Cheer Campaign

Philippians 2:1-4 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Election season is over for another year, but more importantly election ad season is over. I’ve had the same phone number since my first cell phone which means that number is on a lot of lists in a lot of states. Around this time of year, I start getting texts from all over that say, “vote for this person or else your enemies win,” or “vote for this person because they are the greatest human being to ever walk the earth.”

The worst part about a lot of these ads is how often people wholeheartedly believe them. Whether they extoll the virtues of one candidate or condemn the wickedness of their opponent, people are ready to jump in with both feet because it’s what they want to believe. And from that belief, they start fights with the people they are supposed to love the most.

Division and disagreement are nothing new, especially when discussing politics. The problem comes when those fights breach the walls of the church. Trust me, I want you to be politically active, vote your conscience, and take a stand for the issues that matter to you. But if you call yourself a Christian, I pray that your relationship with Christ would come before any politician or political party.

Paul reminds us that we are united with one another through Christ. And I hope that your connections of faith are stronger than your political differences. It is a hard tightrope to walk, but you are able to be humble, you are able to value others, and you are able to let someone be wrong on the internet.

Let them know you are Christians by your love!

Past the Past

1 Timothy 12-14 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

In this passage, Paul is recognizing the limitations he had before he came to Christ. By most accounts, before his experience of being called by the Lord, Paul was not a great guy. Haughty and arrogant, Paul went around persecuting people that were following Jesus because he thought they had abandoned the true faith. (Side note: being cruel to someone is not the best method to get them to agree with you).

Then he had an experience, I think many of us would envy, where God spoke directly to him and said, “stop what you’re doing, come and join me.” Paul did a full 180 on life, he repented and started to do everything he could to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. And though he started life as one of the worst of the worst, God still saw him as someone to be loved and someone who could be of use to the gospel.

I don’t think you’ve spent the first half of your life persecuting non-believers (if you are doing that please stop), but I’m sure there are things in your past that you’d rather no one remember. No matter what is in your past you have received the same mercy that Paul did. The grace of God is always available and never ending.

Jesus sees who you were, sees who you are, and sees who you will be, and in all those phases he loves you. If you are running from God, you only need to turn around to see him waiting for you, loving you, and willing to guide you back into the fold.

Every saint has a past, and every sinner can have a future. We just need to accept the grace and mercy that has been offered. 

Shoulder to Shoulder

Matthew 14:34-36 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

Jesus, fresh from walking on the water with Peter, arrives at another region full of people who want his help, time, and attention. And it wasn’t just the people that happened to be around that mobbed him, they sent word all around that something big was happening and everyone should come out. 

These were people who wanted just to be near to Jesus, to just touch the hem of his garment, and Jesus made himself available. This contrasts with other religious leaders of the time. For many scribes and Pharisees, the thought of being touched by one of these people would have disgusted them. There was a clear hierarchy, “I may not be a king, but I am above you so don’t you dare come near, much less try and touch me.”

And then we see Jesus, walking shoulder to shoulder with these common people, these sick people, these dirty people. Jesus spent his whole life engaging with the people most of us try to avoid. We usually claim that we are doing it for our own safety. When the truth is probably that we don’t ever want to be associated with “those kinds of people.”

Jesus made it clear who he came to save. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Without him we are all lost, and if we believe that Jesus came to save “us,” we must believe that he came to save “them.” Whatever your personal us and them battle may be, I hope you can recognize that Jesus came to tear down that division.

Jesus came to live a life rubbing shoulders with sinners and showing them that there is a better way. When we live out the calling of Jesus on our lives, we can follow him into unexpected places. Wherever it may take you strive, like the people of Gennesaret to be close to him.

Troubled Minds

Lamentations 3:21-24 –

But this I call to mind,
    and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
    “therefore I will hope in him.”

The book of Lamentations is a bummer, but it’s a bummer on purpose. It was largely written as a shared cleansing release over the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians. (Probably) written by the prophet Jeremiah, Lamentations, like all great poetry, seeks to put the high emotions into words.

