Thoughts on Daniel

Today me and a fellow intern gave a sermon on Daniel to the high schoolers at OBC. It was a learning experience to see all the time and study that goes into preparing a sermon. Pastor Mike told us at the beginning of the summer that we shouldn't give a sermon unless it's grabbed our heart first. The story of Daniel definitely grabbed my heart. Daniel was a young man filled with purpose who remained faithful to God in the small things and the big things and in the end was used by God in big ways. I want to be more like Daniel, but it's easier said than done.

Here's a brief summary of our sermon so you know where I'm coming from. 

Daniel 1

Background: Judah has been captured by Babylon (king Nebuchadnezzar) and so Daniel (plus shadrack, meshak, and abendego) are living as exiles in babylon. They are the best and brightest young men of Judah so they are treated well and the king feeds them his food and wine (but Jewish law prohibits this food and wine because some of it was sacrificed to idols. It's complicated old Jewish law that I'm glad I don't need to live under because of Jesus.) Daniel chose not to eat the food so as not to weaken his testimony and to stay faithful to God in every way. POINT ONE: Live to a higher standard (God's standard) and not the worlds. 

When Daniel asked the chief over him if he could eat veggies instead, the chief was afraid the king would kill them both. When we live to higher standards, we probably won't need to worry about getting our head chopped off (although it's a possibility), we will be faced with being rejected or even being blamed for being intolerant and judgmental merely because we choose to not participate in certain activities or entertain ourselves the same way as the world. POINT TWO: When you live to higher standards, you will face opposition and trials. (James 1:2-4 & 1 Peter 4:12-14)

Later, God rewards all 4 of them with skill and knowledge. But Daniel specifically id given the ability to interpret visions and dreams. Because Daniel stepped up and led the way for his friends, God rewarded him with more responsibility. In Matthew 25 in the Parable of the Talents, the Master says to his servants who invested their money well, "Well done good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little, so i will set you over much." Being faithful in the little things goes hand in hand with living to a higher standard. POINT THREE: If we commit to living God's way, he promises us a reward. One reward is the gift of more responsibility. We will be given the chance to make an eternal impact on others and maybe even leave a legacy like Daniels. In Corinthians 3 we see the effects of both living fully for God and living half heartedly. It's a powerful text because Paul's not referring to unbelievers. He is comparing Christians who are saved by the blood of Christ.

This passage was very convicting and eye opening to me. Convicting in that I see many areas where I'm not doing things wrong, but I'm not giving my best for Christ. Most of these areas have seemingly no effect on others around me, but I know they are affecting the level of intimacy I have with Christ and the level of responsibility I receive from the Lord and there is probably more that I don't see. 

It was eye opening to read 1 Corinthians 3 and realize that it doesn't stop at salvation. The glory of God is at stake and the way I live my life determines how much I am able to join with Christ in his work. I may be saved but will my life have eternal significance beyond that or will I barely get to Heaven like one just "escaping the flames". 

Living to higher standards in the little things that no one will ever see is hard. For me it may look like not eating a whole thing of Cherry Garcia because my body is a temple, or not listening to a sing that will not draw me closer to Christ even though I'm really in the mood for it, or not speeding when no one is around, or being careful to monitor my thoughts, or to be disciplined in having meaningful time with God every day- and not just checking it off but studying God's Word and memorizing it! That's only what came to my mind first. The list goes on and it's so much easier to be content with the slow and steady pace of growth I'm currently in. I'm still saved, I still desire to grow, but do I want to be the very best I can for Christ and for others who could come to know Christ through me. It's unsettling and I know failure is inevitable. I'm hoping the Holy Spirit doesn't give up on this wayward heart. 

Galatians 1:10

A regular struggle for me and for most people at some point is people pleasing. I can get overly anxious about how I'm perceived. The past few weeks I've started to lose sight of my identity in Christ and tried to find it in others. I've been finding my worth in things other than God. These idols in my life that are not filling me up because they can't. So today I found a few verses that give me perspective. I needed to be reminded of where my worth is found. I need to reject the lies that creep into my mind and even more I need to fill my mind with truth and know how I can pursue the things that are worthy of being pursued.

