Gospel

The Boomerang of Justice

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Have you ever been wronged?

A question like this opens a floodgate of memories and emotions for many of us. Scars ache as we unravel the mental note that lists our offenders. We see their faces, hear their names, and remember how they made us feel in those dark times. Sadness turns to anger. Anger to contempt.

We all share this experience. We have all been wronged, and usually, it’s not hard to recite those instances because of the deep wounds they leave behind.

But the wounds we sustain are often felt more than the wounds we inflict.

Everyone who has been wronged has also done wrong. This is common ground we aren’t as quick to discuss.

Most of us would feel a bit awkward if asked about a time we wronged someone. If we’re honest, we struggle with that notion. Many will remember somebody being hurt by something they did or said, but this recognition is handcuffed to a caveat or justification of why it was an overreaction. Perhaps we see the conceit in claiming perfect innocence, so we try and come up with something “respectable” to show that we are self-aware but far from the criminal on the news.

The fact that we are wrongdoers doesn’t invalidate or silence the call for justice for what we have suffered. The wrongs we have done do, however, issue their own cry for justice.

Thus, we are not simply plaintiffs in this life with a pile of cases against our offenders. We are also defendants for whom there is a line of people out the courthouse doors ready to make their case against us.

This realization ought to be a wake-up call. The retribution price we rightly desire from others is a boomerang that comes right back for us.

That’s not the worst of it, though. We know that there are right and wrong present in this world only because of the One who has given us a conscience to detect them. So, our crimes are not only against the created but much more so against their Creator.

It is here where the impossibly dense weight of the cost we each owe is felt. A sinner sinning against a sinner is one thing. But one sinning against the sinless creator God? Surely, there is no payment they can make to adequately level the scales of justice. What they need is atonement.

Atonement is a strong word. It washes away the cosmetic deceit from the hideous face of sin. Biblical atonement demands death. Only death and torment, of the physical body and the eternal soul, atone for something so opposed to God and His holiness as sin. These cover what true justice says is lacking when any crime against the Almighty and His creation is committed.

Atonement means somebody dies because of sin – but not the sinner. Justice will be served – but not by the guilty.

Leviticus 16 describes a process God put in place in ancient Israel to provide grace and justice simultaneously. As Aaron, the first priest, approached God in the Holy of Holies to make atonement each year, he deserved to die for his sin. The people whom he represented deserved to die for their sins. Yet, it was the blood of an unblemished bull that Aaron presented for himself and the blood of an unblemished goat that he presented for the people of Israel that satisfied God’s wrath.

In His grace, God instructed Aaron and all the other priests after him to sprinkle the blood of these spotless animals on what He called the mercy seat. But one priest was different. He needed no bull blood. He had no sin of his own to atone. It was His righteous blood that the bulls and goats pointed towards. They were merely a placeholder until He arrived.

Jesus, the great high priest, shed His spotless blood for the sins of the world. That includes both the wrongs done to you and the wrongs that you have done.

God presents Him to be received by faith, as a gift.

He offers not only a better way to live, or an example to follow. He offers Himself. And in Himself, everlasting life, the forgiveness of sins.

Your sin means you deserve death and hell. But Jesus, in His death and resurrection, delivers your atonement. Your living hope, the anchor for your soul.

Have you received Him?

Check out the texts below for more!

Leviticus 16

Hebrews 9:11-28

Romans 3

Voices

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We live in a noisy world.

Billions of voices fill it.

The volume of worldviews and ideologies we encounter each day hums in our minds like voices in a packed stadium.

To hear the friend seated next to us at a game, we must stick our ears as close to their mouths as possible. Especially if you’re in Philadelphia! The same holds true when attempting to discern truth in a world filled with alternative voices.

Its easy to grow weary and become bogged down with complex questions. I’ve been there. Does the quantity of perspectives and beliefs mean there can’t be one correct one? Is it being arrogant to assert your belief as true? Is it the loudness or popularity of a voice that makes it accurate?

As the noise level rises, it doesn’t necessarily matter how disciplined your mind is or how dialed in your ears. The noise of this world will confuse, destroy, and intimidate those who call it home.

