Why who and not where

Saturday, after worship with Epic Church, someone asked me what I was up to and what my plan was.  He asked me where I saw myself in the future and where I wanted to be in 5 years.  After botching my answer and in a round about way dodging the question I started to really think about what I said in response.  I said something to the effect that, "Well, hopefully in 5 years I hope to be more dependent and confident in God's provision.  I hope that I can learn to be faithful and patient in learning what God wants me to so that I stop running away from God's call for my life because I distrust God's ability to provide for my needs." 

As I drove away(in my Kia Sorento) and begun mulling over that conversation I recognized that the reason why my answer seemed so hollow was because I was answering the wrong question.  My response to the question didn't answer where I wanted to be in 5 years so much as it answered who I wanted to be. 

Somewhere in my reasoning I was telling myself, "I'm not so much concerned with where I will be as who I will be."  Logically the next question I had to answer was why?  Why am I more concerned with who I want to be and not as worried about where I will be?  The short answer is, I've tried making long term plans for my future and failed.  Either I've missed the mark I originally set out for due to unforseen life experiences.  Or I've made my material goal at the expense of relationships and character integrity.  I lose focus of what is truly important in life.  In my attempt to gain more for myself, I really end up losing more.  In addition, I've seen a number of young friends with long term goals die before they could accomplish them. Many of them had grand desires for their future and continued to live life with a distant future in mind.  Those friends, as well as most other people myself included, live life the way we want to now because we think that we have time later to become the people we want to be. The truth is we don't:

"Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit."  Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.  You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.  Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that."  But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.  therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin." 
 James 4:13-17

What I've found is that when my focus is on "where I will go,"  it is very easy to ignore God or rationalize decisions and behaviors for the sake of achieving my goals. I get so focused on achievement that everything else in life takes second place to accomplishing my goals.  The problem is that as a person who is identified with Christ and proclaims to be a follower of Christ, I can't live life that way because I surrendered my entire life to Jesus.

"If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the Earth.  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  when Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory."
Colossians 3:1-4

I'm not free to dictate where I will go, because Jesus, my Lord and Master has control of where I will go.  More importantly, Jesus dictates who I must be.  What I've found in seeking out the will of God through scripture is that focusing on who I am in Christ determines where I will go.  Moreover, whom I serve and who I'm with determines where I go and what I do.  Knowing that the I AM is with me gives me confidence to go and be who I was created to be. (Ephesians 2:10)

So how does all this play out in my approach to living life? Am I saying that you shouldn't set goals for yourself?  No!  In fact I set daily, weekly and monthly goals for myself.  However, each goal I set is less on where I want to be(self dictated) and more on who I need to be(Christ determined).  Because where I'm going has already been determined and instead of living life like this temporal and terrestrial existence is all I have to look forward to, I live life and set goals in view of eternity with Jesus.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Matthew 6:19-21


The true and greatest treasure of this life is found in relationship with Christ.  All I hope is that my life reflects that desire, so that in all my pursuits Jesus Christ is shown to be my greatest desire.

Philippians 3:10-14
Matthew 6:33-34

The Lord speaks...

Tonight as I was getting in my car to leave I was getting a little stressed.  I was concerned with a relationship i have with someone and whether it was my place to speak up and step in to address some issues I witnessed.  I was a little scared, uncertain and confused.  In fact as I shut my car door I said, "Oh Lord, I'm scared and i dont know what to do!  Tell me what to do!"

As I started my car up my car radio came on and the audio bible i have said, "One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, 'Don't be afraid!' 'Speak out!' 'Don't be silent!'  For I am with you, no one will attack and harm you for many people in this city belong to me."(Acts 18:9-10)

Now, since hearing that I've had the chance to read the passage in context and I know it doesnt necessarily apply/speak into my situation.  However, hearing that right after I asked was kind of cool.  It reminded me of Jeremiah 33:3 which says:

"Call to me and I will tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

Another verse I was reminded of was James 1:5:

"If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it."

Those verses and the audio bible saying what it did right at that time remind me that I am in relationship with  the God of the universe.  The God I serve isn't some distant deity far removed from my life.  He works in my life and speaks to me.  My life is changed as a result of spending time knowing Him through His Word. 

What is your scent?

There's a student at Christian Challenge that I can always detect before she enters a room and after she leaves. She has this scent, a pleasant and fragrant aroma, that announces her presence. This morning after smelling her visit to Christian Challenge, I was reminded of 2 Corinthians 2:14-17:

"But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?  You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us."

In view of this passage I couldn't help but ponder how I smell.  Am I a scent of life or death?  Do I even have a smell?  Are people able to smell the outworking power of the Holy Spirit in my life?  I sometimes forget the truth of verse 14 is this, "I was once a slave and captive to sin.  Now I am a captive of Christ.  My life is not my own because it belongs to Jesus.  Moreover, the purpose of my life is to bring glory to Jesus!."

The image that Paul is using in this passage is one of a great Roman general entering a city after returning home from a conquest.  It's a lot like that scene in "Gladiator" when Commodus (the bad guy) comes back to Rome after murdering Marcus Aurelius, his father. The whole city is in celebration and there is a gigantic procession with Commodus at the head of all the slaves/captives and other spoils of the wars in Gaul trailing behind.  The purpose was to magnify Commodus the new emperor.