Think of a song that means more to you than any other song. The lyrics transport you back to a specific time, a specific place, and a set of specific emotions. It can take your experience and put it into words you didn’t have at the time. Lamentations sought to be those words for the people who experienced the loss of Jerusalem. It was often read in a group setting like many of the memorials we have today to commemorate losses that are shared.

In the midst of the pain and searing loss, Jeremiah takes a moment to remind the people of a hope that is bigger than any loss. The pain may be great, but the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. It may feel as though someone has stolen a piece of your soul, but his mercies never come to an end. We can have hope as long as we hold these things in our hearts and minds.

It’s easy to get lost in our own minds and experiences. In those times of trouble, we can get lost thinking, “the way I feel now, is how I will always feel from now on.” And this is why we need the reminder that God’s mercies are new every morning. They never run out. The Lord is our portion and therefore we can put our hope in him.

What do you do when you need your hope renewed? Where do you turn? He wants to be there for you in your times of trouble.

Let’s Try Again

Hebrews 4:14-16 –Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Before Jesus came along “high priest” was just a role that someone filled. If you needed an answer, you made your way to the person in the role and asked your question. If this high priest was otherwise occupied, you just had to wait. However, Jesus took this system and changed everything. As the great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus became available for everyone, everywhere, all the time. Jesus is fundamentally different from the people who came before who just did their best to fill a job.

This truth binds Christians together to a unified belief in OUR confession: that Jesus came to sacrifice himself on the cross so that we may know eternal life. To do this, he took on flesh, he became a human just like us. He knew God’s perfect plan and had perfect faith, but he also had to live with all the struggle of having a human body that we have today. Jesus got thirsty. Jesus got tired. There were times when Jesus felt impatient. There were times that Jesus ate something, and it hurt his tummy. In Matthew 4 you can read about Jesus being tempted in the wilderness, being offered the whole world, and turning it down because fulfilling his purpose was more important.

Jesus knows what it’s like to be in your shoes. He can sympathize and understand the troubles and questions that you bring to him. And though his perfect love never fails, he can be with us when we do. Jesus is always there waiting for us to turn to him. No matter how many times we mess up, or give in to temptation, or have a moment of weakness he is there to encourage us.

“Hey there champ, that’s a pretty nasty spill you took there. I know it hurts now, but let’s get you dusted off and try again.” Even when you feel far away, he loves you completely. Sometimes we just need to accept his grace and mercy.

All the Way

Luke 9:22-24 –  saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

When you read this passage casually it might be surprising to see Jesus talking about taking up a cross—he isn’t even arrested for another 13 chapters. However, crucifixion was well known to everyone in the Roman world. He not only told the disciples that he knew he was going to die but also the how; through the agonizing experience of being crucified. Before the Romans hung person on a cross, they first hung the cross (or at least the main beam) on the person. 

Once this beam of wood was attached to the convicted person’s back their future was sealed. Carrying this cross always led to death. It was an unrelenting instrument of torture, death, and humiliation. If someone took up his cross, he was never coming back. It was a one-way journey. No one sought out a cross, it was always something that was forced upon a person. So why does Jesus ask us to take up a cross and follow him?

I don’t think he wants us to die a horrible and painful death. What Jesus wants us to see is that once we have taken up the cross, we realize and accept that we cannot save ourselves. When that cross is on our back we embrace that this is a one-way trip, and we are all in. We don’t just follow Jesus through the easy stuff. We follow Jesus all the way, knowing that the sacrifice he made on our behalf was the only way we could ever see salvation.

Living this way is rarely the easiest choice, and therefore Jesus called us to do this daily. We must decide each day where our hope comes from. And even in those times when a day feels too long, you can still decide where you find your hope in this hour, in this minute. 

We have been called to follow Jesus, and that means all the way.

By Our Love

Ephesians 4:31-32 – Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

The number of divisive issues we have faced as a society over the last two years is staggering:  Masks, politics, worship styles, race relations, vaccines, and police behavior, just to name a few. And with each item in this list, I’m sure most of us could express an opinion, and with that opinion find a neighbor or friend who vehemently disagrees. When we are confronted with someone close to us who disagrees, we must choose how we will respond.

