Preparing An Offering

There are many ways to worship God, and one pointed out countless times is "to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God" (Romans 12:1). God wants us to use our bodies in this life as His tools, doing His work and proclaiming His message. As Christians, it is our duty to do this, but sometimes things aren't quite that clear-cut. There are times when we don't feel we can handle what He has set before us, and other times when we are aching to do something for the gospel and God says "Wait."

If you are an athlete, you compete in certain sports at different times of the year, and you use the rest of the time to train and prepare for those seasons. You devote even your off-season to preparing for the sport because it is important to you, and you don't want to be caught unprepared to run the race, or play the game. It's a little different with God, because He has called us to always be running the race (Hebrews 12:1). Still, like every aspect of our lives, there is an ebb and flow, and there are, so to speak, on- and off-seasons. We need to use the off-seasons to prepare, so that we will not be left behind when the next leg of the race begins. Below are some of the ways we can prepare.

1. Stay close to God
This is the most important on the list. It includes reading the bible, praying, all types of worship, and anything else that brings you closer to God. This is important not only because God should be the focus of your life, but because God can't call you to do anything if you're not communicating on a regular basis.

2. Keep your body healthy and prepared.
One tool God gives everyone is their physical body. He designed each and every body to ever walk the earth, and no two are exactly alike. God wants us to be good stewards of our bodies caring for them as the holy vessels they become when the Holy Spirit resides in them. That means we need to be careful about what we do to our bodies, and even more so what we put in them. We shouldn't look at the physical aspects of walking with Jesus as "How much can get away with" but "What is the best way to honor God in this situation?" Especially in this area, we try to push the limit as much as we can without actually "sinning." We look for ways to follow both God and this world, and it's just not possible, because God knows our motivation, and if we want other things more than we want God, it isn't pleasing to Him, even if we "follow all the rules." In Romans, Paul tells us that what a man considers "unclean" is unclean for him, but that if the things we eat and drink we consider pleasing to God, they are. Despite this, or maybe because of the freedom, every person should continually make sure that what they are doing is not displeasing to God, and if a person is not sure, it is better to just abstain than to risk sinning.

3. Hone your talents and abilities
Each person's body is made by God, and every person is equipped with a specific set of talents that are God-given. God does not blind-fold Himself and throw darts at a chart to see who ends up with what abilities. He has made each one of us deliberately, planning for our lives so that we would be "equipped for every good work" that comes our path in our lives (2 Timothy 3:17). God has given you the talents you have as part of His plan, and it is your job to use them. If God has given you a musical ability, practice. If you are good at a sport, keep your body sharp. If you are talented in math or science, learn as much as you can. If you learn languages quickly, become fluent in as many as possible. If you love being a mother or father with everything you have, be examples of children of God for your children and raise them in a way pleasing to God. Whatever your abilities, hone them to God's glory.

God has made us each different, and He has wants to use us each to further His glory in the world, whether that is through a profession, a mission trip, or some other way, and He wants us to be prepared for it. In 2 Timothy, Paul says "be prepared in season and out of season." God is ultimately the best person to prepare you for His work, and so nothing can take the place of actively seeking after Him. This list is just a few of the ways you can prepare yourself as an offering to the one holy God of the universe.

Over The Edge

A man is walking along a cliff, and he suddenly goes over the edge of the cliff. This is very bad because what waits for him at the bottom of a very long, scary drop is almost-certain death. The man can't control his own descent, or what waits at the bottom, and there is nothing and no one to intercede between him and the unforgiving ground.

Going over the edge, in our culture, almost always refers to something bad, something that is not in our control. There's going over the edge of a cliff, like in this example, and one can also "go over the edge" as we use the phrase when referring to a person with an emotional handicap. It seems not too far, then, to assume that we, as a culture, think losing control to be one of the worst things that we can experience. After all, why strive to gain power if not for control of people and actions. Why try to accumulate wealth if not to be able to control the conditions in which we live? Why, even, make laws if not trying to preserve each person's control of their possessions and person?

Taking all this into account, it is fairly easy to predict how such a society would take the news that the being that created them wanted them to willingly give all their control of every aspect of their lives to him, for his control. If you want a mental picture, you don't have to go far past your front door.

Yet, this is what he asks, and it isn't quite the disaster we seem to imagine. First of all, we seem to forget that this isn't your average human pulling the strings. This is God. And every time we rebel against what he wants of us, we are saying that we know better. Take our cliff-walking man from earlier. Every time we shy from God's plan, we are imagining that man walking off the cliff. He is flying through the air waiting for whatever may come, and he sees a person coming in with some sort of flying craft to save him. He keeps falling, and the craft comes closer and- misses. The man crashes to the ground. This is what we imagine happening when we protest that God's plan is too difficult, or that it won't turn out right, or that it doesn't make any sense. We think that we see an inexperienced pilot in the cockpit, one that doesn't understand, or who will fumble the catch.

