Author: Nick (Page 6 of 24)

God Is Not Fair

May 30, 2011 / Nick / 0 Comments

He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our offenses. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His faithful love toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
-Psalm 103:10-12 (HCSB)

Have you ever said the phrase, “Life is not fair”? I know I have many times. When you see the people who don’t deserve blessings receiving them, and others who do things the right way struggling, you can’t help but have those thoughts. Or just flip through the pages of the Bible and you will read story after story of people who fall into the same category.

Whether it’s modern day we’re talking about or thousands of years ago, the world really hasn’t changed much in this regard, has it? Sometimes it just seems that life is not fair, and neither is God.

The problem is that God’s perspective on fairness will never make sense to us. To us, fairness is someone getting what they deserve. A person does good things, then they are rewarded. A person does bad things, then they are punished. It’s pretty simple, and that’s what our human reasoning expects.

God, however, is all about grace. And grace is getting what you do not deserve.

According to Psalm 103, our God has shown us considerable mercy when it comes to our sins. We are at fault and deserve the punishment — death and separation from the one we’ve offended. Alternatively, God has chosen forgiveness and compassion. And to what extent? Our transgressions are going in the complete opposite direction as God. The point was that the east and the west are constantly growing farther and farther apart, and the two points will never, ever meet!

Or, to say it another way… We have rebelled against God, broken our covenant with him, chosen our own way, been caught red-handed and are guilty as charged. Yet he chose not to discipline us. Instead, God chose grace, forgot about the wrongdoings, and paid the penalty himself.

I can say it with confidence: God is not fair. Because of Jesus, we do not get what we deserve.

And that’s something worth thanking him for.

Approach The Throne

May 17, 2011 / Nick / 0 Comments

Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.
-Hebrews 4:16 (HCSB)

In most kingdoms, boldly approaching the king’s throne would be an immediate death sentence. At the very least, anyone who interrupted someone of such rank and power without invitation would be in some seriously hot water. It took guts to even speak to the king, let alone doing it with boldness.

So who could actually come nearer to a king’s throne so brazenly without fear of punishment? It’s simple: a child of the king.

According to the author of Hebrews, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, that means you may do the same in regards to your King’s throne. Just like children of royalty, you may approach your personal God anytime, anywhere about anything.

Sadly, many Christians approach God in prayer with excessive hesitancy and meekness. They are too intimidated to confidently ask God for what they need. If they do get the courage to speak to him, it’s glossed-over words and dishonest thoughts. And because of that, maybe they eventually simply avoid speaking to God altogether, for fear of shame and chastisement.

Please don’t take it the wrong way… Should there be reverence for God in your life? Absolutely! It is clear from the scripture that he is your King, after all.

But he’s also your Father. And that means because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, you have unparalleled, intimate access to God that others can only dream of!

So go to God in prayer with your questions and concerns. Go to him in celebration and adoration. Whatever is on your heart and whatever you need, just go to him! God will be there waiting, promising grace and mercy.

You too may boldly approach the throne of the King. Thanks to Jesus, you have nothing to fear.

For I Know The Plans

April 26, 2011 / Nick / 0 Comments

This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 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 29:10-11 (NIV)

I think Jeremiah 29:11 may be the most popular verse of the entire Bible. It’s easily Top 5. You see it everywhere from bumper stickers to graduation trinkets. And it’s well-known for good reason… What a beautiful promise of God for us to cling to!

But as great of an assurance as it is, unfortunately it’s often severely taken out of context. Verse 10 gives us the entire perspective. God’s promise of successful plans and expectant futures would come after his people lived as captives for 70 years in a foreign nation. To make matters worse, there were other false prophets telling them what they wanted to hear and claiming that they were going to be returning home soon. But God had plans for later.

When life is in disarray, some people will turn to verses like this and cry out asking, “God, you say you ‘know the plans’… Why is this happening? Why am I going through this, right here, right now? Don’t you want the best for me? You could change my situation this very second if you wanted to, so why aren’t you living up to your promise?”

And that’s where God’s words become distorted. Jeremiah 29:11 doesn’t exist as a guarantee that life is easy, nor is it a reference to your circumstances now. Rather, it is a proclamation from God that even when life is hard, he is still in control. He still reigns. He’s still the God of the universe.

Does God know the plans for your life? Absolutely. Does God still want you to prosper and keep you from harm? Definitely. Does God continuously want to give you hope and a future? Unquestionably.

But we’ve got to remember… Sometimes that includes 70 years of exile first. Before the promise of hope, we will often find ourselves waiting somewhere we don’t want to be. And maybe that’s where you are right now — somewhere you don’t want to be. And that’s when it’s easy to believe the lies of the false prophets… When it’s easy to hear what you want to hear instead the truth found in what God is saying.

