beautiful pinecones, and all of the normal, extraordinary little things that I forget to be amazed at.

Singing in the silo, singing to a friend at the nursing home, singing to Jesus when only He can hear, singing in the shower, singing with sister's harmony, singing a dumb song because it's stuck in my sisters head I like to tease, singing a goodnight song to my little people (Especially the same boring one that they always want me to sing that is very loooong. I think the little Tom Sawyers  have figured out how to get me to stay longer.)

Fresh cut grass and a bunch of sweaty big boys who just worked hard all day with Daddy
Daddy playing guitar in the evening

Mommy reading and making up interesting voices and accents for each character (and tunes to the songs we've never heard that the characters sing in the book)
Pickles, pickles, more pickles, and too many pickles

Singing praises to the Lord on Sunday mornings with some of the people I love most in twelve different keys
Sunday afternoons eating and fellowshipping at our little church with genuine loving friends
Saying good-bye twenty times and then being the last one's to leave

Anything and everything mommy cooks
Intense, lighthearted competition in a card game or board game with family and friends

Car trips
Watching my siblings love others and serve others (especially the disabled or neglected) I love to see their compassion and truly think it's one of the most beautiful things in the world.

A perfect Starbucks Chia latte with lots of bubbly foam and someone else to share it with
Christmas morning when everyone at my house is so excited because they can hardly wait to give their gifts to all the people they love most. One gift that morning isn't wrapped and, yet it wraps every gift and is wrapped inside of every gift. It's the most beautiful gift of all, and it makes us cry and laugh and hug: love.

When Mom and Dad start singing an old country love song
Working in the yard with family

The little surprise pictures that are drawn in all of my notebooks
Fuzzy blankets

Taking the Lord's supper with the redeemed
Riding my bike...down hill with the wind in my face

Cousin and sister shopping sprees at the goodwill bookstore
A good sermon or lecture

Sunny days, and rainy nights
Bubbles, and popping bubbles

Playing instruments with siblings
Writing a song

Flowers, especially hydrangeas and wildflowers
Make believing with my little people

An amateur game of back yard volley ball with players whose heights range from three feet to six feet

Talking to grandparents
Singing with Oma and cooking with Nanna
Paw paw's corny jokes and Papa John's newest recipe

Folk dancing and skating
High ropes courses

Summertime homemade ice-cream for dinner nights and pit stops at ice-cream parlors, doughnut shops, or Wendy's for frostys when a sibling goes on a grocery run with me

Silly dance parties with siblings when parents are gone and the kitchen's a mess but we need to laugh
The little feet that always steel my slippery socks to slide on the wood floor with

The little fingers that take pinches of the cookie dough I'm making
Hand written letters
Camping with my church and family

Swinging under my favorite tree and talking to God or just being quiet
Standing in the rain
Picking blueberries and not putting them in my bucket

All of the little notes and pictures my siblings give me
Pearls and lace and dressing up
Being there to see the accomplishments of my family (I'm kind of proud of them)

Encouraging someone in the Lord
Stars
Writing

Finishing a project or book (or not finishing because of a good interruption:-)
Celebrating my favorite people's birthday's
Listening to live orchestras with my sister

Doing all kinds of normal boring stuff with people I love (especially cleaning bathrooms with my little professional windex sprayers who are their own job security)
Chasing and tickling squealing little ones

Accidentals in a musical piece
Time in God's Word
Raspberries
Driving through a tunnel of trees on a country road

Surprises and Surprising people
Days on the beach with my family
Water Skiing and inner-tubing

My sisters' teasing
Fall leaves
Playing in the tiny bit of snow we get with my siblings and failing to snow board with them

Sitting in mommy's room and talking with that lovely woman
Serving with my sisters
Sharing the hope of Christ with a hopeless person