For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. -1 Samuel 16:7

The chapter as a whole is describing Samuel when he goes to Jesse's house to find the new king the lord has chosen. He sees a tall, strong, handsome son and thinks that is the man the Lord chose. That's where verse 7 comes in and God tells him to not judge by outward appearance because the Lord looks at the heart. So Samuel goes down the line of Jesses's sons and still hasn't found the one the Lord has chosen. Samuel asks for his youngest son who is keeping the sheep. Appearance wise, he is the least likely to be chosen for king, but God doesn't look at outward appearance. The Lord values our hearts and even intervenes in our hearts by sending his Holy Spirit. I'm learning to value what God values and not be consumed with what people value. I need perspective and I need it to change who I am, what I value, what I stress over, what I pursue, etc.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. -Colossians 3:2

Colossians 3 is worth checking out in its entirety. It starts by adressing believers. If you have been raised with Christ, then your life is in him. It's not found in earthly things, so dwell on heavenly things. He gives a list of earthly things: sexual imorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness, which is idolatry. Covetousness is my struggle as of late. I need to see it for what it is, an idol. It is a result of me setting my mind on earthly things, and giving them value. This false value exceeds the true value of Christ causing me to find worth in things beside Christ. I feel worthless when I don't have the earthly things I want. This has led to a lack of joy and an increase of anxiousness. I get anxiuos when I don't meet these standards I've placed on myself. Covetousness is not a characteristic of someone with new life in Christ. He gives another list of things that belong to those who have yet to recieve new life: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk. I need to check myself regularly to see if these things are in my thoughts. I need to constantly fight these things. The best way to fight these things is to fill myself with good things. He gives another list of the good things that are true of those who have found new life: compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and love. These are what God finds value in. These are the things that lead to fulfillment and joy. Dwelling on these things starts with being in the Word and learning what pleases God and pursuing those things.

But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. -1 Thessalonians 2:4

Even in sharing the gospel, or sharing life with people, even daily conversations, who am I pleasing? I need to do everything to the glory of God. It can be hard for me to know the difference at times. In those times I need the Holy Spirit to convict me or convict me through other people. He is always faithful to do that. I need to interact with people and desire their best interest above my own.

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. -Galatians 1:10

This is the first verse that came to mind when I realized that I wasn't finding my identity in Christ. It gives good perspective on who we are serving. If we are serving God, then we can't be people pleasers. I need to be content when people don't understand me or don't like me. My worth is in Christ and it shouldn't be a huge priority for me to make sure that everyone loves me. That's hard because in all honesty, that is a huge priority for me. Yet I also pursue Christ and I wouldn't say I'm fake with everyone. I try to be real with people. But I'm aware that it's more devastating than it should be to think that someone thinks poorly of me. It seems like I'm doing things for Christ, but I have to check my motives when I start feeling inadequate because of other's opinions. What am I truly finding worth in and who am I ultimately serving?

Do not let your adorning be external - the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear - but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. -1 Peter 3:3-4

This is one of my favorite verses. It's hard to live it out with this sinful heart, but how beautiful is this verse! The Creator of the universe doesn't hold me to the impossible standards that I put on myself. He gives me the means to be better than pretty jewelry, expensive clothes, and fancy hair. He allows me to have a gentle and quiet spirit through Jesus Christ and he values that heart so much. I'm always learning how to adorn the hidden person of my heart.

It was so good to be filled with truth today. It takes another step to let these truths be true of me. I hope that with the Holy Spirit intervening in my wayward heart, these things will be true of me and that God will recieve all the glory for anything good others see in me. I hope to find new peace when others don't see good in me, no matter if it's reasonable or not. My worth is in Christ who judges my heart.