Sadly, the most popular response these days is to block, ignore, and ghost. Some people think, “We can’t agree on this one point so I must cut that person out of my life.” This is fine if a stranger is hassling you on social media, block away. However, this should not be your go to response for people with whom you have spent years living life. Especially, when both of you are followers of Christ.

Jesus in John 13:35 said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” We are called to love one another in the church. Even when we are on opposing sides of an issue. Agreement is never a prerequisite for love—nor is it a determining factor for who deserves it.

Yes, we are called to stand up for what is right and true, but we never need to do it in a way that demeans another person. When you have a disagreement with someone, talk it out. We are called to strive for reconciliation. If you have sinned against someone, seek forgiveness. If someone has sinned against you, be eager to forgive. This is not an easy calling, and that’s why Christ told us that we didn’t need to do it in our own strength. We can rely on him.

What opinion is causing division in your life? Is your stance on that issue more important than your friends or family? Who can you forgive today?

Called To Be

I had a package that was FedExed overnight to me and was supposed to be delivered on August 23rd. It is now three weeks later, and I have received nothing. It is a very frustrating situation. Obviously, someone isn’t fulfilling their part of the social contract to do their job so that society does not collapse. The problem is, I can’t talk to that person. I can’t tell them, “You’re really bumming me out.” All I can do is wait and bother someone else in a call center who probably listens to people like me complain all day long.

Waiting is the absolute worst! It’s especially bad when there is nothing you can do to help things move faster. In the church, one of the hardest tasks we’ve been called to do is wait for Christ’s return. Jesus told us that He would return, but unfortunately no one will know the day or the hour (Matt 24:36). While we don’t know when he will return, it is clear what we are supposed to do while we wait.

Titus 2:12-14 says,
…say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

We are called to live upright and godly lives. Admittedly, this is much easier to say than it is to pull off. Maybe that’s why we’ve been given so much time to practice. If you interact with people in any way, it is only a matter of time before you run into someone who tests your patience. And this is the time when you need to take a step back, take a deep breath and remember who you are called to be. 

While my lost package is frustrating and inconvenient, flying off the handle at a stranger won’t solve my problem. I need to be eager to do what is good and be nice to a stranger on the phone. It isn’t always easy, and we will have plenty of times when our eagerness needs to be forced and intentional.

We just need to choose to do what we know is right.

Our Hands

Psalm 90:16-17 - Let your work be shown to your servants,
    and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
    and establish the work of our hands upon us;
    yes, establish the work of our hands!

We joked in our staff meeting this week that since all our stuff is in our new building, at 95 Prospect St, and we’ve had our first service that the work is now done. We moved! We did it! However, as anyone who has ever moved knows, the work is just beginning. We have rooms filled to the brim with stuff that needs to be organized and sorted and redivided. Rooms that need to be cleaned or repurposed or (because we’re Restore) have their technology updated.

And this is just the work we need to do inside the building; our real work will be in reaching our friends, neighbors, and community. With the world we’ve all been living in this past year and a half I’d be willing to guess that there are a lot of people who are excited for a fresh start. For many people there has been a shift in priorities or what they want most out of life. This could range from a simple career change to a full life overhaul. 

No matter where we land in this spectrum, we need to remind ourselves to recognize the favor of the Lord that is upon us. Whether your life was interrupted by outside forces or the natural consequences of your own choices, you have the opportunity to start again. As society emerges into a world that is a little different than it was a year and a half ago, we can be a glowing example of God’s glorious power—to your kids, your coworkers, your friends, and if you have them your servants.

The wonderful thing about the Christian faith is that we have and unlimited number times we can try again. We called to try again, to never give up, to let the power of God be established in the work of our hands.

Let’s get to work.

Fingers Up!

I had a friend who was thrust into a pretty big career change. He was leaving a place that started well but had turned toxic over his tenure there. As he was trying to process the transition, he read a book about big life changes (whose name and author have unfortunately been forgotten), one of the chapter titles has stuck with me. The chapter was titled, “Leave with your fingers up!”

