What the Love of God Does

The Christmas season is a special time of the year. This season is filled with so many wonderful things: lights, decorations, special songs, and time spent with friends and family. Another part of Christmas is gifts. I thought about putting that in the wonderful section of this season, but sometimes gifts can be one of the biggest headaches of this season. How many times have you found yourself banging your head against a wall trying to figure out that perfect gift for someone? You just want to get them an Amazon or Visa gift card, but then you realize that you might come across as copping out and not putting any real thought into it.

The truth is that this season is about the greatest gift that was ever given. It didn’t come from some warehouse or website. It wasn’t delivered to us by some guy in a brown suit or GrubHub. The greatest gift came from God as He sent His one and only Son into this world to bring to us the gifts of Advent: hope, joy, peace, and love.

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul reminds us that…

¹³ So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV

Love is truly the greatest gift of all. As we celebrate the Christmas season, we celebrate the love of God coming to us in a tangible way. As we look at Matthew’s account of the first Christmas, I want to show you a couple of things about the love of God that came to us that first Christmas.

‌The love of God comes to us

As Matthew begins sharing about the first Christmas, he points out the truth that the love of God came to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 1:18 ESV

The virgin birth is an important part of the story. The fact that Mary was pregnant is truly a miracle in itself. This was a sign that this baby was no ordinary baby. This child in Mary’s womb was the Son of God.

The apostle, John, shares with us that God is love. The baby that was growing in Mary’s womb in this verse was in fact love coming to us. God didn’t just write a message in a sunset that says He loves us. God came to us… to where we are — in the muck and mire of our situations — to show us that He cares for us and has not abandoned us.

We celebrate during this season as we realize that through Jesus, love came to us.

The love of God transforms us

While Matthew starts his first Christmas account with the wonderful news of God coming to us, in verse 19, Matthew shows that it was a difficult event in the moment.

¹⁹ And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

Matthew 1:19 ESV

Mary was betrothed to Joseph, and they were looking forward to a wonderful life together. I’m sure they were dreaming about their future together. But when Joseph realized Mary was pregnant and the child was not his, he didn’t understand what was going on. What we see in verse 19 is how the work of God’s love on a person’s heart can transform them.

Joseph thought that Mary had been unfaithful to him. The Jewish law gave Joseph every right to humiliate Mary. A normal person might have done this, but Joseph was not a normal person. The Bible doesn’t say a lot about Joseph, but what it does points to the fact that he loved and walked in faithfulness to God. Because of Joseph’s relationship with God, God’s love transformed Joseph from being one who wants to get even to being one who looks out for one whom he thought had betrayed him.

The love of God transforms a person’s heart, words, and actions. When we experience and walk in the love of God on a consistent basis, it transforms us to live in a way that reflects God. That transformation doesn’t come by any other means.

The love of God teaches us

While Joseph was making plans in his mind to gracefully part ways with Mary, God sent an angel to him in a dream to teach Joseph the truth about what was happening. God cared deeply for this young couple. God didn’t want there to be a split or shame or anything like that. In verses 20-21, God sends a message which teaches Joseph the truth of the situation.

²⁰ But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:20–21 ESV

The very first temptation that a human being experienced was when Eve was tempted to doubt God’s goodness and think He was holding out on humans. God’s love for us proves that to be a complete falsehood. God’s word is truth, and He has shared His truth with us. We may think that we know what our situation is all about, but we would do well to seek the truth from God if we want a better understanding.

God shares with Joseph that Mary had not been unfaithful to him. The baby she was carrying in her womb was a gift from God placed there by the Holy Spirit. Notice that the angel said that Mary would bear the son, but Joseph would name the baby Jesus. This indicates that God desired Joseph to continue with plans to take Mary as his bride and help raise this child.

The love of God saves us

In verses 21-23, Matthew shares with us that the love of God comes to save us.

²¹ She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ²³ “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

Matthew 1:21–23 ESV

The angel shares that what Joseph is experiencing at this moment is the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a Savior. The prophet Isaiah foretold how the Messiah would come about 700 years before it happened. It wasn’t the way or when most people expected, but God is true to His word and always comes through at the perfect moment.

Jesus’ coming that first Christmas was the foundation that John 3:16-17 stands on. These verses are well-known by many because they share that God’s coming to us for the first time was not about judgment as much as His love toward us.