Everyone has beliefs. A belief, by definition, is something one holds to be true. It seems asserting your beliefs only becomes arrogant when someone else’s belief disagrees. Not everyone will literally come out and say this, but when we have a belief we long to convince others to accept, we say in our hearts:

“Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

Ironically, the same can be said of the belief that holds there is no absolute truth because everything is equally true. That belief is self-defeating because it relies upon the very thing it says doesn’t exist to survive and be accepted. Centuries of history show how popular opinion shifts and something held as true for centuries, such as the a geocentric view of the universe, can be proven false by a quiet minority.

So why is it when Jesus of Nazareth says,

“Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

we respond like Pilate, who asked,

“What is truth?”

In one breath we fight for truth and hold unswervingly to our definition of what is true. In another, we ignore the highly veracious accounts of Jesus’ life and join Pilate in asking,

“What is truth?”

In the book of John, Jesus describes Himself as the “good shepherd” who cares for His sheep. He does so by tending to their needs, even to the point of laying His life down for them. Despite such beautiful statements of His love for sinners, another central focus of the text is seen through repeated mentions of the shepherd’s voice. The sheep hear the shepherd’s voice and follow it because they know His voice. Others come and try to speak to the sheep but they don’t know those voices, so they don’t follow them.

In our noisy world, the voice of Jesus should be the one we lean in to hear like we do with our friends at an Eagles game. The one who claims doing so would be arrogant or narrow-minded should evaluate their treatment of what they believe.

We often long for the audible voice of God to come thunder to us and eliminate all need for faith; the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. God’s voice has graced human ears before as recorded by the Apostle Peter:

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.”

2 Peter 1:16-18

God the Father only speaks audibly to humans three times in the accounts of Jesus’ life. Two of the three times, He tells man that Jesus is his Son as Peter describes above. Jesus, as the Son, came to die in your place for the offenses stemming from your heart and committed against God. It’s this heart condition that alienates us from God and it’s faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus alone that brings us near and into the Good Shepherd’s fold.

You’ll hear many voices that say otherwise. The deceitfulness of that rebellion will sound enticing. Unbelief might sound more practical. Rejection might sound liberating.

However, if you take the time to open His word and listen to His voice, you just might find yourself to be “of the truth.”

Everyone is listening to someone.

Who better to then the King of the universe?

Scripture References:

John 10 – I am the Good Shepherd

John 18:37-38 – Jesus and Pilate’s exchange about truth

Matthew 3:17 & Matthew 17:5 – God speaks about Jesus

1 Corinthians 15:3 – Christ came to die for your sins

Matthew 15:18-20 – Sin comes from a mans heart and separates us from God

Ephesians 2:13 – Faith in Christ’s blood atonement brings you near to God

Ancient Of Days

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A poem inspired by Daniel 7

The Ancient of days takes his seat on the throne

Elevated above all that can and cannot be known

America, Babylon, Persia, yes, even Rome

No nation nor tribe outlasts His own

His light through the darkness has gloriously shown

His immaculate power will never be loaned

A servant king who brings sinners home

The Son of Man sits to the right of His throne

His enemies were real, and their rise like foam

Raging for a moment yet now crushed bone by bone

Arrogance persisted in creation’s defiant tone

Unaware of the reaping which rebellion had sown

Once were the saints weighed down by hearts of stone

Now they ascend and are free of their groans

Sons and daughters to Abba have flown

The Ancient of Days, the king on the throne

Winning By Losing

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How do you know when you’ve won?

In sports, it’s easy. The final buzzer sounds, and you check the scoreboard. Arguments can be won in the courtroom based upon the ruling of a jury. A promotion at your job might even be won by your performance.

But how about in life and death? Can you “win” at life?

I’m not suggesting that life is a game, but I do get the sense that many of us believe it is. We are told to “play with the cards you are dealt” and a variety of other idioms exposing this undertow of philosophy. Since this perspective prevails, we must have some sort of definition for what constitutes winning.

It’s an interesting activity to consider what one would need to happen or accomplish to consider life a “win.” I imagine having healthy, enjoyable relationships with our loved ones would be on the list. Being financially literate and creating generational wealth may also cross our minds. Perhaps there’s even a list we have started that literally states all the things we want to do before we die. The thought of a life with many of those things left unchecked may bring on a panicky depression, motivating us to “live life to the fullest” while we still can. A life with unfulfilled aspirations is not typically chalked up as a win.