In our modern world, and as drivers in New Jersey, this probably conjures a fairly specific image. We all know the feeling of being hurt or disappointed and the desire that comes with it to bring everyone else into it or to lash out. However, what the author pointed out was that the fingers you have up are your thumbs. Walk out the door wishing everyone you leave behind well. Not everyone you leave behind is your enemy so there is no need to make them an enemy when you go.

As a church, we have this choice to make right now. We can leave a wake of hurt feelings behind us, or we can leave with our heads held high and our fingers up. We need, are owed, and seek nothing from the people of this world because we know that our strength and inheritance comes from God.

Paul in Ephesians 1:11-12 says, “11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.”

We don’t like that we must move. We, at one point, thought Pleasentview Dr. was going to be our long-term home. But it turns out, God had much bigger plans for us and that we were thinking too small. We don’t need to look back in disappointment. We can look forward in thankfulness for what God has already done. And we can look forward in excitement to all the things that God is going to do.

We pray a blessing on Living Word, and all the other churches that have given Restore a temporary home. We are so thankful for the time we had together, and we pray that God will use them to reach more people. 

Thumbs up!

If You Fall I Will Catch You

Psalm 94:18-19

When I thought, “My foot slips,”
    your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
When the cares of my heart are many,
    your consolations cheer my soul.

So here we are again Restore. This coming Sunday, August 29, will be our final Sunday at 21 Pleasantview drive. Starting Sunday, September 5, we will be moving into our new facility at Faith Reformed, 95 Prospect Street in Midland Park. Over the course of 2021, the staff and elders have been working feverishly to find a place for Restore to call home. We spoke with numerous churches, commercial realtors, and even a school to find a place for us to land in the fall.

It wasn’t until we surrendered to the idea Faith wasn’t going to work out that everything came together. We had a plan in place that would work but was far from ideal. Just when we thought our foot was slipping, God swooped in and saved the day. Only God could have put things together for things to work out this way for Restore.

Restore, in its 10(ish) year existence, counting this current move, has had four separate locations. Speaking as someone who has moved A LOT, even I would say that’s too many. However, despite that, the community remains strong. Restore, more than any other church I have ever been a part of knows what it means to do life together. If we ended up with an abandoned warehouse or out in a field, this church would remain strong because of this community’s devotion to one another.

There are times in your life when you feel overwhelmed, when the cares of your heart are many. These are the times when we can look to God for support. And the amazing thing about this is that we get to see God work out this support through our community. 

When you experience something traumatic, I pray that there are people around you that can hold you up. And, when you’re back on your feet, you now know what it’s like to come out the other side. You now have the strength to hold up someone else. We get to meet at 95 Prospect St because one member of the community of Christ saw how they could support another member.

God comes through in amazing ways, and He uses the community to do it.

Love One Another

John 13:34-35 - 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

In John 13, after Jesus washed the disciple’s feet, he started explaining to them that he wasn’t going to be around much longer. For us reading today it is only a few pages until Jesus is arrested, put on trial, and eventually crucified. Jesus knew that this was the plan. He knew Judas would betray him, he knew Peter would deny him, and he knew that the disciples would need to take the leadership position in getting the cause of Christ to the world.

In this passage Jesus is laying out some pretty heavy news for the disciples. He is telling them that he is going somewhere that they cannot follow. This news devastates them. These disciples were prepared to follow Jesus for the rest of their lives, and now they are learning that they will need to do the hard work without him. And what does Jesus tell them is first and most important? It’s not how to spend the money. It’s not what political affiliation is correct. It’s not how to “own” the other side on social medio. He simply tells them to love one another. 

In Jewish writing the importance of something is indicated through repetition. We see this in descriptions of the angels in heaven worshiping God by saying, “Holy, holy, holy.” God is not just holy, or even just holy, holy, God is holy, holy, holy! In this passage Jesus keeps telling them to love on another.