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

John 3:16–17 ESV

A person is saved from their sins by turning from their sins and trusting in Jesus Christ. This work of God’s grace brings eternal life to any person who trusts in and follows Him.

The love of God empowers us

In Matthew 1:24-25, we see Joseph awakening and responding to what God had shown him.

²⁴ When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, ²⁵ but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

​Matthew 1:24–25 ESV

Joseph had to make a decision. He could go with what he originally thought about his situation, or he could listen to God’s word and walk in obedience. Because Joseph had experienced the love of God, he was also empowered to walk in obedience to what God wanted. There were going to be people who whispered about him and his bride. There were going to be people who made fun of him for being so foolish to believe that Mary was carrying the Messiah.

There are times in our lives when the decision to walk in obedience to God’s ways is not easy. There are times when walking in obedience to what God wants is not seen as popular or even logical at times. Because the love of God has come to us, we have been given the empowerment to live as God desires when we experience His love.

‌Conclusion

As Matthew shows us in his account of the first Christmas, it was a time when God’s love came to us in a special way. God’s love came to us in the person of Jesus Christ. He came to make the only way for our sins to be forgiven and for us to be reunited with God.

Gifts are definitely on people’s minds in this season and rightfully so. The first Christmas brought us the greatest gift of all — the love of God. The interesting thing about a gift is that it doesn’t become yours until you actually receive it. Have you received the gift of God’s love through Jesus by confessing and turning from your sins to Him by faith? I would encourage you to do that today if you haven’t. It is truly the greatest Christmas present ever.

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Love One Another

We are going through a sermon series at my church called One Another. In this series of messages, we are looking at what it means for our church to be a faith family. God desires that every local church function as a faith family.

Throughout the New Testament, we can see many instances where “one another” commands are given to help us today know what it looks like to be a faith family. We are going to look at a message that I’ve titled, “Love One Another.”

Love has been a popular topic for many generations. We can see this in how many books, movies, TV shows, and songs have been created that center around the topic of love. Love, though, can come across as very generic. You have different kinds of love: love for sports, love for certain foods, love for spouse or children, love for God. I certainly hope that we do not love our spouses the same way we love our favorite foods… or maybe that would be a good thing?

In the 1960s, a song was written that gained great popularity within the church. I can remember even doing this song in the youth group that I grew up in the 1990s. The title of the song is They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love.

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord / we are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord / and we pray that our unity will one day be restored / and they’ll know we are Christians by our love / by our love, yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

Do you remember that song? This song was inspired by the Bible verses that we are going to look at today as we talk about loving one another.

​Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so now I tell you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:33–35 CSB

These verses take place moments before Jesus would be betrayed and arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. Earlier in John 13, we see Jesus washing His disciples’ feet. After that took place, Jesus took a moment to share a defining message for what would become the church.

Jesus shares the identity of the church

In John 13:33, Jesus uses the term “children.” This was not Jesus speaking down to His disciples. This is an intimate, family term used to show this rag-tag group that they are a faith family.

If you look back through the history of Jesus’ disciples, you will notice that there is no other place where they would come together but through Jesus. You had a zealot and a former tax collector. You had fishermen and even one thought to be from royal blood (Bartholomew/Nathanael). Jesus brought this motley crew together and made a family out of them.

We see this in that Jesus tells them that though He has to go away – initially speaking about His death, but even alluding to later His ascension to heaven – they will not be left alone. They have one another and, in John 14:15-17, Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit to live within them. The identity of a church is that it is a faith family. The local church is a reminder that we were never meant to walk this journey called life alone.

Jesus shares a new command for the church

​“I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:34–35 CSB

Was Jesus wrong in this being a new command? Some might say that He was because the command to love others had been given before.​

“Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

Matthew 22:36–40 CSB

Did Jesus contradict Himself? NO! Jesus actually did give a new command, and I believe that there are two reasons for it in this context.

This was a new command because it showed how.

In John 13:34, Jesus said that His disciples were to love one another “just as I have loved you.” Those are powerful words. Remember what Jesus had just done before He said this. Jesus had humbled Himself to the position of a servant and washed His disciples’ nasty feet. Jesus had also been so patient and caring for these guys for about three years. Jesus was also about to give His life for their salvation. As we experience the unconditional love of Jesus personally, we are to share that love with others, especially those in the faith family.

