Life has often been compared to a journey. This life is not the end though.  It is a starting point and it is important for us to walk through its path before we reach our final destination.  Sometimes along this journey we are approached by two visitors who want to accompany us. They are very scary and intimidating, dressed in black robes, they wear a veiled hood covering everything but their eyes. Their eyes are hollow, their odor gives off a death like stench. They extend their hands and introduce themselves. Their names are Sorrow and Suffering and they tell us they are sent from God to accompany us on the rest of our journey.  No one wants to travel with them. In fact,  most of us would rather steer clear from the sight of them.  But it’s in those moments that we should take their hands, it’s in those moments that we should trust that God has a purpose for them being our traveling companions.  We don’t see it at first but when we finally reach the mountain top and our journey is done, we will find behind their hooded veils, Sorrow and Suffering’s real identity.  We will discover their names were always Glory and Grace.  This allegory is a picture for us as Christians as we go through tough times and difficulties.  This is beautifully written in a book called “Hinds feet on High Places”.  It’s about a deer, who is accompanied by Sorrow and Suffering throughout her journey to meet God at the high place.  I was recently talking to my sister about this book because earlier in the week, she had sent everyone in our family a podcast taught by our pastor.  The podcast was an amazing and insightful teaching on suffering and our pastor referenced this book throughout. We were both discussing how this encouraged us, that there is hope, even in the hard places of life and how trials can still be God’s blessings.  At the moment we were talking about this, her toddler son, Ryan was coloring with his crayons. Our attention drifted to Ryan as he colored what he thought was his masterpiece. I remember I gave him compliments as he would color a squiggly line. “Oh Ryan , you’re such a Picasso, wow!”  And of course with great pride, he’d grab another crayon just to show me what else he could do.  His mother Rebekah and I just laughed as we watched this cute little boy coloring away as if he was painting the Mona Lisa.  That was a happy memory.  Two days afterward, I found myself with my sister Rebekah again and this time Ryan was with us but instead of him coloring, he was laying still in a hospital bed with no color of life throughout his little body.  The night before, Baby Ryan had an unfortunate accident and was quickly rushed to the children’s hospital.  There he was in between Rebekah and myself, just laying there peacefully with tubes attached to his tiny frame.  All I kept thinking about was of our last conversation about sorrow and suffering and all I could think of was the happy image of Baby Ryan coloring.  I don’t know where life finds you on your journey, whether you are going through good times or bad but I want to encourage you, to remember that God uses all things for our good.  Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”.  He uses it all, the good, the bad and the ugly. Yes, even the hardships, He uses it to bless us.  John 16:33  says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus doesn’t promise us a life without sorrow but He does promise us His peace and He reminds us that He is with us.  There are numerous examples in the Bible of men and women of faith who had to endure suffering, pain and loss.  From Job, Ruth, Hagar, King David, to the apostle Paul.  In each case although they had to go through it, God was near to comfort and provide.  The scripture says, Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit”.  We have the promise of God that we will be comforted. For remember God understands suffering. He came to us and left the comforts of heaven to take on the role of the suffering servant. Jesus Christ endured the cross so that we could have the gift of eternal life. His dying on the cross now gives us who believe in Him,  comfort and hope that one day, He will wipe away every tear and there will be no more pain, no more death.  Remember,  if you are trusting in Christ and not in your own goodness, you will never perish but live forever.  The trials you are going through are temporary, life and peace with Christ is eternal.  Before I left the hospital room, I gave my sister one more hug and I whispered in her ear these words. I hope you will find comfort in them. Remember them always and never forget, Sorrow and Suffering are Glory and Grace. The names of Sorrow and Suffering are Glory and Grace. And as you go along your journey and you see the two dark hooded travelers coming your way, don’t run from them,  allow them to join you. They will lead you to God.  And when the sun is about to set, and darkness is about to settle in, just take a moment to look up at the glorious sky.  Pause to admire the dashing display of color that a sunset provides and find hope in this. That every time you see a painting in the sky, just remember, it’s just Baby Ryan. He’s okay, he’s alive and happy. He’s just sitting on God’s lap, helping God pick out His crayons so that He can color another masterpiece on the canvas of Heaven’s skies.

