Am I good enough?

Am I good enough?

I normally try to have some word of wisdom when I write a blog post, something that God has enlightened me with and filled my heart to share with others. Today that is not the case. Today I would like to share a personal struggle. 

I am a person that has a reckless past, I am a guy who made every mistake short of murder and that only by God’s grace is left off the rap sheet of my past. I am a man that still struggles with all kinds of issues and way to often those issues are foremost in my mind. I know what God wants of me, but I hold off on pressing towards that goal based on the nagging little voice that says, “You are better than you were, but you’re not good enough yet”! Have you ever heard that voice, the one that says there is another person is better suited to do what God has laid on your heart? The voice that says if you start it you will be a stumbling block. The voice that is arrogant enough to question God?

Is that the voice of fear, the voice of the devil, or in my case the voice of the church? See church members don’t want imperfect leaders in any position. I think it is not out of any reason other than to protect the church and even in thoughts that they need to protect Jesus and the Gospel from us imperfect people.

My conclusion, we are all imperfect and screwed up, I think the same Peter that denied Christ is the same Peter that preached on Pentecost. The same screwed up Peter; the same confused Peter, the same fearful Peter. I think he just decided he would rather be used by God then left behind. He wanted to perform the role God had for him and trust that God was enough. Why should I think Jesus can cover my sins and make me righteous but not cover me in the grace needed to share him with others? In my imperfections I will continue, so that God gets the glory. I cannot fix me, but He can use me.

Why Jesus? And the age old question…..Why are we here?

I am often asked why Jesus? Man I don’t need Jesus I am just as good as those guys. Actually you may be better than them; there are a lot of really moral non-Christians. Seriously, I see Christians and they still got problems so I guess all that church stuff doesn’t work. Yep, that is true, Jesus doesn’t take away all the problems of this life, work is work, bad things happen, and sometimes you get a raw deal. So if that is true then why do I need or want Jesus, why do you? Here is what I tell them.

We were created in the image of God and were intended to be in communion with Him which we see in the garden. Genesis 2:19-20 God brought the animals to Adam and allowed him to name them, Genesis 3:8, God walked in the garden, calling to Adam. By these statements we know that Adam had a relationship with God. There was communion of the created with the creator. Isaiah 43:21 states that the people God formed for himself will proclaim his praise, so he created us to glorify him, so He alone is praised. 1^St Corinthians 10:31 tells us “do all to the glory of God.

So I will submit that we are here to glorify God and walk in communion with him. Either you have agreed to see where I go with this and you will keep reading or you just determined I am untrained, poorly educated, and clearly unskilled and are not going any further with this. Awesome!!

 for the those still reading let’s look at why Jesus?.......

So do we need communion and glorification of and with the Father God in order to be happy?? Yes, without the communion we were created for we will have an empty spot in our life. We see this all the time, a generation of people that promote themselves through social media, everyone wants to have value. There is a need to feel purpose. We attempt to find purpose in career, we find that in family, we find that in social causes, or the next material thing we desire. We seek things to fill the empty spot that was meant for God, and when we seek stuff to fill that we sin, the more we put between us and our intended function of communion and glorification the further that we get from God. All that is not of God is sin. Since the beginning of time, with Adam and Eve the devil has been telling us that we can use the “fruit” of sin to fill the spot intended for God. The fruit of sin has always been choosing our desire over what God has created and instructed for us to be. This is the lie that the devil has been telling us for years. “You don’t need to give up all the stuff your pursuing, it makes you a better person”, but does it bring you closer or further away from God?

I know what you are thinking, we still haven’t gotten to why Jesus? I told you about what you need to be happy so that I can tell you who can get you there. Jesus came and created a way for us as sinful creatures to no longer live separate from God. Through Jesus (his selfless actions and sinless life) he carried our sin to the cross, he died willingly, then rose again. Allowing us to return to communion with God through the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit comes to us after salvation and allows a two way communion between us and the Father God.

The Holy Spirit does this by replacing all those things that we tell no one about with Joy. All of us have those secrets we want no one to know about, those things that the devil will drag up when we start to turn to God. The devil uses them to remind us why we should or could not be accepted. Jesus has already paid for all of those things; the devil reminds you of things God no longer remembers.

God remembers no sin that was washed away by the blood of Jesus.

Jesus takes those sins away, provides the Holy Spirit, allows communion, and brings JOY. JOY guys, is doing what you were made for. JOY is better than happiness, happiness can be found in things and will pass way. JOY is forever,  it is communion with God.

So why Jesus? Because there is a Joy you were intended to have, but you cannot get there on you own, only through him.

 Jesus is the key to JOY!

I dont like that kind of worship...........

We hear a lot about this church or that church has better worship, or I like this type of worship. I even found myself having that conversation Sunday.

