"Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left." Luke 23:32-33
I have had this coming for quite awhile. Maybe if I did things differently, I wouldn't have to be in this place. Maybe if I had suppressed my desires.
But I indulged them. I am, by all senses of the word, a criminal. Maybe I can't help it.
I've heard about the helpless and sinful state of man, ironically, from the followers of the man on the cross beside me.
But I don't get it. This man, this Jesus, has done nothing wrong. I've heard of the miracles, I've heard his preaching, I know that he is the Son of God. There's no other answer.
So why is he being crucified? Why is he, a perfect man, facing the same grotesque punishment as I am, a sinner and a criminal?
I DESERVE THIS! I went against his Father, the Lord God Almighty, and looked to my own self-preservation instead.
They keep mocking him and tormenting him, those fools!
And Jesus is just taking the punishment. Why? I don't understand!
I don't know much about God or Jesus, but I know that this isn't what he deserves.
He deserves a real crown and a real robe. I am the one who deserves this pain and torment.
Unbelievable. Even the other criminal on the cross is mocking him now, does he not see who this man is?
I yell to him, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." (Luke 23:40-41)
Feeling my own death approaching, I turn to Jesus and ask him to "remember me when he comes into his kingdom" (vs. 42).
And he turns to me and says, "Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." (vs. 43).
I understand now.
But it is so incredible, so unbelievable, I can barely contain myself.
He is doing this for me. He is bearing this burden so I, a sinner, can be forgiven and rejoice with him in paradise.
I have never known love like this. This must have been his mission the whole time.
He came down to earth to save me and everyone else from our sin, because we could not.
I can tell now that I'm about to breath my last.
But that doesn't matter. I welcome my last breath. I am no longer condemned.
I AM FREE.
Not because of myself, but because of what he is doing for me right before my eyes.
I AM REDEEMED.
Not just because I regret what I've done, but because I realize now that Christ is the One who can take away the burden of my sin, because He has taken it upon Himself.
And I breathe my last.
But not as a criminal.
AS A CHILD OF GOD RANSOMED FROM MY SIN.
Thank you Jesus, for bearing our burden upon the cross, giving all of us the chance to be redeemed and set free through a relationship with you just as the criminal being crucified next to you that day you saved us all.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
A Born Again Man
I woke up yesterday morning and began my day as usual, but something was different. I felt a conflict in my soul. There has been a man going around the city, claiming to be a prophet, and doing incredible wonders in the lives of those in the city. He even turned water into wine at a wedding earlier.
But my friends and religious brothers proclaim him to be a heretic, a false prophet.
A blasphemer.
I felt torn. I didn't know what to believe.
The miracles I have seen him perform cannot be done unless they are done by someone come from God.
But my people, the Pharisees, the ones with whom I rule, they condemn him who claims to be the Son of God.
I had to see him, to speak with him, but I couldn't be seen by the others. I decided to go to him in the night.
I approached him last night, and I said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." (John 3:2).
This man, Jesus, said to me that I must be born again. Not physically, but I must be born of the Spirit of God.
I asked how this could possibly be, and what he said I will always remember:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." John 3:16-18
He told me last night that I must believe in the Son of God, who he himself claims to be, and that he was sent by God to save our souls.
And you know what?
I believe him.
He is the Son of God.
This morning I woke up. But something was very different.
I felt alive. Set free. Redeemed. I feel as if the Spirit of God is alive in me.
My life is changed. I am still Nicodemus, but I am a new man.
Now this is in way a historically accurate account. This story is meant to prove a point, to recapture the amazing story of the Gospel. We have more in common with Nicodemus and other biblical characters than we think. We all started out or still start out our days dead in our sins, and a life-changing encounter with Christ has the power to make us alive again, and we can wake up every morning after new creations. Don't let the world keep you from approaching Christ where you are at. Nicodemus didn't, and I promise it will change your life.
It changed mine.
But my friends and religious brothers proclaim him to be a heretic, a false prophet.
A blasphemer.
I felt torn. I didn't know what to believe.
The miracles I have seen him perform cannot be done unless they are done by someone come from God.
But my people, the Pharisees, the ones with whom I rule, they condemn him who claims to be the Son of God.
I had to see him, to speak with him, but I couldn't be seen by the others. I decided to go to him in the night.
I approached him last night, and I said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." (John 3:2).
This man, Jesus, said to me that I must be born again. Not physically, but I must be born of the Spirit of God.
I asked how this could possibly be, and what he said I will always remember:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." John 3:16-18
He told me last night that I must believe in the Son of God, who he himself claims to be, and that he was sent by God to save our souls.
And you know what?
I believe him.
He is the Son of God.
This morning I woke up. But something was very different.
I felt alive. Set free. Redeemed. I feel as if the Spirit of God is alive in me.
My life is changed. I am still Nicodemus, but I am a new man.