As a child growing up, I loved watching all the Star Wars movies.  Even now as an adult, I’ve seen all nine sequels and it has been fun to share in the joy of watching them along with my own children.  I was just recently watching a documentary on the making of the first Star War’s movie.  What I found interesting, was that from the actors, to the special effects people, to even the studio heads, and the investors, pretty much everyone involved in the project, were starting to get worried.  The numerous special effects scenes were beginning to get costly, there were technical issues with the costumes and sets, and weather delays were causing the film to take longer than expected.  It got to the point, where people started to doubt whether this young and upcoming director George Lucas was capable of pulling this off.  There were times when some of the cast and crew members thought the movie was going to be a comedy.  They would laugh to themselves as they would watch the scenes with the actor playing Darth Vader delivering his lines with a Scottish sounding accent.  However, despite the difficulties and the critics, George Lucas stuck to his vision and his perseverance paid off.  The finished product came out in the summer of 1977 and Star Wars became an instant pop culture phenomenon.  Many involved in the project finally saw what George Lucas saw in his head and knew all along.  Even Darth Vader was no laughing matter and no longer sounded Scottish.  Lucas had the actor James Earl Jones dub the voice of Darth Vader, creating one of the most sinister and iconic villains in cinematic history.  Even the investors and the studio executives could breathe a sigh of relief as the money kept coming in and their stocks went through the roof. Whatever doubts, fears and worries anyone had during the shoot was now quickly replaced with excitement, joy and confidence. Everyone was now all in on what Lucas had in store for them next.  And forty something years later, the franchise has expanded into other movies, television shows, video games, merchandise, and even theme parks.  It is the fifth highest grossing film franchise ever made and is now worth 65 billion dollars.  Many who were involved in the first project are still reaping the rewards all because they invested their time, talents and finances to one man’s vision to carry out to completion his grand story.  In a similar way, like George Lucas, God is our great storyteller and director of our lives. In fact the Bible speaks of our God as being an author. David paints a poetic picture of our God as being an author.  He says in Psalm 139:16, “In your book was written every one of them, the days that were formed for me.”.  In the New Testament book of Hebrews 12:2, it says, “Look unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”.  Here Jesus is pictured as the founder and creator of our faith. So, in a way, God is like a great storyteller who is writing in each and every one of us the story of our lives.  But sometimes I think as believers we get discouraged when our story doesn’t quite pan out the way we think it should. Like the cast and crew of the first Star Wars movie, we start to question the director.  We start to wonder what this story is all about. Perhaps we’re getting discouraged over the setbacks and struggles we are going through and we’re wondering if it’s worth investing in God’s story to begin with.  We get disheartened and we begin to lose hope. Some of us want to quit. Maybe we are starting to think that Christianity is just a big joke as we watch the hypocrisy around us by others falsely claiming to know Jesus and embarrassing the name of Christ by their failures.  But I want to encourage you to not throw in the towel just yet.  Remember, that God is still in the making of His grand story.  You are not yet at the end.  The finished product is coming to a theater near you but right now all we can do is  continue to trust our great director that He has a plan for how this will all play out.  I’m pretty sure that when George Lucas wanted more funding, the nervous investors and the studio executives probably wanted to see dailies of what he had filmed so far. George had to give them a glimpse of what was to eventually come. In the same way, God knows we are human, and we are prone to fear, so He gives us His dailies and they are found in His word. He comforts us by what He’s already done and gives us a future hope of what’s to come. In Revelation 21, the apostle John, gives us a glimpse into a believer’s future. The scripture tells of a new heaven and a new earth. It talks about Jesus coming a second time to wipe away every tear, death will be no more, no more suffering, the old former things will be gone.  And from the words of Christ, “Behold I am making all things new”.  What words of comfort. What words of hope. This is what we have in store. So, when you’re feeling like quitting, remember to look to Jesus. Trust Him and He will finish what he started in you. Remember, the finished product is coming. Meditate on verses like those in Revelation and dwell on them.  Let Christ persevere in you and one day, when all is said and done and we pass on from this life to the next, we will all get to witness the epic story of our lives.  I can see it now.   We will all be ushered by the Holy Spirit into a great big movie theater, God the Father will be popping and handing out the popcorn and for the first time we will all see what God was up to all along.  And as the movie ends, Oscars will be handed out that evening by Jesus for being faithful. However, at the end of the ceremony no one will be able to hold their awards for long.  We will all tearfully present them back and bow at the feet of Jesus.  For there is only one who truly deserves all the glory and that will be Jesus the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the End.  At that time there will be no dry eye in the house but then God the Father will turn on the lights, and wipe every tear away.  The curtain will close but another one will open and this time He will invite us to take part in the sequel. A movie that will be even bigger and better than the first. A movie that will have no tragedy, no evil villain out to get us, just one endless story of love and happiness between a God and His people.  Now that’s a movie worth waiting for.

Romans 8:28.

For we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose.

