Day 14 – Drawing Lines

"Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God. Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit. Pray for us, for our conscience is clear and we want to live honorably in everything we do."
Hebrews 13:15-18

Isn’t it peculiar how there is something inside each of us that seems to resist authority. It could be something as simple as ignoring the “Keep Off the Grass” sign. It could be ignoring the posted speed limit and then being put out with the police officer when you get pulled over. It could be talking about and making fun of a supervisor behind his back. I mean we really do believe that the world is a better place when there are boundaries and authority – just so long as it doesn’t get in our way. After all, the rules are for the bad people, not for good people like us.

It gets even more difficult when we start talking about spiritual leaders. Our boss at work pays us, so there is some incentive to obey him. But spiritual leaders? Pastors? Church guys? After all, don’t we pay them? And given the amount of scandals that have rocked church leadership around the country over the last several years, do these guys really expect us to submit to them?

And these are all valid concerns – unless you take the Bible seriously. In which case we have to seriously give attention to this idea of submitting to the authority of spiritual leaders commanded in Scripture.

When you look at the passage above, you discover that “obeying your spiritual leaders” is closely tied in to “doing good and sharing with those in need” and “offering to Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise.” It’s as though the writer is leading us into a whole new way of looking at the world. Instead of giving allegiance to a political system or a nation or a person, the writer says for us to give allegiance to God. The result of that commitment will be that we view our world from His perspective – that we have a God-centered view of the world rather than a self-centered view of the world.

As we view the world through God’s eyes, we begin to see the plight of those around us who are needy and desperate. Because we bear the Spirit of God within us, we feel compelled to help those who are broken and lost, the hungry and the homeless, and all those who are like sheep without a shepherd.

We also begin to see that authority is good. God gives each of us gifts and tasks that bring meaning and fulfillment to our lives as well as extend His Kingdom throughout this world. For some of us, the gifts and tasks are designed to help lead the Church and to equip the followers of Jesus to do the works of the ministry. This way, the church can accomplish her task of spreading the message of reconciliation to a world without hope.

Which is why the writer of Hebrews makes such a big deal about this issue of authority. If those who lead God’s people are to endure not only the attacks of the Enemy, but the day in and day out struggle with the frailty of their own humanity, doesn’t it seem better for we who make up the Church to add to their blessings rather than to their frustrations? Wouldn’t it make sense if we were going to see God do amazing things in our area that we would need to not only submit to, but also encourage and pray for, those in spiritual authority over us? It’s difficult enough to be bringing people into God’s eternal Kingdom, preaching God’s eternal Word and organizing God’s revolutionary movement in this world. When you add that they are also watching over our souls and are accountable to God for not just their own lives, but also the lives of those He has entrusted to their care, it becomes an enormous amount of responsibility – even without conflict.

Let’s add to their joy and not their sorrow. Let’s be an encouragement to their families and not a discouragement. Let’s be burden-bearers and not burden-givers. In this way, we demonstrate that we have an eternal perspective on our role in the Church. In this way we demonstrate that we believe that the rules are for us, that they are good, and that by our submission to them we will experience the best possible life God has prepared for us.

As you pray, be thinking through the following statements and allow them to prompt your thoughts with God.

• Thank God that He is the Ruler over every authority and power and that He is good, just, kind and righteous in His rule.
• Thank God that He has established spiritual leaders who help guide the Church and equip the followers of Jesus for the work of the Kingdom.
• Ask God to give these leaders wisdom and insight into His Word and His Church.
• Ask God to help you to be a joy and support for those He has placed in authority over you.
• Ask God to give you opportunity to demonstrate this support through yielding to the authority of those He has placed over you.
• Commit to praying for your spiritual leaders that they might live an honorable life and be protected from the Enemy who would seek to destroy them. Pray for God’s protection over their families and that God would fill them with wisdom and discernment that they may lead well.

Day 13 – Gift

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
Colossians 3:12-14

I’ve got 2 kids. My son is 8 and my daughter is 6. Generally, they are the best of friends and get along wonderfully. Every once in a while, though, they cross that proverbial line and get on each other’s nerves. Given enough time and not enough parental intervention, they can get just mean to each other. At this point my wife or I will step in. Usually we’ll try to track down what the problem is, who started it and who, if anyone, needs a consequence. Once we lay down the house rules again and remind them how we treat each other as a family, we will then ask the offender to apologize for the crime. The other child’s response, which by now is driven into both our children’s psyche, comes out automatically – “I forgive you.” Because one of our fundamental house rules is that you always make it right and you always forgive the other person.

Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we all followed that rule?

Imagine what it would be like if we functioned with that kind of attitude. Whenever someone offended us, they would come and make it right and our natural response would be, “I forgive you.” Or if we said or did something to someone, we would go make it right and their natural response would be, “I forgive you.” Wouldn’t the world just be…better?

But it seems like in real life there is a disconnect somewhere along the way. Someone offends us and our natural reaction is to hold a grudge. Or we offend someone else and our natural reaction is to not make it right – after all, they probably deserved it. Feelings get hurt; things go left unsaid; things not only don’t get better…they get worse. We end up in a cycle of trying to figure out who should be the one making it right and who should be the one forgiving. And round and round it goes. To quote the great theologian, George Jetson, “Jane! Get me off this crazy thing!”

Paul reminds the Church that while the world acts like this, followers of Jesus don’t. He says that the children of God should be people of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. That we should be the first to forgive, even when they don’t ask for it. And when the measure is drawn out as to how much we should forgive, it is always measured against how much Jesus has forgiven us. No grudges. No make ups. Just forgiveness.

Over the last several years, I have adopted a saying that has become my motto in life: Own what’s mine and forgive what’s their’s. We should recognize that some of the problem in the relationship is probably ours, and we should own it. And then we should realize that they are just as human and fallen and frail as we are, and we should forgive their part…without them asking for it. Since I have adopted that motto, I find that I am living my life more content and more free than ever before. I don’t get as frustrated with people when they fail me, knowing that at some point I fail people. I don’t hold grudges against people, knowing that at some point I will need grace and forgiveness. So when we choose to do this, we give them a gift. The gift of forgiveness. We don’t hold their sin over them anymore. We release them of our need for them to make it right. That way if they choose to make it right…great. If they choose not to…great. We win both ways. And in this one small way, we demonstrate that we understand how much Jesus has forgiven us.

Own what’s yours. Forgive what’s their’s. It’s the greatest gift you can give…and receive.

As you pray today, let these thoughts spur you into deeper communion with God.

• Thank God that through Jesus, He has provided you with complete and total forgiveness for all of your sin; past, present and future.
• Thank God that He not only has forgiven you, but He has also given you the power to forgive others.
• Ask God to give you the strength and power to own what’s yours and to forgive what’s their’s.
• Ask God if there is any relationship that you need to make right and to give you the opportunity to go make it right.
• Ask God to reveal to you anyone in your life that you have not forgiven and to give you the opportunity to forgive them…even if they don’t ask for it.
• Thank God for the gift of forgiveness He has given you and ask Him to help you consistently give that gift to other people.

Day 12 – Connecting

"Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near."
Hebrews 10:22-25

Hi, my name is Chris, and I’m addicted to Heroes.

If you haven’t caught this show, you need to. It is one of the most original, fun, and addictive shows on television. The show tells the story of several people who thought they were like everyone else until they realized they have incredible abilities such as telepathy, time travel, flight and spontaneous regeneration. At first, they can’t control their powers very well, with some doing better than others. One by one they learn how to control these abilities and have to choose whether to use their powers for personal gain or for something bigger than themselves. Each of these people have a unique story, but feel as though they are supposed to do more than just get through this life without anyone catching on to their secret. Over time, they realize they have a role in preventing a major catastrophe and saving mankind from certain doom. They begin to find each other and eventually discover that they are most effective when they work together.

And that’s the church.

Because of what Jesus did for us, every single one of us have something amazing that has taken place within us, changing us into something else. If we have a relationship with Jesus, the Bible says that we have been raised from spiritual death to spiritual life. Also, God places His Spirit inside us as a seal of His promise not only to come for us one day, but also to empower us to live this life filled with joy, peace and faith in God. On top of all that, God has given each Christ follower spiritual gifts that enable to carry out their unique mission in this life. And if this is true about those who follow Jesus, then why are there so many Christians who don’t experience that power? Why are there so many Christians who have these incredible abilities and yet they choose to act like everybody else?

The answer is simple. Most Christians don’t realize that they are more effective when they are together.

In the passage above, the writer of Hebrews is imploring the followers of Christ to recognize the immense power found in community. “Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do” the writer says. But not just to say that we put in our time in the church house this week. He wants us to “think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.” Attending church is not about checking off a box to say that you go to church. It is about connecting with other followers who have the same Spirit living inside them, who are going through the same struggles you are going through and who need someone encouraging them to continue forward just as we need that same encouragement. In Christ, we are heroes! But our power and joy and peace in this life are only realized in full when we come together.

