Jesus did not come into this world as a human to gain status or political power. He came to suffer and die so that we could have eternal life. Did you know that? One of Christ's most important attributes is his servant attitude and I fear that sometimes we forget about that. I know I do. In our world today it's easy to get caught up in ourselves and not others. We get in such in a routine of going to class, doing homework, studying, going to practice, etc. Day after day week after week it seems like we are doing the same thing over and over again. To prove my point, next time you walk to class or do your daily activities, pay attention to the people that you see on a daily basis and I bet you see those people around the same time every single day.
But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. (Hebrews 2:9-10)
In suffering death, Christ brought many sons and daughters to glory. Because of his servants attitude.
Jesus was made perfect through his suffering. His suffering made him a perfect leader of our salvation. Jesus didn't have to experience the suffering he experienced for his own salvation, because he was God in human form. His perfect obedience demonstrates that he was the complete sacrifice for us. Through suffering, Jesus completed the work necessary for our own salvation. Our suffering can make us more sensitive servants of God.
If you have experienced some sort of hurt or pain in your life you are able to reach out with compassion to others who are hurt or who are going through some of the same hardships that you went through. When we suffer, think about asking God how we can use that experience to help others.
I encourage you all (including myself) to have that "it's not about me" attitude this upcoming week. Try it out. Put others before yourself. You can do it in the smallest ways. You could stand in talk for somebody for a couple of minutes instead of just saying..."How are you?" Ask a friend to go out to eat, to grab a coffee, to do homework. You can have a servant's attitude in many different ways. Strive to be just like Jesus. He was the perfect human leader. He wants to lead you. He is the perfect human model...and he is worth imitating. He is the perfect human sacrifice...and he died for you. He is the perfect human conqueror...and he conquered death to give you eternal life. He is the perfect human high priest...and he is merciful, loving, and understanding. God, in Christ, became a living, breathing human being for us.
Sunday, February 10, 2019
Thursday, February 7, 2019
A Reconciled Runaway
The book of Philemon is incredibly short. It is only one chapter! It's a super cool story too. The overall purpose of this letter written to Philemon was to convince Philemon to forgive his runaway salve, Onesimus, and to accept him as a brother in faith. There are many powerful lessons that come from this story and I hope that I can clearly present them in a way that makes sense to you so that you can be encouraged.
Paul wrote this letter when he was on house arrest. Onesimus was a runaway slave that belonged to Philemon and he had made his way to Rome. In Rome, it is said that Paul helped lead him to Christ. Which there aren't many details about, and I wish that there were. Paul convinced Onesimus that running from his problems wouldn't solve them, and he persuaded him to return to his master. This letter was written in hope that Philemon would reconcile his runaway slave.
Now just imagine being in the shoes of Onesimus. He had just ran away from his owner and had no idea what to do next. Slave owners had the power to kill any slave that had runaway, so Onesimus feared for his life.
One of the things that I really like about this story is how Paul made it known how thankful he was for his brother in Christ, Philemon.
"because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be affected in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord's people." (Philemon 1:5-7)
That is refreshing encouragement. Philemon knew how to be refreshing. He was able to revive and restore his brothers and sisters in the faith. His love and generosity had replenished and stimulated them. Philemon was also able to encourage Paul by his love and loyalty. Can you think of those people who are refreshing to you? For me when I think of those people, I think of them being unbreakable. Nothing kills their moods. Whether they have a good day or bad day they are uplifting, encouraging, and refreshing. Are you spiritually refreshing towards other believers?
When Paul began to appeal for Onesimus, he makes it known that he could be bold and order him to do what he was supposed to do and that was return to Philemon. But Paul made his appeal on the basis of love and Philemon's Christian commitment. Are you making decisions based on how you should make them? Or how Jesus would make them?
Throughout the bible it seems like when God finds runaways, he often sends them back to the very places and people from which they ran in the first place. As God has become real in your life, how has your past come into new perspectives? For me, I look back at decisions I have made in the past. It's easy to say that now that I look back at it, I never would've made those decisions, but those decisions that I made led to me growing in ways that I never thought I would. You can't really runaway from the decisions and choices that you have made. God has a way of bringing those back for an even greater purpose. Don't get me wrong, you are still made brand new in the eyes of Christ. Christ gives new opportunities and resources for you that you may have used to run from. God must have a special heart for runaways, and we have all ran way from something at some point in time in our lives and God loves us!