This question has been on my mind as I’ve been challenged by what has recently transpired in Afghanistan. I think about what certain members of the Taliban consider a winning life. Or, how members of Al-Qaeda or ISIS would answer such a question. These three groups can undoubtedly differ in their belief systems and complexity is richly interwoven within their history, but it’s well documented that many would declare their life a “win” if it brings many other lives to an end.

This horrific reality has once again been pushed to our frontal lobe. While one celebrates victory by blasting an AK-47 into the sky, another mourns as they hide for their lives. There is no simple way to neatly package such a situation and I don’t intend to speak on behalf of anyone. I simply look to call to attention that “winning at life” certainly isn’t relative like we often claim it to be.

If winning isn’t relative in sports, court, or the workplace, then why would it be in matters of life and death? It’s here that I am comforted in the renewing power of God’s word to reveal to us the truth of this world. He shows us that life is won not through acquiring, building, or even enjoying. Rather, it is won by losing.

God’s son, Jesus, tells us that the one who loses his life for Christ’s sake will find it. He tells us that the greatest among men is actually the one who serves the most. He showed us that a winning life doesn’t look like we often think. Moreover, Jesus didn’t live as some detached religious figure who merely espoused things He didn’t actually do. His words always point to His own actions.

It was the worst moment in human history that God chose to also be the greatest. As the Roman soldiers laughingly mocked Him, the religious leaders looked on in pleasure as Jesus’ righteous blood flowed onto the  Golgotha soil.

Jesus let out His last breath, and victory was far from His disciples’ minds. They scattered, afraid for their lives. Yet it was in this moment, that their victory – and the victory of all those who place their belief and hope in Jesus – was secured. Jesus rose from the dead three days later in triumphal procession.

Many more have made the decision to follow Jesus and suffer with their Lord. Yet they not only consider their persecution a win, but actually rejoice that it is happening to them and pray for the souls of those who plan their slaughter. Their eternal hope in Christ’s atoning work for their sin is a victory no bullet can rip through, or knife can decapitate.

For my brothers, sisters, and I, we know our lives have already been won for us. The closest thing to winning in this life we now know, is if in our death, many are pointed to the one who also offers them true victory. Especially those who commit such acts and think they’re pleasing God.

In the coming weeks, as reports continue to surface, my hope is that you reflect upon your own understanding of a winning life and then run to the only One who offers true victory.

 

Scripture References:

Luke 9:24 – Lose your life for Christ’s sake and find it.

Luke 22:26 – The greatest is the one who serves.

Philippians 3:8-10 – All is counted loss compared to knowing Christ Jesus

Acts 5:41 – Rejoicing to be counted worthy of suffering for Christ

Matthew 5:44 – Pray for those who persecute you

Father, Meet Me There

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Father, meet me there

In the winds of confusion

Where my mind flaps like a flag

And I’m slow to dismiss delusions

Father, meet me there

On the seas of sorrow

As I float on painful depths

And dread tomorrow

Father, meet me there

By the fountain of joy

Where gratitude comes easy

And the days bright as koi

Father, meet me there

Atop the steps of success

Where pride subtly lurks

And I puff out my chest

Father, meet me there

In the waiting room of desire

When my wants seem like needs

And I’m consumed to acquire

Father, meet me there

At the crossroads of decision

For several paths beckon

And clouded is my vision

Father, meet me there

Behind the bars of rebellion

Discipline me in love

And show me the cell I’m in

Father, meet me there

In the ruins of apathy

Built by the self-consumed

Point me back to your majesty

Father, meet me there

In every situation

For every duration

At every location

Father, meet me there

For you are here

I know you’re near

Yet you’re already there

Thank you Father, for meeting me there.

Jehovah Tsidkenu

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Standing outside courthouses across the globe is a lady as old as time. Her appearance differs depending on the cultural context, but her name is the same on every continent. Justice.

“Lady Justice” has personified judicial law for millennia, dating back to Roman mythology. In most architectural renderings she stands tall, blindfolded, and wielding a sword in one hand with a scale set in the other. Stoic and beautiful, she welcomes people into her courthouses where, theoretically, they will be met with justice as balanced as the scales she holds.