Revelation Ramblings

"The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshipping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders of their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts." -Revelation 9:20-21

In the previous two chapters of revelation, there are seven angels that are blowing trumpets which are causing plagues on eath such as fire from the sky and locusts that will torture people for five months without letting them die. Then before this passage an angel comes to kill. At the end of the plagues, one third of mankind is gone. Then I read the verses at the top. They still didn't repent! I couldn't believe it. If earth was being destroyed, I'd been stung repeatedly by huge locusts for five months, my friends were now dead, I think I'd be quick to repent and beg for mercy!

But this passage shows how lost we are. Apart from Christ revealing himself to us, we really don't see him. We still choose sin that leads to self destruction rather than give our life to Christ who will only give us good things. It's amazing to see just how lost, blind, and depraved we are.

In this depressing passage about lost souls, there is hope. The hope is that if you truly desire Christ, then that is clearly not of your own doing! God has started a work in you and he promises to complete it. By truly desiring Christ, I don't mean that you read your Bible everyday, love sharing the gospel, or go to church every Sunday. Those are great things, and we should do them as a result of our love for Christ and desire to know him better and share that with others. But truly desiring Christ means that you want Christ or even if you want to want Christ. That is something unique to a regenerate heart. The people described in these verses do not want to want Christ. They have no desire to know him. They might have a desire to go to church because it makes them feel better about themselves, but you must desire truth because it is truth, not because of personal gain. We will sin and there are days, even weeks, where my life doesn't represent Christ well. And because of the work God is doing in my heart, I desire to repent and change to be more like Christ. Assurance of salvation is in the genuine desire for Christ, not in how clean our lives are. If I were to take this idea as an excuse to continue in sin because I have assurance of salvation, then I wouldn't truly be desiring Christ.

This is something I learned from my mentor, Laura, when I was overwhelmed with the sin in my life and began questioning whether I was really saved. It took a while for me to accept what she was saying. But it was so comforting and freeing to hear her say that the fact I even care about the sin in my life is evidence of the Holy Spirit at work in me. I still struggle with this idea from time to time when my sin seems too big, but I always come back to this lesson I learned from Laura years ago. This passage stood out to me because it clearly displays the difference between regenerate and unregenerate hearts, which reinforced my beliefs on this subject.

Until my knees are weak

I read Psalm 109 today. Here are my thoughts.

Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin! -Psalms 109:6, 7

It always throws me when David starts praying for the destruction of his enemies. Is it Godly to pray like that? I don't know for sure. But I noticed a few things that were encouraging and made his prayers seem more legitimate.

I noticed that he is praying for God's justice, not his own vengeance! And that is righteous as far as I know. God says that vengeance is his, not ours. We are called to be loving always. David was loving to his enemies which we see in verse four.

In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. -Psalms 109:4

So he's praying for justice, but he's working hard to be loving to them because that is his responsibility. And it must be hard work! I can't imagine being rewarded evil from the ones I'm showing undeserved kindness to (verse 5).

I also noticed in verse 24 how he prays.

My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt, with no fat. -Psalms 109:24

This stood out to me since one of my focuses as of late has been prayer. When he prayed, he prayed fervently. He didn't pray like I usually do, which is to throw out my request once, maybe twice, and not anticipate much from God. If my prayer is answered, then that's great! But if not, I don't pray again and I'm not usually very disappointed.

There's something to be said for being content with Gods will when it doesn't match up with mine, but I've been considering if this is the only way to pray. Maybe we should pray until our knees are weak with fasting as if we truly anticipate God to show himself to us.

We should pray for discernment so that our prayers line up with Gods heart and dig I to his word which reveals his heart to us. After that, I'm beginning to think, we need to seriously pray for big things. We need to pray for specific opportunities to share the gospel, to see God work in our days, to learn something new about God, and for God to radically change us into someone who looks more like him. That's how I pray on mission trips, but my life should be one big mission trip if I truly believe what Scripture teaches.

And if you keep reading Psalms, it'll seem like David is always praying for relief from bad guys. They're usually chasing him and trying to kill him, or just mocking him. I wonder why God didn't give him relief after a few prayers. I don't really know. But what I do know is that David kept praying, he kept loving his enemies, and he continued to rejoice in The Lord!