Let’s admit. Time is precious. But with so many “important” things that steal our time, and so many “priorities” that don’t really satisfy the deepest needs of our souls, shouldn’t we be most committed to the one entity on earth that God has set up to bring out the best of who we are?

Hi, my name is Chris, and I’m addicted to the Church!

As you pray, let these thoughts prompt your discussion with God.
Thank God for placing His Spirit inside you and ask Him to make you more aware of the Holy Spirit’s activity in your life.
Thank God that He has placed you in a church where you can be encouraged to become the person you were meant to be.
Ask God to help you understand how important the church really is in your life and in this world.
Commit to God that you will not give up meeting together, as so many are in the habit of doing.
Think about one person in your life who needs the community of faith and ask God for an opportunity to invite them to church with you on Sunday.
Think of someone in your life who needs you to motivate them to acts of love and good works and ask God to help you encourage them through a note, email or phone call.

Day 11 – Unification Theory

"The people devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
Acts 2:42-47

I can remember serving on staff at a church in Gatesville, Texas. I was the youth pastor at the time and it was my first full time staff position since going into ministry, so I was very excited, naïve and full of hope for what God would do there. I remember talking with the people who attended the church and developing some great friendships with those people. There really wasn’t anyone in the church I didn’t like. Good, hard working people.

That’s why it surprised me a little – well, a lot – when the fighting began. It seemed subtle at first, but over time it became just downright mean. People began arguing over so many small and petty things. Then the name calling, bickering and backstabbing began. A lot of the conversation became focused around worship styles - hymns versus choruses - and eventually a faction of the church split off from the congregation and started their own church so they could “truly worship God.”

After a couple of years, I left that church to go attend seminary in Fort Worth. Over time, I discovered that a lot of churches fight over a lot of different things. Not every church, mind you. But more than one would think. It's kind of a sad irony when you think about it; the Church is the singular agent that God has sent to declare to the world that there is peace between God and man and the message keeps getting blurred by the lack of peace between the messengers.

I wish these unity challenged churches understood the principles in the passage above. The first thing that happened in the first century church after 3000 people committed their lives to Christ was these same people committing their lives to each other. They studied God’s Word together. They ate together. They prayed together. They took care of each other’s needs. And, as a result of their commitment to each other, they truly worshipped God and everyone around them couldn’t wait to be a part of their community.

I wonder what the world thinks about our churches today. Do they see a place where people are committed to each other – even the difficult people among us? Do they see an environment where people are sensitive to each others’ needs and aren’t just focused on their own needs? Do they have a sense that these people would do anything for each other and that they just love being around each other? If they did, it seems as though we would see a lot more people wanting to be a part of the church. It would make sense that there would be more people being added to the church’s numbers who were committing their lives to Christ because they had to be a part of this community of givers and servants.

We can do something about it. We can revolutionize how the world defines “church.” We can be a part of the movement that restores this sense of Biblical community to the world’s eyes – at least to Austin’s eyes. So much so that they cannot fathom not getting involved in this amazing group of Christ followers. We can be the most loving, giving, caring community of people they have ever seen.

Not only can we do this, we must do this. Not just for the world’s sake, but for our own.

Scripture is filled with admonitions and commands for God’s people to be unified at all costs. We can’t allow even a hint of disunity to exist among us. It begins with you and me. We must set the bar of unity high and guard that bar with everything we have. Together we can redefine “church” for the city of Austin and beyond.

Together.

As you pray, allow these prompters to facilitate your interaction with God.

• Thank God that He did everything necessary for you to be united with Him through Jesus’ death on the cross.
• Thank God that He does nothing that would lead people towards disunity.
• Ask God to give you wisdom as to whether or not you need to make any relationships right that may be fractured.
• Ask God to help you to be a unifying force in the Body of Christ, a guardian of the standard of unity, and a champion for your brothers and sisters in Christ.
• Ask God that our church would be a part of redefining “church” for the city of Austin and beyond.

Day 10 – Building

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
Matthew 16:13-18

My kids are into building things. Paper airplanes; forts in the living room; Lego tanks; and swords out of, well, just about anything. There are days they can sit for hours in their rooms, just building things using their over-active imaginations. It’s so much fun to watch and even more fun to discover what tie, belt, sock or shoe is missing out of my closet that has somehow become a necessary piece in their creative venture.

