The Courage of a Broken Heart

For those of you that don’t know, I’ve been in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire for the last 4 weeks staffing a Campus Crusade Summer project. I won’t go into the details of the summer but one aspect of the summer is equipping students to better share their faith. We use different surveys and such to meet people on the beech and initiate conversations with college and high school students lounging in the sun.

As I went out with one of my disciples, Cyrus, I was incredibly encouraged by his gracious attitude toward those he met. Most noticeable to me was his deep love for these people that he didn’t know and his desperate desire for them to know the truth about Jesus. Cyrus’ heart is so evidently broken for the lost that have not heard the good news.

With my Disciples: Cyrus, DaShawn, and Jon

Reflecting on our time on the beach, I could not help but think, “I really don’t desire these people to come to know Christ like Cyrus does.” This was a saddening thought. I have this deep desire for the lost that I have relationships with but for some reason I did not have the same feelings towards the unknown people here. Intellectually I should desperately desire the salvation of these people. Without the knowledge of their Savior, Jesus, they are completely lost and doomed for eternity. Jesus claimed,

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.“ (John 14:6)

How can I not care that much?! What is wrong with me?! Why am I so apathetic?!

It is not that I do not care at all but I know it is not the desperate desire I should have for lost souls. And then I felt God immediately say to me…

“It’s because you’re scared.”

Like a ton of bricks. I don’t love these people well, in part, because I am fearful. Loving these people that do not know God would break my heart. If I really, truly loved these people, my heart would be utterly broken for them and their lost condition. I am scared of giving my heart to these people because I know it will be painful. It’s scary.

It didn’t take me long to refer back to how Jesus related to the lost. He loved to the fullest. In his last days he told his disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.” (John 15:9) With the same, perfect, unimaginable love that the Father loves Jesus, he loves us with. But this love was not all smiles and laughs and hugs. Jesus’ heart was broken for his people.

“And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And  they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.’” (Luke 19:41-44)

His heart was utterly broken for his people to the point of weeping. Jesus was in despair because the people he loved did not recognize their Savior. In the same way I am reminded of the incredible act it is for God to love us. In his decision to love us so completely He leaves His heart open to be hurt. So many people that were created to know and worship their Maker, turn their backs on Him and in doing so, grieve His heart in a way I don’t think I can understand. And God did not have to do this! He is God. He doesn’t need us. But His love is so great that he would take the pain of many turning from Him.

So I find myself taking the easy and less painful road. It is like all those starving children around the world. Our heart breaks when we see those pictures of malnourished toddlers but often we would rather live life not knowing about them. If we are in ignorance then we would not have to experience the pain of seeing their hurt and we can live our happy, comfortable lives. But we were not created for this! Our sole purpose in life is not happiness, but holiness. We are created to carry each other’s burdens, to weep with those who weep, and to share in each others sufferings. We were created to love!

What courage love takes! This is just one of the ways that Jesus is the most courageous man to ever live. I want my heart to be like His. I want to love like Jesus does. I can align with Paul on his desire to be like Christ in Philippians 3:10,11:

“that I may know Christ and the power of his resurrection, and may share in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

Living a life for Christ is the most satisfying joy but is also painfully heartbreaking. When our lives are likened to Christ’s, he offers his joy, peace, and love that he himself has through his Spirit. But at times this this love comes with heartbreak, pain, and despair.

Jesus gladly accepted this pain and heartbreak as the cost for loving us. I pray that we would have the courage to love people. I pray we would have the courage to have our hearts broken for the lost. To Him be the Glory and the Honor and the Praise.

Whose Thoughts are Really Right?

There are an innumerable amount of world views and thoughts floating around in our generation. How do we really know which one is right? Do they all have some truth to them or is there really a right way to view the world and live our lives? Do we make up our own reality and morality or does someone/something else?

It is a very popular opinion in our generation to believe in a truth that is relative. How many times have your heard, “To each his own” or “as long as it works for you, that’s great!”? Is it really great though? Is everyone’s way of life acceptable?

I hear this same line of thinking being applied to God. Many say that whatever you believe about God is true for you. Is it really though? Think about it for a minute… Could the God of the universe, the creator of everything, really be determined by the line of thinking of the created being? It doesn’t seem quite possible that God is just whatever we make Him out to be or that he changes with each generations’ differing thoughts of Him.

Every one of us tries to fit God into the box that is our minds at some point. We do it because He is safe there. If God is in the box of our thoughts then we will always understand Him and can always rationalize what He does. But we can’t always do that because God does not fit in the minuscule box that is our mind. He even says to us through His Holy Word:

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,so are my ways higher than your waysand my thoughts than your thoughts.”    -Isaiah 55:9  (emphasis added)

Despite this, we often blame God when we do not understand why He does things. We want to be able to rationalize Him at all times so when we can’t do it, He must have messed up somewhere. Maybe he overlooked a couple pieces of His plan and screwed it up a little. But we could not be more wrong in thinking this way. We are the ones that do not see the whole picture. God does not fit in our small rational thinking boxes and His justice is far higher than ours could ever be.