Being a Child of God and enjoying His many good gifts

A Meditation on God's Goodness

The Lord is good, but more than just good. He is infinitely and completely good. All the goodness that I have ever seen, He exceeds. He cannot increase in goodness because He is in no way lacking. He is perfect in His goodness, and His goodness is pure. Moreover, He is unchanging in his infinite goodness. Every good thing issues forth from his very nature. God is not good because His actions are good; Goodness is who He is, and He is good even when He is not acting. (He is the opposite of Devil who has no truth in him and lies from his own character. John 8:44) He is good all the way, all of the time. His goodness cannot be comprehended fully by finite man. The joy of knowing His full goodness is a delight which the trinity alone shares. I think to myself, "If I should ask the Son 'How good is the Father?' or the father ' How good is the son?' Or the the Spirit 'How good are  the Father and Son' Then He should reply, "More good than you will ever know, but you may taste and see that I am good. Taste as often as you like, but you will never finish. You may know My goodness like the saltiness of the sea. You may taste it in your mouth as you submerge yourself in it, but you will never know the fullness of it's saltiness. So submerge yourself in My goodness that you may always taste My flavor."

James a Bond-slave

James was the half brother of Jesus. In John 6:2-8 Jesus’ brothers were sarcastically telling him to go up to the feast so that others could see him and follow him. Essentially they thought He was nothing more than a show off. They were basically telling Him, “Since you are trying to show off, why don’t you go were you will have an audience?” The text says that His brothers did not believe in Him. Something happens between John chapter 6 and James chapter 1 though. 

In the very first verse in James’s letter he calls Jesus Lord and Christ. How did he go from mocking his half brother to calling Him Lord? First Corinthians 15:3-7 gives the answer to this question. James encountered the resurrected Christ. James the skeptic became James the servant because he is changed by the death and resurrection of Christ. 

“James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,” James 1:1a

James Had a New Identity Rooted in Belonging to Christ

James gives his name at the beginning of his letter, and uses the phrase “a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” to further identify himself. James not only identifies who he is but whose he is. This is the first thing that James says about himself because it is the most important thing about himself. The Christian is given a new identity when they belong to Christ. This is similar to how women’s last names change when they are married. A person’s name identifies them, and women are given a new identity when they belong to a man. The Christian’s identity rests in the fact that they belong to Christ. It is the most important thing about them and the one thing that sets them apart from everyone else. To belong to Christ is to have a permanent family bond with Him. This is not something that is ever lost. The Christian is one who belongs to Christ.

James understood that his identity was rooted in belonging to Christ. In fact, Christians could be defined as those who belonging to Christ. Jesus talks about the sheep that belong to him in John 10:25-30.

“Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.’”

In Old Testament times when shepherds watered their sheep at a well, sometimes their sheep would become mixed in with other shepherds’ sheep. However, all the shepherds had to do to separate them was call, and all of the sheep who knew him would come out and follow him. We see in this passage that those who belong to Christ follow Him. How can you know if you are one of His sheep? By examining who you follow. 

James Had A New Purpose Rooted in Belonging to Christ

The greek word translated bondservant means “slave, one who is in a permanent relation of servitude to another, his will being altogether consumed in the will of the other.” James strategically uses the word slave in this passage to describe both his identity of belonging to Christ and his purpose of serving Christ. A slave’s only purpose is to please His master. 

“and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.” 2 Corinthians 5:15

James is saying that the only reason he lives is to please His master. One cannot belong to Christ and without being His bondservant. If you belong to Christ your purpose is to serve Him. Jesus does not save men so that they become free to serve their sinful desires without consequences. He died to free them from slavery to sin in order that they might find freedom through slavery to Him.

 “I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:19-23

When Christ makes us His slaves, He sets us free from slavery to sin and death and makes us slaves us righteousness and gives us life. You cannot have life without being a slave to righteousness.

Thoughts for Reflection

The question we must ask ourselves is, “Do I belong to Christ?” The answer is quite simple find. One must only answer the question, “Whose slave am I? Am I enslaved to sin, or have I been set free by faith in Christ to serve Him?” For those who do not belong to Christ, Christ offers grace and forgiveness for the sins of all those who repent and believe in Him. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of all those who repent and believe in Him, and He rose again on the third day and hears prayers. If you do not belong to Christ, I urge you to turn from your sins and to turn to Christ in faith. Ask him to forgive you and to change your desires. Ask him to set your will free from its bondage to sin, and to make you a slave to righteousness. Scripture promises that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, and if you call upon Him in faith, He WILL save you!