2 Corinthians 12:9 English Standard Version (ESV)

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

We live in a culture today where those that are the strongest survive and thrive. Strength and power is often celebrated, admired and even rewarded.  We honor the athlete that can defy all human odds and demonstrate a great amount of vigor and strength to come out victorious.  People don’t flock to the beaches to see a weak man competition, no they marvel at the muscle men and the incredible feats they can do with their human bodies.  We take great pride in our accomplishments, and are quick to let others know about them. Just look at our Facebook posts.  We all from time to time, like to share with our friends about our strong points and tell others what we’re succeeding at.  No one boasts about those things they struggle in.  No one is quick to share their failures and shortcomings.  Who goes into a job interview and quickly highlights their failures?   No one does that.  If they did, they could forget about landing the job, they’d get fired before they were even hired.  Bottom line, we boast about our strengths and pity those that are weaklings.  Yet when it comes to God’s way of thinking, and for living out the Christian life, God encourages us to do the opposite.  He tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9, to boast in our weaknesses.  Quite a contrast from the world’s point of view.  But we’re not called to live like the world. No, God always has a way of flipping the script.  We see this demonstrated in the very life of the Apostle Paul.  He had no major accomplishments or amazing heroics to brag about. In fact, after His conversion to follow Jesus, he went through much hardships for Christ. He dealt with a “thorn” in his flesh that God wouldn’t remove, he suffered with loneliness and rejection, persecution and even prison time, all for the sake of sharing the gospel.   Most of the time, he felt weak rather than strong but rather than trying to muster up his own strength, what he learned was that by boasting in his weaknesses and in his own incapabilities, he was in essence trusting in God’s grace to see him through.   When he realized his own limitations and put his faith in Christ, Christ’s power was able to rest on him.  In other words, Paul wasn’t boasting in his sufferings, he was really bragging in the fact that his sufferings reminded him of his constant need and dependence on Christ for everything.  He was taking pride in the fact that he could do nothing without Christ but with Christ he could do all things, Philippians 4:13.  He encourages us in 2 Corinthians 12:9, that God’s grace is enough to sustain us and empower us to live for God in this temporal and sometimes harsh life filled with thorns rather than roses.  You and I are never promised a thornless life but God does promise us that He is sufficient and He will see us through anything we may be facing.  No matter the weakness, whether it’s a trying circumstance or a sin that so easily entangles, boast in your shortcomings and humbly trust the grace of God to give you the strength to overcome. Remember, receiving God’s power is very much the same way we receive our eternal salvation.  We don’t earn it, we humbly admit we are incapable of saving ourselves and we receive the gift of grace by faith.  It’s the same with receiving Christ’s temporal salvation power for our lives as well.  When we try to earn it we fail but when we accept our limitations and simply trust Him, then His saving power rests upon us. So as believers, we must stop trying to earn God’s temporal saving power and just receive His promise simply by faith alone.  Remember His grace is enough.  When we stop trying in our own strength, we are in essence humbling ourselves and boasting in our weaknesses.  We are declaring that without Him we are nothing.  When we get out of the way and trust Christ alone, then we will receive His grace and find ourselves experiencing His saving power to see us through our time of need.  And like Paul, no matter what comes our way, whether the thorn is removed or not, we’ll be able to boldly proclaim, “WHEN I AM WEAK, THEN I AM STRONG”!

2 Corinthians 12:10

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Today, I want you to remind yourself that you are His child. As you go throughout your day, whenever you pray, I want to encourage you to use the words “ABBA-Daddy”. Remember, Jesus once taught us how to pray and He said to address Him as Father. Paul, called Him “ ABBA”! The reason I’m suggesting daddy is because sometimes we can go through the motions in our prayers and really miss out on the significance of what that really means to call our God, daddy!!! As our daddy, we can come to Him as His child, play on His lap, tug on His beard, put our arms around Him and squeeze tight as He spins us around for another piggy back ride! In other words, ENJOY HIM!!!!

Romans 8:15
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Psalm 16:11
In your presence there is fullness of joy.