It seems as though all of us are in some way are building things - homes, families, friendships, careers, hopes and dreams. Some things that we build take a lot of time. Other things that we build happen quickly. Watch this story about a group of people who built an entire house in less than three hours.



Isn’t it amazing what people can do when they work together for a common purpose?

And when we come to this thing called The Church, isn’t it interesting that we rarely view it as something that Jesus is building. We often view the Church as something that is already built. And yet what Jesus began 2000 years ago, He is still building to this day.

The word “Church” literally means “called out ones” and began out of a conversation and then a confession. Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do you say I am?”. It was a simple question, but the response would determine the fate of these first century followers. Other people in the region were saying all kinds of things about Jesus - that He was a great teacher, a wise person, one of the old prophets of God risen from the dead. It seems like everyone had an opinion on this Jesus. But that’s not what Jesus really wanted to know. He wanted to know “Who do YOU say I am?”

Peter was the first to make the distinctive confession that Jesus is the Son of God and began what would become a long line of "called out one's". Jesus uses the analogy of a building. Jesus is the cornerstone upon which the "called out ones" would be built. Just like a large foundation is made up of many small stones, the Church is made up of many members all throughout the centuries who have made the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

And Jesus is still building His Church today. Depending upon your answer to Jesus’ question, you might even be a part of this Church that Jesus is building. But while you are a very important part, you are not the last part. Because Jesus is still building. He is on mission. There are people all over this world who have yet to be invited to be a part of this “called out” community. And He invites us to be a part of the building process. His desire is for us to look around and see all the people in our lives who aren’t connected with this beautiful Church that Jesus is building – to let them know that Jesus is more than just a great teach or a wise person or even a prophet. Jesus is the Son of God who died on a cross for our sins, was buried and three days later rose from the dead. He now sits at God’s right hand. He has restored the relationship that was severed by Adam and now He continues to build His Church to this day. And He invites every person who calls on His name to be a part of the journey.

Join in the building process. Don’t just sit and watch “church” or simply go to “church”. Be the Church. Be the “called out ones” who represent Christ in this world, not focused on earthly things that will fade away, but focused on the task of building wherever we are. Jesus is going to be building His Church anyways. Why not be a part of the process. After all, it’s amazing what people can do when they work together for a common purpose.

As you pray, allow the following to guide your thoughts in your conversation with God.

• Thank Jesus that He is still building His Church.
• Thank Him for inviting you to be a part of the process.
• Ask God to make you aware of how pivotal your part is in His mission to reach this world.
• Ask God to give you the courage to live out the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God – with all the implications that has for your life.
• Ask God to show you your role in the building process.
• Begin a list of people you know who aren’t followers of Jesus. Begin to pray for them by name and ask God to give you insight into how you can communicate to them who He is.

Day 9 – Rescue

"Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."
Galatians 2:1-2

Several years ago, Hollywood released an action movie starring Chris O’ Donnell called Vertical Limit. The basic premise of the movie is that a brother (O’ Donnell) and his sister (Robin Tunney) become estranged because of a mountain climbing accident early in the movie that claims the life of their father. Years later, their relationship is put to the test when Tunney’s character is leading a party of climbers and they become trapped in a vertical cave at the top of the second highest mountain in the world, K2. If they are not rescued soon, they will die of dehydration and the dropping temperatures. O’ Donnell must fight through his own guilt and shame over the loss of his father and lead an expedition to save his sister’s life. One of the climactic scenes of the movie is where Chris O’ Donnell, after losing several members of his team, arrives at the edge of a large precipice. He is not far from where his sister is located, but the gap is too vast to cross and he is left with only one real logical choice – give up on his sister and go home. But he doesn’t choose logic. O’ Donnell marches back 50 feet, turns back to the cliff, situates his ice picks in his hands and runs as fast as he can towards the cliff.

He jumps!

In what feels like forever, he spans the gorge, descending along the way until he reaches the other cliff and digs his picks into the side of the icy mountain, barely keeping himself from falling to his death. He then climbs the face of the mountain and reaches his sister and her party just in time to save them from certain death.

Why would he do that? Everyone would understand if he just turned around and went home. The distance is too great. The potential cost is too high. What if he were die in the process of trying to rescue his sister?

But that’s not what family does. True family goes to the cliff and jumps.

And that’s what the body of Christ does!