Let them curse, but you will bless! They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad! -Psalms 109:28

He tells The Lord that he will be glad! I love that. I need to be glad when I don't see answered prayer, but I need to keep praying if I think my prayers are in line with Scripture, until my knees are week.

All the Poor and Powerless

I'm trying to post a verse very Wednesday and share my thoughts on it. My week has been crazy busy with tests, papers, homework, and quizzes. So, here it is one day late! 

Over the last few weeks, The Lord has been convicting me about how little I consider the poor. It started with a discussion in my philosophy class about what we are obligated to do for the poor. Here is the augment that sparked the discussion.

1) Suffering and death from lack of food, shelter, and medical care are bad.
2) If it is in our power to prevent something bad from happening, without sacrificing anything of comparable moral significance, we ought, morally, to do it.
3) It is in our power to prevent suffering and death from lack of food, shelter, and medical care, without sacrificing anything of comparable moral significance.
4) Therefore, we ought, morally, to prevent suffering and death from lack of food, shelter, and medical care.

To explain the argument, he used an example of a man walking by a pond. The man looks to his right and sees a young boy drowning. Would it be wrong for the man to not help the drowning boy? We thought yes. It is in his power to save the boy without sacrificing much. By not saving the boy, he could keep his pants from getting wet. But is that a worthy reason? Of course not. It would be wrong of him to walk by and pay no attention as the young boy dies.

So, what's our excuse for not helping the hungry, naked, sick, and homeless? We know they are there. what would we be giving up to help them? Here are a few of the oppositions to the argument that continued to convict me.

Some have brought up that it is different if the hurting are across the world in Africa. How can we be expected to do anything for them without sacrificing ourselves? This argument is unrealistic because of technology. With technology we can help others no matter how far they may be. 

Others have said that no one else is helping, so why should we be morally obligated when other people, more capable people even, could help but don't? Lets consider the drowning boy case, would it be okay for the man to not save the boy if there was a crowd of people also watching the boy drown. No, so other people don't change your obligation to help. 

This discussion took a few days, so this is just the best summary I can give. But either way, it kicked my butt. I've always heard in church how we should help others and care for the poor and less fortunate. I had always perceived that duty as something extra. I wasn't obligated to help the poor, but it would be very kind of me to do so. But sitting in philosophy class, listening to a professor and students who don't love Jesus talk about how we are obligated to give up everything that we don't actually NEED to help others no matter the distance, no matter what others are doing to help, and no matter your financial standing. I was shocked at how selfish I am. As a follower of Christ, I should be sacrificing myself for others daily like Jesus did. But there I sat in philosophy class trying to think of an excuse that would get me out of this moral obligation. 

Then he showed a clip from the movie Beyond Borders with Angelina Jolie. I was appalled. I sat there and pointed my fingers at the rich people in that movie and asked myself, how could someone know there is hurting and hunger in the world and do nothing? Then I realized that the rich people in that movie represent me in real life. I am fully aware of needs in many areas both local and global. Yet I spend money on food I don't finish, clothes I don't need and sometimes never even wear. In comparison to the needs in the world, I have no generosity in my body. It hurt because I wasn't realizing this for the first time. I'd seen it before. I've cried over my lack of generosity and I've cried and prayed over the poor in our world. It's only a matter of time before I forget and believe once again that I will be discontent without that $50 dress that I don't need. I feel entitled to what I have when what I have is not even mine and it is certainly not for making myself look great. I have money for the sole purpose of bringing glory to God. 

Unfortunately as we switched topics in philosophy I began the process again. I put my conviction behind me and went on spending money on myself. But thank the Holy Spirit for his persistence in showing me a better way.

Three nights ago, at Bible study we read chapter 3 in the book Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller. The chapter was on greed. It talks about how greed is so discreet and we don't see it in ourselves. I won't go into all the details, but it was a lovely time of fellowship and I knew I needed to be more generous and needed a new mindset toward money. I asked the girls to pray that I would be a generous person and that I would think of my money as a way to further Gods kingdom. That I would not only let go of the tight grip I have on my money and possessions, but that I would be bold in sharing the gospel. 