It takes one look past those magnificent statues to see that Lady Justice is only a figment of man’s imagination. Justice is perverted as the guilty are set free and the innocent prosecuted. We bicker over policy in an effort to rectify the system but fail to see the injustice in our own proposals. While our best attempts at justice do sometimes bring a temporal satisfaction and give us a glimpse of the real thing, everyone can agree that the scales Lady Justice holds, and the scales of the real world are two different things.

We rightly lament over this disparity and how it affects us, but we must place ourselves on the scale to see that amidst our own efforts, we also maintain an egregiously unbalanced scale.

This is the case even if we place our “own” moral code and rules to live by on the other side of the scale. We can’t live up even to that, so we begin to place “worse” people on the other side. Think the scum of society, be it a criminal or member of an opposing political party. If we can’t balance the scale, might as well come out on top, right? What we miss is the fact that the other side of the scale isn’t something we determine, but as evidenced by the conscience and a universal assent to moral responsibility, is a reality grander than human intuition.

Righteousness, or conformity with what is ethically and morally acceptable or “right” sits on the other side of the scale. We’re all aware we must one day step on the platform to see if the scales slowly bob up and down only to come to rest in perfect equilibrium. Why else would we care about justice in the here and now? If there is no scale of justice we must face, why attempt to do justly to others? Without the presence of moral obligation, there is no logical place for justice and order in society. Only chaotic depravity.

Recognizing this, we seek to build a resume of righteousness. We start with all those years we didn’t murder, rape, or rob somebody. Then, we bullet out the things we did for our community and those in need. Next, we include our spotless legal record. Finally, we place the cherry on top by pointing to the years we have spent with our families. Surely an unrighteous person couldn’t sacrifice what we did for loved ones, right? We submit our resume confident the scales will balance even if we had some slip ups along the way, which we don’t mind minimizing. What meets us, however, is the horrifying reality that the other side of the scale is far weightier than we ever perceived.

Our so-called “righteous” acts lay on the scale as the density of true righteousness suspends them high in the air, a laughable sight akin to a toddler’s best attempt at drawing a self-portrait. That’s really what we came up with? That’s what we consider to be righteous?

The righteousness on the other side is ethereal, a law of the universe only the Creator can fully behold. For it is His very identity, that which He shaped His creation after, that sits upon the scale. Holiness, justice, and righteousness are here defined. These are not merely characteristics of Almighty God; He is the essence of their being.

Only a righteousness of equal weight will balance the scales, and only a balanced scale will deliver the subject from the cost of true justice. This justice requires two deaths, first one’s body and secondly one’s soul. Just one broken statute or failure to mirror our divine Creator in holiness results in the same punishment as the one who’s record is stained with iniquity. His law is too perfect for sinners to comply satisfactorily.

Any deviation from the scales in His deliberation mirror our broken justice systems, and simultaneously corrupt not only true justice, but the Lord from whom it derives its life. It is an impossibility.

What then, is mortal man to do? All are guilty in this courthouse. Nobody can balance their scale. An eternal sentence awaits our dead souls with torment and wrath, our just reward.

It is here where another individual stands. The crumbles of our earthly Lady Justice lie scattered in the shadow of another, but He is no Roman mythological creature. He is not an idea personified. He is not made of marble and clay but of flesh and blood.

His name is Jehovah Tsidkenu.

It’s in His days that true justice meets full mercy. As tears pour down our faces and we cry out in agony while the scales sway lopsided, He cuts in front of us. He casts Himself into the pit as our verdict is announced by the Judge. He dies our death and puts His own righteousness on the scales.

It balances.

Both the punishment earned by our crimes against the Creator and the hope of personal righteousness are fulfilled in His kingship. As we stand naked before God crying out to Him, He rises from the depths and places His royal robes onto our backs. The case has been closed and our sentence fully served.

His name is an unfamiliar one to us in later generations, but it was clear to those who He first chose to reveal Himself. He made clear to His prophets that this name is not simply a title, but a promise. A promise to all who recognize their righteousness is equivalent to rags in the sight of our perfect Creator and ask Him to balance the scales for them. Its meaning is not trenched in mystery but beautifully simple.

“The LORD our righteousness.”

Only the God man offers you the righteousness needed to balance the scales and be acceptable to God Almighty. Toss your resume of righteousness in the trash, for that’s all it is in the LORD’s sight. Trust in such a resume will leave your scales unbalanced and notarize your death sentence.