When Onesimus became a Christian, he became a brother to Philemon. When we become brothers we are both members of God's family-equals in Christ. A Christian's commitment to being a member of God's family transcends all other distinctions among believers. We can't ever look down on other believers. It's too easy to do that sometimes. We are all members of one big family and need to start living that way. It's a hard thing to do because of the world that we live in.
In verse, 17 Paul refers to Philemon as a "partner." He didn't mean partner in the business world but a partner in grace. Paul and Philemon shared the same experience in Jesus Christ of being saved; in the sense, they were equals. Too often our relationships reflect a tolerance for one another other than a true partnership. This encourages me and is convicting at the same time. I am encouraged to develop true partnerships with other believers rather than just having a tolerance for them. It's way too easy to just tolerate other believers and I don't want to tolerate anymore. A tolerant relationship is a mile wide and an inch deep.
The last part of this story that is admirable is how Paul helps takeaway some of the fear that Onesimus has in returning to Philemon. Paul offers to repay Philemon for anything that was stolen or any wrong doings for which Onesimus might be responsible for. Paul's investment in the life of this new believer certainly was encouraging and uplifting and really made me think. Are there young believers out there right now who need me to demonstrate such self-sacrifice toward them? Most certainly! There are so many ways out there in which believers can invest into other believers. Are you making that investment?
That's the story of Philemon. I hope you were able to to pick out some things from this post and be encouraged by them. It's amazing how much you can learn from one story.
Paul wrote this letter when he was on house arrest. Onesimus was a runaway slave that belonged to Philemon and he had made his way to Rome. In Rome, it is said that Paul helped lead him to Christ. Which there aren't many details about, and I wish that there were. Paul convinced Onesimus that running from his problems wouldn't solve them, and he persuaded him to return to his master. This letter was written in hope that Philemon would reconcile his runaway slave.
Now just imagine being in the shoes of Onesimus. He had just ran away from his owner and had no idea what to do next. Slave owners had the power to kill any slave that had runaway, so Onesimus feared for his life.
One of the things that I really like about this story is how Paul made it known how thankful he was for his brother in Christ, Philemon.
"because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be affected in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord's people." (Philemon 1:5-7)
That is refreshing encouragement. Philemon knew how to be refreshing. He was able to revive and restore his brothers and sisters in the faith. His love and generosity had replenished and stimulated them. Philemon was also able to encourage Paul by his love and loyalty. Can you think of those people who are refreshing to you? For me when I think of those people, I think of them being unbreakable. Nothing kills their moods. Whether they have a good day or bad day they are uplifting, encouraging, and refreshing. Are you spiritually refreshing towards other believers?
When Paul began to appeal for Onesimus, he makes it known that he could be bold and order him to do what he was supposed to do and that was return to Philemon. But Paul made his appeal on the basis of love and Philemon's Christian commitment. Are you making decisions based on how you should make them? Or how Jesus would make them?
Throughout the bible it seems like when God finds runaways, he often sends them back to the very places and people from which they ran in the first place. As God has become real in your life, how has your past come into new perspectives? For me, I look back at decisions I have made in the past. It's easy to say that now that I look back at it, I never would've made those decisions, but those decisions that I made led to me growing in ways that I never thought I would. You can't really runaway from the decisions and choices that you have made. God has a way of bringing those back for an even greater purpose. Don't get me wrong, you are still made brand new in the eyes of Christ. Christ gives new opportunities and resources for you that you may have used to run from. God must have a special heart for runaways, and we have all ran way from something at some point in time in our lives and God loves us!
When Onesimus became a Christian, he became a brother to Philemon. When we become brothers we are both members of God's family-equals in Christ. A Christian's commitment to being a member of God's family transcends all other distinctions among believers. We can't ever look down on other believers. It's too easy to do that sometimes. We are all members of one big family and need to start living that way. It's a hard thing to do because of the world that we live in.