This was a new command because of the whom.

Jesus was about to start what we know as the church. This command was different from other similar ones because it had an emphasis on love towards those within the faith family. We are to show love to all people as God does, but we start with the faith family. Jesus said in this command that the world around us would know who we are because of the love that we have for other Christians – especially those within our faith family. Too often people hear about churches fighting among themselves. A local church should be known for the love it shows among its members. This is a major draw for a watching world!

What does this love look like?

Loving one another is about being kind and compassionate with one another.

And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

​Ephesians 4:32 CSB

Loving one another is more than talk.

Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.

​1 John 3:18 CSB

Loving one another is a constant.

Since you have purified yourselves by your obedience to the truth, so that you show sincere brotherly love for each other, from a pure heart love one another constantly, because you have been born again—not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God.

​1 Peter 1:22–23 CSB

This love that we are to have for one another is something that is to have a constant presence in our midst. It cannot be just now and then or during certain times. It is to be part of our DNA.

Conclusion

Love is truly a popular theme on the minds of many because it is an attribute of God. God calls His children to reflect Him in loving one another. Our response to this is two-fold: We need to experience the unconditional and life-changing love of God ourselves. This comes when a person places their faith in Jesus and follows Him daily. We need to put this love to work among the members of our faith family, and then take it to the ends of the world.

Let’s keep that song from the 1960s in the forefront of our minds as we go from here:We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord / we are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord / and we pray that our unity will one day be restored / and they’ll know we are Christians by our love / by our love, yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

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A Response of Love

Love is one of the most precious words that we have in any language. There are many nuances to this precious word. There are many times that I wish that rather than English, we spoke Ancient Greek. There were multiple words to distinguish between these nuances. That way when a person stated that they ‘loved’ someone, it was clear what type of love that might be.

Just as there are nuances in the meanings, there are nuances in the applications of this word. People express love — or feel that it should be expressed — in different ways. What one person determines to be a clear expression of love might be completely different to someone else. (See Dr. Chapman’s Five Love Languages for more on that topic.)

As I was reading my Bible today, I found myself reading in the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah. I had encountered an interesting place along about chapter 40. In Isaiah 39, you read about how King Hezekiah gave in to his pride and exposed the entire kingdom to Babylon. Isaiah 40 seems to be written from within the exile that the Israelites found themselves to the Babylonians.

As these prophecies from within exile began from Isaiah, an interesting tone and message come out first. The Israelites were in exile in the first place due to their own rebellion and willful disobedience of God’s ways. This exile was a punishment for this disobedience.

At the beginning of what Isaiah shares from within the exile, there is an interesting message. Isaiah 40 is seen as these beginning words. Isaiah 40 also starts with the words “Comfort, comfort my people” (CSB). This prophecy also goes on to talk about the coming Messiah and the deliverance that He will bring.

This goes to show that God did not get some giddy kick out of punishing His followers. It broke His heart to do so. But this feeling did not keep God from doing what was necessary. That is the true mark of love. Love does not give everything one wants, but it will give what one needs. What God’s people needed was a wakeup call that they were not God. They did not have their best interest at heart. As they listened to their own hearts, it simply took them further away from the One that loved them most.

Love does not give everything one wants, but it will give what one needs. Tweet This

I don’t get why so many believe that if you love someone that you will completely go along and agree with them. That reasoning just does not work in real life. Imagine that you have a small child. Now imagine that this child wants to play in the middle of a busy highway. It doesn’t take much to realize that though the child wants to do this act, the most loving thing is to say “No!” to this request and/or do whatever possible to keep the child from harm’s way. We don’t block off the highway because one child wants to play in that spot. We show the child that what they desire is not best and try to move them to what is best.

This is the same thing that God does with ‘punishment’ at times. It is not that He is looking to make us suffer for His amusement. He is trying to love us and point us away from impending danger. That attempt to turn us away from our sinful and destructive desires cost the LORD a great deal – even His own life.

Whatever circumstance we find ourselves in, I hope that we can see the response of God’s loving reach towards us to draw closer to Him where there is the peace that our hearts so desperately desire.