Epeshians 5:1-2

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

My pastor who has eight children, most of them being adopted, once preached a powerful message on God’s adoption of us into His family. He did this by talking about the long and grueling process of adoption in this country.  Our church is real big on the foster child care crisis and has a concerned heart for the orphan.  As he preached, he laid out the whole process of what a parent that wants to adopt has to go through. Wow, what an ordeal it is to adopt! I don’t remember all the specifics but I remember he mentioned the cost being very expensive, lots of paperwork and interviews, and so many other hoops and ladders you have to go through in order to become a parent. He eventually got to relating this process to what God did for us on the cross. You see, God paid a hefty price just so that we could call Him daddy! Wow! Just sit back and reflect on that. The Bible says we are to imitate God as beloved children. Do you really know what that means? You see before we knew God, the Bible says “when we were dead in our sins, Christ died for us.”  God redeemed us!  In other words, He paid the price by sacrificing His life.  He purchased us with His blood, so that we can now be of His blood. Our original parents were sin and death, yet God the Father chose us and wanted us to join His family! Have you ever seen a foster child’s reaction when he or she finds out that they are getting two loving parents they can call mom and dad? I have and let me tell you, there’s not a dry eye in the house. It’s an amazing thing to watch. So many times as Christians, we fail to imitate God and love others not because we’re not Christians but because we’ve forgotten how amazing it is that we’re His kids! Have you taken the time to selflessly love someone lately? Jesus did it for us. God the Father paid everything to welcome us into His loving arms. If your love has gone cold, or you find yourself being critical, judging a lot, and struggling with sin, then maybe it’s time to warm up the love inside of you and remind yourself of your identity in Him. Maybe it’s time to remember who you were before you knew Christ and who you are now that you know Him. Maybe it’s time to revisit the family tree that you are now apart of by the grace of God. And remember it’s not your doing. Oh, don’t for one second think you had something to do with your adoption. What child chooses his parents? Neither do we choose God. He chose us before the creation of the world and we just respond in faith. How fortunate and how much it blesses us that we are to be able to participate along with Him. And that’s why He calls us to imitate Him and walk in love. How do we walk in love? How do we love others? As He loved us and gave Himself up for us. That’s how we love. We look at others and love them with everything we got with the same love we would give to our own children. And what good parent doesn’t want the best for their kids? What good parent wouldn’t give up their lives if it meant saving their kids from the brink of death? When we can learn to love like this, we will begin to see more orphans being rescued from the parents of sin and death and brought into this wonderful family as well. I can only imagine what an amazing family reunion it will be when we finally see Jesus face to face. Just picture this, a great big house with a great big yard and a huge table with lots and lots of food. God the Father grilling the burgers, Jesus serving our tables and filling up our glasses with everlasting water and the Holy Spirit sitting at the table fellowshipping with us, together as brothers and sisters in unity. With one beautiful voice we all worship together declaring our love for our Heavenly Father! What a sight that will be! Let’s not just wait for that day though. Let’s make it happen today, let’s come together as one, let’s love one another as He loved us. Let’s love as His beloved children.

Today, I am taking a bold first step into publicly admitting something I’ve been doing privately for quite sometime now. It’s time to be brave.  It’s time to break the silence. It’s time to show my true colors. So here goes, the truth is this:  I’m a man who likes manicures! There I said it! Wow, I feel so much better now! Before you think I’ve turned in my man card, let me explain, there’s nothing manlier than a guy getting a manicure or pedicure. Think about it, you get to sit perched high on a throne  while your back gets massaged and you have some beautiful exotic  woman caressing your feet. Hey, what’s not to like about that situation? The only thing missing is someone to feed me grapes and fan me.  There was a time though, I used to not do this because of the embarrassment it could cause.  I used to think, this is wrong, real men don’t go to nail salons, only wussies who like to carry man purses. But then I started to see other men there too and suddenly it didn’t feel so bad. I actually liked the results of how I looked and felt better about myself too.  But I got to thinking, why did I make such a big deal at first? It’s not like I’m getting my nails painted, I’m just keeping myself clean and well trimmed. Nothing wrong with that but it’s funny how we stereotype in this life and how we let that impact our lives and decisions we make. I even felt sorry once for the people doing my feet. I thought to myself how much I would hate a job like that. I wouldn’t want to clean people’s feet, what a demeaning job. You’d have to be a loser to do that job. But then God had to remind me, Jesus doesn’t stereotype by gender, He doesn’t discriminate or devalue a person based on what one does for a living either. No one is a loser in God’s eyes. In fact God had to remind me that Jesus specializes in pedicures. Jesus who was all God, left the comforts of His kingdom and instead of ruling over us, He became a humbled servant, picked up a rag and washed His disciples feet. He didn’t care how He looked. His disciples did. In fact they tried to stop Him but He insisted regardless. His whole point was to demonstrate for us that what’s really important is to serve others and that means humbling yourself so others can know His love. Sometimes I can get too caught up in how people perceive me.  I allow society to dictate in my life what’s important and how I should act but God has to point out over and over again that He looks at things a little differently. Jesus, when He came to earth turned everything upside down. While His disciples were arguing who is going to be the greatest in the kingdom, Jesus was more interested in letting the little children come unto him.  He defied all stereotypes of what a King should look like and instead of a chariot, He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. What success is to God is really failure in the world’s eyes. So, whenever we find ourselves subjecting to the false stereotypes and narratives of what is important in this life, and who has value, let’s remember how Jesus lived and how He viewed others. And when we still get our feet messy in this life, cause we will, what a comfort it is to know that we can always find His salon still open for business. A place where we can find God waiting for us on His knees, with towel in His hand, ready to refresh us with His love.  I get them all the time. I call it a Jesus pedicure and that my friend, is nothing to be ashamed about.