Now this is in way a historically accurate account. This story is meant to prove a point, to recapture the amazing story of the Gospel. We have more in common with Nicodemus and other biblical characters than we think. We all started out or still start out our days dead in our sins, and a life-changing encounter with Christ has the power to make us alive again, and we can wake up every morning after new creations. Don't let the world keep you from approaching Christ where you are at. Nicodemus didn't, and I promise it will change your life.
It changed mine.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Reclaiming Passion in a World Seeking Happiness
Passion and happiness don't fit together as perfectly as we want it to. Passion is what keeps us up at night. Passion is what breaks our hearts. Passion is the love for something that has been given to us by no one else but God.
In the past few years, I have realized that God has given me a tremendous passion for working with kids, and ever since I discovered that passion, I have seen my work ethic, my relationships, and so much more in my life grow tremendously.
This drastic change in my life that God has given me by way of passion, has ended up giving me a passion for passion (still figuring out how that works) and after examining the passion in my life and in the lives of others, I've noticed that passion generally invites two things into our lives:
1. Passion invites incredible pain.
I'm not talking about physical pain, unless of course you're passionate about kickboxing or jousting or awesome things like that.
Passion causes you to truly care for something and for the people you encounter along the way, and that invites potential for heartbreak. I guarantee that chasing after your passions will involve let-downs and failures, both on your part or the parts of others, and that's why I, and so many others, have been so afraid of passion. Passion shows you care about something, and that gives you something to lose.
God knows about this more than anyone. He is passionate about His creation, mankind, and the Bible records numerous occasions where He has experienced pain and heartbreak because of the way we have turned our back on God.
As I mentioned, I have a huge passion for working with kids, and that has definitely brought pain in my life. I have seen kids go through horrible situations that I can't help, and I have seen them create horrible situations for themselves. It breaks my heart, and I know so many others who say the same.
However, passion also invites something else:
2. Passion invites indescribable joy.
Yes, passion brings pain, but the joy you experience when chasing a passion is incomparable to anything an dispassionate person could ever experience.
Passion is what brings me to stay up thinking about ways to be better and how to show the love of Christ to the people I'm with. Here's a quick story to illustrate that:
When I was working camp this past summer, I became close with one of the campers, and one day I saw him crying. I found out that he was very homesick and really missed his dad. So, I asked him what he and his dad would do for fun, and he said they always played cards together. After he told me that, I went searching for cards and eventually found some and that night we spent about an hour and a half playing cards, and the way he smiled and laughed brought me so much joy.
The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." 1 John 4:8
I tell that story not to try and convince people that I'm thoughtful or whatever, but to show that Godly passion allows me to do that even though the root of my being is selfish. God is love, and love is at the root of passion. Passion isn't about us, but passion is an invitation for God to work through us to show His love.
That's why he gives us different passions. Passion allows for everyone to be ministered to by people who truly care for and understand them. Please, search for your passion and embrace it.
It won't always invite happiness, but it will invite the love of Christ to you and those around you.
Friday, January 3, 2014
My Experience at Prince of Peace in Guatemala
To start, I jut returned home from a week-long mission trip to Guatemala in which the team and I served the majority of the time at Prince of Peace Home for Girls in San Cristobal. The experience was incredible, and I loved being able to experience a new culture and country. However, this post is not going to be about my clash with another culture. Maybe another post down the road will be, but this one is going to be about the beautiful and incredible girls I met at Prince of Peace.
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world" James 1:27
This verse was our theme verse coming into the mission trip, as we were doing just that: visiting orphans in their trouble, and doing our best to minister to them. However, God gave me so much more than I ever expected before the trip, and it was all due to a single revelation God gave to me when I was there in Guatemala: I was not just serving these girls, but I was serving with them. The incredible group of girls at Prince of Peace aren't some short-term mission project so I could have a new experience, but they are a true God-given gift and they served me every bit as much, if not more, than I served them.
Looking back, this fact was clear starting at the very beginning of the mission trip, because of how much hope could be felt in the home; and this was not because the super-holy American missionaries had come to the rescue. No. It was because God had already done, and was still doing, so much work in the life of each one of those girls.
I know that God did not send my team there, nor any mission team for that matter, to find or bring new hope to the people we meet and serve. I, and every member of my team, was sent there to show those beautiful little girls the hope that had already been provided by Christ. That hope was there long before we showed up last week, in the laughs and smiles of all of the girls, in the incredible sacrifice and love of the people who help to run the home every day, and in so many other places.
My team went in to the trip desiring to serve and love until we couldn't anymore, and God definitely gave us the strength to do that. Yet, God used those girls to serve and love us just as much. There wasn't a "big moment" that everybody hopes for in a mission trip, confusing any emotional experience for life change. It was just the everyday things that those girls did, painting a beautiful canvas of God's love every time I saw one of them. I saw God's unconditional and uncontrollable love through a 9- year old named Luisa, who showed me more love after one day than any person has shown me my whole life. I saw God's passion for His children through the way those girls brought out uncontrollable joy in me (I mean, they even got me to learn a dance to a Justin Bieber song). Finally, I saw God's strength and power through the courage and bravery of every single one of the girls at the home. They have experienced more loss and heartbreak than I can even imagine, whether it was through sexual or physical abuse, neglect, or flat out just not being wanted by their families, and they can still show true love to complete strangers and have the strength and courage to let us in their hearts. These girls are a testament to how God can restore broken people, and howcontagious the joy and love He brings can be.