In verse, 17 Paul refers to Philemon as a "partner." He didn't mean partner in the business world but a partner in grace. Paul and Philemon shared the same experience in Jesus Christ of being saved; in the sense, they were equals. Too often our relationships reflect a tolerance for one another other than a true partnership. This encourages me and is convicting at the same time. I am encouraged to develop true partnerships with other believers rather than just having a tolerance for them. It's way too easy to just tolerate other believers and I don't want to tolerate anymore. A tolerant relationship is a mile wide and an inch deep.
The last part of this story that is admirable is how Paul helps takeaway some of the fear that Onesimus has in returning to Philemon. Paul offers to repay Philemon for anything that was stolen or any wrong doings for which Onesimus might be responsible for. Paul's investment in the life of this new believer certainly was encouraging and uplifting and really made me think. Are there young believers out there right now who need me to demonstrate such self-sacrifice toward them? Most certainly! There are so many ways out there in which believers can invest into other believers. Are you making that investment?
That's the story of Philemon. I hope you were able to to pick out some things from this post and be encouraged by them. It's amazing how much you can learn from one story.
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Faithful Service
I don't plan on making this post long, the goal of this post is to help you understand what it means to do good works. What comes to your mind when you think of good works? For me I think of doing things for other people, serving, visiting charities, etc. I think of all of those things that we think we should do because we think that we have to. I think there are still a lot of people out there who think that we need to do good works so that we make it to heaven. Those things don't directly correlate. We don't have to do good works in order to get to heaven.
This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. (Titus 3:8)
When we trust in God, we must devote ourselves to doing what is good. Everyone should have a pretty good idea in their heads what the difference between what doing good vs. doing bad is. We are human. Things that are good are excellent and profitable for everyone. Boom. Do I need to say that again? Things that are good are excellent and profitable for everyone. Are you doing things in your daily life that are excellent and profitable for other people? I know I fail at that almost on a daily basis. It's easy to focus on doing the things that our profitable for ourselves. It's not even a bad thing to focus on it when you think of yourself but part of being a Christian is showing how God changed your life and showing people that you have complete and 100% faith in Christ Jesus.
When Paul would write, he understood good words as faithful service, acts of charity, and involvement in civil affairs. While good works can't save us or even increase God's love for us, they are true indications of our faith and love for Christ. Paul never made this aspect of discipleship optional. Service to others is something that is a requirement. Everyone who is a Christian should be involved.
Are you involved in faithful service? We are actually going on a field trip to Hope Ministries tomorrow in downtown South Bend for our Public Relations class and I find that it was definitely a God thing that I read about faithful service the night before that field trip.
I hope you have a better understanding of what it means to do good works and what that looks like in your daily lives. Remember, we don't do good works to look good, but as an indication of our faith and love for Christ.
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
What is going on up there?
What is going on in your head? What are you thinking about? Would your thoughts be pleasing to God? Would your thoughts be pleasing to your parents?
The answer to all of those questions os probably something along the line of you not wanting to share some of the things you think about, and that God and your parents probably wouldn't want to know about all of the things we think about. It's an evil, sinful, and corrupt world so of course there are going to be things that go through our minds that probably shouldn't.
One of the things that I pray for everyday is discernment that is pleasing to the Lord. Discernment in my thoughts, to be more specific. Every time I catch myself thinking about something, I hope that I have the awareness to recognize that I probably shouldn't be thinking that way.
"To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted." (Titus 1:15)
Some people see good all around them, while others see nothing but evil. After reading that sentence I am sure that you thought of a person who sees everything in a good and positive manner and then someone who is just negative all of the time. Our souls become filters through which we perceive goodness or evil. The pure (those who have Christ in control of their lives) learn to see the goodness and purity even in this evil world. But the corrupt and unbelieving people find evil in everything because their evil minds and hers color even the good they see and hear.
Whatever you choose to fill your mind with will affect the way you think and act. If you want to think positively and in a pure way, will your mind that way and fill your mind and heart with Christ and that will happen. Everything is such a mind game.
We need to turn our thoughts to God and his word and when we do that we will discover more and more goodness, even in the evil world.
A mind filled with good has little room for what is evil.
I hope this post encourages you to fill your minds with what is good and when you do that, things will become so much more positive and uplifting.