John 13:14-17

14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

YOU KNOW WHY I THINK ITS IMPORTANT TO GO TO CHURCH? THERE’S SEVERAL REASONS BUT ONE IS, WHEN WE GO, WE ARE FACED WITH THIS REALITY:  WE ARE ONE DAY GOING TO DIE. WE WILL LEAVE OUR LOVED ONES, OUR WEALTH, OUR BODIES AND WE WILL COME FACE TO FACE WITH OUR CREATOR. GOING TO CHURCH REMINDS ME OF MY MORTALITY, IT PUTS THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE FOR ME. WHAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT, IT HUMBLES ME TOO, IT ENCOURAGES ME AND REMINDS ME THAT I’M NOT ALONE.  HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO A FUNERAL?  WHY IS IT THAT WE HAVE TO WAIT TILL SOMEONE DIES FOR US TO COME TOGETHER AND REALIZE THAT LIFE IS SHORT? WHY DO WE WORRY SO MUCH, WHY DO WE SPEND TOO MUCH TIME MAKING MONEY, NOT ENOUGH TIME LIVING, LOVING, SEIZING EACH DAY INSTEAD OF OUR FEARS SEIZING US? SO I PROPOSE TO YOU IF YOU HAVEN’T BEEN IN AWHILE, TAKE SOMETIME TO GO TO CHURCH THIS WEEKEND OR TAKE SOMETIME TO PRAY, QUIET YOUR SOUL, DO SOME THINKING, MEDITATE, REPRIORITIZE SOMETHINGS, PUT FEAR BACK IN ITS PLACE, ALLOW GOD TO LEAD YOU, AND DO SO NOW. DON’T WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO DIE TO THINK ABOUT THE FRAGILITY OF LIFE.  AS WE FOCUS ON JESUS, HE WILL ENCOURAGE US TO LIVE A LIFE OF PURPOSE NO MATTER WHAT IS GOING ON IN OUR LIVES. MOST PEOPLE LIVE ONE PAYCHECK AWAY FROM HOMELESSNESS.  THE SAME IS TRUE OF OUR MORTALITY. WE ARE ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY FROM ETERNITY. TRUST IN JESUS, THE ONE WHO MADE YOU AND LIVE NOT AS IF LIFE IS SHORT BUT LIVE LIFE AS IF IT’S ETERNAL.

PSALM 90:12 NLT

Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.

2 Peter 2:7

“and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked”

I remember one time I was attending a small church service of about thirty people. It was during the sermon, the pastor was talking about Abraham’s nephew, Lot and he referred to this verse in Peter. It was then that a lady in the congregation shouted out loud, “he wasn’t that righteous to me!”. The pastor kept preaching and didn’t really deal with her comment. He just said “well, the Bible says he was” and then kept to his preconceived script. But I remember sitting there thinking, what a perfect opportunity this pastor had to elaborate more on this. You see, I have a great concern for the body of Christ. We are taught that righteousness is by faith alone in Jesus and then once you’re on board, once you’re in the family, joined the team, all of a sudden it’s now about here’s what you got to do. Here’s your bat, get up to the plate and you better perform to prove you belong to the team, don’t strike out or else. So, now we get this warped view that our righteousness is really based on what we do for God to prove we are the real sons and daughters of God.  So, of course when a Christian comes to a verse like this one, the common reaction is just like this one lady’s “ Lot? He wasn’t that righteous to me!”.  For those of us that are not familiar with who Lot is, let me introduce you. Lot was the nephew of Abraham. Both travelled together but bickering began between Lots’s group and Abraham’s and they realized that they were too big between the both of them and it was best to separate. So, Abraham gave him the first choice to choose where he would like to live. Abraham gave Lot the choice of going either north or south, Lot instead looked beyond Jordan toward a well-irrigated plain and chose that land. Lot camped among the cities of the green Jordan plain and initially pitched his tent facing the sinful city Soddom and Gomorrah. Later on, he actually moved into sin city. He even became the gate keeper and had some influence in Soddom and Gomorrah  but there’s no evidence that he did anything to reform the city. In fact he even offered up his virgin daughters as a replacement to men who wanted to rape some strangers that he invited into his home. Later we read, his very own daughters got him intoxicated with wine and then proceeded to have sex with him. Woah, you’re not gonna hear this in your grandma’s Sunday school. This sounds like more of a rated R miniseries on Netflix than a squeaky clean, feel good movie on Pureflix.  This begs the question. Why was this man, who compromised his integrity many times throughout, considered righteous? The answer my friend is blowing in the wind. Actually it’s the same that it’s always been, in the Old Testament and in the New. What makes a person righteous? Is it what we do? Paul tells us in Romans 1:17.  “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Also, He later talks about Abraham and how God considered him justified, which just means to be declared righteous. He says in Romans chapter 4, “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.”  So as we can see, if God considered Abraham righteous through faith apart from works, he saw Abraham’s nephew, Lot the same way. He was considered righteous because he simply had faith. Was it always publicly displayed? Did he always get it right? Nope, and he suffered temporal consequences too. Remember, he lost everything he owned, including his wife in the destruction of Soddom and Gomorrah. But the Angels came for Lot to save him from the city and God’s wrath because he was one of the righteous few. Again, not because he was perfect and always did good things, no because he believed and that’s what made him holy. I think this verse should be an encouragement to all of us as Christians.  Let’s not live in condemnation or beat ourselves up, when we’ve messed up or blown it again. Let’s remember that our righteousness isn’t based on our performance but God’s grace through faith. May it also be a reminder for us to stay humble when we are doing a lot in obedience to and for God. When we are following Him, whether it’s mission trips, fasting and praying, giving our whole lives in faithfulness to Him, let’s remember this passage to keep things in perspective so we don’t become full of pride and think it’s about us. These good things do not make us anymore righteous in His eyes and not doing these things does not make us any less righteous. Though when we are obedient, there are rewards and blessings and the same is true that when we are disobedient there are consequences and discipline.  Abraham was blessed beyond measure for his obedience and Lot went through much suffering and loss but both men were considered still righteous by God. Not a righteousness by doing good but one of faith by grace. So as we travel on our spiritual journey, let’s remember and thank God everyday that the same God who looked at sinful Lot as being righteous, sees us the same way. And the more we fully understand this love, it will compel us to live our lives in full obedience to Him like Abraham did. We obey Him not because we have to but for the simple joy of just getting the amazing opportunity to participate in the game. So, whether we strike out at the plate several times or hit home runs consistently, we still wear his jersey of righteousness and on the back of the shirt, is not our name but the only name that declares us holy and perfect from all sin, Jesus Christ and because of Him we are all winners.