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Lessons From A Golden Retriever

Let me introduce to you the newest member of our family. His name is Oaklee, and he is our new Golden Retriever. He has only been part of our family for a few days now, but in such a short time, he is already making his impact.

When we moved to Missouri, we knew that it would be difficult to bring along Rocky, the Golden Retriever that we have had for 6 years. We had gotten him from Naomi’s cousin, and he had been the best dog for the time we had him. We were able to reunite Rocky with his original owners as we embarked (no pun intended) on our new adventure.

It didn’t take long to realize that something was missing. Moving to a new place – especially so far from where you were used to – can be a lot for people. We were noticing that our children were having some issues with adjustment. One of our boys (the BIG animal lover) would often mention that “he missed Rocky.” We knew something had to happen.

It just so happened that we came across someone who was selling a litter of Golden Retriever puppies not too far from us. So we made the journey and brought this new bundle of joy into our home.

Over the past couple of days that Oaklee has been in our home, I have come to see some things that this fur-baby has reminded me of…

Patience is a virtue

If you are in need of patience in your life, go and get a puppy and bring it into your home. As you bring it into your home, work on getting it ‘housebroke’. This will show you where the patience level in your life truly lies.

Community is Essential

If you know anything about Golden Retrievers, you know that they are extremely loyal and people-pleasers. They long to be around other people, especially their ‘pack.’ As I hear little Oaklee whimper and bark in the middle of the night, I am reminded (among the frustration) that what he really wants is to be close to us and not be left alone.

This reminds me of what the church should be about. God has created every human being – introverts and extraverts alike – for community. None of us can do life well alone. We may want to at times, but to be separated from others who hold gifts and abilities that we need is disastrous.

Love well and deliberately

I am being reminded each day now as I walk into our house and this little bundle of fur comes running to lick me all over that I am loved. Little Oaklee goes all out to show others in his new family that he loves them. It is interesting to see how he does so differently with each one.

We may hold others in high affection, but how are we doing in showing love to others? Jesus said that one of the main characteristics of His followers would be the love that they had for one another (John 13:35).

It is interesting how the little things in our lives can be used by God to remind or teach us the things we need. What is God using in your life to remind/teach you of His truths? How are we doing in listening and learning?

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Book Review: Remember God

There are different ways that people use to remember things that are important to them. For Christians, there have been different methods used to remember who God is and the mighty works that He has done in their lives. In the book, Remember God, author Annie Downs shares about how she learned to remember the fact of God’s kindness in spite of what her circumstances might be.

I first heard of Annie Downs from my wife and her experiences with the IF Gathering events that take place from time to time. These are events where women gather together to encourage each other in their walk with Jesus Christ. I was able to get a copy of Annie Downs’ book and was anxious to hear what she had to share.

I will admit that this book was a bit different than I expected it to be. It is not written like most books with a topic and subpoints. Remember God is more like peering into the journal of this lady and seeing the journey that God took her on during a specific time in her life. I kept waiting for the “teaching points” to come… some list of do’s or don’ts… but they never came. It was more refreshing to just be able to hear someone’s story (maybe struggle is a better word) as they walked with the Lord through this life.

Downs is very open and honest in her writing. She shares about the things that God taught her and encourages the reader to be open to learning truths about who God is through the everyday experiences of life. I love to hear the stories of people and how they interact with God. This book does a great job of sharing the good, bad, and ugly of a certain lady’s journey to remembering the fact that God is truly kind towards us.

If you have held to certain truths about God but faced times where is seems that some of His attributes were called into question, I would recommend checking out Remember God to get a perspective of someone who is very honest about her relationship with God. This book has the capability of reminding you that though the present circumstances do not always match up with what we may believe, God is truly who He has said that He is.

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Book Review: The Rule of Love

Author: Jonathan Leeman

Publisher: Crossway Publishers

 

My Thoughts

If there is one term that has been misused way too much in our culture, it is love. This little four letter word is used by so many to either sell or justify many things. It has been taken out of its true context time and time again.

Jonathan Leeman has put together an amazing work in The Rule of Love that points the reader to a true sense of what love really is. Leeman reveals that there has been a separation of love from the authority that comes with it. He does well in pointing back to the fact that love is defined by the Person of God. It is in God that love is best understood and experienced. True love comes under the authority of God and allows Him to draw the lines.