Francis Chan is writing a book about Hell and gives an encouraging word on what our thoughts should be as we address truths brought up in Scripture. Hope you’re encouraged by it!

How can you have Joy Living in the Worst Circumstances?

I’m incredibly proud and excited for my sister Alex, who has been doing a mission trip around the world, called The World Race. She is on a team that ministers to people around the world. 11 Months in 11 different countries. Approaching 8 months of ministry in less than ideal living situations (that’s an understatement) she is beginning to feel the wear of long-term mission work. Alex is incredibly honest of her struggles in her most recent blog post. Her writings have been a huge encouragement and has blessed many. Check it out:

No place I\’d rather be

What an encouragement to hear that the Lord is our comfort when we have no other. Her words remind me of Paul’s in Philippians 4:11-13:

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Let’s come alongside Alex in prayer for the homestretch of her ministry to the poor and needy. Let her know you’re thinking of her and send her your love!

Praise God that He is our faithful comforter and satisfaction in a world where nothing else is.

What made Brian Welch give up Korn?

Depending on your music taste may or not have heard of the band, Korn. The nu metal band has been around since the 90′s and is one of the most well known in its genres. After helping start the band and participating as lead guitarist for 12 years, Brian Welch abruptly left the band.

So what caused this abrupt leave? It’s a powerful story…Check it out!

God used a real estate broker, submitting to Christ, to change Brian’s life and later many more.

Who is God putting on your heart to be bold with today?

Holy Radiation

If we are claim to be in an active relationship with Jesus we are called to have our lives transformed to look more and more like his. 1 John 2:6 even says, “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” No biggy, right? This is an incredibly intimidating command. In this life we will never be perfect as Jesus is, but how do we start to become more like Him?

I’ve tried lots of things. Staying updated with the latest John Piper books seems like a good idea. Maybe if I listen to 90 percent of Francis Chan’s sermons I can be more like Jesus. How about taking really, really good notes at church every Sunday? None of these things are bad and listening to godly people is a great blessing to us. But they have a time and a place. And that time and place is not on the throne of our hearts that only Christ should sit. Too many of our pursuits of God are through other godly people.

Well what if we wake up in the morning and try really hard to love people more like Jesus did? I bet we could be more like Jesus if we really focus our will power to love more. We can try really hard to faithfully attend church every Sunday, join the choir, get in a small group, help out with volunteer activities, and be that person that is involved in everything. Again, most of these things (church, choir, small group, volunteering) are great, but there’s a problem with our thinking.

We are looking to others that know him. We are gazing at ourselves and our own self effort. We are looking at the wrong people to become more like Jesus.

I thought of this flawed thinking as I came across Psalm 34 this morning:

“Those who look to [the LORD] are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.”

- Psalm 34:5

This verse brought a couple other pieces of Scripture to mind. The first being that of Moses in Exodus 34. After being in the presence of God, “Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.” (Exodus 34:29)

The face of Moses was shining in radiance because he had been focused on God, the source of Radiance. None of the Israelites were radiant with God’s glory because they were looking at second hand radiation, not God’s radiance.

The next verse is a great promise that John wrote:

“Beloved, we are God’s children now and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when [Jesus] appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2,3)

John answers our question and tells us that we will be fully like Jesus when he returns. And this happens because “we shall see him as he is.” Our transformation to the likeness of Christ is based on how clearly we see and know him. The clearer we see and know Jesus, the more we will become transformed to his likeness. Jesus is the supreme Radiance in which our Christian lives should get all their radiance.

Like Moses, we can radiate God’s glory, but it is through focusing on the Author and Perfecter of our faith. No effort on our own can self will this radiance. May we, like David, have confident, radiant faces from gazing on the LORD. Even today, focus on Jesus and who he is. Contemplate what the Scriptures say about him. Reflect on his life and sacrifice. Talk about Him with others. Ask that God would give you a deeper revelation about His Son today, by the power of his Spirit that powerfully works in us. Let’s not seek out too much second hand radiation today, but instead focus on the Radiant One to soak up His Holy Radiation. In the end it is all for His Glory and His Fame, so let us praise Him for who He is today!

What do a horse, mule, and robot have in common?

I am pumped to have a little more free time this week before I head up to Hampton Beach, NH. God has really been speaking to me a lot through the Psalms as I have been working through them so over the next couple weeks I hope to share some of what the Lord is showing me.

Psalm 32 is primarily about God’s forgiveness and our confession. These are some beautiful words however a couple verses at the end caught my attention. The LORD says:

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.” (Psalm 32:8,9)

There are some great promises and instruction in these two verses!

First is God’s promise to us: God promises that He will guide us in life and counsel us with a watchful eye. Who would you rather have giving you life advice than the all-knowing God of the universe? But after pondering this promise I quickly think of all the wrong and dumb decisions I have made, even in the last week. What happened there?! Did God forget His promise? Heck no! It is because we don’t always want God’s council. How many decisions, big or small, do we make without consulting our Maker? The actual Personification of Wisdom offers to be our counsel and teacher, but we usually neglect to even seek His wisdom.