James 2:14-17

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good[b] is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Familiar with this passage in scripture?  If  you’ve been a Christian for sometime, I’m pretty sure you have come across it. It’s one of the most controversial verses and often misunderstood in all of scripture. Verses like this tend to divide Christians and we build walls and pick our sides.  In fact this verse was actually hated by Martin Luther, the leader of the Protestant Reformation. Remember him? He was the one who broke off from the Catholic Church because of his studies of the Bible and what he found. What he discovered was that salvation is only through faith alone and not by good works.  He didn’t know what to do with this verse in James.  He hated it so much, he wanted the whole book removed from the Canon of scripture. It’s understandable how he felt because this verse is very contradicting. After all the apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians “it is by faith you have been saved not by works.” So what in the darn hill is James smoking? Why does he seem to contradict Paul?  The typical response you get from some Christian commentaries is that James was talking about a genuine faith.  They will cite Paul in Ephesians 2 stating that we are God’s workmanship created to do good works that He’s prepared for us in advance.  Then they’ll tell us that a real Christian displays good works. Therefore, if you claim you are a Christian and aren’t displaying good works then clearly you aren’t a Christian. So, the problem I have with this, is that right away the gospel just went from Jesus doing all the work for our salvation and giving us the gift of salvation, to now your eternal salvation hangs in the balance based on your performance in proving the validity of your faith. Wow, what happened to it being a gift? Can you imagine when you were a kid if your parents gave you a bicycle for your birthday. “Happy birthday enjoy your gift, we love you!”.  You’re all excited to play with your gift. You play with it everyday. Then suddenly your parents give you the credit card bill for the bike. It’s still your bike but you still have to do something to prove ownership of your bike. If you really want to keep it they say. I mean what parents would do something like that? But we humans live in a world where that’s what’s expected. Nothing really is for free. You got to earn your success. But God says eternal life is a free gift but we have a tough time accepting that and we call it “easy believism”.  We flip the script and tell everyone if you’re really a child of God you better be doing some good works or else it’s not really your gift. Ever since I first encountered James, I too have wrestled with this verse. I agree that it’s a “faith alone but not a faith alone” but where I differ with some Christians is the reasoning behind why God wants a faith that’s accompanied by works. In my studies over the years I’ve come to the conclusion that the reason we activate our faith is not so we that can prove we’re going to heaven. It’s not a bragging right for Christians. I persevered, therefore I’m a good Christian, and Jesus will definitely let me into heaven. No, its actually not that at all. Let me explain.  In the letter that James is writing, he is writing to people who are already believers in Jesus. These believers are being  dispersed all throughout.  In other words,they are being persecuted for their faith in Jesus. They are suffering, yet James encourages them to persevere by considering it pure joy because of what God is doing in them.  He devotes his whole letter to focus on how believers should live and practice out this faith even during trials. He encourages believers to not fall into temptation and to also tame their tongue. Both things that people struggle with when going through trying circumstances. James also points out what some of them were actually doing because of their suffering. They were trying to provide for their needs by showing favoritism towards rich people. Instead of loving on the poor and needy, they were only focusing all their love and attention on those who were wealthy. But James reprimands them. In fact, James reminds them pure religion is loving the widows and orphans. You see, when one gives to the widows and orphans or the poor, they can’t give you anything back. The believers were suffering and some were trying to meet their needs by looking after those that could pay them back. That’s not really trusting in God is it? So, when James tells them to have a faith that is expressed in works because that will save him, he is talking about a different kind of salvation. Just because the Bible uses the word “saved” or “salvation “, we automatically want to think it means eternal salvation. But there are several times in scripture where the word “saved” is used as a temporal salvation. For example, David crying out in the Psalms for God to save him from his enemies. So, in the context of James, a letter to believers who are already eternally saved, James is urging them to publicly express this faith but the salvation is for a temporal salvation.  