Leeman’s careful use of Scripture as well as things from culture force the reader to look at what love really looks like and how it should be viewed in various contexts. Love is a wonderful thing, but when it is pulled away and used out of context, it can lead to some disastrous things.

Recommendation

I would highly recommend that every person grab a copy of The Rule of Love. It is not a hard read, but it is definitely a must read. This book does a great job of pointing people back to a proper perspective of love and the authority that it lives under.

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Desperate Need For Community

The news story was one that no one wanted to hear. Police had been called to a house to investigate a 911 call. It appeared to be a murder-suicide tragedy. 

Sadness creeps in…

Then you find out that the victims in this story were an elderly couple. 

Sadness grows deeper…

If the news that this tragic event involves an elderly couple was not enough, it is released that this couple was identified by neighbors as a retired pastor from the area. 

That’s just too much…

I wish that I could say that the scene that I have just discribed was fictional and completely made up. The truth is that this is a news story that has impacted an area close to where we live within the past week. 

Alongside the sadness that this story brings stands a gigantic question: What led to this?

The part of this news story that has got my stomach in knots is that the apparent reason behind this murder-suicide is that “the couple’s health was fleeting and they struggled to take care of each other.”

Read that again… “the couple’s health was fleeting and they struggled to take care of each other.” 

My wife and I have recently been talking about the biblical mandate of community among the Body of Christ. If there is one thing that has been struggling in many churches, it is the practice of biblical community. 

This tragic news story should be an alarm for all churches: we desperately need community! 

I know that we have busy schedules. I am as guilty as anyone of putting too much on my plate. This does not excuse us from doing what we have been commanded by our Lord to do: 

I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.  (John 13:34-35 CSB)

Jesus was not talking to the masses when he spoke those words. He was speaking to his disciples. The way they cared for and loved one another would be one of the greatest witnessing tools the Church would have. It would be an undeniable characteristic of those who belong to Jesus. 

This whole thing has brought three prayers to my mind:

• I pray that this story is an anomaly. I pray that this is not one of many stories that show that the Church is not doing as well with “community/fellowship” as we thought we were. 
• I pray that the Holy Spirit would comfort the family at this time and bring healing. Can’t imagine the pain they are going through at this time. 
• I pray the Church would not be blind to the desperate need of community. May we not be fooled into thinking that meeting one-two hours on a Sunday morning constitutes community. It didn’t work for the Church in the first century, and it will not work in the 21st century. 

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Good Friday 2017

Welcome to Good Friday. That title has always been a little confusing to me. Growing up there was the joke that went around saying it was good because we got out of school and it was typically good weather so we could enjoy the day off.

I would find out later that it was called Good Friday because on this day around 33AD, Jesus Christ was crucified for the sins of the world (Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19).

How could something that was so brutal, so shameful, so wrong be considered good in any sense? What sadistic person said, “Let’s remember this day as something good and put it on the calendar to remind us!”?

I’m not sure who that person was, but I am so grateful that they did.  It is days like this that I am reminded of just how often that God wants us to see that there is so much more than what appears on the surface.

The saddest day in history is also one of the greatest.  On this day… on that hill called Golgotha/Calvary… the Son of God took the sins of the world and dealt with them!  It turns my stomach to think about all that Jesus went through – the mockery, the shame, the beatings, the torture – it was all because of my sin.  All that junk that Jesus went through was meant for me.  But because of the love that God has for us, He took it so I didn’t have to.

May this day be so much more than another “day off” for us.  My prayer is that it would be a day of reflection… a day that we remember the high price that Jesus was willing to pay just to redeem us.  If anyone needs any proof that they are cared about, they need only to turn their eyes to that hill called Calvary and see God hanging there with arms wide open saying, “I love you this much!”

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ACTS Prayer Model

Prayer is one powerful tool that a Christian has, but it seems as though many do not use it. It might be that they have never been taught to pray. It could be a number of reasons.

We see that prayer was an important part of Jesus' life and ministry here on earth. It was so important that when His disciples had opportunity to ask anything of Him, they asked Him to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1).

One of the best models in teaching people to pray is the ACTS model - adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplications.  This model has been used by many to help people grow in their prayer life.  I have found this model to be very helpful myself.  I am currently taking the church where I serve as pastor through this model on Wednesday nights during our prayer meeting time.