Jehovah Tsidkenu offers to impart to you righteousness. His own. He has already served your sentence; you need only cry out to Him in trusting dependence. Then you’ll call Him, “The LORD my righteousness.”

Scripture references:

Jeremiah 23:6 & Jeremiah 33:14-16 – Jehovah Tsidkenu, The LORD our righteousness

1 Corinthians 1:30 – Christ Jesus became for us righteousness, sanctification, and redemption

Philippians 3:8b-9 – A righteousness extended to us through faith in Christ

2 Corinthians 5:21 – In Christ, we become the righteousness of God

For Him

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Sometimes the smooth gradient of everyday life is confronted with a question.

These questions are rarely the sort that demand an answer in the moment, making them easy to limbo underneath. These sorts of questions threaten to rattle our comfortable way of life. So, we naturally avoid contemplation because it often brings friction.

Eventually though, the questions become unavoidable. Life circumstances have a way of continually bringing us back to the same questions no matter how good we are at avoiding them.

This is especially the case with one question that has resided in my mind since my early adolescence.

“Why do I exist?”

This is a question that I am confident most ask at some point in their life.

Some try to do the most good they can in hopes that it will somehow positively benefit them in whatever happens after death. Others see pleasure as the ultimate goal of their existence and reject any notion of an afterlife. Many even believe there is no reason for their existence, they just exist.

These are only several of the many explanations we come up with for the “why” of our existence.

How often do we say “why” to that why?

What I mean is, are you truly satisfied with the understanding of your existence? Do you ever question it, even if you are confident you have it figured out? One genuinely seeking truth questions and is not afraid to place their own preconceived notions under the microscope.

I have found great comfort in what the Bible teaches regarding our existence and the more I live, the more I see its truth. Rather than existing simply for our own sake, our existence is not ultimately about us. As Colossians 1:16-17 states:

“For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him.”

Not only are we told how we exist in this verse – which is a whole other conversation – we are taught that it is not only us, but all things that exist for Him. “Him” refers to Jesus Christ, who is called “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” just a verse prior to the ones above.

Essentially, we are shown here that the entire package of our existence is wrapped up in God Himself. It is He that is our significance, security and purpose. In other words, when He is receiving glory, then we are fulfilling our purpose.

I find it ironic that often the biggest names of the Bible are people who actually did very little when all is said and done. It is common knowledge to our culture that Moses parted the Red Sea. But did He really hold up the two banks of water? No, God did! He simply walked across dry land.

We can reflexively admire and revere the men and women of the Bible who God used to carry out His purposes. Naturally, we do the same with ourselves, regardless of our view of God. We want the glory of God. We want to be revered. We want to have influence. We want to be admired. We are duped thinking its why we exist.

When we believe we exist for anything but God himself, we are attempting to walk upstream as a raging rapid flushes against our legs. It results in hopes that produce nothing but empty accomplishments. Yet when we agree with what God says about us – that we are His creation in existence for His glory – we flow with the current. Things are as they should be.

This does not mean that your existence suddenly becomes a cake walk when you submit it to the will of God. It does mean that you can walk with true purpose that exists outside of yourself. You can walk in works the God has prepared in advance for you to do, that HE might receive glory.

Everything is already set-up – we just need to ask Him to help us to follow Him.

I hope that the words of God will penetrate your heart and soul and you will give your answer to the question of “why do I exist” a serious second or third look.

Scripture references:

Colossians 1:15-17 – All things exist through Him and for Him.

Exodus 14 – The Israelites cross the Red Sea.

Philippians 2:13 – It is God who works in us to glorify Him through good works.

Galatians 2:10 – God prepared these good works in advance for us to do.

Because I Said So

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No child enjoys hearing these four words. They form a sentence that sends the son or daughter spiraling into a flurry of frustration, no matter the situation.

“Because I said so.”

I remember hearing these words and hating them. They made it impossible to get what I wanted. My plans didn’t prevail because a higher authority said otherwise. If I went ahead and ignored those four powerful words, I knew I could expect some sort of painful discipline.

It’s no mystery that when we’re told we can’t do something, that becomes the thing we want to do the most. But to be told we can’t do something because a certain someone said so? That’s where things get ugly.