In the same way Jesus Christ is the great general and returning emperor.  He conquered sin and death freeing the people who used to be under that heavy yoke.  Now Jesus, is at the head of a procession of all the saints, Jesus is the one who is magnified.  All who are saved are to proclaim the glory of Jesus Christ.  

Scent of Life or Death

In the passage Paul says that the captives are like the scent of death to the perishing and the scent of life to those being saved.  Think of it this way.  If you lived back in Ancient Rome and you weren't a Roman citizen but a subjugated enemy of Rome.  If you were to see a bunch of captives from another conquest being paraded around you'd be afraid.  You would think, "This sucks!  We're never going to be free from the power of Rome.  Look!  Here's more people that have been brought under the authority of Rome."  You would feel defeated and conquered.  On the other hand, if you were a citizen of Rome, if you were to see this same procession, you would feel pretty confident in your ruler and His power.  You would feel safe and secure, you'd probably also have reason to celebrate.  After all, the empire you belong to top dog, ain't no one gonna take ya down.  

Now take that image and transfer it over to spiritual life.  Those who are still enemies with God, the ones that have rejected God's gift of grace and do not recognize the authority of God over their lives are the subjugated enemies of Rome.  See the problem with our world today is that people have such short vision.  We see the things right in front of us and can't see the things behind the immediate.  The truth is that in the end Christ wins and whether you accept His authority or not doesn't matter, because He is ruler of all.  So when captives of Christ are put on display proclaiming the glory of Jesus, it's a terrifying sight, a reminder to all the enemies of God that, "Man! We are defeated and we won't ever escape the authority and power of Jesus."  

However, to all friends of God, all the ones who have accepted God's gift of grace and have now become adopted sons and daughters of the King, the captives of Christ become a reminder of abundant life found in Christ Jesus.  

Closing

So the question is, "Are you a fragrant reminder of abundant life found in Jesus Christ? Do you live your life in a way that shows you recognize the authority of Jesus over all creation foreshadowing His imminent return?"  I know I'm challenged by that passage and image.  And all it took was a little whiff of some Bath and Body Works body spray!  At least I'm pretty sure that's what she wears :)

Running for Completion

I recently started running again.  I've been using Vibrams Five Finger shoes and they take a little getting used to.  I've been taking it easy not really concerning myself with my pace or time, just running to run.  A by product of running for completion rather than to keep a pace or beat a time is that I actually like running.  I know it's crazy!  No one likes running!  But running for completion is so different from running to beat a time.  I think about my breathing differently and don't over think the mechanics of running!  I can just run and have fun doing it!  

As I was running this morning I couldn't help but notice the parallels between running for completion and the Christian life.  Moreover, I recognized how I had wrongly taken scripture out of its appropriate context and based the way I've been running the race of faith.  What is truly sad is that my arrogance and irresponsibility in rightly dividing the Word of Truth hasn't just affected me.  It's affected every relationship I've ever had and I know that in some cases have hurt people because of my laziness.  

I allowed my American mentality of more and bigger is better combined with the free market idea of competition and applied it wrongly to 1 Corinthians 9:24.

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize."

I took that little bit of scripture and formed an unhealthy paradigm for my life.   I have been running the race of faith like an Olympic race where only one person wins.  I treated Christian life like a competition where I looked back to see how many people I'd surpassed and making sure no one was around to overtake me.  I looked forward in search of the next person I could overtake and step over to be first.  That was mistake number 1 because I forgot that I can't be first.  

Colossians 3:15-16

"He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation.  For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on the earth whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things have been created through Him and for Him.  He is before all things and in Him all things hold together.  He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first born from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything."

Running the race of faith like a competition, I became enamored with beating other people.  Being the best by doing more and doing better than everyone else.  The prize and goal for me was to beat everyone.  The problem with that is I was racing for the wrong prize.  The problem with trying to pass everyone is that eventually you end up alone.  As this reflection dawned on me I began questioning.  What is the prize?  Is it heaven?  What is the prize in heaven?  What is the goal?  Is it a mansion in a place free from sorrow and pain?  

Philippians 3:10-14

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.  Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

The problem with my answer to a lot of those questions was that I was still operating under the mentality of competition and "what can I get for me."  I viewed Christ and knowing Him as a means to an end.  Isn't that the kind of way most people approach Christian life?  I follow Jesus because I want to go to heaven and have all this stuff.  But I think that type of mentality misses the point of the Christian life.  A passage that really helps answer the question of what is the prize and reshaped my thinking is

Revelation 4:

After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”  At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.  And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.  Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.  From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.  Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.  In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back.  The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.  Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”  Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:  You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

In this passage I see the focus of all of heaven on Christ.  The prize isn’t heaven or any tangible thing that might be in heaven, the prize is Jesus Christ.  I think that a more accurate depiction of the race of faith is like a Fun Run Marathon.  Every runner that completes the race wins a t-shirt, a sense of accomplishment, and the joy of the run.  When you run this kind of race you don’t have to worry about trying to beat someone and finish first.  You can just run the race set before you and enjoy the run.  Your goal, the prize is at the end of the race.  You only get the prize by completing the race.  Sure you can enjoy the company of other runners while they are with you.  They can even encourage you to keep running or inspire you to run harder.  You aren’t in competition with each other.  All of you are running toward the same goal.  That goal is fellowship with Jesus Christ for all eternity. 

Hebrews 12:1-3

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he 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 sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

So now when I run, actual running and the race of faith, I’m running for completion.  I’m setting my sights on the end.  The prize, Jesus Christ.