I came out of my prayer time today convicted. God asked me if I worshiped before I got to service or if I waited on someone else to create the atmosphere. He said David danced till his clothes fell off, but he didn’t wait till he got to the temple and he didn’t wait till God’s presence got there. He danced on the way and brought the presence of God with him.

So if worship isn’t the way you want it, is it because God isn’t good? Maybe you can’t look past the style? Is it because you like your worship routine more than you like worshiping God? Or is God presence not there because you didn’t bring him with you with the spirit of worship like David did?

People say we need to rebuild the house of David and be a people of worship in church.

I say God wants a people like David who will worship on the way to church and bring his presence with them.

Wimpy men??

As men we are called not to be wimpy, find me a wimpy man in the bible? Let’s run down a list:

o   Kill a lion

o   Kill a giant

o   Build a boat, wrangle animals

o   Fiery furnace

o   Lion’s den

o   Rebuild a wall

o   Take a nation on a 40 year wilderness walk

o   Fight off all the tribes

o   Take on Pharaoh

Check, Check, Check…. There is no rhyme or reason to this list. I just wanted to point out, none of these guys I would call wimps. And none in new testament either, Jesus called fishermen, commercial fishing now is a tough job, back then I am sure it wasn’t any easier. We make TV shows about it, real men, doing real men stuff. John the Baptist was survivalist, Paul a mercenary and a murderer. If you want what we consider to be tough men, the bible has them in spades. (Truth be told I feel kind of wimpy as I type this, I need to go take an ax to an oak tree and feel manly for a minute or two).

What makes a man kill a lion, build the ark, step into a fiery furnace, and stare down a Pharaoh? Belief, not belief in themselves but belief in the Master they served. They came in the name of another, they acted on behalf of the one that sent them. The messenger does not come with his own words but with the words of the master. 

As men (speaking in general for all men) we do not have a belief. We have not developed the belief in another, belief in the one true God, because society tells us that we are the most important. Culturally we see society say you are more important than your children, wives, jobs, and friends. Society says that our children are not our responsibility or if by chance they are, its only financial. Wives, why? Don’t by the cow, get the milk for free. Society says government should provide enough jobs and if they don’t, free money for doing nothing, everyone deserves equally to have cash in their pocket, right? And friends, friends are a number on a social site, got 500 friends and not one person to help drive you home from a doctor, but they all like the witty posts you make……….am I getting the point across. 

We are told to be tolerant of all, everyone is right, nothing is our responsibility. God says not true. He calls all men to be the manly men he has left us examples of in the bible. He calls us to be men who believe in …….Him. In the truth that is God. 

John 14:12-14 ESV

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.  

As New Testament men, Jesus says believe in me, do works in my name after my example, ask in my name unto the Father. To live this we need to believe. We need to believe all that he has told us and allow that to control and dictate our life.

Let’s go medieval for a minute; we have all seen Brave Heart, who doesn’t want a broad sword, right? So that is the kind of manly man we need to be to slay the enemy, so we need a creed. What? What is a creed? Not the band…. I said medieval…. Creed, meaning a statement of the basic beliefs that guide the action of a person or group!

As men we are to be leaders of our homes and children. We should set the example for those the Lord places in our path. We need to have a creed, we need to study, determine where we stand, put it down in writing. Refer to it when we are unsure of what so next…… base our beliefs in God and who he has made us, and we will reflect him in the style of a truly manly man!

Sovereignty of God

King David, man after God's own heart....... he danced to his clothes fell off, we credit him with worship and song...... we say we want to be a "house of David"!

What else was David, adulterer, womanizer, killer, warrior, bandit.... all of these titles fit as well.

I would like to point out something that King David knew that allowed him to be a man after God's own heart. He knew God was sovereign.

Do you understand that word, I didn't. So I did what all good students do, I Googled it- supreme power of authority. David knew that is where God stood, as supreme power and authority over all.

This is why we see he will not kill Saul, God's annointed. It is why he fled from Saul, because God had not told him it was time. It is why he did not build the temple, though he wanted to so badly. He understood God's decisions are without question, the final authority.

I submit the example:

2 Samuel 12:22-23

New International Version (NIV)

²² He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ ²³ But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”
In this we see David weeping and praying for the life of his child that bore the sin of his murder of a soldier for his wife and adultery that led to it. In this event, confronted with his sin, David begged to make in him a clean heart never denying his issues or questioning God. Here we see a man that understands God's authority and supreme power, even to the point that he knows God is just, even when he takes the life of the child.

I agree we need houses of David in the sense of worship, but I believe equally important is heart that bows to the sovereignty of God. Singing and shouting are hollow acts if the heart does not acknowledge the sovereignty. God is not a genie, we do not have the right to blame Him when He does not do it our way. Understanding who He is, His sovereignty is the only way to truly see Him in all the power and glory and worship our Lord as David did.