The first part of this model is adoration.  I truly believe that this is one part that we might look over in our times of prayer.  Some view this as what takes place in the "praise and worship" times of our lives.  Showing our adoration to the God of the universe is not something that should be kept to our musical times of worship.  We should continuously show our adoration to God in every part of our lives.

When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment in all of the Law of God (Matthew 22:34-40), He replied that the most important is to love God with all that is within us.  Interestingly, Jesus didn't leave it there.  He said that the second most important commandment was to love others as ourselves.  There is no way that we can love those around us the way we should if the relationship with God is out of sorts.

Before we come to God with our "wish list" maybe we should stop for a minute and just show Him and express to Him the best that we can how much we truly love Him.

How are you doing with expressing your adoration to your Heavenly Father?  

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9 Years

It was somewhat rainy day nine years ago in north Alabama. The weather was the kind that would make you just want to stay inside. But there was nothing that would keep me from getting out of the house that day and taking care of business.

This day nine years ago was a special day. It was a day that I will always remember. It was the day that I married the love of my life, Naomi.

The past nine years have been an amazing and never-dull journey. I am very thankful for the bride that God has given to me to share the journey with. As the Bible says, "A man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD." (Proverbs 18:22 HCSB)

Here's to you, "Good Thang!" May God bless us with many more years together on this journey.

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11 Years Later

I can remember growing up and hearing the older adults in my family talk about remembering all the details of the day when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.  Many years had passed since that day.  Many new memories had logged a place in their minds.  The events of that day though were still crystal clear.

I always wondered if there would be something that would etch a picture in my mind and last for the rest of my life.  11 years ago today, it happened.  The day, as Alan Jackson sang about, "when the world stopped turning."



I can remember many of the details of that day.  I remember being woke up by a phone call from a friend who asked what I was doing.  I politely told him that I was sleeping because of the late night of work the night before.  I remember turning on the TV to see the second plane hit the World Trade Center towers. I remembered the puzzled and helpless feeling in that moment when I realized that our country had been attacked.

Today, I think about that day and some of the lessons I learned from it.

• Don't be caught asleep.  I can remember Jesus telling these words to His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane just moments before He was betrayed.  When we are asleep at the wheel and feel like nothing can happen to us, that's when the bomb is dropped on us.


• Don't wait to tell your loved ones you love them.  How many on September 11, 2001 had wished that they had simply said those three little words to the ones that meant the most to them.  God gives us each day and we need to make the most of each one He gives us.  Tell your loved ones what they mean to you every chance you get, because when they're gone, you can't.


• People look to God in times of desperation.  I remember that Sunday, September 16, 2001 was a high attendance day in many churches across the USA.  People flocked to the one place they thought had answers.  When our world comes crashing down around us and everything we think was so stable crumbles, we are faced with the reality that the only sure, stable thing in the universe is the Sovereign God who loves us so.

Take a moment today to remember those who lost loved ones on this day 11 years ago.  Say a prayer for those families.  Never forget the lessons you've learned in life.

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8 Years

Eight years ago this day, I was driving to the church that I had grown up in and was, at that time, serving as Youth Pastor. This day was different. This day was not about going into the office. This day was not about Bible studies or crazy games with teens.

Eight years ago, this day was about a covenant. Yes, it was eight years ago today that I married the love of my life, Naomi.



As I think back to that day, I remember being more nervous than I had ever been before. I was so nervous that I left the keys to my truck in the ignition. That's how my two best men got my truck and filled it with packing peanuts.

It's crazy to think that this amazing woman has put up with me for 10 years (8 of marriage, 2 dating), but I'm so glad she has. I would want no one else on this journey called life with me.

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Classic Rock Devotion

I was driving back to the house today to enjoy some Subway lunch that I had picked up and was flipping through the radio stations when I came upon the classic rock station in town (yeah, baby).  Bon Jovi' s "You Give Love A Bad Name" was blaring from my speakers.  It has been a while since I heard that little tune.  As I listened along, my mind began to hang on the chorus of that song...

Shot through the heart and you're to blame
you give love a bad name.