For those who do belong to Him, rest in the fact that your relationship with God is defined by belonging to Christ not by anything you do. Being a Christian is something that you are not something that you accomplish. If you have faith, you belong to Christ, and if you belong to Christ, your purpose is to live for Christ. Remember who you are and why you are here. “For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:20 

Practically this means praying “Your kingdom come.Your will be done.” morning by morning and moment by moment. As bond-servants of Christ, our sole purpose is to bring him glory and to seek to further His kingdom (not to seek to exalt ourselves and live a life of ease). Take a moment to examine yourselves and to think about each question, “How have I not acted for the glory of God? What have I said that was not for the glory of God? What have I thought that was not for the glory of God? Is there any command that God has given to me that I am not obeying? Is there a person that I am not willing to love and serve in Jesus’ name? Do I seek to serve myself first in my relationships or Christ? Do I honor God with the time and resources He has given me?” Repent of these things and ask God for forgiveness. Ask God to give you a desire to seek His will above all. Ask the Lord to consume your will altogether with His and to help you to live as one freed from sin and completely enslaved to Christ.

To the lost I urge you, be slaves of Christ. To the saved, I urge you live as slaves of Christ. Whose slave are you? 

Missing the Point

When we read Scripture

If Christ doesn't become more beautiful,

If we do not see more of God's heart,

If the depth of the sin in our heart is not exposed,

If our souls aren't stirred to praise God,

If we seek merely to understand the meaning of Scripture apart from it's application,

If it doesn't drive us to prayer,

If we do not love God more,

If our love is not stirred for our neighbors, 

If our heart is lifted up in pride and we make a mental list of all the ways we are obeying,

If we focus on a list of to do's, and our goal is changed behavior rather than adoring and worshipping Christ,

If we study looking first for lessons to teach others seeing ourselves primarily as the one that needs to deliver God's word to people rather than one who needs to receive God's word,

If we are hearers and not doers,

If we seek knowledge over intimacy with God,

If we hide it in our heads and not our hearts for any purpose other than so that we might not sin against Him,

If we search Scripture to support our theological positions, 

If we half heartedly skim,

If we twist it to justify our sins,

If we look merely for "answers" rather than for questions to ask ourselves,

If we are fascinated with deep mysteries but don't look in the mirror,

If our Sword stays in the sheath when Satan attacks,

If we use the Bible like a harlot just to get what we want,

If our main focus is meeting our own emotional needs, 

If we search the Scriptures because we think that in them we have life,

If we do not imitate what we learn of Christ, 

If our feet do not follow the path to calvary, and we do not take up our cross and follow Him,

If Christ isn't what we seek when we read Scripture,

Our Bibles would benefit us more if we never opened them because when we read them in this way We get further from Christ and look to ourselves,

We condemn ourselves,

We claim to be wise but become fools,

We dishonor the Name of God before men,

We build false confidence that the act of reading the Word will transform our sinful desires without any effort on our part. The more we trust in our action of reading, the more we see our reading of Scriptrure as meritorious. The more we see our action as meritorious, the more we worship the idol of study. The more we worship the idol of study, the more we are blinded to the fact that we are actually not studying God; we are just working. 

We are working like a Pharisee who knows the Word in and out but who completely misses that Jesus is in our very presence. We are actually mad that He takes away our glory from our good work and we seek to rid ourselves of Him. Oh, what a tragedy to read the word of God and miss Christ! 

What a subtle lie that Satan would have us to believe! In fact, satan is twisting the very Book that should renew our minds to blind them. He is calling idolatry worship of the true God. He is making men twice a son of hell. Satan is not opposed to men reading the Bible and never has been. He even used Scripture when tempting Jesus. Satan's goal is not to destroy Scripture but to twist Scripture to become an instrument of destruction to men.

Our hope is not in the Bible, it is spoken of in the Bible. Our hope is in Christ! Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for God's glory alone, and Scripture alone is our authority. Scripture is not our righteousness. The blood of Jesus, and the blood of Jesus alone can make atonement for our sin. May we cling to the grace of God and put no confidence in the flesh or our abilities to study the Bible. 

