Month: February 2023

Convicted

~ ForCommonGround ~ Leave a comment

I have a confession to make.

Coming up next week, I will be speaking at a men’s ministry event, and later that week, at our church. Several days ago, I came to the conclusion that I devote so much more time and energy to prayer, study, journaling, and meditation, when I am preparing for something than I do normally. This time around, that realization brought with it a conviction. I tried to shrug it off by telling myself that it makes perfect sense to devote more time during a preparation period. However, I knew deep down that this wasn’t true.

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 

2 TImothy 4:1-2 NIV

Paul’s words to Timothy can be applied to every believer. Whether we are speaking in front of an audience, or living our everyday life, we are a kingdom of priests called to witness Christ. To do that, our hearts and minds need to be intuned and prepared. Delivering a message at a church or leading a bible study are important, but not more so than the message our lives speak to our loved ones, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. As I was doing my mental gymnastics a few days ago, I felt the Lord opening me up to this idea. I need to carve out the same kind of time in my day-to-day that I do in preparation for speaking.

The Bible speaks so much on the topics of prayer. More than that, it says how prayer should be a constant. The connection with Christ shouldn’t be seasonal or circumstantial. I had to confess to my wife also that I spend more time in prayer when things aren’t going smoothly. How sad is that? Prayer and contemplating God’s word, are supposed to be ingrained in our lifestyle. Check out these passages.

  • Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
  • Be constant in prayer (Romans 12:12)
  • Pray about everything (Philippians 4:6)
  • Meditate on the Word day and night (Joshua 1:8)
  • Fix our eyes and meditate on God’s words (Psalm 119:15)
  • Delight in God’s words and meditate on it day and night (Psalm 1:2)

I owe Christ more. I owe Him everything. I owe Him all of me. How could I be so inconsistent? How could I be so misguided? Conviction can produce one of two outcomes. I will either learn and grow. Or I will retreat due to guilt. May the latter not be so. If any of you reading this are convicted as I am, join me in trying to draw nearer. Let us pursue a more consistent connection to the Vine. Thank you Jesus for your patience and grace.

Peace in Christ brothers and sisters.

Walking Billboards

~ ForCommonGround ~ 1 Comment

It may seem like an odd concept, but we are all marketing something. The way we dress, speak, act, and carry ourselves, are all sending messages to those around us. The question is, what are you advertising? For those bound to Christ, the answer is given to us. God’s purpose for all of us is to be image barrers. That is far more than our physical appearance. It entails a lifestyle. Our entire beings are wrapped up in this. No one did that better the Jesus of Nazareth. He is God in the flesh. The full radiance of God contained in Him. He breathed out the life of God everywhere He went. Once we take on the name of “Christian” we are devoting ourselves to display the life of Christ through our very own. What we wear, how we speak, and our actions should all announce the One our hearts are devoted to. This is just as challenging to me as it is to anyone reading this. There are days I fall flat. In those moments too, we can display humility and experience the grace won for us by Christ.

There are those in my life who have helped me along the way. They are the ones who show me Jesus day in a day out. My hope is, that you too can think of people in your own life who have pointed you towards Jesus by their devotion to Him. So many people have been introduced to Christ through the lives of others. The world is watching. Our family is watching. Our friends and coworkers are watching. We have chosen to be clothed in Christ. Lets wear it well.

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:14-16 NIV

Peace in Christ brothers and sisters.

Meditation and Memorization

~ ForCommonGround ~ Leave a comment
Image from Grace Chapel

During the Cold War, many Christians in Eastern Europe would memorize entire books of the Bible and then destroy their copies. They had to do that because they would have either been arrested, sent to prison camps, or disappear. There was no room for God in the Soviet Union or their satellite states. To have any God other than those in power was akin to a crime against the state itself. Still, in places like North Korea, China, Vietnam, Iran, Indonesia, and more, the persecution towards believers forces them to absorb as much of God’s word as possible because they can’t risk being caught reading openly. For those of us not living under the tyranny of a radical theocracy or a commnunist system, memorizing scripture can still serve an important role in our journey of faith.

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:11 ESV

Knowing God’s word…I mean really knowing it…helps us in the war against sin. Satan, our flesh, and the cultures of the world are constantly whispering, and often yelling, messages in our ears that lead us into sin. By memorizing scripture, we give ourselves a weapons cache to fire back. Jesus demonstrated this when He allowed Satan to tempt Him in the wilderness. Every temptation was met with God’s word. The only way we can do the same is to know how to distinguish messages that line up with scripture and those that do not. A huge fault I see in so many Christians is an utter lack of biblical knowledge. I’m not referring to seeking a degree in theological studies. I’m talking about a lack of knowing what is said in the Bible. When we don’t know what God says, we’ll believe what those opposed to Biblical principles say.

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Joshua 1:8 ESV

We can’t live out scripture if we don’t know scripture. Every believer should be a student of their Master. To meditate on scripture is to meditate on the Lord Himself. The more we focus on the story of God the more we know Him. The more we know Him the more we love Him. The more we love Him, the more we live for Him. Just as any relationship thrives on attention and communication, so to does our relationship with the Lord. Our lives of devotion should be a pattern of prayer, reading, and praise.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2 NIV

Our mind is a battleground. Our mind is also malleable. We have the ability to make it into what we want. And since so much of what we say and do is determined by the mind, why not pour more energy into making it a core of light. From the moment we start absorbing things as a child, negative things creep in. We have to fight for hope. We battle for purity. We war for compassion and generosity. The nature of the fallen mind is to look inward, preserve self, seek comfort, elevate self importance or dwell on self pitty. Our minds need transformed. One of the best ways to do that is through meditation and memorization of scripture. That, in turn, will help us to focus on pure and truthful things. Our eyes will turn outwards towards those around us. Our self importance will diminish, yet at the same time, we will feel more loved and valued than ever before.

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

John 15:7 NASB

To abide in Christ is equated to having Christ’s words abiding in us. This isn’t a reference to Christ dwelling in us, it’s a call to know His words. To abide means to obey, stick to, hold to, and follow. When we are so intuned with Christ and His words, then our desires will be His desires for us. The things we ask for in prayer will align with the holy life that Christ is calling us to in the first place.

So whether we live in an area where the Christian faith is heavily restricted or even persecuted, an area where affluence and apathy attempt to shadow the call of piety, or an area where freedom allows us to live out our faith, it is equally important to pursue a rich understanding of God’s word. As followers of Christ, we are called to love Him and to make Him known. We can’t do either if we don’t know Him. No one else has ever loved you more. No one else crafted you. No one else pursues a relationship with you like Jesus does. The greatest gift in this life will be to know Him.

Peace in Christ brothers and sisters.