He gives an illustration of a poor person asking for help and getting none. What a useless, dead faith he says. How can this faith save that poor person in their time of need and how can that faith save the believer in their temporal needs as well? Do you see it? James is not talking about eternal salvation but a temporal salvation. Pay attention to this part carefully. When we activate our faith in obedience, we don’t do it to prove that we are truly saved, by no means! We do it so that GOD CAN PROVE THAT HE SAVES. God wants to so badly publicly display his salvation to His people and to others but He wants His people to step out in faith through obedience so that He can reveal His plan of salvation. Think about it. When a Christian who is faced with an opportunity to give of their resources to help someone, they are in essence trusting that God will temporarily save that person and also temporarily save themselves by meeting their financial needs as well. It takes faith to give up of your time, resources and talents for God’s kingdom to those who can’t repay you. Your only hope is in God saving you. That’s the faith and salvation James is talking about. He gives us an example of Abraham. Abraham trusted that God had a plan to save him in his situation. He didn’t know how but he believed God would save his son from being killed. He did not know why but he believed God and activated his faith by climbing up the mountain to sacrifice his only son. Abraham’s faith and works set God up to showcase His saving power. God did just that, sending His angels and sparing his son by providing him a ram instead. James also gives an illustration of Rahab the prostitute. Rahab was not a saint, in fact she was still practicing her livelihood when she first met the Israelite spies. Yet, she activated her faith in the God of Israel and displayed her faith by hiding the spies from being killed that day. Through the demonstration of her faith, she put God in a position to then display His salvation first to the spies that day and then later when He rescued her family from being killed by the Israelites when they eventually attacked her city.  Is it making sense now? James is encouraging believers who are already eternally saved to activate their faith so the God of salvation can prove He loves to daily save people in their time of need. And when we obey God we are trusting God to save us also in our time of need. That’s all James is saying. But when James throws in words like dead faith, words like saved, and useless faith like a demon, people get confused and think James is talking about your eternal salvation. James is just saying activate your faith. Don’t let it be useless like a demon faith. He’s just using an extreme analogy that’s all. He’s not saying you’re going to hell like a demon if you’re not doing works along with your faith. He never says that but that’s what people assume. I think about our faith this way. Our faith is not always active. Sometimes our faith is dead and sometimes it’s alive. When you are on Facebook and you see the ad from the Salvation Army to donate to the hurricane relief fund and you decide to continue to scroll down, ignoring it, your faith is dead at that moment. In that moment you have chosen not to activate it. It’s like a car that just sits in your driveway. Our faith is a gift from God and like a brand new car it is just waiting for us to drive it. There will be times we don’t drive it but it doesn’t mean it’s not there. So it is with our faith. God wants it not to stay in the driveway and be useless but God wants us to put the key in the ignition and turn it on. We are always eternally saved by a faith alone. But as believers, we get to practice our faith publicly so God can publicly make known His everyday salvation to others and to us. God loves to save people. Whether it’s eternal salvation or temporal such as saving someone from hunger and giving a poor person a meal.  I know this is a different outlook on this verse but when you see it this way, isn’t it liberating? Doesn’t it take the pressure off of us to save our souls? Our response to God is obedience but it’s not so we can prove we are truly saved, it’s all so God can prove that He truly saves.  So, the next time you’re struggling financially but you know of someone who just lost their job, activate your faith and give. Trust God to meet the needs of those you are giving to and expect Him, to rescue you in your time of need. Remember, God is in the business of saving, our part is to be that vehicle that He uses to do so. The more we activate our faith, the more we will get to experience God’s amazing love and plan of salvation He has for others and in our lives as well. Hey, I get it, not every believer will agree with me on this and my intentions are not to divide or win any debate. My encouragement to you is to activate your faith so God can show you how He will bless you and meet your needs as you allow Him to use you to bless and meet the needs of others. So what are you waiting for?  God has given us a gift, that gift is a shiny new car called faith. Don’t just let it sit in the garage. Show it off. You don’t have to concern yourself so much on how it works, that’s on Him.  All we get is the joy and privilege of participating with Him as we press down on the gas pedal of our faith, following His directions as we head down the narrow road of our salvation.