I left feeling encouraged and hopeful for how God would mold my heart and use me to make others glad in God. But God wanted me to fully understand how much I had in comparison to others and how I have no reason to ever be discontent with what He's given me. In my sociology class yesterday morning, he showed me that I have every reason in the world to be generous. We discussed how the US citizen compares to citizens in other parts of the world in terms of income and wealth. We went over a lot of charts and numbers but here's one that stuck with me. The average income for a US citizen is $50,000. The average income for someone in the Congo is $347 a year! That's the lowest, but there were so many other countries with low average incomes. The US is the seventh richest nation in terms of how much income an average American makes.

On a global scale, 80% of people live on less than $2 a day! Yet I compare myself to the people around me and have the nerve to feel inadequate. I feel like I have it so rough. But God is opening my eyes to how rich I am and hopefully will be giving me opportunities to give back. 

So yesterday I decided to see what the Bible says about the poor. And I found this verse! 

"She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy." -Proverbs 31:20

I love this verse because I want to be her. I want to not feel entitled to anything. I want to be generous with money and possessions. I want to love serving others above myself. And I want to be content in all circumstance, not comparing myself to anyone. 

Seeking the Lord

This post was inspired by my sweet roommate Sarah who has started this blogging adventure with me! I am so excited to have her as my blogging buddy! She is a great source of inspiration for me. Even as I write this my mind is flooded with reasons why I admire her and ways she has encouraged me. I admire her faithfulness and dedication to Jesus Christ. She is not easily shaken. Christ truly shines through her. She inspires me to always ask questions and search for answers to difficult or scripturally vague questions. I love discussions with her because her heart is focused on what will bring God the most glory. We seek God's glory together and it is so great to share such a Biblical kind of friendship with her.

Today she told me about her goal to put up new Bible verses, favorite texts, and inspiring quotes onto her blog daily. I thought that was a great idea so I decided to do something similar. Every Wednesday I will post a new Bible verse and write my thoughts on it. I started to do this in my personal devotion time a few months ago, but my persistence slowly faded. I am looking forward to starting this practice up again.

"Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually." -Psalm 105:4

I read this Psalm over Spring break while in Colorado. It was a great reminder to me about how necessary it is for me to be in God's Word and to truly seek him. Way too often I find myself relying only on myself and not seeking the Lord's strength. After reading this passage, I remembered that apart from Christ I am nothing and I am unable of doing anything truly good. But in him, I have access to never-ending strength and I am able to glorify God in marvelous ways that only God could orchestrate. To access this strength, I must seek his presence. And what a joy it is to find his presence in my life! I was remminded of a quote from Francis Chan that has stuck with me since I read his book Crazy Love a few years ago. He said,

"...we are on a never-ending downward escalator. In order to grow, we have to turn around and sprint up the escalator, putting up with perturbed looks from everyone else who is gradually moving downward. I believe that much of the American churchgoing population, while not specifically swimming downward, is slowly floating away from Christ. It isn't a conscience choice, but it is nonetheless happening because little in their lives propels them towards Christ."

I forget this so often. I think that I can rely on the spiritual growth I experienced last week, last month, or even last year to get me through my today. But because of my sinful heart, I cannot sit stagnant. I am always moving toward my old, selfish self. I need to constantly seek God to keep from falling away from him. My goal is more than just not losing already gained progress, but I want to know Jesus more fully because he is everything good and true. He is the only source of hope, fulfilling purpose, joy and unexplainable peace that surpasses all understanding. My heart desperately needs those things. But I settle for the temporary pleasures of this world while eternal pleasures wait for me around the corner. So my goal this week is to seek the Lord through daily devotions and prayer, and to dwell on his goodness. I pray my life looks like someone running up the downward escalator.

If you want to buy the book Crazy Love, click on the link! I highly suggest it, it's a great book!