The answer to all of those questions os probably something along the line of you not wanting to share some of the things you think about, and that God and your parents probably wouldn't want to know about all of the things we think about. It's an evil, sinful, and corrupt world so of course there are going to be things that go through our minds that probably shouldn't.
One of the things that I pray for everyday is discernment that is pleasing to the Lord. Discernment in my thoughts, to be more specific. Every time I catch myself thinking about something, I hope that I have the awareness to recognize that I probably shouldn't be thinking that way.
"To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted." (Titus 1:15)
Some people see good all around them, while others see nothing but evil. After reading that sentence I am sure that you thought of a person who sees everything in a good and positive manner and then someone who is just negative all of the time. Our souls become filters through which we perceive goodness or evil. The pure (those who have Christ in control of their lives) learn to see the goodness and purity even in this evil world. But the corrupt and unbelieving people find evil in everything because their evil minds and hers color even the good they see and hear.
Whatever you choose to fill your mind with will affect the way you think and act. If you want to think positively and in a pure way, will your mind that way and fill your mind and heart with Christ and that will happen. Everything is such a mind game.
We need to turn our thoughts to God and his word and when we do that we will discover more and more goodness, even in the evil world.
A mind filled with good has little room for what is evil.
I hope this post encourages you to fill your minds with what is good and when you do that, things will become so much more positive and uplifting.
Monday, February 4, 2019
God saved my dad's life
Five year ago I was a Junior at Archbold High School. It was one of the craziest winters I had ever experienced. We had like two straight weeks off from school and it was amazing. I loved having so many snow days. This snow day was different than any other...back in high school I would actually sleep in a little bit so I woke up around 9:30. I walked downstairs to hang out with my mom and right away I noticed that she wasn't herself. I could tell that she had been crying and that something must have happened.
The first thing she said to me was that: "Your dad is okay, he was in an accident."
My first thought was there is no way, everybody always says that when somebody is in an accident. Immediately my heart dropped. I never thought anything could happen to my dad. He is like superman! Being a child of someone who does what he does everyday, God has given me a lot of peace and not fear because my dad can be put into dangerous situations every day. I am forever thankful that God gives me peace and not fear. So with the peace that I had, I never really fear anything happening because I trust God to protect my dad everyday.
I remember bombarding my mom with questions. What happened? Is he okay? Are you sure he is okay? Where is he? etc. I had so many questions and she was calm with every answer that she had. I asked her if she had a picture and she showed me the picture of his car. The picture is what did it for me. Once I saw the picture, that is when I thought that there was no way that he is okay. His Dodge charger was totally smashed.
When I saw the picture it hit me. I was able to keep it pretty cool in front of my mom, but I decided to go upstairs and I went straight to my bed and balled my eyes out. I couldn't believe that something like this happened to my dad. Even knowing that he was okay, it was one of the hardest things I have ever experienced. I was in shock. It begin to sink in that if God wouldn't have saved my dad I would've lost him. I wasn't ready for that and I will never be ready for that.
While all of this was happening my brother was still asleep. I remember when we woke up to tell him and I could see in his eyes that he was shocked as well. All I wanted to do was drive to the hospital to see him. The roads were terrible but all I wanted was to see my dad. I remember driving to the hospital with knots in my stomach because I never thought I would be driving to see my dad in the hospital after being hit by a semi. I was more scared for that moment than any other moment in my lifetime.
As we got closer to the hospital I kept getting more and more nervous. We walked into the hospital and we asked to see Vern Fisher. I remember walking into this room and he was still had most of his patrol uniform on and he was hooked up to some IV's or something like that. He had a couple scratches on his face and a sore neck. He looked a hundred times better than what I expected. When I was able to walk in, see him smiling, hug him, and tell him I loved him, I was immediately at peace. I was so happy to see that my dad was okay. He was smiling and joking around just like he normally does. There were other state troopers there to see him and it was cool to see the brotherhood that those men have. Every officer who came in was in shock that my dad was okay after seeing the pictures of his car.
So what exactly happened? What miracle took place?
My dad was citing a crash while he was sitting in his Dodge charger on the media of the toll road. While he was sitting in his car, he was rear ended by a semi truck that was going about 40 mph. The semi smashed the back of his car all the way up to where he was sitting. The Dodge charger he was in had a cage in the middle of it and that is where all of the damage was pushed too. The cage saved my dad's life.
