The Importance of the Cross

Many times I have wanted to read the Bible all the way through. I have a copy of the One Year Bible and always started with the best of intention, however, I don't think I have made it a week in keeping to the "plan". So I decided that maybe I would break off some chunks - like Psalms as an example or the Old Testament. Still, I did not stick to that. So, now I have chosen to cut it down even more. I have decided to study the last seven days of Christ's life. In the process of doing so, it was important for me to reflect of the significance of these days and the significance of the Cross. So I spent this evening doing that. As I researched, I came across a book called My Utmost For His Highest - a devotional book by Oswald Chambers. In the book, Chambers writes about the need for the sacrifice of Christ. I was so spiritually calibrated (yes, I just made up that term) by the readings that I thought I would blog about them.

On November 20 and 21 Chambers writes:

“Beware of the pleasant view of the Fatherhood of God. God is so kind and loving that of course He will forgive us. That sentiment has no place whatsoever in the New Testament. The only ground on which God can forgive us is the tremendous tragedy of the Cross of Christ. To put forgiveness on any other ground is unconscious blaspheme. The only ground on which God can forgive sin and reinstate us in His favor is through Christ and in no other way. Forgiveness, which is so easy for us to accept, cost the agony of Calvary. It is possible to take the forgiveness of sin and our sanctification with simplicity of faith and to forget at what enormous cost to God that it was all made ours. Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace. It cost God the Cross of Jesus Christ before He could forgive sin and remain a Holy God. When once you realize all that it cost God to forgive you, you will be held as in a vice, constrained by the love of God.”

He goes on to say on November 21:

“Never build your preaching or forgiveness on the fact that God is our Father and that He will forgive us because He loves us. It is untrue to Jesus Christ’s revelation of God. It makes the cross unnecessary and the redemption ‘much ado about nothing.’ If God does forgive sin, it is because of the death of Christ.”

OK, so this calibrated me in a big way. To the point of tearing up a little bit. It really made me step back and think about the importance and necessity of the Cross. Don't get me wrong, as a christian, I understand the significance of the Cross. I have always sort of taken it on faith that as I have accepted Jesus Christ as my one and only Savior and I have asked for my sins to be washed away by the blood of the lamb, that I was free. This is all true. However, what generally goes through my mind is that God loves me and that by his amazing grace he forgives me. It is so much deeper than that though. God loves everybody, but He is not going to save everybody. Love does not save. Sin required a payment, and that payment was in the person of Jesus Christ, the Lamb, the one from among the flock, the Man who died instead of us so that we could have everlasting life, so that we could have life in the age to come.

So anyway, that's where today's study in the word started and that's where it ended. I will spend more time this evening reflecting on the Cross and thanking God for the sacrifice he made for a fallen world.

Thankful in the trenches

Well, it has been a while since I have touched my blog. Not that there has been a lot going on or anything.... I have simply not made the time to sit down and write something down. We finally finished construction on the house. Things are beginning to settle down on that front. Almost back to normal, thank God.

I am in the process of settling things with my family down in San Diego. This is definitely a challenge for me. As the saga continues, they have been fairly predictable. The Enemy has been on the attack throughout this whole ordeal. I do believe I am just about out of the woods on this one. I mailed a check down to San Diego today and expect that they will recieve it in a couple of days. There is a serious sense of FREEDOM that I feel in settling this whole thing. In fact when I was standing there with my wife Tammy after I wrote check, I yelled "FREEDOM" and threw my hands up over my head.

At church yesterday, I really enjoyed the worship part especially. I have always stood during worship with my hands in my pockets or down by sides. I just kind of dance to the music and worship Him. Yesterday as we were singing the "Revelation Song" I lifted my arms to heaven, closed my eyes and let the holy spirit lift me up. If you have not done this, I seriously suggest you try it.... It was so cool. This is another one of my favorite songs by the way - I absolutely love it! "Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven" Lamentations 3:41 NIV

As I worshiped, I found myself giving thanks to God for standing by me and my family here at home throughout this process. I am thankful for the good friends I have made and the friendships that have blossomed as I have continued to focus on living my life in faith and surrender to God's will. I am also thankful for the other family relationships that have begun to bloom as result of Facebook and my blog :) (Aimee and Rodney) - I love you guys. It is so comforting that I can sit in the trenches of spiritual warfare and find so many wonderful things to be thankful for.

God's grace is amazing!

If you have about 7 minutes - "Revelation Song"

Lego Warfare

I had to share this... My 5 year old son Joey and were reading "Duck at the Door" just before bedtime tonight. When we walk in to his room to tuck him in, I looked down and saw that he had made these three lego guys, each standing in front of the lego cross. Then there was Darth Vader laying on the ground without his helmet on. I asked Joey what had happened and he told me "the evil devil people were beat in the battle and these three people died in heaven".... After talking to Joey a little more it turns out that the evil people were defeated by the good people and the good people went to heaven. The Cross represented heaven in this little play. What a great chat to have just before bedtime!