We don’t like that because it shifts our perceived authority over our lives to someone else. It makes us feel enslaved and oppressed. We rebel and throw tantrums to try and take back some semblance of control, no matter how self-destructive.

At 25 years old, I seldom hear those words anymore but am still tempted to throw those same tantrums. It seems our world has a great way of mutely cutting us off with a wagging finger saying, “Because I said so.” How we long for the day when we can freely declare “Because I said so” and go about our business with no outside interference. Some believe that they have a self-governing life where all their decisions are made with those four simple words.

It shouldn’t take long, however, to see that we are not in control. One untimely diagnosis, one stolen credit card, one little spark catching your house on fire can all derail life as we know it. The reality of our powerlessness really tends to sneak up on us in the catastrophes. It shouldn’t have to, though.

Consider the fact that you must pay taxes. If you don’t, you’ll be thrown in prison. Does anyone really want to pay taxes? Or, take your emotions for example. Can you control how you feel? Look at something as simple as breathing. Is there a fresh air supply for your every moment because you said there would be?

What we say often doesn’t go. Even if it did, I’m not so sure we’d love the destination. I find that my way is often a way to more losses than wins.

This is why I’ve been becoming more and more okay with the truth that virtually nothing is “because I, Brian Hilton, said so.” Of course, I’m not saying that we have no ability to make decisions, but I am saying that there is one who can say those four words with no room for anyone’s rebuttal.

A lot of people don’t like that idea, which is what turns people off to God. Many have an understanding of God that is similar to their view of tyrannical dictatorships. He’s restrictive, harsh and doesn’t serve our best interests.

But if I may ask respectfully, what is the source of that understanding? Because when I open up the Bible, I see that God saves me from myself. When I look at my life, I see that I have no good thing apart from Him. When I look at my heart, I see that the only reason I can have any hope or joy at all in this life is because He says so.

Consider Romans 8:31-32 which says,

“…If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will he not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”

When we know God and walk with Him, we can’t lose. It is that fear of loss or being kept from something good that fuels our rebellion of His authority. But shown here, God’s absolute authority over all things is our best-case scenario.

However, it’s clarified that this is true “if God is for us.” This naturally begs the question – how do we get God to be for us? The answer to that is found in verse 32 as the author, Paul the Apostle, notes that God did not “spare his own Son but gave Him up for us all.” Why and how would God give up His Son?

The “why” is found many places throughout scripture, but pretty profoundly in the oft-quoted John 3:16 which reads,

“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.”

It’s because God loved the world that he gave His only Son. A decision prompted by love for us and the desire for our ultimate good, not some sort of power trip.

The “how” of God’s giving up of His son is well described earlier in Romans. Consider Romans 3:25-26:

“God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice because in His forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – He did it to demonstrate His justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”

So, God’s love for the world motivated him to offer His son, Jesus, as a “sacrifice of atonement” which in turn “justifies…through faith,” sinners. Every one of us falls in this “sinner” category. Evidence of sin can be found in our natural position against God. Again, we want to be the ones to say, “because I said so.”

Thankfully, we are not in authority. God is. We deserve to be judged for our sins, but through faith in Jesus Christ, we have an atonement because God said and did so. We simply must believe in Jesus and turn away from our plans, to His.

This is where I’ve found a new love for this phrase. No longer does it matter what others say about us, or even what we say about ourselves. Remember, if God is for us, who can be against us? What He says about us is what goes – and He says I’m forgiven in Jesus through faith. He says I’m His child. He says I have all that I need in Him.

While our feelings might not always grasp this due to the inevitable hardships we will still face in this life, I’m thankful for the firm foundation that what God says goes. This brings freedom, security, and true comfort that isn’t shaken by circumstance.

There’s nothing that can rival the joy I partake in considering a clamoring voice listing all my inadequacies, flaws, past, present and future sins questioning God on how I could be saved. In a calm yet firm voice, God says through Jesus –

“Because I said so.”

 

Scripture References:

Isaiah 50:8-9 – “…Behold the LORD God helps me; who will declare me guilty”

Romans 8:31-39 – “…if God is for us, who can be against us?”

1 Corinthians 4:3-4 – “…I don’t even judge myself…it is the LORD who judges me…”

Daniel 3:6 – “…we have no need to answer you in this matter…”

1 John 4:4 – “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world…”

Romans 8:28 – “…all things work together for good for those who are called…”

Psalm 118:6 – “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Revelation 12:10-11 – “…the accuser of the brethren has been thrown down…”

Golf Is Life?

