When to Submit & When to Resist

August 9th 2017
James 4:7-8 (NIV)

When to Submit & When to Resist

"Submit yourselves, then, to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

I love James as a writer! He is a very practical no-nonsense kind of guy. Here in chapter four we see James writing a response, addressing an issue among his audience of believers. They were fighting and quarreling among themselves; obviously letting these issues get in the way of their Christian unity. They were trying to "befriend" the world and its values while claiming to be Christians. James says this approach doesn't work. In fact, he says their double-mindedness was actually making them enemies of God.

The solution? James puts it quite simply and boldly. SUBMIT. RESIST. We are constantly submitting and resisting to people, urges, and choices within our lives. Submission is the great filter through which all choices are made. "I really want that motorcycle, BUT I don't have the money for it, and I wouldn't steal it. I guess I'll have to pass this time." See how submission to morals (or fear of getting caught) led to resisting the urge to steal?

The question then is "who am I submitting to?" The sad reality is that, all too often, we are resisting God and submitting to our desires, urges, and wants. The devil will always be throwing things of the world in our faces to get us distracted from who we are truly submitting to. He even threw all the kingdoms of the world in front of Jesus; yet who did He submit to? (Matt 4:8-10)

In my life, I would like to say that I've submitted to God in all instances, but that would be far from the truth. But it is so helpful in the moment to ask myself "who am I submitting to?" Especially in the grey areas of life. And the best part is that if I submit to God & resist the devil, he WILL flee. Not "maybe will flee" or "sometimes will flee". He will flee every time.

"Lord Jesus, thank You for the straightforward truth of Your Word. Help me to consciously submit to You in all areas of my life. Give me the strength to resist the devil at my weakest moments and join You in laughing at him as he flees by the power of Your Name. Amen."

Bread of Life

March 9th 2017
Scripture: John 6:66-67 (KJV)

Bread of Life

  "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?"

Jesus taught one of His toughest teachings about living the Christian life to His multitudes of so-called "disciples"; that He himself was the Bread of Life. Anyone who did not eat his flesh and drink his blood could not have true life in them. Now, come on, you can't say this teaching isn't a bit strange... 

But there is a deeper meaning here, as Jesus' words always do. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. His "blood" spewed from his body and his "flesh" torn open like a loaf of bread. Bread (food) is life; for we could not live long without food to keep us going. We need water to survive. Spiritually speaking, we need Jesus like we need food and water, if we have any hopes of gaining eternal life. Yet "...many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him."

What really strikes me is Jesus' question to his 12 closest disciples, "Will you also go away?" This question cuts to the heart, because so many times I find myself relapsing in my faith. I no longer walk with Jesus, but go off on my own trail and do my work for Jesus. It is so easy to lose my venturing and devoted walk with Jesus. One day, two days, skip a few more, and I find myself yards away from Jesus' side. I don't notice it at the time that its happening, but each step I take away from walking alongside Jesus in my daily relationship with him, I slowly starve myself spiritually. I start asking, "what am I going to do?" instead of, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" I lose my sense of dependency and devotion to him. In all realities, we need Him by our side, every step of the way. For He alone is the bread that gives us life.

"Lord Jesus, I thank You that You are always ready to pick up right where we left off, no matter how far I stride. Help me to realize daily how much I need your word, just like I need food and water and air. You alone are my Bread of Life, let my spirit relish our times together. Amen."

Praising in the Midst of "gods"

April 13 2016
Scripture: Psalm 138:1 (ESV)

Praising in the Midst of "gods"

"I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise."

King David was a man who committed his whole heart to God, which is seen in a lot of ways. Many of the larger more powerful nations around him constructed large temples and statues of man-made "gods". These monuments were everywhere and even God's people had struggles with worshiping these idols because the culture around them made it look so good. David could not simply tear down every temple that stood in the other nations beyond his boarders. Yet, he chose to sing God's praise before all the other "gods".

In our world today there are still many "gods" that plague us. If you go looking, you won't find many great stone temples of worship, but "gods" take many forms. How many people find themselves returning again and again to addictive substances, controlling their actions and stealing their time, money, and personality? How many secretly visit the "Red Lights Temple" and desecrate their bodies in lustful passion, like that of the ancient Babylonian goddess, Aphrodite. 

As a Christian in a world full of "gods", how difficult is it to shamelessly worship the One True God? We can try to combat these other idols, and we should. But what if our job was to sing praise to God before the "gods", like King David? When our God is revealed, the others pale in comparison, just like a picture of a sunset pales to looking at the real thing. 

