Slipping Away

A student once decided to get very serious about his studies. It was his last year of High School and he knew he would have to get his grades up if he hoped to get into the college of his choice. He decided he would face this challenge no matter the cost and set upon eliminating anything that was not part of his goals.

He packed up his gaming gear and put it in storage. He went through his computer and removed any apps that were a distraction, that did not add to his goal. He did the same with his phone. He spoke to his friends and told them how serious he was and that he would not be participating in many of their usual activities, instead putting his time into his studies. He went through his room and removed anything that he thought would rob him of his time, and he organized everything to its maximum efficiency.

His effort paid off.

Half way through the year his marks had jumped significantly. His teachers were all pleased with his improvement and the guidance counselor was helping him get his applications together. Things were looking great but it did not come without a cost. Several of his friends had developed other friendships. They were still friendly enough but since he had less time for them the bonds were not there any more. He had also lost touch with his favorite shows and had missed several block buster movies, and he loved movies. He had also missed the release of the new editions to his favorite games. Life had become pretty routine and he was starting to get tired of the routine.

One day he decided to take a break.

As a reward for his hard work he decided to watch an episode of one of his favorite shows. At the end of it he was left with several questions not knowing how the story had evolved to this point. At first he tried to read up on the show but then decided to download  the six months he had missed. Without realizing it, he ended up staying up all night catching up. However, he aced the two tests he had the following day. He felt pretty good, so a week later he decided to get caught up on a couple of other shows. A month later the gaming gear came out and he borrowed the new versions of his favorite games just to try them out. Within two months his grades had dropped and his hopes for his choice of colleges slipped away.

What's the point? Simply this: we have to decide what is important and stick to it. No distractions. No rewarding ourselves. No down time. If Jesus Christ is our all then anything that distracts us from this purpose must be eliminated. It is not a matter of balance. It is all or nothing. Paul wrote to Timothy:

No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. (2 Timothy 2:4)

You can't have a divided heart. You can't have the best of both worlds. You can't serve two masters:

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Matthew 6:24)

God is consistent throughout the Word, "Love the Lord your God with all your ...". The important part here is the "all". There are no excuses for anything less than our all. None.

So take a look at your life, a real close look, and ask yourself if it matches your words. Is it a reflection of your purpose, your goal? Or have you fallen asleep? Have you allowed things to distract you? Are you taking a break, rewarding yourself for doing so well? Are you slipping away thinking you are okay? Let the Spirit speak to you today and follow his direction.

Is He Really Our Everything?

I apologize for being so late on the blog this morning. I have taken on responsibility with my son at his Snack Shack and it is taking a little bit on my part to adjust. I also see that I was in error with what I wrote yesterday. I had said that we would start with Ephesian today but I failed to note that we went through Ephesians just two books ago. So today we will start right in on 2 Timothy, Paul's last letter, written at the same time as Ephesians.

Paul was writing to his friend, who was once like a son to him. When they first met, Paul had invited Timothy to join him and Silas as they were heading out on Paul's second trip. At that time, Timothy was not being invited as a fellow worker but more as a personal assistant. To put it frankly, Timothy was being invited to prepare meals and do the laundry. However, on their journey. Paul discipled Timothy, teaching and training him so that Timothy would come into his calling. But,as Paul wrote this letter, Timothy was no longer this young man.

Timothy was now a full partner in ministry, having responsibility to oversee the work of the Church in the area of Ephesus. Timothy would have been a well respected leader, closely tied to Paul's significant work in the Asia-Minor area.

It was also a very trying time for Paul. He had been imprisoned in Rome for a number of years. Although it was a house arrest and he could have visitors, it was far from the freedom Paul had enjoyed before. It was from this imprisonment that Paul would receive news and would send out letters to correct and encourage the Church. He had several men who he trusted and sent out with his letters and to minister to specific areas of the Church.

