Before Time

  There was a time before time. It was not really time, but eternity. That is a really hard concept for me to grasp as a human being. An even harder concept to grasp as an American. So much of my life revolves around the clock. That is just a side note though.
  Before God create spoke the universe into being, He planned time. He knew He would create man, and He knew man would fall from Him and need a savior. In I Peter 1:20 we read, "He (Christ) was chosen from before the creation of the world but was revealed in these last times for your sake." Even before humanity had fallen, even before the world was spoken into existence, God formed the plan of salvation. How could we not love and honor a God who made a way to save us even before we sinned?

The Privilege of Obedience

  Obedience is a privilege. That can be a hard concept to grasp. I usually do not count it a privilege to obey because, thanks to my human nature, I usually think of obedience as an unpleasant duty I owe to figures in authority. My inner demons are repelled by the idea of submission and oftentimes I hear the message that freedom comes from rebellion.
  Freedom does not come from rebellion though. This sick and twisted world has so warped our minds that we think what is wrong is right and what is right is wrong. Freedom comes from obedience. I am free because, through Christ, I have been born into a life of obedience. In I Peter 2:24 we read, "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed." Growing up in church I have heard this verse a lot. It throws a wrench in the world's philosophy about freedom. Christ died so that we would be free from the sins the world says will give us freedom. As a Christian I have died to sin so I can live a life of righteousness in obedience to God. I have been granted the privilege of being able to obey God.
  Christianity is different from other religions. Obedience is not a burden I carry around so I can get more brownie points and climb higher up on heaven's social ladder. I obey God out of love for Him. I live for a God who is so great it brings me joy to be able to obey Him. Obedience becomes my great privilege.
 

  Spring. The time of year when it feels good to have dirt between your toes and you want your lungs to explode from breathing in fresh air.

Just a Weirdo

  There are times when those of us who are Christians have to bite the bullet and just be weird. The Bible does not bid us to be culturally relevant, we are commanded to be holy as Christ is holy. It is not that we cannot do things that the world does, we have to eat and wear clothes. Chances are we read books and listen to music and watch movies. We just need to evaluate the choices we make in light of Scripture. I have been studying 1 Peter for the past two week and every time I read through the book, I am struck by these two verses:

  I Peter 4:3-4, "For you have spent enough time in the past doing what the pagans chose to do-living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry. They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you."(NIV)

  As Christians we do have to live in this world, but we are not a part of it. We are not being washed away in a flood of dissipation. The world is blissfully unaware the path they are on is a downward spiral into eternal punishment because they are too busy living in the here and now. We as Christians are on the path to life. We see the empty things of this world for what they are.
  So we get to be weirdoes. We do not do what everybody else is doing. We are pursuing holiness, not happiness. We need to expect the abuse the world heaps on us in this life. Better to be thought a weirdo now then to hear Christ say, "Depart from me you worker of iniquity, I never knew you."
 

dishes.

 

 There are some household chores I do not like. Hate may even be an appropriate way to describe my feelings for them at times. One of those chores is the dishes. I have read lovely essays, written by people who live pretend lives, lauding the wonders of doing the dishes. I have heard people say doing the dishes is therapeutic, I have heard people say it is fun to make dirty things clean again. Something is wrong with people like that. Most days I can grit my teeth and bear it while I swirl soapy water on the dishes used for the most recent meal. Then there are those days when I want to slam each dish on the counter to hear it crash and yell, "FREEDOM!" Last night was one of those nights.
  We ate a semi-hurried dinner before leaving for church, and there was a pile of unwashed dishes to be done when we got home. A mountain of dishes is not a welcoming sight, so I griped while I was up to my elbows in soap suds and thought about what a terrible place the world is because people have to come home to dirty dishes. I guess that is pretty silly. There are much worse things I could be doing like scrubbing toilets or cleaning the fridge. I will be finished washing the dishes at some point, and then someone will get them dirty again, and I will get to wash them again.

"I will show you my faith by what I do."

  As Christians, we are not saved by our works, but our works show our faith and often separate us from the rest of the world. Or at least they should. Christians do not do works for our own advancement, but out of love for our Heavenly Father. That is another thing that separates Christianity from other religions. While "religious" people run around doing their deeds in hopes of racking enough points to earn another merit badge, Christians show love to those around them because of the great love they have been given.
  We need to remember that as Christians we obey God out of love for Him. God loved us so much He came to this earth and died in our place. Can we do any less than joyfully obey Him?

You're Not Good Enough

  Something about mankind wants to work for that which we call our own. Of course humans can be lazy and just expect things to fall into our laps, but we generally enjoy being able to say, "I did that myself." That is probably why many people reject the gospel. It just does not make sense that we can receive salvation as a free gift. It even offends us. We do not want to accept the offer of salvation because we want to save ourselves.
  Manmade religions always involve works. If you work hard enough, love enough, endure enough, salvation is yours for the taking and on your own credit. Christianity is different because it offers no hope for earning your own salvation. There is probably no religion that offends ones pride more then Christianity. There is nothing for you to earn because you cannot earn anything on your own. Christianity is not a religion of works, it is a lifestyle of faith. Faith in the grace of God, faith in Christ sacrifice for one's atonement as the only means of salvation.
  Personally, I have done some good in this world, but I cannot put any hope in the good I have done because my sin tips the scales out of my favor. And yet, in all of my sin, Christ loved me. He did not love me because of any qualities of my own, but simply because He wanted to. He, the God of the universe, left His throne in heaven and became a man. He walked this earth as a human being. He bore all my sin and died the death I deserve to die. Then He rose from the grave and conquered death so that I too can live forever, made perfect by His grace alone. My salvation is completely independent of anything I have done. And that is the beauty of Christianity: it is not a religion of works.