Jesus' departure from this world doesn't mean goodbye!

John 13:31-35

"Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately. Little Children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me, and as I said to the jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come', so I now say to you. A new commandment I now give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

For some reason, when I read this verse, I think of the end of the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, when Frodo is saying goodbye to Sam, Gandor, and everyone else. Not that I equate Jesus with hobbits mind you, but there is a sense in that ending that even though Frodo is leaving them, they are so close that it is like he really will still be with them. Far more so is it with Christ! Even though He is not here in a physical sense, He is in us, so long as we really believe and follow Him.

Even though events didn't go exactly as planned with Liz's church today, it was still a blessing to see people come up from Indy just to be exposed to life at our (hopefully) humble church. This type of networking is just what we at Cornerstone need, both to keep our eyes and hearts open, and above all to glorify Him. With CBL coming up tomorrow, let's keep praying that we show the work that Christ has done in our lives. It's far more than just basketball, it's an opportunity. We may not have Robbie Hummel or Evan Hansborough, but we have a star player that deserves all the glory, and there is more than enough of Him to go around!

Everyone bears scars

I love the verse that Joe chose to use tonight, "Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." (Matt. 11:6). Being a christian is not easy, and many will fall off course and not return because their past failures crush them. I believe in this passage Jesus is telling John, "You are being persecuted for My name, and will suffer a terrible death because of your love for Me. Do not turn away from Me because of this, it was never My will for you to suffer."

Just like John the baptist, albeit to a much lesser degree, we share scars that, if they haven't driven us away from God, can take us away from the path He has set for us. In today's small group, I got into a deep discussion with two of my members, both of which have great question marks, that are clearly stumbling blocks in each of their lives. One of them talked about their time at a previous church, where the people showed great emotion and cared for them deeply. Now, after time has passed, this person told me they question if it was real, that God was really working in their life.

The other person told me they were once told by their mother, after time spent praying and fasting, that they were supposed to be a pastor. This person believed their mother until one day someone told them that they could never be one, and they were offended, and stopped believing. It was at this point in their life the person began to turn away from God and hit their teenage rebellion years. Of course they came back, or wouldn't be in our bible study, but the effect was clear. Offenses sting, sometimes permanently. For anyone reading this, I leave you with a question: what lies or stumbling blocks have fallen in your way? Is there anything that is in your life that makes you wonder if it was God's will for you? If so, pray about it with a pure heart, or talk to me or someone else who can pray for you. We really need to get past all of our offenses, and know they were not God's will for our lives.

Abba, our Father

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." (Romans 8:14-15)

I don't know about the rest of you, but I stand guilty in calling God Father, often times without realizing the sincere relationship that is inherent in it. Just like in human reproduction, the progeny of a father carry his traits. And no father, who realizes that his son is an extension of himself, would ever want anything but the best for his child. Abba more specifically means 'daddy' in Hebrew, making it an even more endearing term. 'Daddy' is something most of us throw to the wayside as we get older, and would feel uncomfortable calling our earthly dad by that title. But God has taken the child that the world has called worthless and thrown in a dumpster, He sees beyond the pretty little bow tie that this world puts around our sin, and holds us near His heavenly host. This is the love that should drive us ever onward; there is so many prodigal sons and daughters out there who are tired of eating the scraps this world has thrown at them; pray that God gives our eyes the ability to see them!

Grace is too sweet for words...and it doesn't cause cavitites!

Romans 3

Whoo! It is good to be done with my 3 tests this week! Ventilation, Biochem, and Anatomy and Physiology...a lot of memorization right there! It was worth it though, I don't want to whine about 'why do I have to know this?'...it is good enough to learn period! I pray that will be mine and all of your attitudes too when it comes to our God!

"For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: That you may be justified in your words, and may overcome when you are judged." (3-4)

This is the glory of truth; no matter how many lies there are that try to destroy, deform, and dilute it, there is no effect. This world likes to put truth in quotation marks, as George Orwell states in 1984, 'The truth becomes a lie, and then becomes the truth again'. Pastor Kim talked at the end of last semester how covenants today are practically meaningless; need I even mention marriage? But God doesn't work like that, His promises remain true forever!

Another point in this passage for me is justification through words; too often we go through the motion in our everday lives that we don't stop and think 'Why I am I doing this?' I'm not saying we should question every time we pick up a book or go to class, but it would be interesting if we asked ourselves, 'What would I explain to God if I died right now?'