Like the verse, maybe it’s all about context. Your life isn’t chaotic because God breaks his promises… Maybe it is simply that way because you are in exile. And for your God-ordained destiny to materialize, exile is exactly where you need to be.

While it may not make sense to us, it’s in those moments that we should embrace and take Jeremiah 29:11 to heart. While we muddle in the depths of uncertainty, we can be certain that God has not abandoned us and he will see us through.

For God knows the plans.

Forget Where You Came From

April 19, 2011 / Nick / 0 Comments

But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods.
-Daniel 1:8 (NLT)

As you begin the book of Daniel, we find the author living in captivity in a foreign land. The Jewish people had been exiled to Babylon, and the brightest men had been chosen to be part of a government training program, Daniel included. These men were given new Babylonian names and treated to the finest food and drink. But Daniel would have nothing of it. He demanded to eat something else rather than defile himself with royal dining.

So what was wrong with the king’s food and wine? Some guess it might have not been kosher (allowed by Jewish law). Others say that maybe Daniel was fearful that the food had previously been offered to the false Babylonian gods. And those both might be part of the equation.

But I also can’t help but wonder if Daniel didn’t want to succumb to the pressure and be completely assimilated into the Babylonian lifestyle. As a Jewish man held captive in Babylon but yet being treated like royalty, it would have be easy for him to be engulfed by the local culture. Memories of who he was in Judah could quickly be replaced with his new self in Babylon. Maintaining his true, God-given identity would be difficult. Essentially, if Daniel forgot where he came from, the Babylonians win.

I promise you this: the devil would love nothing more than for you to forget where you came from as well. I’m sure he would be ecstatic for you to forget what God has done and how he’s transformed you… To forget what you believe in and what you’re convicted of… To forget your new identity in Christ as a new creation.

And one of the devil’s best tactics to accomplish this mistaken identity is by using things that aren’t necessarily wrong, but certainly not you. Things that aren’t by definition sinful, but just Babylonian.

What are the “king’s food” being offered today? It could be a plethora of things… The internet, movies, music, sports, video games, shopping. Those aren’t really bad stuff, right? But is it exactly who you want to be either?

So don’t forget who you are. Don’t forget who God is making you into. Don’t get thoroughly immersed in the culture. Don’t forget what’s right and what’s wrong. Don’t forget where you came from.

No matter what you are told otherwise… You are not Babylonian.

Never Satisfied

April 12, 2011 / Nick / 0 Comments

And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
-Exodus 33:17-18 (NIV)

Think of all Moses had experienced up to this point… By the power of God, the man had confronted Pharaoh, the most powerful man on the planet, to release the Hebrew people. He had seen God unleash frogs, gnats, festering boils and other plagues on Egypt. Moses saw God split the Red Sea in two so the people of Israel could safely cross it while being pursued by the Egyptian army. He saw God miraculously rain food down from the skies and provide water from a rock. Then, of course, Moses climbed Mount Sinai and received the Ten Commandments directly from God.

Wow, what a life! Moses had personally seen God work in unimaginable ways. So later on when we find Moses again in Exodus 33, is he ready to exhale, kick back and call it a life?

No, not at all. In fact, Moses wants more. He demands to see God’s glory.

I think it’s sad how many modern-day Christians are the complete opposite of Moses. They have made a profession of faith. They probably read their Bibles and maybe even regularly attend church. But here’s the problem — that’s enough. They don’t see a need for anything more of God than what they currently have. A little bit of him sprinkled here and there is sufficient. Ultimately, they are satisfied.

Contentment generally isn’t a bad thing. But when we become fat, dumb and happy with God’s involvement in our lives, it is a horrible thing!

When was the last time you had the audacity to ask for something as big as seeing the very glory of God? If it’s been awhile, it’s probably because you are satisfied.

Are you that desperate for more of God? Or are you comfortable with what you’ve done and what you’ve got? Or allow me to ask it this way… If God never worked in a miraculous way in your life again, would you be OK with that?

The main difference between many of us and Moses is that he always craved more of God… His thirst couldn’t be quenched. He couldn’t get enough.

We were not made to say, “OK, I’m full… Thanks, God!” Rather, we were designed to plead, “God, keep pouring into me… Make my cup overflow!”

So ask to see God’s glory. Dare to have more of him.

And never be satisfied.

Author: Nick (Page 6 of 24)

God Is Not Fair

Approach The Throne

For I Know The Plans

Forget Where You Came From

Never Satisfied

Popular posts

Twitter Updates

Currently Reading

Currently Listening

Register/Log in

About Nick

Calendar

God Is Not Fair

Approach The Throne

For I Know The Plans

Forget Where You Came From

Never Satisfied

Popular posts

Twitter Updates

Currently Reading

Currently Listening

Register/Log in

About Nick

Calendar

Tag Cloud