"Lord Jesus, You are the true God, and I praise You. Help me to give You praise before the other "gods" and let Your light shine upon this earth. Amen."

(photo rights reserved by Hannah Wilson)

Joint Custody

April 11 2016
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:4 (ESV)

Joint Custody

"For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does."

Being married now for over a year and a half, I begin to understand the meaning of this verse. I never thought my patterns of life would need to change once I got married. Yet, my bacheloristic lifestyle was far from the perfect way a family should live. So what if I fling my socks across the room after a long day, or fold my laundry a certain way I like, or play a video game to relax my mind?  

The truth is, I didn't really know how selfish I could be until I had to share my bathroom, my free time, and my bed etc. But even so, I don't consider any of this a loss, because by the power of Christ, I love my wife more than I love myself. Though I had to change and give up some things along the way, I would gladly surrender my rights for her, because my love for her conquers my selfishness for me. 

From the moment I said, "I Do", I no longer possess full custody over Luke Wilson. As a loving husband, I must learn to live by the principle that I am not my own. This doesn't mean that I must never have things to myself, like hobbies, goals, or dreams, for God made me an individual person apart from my wife. But what this does mean is that I must be willing to put myself and my agenda down on the line for the love of my marriage. When she needs me, I must not deny her physically, or deny her my service, or deny her my attention, or my affection. Likewise she does the same for me because true love conquers selfishness. 

"Lord Jesus, thank You for blessing me with an amazing godly wife. I pray that I will continually become less selfish as I love her the rest of my life. Let me be reminded that I am not my own, but Yours and her's. Help me to always be ready to show my love to her when she needs me, even when I don't feel like it. Amen."

Don't Let Caesar Seize Your Soul

April 4th 2016

Scripture: Luke 20:25 (ESV)

Don't Let Caesar Seize Your Soul

"Then He said to them, 'Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.'"

The religious leaders sent spies to Jesus, attempting to catch Him saying something against the Roman government so they could arrest Him as a rebel. They asked if it was lawful to give taxes to Caesar. It would be equivalent today as asking, "Do I have to pay taxes to the President and the government, since we are part of God's kingdom?" Jesus ingeniously asks for a coin, saying to those around Him, "Who's face is on the side? Caesar's? Then if they made it, give them what's theirs, and God, what belongs to God. The truth is God really doesn't care much for little green pieces of paper. He would much rather have your soul than your salary. If taxes got extremely high and you had to pay the government to the point you couldn't give God more than your last two pennies, would He value those any less than the ten percent most churches expect now?

As long as it doesn't require us to break our allegiance to God, we must live in the world and its systems and rules, but not of it's passions and desires. Now there are times when the world will try to demand our worship, loyalty, and heart, to other things apart from God. There are many stories in The Bible when God's people had to stand up against culture and give God what belonged to Him. Just ask Danial, or Esther, or Moses. I must ask myself, "Am I giving the right things to the right owners?" I need not complain about my government, but rather pray for them. 

"Lord Jesus, thank You that I have freedom to give You my heart and soul. Help those in authority of this country to fear and respect You. As I live in this world help me to reserve all that is Yours, while I am still subject to the worldly authorities. I pledge my allegiance to You. Amen."

Proving Faithful

March 16th 2016
Scripture: Luke 16:10-11 (ESV)

Proving Faithful

"One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?"

It is very human of us to want to be put in charge and in places of authority. My first time driving by myself, I was entrusted to go return a set of books to the library. It was a three mile trip, and I thought I could handle more responsibility than that, but my parents started me off with little to see how I would handle it. I did what they asked, and their confidence in my driving grew over time, and so did mine. 

A lot of times we can find ourselves asking God for more; a larger budget, a bigger worship team, more children, a bigger house, more committed people to your dreams and visions. But God will often times be the parent saying, "I may give those to you later, but for now, let's stick to what you have." If you are screaming for more responsibility and not getting it, chances are you might be neglecting what you already have been given. Until I am responsible with the few things, I will never get my hands on the many, simply because I'm not ready for it yet. A strong oak tree does not develop overnight, but reaches out just a little higher than yesterday.

Take inventory: who has God placed in authority above and below me? What resources are available to me? Am I doing the best I can with what I have? Am I respectful to those in charge of me? When I respect those in authority with humility, I am being faithful to the place God has put me in. I must be content with what God has given me, but also committed to do the best I can, no matter how little I feel it is. 

"Lord Jesus, thank you for giving me the desire to do great things for you. Help me to take what I have been given, not grumbling about it, but proving faithful with a good attitude and humble heart. I know you will give me more when I'm ready. I trust you. Amen."