Churches in America are literally filled with people who, for one reason or another, have found themselves in a cave of sin and rebellion against God and are on the verge of being spiritually dehydrated and cold towards their Creator. It could be that couple we know who are having problems in their marriage. Or the person we work with who is struggling with integrity issues. Or the friend who blatantly walks away from his commitment to Christ. And too many of us are standing on the precipice watching them slowly become cold and indifferent to spiritual things. As we think about it logically, we decide that it would be rude of us to interfere with their decisions. Surely they will contact us if they really need help. It would take too much time away from my schedule and my family. And after all, with all of our baggage, who are we to try to tell them what to do.

But in the passage above, Paul is urging us toward a different response. He is asking if there is a brother or sister in Christ standing at the edge of this cliff who is willing to jump across to save the souls of their wounded family members. Is there anyone spiritual, not perfect, who is willing to leap out into the gap, to climb the mountain of adversity and to gently restore those of our spiritual family who are hurting and broken? Cautious, so that we won’t fall into the same trap, but willing to do whatever it takes to save them. To bear their burdens and the issues and struggles that they are going through so that they do not have to bear them alone. And ultimately to do for someone else what Jesus has done for us – risk everything to bridge the gap.

There is someone around you who needs rescuing. Will you take the leap?

As you pray today, allow the following to stimulate your dialogue with God.
Thank God that He has sent His Son to bridge the gap that was between you and Him.
Thank God for the people in your life who were willing to step out of their comfort zones and help bring you into relationship with Christ.
Ask God for a heart for those who are falling away from Him either through their circumstances or their own conscious decisions.
Ask God to give you the courage to not just watch them walk away, but to take a leap of faith and go after them.
Ask God for words to say and, more importantly, for an ear to listen and a shoulder to help carry their burdens.
Ask God to help you guard your heart as you pursue those who are falling away so that you don’t fall into temptation along the way.

Day 8 – Buddy System

“The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance. You are Christ's body—that's who you are! You must never forget this.”
1 Corinthians 12:25-27

In late April of 2003 a young adrenaline junkie named Aaron Ralston went out for a weekend rock-climbing trip. On Saturday, Aaron found himself climbing in a narrow canyon when the 800-pound rock he was clinging to shifted and Aaron slipped. The heavy boulder rolled over and pinned his arm to the canyon wall. Aaron remained there for 5 days, waiting for someone to rescue him.

No one came.

By Tuesday, he ran out of water. On Thursday morning, he decided that his survival required drastic action. Using the dull knife from his multi-tool, Aaron applied a tourniquet to his now lifeless arm, amputated his arm just below the elbow, and then administered first aid. As if that wasn’t enough for one day, he then rigged anchors, fixed a rope and rappelled 75 feet to the canyon floor. But wait…the story is not over. Aaron then hiked downstream and was spotted about 3 p.m. by a Utah Public Safety Helicopter. The search for Ralston had begun the same morning, after authorities were notified he was four days overdue reporting for work.

Imagine what went through Aaron’s mind as he made that fateful decision to cut off his own arm. Life and death hanging on this one decision. It was courageous. It was daring. It was extreme discipline at its best.

And it was completely unnecessary.

You see Aaron broke the most important rule in mountain climbing: Never Climb Alone. If he had gone with someone else or at least told someone where he was going, he would still have his arm today.

It seems like I meet people every week that have a story similar to Aaron’s. At some point and time in the past, they have made a commitment to follow Jesus and have spent the majority of their Christian lives climbing alone. Every time they find themselves between a rock and a hard place, they try to figure out what courageous, daring, disciplined decision they need to make in order to pull themselves out of it. They decide to read the Bible more, go to Church more, serve more, do more! And the majority of them are wounded, battered and bloody with what feels like a part of their soul amputated.

Do you ever feel like that? Do you ever feel like you’re alone in this thing called faith, trying your best, but just not able to make it?

There’s good news. You were never meant to climb alone.

Everywhere you look in the Scriptures, you find this concept called community where men and women are identified, not as individuals, but as a people. The people of God. The people of Egypt. The people of Ninevah. And while the community is filled with individuals, each person in the community recognized that they were a part of something larger than themselves.

In the New Testament, through faith in Jesus Christ, the idea of community expands beyond nationality and includes both Jews and Greeks, men and women, kings and paupers, somebodys and nobodys, red carpets and back alleyways – people from a myriad of backgrounds calling on the name of Jesus to set them free from the boulders that pin them to their destinies of solitude. Take joy! You were never meant to climb alone! You are a part of a people; a community; a body!

You are not alone!