But that's not the case. The person in the cockpit has been around since before the beginning of time, and he is perfect, all-knowing, and completely loving. So his every plan will be based on all the knowledge in the universe, with a goal of making every thing in existence in perfect harmony with each other. Compared to this, our doubts that he won't be able to help us through a talk about him, or even a life-threatening situation is pretty pathetic.

And when we do give Him everything, he promises to use us for the perfection of the world, and to give us everything we need to live, and to be with us every moment of our lives and until the end of the age. He promises to love us more than we can comprehend forever, no matter what we do. He promises to forgive all our faults, and separate our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. And he promises that when we leave earth and go to him for good, he will have a house prepared for us to live in forever in His presence. Based on all this, we need to make it our mission for all of our days to give everything we do, every decision we make to Him for His inspection and approval, because He is far wiser and better than us. He says it perfectly in one of the best known verses in Christianity:

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6 King James Bible)

Would You?

Someone recently posed a hypothetical situation to me. They asked if, were all my Christian friends to leave the area, and I was out of contact with them, I would be the one to step up and stick to my faith, going so far as to be the one to start worship and prayer and study of the Word again.

I admit, I'm not sure of the answer to the question because even when I know God is calling, I don't always answer. However, whether you know the answer or not, it's a question we must consider.

If you don't know the answer, you should consider what is keeping you from promising your all to God's mission. If it's some sort of emotional baggage, a good long sit-down with the savior couldn't hurt, and if it's something tangible, you need to seriously consider doing a little pruning in your life. Above all, talk to God about His goals for your life.

If the answer is no, the first question that comes to mind is, "Are you following Jesus?" Not "Have you accepted Him into your life," but "Now that you believe, have you begun actively following after him with everything that he gives you?" Because that, and nothing short of that, is what He asks of us. And while His grace covers the times that we are weak or fearful or unwilling, our belief in His perfect will should be daily motivating us to follow after him with all that we have.

The second question is "Why are you following Jesus?" In the bible, Christians are countless times promised all kinds of spiritual and not-so-spiritual wealth. We are promised that children of God have an eternity in Heaven, that with the faith of a mustard seed, they can move mountains, that they can ask for nations, and, if they believe with their entire soul that their request will be fulfilled, it will be. They are promised that God will send his angels down to protect them from stubbing a toe, and that He will always be with them, directing and smoothing their paths. The same things that make Him a perfect and loving God make Him incredibly attractive to those looking out for their best interests. It is also a very "in" thing to do in some circles. Everyone gets dressed up very fancy for church, and they parade past each other, and then sit for a nice, safe sermon on how God loves us, and then everyone leaves all that religious business at the door and goes out for mimosas. Please do not mistake me; fancy clothes are not from the devil, and mimosas will not turn your stomach to the enemy, nor is God's love anything short of a miracle that should be always cherished. But God cannot be picked up on Sunday morning with the dusty bible or the "good" purse, and nothing, be it fancy clothes or afternoon activities, should take away from your time with God. And as for God's love, yes, we should cherish it. We should cherish it so much that we, in turn, love God for it, and want to do His will at any cost. So, please. Examine your motives carefully.

The last group is those that answer yes, that believe they could answer God's call in such a situation. For them, I have another question. If you know God could lead His church through you in such a situation, what could He do with you right now, in your present situation? What has God placed on your heart, or in your life that He wants you to take care of? What have you been ignoring because it was too hard, or because you had other things to do, or because you weren't really sure God wanted you to do it? What opportunities could God be putting in your life for His glory? If you're not sure of the answer, this would be a good time for the previously mentioned long conversation with Jesus.

Jesus says "Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:27 NIV)." This is the ultimate challenge. No halfway, no false promises. So seriously consider what this challenge means to you.

Making the Colors

God is good. It's a phrase I've recently picked up from new friends, and I seem to have more reason to utter it everyday. God is good, and perfect, and caring, and majestic. He is all-powerful in ways humans literally can not even fathom. And something recently struck me, which made this all the more true.

The Colors. When was the last time you thought about them by themselves rather than how cars and clothes look in them? For me, the answer was very long ago, if ever. Yesterday, though, I was outside, glorying in His beautiful day, and looking at the sky. I was admiring how perfectly the deep, rich green of the tree's leaves complimented the light, clear blue of the sky, and it struck me that someone made this. Not just this but every color I've ever heard of, and not just someone, but the God of the universe that I complain to on a regular basis because I think my petty little problems are important in the grand scheme of God's lifespan (a.k.a. forever).