Psalm 143:1-2 English Standard Version (ESV)

My Soul Thirsts for You

A Psalm of David.

143 

Hear my prayer, O Lord;

    give ear to my pleas for mercy!

    In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!

Do you hear that? It’s the desperate plea from a man who is on the verge of death. His enemies have all but crushed his soul, feeling hopeless, he calls out to God for mercy. I’m not a theologian, but perhaps these enemies are from the consequences of his adultery and his sins. Maybe that’s why he calls out to God for mercy. I like how he cries out for God to answer Him and come to His aid in God’s faithfulness and in God’s righteousness. Not in his. How many of us our taught that if we just clean up our act and do the right things, we can call out to God and He’ll save us? But I love how David doesn’t ask God to deliver him because of David’s righteousness but he calls out to God and asks Him for deliverance simply because of God’s faithfulness and righteousness. David knew he was undeserving but yet He still believed that God would deliver Him because that is who God is, He is faithful and He is righteous. You may not be surrounded by physical enemies but sometimes circumstances can seem so overwhelming it’s like an army is pursuing you. Sometimes we find ourselves being spiritually attacked and it can seem like the devil finally has the upper hand. Perhaps we have fallen into sinful habits again and our souls feel crushed and defeated. Could God really deliver me? Would He really want to, me a sinner? But I urge you to look at the life of David. This is the man who struggled with sexual addiction and bondage by sleeping with concubines on almost a daily basis which eventually led to him murdering a man just to sleep with his wife, Bathsheba. The consequences of his sins brought about a divided kingdom and a divided family. Even his worst enemies were his own sons, out to dethrone and kill him. Yet despite the consequences of his actions, he still cries out to God for salvation because He knows God is merciful. Remember,  if God can deliver David, a murderer and an adulterer, don’t you think He can deliver us too? God did not see David anymore as a sinner but He saw Him as a man after His own heart.  David repented and God was faithful to forgive Him. When we ask God to forgive us, He remembers our sins no more.  God delivered David from his enemies not because David was righteous or faithful, no, God delivered Him because that is who God is.  If David realized this aspect of God’s mercy, then we too are never too far removed from God to ask Him to rescue us no matter what we might have done in our past. We too can boldly call out to Him to deliver us from our trials because it’s in God’s nature to do so. David may have felt defeated that day but in the midst of his trial, and his consequences, in the midst of his desert, he begins to remember and meditate on how God has been faithful. For he says, in verse five,”I remember the days of old;

    I meditate on all that you have done;

    I ponder the work of your hands.” Maybe for us that’s what we need to do too. When we find ourselves in the midst of despair, meditate on how God has been faithful many times before. We can see His faithfulness displayed all throughout scripture. Meditate and dwell on His promises. They are true and dependable and we can find hope for our troubled souls.  David also recognized the importance of the Holy Spirit. He called out for the Spirit’s presence, for guidance and for direction. In verse 10

“Teach me to do your will,

    for you are my God!

Let your good Spirit lead me

    on level ground!”

The same Spirit found in David is the same Spirit who dwells in you. When we give up our way for His will, it is not us getting our act together, it is us just simply acknowledging we need a higher power to lead us to level ground. Begin again to ask the Holy Spirit to take control once again. The great counselor will teach you. It’s never too late, He will show you a way out.

I don’t know where you’re at right now? Maybe you too feel like you’re in the midst of battle surrounded by death all around and maybe it was caused by your sins, maybe from the sins of others. Wherever you find yourself, remember it’s not over. Cry out to Him, cry out to Him, He won’t abandon you, He will rescue you not because of anything you have done or didn’t do but simply because God is faithful and God is righteous. Let His Spirit show you the way, your deliverance is here. For towards the end of the Psalm, I love how David goes from desperation to confidence again. He says, “you will cut off my enemies” and again he says, “you will destroy the adversaries of my soul”.  It wasn’t maybe God will, it was God will do it. When we realize that our deliverance has nothing to do with our righteousness, when we meditate on God’s faithfulness to us and we surrender our will to the Spirit’s leading, we will find a renewed faith that nothing is impossible with God. So, when life knocks you down, don’t get up, but stay down, on your knees that is and cry out to the One who will hear you because He is faithful and righteous and remember these words of David.

11 

“For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life!

    In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!

12 

And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies,

    and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,

    for I am your servant.”