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Golf is a sport of patience, tranquility, and focus.  So simple on the surface, most people who have never played before insist that it isn’t a hard sport, or it isn’t even a sport at all.  Professional golfer and US Open Winner Rory McIlroy describes himself as “hitting a little white ball around a field sometimes”.  When you look at it that way, it doesn’t get much simpler and perhaps this is one of the reasons Mr. McIlroy is so successful.  Golf is described as 90% mental and 10% physical.  Bobby Jones, possibly the greatest golfer of all time, once said that “golf is played on a 5 inch course-the distance between your ears.”  You see, there is nothing more liberating than striping a ball deep down the middle of the fairway setting yourself up for an easy next shot into the green.  As the white ball trickles down the short grass in the fairway, there is a great sense of security and assurance.  Yet when something goes wrong and your ball ends up behind a one hundred year old oak tree seemingly wider than the ocean, panic sets in.  The great golfers are the ones who aren’t controlled by their emotions, who never are secure in their performance, that never panic when things head south.  Their only security comes in their method, not the results.   

                While reading Golf’s Sacred Journey by David L Cook, I realized why I love golf so much and how awesome of a sport it truly is.  Living out faith in Christ Jesus, and a round of golf are similar in certain ways.  If you have never picked up a club to play, I encourage you too first of all!  It is fun and something you can play for almost your entire life.  Golf will teach you more about yourself than you’ll ever realize while building your character shot by shot.  If you have never truly accepted Jesus Christ into your heart, this is something you must do!  He will never leave you, and will continue the good work he starts in every one of us our entire lives.  God will teach you more about yourself than you know, because he is your creator.  Day by day he will renew us and grant us mercies to take on the day.  Ask him into your heart today and to change you!

Every round of Golf starts with a fresh start.  You sit at even par in hopes to minimize mistakes and to score well by the end of the round.  Each day you wake up, you start at even par as well!  As a Christian we must remember that each day is a chance to start over.  The Lord’s mercies are made new each and every day.  Dwelling on past sins, and mistakes involves zero belief in what Jesus Christ did for you on the cross.  Instead, we must accept his forgiveness, believe we are saved by what he has done for us, and ask him to turn us from those sins then trust that he will complete the work he has started in you.  Same goes for Golf.  If all you are thinking about at the beginning of your round is how poorly you hit your driver off the tee the past two rounds and that cut slice deep into the woods you had on the first hole last time, your mind isn’t in the right place.  In life, the right place for our minds to be is steadily resting on the Lord as it says in Isaiah 26:3.  This keep our minds in PERFECT peace.  Not temporary, conditional peace based off of performance or results but unconditional peace in our loving savior!  Seriously, this means that when our minds are resting in Christ literally nothing that happens can take away the peace that he gives to us.  Similarly in Golf, the right place for our minds to be isn’t on the outcome or the effects but the method.  Mistakes are made and unfortunate things happen, but if the golfer isn’t solely trusting in the result but rather putting their trust in the truth of the process they will stay at peace.

Funny story.  I play golf and have many odd experiences with the game, but one stands out in particular and kind of relates into the whole concept of things happening in life we don’t have any control over.  I was playing with a friend and my ball was to the right of the green about twenty yards or so on the opposite side of the cart path.  If you’ve ever played with me, you know I have an absolute atrocious slice so seldom am I on the left side of the course.  Anyway, about thirty to forty feet up in the air lay a single wire with the diameter the size of a water bottle cap.  Seriously, the thing was barely even visible, and I have no clue what purpose the wire served, but it was there regardless.  Unaware of the wire, I took a short swing lofting the ball high up into the air directly on line with the hole.  To this day I believe that shot would have gone in the cup if not for the wire clipping my golf ball’s flight sending it directly down into the cart path, launching it down the asphalt about 75 yards or so.  It was infuriating, yet hilarious.

The calmness and serenity Golf requires in order to be successful, is granted to us by Christ so that we can live for him.  The Lord says he gives those who believe in him peace, not as the world gives but as HE gives.  The peace that can’t be taken away, ever.  After all, one of his many names is Prince of Peace.  True peace, is only found in the resurrected savior.  The main difference between Golf and the Christian life is that at the end of one waits a finite score, but at the other waits eternal life with our creator.  Where does your peace come from?