We have plenty of examples of the disciples missing the point and bickering with one another, and this was when Jesus was with physically them. What are they (or we) going to do when Jesus isn’t physically with us? We need to fall back to basics. Love is mentioned about 57 times in the Gospel of John. In chapter 14 Jesus says, “if you love me, keep my commandments.” And what is that commandment? Love one another.

Our increasingly divided world is easy to see. However, our increasingly divided church is where we can use our influence. Standing up for truth is important, but are you walking in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time? Is your speech always gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may show love to the people around you?

How can you help love come first?

Have Mercy

Matthew 9:10-13 - 10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

When we read the Bible, we often like to visualize ourselves in the hero’s position. We are David when he slew Goliath. We are the good Samaritan who stopped to help the injured man. We like seeing ourselves as the good and faithful servant. More often, though, the truth is that we are the helpless one, the one caught gloating over their own power, or the one who doubts Jesus. We are the sinners! Jesus is seen reclining with us.

The Pharisees had setup boundaries to keep themselves holy. Unfortunately, this was only holiness in their own minds. They thought, “If I never associate with those ‘bad’ people then everyone will know that I am a ‘good’ person.” This is something that they added to the law that God never intended.

The Pharisees would have loved today’s social media echo chambers—those places you go where any dissenting thought is shouted down so everyone thinks “the correct way.” The Pharisees take a shot at Jesus by asking how this person who claims to be a teacher can associate with all these “bad” people. And Jesus answers them plainly, “those who are sick are the ones who need the doctor.”

Jesus then tells them, “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’” Here Jesus is quoting Hosea 6. In Hosea’s day the people were diligent about bringing their sacrifices, but it had become a rote habit. They were neglecting the purpose, and they were neglecting mercy.

The Pharisees who heard this would have been taken aback because they thought they already knew everything. For us it means we need to take Jesus’s Great Commission to heart and make disciples everywhere we go. They don’t need to look like you, they don’t need to think like you, they just need you to embody the grace and mercy that you have already experienced as a follower of Christ.

Let’s tell everyone we know that Jesus came for them.

Open Eyes

John 9:1-4a - As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day…

In this passage, Jesus and the disciples meet a man who has been blind since birth. The disciples, who exist to show us how we would react in similar situations, immediately ask Jesus who we should blame for this. Did his parents do something wrong to have a child like this? Did he do something and deserve to be blinded? Often, we have a voice inside us that tries to convince us not to help someone in need. 

We have thoughts that say, “they probably deserve this because of the choices they made,” or “they got themselves into this situation they should get themselves out.” Unfortunately for those thoughts, we were never called to be the arbiters of who deserves what. You can see this in Jesus’s response.

It wasn’t about the man, his parents, or anything they had done, it was about an opportunity for God’s work to be displayed. And this is the key to anyone in need that you might come across in your day-to-day life. You did not meet them to feel better about yourself or to look down on them. You met them so you would have an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a world that so desperately needs to be healed of blindness.

Jesus leaned down to the man, spat in the dirt, rubbed mud in his eyes, and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. The man did it and came back with his sight! Jesus didn’t give the man a sermon, he didn’t make him feel bad about who he was, Jesus saw a person that needed his help, and gave it happily. 

You may not be able to heal the blind, but you have the opportunity every day to reach into someone’s life and show them the light of Jesus. Even if, like Jesus, you need to get your hands a little dirty to do it.

History of Faith

Hebrews 11:1-3 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

This past week has been a whirlwind for sure. We went from having a building option that would work but was far less than ideal, to meeting an amazing group of saints who were kingdom minded, and happily asked the question, “what is the best thing we can do for the Lord?” This is an amazing opportunity that God put together right when we needed it the most.

Looking at the history of Restore, this is the fourth time we have been asked to find a new place to worship. And each time God has come through. We have been provided a place that is a little bigger and a little better. While these past few months we have been wracked with anxiety and sleepless nights looking back we can see how God has been putting things in motion that outshine any of our expectations

Our hope and prayer is that with this move we are going to the place where we will plant our flag, that this will be the place our kids can point to as the church they grew up in. Through all the moves one thing has remained true, Restore is a community of people that care about one another. A barn, a school, a building that sits on partially condemned land it didn’t matter because the community of Restore is what’s important. As we move forward, let’s take this small pearl we’ve found and bring more people in to see it. We know the love we have so let’s share it with everyone we know. 