Paul seems to have had some insight as to what was going to happen to him in the next little while and he was trying to get everything in order before his departure. His letter to the Ephesians was like a departing parent to a child and his letter to Timothy had that same sense. Along with this, Paul was aware that many leaders were distancing themselves from him and even the gospel of grace was under fire. Could you imagine working so hard for the Kingdom only to see everything coming undone with no ability to stop it, knowing time was running out? But Paul knew that God measures success in a different manner.

Knowing all this, how Paul begins his letter to his close friend, takes on a special significance:

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 1:1)

Paul was not just any man or any leader, he was an apostle of Jesus. Not representing just anyone but representing the instrument of all creation, the Son of God. Paul walked in humility in this role but he also operated in the authority that was given to him. It is as if he was stating, "I still know who I belong to". 

We also see here that Paul was assured that his calling and purpose was by the will of God, not Paul's choice. There is something assuring in this fact. Do you understand that when you speak, it is in Jesus' authority. When you act, it is in Jesus' authority. When you stand against the storm it is in Jesus' authority. It is sad that more of us do not understand our reality and often allow things in life to become more and Jesus' authority to become less.

Paul also recognized that there are greater things for us than what this life has to offer. Paul made it clear that Jesus was his promise for everything. If he lost his home it was nothing to him compared to knowing Jesus. If he lost his life in service to Jesus, it was nothing to him because to die is gain in Jesus. The only thing that really mattered to Paul was the responsibility that Jesus had given to him, and we will see more of that as we get into this letter.

Paul was as human as you and me, changed by the same blood of Jesus, having received a calling just as we have. Perhaps our labour is a bit different but the source remains the same. I wonder if we have the same insight for our calling. I wonder if we could lose everything and still press on with our call. I wonder.  

Jesus Is Our Life

Imagine if I told you "Man is something I do but it doesn't run my life"? You would probably think I am nuts. "Man" isn't what I do, it is what I am. Everything I do is shaped by the fact that I am a man. I can't stop being a man and decide to be an elephant. I can't set it aside and just be a man during certain days of the week or times of the day. I eat, drink, sleep, work, and play as a man. It is the same with Christianity.

Christianity isn't something we do, it is what we are. Everything we do is shaped by the fact that we are a Christian. We can't stop being a Christian and decide to be something else for a while. We can't set it aside and just be a Christian during certain days of the week or times of the day. We eat, drink, sleep, work, and play as a Christian. It is not an external religion that tries to impact the soul. It is an inner "being" that impacts our environment.

I will keep stressing this until the day I die, we are a new creation, different than what we were before, changed forever. It is like a chemical change, when molecules are all changed around to form something new. We died and were born again as something completely different, capable of doing things that we could not do before and not dependant on the things that were destroying us. Where once we could not avoid the distractions and sins of this world, now we can.

Jesus is not part of our life. He is not someone who hangs around on occasion who we spend time with. He didn't set things in motion and then back off. Jesus is our life:

When Christ, who is your life, appears,then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4)

I don't know if that is sinking in. He is not part of our life; he is our life. I can no more separate him from me than I can separate being a man from me. Everything I think, my perspective, my actions, my reactions all come through Jesus because the life I live I live in Jesus. I gave up my independent life when I died and was raised in Jesus. There was a chemical change that changed everything in me. I am not what once I was, and either are you.

This means we have to stop living according to the pattern of this world and live by the direction of the Holy Spirit. We must allow Jesus to impact every part of us. The Bible is not a set of rules to be followed; it is a bunch of road markers to let us know if we are on the right track. The Word of God is not some old document or history book; it is written on our hearts that we would live it. If we do not see in ourselves what we read in the Word it means that the relationship is not right and we need to deal with it. It is not God working outwards in but inwards out because Jesus is our life.

If Christianity remains a thing of conformity to you then you do not know Jesus. If it is a prudish thing that seems out-dated then you do not know Jesus. If Jesus is something you think about on occasion and a reason to go to church then you do not know Jesus. To know him is to be "chemically" changed forever, having died to what once you were and are now alive in him. If Jesus is not your life now then you will have no eternal life on his appearing.