Immediately, my mind rejected the thought. I tried to imagine living in a world with out not only color, but the absence of color, and my mind said "No, it's not possible. God couldn't have created this because no one could." Thankfully, that was when everything I know about God came back into the equation. I realized I was thinking of God like I think of myself, and that, whether I could imagine it or not, God did have the power to imagine the concept of light and color, and bring it into being with his very words. (I am taking a liberty here and asuming that color was created when light was.) Then, to clinch the subject, I tried to imagine the glory of color being an accident, and all common sense rejected the idea ten times more strongly than it had the idea of a person creating them. That was not an option.

Our God is the God of color. Take a look at Noah. When, after forty days and forty nights, he and his family are set free of their ark to repopulate the world being promised this will never happen again, God seals the deal with the first rainbow. And he promises that every time he sees the colors He Himself has created in the clouds He will remember the covenant with Noah and all the creatures of the earth. To God, the rainbow is a sign of a covenant, but to us, it could be a reminder of the mighty, glorious, beauty-loving God we worship, and a reassurance of His love for us.

The God of All Comfort

There's a strange belief I've come across quite a few times in the way the media portrays Christianity, and I think it needs addressing. The portrayal often goes like this: about halfway into a movie, some dashing male character who's lost his also-beautiful wife/female lead is in despair. He looks to Heaven and he wonders "If there is a God, why did this happen?" The scene closes.

I've actually never heard someone ask this in real life, but its prevalence in the media leads me to wonder how many people hold to it as their defense against God. The Bible speaks often of God's comfort, of His deliverance, and if we believe in Him, and it, we must acknowledge that the state of the world seems to contradict this.

But the state of the world is not God's fault. The world we live in is not perfect because we have the free will to make it so. God gave us that freewill, because he wants, not a race of robots, but a human race, that chooses to acknowledge his glory. So, he will not take away the evil state of the world because to do so would be to take away our freewill, but He does promise us two things. In 2 Corinthians chapter 1, there is a passage(in the NIV bible) that is labeled "The God of All Comfort". Verse 5 says "For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows." Here Paul is linking the thing that shows us as Christians to the world(the "sufferings of Christ") with His comfort. Notice how he takes these sufferings for granted. This is not a far-off thing that happens to missionaries who stick their necks out in other countries, but to everyone who accepts Christ. Everyone who accepts Christ accepts the inevitability of suffering, but God promises them comfort that "overflows." Paul goes on to tell the church in Corinth of the "hardships... suffered in the province of Asia" (vs. 8). He says "We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us."



While God does not stop every terrible thing from happening, he does promise to deliver us through the words of Paul. He loves us, and if we love him, and try to follow after him, he will deliver us. And while earthly things may pass away, Paul has this to say on the subject.



"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." (Phil. 3:7-11)

Kingdomtide

I ask for patience first and foremost on the part of all those reading my blog. I like to call myself computer illiterate, and the description is fairly accurate, but God has been working in my heart in the last few weeks, and He's been saying "Do Something." So, despite my youth, I've started this blog in the hopes that it will glorify Him, and maybe lead me in new directions as well.
It seems to me appropriate to begin my blog with the same message Jesus has been putting on my heart personally. That is, to work in the world for your own knowledge-gathering, but ultimately for God's glory. One message that has been brought up recently in a sermon I attended is the concept of "Kingdomtide." Picture the shoreline of an ocean. The waves crash onto the shore with all the power God has given them. Each wave makes an impact on the shore and then pulls back out to sea to become part of the ocean before going back to the shoreline. It is a cycle, the waves rushing in, and out. This is the world. The ocean is the kingdom of God, that is, His followers, and each droplet of each wave is a person who trusts in God and follows Him faithfully enough to go out into the world (the shoreline) and make an impact. Lately, it's been put on my heart how important it is to be part of those waves.
Think about it. Nowhere in the bible does God say he expects you to earn A's in all your school subjects, or get everything done that's on your to-do list. His will isn't even for each of us to live without problems once we become Christians. At the end of the first book telling of Jesus' miraculous life, death, and resurrection, Jesus tells the disciples that He has been given "All authority in Heaven and on Earth," and because of this they are to "make disciples of all nations"(NIV). He could have told them anything, given them any command, but He chose to tell them, not to try to succeed in their own personal lives, but to continue His work throughout the nations, drawing more and more people to the truth of His love, His mercy, and His plan for their lives. This mission wasn't just to those eleven disciples but to each man and woman throughout the ages who has accepted Jesus as the King of the world and their lives. Each of us has a Great Commission from God, and that is to become part of the Kingdomtide in our families, our churches, our communities, our nations, and as He was, in our world.