Month: January 2014

Love. How did one show it? How could God Himself show truth and love at the same time in a world like this?

By dying. The answer stood out for me sharper and chiller than it ever had before that night: the shape of a Cross etched on the history of the world.

Corrie ten Boom
The Hiding Place

Jesus went the Cross with his eyes open. He knew what was coming. Still he went. That’s love. There is no such thing as conditional love. Conditional love is a business agreement. “If you do this and don’t do that, then I will love you.” Jesus’s love isn’t like that. Jesus went to the Cross knowing how I would dishonor and defy him. Jesus went to the Cross knowing that I would poison this body and mind that he entrusted me. Still he went. That’s why it’s the good news. I was guilty and he gave me his innocence. I have nothing to give him and still he gave his life for me. Like Hosea coming to the marketplace for Gomer, he found me and paid for me. That’s love.

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13 ESV)

I often sing old hymns when I am working around the farm (I love old hymns). Singing helps me to keep from getting frustrated or discouraged as I work, when things aren’t going well. Singing also tends to keep me in an overall better mood.

One day recently as I was walking through the chicken houses, I was singing, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.” After singing this, God put a question in my head. He asked, “Is it?” I don’t know that the question even registered the first time. I seem to remember that I just kept on singing. Once again, I felt God ask, “Is it?” Is my hope built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness? I thought about the question as I walked, picking up eggs.

I ask myself, what would make me hopeless? If I lost my family, that would seem pretty hopeless. If I lost my job, or worse yet, failed at my job, that could make me feel hopeless. Falling as a husband, or as a provider, or as a father could cause me to feel hopeless. It seems that my hope is not placed on the solid rock, but instead my hope resides with my performance, or “the sinking sand” that the song references.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I foolishly rely on myself for much of my hope. My hope for my marriage relies on me being a good husband, but I have failed my wife many times. My hope for my children relies on me being a good and loving teacher. So that I will be able to teach them about being good and loving. However I am not a good and loving teacher, I am a selfish and sinful man. How can I teach something I do not know how to do? Much of my hope relies on me being successful at work, but I have failed many times at work. I have convinced myself that success will give my life hope, and worth, and value. I have deceived myself by thinking that I am an acceptable place for my hope. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”

I then thought back to the song that I was singing, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.” The song encouraged and excited me. I know where my hope belongs. I then thought of the chorus of that song, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” I have great reason for hope, and joy, and peace because of my glorious savior! I can have peace, because my hope, my whole world does not rely on me! The pressure is off! I can teach my children about the good and loving teacher because I know the good and loving teacher. My work is an avenue for me to praise and worship my savior. Which makes work joyful and fun, because praise and worship is joyful and fun. I am free to love my wife, and kids, and church, and neighbor, and enemy, because Jesus first love me.

When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” (Matthew 9:28, 29 ESV)

Every morning when I wake up, I begin my day by praying.  I pray for family and friends. I pray for blessings for my workplaces and church. What if God’s response to my request and petitions is “Do you believe I am able to do this?” 

I frequently just lob prayers up like I am tossing pennies in a wishing well. Many times I have prayed for wisdom, but when I am granted wisdom, I act like it is an accident or luck. I completely forget who is the giver of wisdom. 

I often pray asking God to bless my marriage and my family. I am so blessed. I have been blessed with a beautiful wife, who is an amazing mother. I have been blessed with two wonderful kids. So often I forget to thank He who has so blessed me. 

I am greatly encouraged by a story of a father long ago. This father had a very sick son. When he asked for Jesus to help his son, Jesus replied “All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23-24 ESV) 

I pray this on a regular basis, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

Happy New Years!

I have written down my list of resolutions (goals). I’m trying to be more specific about my goals for this year. I actually copied and pasted my list from last year as a template.

Seek to honor and glorify my savior more.
Read and study the Bible more.

Get healthier  
Lose weight. 30 lbs
Exercise daily. Walk at least 1 mile every day. 
Eat better. Less junk, more fruits & veggie’s.
Drink more water.
Run 5k. By crawdad days. 
Dead lift body weight.  

Work on being a better husband and daddy. 
Help Lacey more around the house.
Tell Lacey I love her daily. Give her more kisses.
Love, honor, seek, serve Lacey more and better.
Read to B & E. Everyday.

Watch less Tv
Get out of debt. Pay off all debt except mortgage and car note by the end of the year.
Read more. Read (at least) 20 books.
Write blog every week. 
Learn to speak Spanish.
Learn to play the guitar.
Be more pationate, less lukewarm and indifferent.
Talk to more people.
Pray more, love more, give more, serve more, teach more, learn more, be more humble, live more. 
Have Fun. 

By God’s grace, to be more fruitful, by asking.
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” (John 15:16 ESV)
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22 – 23 ESV)

All of the goals/resolutions listed above are essentially subcategories of the first. Jesus was asked, “”Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” (Matthew 22:36-38 ESV)