It is times like this that I know that I am what the Bible calls a Christian because the Holy Spirit began speaking to me about how this chorus relates to God.  I know that Jon Bon Jovi had anything but God on his mind when he wrote/performed that song, but God was having a moment with me.

• 1 John 4:16 tells us that "God is love."


• Acts 11:26 says that the followers of Jesus were first called 'Christians' in Antioch.  This term means "little Christ" or "like Christ".

If God is love, and we are His representatives and supposed to look like Him, the question that arose in my mind is "are we giving LOVE a bad name?"  Whether we like it or not, a Christ-follower is the clearest picture of who God is on this earth at this time.  May it never be said of us that we are giving LOVE (our God) a bad name.

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The Least of These...

The past five days I have spent with a group of students from our student ministry at Big Stuf Camp in Panama City Beach.  They were some great days.  I am still surprised that I didn't get totally blistered, but I will not complain.  God spoke to each person in our group in many great ways.  I believe that the main way that God spoke to me was through 23 worship leaders.  One day of our camp, worship was led by a children's choir from Kenya.  To hear their stories and everything was something that I will always cherish.  You had 9-13 year old children from halfway across the world who not only weren't afraid to stand before a crowd of strangers and sing praises to the God of this universe, but they quoted from the Bible verse after verse after verse.  It was great.

I was during this summer camp that I felt released to do something that I have thought seriously about for a couple of years.  It is a dream of our family's to one day adopt a child and show them the same love that our heavenly Father has shown to us by adopting us into His family.  We're not at a place where we can do that right now, but one thing we can do we have.  Our family has partnered with Compassion International to sponsor a four year old child from Kenya.  The newest member of our family is George Thoya.

I'm sure that if you've been to a major Christian event (concert, conference, etc) then you have heard about Compassion International.  I was always a little skeptical.  I would constantly have youth wanting to sponsor a child, but would tell them to talk to their parents first.  I began to do some investigation on this group and came to found that they are very legit.  The way that they handle the money that is sent to them is very stewardly (is that a word?).

It has always been a heartbeat of mine to teach students that there is so much more than our little bubble.  There is an entire world around us that most of us have no clue about.  A world where many wonder where the next meal or shelter will come from.  A world that wonders will I be arrested or even killed for my beliefs today.  At the age of 16, I had the opportunity to go on a foreign mission trip to Thailand.  It changed my outlook on life and the world so much.  Lately, I have had a conviction that though I'm teaching students that God has put in my care to realize the bigger picture, I have slowly bought in to this "American consumerism" mentality.  The mentality that says, "well I can't do that because I have so many bills and other financial obligations."  That was seriously one of my excuses until God basically said, "so you love your tv more than those in this world you could help?"  (God has a way of shooting straight to the heart.)

I encourage you to take a few moments and ask God to give you a heart for this world.  Ask Him to open your eyes to the real condition of people around you and the world.  Ask Him to show you what role you can play in bringing His love to those people.

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Hiding Sin?

I am once again in the process of reading through the Bible in a year.  Today's reading in Genesis brought me to an interesting passage.  It is found in Genesis 9:20-27.   After the Flood, Noah becomes a farmer and vine-dresser.  One day, he gets drunk on some wine and is laying in his tent naked.  Ham discovers this and runs to tell his brothers.  Shem and Japheth cover their father's shame.  When Noah finds out all that has happened, he curses Ham and blesses Shem and Japheth.

At first, this seems very wrong.  Is there a blessing for the older boys who covered up their father's sin?  Why was the young one given a curse for not doing anything.  As I study this passage, it is clear that it's not about hiding sin, but rather honoring your parents.  Shem and Japheth wanted to bring honor to their father and protect him.  The only thing that Ham did was to go and tell others about his father's mistake.

When we as believers in Jesus Christ see someone who is struggling with sin, there are a couple of ways that we can respond.

1. We can ignore it. It's not our problem.  Why should we get involved in their problems?


2. We can talk about it. "Did you hear about so-and-so?"


3. We can step in and intervene. We are commanded to share the love of Christ with others.  Love is demonstrated not just talked about.  DC Talk said it best in a song of old, "Love is a verb."  James 5:20 says, "you can be sure that the one who brings that person back will save that sinner from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins." (NLT)

How are you showing the love of Christ to those around you today?

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