"There is none righteous, no not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all gone out of the way; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no not one." (10-12)

It should make us sad but joyful when we read this. Too often, we take for granted how great it is to be around people that have a desire for God. Imagine we lived in a country where there was nothing but scorn for God and we were hated and persecuted for our beliefs, we would act much differently! But we don't...yet, and it is our responsibility to keep turning the tide towards righteousness!

"Do we make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law!" (31)

In our faith, we hold the law upright and keep the Glory of God's name intact for all the world to see, which is why it will never fade! And what is faith but prayer in motion? I know I may sound like a broken record, but it needs to be drilled in all of our heads....prayer is never in vain!

Time is in His hands

"Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love." (Ephesians 1:3-4)

Rarely, when we think about time, do we see it as something circular, but linear, as if it is just a bunch of random points on a dotted line. Instead, it is a perfect sphere, and is under the complete control of our Father in Heaven. This is what I take it to mean when Paul talks about the "fullness of time", for if it was just a straight line, how could it ever reach completion? But just like everything else God has created, time is perfect, and when it reaches it's very apex, our savior will return.

I was tremendously touched when pastor Thomas talked about God and Christs' relationship before the world was even formed; we have such a small grasp on what eternity means, to even imagine what it was like for them to be together from the very beginning is difficult. But when we think about that in the context of the separation Christ endured on the cross, it is fathomable, and deeply painful. In this life where our painful memories are like luggage we can never rid ourselves of, I wonder if, after this world has passed away, God will still be mourning the loss of all who turned away from Him. I can't imagine how anyone could endure both the hope of those who make it and the agony of those who don't, but that is the glory of Hosanna in the highest. Someday, may we spend eternity knowing the answers to these questions, and delight in the presence of Him who has given us every spiritual blessing we could ever want or need.

Philippians Ch 3

"Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of mutilation! (2)

In this verse, mutilation refers to a "debased mind" (Romans 2:28). This is where true deception lies, as I am seeing all the more, our actions are only a symptom of a much deeper sickness. Show me a Christian who says they do not struggle with sin to some degree and I will show you a liar, for no one can submit every thought to Jesus, for the rest of their lives. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't cling to God in our desperation to try!

"If someone thinks he has good reasons to put confidence in human credentials, 8 I have more: 3:5 I was circumcised on the eighth day, from the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. I lived according to the law as a Pharisee. 9 3:6 In my zeal for God I persecuted the church. According to the righteousness stipulated in the law I was blameless. 3:7 But these assets I have come to regard as liabilities because of Christ. 3:8 More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things – indeed, I regard them as dung!"

Despite all that Paul did in proclaiming the gospel once he was transformed in Christ, all the merit badges in the world are nothing in comparison to the splendor of our King. Interesting in this version how he uses the word 'dung', my NKJV uses rubbish. Either way, it is quite the fortitious adjective and makes clear how little value the things we have are. I look around at my apartment and see my computer, tv, videogames, books, etc., and tell myself like a mantra, "these things will pass away, but His words will never." So often we feel so comfortable in our own homes we forget that all this is so temporary. The Israelites used to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles to remember what it was like to wander in the wilderness by spending 7 days in shelters of tree branches. I bet if we slept out in tents for 7 days we would have a whole new appreciation for our humble abodes afterwards! ;)

"..And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith." (9)

There is tremendous comfort in these words. I think of all the things in life that people are stuck with no matter what. I mean hey, if you are 4'2", and in your twenties, you are going to be vertically challenged for the rest of your life (not that you would be any less a glory to God!). But if you are lacking in faith, don't despair, pray earnestly! The answers to all our problems don't lie around us, but above us.

It is a beautiful thing that we are people who long for more than meets the eye!

“There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun; riches kept for their owner to his hurt. But those riches perish through misfortune; when he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand. As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return, to go as he came; and he shall take nothing from his labor which he may carry away in his hand.” (ecclesiastes 5:13-15).

I find it somewhat ironic that, in the midst of an economic meltdown, it is the very rich who are more scared of what may happen than anyone else. Those who are poor and have little will just keep on living as before; trying to make it through each day with food and shelter! It is certainly true that what seems to be never ending in its abundance will vanish and be as if it never existed before. For some reason that brings to mind buffalo, carrier pigeons, and dodo birds; all the animals that people thought would last forever so they hunted them to near or total extinction! Even more relevant that things like clean water, supposedly the most abundant resource on the planet, are drying up and will soon be one of the greatest crises in the modern world unless something is done about it.

I heard last week, when snowstorms devastated the east coast and also London, that salt was becoming so expensive and rare that there wasn’t enough for the roads (they even had to import it from South America in the east!). I couldn’t help but think that God was trying to tell us that we must cover the earth before an avalanche comes!