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Exerpt from a missionary’s journal:

Where does a journey end, and another begin?  Is it in the desert? Among the war? Or does it begin and end in our hearts? The life we live can’t explain. It brings us to foreign lands, it pulls us to those so they may hear the gospel, and it leaves us with memories that will always last. It is a life in Him. It is a life beyond ourselves.

Christian Books > the Bible?

The conversation went something like this:

Me: I’m so glad we got a chance to catch up.  You’re always such an encouragement to me.
B: You too!  I’m so glad to have you to keep me accountable.  It definitely keeps me consistent in my devotions, and I’m learning a lot.
Me: Cool.
B:  By the way, I’m reading this really good book on fasting.  I’ll give it to you once I’m done reading it.  It’s really great, you’re going to love it.
Me: Sweet, thanks!

It was a few weeks ago that I had this conversation with a friend.  I thought nothing of it at the time, but the Lord has put something on my heart today and I think it relates.

I love reading.  Whether it’s blogs, novels, the Bible, Biblical history guides, Christian books, etc. I enjoy reading them.  So when my friend suggested this book to me I was genuinely excited to get it in my hands.  Why?  Because, honestly, I don’t think I know that much about fasting.  Within the 150 or so pages of this book I can gain a better understanding of how and why to fast.   I definitely want to increase my knowledge, so here’s a great resource.  My friend also talked about how she had grown in her spiritual walk since she began reading this book and taking the principles to heart.  So it’s a good book.  The author’s legit, and it’s not teaching me something that goes against the Bible. 

But here’s the kicker… I am relying on this book to teach me about fasting.  I’ll say it again, I am relying on this book to teach me about fasting.  I have traded diligent study of what Jesus says and His example in the scriptures for a short cut.  I have chosen convenience over wisdom.  I have taken the meditation of the word in the secret place and replaced it with reading the Christian manual to fasting.  And essientially, in this act, I am saying that man is better than God.  Or perhaps at the very least that I am not willing to sacrifice for Jesus.

Don’t misunderstand me.  I have nothing against reading Christian books.  The Lord has used many books to change my life and illustrate a point in a way that I did not grasp from just a Bible verse alone.  For example, reading Torchered for His Faith by Pastor Haralan Popov has given me great insight to the endurance of the persecuted church and challenged me to memorize scripture and get serious about my commitment to Jesus.  Passion and Purity by Elizabeth Elliot has made me realize devotion to the Lord must be stronger than devotion to anyone else as well as given me some great guidelines for life.  The list goes on. 

My point is, reading Christian books is great and the testimonies and scripture interpretation can be informative and relevant.  BUT, where do these books fit into my priorities?  Am I just taking the easy way out and trusting a man’s opinion of the Bible?  Or have I really studied the Bible and asked the Lord what He has to say about fasting (or w/e the book is about) for myself?  In this case, I feel like I need to read the Bible, and look at Jesus example before picking up a book on fasting and figuring this thing out by means of my own strength and an author.  The early church did not have Christian bestsellers on dating and praying and fasting, etc.  They had the Holy Spirit.  These resources are great for today, but if I am not even seeking my Lord about these issues, how can I possibly expect to follow a book’s instruction and end up with a deeper relationship?

Inspiration

I am young.  I have a million options of what to do with my life.  And it’s easy for me to pick whatever feels good.  Whatever I like at the moment.  Whatever I am comfortable with.

I recently saw a blog post that inspired me.  It made me think seriously about my life.  What kind of “career” will I have?  Will I be impacting other’s lives?  Will I be inspiring others?  I don’t think it matters whether I become a missionary, or a photographer, or a nurse… I think it’s most important that I am the kind of person that inspires others to live out the gospel.

With that said, this is the kind of post that inspires me to work hard at whatever I am doing and to do it well simply because I am doing it for the Lord.  So I am inspired.  If you have a sec, check out this post by a photographer/missionary who went back to Haiti and serve as a translator for a few weeks.  The photos are…well, inspiring.

Discouragement and joy.

Discouraged: the state of being deprived of courage, hope, or confidence; disheartened; dispirited.

Life moves quickly.  And we are consumed with cares about our daily life: what we will eat, and what we will wear, and homework, and spending time with our family, and serving in ministry, etc.  As I find myself overwhelmed with these things, unfortunately, I am usually dependant on myself and my own strength, which always leads to discouragement.  I find myself less capable of accomplishing all that I want to and feeling a lot like Paul when he saidin Romans 7:15, “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.”  Discouragement results in a lack of diligence in all areas, and a lack of joy. So, what do I do in the midst of my discouragment? 

According to Nehemiah 8:10 I know the truth, “And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”  But where does that joy come from?  How can I obtain it?  What’s my motivation?  I started reading an exerpt in John Piper’s book Desiring God this morning and was encouraged by the simple scriptural outline he presented.  I’ll give you a taste of that below.

1.  Realize that authentic joy in God is a gift.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. – Psalm 51:12
Joy is not something we can exhibit on our own.  It is truly from God alone and He will give it to those who seek Him (Luke 11:9).

2.  Realize that joy must be fought for relentlessly.
I will quote Piper, because his reasoning is just great:
Faith has joy at it’s heart: It is being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus.  Therefore, the “good fight of faith” is a fight for joy.

Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your faith. – 2Cor. 1:24
Fight the good fight of faith.  Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called. - 1 Tim. 6:12

3.  Resolve to attack all known sin in your life. 
¹¹So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.  ¹²Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. ¹³ Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. – Rom. 6:11-13

This post could be so much longer as Piper lists 15 points in his outline.  I am convinced that joy comes with knowing Christ, and studying the word, etc.  But we must also be willing to fight for it.  We must be patient during the dry seasons in our walk with Jesus.  Only then, can we truly let joy be the source of our strength.

Thoughts?  How important is joy to you?

Not my usual stuff, but…

I’m branching out. Seriously, this has got to be one of the funniest videos ever.

more serious post coming tomorrow.

A slap in the face.

I’ve got a love/hate relationship with exhortation. 

On the one hand, you are learning from your mistake.  It’s so cool to see someone genuinely care about you and exhort you with a desire for you to change and mature for the better.  I love that serious tone that the exorter puts on and the earnestness in their eyes as they meet yours full of emotion.  There’s really nothing I love more than hearing, “Hey, you’re doing great, but…here’s how you can do even better.”

On the other hand, there’s the type of exhortation that no matter how lovingly it is given just strikes you with such force that you’re speechless.  You’re left with a blank look on your face and thoughts running around in your head screaming, “Why didn’t I see this coming?”  The proverbial slap in the face. 

Lately my exhortation has felt like a slap in the face.  There’s a bit of a shock factor and embarrassment, but after that wears off, I am left with the passion and drive to change.  The problem is, I see what a lack of motivation has done to me and as I lean towards the side of lukewarmness in my walk, I am determined to change.  Okay, maybe it’s just a dry season, but I have woken up.

  Prov. 6:9
 How long will you slumber, O sluggard?
      When will you rise from your sleep?
 Prov. 6:4
 Give no sleep to your eyes,
      Nor slumber to your eyelids.