Tag Archives: spirituality

Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:2-3, NIV)

Do you ever struggle in your journey of the Christian life?  I mean, do you ever look at your life and get discouraged that you are not living up to the goal of God for who he wants you to be, and what he wants you to do?  Do you ever start looking at how other people are growing and I get discouraged because you don’t measure up?  If so, I would guess that the next thing that comes across your mind and the next things you try to do is to work harder at whatever it is that is lagging behind God’s design and will.  The thought becomes – if I work harder at this, and concentrate more on me and my performance, things will improve and I can please God more.

The problem, at least that I have found, with that thinking and way of approaching spiritual growth is that the more I focus on me, and the harder I try to make me different. The more “improvements” I make in what I do … the more I struggle, and the more I get discouraged at my lack of progress, and the harder it gets to see any movement in my spiritual life.  You know what I think?  I think I’m the problem!  And, focusing on me isn’t going to make me any better or more faithful.  I can’t make myself any better than I am.  I couldn’t save myself to begin with, and I can’t muster up what it takes to keep moving forward spiritually either.  Remember these words?  “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no one can boast.”  (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

But, Paul didn’t stop there in his message from God to the Ephesians and us.  He went on to say, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  (Ephesians 2:10, NIV).  Did you catch that – “God’s” workmanship, which “God” prepared.  Now, that means that spiritual growth and good works are God’s design for our lives.  So, what do we do?

Well, let me suggest a couple of things that I think God is reminding me of these days.  First, I have to remember that I am created IN CHRIST JESUS to do good works.  I’m not the one who is in charge of those good works, nor the one who makes them happen.  It is IN Christ that good works become part of my life.  And, secondly, they are the good works that God created in advance for ME to do.  That means the gauge of my spiritual progress is not measured against other people, but against God’s design.  And here’s the deal, all of that just kind of takes a lot of pressure off of me, and you.

I don’t mean to suggest that we don’t have to do anything to grow spiritually, and that it is all up to God (meaning it is his fault if it doesn’t happen).  But what I am suggesting is that spiritual growth and progress is something that comes, not from my doing and striving, but from my abiding – IN Christ.  I think that might be the point of where this blog post began, in Hebrews 12:2.  It says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…”.  He is the “author” of our faith – the one who created us in the innermost place with a design for our lives before even one day came to be.  And he is the “perfecter” of our faith – the one who works in us to cause us to live out that divine design.

Jesus has told us clearly, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”  (John 15:4, NIV).  Here is the prescription for not growing weary and loosing heart in the journey of the Christian life…  Abide in Christ.  Remain in the love of God that is the basis for life and salvation and the process of sanctification.  Remain faithful and true to the leadership of God in your life through his Word, because obedience to what we know IS important.  Rejoice in the Lord, that you belong to him and he loves you.  And love each other in the body, and those who need Christ, like God has loved you.

Really, it isn’t about how much I can do that causes my spiritual growth and progress.  It is about what God can do in me because I am IN Christ.  Turn to Christ for your salvation.  Then, keep looking to Jesus, keep drawing near to him, keep letting him in to all the areas of your life, and HE will produce in you good and lasting spiritual fruit.

Let me know what you think!

How do you measure success?

Success – what an interesting and challenging word.  It is a word that speaks to a favorable outcome in life or in a project or emphasis of some kind.  It requires some form of measurement to know if the goal (whatever it might be) has been attained.  Success means different things to different people – some see it in reference to a degree of wealth attained, to others it is the achievement of some level of recognition or a rise to a certain position of prominence or power.

So, how do you measure success in the church?  I am so very convinced that the church is God’s chosen vehicle for the advancement of His Kingdom in this world, and how He has chosen to help people find relationship with Him so their lives can be filled with abundant peace today, and to eventually spend eternity with Him when this life is over.  So, how do we measure the success of the church in fulfilling that mission?

Might I suggest to you that many churches tend to measure their success by the number of those people they bring out of darkness and into the Light.   And that is, of course a worthy goal that is consistent with God’s will for us – to win people to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  But, I think the goal should be broader than that.  While we are bringing people out of darkness into the Light, we should also be developing people to send back into the darkness carrying the Light of Christ with them.  Frankly I wonder how successful we are in actually bringing people out of darkness, but I wonder even more how successful we are in sending people back out into the darkness with the Light so others can find their way out.

The Word of God does say, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”  (1 Peter 2:9, NIV).  And he goes on to talk about how different the Light is supposed to make us – becoming aliens and strangers in the world, belonging to God and not this world or the things of it; and about how our lives change as we abstain from sinful desires.  When we come into the Light of Christ we are to be changed and transformed in every way, so that our lives shine with him.

And all of that is so we can then carry that Light naturally out into the darkness of the world around us.  For the Word of God also says, “You are the light of the world. A city 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 men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matt 5:14-16, NIV).  And the Lord of the church tells us that we are to, “become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.” (Phil 2:15-16, NIV).

You know what, I am just thinking that we need to re-evaluate our measure of success in God’s church today.  Let’s first of all be sure we are rescuing people from the darkness of sin and bringing them into the wonderful Light of Christ.  But, let’s not forget to do the polishing work of discipleship and disciple-making that is also integral to the accomplishment of all the Great Commission.  And, as we win people to Christ, and grow each other up to be dedicated followers of Christ, then let’s prepare each other to carry that Light back out into the darkness where so many are still lost and need to find their way back to God.

What do you think?  How is your church making sure it is rescuing people darkness?  What is your church doing to send people back out into the darkness with the Light that will lead others back to Christ?  What is your evaluation of the church in general in succeeding in all these ways?

I’d love to hear from you and share together some ideas of how we can better SUCCEED in advancing the Kingdom here on earth, and especially here in Wyoming.

God bless you all!

The Power to Change

John C. Maxwell, in his book Your Road Map for Success, writes that “The quality of your life and the duration of your success depend on your attitude, and you are the only person in this world with the power to make it better.”

So, is that true?  As I think about those words I want to immediately say, “Wait a minute!  I know from my experience and from God’s Word that only the power of God can change me.”  And, that is true.  After opening his letter to the Romans saying, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes”, Paul later talks about his struggle to change in life and says, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”  And his answer to his own question was, “Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Undeniably it is only in Christ that I can truly change and be changed!  But then I reread the quote from Maxwell and I notice some qualifying words there that make me rethink where my mind has taken me.  He says, “you are the only person in this world with the power.”  Now, that changes things a bit.

While I am convinced by experience and the Scriptures that God’s is the true transforming power in life, I am also reminded that God’s power to change is activated by my personal decision to let him.  And, no one can decide that for me.  My parents couldn’t when I was growing up.  My employers couldn’t as I entered the workforce.  No friends have been able to make me change.  My good and godly wife can’t.  They simply weren’t, and aren’t, powerful enough.

And I have discovered I can’t do it for my children, when they were young, nor as I have learned now that they are grown.  I have also discovered that I can’t make anyone else around me change – not my neighbors, not those I have worked with, not people I work around or hang around with.  I just don’t have that power.

Which brings me to this conclusion… again.  There are things in my life that need to change and be changed, and God alone has the power to bring genuine transformation into my experience.  But, God has chosen to give me the free will to decide if I will let him apply his divine power to the area of my life that needs to change.  And so, I really am the only one in this world with the power of choice to make it happen.  And, so are you in your life.

So, what do you think?