We all were lost, and we are found, no one can stop us or slow us down. We are the named and we are known, we know that we'll never walk alone. Ten days ago, our future looked very different from what it looks like today. Our future was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Remember this as a time you saw God working.

Welcome the Interruption

If you have been involved with Restore for more than a few months, you will know that we are well acquainted with interruptions. There have been moves, pandemics, and plans that don’t come to fruition because of things outside of our control. Even in your own life I’m sure you can think of hundreds of times when you thought, “I am in control of my life, and next I will go and do XYZ.” When we have all these master plans laid, out it becomes difficult to deviate. Then something happens that changes our plan, and instead of trusting the process we often choose to grip tighter, hold on longer, and fight for something that we know in our hearts wasn’t meant to be.

It is in times like this that we need to look to God and say I trust. I need to trust you. Now, more than ever I need you to light my path because I feel lost. Having something not work out the way you planned is hard, and it is a loss you must take the time to grieve. However, it is also an opportunity to do something different.

James tells us in chapter 4 starting in verse 13, “13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

When your plans get interrupted, feel the way it makes you feel, just don’t stop moving forward. We are called to trust the plans that God has for us and live the life to which we are called. It is a hard call, but when we learn to welcome the interruptions, we can find paths that we never thought possible.

Where has God called you to go, and what needs a little interruption?

If I Knew Then

Have you ever heard this phrase? “If I knew then what I know now.” It usually refers to how we could have avoided pain or found some benefit if we understood a few things that we didn’t recognize at the time. If I knew I was going to break my leg on the first day of summer, I wouldn’t have run around the pool! 

As you get older and look back at your younger self there are going to be times when you will be angry or disappointed at the choices you have made. It’s okay to evaluate your life. It’s okay to have a few things in your past that you regret. What’s not okay is to let those poor choices that happened in the past define who you are in the present.

One of the best examples, in the Bible, of not being defined by your past is that of Paul. At one time he made his living hunting Christians and persecuting them for abandoning the “right way” to worship. God saw him, knew all he had done, and still said, “that’s my guy” I want to use him to help change the world. Psalm 103: 12 says, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Transgression just means the things we’ve done wrong). God saw Paul’s potential, God saw the person Paul could be, and God interrupted Paul’s life to spread the message of love and salvation.

This is how God sees you too. We’ve all made mistakes in the past, choices when we know what was right, what was wrong, and knowingly and intentionally chose the wrong. What we need to recognize as we look back on those times is that we can’t change our past, but we can do our best to make the future better. 

You are called to try and live like Jesus. This is a pretty high standard. Paul in his letter to the Philippians wrote,

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained. (Philippians 3:12-16)

Life can feel like a constant battle between the past-you and the present-you. Sometimes it feels like past-you only leaves problems for present-you. Past-you could have completed the project last week, and now present-you needs to finish in the next two hours. Past-you could have exercised more, past-you could have tried harder in school, and all the other things past-you could have done better. 

Thankfully God has forgiven past-you, and I hope you can find a way to do that as well. Past-you was young and dumb and didn’t have the benefit of knowing all the things you know now. Forgiveness does not free us from the consequences of our past choices; however, it can inspire us to not make the same mistakes again. 

God forgave you then, God forgives you now, and God is going to forgive you in the future. How can you forgive past-you? What can present-you do to make up for past-you’s mistakes?

Anticipation

John 15:7 - If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

Texting has become a regular part of our lives. When you text with someone, occasionally a bubble with three blinking dots comes up. It means that the person you are contacting is typing and anticipation begins. It draws you in, it creates a sense of expectation, it holds your attention as you await the message. Those three little dots could become anything. 