However, this message is not just to the lost pharisee. It is to the saved pharisee. What do I mean? Christians can miss the point when they study Scripture. They too can look to complete in the flesh what was begun by the Spirit ( Galatians 3:3). The Christian must cling to the Christ not only for justification but also sanctification. They must abide in the branch in order to produce the fruit of the Spirit (hence the name "the fruit of the Spirit" not "the fruit of study").

What can Christians do about this serious but subtle danger? First, they must pray that God would give them true understanding and true fear of Him. Second, they must continue in prayer as they read. Third, they must worship God truly in love (not in order to merit God's forgiveness). True worship is love to God which works obedience. 

"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;" John 5:39

I say this from experience: If you miss Jesus, you've missed the point. For too long, I missed the point, but God has been gracious and shown me that HE is the glorious point! Seek Him! Don't trade him for a counterfeit hope of righteousness. Don't get lost in trying to understand all the mysteries in Scripture, just get lost trying to understand the mystery of union with Christ and obey what you do understand. Christ is the true treasure, and the purpose for studying Scripture is so that we might Him! 

"More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ," Philippians 3:8

Scopus Vitae Christus, 

Dallas

Follow The Loser

Lost in the Infinite
It is hard for me to grasp how big the sea is, let alone the earth, the sun, or our galaxy. By the time that scientists start talking about the cosmos, I am lost. Even the cosmos are limited though. If I cannot understand how big finite creation is, how can I even begin to fathom the concept of infinity?

Everything I know has limits, and these limits were fixed by God."He set for the sea its boundary So that the water would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth" (Proverbs 8:29). Everything is limited, that is, except God. Because He is infinite, nothing exist outside of Him. "In Him we live and move and exist" (Acts 17:28). My mind gets lost when I think about this subject, but it is important to get lost in God's infinite being. It is only in losing our minds that we begin to gain wisdom.

Finite Futility

 Too often, our minds are lost in temporary things and we seek momentary pleasure. A sure way to live a futile life is to spend and be expended for the finite. Scripture admonishes us, " look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:18). And John warns, "Do not love the world not the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the father, but is from the world. The world is passing away and also its lust but the one who does the will of God lives forever"(1 John 2:15-17). Our minds are too easily fixated on the finite. The tragedy is, we are not captivated by God's infinite being because of our preoccupation with ourselves. How is it possible that we could find the finite more fascinating than the infinite? How is it that we trade blessed ecstasy for counterfeit fleeting pleasure? How is it that we are still falling for Satan's lie that there is gain apart from God?

Better Than Life
Every temptation is an attempt to deceive us that there is something better than God. Every time we sin, we are essentially proclaiming that God is not good and that we think sin is better. Oh, that we would cry with David, "Your lovingkindness is better than life!" (Psalm 63:3). When we are captivated by the excellencies of the infinite God, finite things disappear in His shadow.

Get Lost!
I fear that when the works of American Christians are tested, many will watch as their wood, hay, and stubble burn up. The question we must ask ourselves is, "What am I investing in? Where are my stocks?" Sure, you may ascent to the fact that God is infinite, but how do you operate? Do you make your daily decisions in light of God's infinite greatness, or are you merely living for the finite? The more lost we are in God's infinite greatness, the more we will find the things of earth inadequate and dissatisfying. When God is awesome to us, then eternity becomes more real than the present. If we truly understood the greatness of God, we would have a passion for advancing His kingdom. Our zeal for witnessing would never wane. Our prayer lives would be vibrant. Our hunger for the Word would be unceasing. God's praises would continually be on our lips, and we would never find worship boring. 

Three Ways to Get Lost 

• Pray that God will help you to see Him as better than life and that He will captivate your heart.
• Open the Bible, and get lost between Genesis and Revelation in the infinite excellencies of God.
• Take up your cross, and follow the LOSER! Jesus lost his will and life in His Father's will. His mind was caught up with one thing: loving His Father. It is through loosing our fascination with ourselves in awe and worship of God that we gain everything! May our minds never be caught up with anything less than the infinite God.

Scopus Vitae Christus,

Dallas