Walking Thoughts

One day long ago, years before I was a Christian, I was working on a rooftop in DC with a friend.  Jokingly, in response to a song lyric on the radio, I asked him, what is the meaning of life?? He said he knew what the meaning of his life was - it was to glorify God.  That certainly was different and I shrugged it off as part of him being that weird Christiany Churchie guy he was... but today, with the true and Living God as my Lord; I desire to serve and glorify Him with all my heart. It's my purpose - I want to be useable by God and be used by Him for His great and glorious cause.

I desire to do everything completely and only for Him!  I find, however, that no matter what I endeavor to do, there is always a part of me that will try to steal some of God's credit.  My pride will always try and hijack some glory in whatever He accomplishes through me.  In fact, I've found that the most spectaculer ways that God has used me to minister in the lives of others is when I was completely unaware!  I am most amazed when a friend comes up to me and thanks me for saying such and such or doing such and such because it helped them see what God was already teaching them, or it was part of God's plan to accomplish something in their lives. 

Not only is it awesome, but it's humbling, because those words spoken and actions undertaken were done in obedient and dependent pursuance of God's will in my own life.  There was no intention to accomplish anything, but rather as I focused more on God for my peace, joy, guidance, and fulfillment, He poured out His grace and used me to accomplish His purposes in other people's lives.  Had some of them not shared their experience, I would have never known how God was glorified through me! 

That's not to say we should not purposefuly, actively, and consciously serve God - in fact, we should be striving to serve Him with everything and every way possible!  I have just come to realize that we should not worry about whether or not we will be able to serve God, or if God will be glorified in our lives - He will not hesitate to glorify Himself in and through willing, humble servants who make their hearts available to the Potter's hand.

The Lord continues to amaze me with His grace, His kindness, and His faithfulness.

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Deuteronomy 6:5

And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10

"It's more of a speed guide... It's the lower limit... I go with the 'flow of traffic'... " These are just a few of the many excuses I've given for not obeying the posted speed limit while driving. They were all reasons for going faster than what was allowed - or in other words, breaking the law. Some reasons were actually pretty good, and you could almost defend them with arguments that would appear valid. The bottom line, however, is that a law not obeyed is a law broken - there are no degrees.


I received a speeding ticket a little over a week ago - 65 in a 45... just a wee bit fast. For the entire week following the violation I kept pouring over different reasons I was speeding in a vain attempt to justify myself. I was just coming off of the highway and was still accustomed to the highway speed... I was coming down a hill when the officer clocked me... my car feels like it's going 40 when it's going 60 so I was deceived... the officer was having a bad day... he was a jerk... the limit should be higher there because it's an open road... But see, no matter how I try to cut it, I was still above the speed limit. I can try to shift responsiblity to the car, the road, the officer, but it was me who was speeding and I knew it.The motive for breaking a law does not negate the fact that the law is broken. In fact, I was warned and clearly informed of the speed limit in that zone. The first thing you see when you exit the highway is a big fat 45 MPH sign and you see it again a few yards down. It wouldn't have mattered if I were going 55... or 50... or even 46 MPH; I was above the legal mark, i.e. guilty.  I had no excuse and perfect justice requires a punishment. 


As I thought about it more, however, I found that no matter what reason we concoct to justify our transgression - the real heart behind why we break the law is an intrinsic desire to rebel. It's our sinful nature. Just take a look at our driving habits. No matter what the speed limit is, we desire to go faster... maybe 5 mph or 10 mph... but we always push the law to satisfy our instrinsic desire to rebel against the authority and have free reign over ourselves. If the speed limit is 25, we go 30-35; if it's 35, we go 40-45; if it's 45, we go 50-55; etc. What keeps us from going 30-35 in a 45 MPH zone? Or what keeps us from pushing the 45 MPH barrier in a 50 MPH zone? In all honesty, our motive is purely intrinsic rebellion - which justifies punishment all the more!


I've been speaking of a moving violation, but this applies to God's eternal law. How often we push the barrier over God's laws of stealing (small things... like a piece of gum), lying (it's a white lie... it's just a joke...), coveting (I want one of those...). And that's just three of the ten commandments! I know just from these three I'm guilty!! In the same way that you do not have to be going a certain number of miles per hour above the limit to be guilty of speeding, you don't need to have killed somebody to be guilty of sin; stealing a piece of gum will do just fine in earning a place of damnation in hell. That's impossible you say! Then how in the world can anybody go to heaven?!?!