In life, it is easy to get caught up in anticipation. We get our hopes up that what we think should come next is exactly what is going to happen. We expect God to speak, to give us an unmissable sign from heaven, or show us something special. 

Sometimes we let that anticipation slide into inaction because we are unsure of where to go. Maybe you’ve said this phrase “I just wish God would tell me exactly what to do.” Unfortunately, we are rarely given step by step instructions. We are asked to simply live out our calling. God has called each of us to use our gifts to live for him. 

That desire for a message is the same as the 3 dots in texting. However, it is misplaced anticipation, because God has already given us his message. We don’t have to wait! God has given us the Bible, his Word, as a message to us. It is the story of redemption and love that we want. It is a guide for our life. Yet, because we worry more about expectations than substance, we miss it.

God wants to speak to you through his Word. It’s not going to tell you explicitly whether you should buy this house or take that job, but it will show you what kind of person you should strive to be. Jesus wants to connect with us so that we can abide in him through his Word. You don’t have to wait or get stuck with endless blinking text dots. God has spoken, connect with him today in his Word. God’s message is already waiting for you.

Strong and Courageous

Joshua 1:9 – have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Once a youth worker and I were going to see a concert with a couple of our students. As we were heading out of the suburbs, we suggested grabbing some McDonalds so we could just eat on the way downtown. The students protested saying they wanted to eat some place cool in the city. Knowing that we had plenty of time before the concert started, we kept driving. After we found a place to park we started walking. And walking. And walking. We probably walked eight or ten blocks trying to find the perfect restaurant. 

Don’t get me wrong, we passed plenty of places that would have been delicious, but each suggestion was met with, “I don’t think I’d like that,” “that place looks sketchy,” or some other version of no. Until we turned a corner and they saw the perfect place to eat. It was a different McDonalds. My eyes rolled so hard they almost fell out of my head. All this work just to end up where we started. 

There are times in our lives when we ignore great things and settle for what we know. In Joshua 1, Moses has just died, and God is calling Joshua to take on the leadership role. Moses was definitely a tough act to follow. He did miracles. He went head-to-head with the Pharaoh. He led an entire nation. This would cause most people a little trepidation, but Joshua knew the Lord was with him and Moses had helped to prepare him. 

You might not be called to lead a nation into the promised land, right now. Maybe you’ve just been called to take a small risk for the Lord. Big or small we are called to be strong and courageous because the Lord is with us wherever we go. When you are called to step out of your comfortable life, do it boldly. Even if it’s something as simple trying a new restaurant. Every big change in your life started with a small change.

Pray and ask God what small steps you can take today.

Legacy

Deuteronomy 32:2-3  

2 Let my teaching fall like rain
    and my words descend like dew,
like showers on new grass,
    like abundant rain on tender plants.

3 I will proclaim the name of the Lord.
    Oh, praise the greatness of our God!

Deuteronomy 32 is the last recorded teaching of Moses to Israel. He uses this opportunity to remind them of all the ways God has been faithful in their journey out of slavery, and he begins with gentleness. He wants to praise God and guide the people to do the same. Moses knows that you don’t reach anyone by beating them over the head with the truth. It must be revealed softly like dew descending on to new grass.

Verse 4, “God is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” Moses has seen and experienced a lot in his long life. And at the culmination of all of it he wants his people to keep their focus on God. The God that loved them from the beginning and rescued them even though they went astray time and time again.

We have been called to live life differently as a holy and set apart people. Our trust in God sustains us through the hard times and joins in our celebration of the good times. It is this hidden strength that allows us to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. We won’t always have the answers to the big questions of life at our fingertips, but we have access to the one who does.

The most important task in this life is simply to share the love you have found with the people around you. While we may never have been enslaved by the pharaohs of Egypt, we all have a story of encountering a challenge that feels insurmountable, and seeing God provide in a way we could never have imagined. We are prepared, when strife rears its head again, to fix our eyes on our creator and say, “Lord, I need you now!”

We don’t like thinking about the last time we will get to speak to the ones we love. So, let’s call it legacy. What legacy do you want to be known for, and how can you share it with gentleness and love to those around you?