Here is the crazy part. That morning, my dad was supposed to drive to Findlay, Ohio to get a different patrol car. I believe he was supposed to get a Ford explorer. This explorer didn't have a cage in it. If my dad would have been in the explorer like he was supposed to be, he could've been injured even worse or even killed.
Looking back at everything even right now as I write this post makes me emotional because God really did save my dad's life that day.
God saved my dad's life that day and that day changed our lives as a family forever.
Sunday, February 3, 2019
God never lies
A simple and short post is what you are about to get today. This is nothing special but I hope you can be encouraged by it.
I would think that we would all know this, but God never lies.
"...in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not like, promised before the beginning of time...." (Titus 1:2)
The book of Titus was written by Paul, to Titus who has on the island of Crete. Paul had originally sent Titus to Crete in order to organize and oversee the churches that were there. This is a letter that is telling Titus how to do his job. The island of Crete wasn't a very glamorous place, it was full of liars and laziness.
Since lying was a commonplace in Crete, Paul made it clear at the start of the chapter that God does not lie. The foundation of our faith is trust in God's character. Because God is truth, he is the source of all truth, and he cannot lie. Believing in him leads to godliness, living a God-honoring lifestyle. The eternal life that God has promised will be ours, because he keeps his promises. Build your faith on the foundation of a trustworthy God who never lies.
God never lies. God never lies. God never lies. Let that be your encouragement today and as you start out your week.
I would think that we would all know this, but God never lies.
"...in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not like, promised before the beginning of time...." (Titus 1:2)
The book of Titus was written by Paul, to Titus who has on the island of Crete. Paul had originally sent Titus to Crete in order to organize and oversee the churches that were there. This is a letter that is telling Titus how to do his job. The island of Crete wasn't a very glamorous place, it was full of liars and laziness.
Since lying was a commonplace in Crete, Paul made it clear at the start of the chapter that God does not lie. The foundation of our faith is trust in God's character. Because God is truth, he is the source of all truth, and he cannot lie. Believing in him leads to godliness, living a God-honoring lifestyle. The eternal life that God has promised will be ours, because he keeps his promises. Build your faith on the foundation of a trustworthy God who never lies.
God never lies. God never lies. God never lies. Let that be your encouragement today and as you start out your week.
Friday, February 1, 2019
Keep the faith
The day that we decided to make Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior we begin running the race. I am sure you have heard that before, it's all over the word of God. 2 Timothy is the last book of the bible that Paul wrote and in chapter 4, he begins to write the last words he ever wrote.
"For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the good faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will reward to me on that day-and not only me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:6-8)
Paul knows and understands that his time is coming to an end and he is fully confident that he fought the good fight. He knows that he has finished the race that he has talked about his whole life and that he has kept his faith through it all. Paul knows that there is a crown of righteousness that the Lord will reward him and all of those who have longed for his appearing.
Paul was fully confident that he has fulfilled his call. In this final time of his life, he is facing death with a certain calamity knowing that he was going to be rewarded by Christ. Are you prepared for death right now? Do you share Paul's confident expectation of meeting Christ? I hope you do! What is encouraging is that the heavenly reward isn't just for people like Paul, it's for all who have eagerly looked forward to Jesus' second coming. The words that Paul gave are very encouraging, and Paul wants to encourage all of us to keep fighting the good fight and running the race no matter how difficult it may seem. When we are with Jesus Christ, we will discover that it was all worth it.
Although Paul would not receive in earthly reward, he would be rewarded in heaven. Whatever we may face-discouragement, persecution, death-we know we will receive rewards with Christ in heaven. Way too often we focus on earthly rewards, I don't know why that is. When we have an earthly reward focus we get distracted and forget about running the race to receive the heavenly reward.
I encourage you to keep faith and to keep on running the race. Listen, this race doesn't end. You don't get to take a break when you get tired. You can't get tired and not decide to run anymore. You can't decide to take a couple of days off. The race begins when you give your life to Christ and it ends when you are in heaven someday. Keep on fighting the good fight, it will all be worth it.
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