Well what about those times where we ask God again and again for advice but He does not seem to answer? Before I joined staff with Campus Crusade I could not decide whether to join Crusade or pursue a couple other options. Again and again I pleaded with God, “I just want to do what you want…tell me where to go and I’ll go!” But no answer. No booming voice from heaven. No supernatural encounter with some messenger of God. No piece of Scripture jumping out at me saying, “Choose this option!”. Nothing.

I continued to plead with Him, “Why, God, why?! I want to please you. I want to follow you. I’m willing to go wherever you send me. Why won’t you answer me?! Answer me!” And in my frustration I came across this verse:

“Be not like a horse or mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.”

It hit me like a glorious punch in the stomach. I was not thinking for myself at all. I just wanted God to tell me what to do without doing any work myself. I was attempting to turn myself into an animal with no understanding; a robot with no thought process apart for taking orders. But He did not make us to be mindless animals or robots, thoughtlessly carrying out tasks. God created us to be in His image (Genesis 1:27), having understanding and discernment. Praise the LORD, that He loves us so much that He desires to transform us more like Him. God wants us to grow in our understanding and discernment in life. Thanks be to Him, that He will not let us enslave ourselves to become mindless animals or thoughtless robots.

If you are wondering what happened with my Crusade decision, I obviously ended up joining staff. My decision came from sitting down and lining up the pros and cons of each option. After weighing these options, Crusade was the obvious choice and after asking God about it, I felt good. Ever since joining staff with Crusade God has been incredibly confirming of my position there.

Was my reasoning apart from God? As Paul would say, “By no means!” Any discernment or understanding I do have is from God and a grace filled act from Him. Those that have accepted Jesus as their Savior actually have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) through the Holy Spirit. It’s important to remember verse 8, and that we should always be seeking God’s council, especially when we are seeking understanding.

The last words of verse 9, describing thoughtless animals, are very telling: “or it will not stay near you.” In the end God just wants us to be close to Him! If God bridled us and forced us to stay in a relationship with Him, it would not be true love. He deeply desires to be in a relationship with us but God wants it to be in our own will and understanding. Draw near to God today… there is nothing greater.

A Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for freeing us to be filled with the Holy Spirit and have the understanding it takes to draw near to our Father and our God! May we always seek you for counsel and instruction so that you may be glorified above all else.

An Unlikely Triumphal Entry

As our pastor, Jeff, spoke on the Triumphal Entry in Luke 19 this morning, I was particularly astonished at how quickly the attitude towards Jesus would change over the course of just a week.

The time of the unveiling of the long awaited King of Israel had come. The One that all the prophets had testified about was coming into the Holy City to proclaim victory for His people. He even came as it was predicted: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9)

For the people of Israel, this was the moment that they had waited for. Finally, they would be free of Roman authority and have rule over their country once again. The Jews were finally getting their identity back as power and glory were being restored to them as they had always hoped. Even the Pharisees reluctantly declared Jesus’ fame among the people saying, “Look, the world has gone after him.” (John 12:19)

But as Jesus drew near to the city He knew how quickly the popular opinion would change and the blindness of His people’s hearts. He weeps over them, saying

“Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:42-44)

Jesus knew. He knew that though now the people were praising Him, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (John 12:13), less than a week later they would be shouting, “Crucify him!”. What changed so quickly? How did this man, triumphantly entering Jerusalem with the people praising him, stand before the same people a week later, bloodied, beaten, ridiculed, stripped, cursed, and bruised? How could these people take their proclaimed King and trade him to be crucified in place of a murderer? Why did they utter in that day the heartbreaking words, “We have no king but Caesar!” (John 19:15)?

They had no idea why Jesus had come. Their hearts had become hardened to the point where they thought God’s main job was to restore power to them. God had become their slot machine that they could insert their religious acts and get power, wealth, and comfort in return. They only wanted God for what He could give them, instead of wanting to be in a relationship with Him. In reality the people had a much bigger problem than being ruled by Rome. They did not see that we are desperately sinful. Jesus was not coming to conquer our worldly oppressors or to accomplish our selfish temporal needs. He had come to defeat the enemy that no one else could. Jesus had come to triumph over the sin that had enslaved man since the first of all men. The people of Israel had no idea what they needed to be set free from but He did.

In the same way we often think we know exactly what our Savior should do and who He should be. But praise be to God that His thoughts are higher than ours and His ways are so much better than ours. Jesus is exactly the Savior we need and works in our life exactly the way we need it. Despite our rebellious efforts to change Him or conform Him to our needs, Jesus loves us so much that He will endure our rebellious hearts to bring us into a relationship with Him. There is nothing more triumphant and no salvation better than that which is in our Christ. Hosanna to the One who is King of all and triumphant over death!