Fly Like An Eagle

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I look up to and respect Michael Vick, even if he is a convicted felon and dog murderer…and no, it’s not just because I’m an Eagles fan.  Why?

The first time I saw Michael Vick play football was during the divisional playoff round of the 2002-2003 season in which the Philadelphia Eagles played the Atlanta Falcons.  Vick actually played awful in the game, but I developed a certain admiration of him that evening.  Every time he touched the ball, his feet seemed to be literally engulfed with flames, torching the infamous Veterans Field turf wherever he stepped.  He was running so fast it was as if his feet were on fire and he was attempting to put the flames out by running at sickening speeds.  How could this dude be exploding out from under center, whipping around his tackle and burst into the Eagles secondary in a few measly seconds?  From that game on, I watched his career from a love-hate point of view.  I loved watching his animal like speed and agility and arm strength.  I hated watching his arrogant press conferences.  He continued to puzzle defensive coordinators around the NFL, but as he talks about in his autobiography, Finally Free, he was making his way down a very destructive and evil path.  

                On November 19th, 2007 Mike went to prison on a twenty-three month sentence for dog fighting.  Mike was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL at the time, and this shocked and deeply angered many people.  Not just football fans, but everybody.  Animal activists were enraged and advocated the death penalty for Mike.  While many had different views on punishments, one thing most agreed on was that what Michael Vick did was evil.  Life went on for the rest of us, but as Mike describes in his book, he was in a stand still during his prison time…he was a “caged bird.”  That cage was opened in August 2009 when the Eagles signed him after serving his prison sentence and being cleared to play football again by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, but ultimately when he rededicated his life to Jesus Christ in a Kansas prison cell.          

                There is sooo much to process and consider with Michael Vick’s story, it is something that can be debated for days and days.  One thing that cannot be debated however, is that this man changed and not because of his doing.  Mike’s accomplishments on the football field with the Eagles in 2010 is not what makes his story interesting, it’s what went on in his heart.  God grabbed him where he was, and lifted him out of the disgusting sin he was indulging in when he turned his back on Christ upon entering the NFL.  His 2010 season shows how God richly blessed him and used him in the lives of many, including myself.  Mike lays it out for us in the eighth chapter of his book…

                “From the moment I first heard those prison doors slam behind me, I began to turn back to God-praying, reading the Bible, and recommitting my life to Him.  The only thing I could do was have faith and stay strong and to trust and believe that God would give me another chance”.  

                When he is talking about another chance, he is talking forgiveness.  Mike went from being one of the most beloved athletes to hated Americans in the course of a few months.  The forgiveness he NEEDED was from Christ.  It is the forgiveness we all need, and receive when we turn to him in faith and believe in his son’s death on the cross.  The forgiveness he DESIRED was from all his fans, friends, and family.  While many have forgiven him and many have not, it is troubling to think that some of those that have not call themselves “Christ-followers”.  It begs one question, its okay for God to forgive you of all your sins and call you his child but you don’t think it is fair for him to forgive and cleanse someone else?  Well for all the people who believe Mike Vick should never be forgiven for what he did, it isn’t up for you to decide.  We all have the same sentence, death.  We are all as much of a sinner as Mike and desire to be free!  Free from sin, free from evil, free from the deep wounds that lay in the depths of our hearts.  Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only path to the freedom we need and desire.  The wages of sin is death, but when we repent…

“You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” Romans 6:18

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” Romans 6:22

Forgiveness is a beautiful and powerful thing.  Instead of the eternal death we have been sentenced to because of our incessant sin, we receive eternal life.  When we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us…and his mercies are new each day!  We must forgive, like we have been forgiven!  Live free.  Fly like an Eagle, free from sin and basking in the glorious riches God has for you!

 

 

 

 

 

A little validity….

How often do men come out of prison a better person than the one who entered prison?  Look at this statistic from the U.S. Department of Justice…

                “More than 650,000 ex-offenders are released from prison every year, and studies show that approximately two-thirds will likely be rearrested within three years of release.”

                Doesn’t sound like rehabilitation, does it? 

True rehab comes from Christ, and Christ alone.