Over the next several days, we’ll spend more time on this idea. For now, allow our conversation and these prompters to spur you in community with God through prayer.

• Thank God that the burden of following Jesus alone has been lifted from your life.
• Thank God for Jesus who has brought you into His family and His body.
• Ask God to make you more aware of your need for community.
• Ask God to give you an increasing desire to connect with others in the Body of Christ.
• Ask God to help you to reach out to others and invite them into this community of faith.
• Spend a few moments and think through the people who have helped shape your faith. Thank God for them and ask Him to give you the courage to be that for someone else this week.

Day 7 – Springboard

“Happy is the man who does not walk in the way sinful men tell him to, or stand in the path of sinners, or sit with those who laugh at the truth. But he finds joy in the Law of the Lord and thinks about His Law day and night. This man is like a tree planted by rivers of water, which gives its fruit at the right time and its leaf never dries up. Whatever he does will work out well for him.”
Psalm 1:1-3

Recently, I had been reading J. R. R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” to my eight-year-old son each night before he went to bed. It was fun to see the delight in his eyes as he became enthralled with the story, envisioning each step of the journey in his imagination, laughing in appropriate places, worrying about the well being of the characters, and ultimately hoping for the hero (Bilbo Baggins) to come through in the end. As we finished the last page, he said, “I can’t wait to read that to my kids! I’ll tell them, ‘my dad read it to me and I’m reading it to you’.” In that moment, I knew that something special had happened; a father and his son had made a meaningful connection through something as simple as reading a book together. Something in our relationship changed, if only slightly, by this shared experience.

The funny thing is, I knew that would happen. It’s partially why I read the book to him in the first place, knowing that this simple act between us would springboard us into a kind of relationship we didn’t have before.

I think that’s why we have God’s Word – to be a springboard.

Isn’t it odd how so many people claim to be followers of Christ and so few people spend any time reading His Word? It’s no wonder then that there are so many Christ-followers who are struggling with desire for God and with living for Him. I talk to so many people who are shallow in their faith, and invariably, to the person, they don’t read God’s Word.

In the Psalm above, David speaks of the person who not only reads God’s Word, but also finds joy in it. Reading the Scriptures for this person is not just a duty to be performed during a quiet time, or something done each week when the pastor says, “turn in your Bibles to….” Reading the Scriptures is something they anticipate and think about day and night. This person loves God’s Words. And do you want to know why? Because God’s Word is a springboard. It is designed to make a meaningful connection between a Father and His child, simply by reading His Book together. God knows that each time we come the Scriptures, and allow them to springboard us off the page into conversation with Him, then something in our relationship will change, if only slightly, by this shared experience.

So how do we use God’s Word as a springboard?

Let’s take the passage above. Using God’s Word as a springboard means to use the Scriptures to prompt us into conversation with God. So rather than simply reading the passage and moving on, we begin to make it relational. We read, “Happy is the man who does not walk in the way sinful men tell him to, or stand in the path of sinners, or sit with those who laugh at the truth.” And then we pray, “God, your Word says that I will be happy if I choose not to follow the ways of those around me who would lead me away from you. I confess that I am easily swayed by the crowd and ask you to help me to not give in to those moments where I would let my spiritual guard down, just to fit in with those around me.” Then we read, “But he finds joy in the Law of the Lord and thinks about His Law day and night.” And we pray, “God help me to find your Word to be a joy and not a burden. Help me to think about your Words and not just hear them and know them, but do them. Let your commands and your expectations of me be what I think of day and night.”

By allowing the Word of God to springboard us into conversation with God, we move beyond simple stories of right and wrong into meaningful interaction with the One who spoke these words in the first place. He made sure these words would remain all these years, so that He could sit down with you and read them together with you. He knew that this simple act between you would springboard you both into a kind of relationship you didn’t have before.

As you pray today, let the Psalm above springboard you into relationship with God.

• Thank God that His Word endures and that He has preserved it for us to read.
• Ask God to reveal the places where you give in to those around you who would lead you away from the Truth.
• Ask God to give you a love for and a delight in His Word. Ask Him to help you to think about the things that He says day and night.
• Thank Him that He is planting you besides streams that give you life.
• Thank Him that He will produce fruit in your life as you stay connected to the river of Life that is God.

Day 6 – Intimacy

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
Philippians 3:7-9

The apostle Paul was a rockstar.

