All This Convenience...

...and yet I still continue to wrestle daily with time spent studying the Word, conversing with the Lord, being with His people and intentionally in the world.

I didn't wake up and build a fire. I didn't harvest and roast my own beans. I didn't grind the coffee. In fact, this morning I didn't even prepare the coffee or push the button. I simply poured it into my cup and sipped...slowly.

I like technology. I like the accessibility and the freedom. I like the convenience. But I say that I love Jesus. I say that I only want to glorify Him. I say that I'm eternally thankful for salvation. And I believe that I am...but why so little time focused on Him when so much more time is available to be with Him thanks to these modern conveniences.

'As you come to him, the living Stone - rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him - you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood' 1 Peter 2:4-5

How awesome a house this is! We are a priests and priestesses. We aren't couch potatoes or workaholics neither of which own a righteous focus or offer 'acceptable sacrifices.' We are recreated to move and breath and live and serve and all very intentionally for the glory of God in Christlikeness.

Use the coffee maker. I will. I can't imagine life without it. But the moment you and I, the living stones, abuse this convenience for self devotion...we've missed the blessing of it.

Rather than wasting that beautiful coffee time...use it. Use it to fullest to 'come to Him, the living Stone.'

What conveniences in your life need to be reevaluated or redeemed or rejected?

Sellvation...

Have I bought into a doctrine that truly has nothing to do with the Kingdom of God?

I recently watched The Greatest Movie Ever Sold with Morgan Spurlock and it got me thinking about what I've really bought into in with this Christian worldview?

Have I bought into the reality of salvation - where I repent from everything that isn't focused on glorifying God first and foremost, sinful actions and neutral ones alike.

Or have I have bought into sellvation - have I bought my Christianity. A give-and-God-will-give-back-ten-fold financially/materially right-here and right-now type of faith. Do my motives, actions and beliefs line up with the 'come to Christ with empty hands and receive salvation' Scriptural approach - or have I been attempting to buy my way into a relationship with Jesus, into the Kingdom? Sellvation.

Sellvation is quite deceiving isn't it. In the end I'll have purchased nothing right. Like throwing goats into a volcano to please the gods or meditating on nothing until I no longer exist...meaningless. I'll never buy enough, offer enough nor meditate purely enough.

Salvation on the other hand - well it's definition says it all - yeshua in the OT was used of deliverance, a rescuer, a savior - likewise soteria in the NT. It's enough in itself.

No one can purchase divine deliverance. It came to us. It's offered. The price was already paid by Yeshua the Soter - by Jesus the Savior.

Do we really have anything more valuable to offer?

Branding...

Whether you realize it or not, everything you do works for or against your personal brand. Your beliefs, culture, friends, clothing, cars, music etc. all play a role in shaping who you are. To varying degrees they're a glimpse of who you are: how you think, how you view yourself and the world.

But if every tangible item, action, desire that you feel defines you were stripped away - if you were left naked as a new-born-babe - would your brand also disappear or is there more to who you?

The real question is: 'Is Christ your brand?'

Are you a 'cattle-branded' disciple (Philippians 2:1-11)? Have you been bought out and transformed into something new and refreshing (2 Corinthians 5:17)?

When you 'ascend the hill of the Lord' are you coming with empty hands in need of branding or are you presenting your own image you wish to offer Him?

Take personal inventory. Do you need to re-brand?

Idea of branding from POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Psalm 24 - hill of the Lord

Give All or Most...

To the Young Rich Leader who claimed perfection, Jesus reads his heart and mind and soul - and tells him to sell everything he owns. Not just sell it but give the proceeds to the poor

...and be left with nothing but an authentic trust in the Lord. Genuine Faith.

In Lukes Gospel, in the very next chapter we meet Zacchaeus, a jewish tax collector, seemingly a traitor working for the filthy Romans.

When Zac was acknowledged by Jesus on the road, before Jesus even had an opportunity to personally challenge him, Zac repents.

'Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor...[and to those I've ripped off] I will pay back four times the amount.'

To the Perfect Rich Leader, Jesus had to confront with a heavy challenge in order to see Truth.

To the filthy traitor tax collector, Jesus only had to acknowledge him and he was willing to repent.

What's interesting is what each man is convicted to give to follow Jesus. The Rich Leader was externally convicted to give up everything, it's what he needed to do in the deepest recesses of his heart to see Jesus' righteousness and find salvation.

Zacchaeus, however, was internally convicted to only give half of his possessions, not all possessions like the Rich Leader. Sure he would pay back those he stole from 4x over but Jesus never had to challenge him to leave his home, belongings or family. Zacchaeus understood repentance to find salvation.

From the Garden until today, God desires a righteous and willing heart to connect with. Even more - having a pure heart is great but without action the heart never experiences true holiness. Zacchaeus didn't have to give everything up - his heart connected with Jesus' truth and his actions showed this.

Maybe I need to give more than I have.
Maybe I need to search my heart the way Jesus does.
I truly hope the American Dream and all it's economic instability doesn't pull me down to the bloody depths...

Taken from Lukes Gospel 18:18-30/19:1-10