I definitely plan to go back again, if anything just to let those girls know once again how incredibly special they are, and how much they taught me. God sent me for a reason, and the more I think and reflect, that reason becomes more obvious. Those girls have lived much of their life feeling like they aren't wanted or needed by people. Well, this past week revealed to me that I needed them. My team needed them. We needed to experience their unconditional love, and their God-given beauty inside and out. We weren't called to Guatemala and to Prince of Peace for the girls to see they needed another group of people to rely on. We were called so those girls could see that this group of well-off in every worldly sense of the word American people who didn't seem to need anything needed them. I pray that they saw this week and will continue to see how full of worth they are in God's eyes and in the eyes of His people. Those beautiful, incredible, amazingly valuable girls at Prince of Peace are truly a gift from God in my life and so many others and I hope they always remember that.
If you're reading this, please check out the site for Prince of Peace below and think about how you could serve them. They offer a sponsorship program, as well as an email address if you want to organize a team to go and minister there. Even if those aren't viable options for you, please just look at the list of girls at the home and pray for them. They've been through a lot, but I know God has huge plans for them.
http://www.princeofpeacegt.com
Thank you, and please share this with anyone who has a heart for missions and/or Latin America!
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world" James 1:27
This verse was our theme verse coming into the mission trip, as we were doing just that: visiting orphans in their trouble, and doing our best to minister to them. However, God gave me so much more than I ever expected before the trip, and it was all due to a single revelation God gave to me when I was there in Guatemala: I was not just serving these girls, but I was serving with them. The incredible group of girls at Prince of Peace aren't some short-term mission project so I could have a new experience, but they are a true God-given gift and they served me every bit as much, if not more, than I served them.
Looking back, this fact was clear starting at the very beginning of the mission trip, because of how much hope could be felt in the home; and this was not because the super-holy American missionaries had come to the rescue. No. It was because God had already done, and was still doing, so much work in the life of each one of those girls.
I know that God did not send my team there, nor any mission team for that matter, to find or bring new hope to the people we meet and serve. I, and every member of my team, was sent there to show those beautiful little girls the hope that had already been provided by Christ. That hope was there long before we showed up last week, in the laughs and smiles of all of the girls, in the incredible sacrifice and love of the people who help to run the home every day, and in so many other places.
My team went in to the trip desiring to serve and love until we couldn't anymore, and God definitely gave us the strength to do that. Yet, God used those girls to serve and love us just as much. There wasn't a "big moment" that everybody hopes for in a mission trip, confusing any emotional experience for life change. It was just the everyday things that those girls did, painting a beautiful canvas of God's love every time I saw one of them. I saw God's unconditional and uncontrollable love through a 9- year old named Luisa, who showed me more love after one day than any person has shown me my whole life. I saw God's passion for His children through the way those girls brought out uncontrollable joy in me (I mean, they even got me to learn a dance to a Justin Bieber song). Finally, I saw God's strength and power through the courage and bravery of every single one of the girls at the home. They have experienced more loss and heartbreak than I can even imagine, whether it was through sexual or physical abuse, neglect, or flat out just not being wanted by their families, and they can still show true love to complete strangers and have the strength and courage to let us in their hearts. These girls are a testament to how God can restore broken people, and howcontagious the joy and love He brings can be.
I definitely plan to go back again, if anything just to let those girls know once again how incredibly special they are, and how much they taught me. God sent me for a reason, and the more I think and reflect, that reason becomes more obvious. Those girls have lived much of their life feeling like they aren't wanted or needed by people. Well, this past week revealed to me that I needed them. My team needed them. We needed to experience their unconditional love, and their God-given beauty inside and out. We weren't called to Guatemala and to Prince of Peace for the girls to see they needed another group of people to rely on. We were called so those girls could see that this group of well-off in every worldly sense of the word American people who didn't seem to need anything needed them. I pray that they saw this week and will continue to see how full of worth they are in God's eyes and in the eyes of His people. Those beautiful, incredible, amazingly valuable girls at Prince of Peace are truly a gift from God in my life and so many others and I hope they always remember that.
If you're reading this, please check out the site for Prince of Peace below and think about how you could serve them. They offer a sponsorship program, as well as an email address if you want to organize a team to go and minister there. Even if those aren't viable options for you, please just look at the list of girls at the home and pray for them. They've been through a lot, but I know God has huge plans for them.
http://www.princeofpeacegt.com
Thank you, and please share this with anyone who has a heart for missions and/or Latin America!
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