If you look at his life, you would quickly discover that he was a spiritual giant long before coming to Christ. He was a devout Jew who was raised to be passionate for God. He had grown up under the best teachers and actually memorized the laws that God had given His people. Not only did he memorize them, he obeyed them better than most. He was from a respectable Jewish tribe, the tribe of Benjamin. You couldn’t find anything wrong with the guy. In fact, he loved God so much that he was easily offended when people would belittle God or make Him out to be less than His character and Word suggested. And if someone said that they were on the same level as God, Paul would be the first to cry, “Heretic!”

Which is why Paul hated Christians so much. They actually claimed that Jesus was the Son of God – God in the flesh. Paul made it his mission to wipe these guys off the face of the earth in an effort to purify the Jewish people from those who would seek to draw attention to this supposed messiah.

It wasn’t until Jesus met Paul on the road to Damascus and changed his life that Paul realized his real purpose in this world. In Philippians 3, he lays it out for us. “My mission” said Paul “is to know Jesus.” Period. End of sentence. Thanks for coming. They’ll validate your parking stub at the front desk.

Isn’t it strange how far we’ve come since Paul wrote the words, “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” It seems nowadays it is so easy for us to determine our spiritual condition by how involved we are in spiritual things. We go to church regularly; we read our Bible; we give money to the church and to the needy; we’re kind, honest, moral people who are respected both at work and in the community. And all these are great things, but are they a true measure of how we are doing as followers of Christ? According to Paul, the true barometer for our spiritual condition is how intimate we are with God through Jesus Christ.

Paul said, “I had all the religious stuff to brag about and I want you to know that I consider all of that to be meaningless, even detestable, compared to what I consider to be the most important thing in this world – knowing Jesus intimately.” How intimate are you with Christ? Is He the distant stranger whom you fear discovering your secret weaknesses? Is He the guy they talk about in church who is really important and did that great thing on the cross a couple thousand years ago? Is He just a religious area of your life that you bring up every once in a while because you’re a “good, church going person”?

Or is He your friend who sticks closer than a brother. Your life companion. Your hopes. Your dreams. Your goal in life. The reason you live. Your God. Your Savior. Your everything.

The easy question you can ask yourself as a test of where you are is this: “How much of my day is focused on developing intimacy with God and how much of my day is focused on me, my family, my house, my friends, my job, my goals, my dreams, my problems, my past and my future?”

Paul teaches us that Jesus is supposed to be more than just a religious notion or a bumper sticker on the back of our car. He’s supposed to be more than something we do on Sundays. Knowing Jesus is to be our life’s passionate pursuit. The reason we live. Our purpose. Our mission. All of life comes down to this singular passion: to Know Jesus and to make Him known.

Make knowing Jesus your passionate pursuit today. Seek Him in His Word. Seek Him in the sunrise and the sunset. Seek Him in the laughter of your children. Everywhere you turn, whether it be at work, at the store, in the car, watching the news, engaging your family and friends – seek Him. He is always there. If only we would look for Him.

As you pray, allow these prompters to ignite a passion for knowing Him better today.

• Thank God for the fact that He is always near, even when we don’t notice.
• Thank Jesus for doing everything necessary to bridge the gap between God and man.
• Ask God to make knowing Jesus the passionate pursuit of your life.
• Ask God to give you renewed fervor for reading the Word of God, not just to read it, but to develop intimacy with God and His Son through it.
• Ask God to open your spiritual eyes to His activity all around you throughout your day.

Day 5 – Familiarity

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.'"
1 Peter 1:13-16

Have you ever been driving down a familiar stretch of road and at some point along the way realize that you have been zoned out for the last several miles, completely unaware of the road, the countryside and the other cars around you? Or have you ever been driving that road and doing 18 other things at once – drinking your coffee, changing the radio station, talking (or even worse, texting) on your cell phone, finishing breakfast, grabbing the book out of the back seat – only to be reengaged with the task of driving by the bumping sound of the lane divider, or the horn of the guy next as you inadvertently ease into his lane.

Maybe the saying is true; Familiarity breeds contempt.

Sometimes I wonder if that’s part of our struggle with our relationship with God. When we first come to faith, we tend to be excited about this new relationship and can’t wait to get to know about this God who loves us so much. We tell our friends about what has happened in our life and love the church that helped us discover this loving God and His plan for us. A few years later and God becomes the distant friend that we run to whenever things are really bad. We don’t tell anyone about our faith “so as not to offend them” and we keep finding fault in the church and the leadership because they aren’t doing things exactly the way we think they should. We are comfortable in our Christian bubbles and have become nice, moral people with no passion for God, for His Word and for His Church.