Centering

We are just about done with the construction on our home. Things are almost back to normal around here. It is such a relief to get this part of our lives behind us and to move on. This whole process has really taken a toll on my physically and emotionally. I am now working on putting the pieces back together with my family in San Diego. I have prayed for them a lot and forgiven them. I know the enemy was present and on the attack throughout this experience. I have come to understand that the emotional pain that I felt during the time I was dealing with the hurtful words and actions of my family were a result of the enemy getting inside me and attacking my heart.

I am reading this book called "Spritual Warfare" by Timothy Warner. Warner points out that the enemy uses two basis for attacking us. One is sin on our part, but Christ, through the Cross, has provided forgivness and cleansing for all our sin. If we agree with God about our sin and His remedy for it, Satan can no longer hold us in bondage through guilt. The other basis of attack is self. His aim is always to get us to be self-centered instead of God-centered. But self also goes to the Cross with Christ, and God's children do not "love thier lives so much as to shrink from death" (Rev 12:11). So if I have been crucified in Christ, if my self has gone to the Cross and I daily reckon my self dead to the demands of my old nature, then I am victorious. It's all up to me to attain this victory through faith.

It's so hard for me to be God-centered vs. self-centered and this is exactly what the enemy wants. It's all about turning things over to God and keeping Him in the forefront, no matter what is going on in my life. I have my good days and my bad days just like everybody else. When I take the time to sit back and talk to God about anything that has me worried or concerned, it always comes back to one message - He is in control and there is a reason for everything. God does not make mistakes....

World Vision

We took the kids to the AIDS/HIV Experience this past weekend. It was put on by World Vision. There were several different paths you could have taken to experience the story of one individuals life in Africa. You actually walk into the story as part of the experience. Tammy took Bobby and Rebecca down one path and Joey and I went down another. By the third part of the experience, I was holding back the tears. The story was so tragic. It was about this young boy named Emmanuel that lost both of his parents to AIDS/HIV. Emmanuel and his brother were abandoned by their relatives and left to die in the banana groves of the village that they lived in. We experienced the loss, the burial of their mother, and a life of desperation as these two young boys (ages 9 and 3) survived by themselves for 2 years before they were taken in by missionaries from World Vision. Near the end of the experience, you walk into this room filled with pictures of boys and girls that have been orphaned as a result of AIDS/HIV. You are asked to pick a picture and pray for that person. So, Joey and I picked pictures and prayed for these two little boys. Joey (5 years old) was so serious through the whole thing, especially when he was praying for the little boy that he had picked. I was so touched by seeing him pray that a snapped a quick photo with my iPhone. It is so tragic to see what happens to the children of the parents that are lost to HIV/AIDS - It is my prayer that God continue to keep his hand on these children and that they are given hope. I can not imagine how alone they must feel and how hard it must be to go on day after day in an environment that is filled with darkness. As part of our gifts to our children this year, we sponsored one child for each of our children and one child for Tammy and I. Our hope is that our children have a better appreciation for what they have and where they are. We also pray that our kids are humbled by the this experience and will truly embrace the sponsorship of their child. I was certainly humbled by the whole thing and look forward to traveling as part of a missionary team one day. Here is the pic that I took - God Bless him.

Blog Block

I have been experiencing blog block this past week.... Looking to be inspired, but have not found that nugget yet. Things are moving along nicely with the contractors - we are hoping to complete construction by the end of next week if all goes well. It will be nice to have our home back after a very eventful experience. I prayed tonight that God bless this home and my family. I prayed that God be with my family down in San Diego and help them come to know Him. God's grace is truly amazing :)

I love Jesus.

Ikea

My wife and I went to Ikea today to get some stuff to organize the toys in the playroom. I absolutely can not stand this store. If you have ever been to an Ikea, you know that you have to walk all the way through the store to get to the check out area - not a straight shot. There is a path that flows through the store like a maze that literally takes you through ever department. There are arrows on the floor that let you know you are going the right direction and every now and then, you will cross a special section of flooring that says "50,000 people walk across this per week" or something like that. Anyway, all the stuff we were there to get was at the end of the path in the warehouse. Along the way, we stopped and looked a bunch of junk and picked up a few odds and ends that I thought we needed at the house like those little scented candles. We ended up spending about an hour in Ikea and spent a total of about 10 minutes on the stuff we actually went there to buy. Basically it really hard to walk straight through Ikea to what you need and get out - lots of distractions along the way.

This evening my wife and I went out to dinner with our life group (a group of christians that do life together) and got a little worship in on the drive over. One of my favorite tunes was playing - "Jesus Paid it All". I worship daily and never get tired of listening to great songs with great messages. Among many things, this song really reminds me about the grace of Jesus Christ. It reminds me that there is a path paved in love that Jesus paid for. We all know that there is a path in front of us that will end at the entrance to the Kingdom of God. There are however distractions all along the way that the enemy will put in place to cause us to stray off of the path. Walking the path to everlasting life is not a simple straight shot, we have to walk through every department until we get to the end. "Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" Ps 119:105 NIV. This verse is so important when it comes to navigating the maze. It has been very hard for me personally to get in the habit of reading my Bible everyday - I am getting better, but it is still a bit of a challenge. I will say that everytime I open it I find encouragement, wisdom, guidance, and ANSWERS.... It truly is a light unto my path and when I get distracted, I can always find my way back because that light is always there....

One of my favorites and for sure my favorite version of the song (if you have 5 minutes or so):