God is love. He loves you more than you could ever comprehend. In fact, He loved you so much, knowing that it was impossible for you to ever be right with Him according to His perfect law, He took the punishment for every one of your sins. By becoming a man, a human - just like you, He was able to die for you so you woudln't have to. He not only perished on that cross, but after three days, rose to life again in eternal victory. He wants to give that life to you if you trust Him for your salvation. You can either be held accountable for every lie, cheat, thievery, murder, adultery, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc... you've committed, or you can have eternal life because your sin is dealt with by Christ's death and resurrection for you. It's the only way an intrinsic rebel like myself could ever have hope - to know that I have a place in heaven reserved for me bought with the precious blood of my Lord and God Jesus Christ. 

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
1 John 4:16


The LORD is slow to anger and great in power,and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty
Nahum 1:3


The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty
Numbers 14:18


For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
Romans 3:23


For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23


"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
John 3:16

All we like sheep have gone astray;we have turned every one to his own way;and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:6


Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being[c] will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 3:19-26

So I've returned from my trip to Pakistan and I hope to post some pictures and possibly some short videos.  It was an amazing trip and God opened up so many doors to witness to all my family.

That was probably the biggest lesson I learned on this trip.  God worked out every single detail and my mother and I visited with about 9 different famililes in a matter of a week!  Every family we visited with, God opened an opportunity to witness to them in some degree.  Most of the time, I wasn't even aware I was until I had already started!  For example, I was sitting around with a couple of my cousins playing guitar for them and they asked me to play a Lifehouse song.  I had the opportunity to explain that they were a Christian band and how the lyrics pointed to Christ!

It makes sense that He would do that, after all, it was His sovereignly ordained trip.  He used me everywhere, even when I wasn't really "in the mood" or I was hesitant.  At my uncle's house on my mom's side, I was asked to play guitar for them.  My other uncle had bought me a guitar and so I was able to.  My mom's brother is a very devout muslim and both his son's (and their families) live with them.  So, during this private concert to an audience of about 20 muslims - my mother (who is also a muslim) started prodding me to sing for them.  I didn't especially feel like singing unrehearsed and sidestepped the request.  Then she started prodding me again to sing a worship song! I said I didn't remember any, although I was actually singing one in my head... and she just wouldn't stop asking me to!! So I finally gave in to God and sang Holy Fire (as done by Jeremy Camp).  When I finished, my mother told me to explain it!!! And so I was able to explain what the song meant and why I sing it!

He accomplished so much.  The whole trip was prompted by circumstances He put into place.  He provided the means, worked out the logistics, and accomplished His goal of proclaiming the gospel.  It's humbling because I know what kind of sinner I am, yet He still used me.  By His grace, God can glorify His name in the worst of sinners who humbly submit and are willing to do anything and go anywhere He leads.

But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:12-13

If you're sitting in a comfy chair surfing the web, chances are, you have no idea what it means to really be persecuted for your faith.  That's why it's important that we know what is going on to our brothers and sisters all over the world.  When they hurt, we hurt, even if we don't know what's going on.

The Voice of the Martyrs is an excellent resource to become aware of what Christians face on a daily basis.  Sign up for a free newsletter and even send Christian prisoners notes of encouragement in their own language from this site.  Please remember Christianity is not about having an easy wealthy life, good house, good car, good spouse, good children and a nice retirement on the beach collecting shells and playing softball.  It's about standing up for the faith like our brothers/sisters do everyday in the face of real life-threatining adversity.

Jesus said,

"You will be hated by all for my name's sake."
Luke 21-7

"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."
John 15:18-19

"Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes."
Matthew 10:16-23

"Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."
John 12:25

You've probably heard it a thousand times when going through a difficult season.  You've probably also said it a hundred times to others when they were going through hardship.  It's a phrase that we throw around for encouragement, but leave unqualified - "God never changes."  Have you ever wondered why we say that in hard times; when we are faced with our own failures, or circumstances in our lives that test our faith?

It dawned on me last night in a small group discussion.  It's very simple - the Gospel.  We were discussing how some days we feel closer to God than others.  Sometimes we feel like "better" Christians, or more able to do what's right.  We realized that our good standing before God, that is our sonship and relationship with Him, is completely dependent on the work of Jesus Christ.  No matter how far or close we feel, we know that the Lord will always love us because what He has done will never change!  No matter what is going on today, what went on in the past, or what will come, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christ paid for everything so God would always love us and care for us as His children!

So days when I feel weak, when my sin is more evident, when I do more wrong than right, when I don't feel like a "Christian," when things are happening that make me wonder if God really cares, or if He's even real; I know that Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross to take the punishment for my sin making it possible for me to stand unjudged before God and enter His heaven will never change - I always have that hope!  So God, and what He's done, doesn't change; His love for me doesn't change.  He doesn't die less on the cross if I sin more or fail more.  He doesn't resurrect less when I succumb to my flesh in weakness.  No, He died completely and He rose to life completely so that I would be completley forgiven and have an unchanging hope in my unchanging God.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:3-7

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Romans 8:18

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-4