My prayer is that the Lord make in me a clean heart and allow worship God as sovereign.   

Immaturity makes us feel the need to defend God, and hurts the one He loves!

I grew up in a pastor’s home; there was always someone in the church that wanted to talk about my father. I was so immature that I felt the need to defend him. It is a natural response. Many times as kids someone has made a comment about our mother or father perhaps even a grandparent and we rushed to defend their honor, “take it back…. Take it back or I will punch you….. “. Please don’t act like I was the only one.

The Lord showed me today that we tend to do the same thing as children of God. We become militant, “we are right, how dare they go against God, surely it is my job to point out all their wrongs……” if this is not you then you know someone like this. Is there a time to point out wrongs? Yes, in a loving way. Is there a place to remind all sinners that they need Jesus? Yes, but let’s use his example.

Exodus 3:14

God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

         God will show himself as he sees fit, as he did with pharaoh. I bring this to you today, God does not need use to be the police of sin, he does not call us to stand up to the bullies. Like Peter in the garden he is saying put away your sword, I don’t need you to defend me. Remember “the greatest of these is love.” In the words of Jesus, love your God and love your neighbor.

         I offer this thought, what if we showed Jesus not through fighting gay marriages and abortion, but channeled that money through providing free marriage counseling for God ordained male and female marriages that were headed to divorce. Instead of rallying at an abortion sight or fighting the courts we financially assisted mothers to make sure they could raise the kids, or arrange adoptions. We change how old the baby can be when its aborted and we call it a win, Jesus is saying show me to them and they won’t ever want to have an abortion and the problem will be no more. These problems come from sin and only He can remove them.

        You can’t shame people into a love for Jesus. You cannot defend the one who needs no defense. If you truly love a parent you do as they wish, you obey what they ask of you. It is the same with our Heavenly Father. I heard it said one time God is hard to bash or talk bad about when his messenger comes with a gifts of love for those in need. It’s time we realize Jesus doesn’t look like a lawyer in a court trying to stop the sin of abortion, he looks like the friend or neighbor that says I know it will be hard and it wasn’t planned but God loves you and I will help you, you are not alone. Why can’t we as children of God spend more time saying “you are not alone”?

The missed lesson in the story of the prodigal son

Most of us know the story of the prodigal son; if you do not you kind find it in Luke 15 starting in verse 11. Allow me to recap.

            Son says “Dad I want what will be mine when you’re dead, I don’t want to wait”. Dad gives it. Kid travel to the hottest party spot and then surrounds himself with people and parties until broke. Famine hits (think economic downturn) and he is out of cash. He finds himself in debt to a man that has him working in pig pins feeding them, he is considering eating that stuff they eat, remembering the good old days. Then he decides to go home.

Luke 15

            ¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.

So here we have a son of entitlement, thinking that all should be given to him. Much like we have today with kids living at home until they are 21-26 and some even older. There are people in their 30s still having parents pay for things for them. This is a generation of prodigal spirits. A society that says, I am entitled, I deserve this and that, I should not have to work and be patient. I want it now.

            So rather than argue, the father out of love gives the desires to the kid. Much as our heavenly Father has given to us freely, we have the freedom to choose, even if that choice abuses his good and loving nature. When the boy starts to return home, he knows that he has nothing of value left, he has tried to do it his way and has failed, he knows he deserves nothing. He decides he will beg to be a servant in the fathers house. He realizes his own failure and dirtiness and knows that if his father will have him he, will serve him. The act of the father taking him back in all his filthiness, despite all he has done, makes the boy want to serve him. He realizes that his father’s servants have good and happy lives of abundance, when he has squandered all he had. He realizes the intelligence of the father plan, and a goodness that he has abused.

            He goes home and is welcomed back. We have all been told that this is the way it is, that God loves us just like this prodigal son, and will accept us back, and He will!    …………………… But we see a change in the son in scripture. It is often overlooked. He went away with the heart of arrogance and self-desire. He returned with the heart of the servant, in humility. When we develop the heart of a servant then we truly can move into our true role in the house of the father. The arrogant son caused the father pain, the house was divided. But the humble servant that returned to him restored the family. Remember that the Father that accepts us regardless of circumstance, also desires to create in us the heart of a servant.

For even Jesus came to serve (Mark 10:45), and we should daily desire to be more Christ like.

Prayer:

Lord develop in me the character of a servant, ever willing to place my hands in the work of your kingdom. Let my desires be the completion of your activities. May others never hear me complain but always rejoicing in what you place before me. You are great and I am worthy only through the blood of your Son Jesus, thank you for welcoming me into your house. I love you Father. Amen