Familiarity.

Peter understands this concept and encourages us to be proactive in our relationship with God. According to the passage above, proactivity begins by preparing our minds for what God will do today in and through us. Do we have the mental commitment to say to God that we are available for action today wherever and whenever He might call us, no matter how it affects our schedule?

If we are going to be ready for action, we must learn to become self-controlled so that we are not loose canons driven by our emotions or sinful tendencies. As Paul says in the Scriptures, we bring our bodies under the authority and rule of Christ and we recognize that we are not our own, that we have been bought with a price, therefore we will honor God with our bodies.

Proactivity means we make it our vocation to become a people who are holy and not holier-than-thou. The word "holy" literally means that we are "set apart" for God and for His purposes. We don't want to be like the people Jesus spoke about who honor Him with their lips, but whose hearts are far from Him. God doesn’t need lip service. In the Scriptures it says, “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” God's looking for someone today who will say, "let me be that one who is fully committed to you."

Be that person today!

As you pray today, reread the verses in 1 Peter above and allow these thoughts to prompt you in your conversation with God.

Thank God that He is actively pursuing His creation to bring them into proper relationship with Himself.
Ask God to help you to be mentally, physically and spiritually set apart for Him today.
Ask God to help you to be ready for Him to use you for His Kingdom whenever or wherever He needs you.
Surrender your schedule to His and surrender your plans and dreams for your life to His plans and dreams for you.
Thank Him that He is God, that He is in control and willingly submit yourself to Him and His authority in your life today.

Day 4 – Becoming a Triathlete

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

My brother-in-law is a triathlete. Not just any kind of triathlete - an Ironman Triathlete. This means he swam for 2.4 miles and then he road a bike for 112 miles and then he ran for 26.2 miles. Like in the same day. On purpose. It took him 11 hours, 38 minutes and 8 seconds (which I find ironic, considering that is the exact same time record I hold for playing a single game of Asteroids when I was a teenager.)

It helps that my brother-in-law is a natural athlete. I could probably finish the Ironman, but we would be measuring in days, not hours. After all, being an Ironman isn’t for just anyone. Over 200 people who entered the Arizona Ironman didn’t even finish. Some people are just made for that kind of thing, while the majority of us aren’t.

And isn’t that what a lot of people think about faith in Christ? As we look around and compare ourselves to the Ironman Christians out there who seem to always have it together, and they know just the right things to say when we’re going through difficulties, and they always seem to know where things are in the Bible. And they hear God "speak" to them, whatever that means.

We can’t even get to church on time.

How do they do it? What is their secret? Maybe they’re just “naturals” at it. Maybe we’re just not made for that kind of thing.

But maybe we are.

As Paul wrote the letter to the Thessalonians, he wanted to encourage them to continue on in the faith through difficult times. And in that encouragement, Paul wrote down a simple training regimen to get them in the spiritual shape necessary to run the Christian race. He said to always be joyful, to never stop praying, and to be thankful in all circumstances. Three simple, yet life-changing ideas that would enable us to be triathletes in our journey with Christ.

What would our day look like if we chose to be joyful in who Christ is and what He has done for us instead of being frustrated with what we can’t have or can’t do or with circumstances that are often out of our control?

What kind of a change would take place in our lives if we carried the awareness we have of God in our prayer time with us into our work time and play time? What if we started catching moments at the stoplight and in the check out line and the waiting room to reconnect with God in prayer? (BTW, you don’t have to close your eyes every time you pray...this is especially helpful when driving.)

What would our lives look like if we were able to be truly thankful to God in the midst of every kind of circumstance – good, bad or indifferent - and we were able to thank God for who He is and what He has done for us, no matter what life throws our way?

As you pray today, think through which of these three areas you are strongest in and which you are weakest in.

• Thank God that He loves you right where you are, and that He loves you too much to leave you where you are.
• Thank God for His Word that helps us to see the areas we need to grow as believers.
• Thank God for helping you in the areas you do well in as a follower of Christ.
• Ask God to teach you how to be a person who is always filled with His joy, who stays connected to God through prayer, and who gives thanks in the midst of every circumstance.
• Ask God to help you be the person who He created you to be and thank Him that He understands it might take some time and training to become a triathlete on this journey with Christ.

Day 3 – Confidence

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:14-16

“Oh please, please don’t be damaged.” I slowly opened the car door after the vehicle came to its abrupt stop. I was 16. Some friends and I had been playing chase in our cars. I was in a 1977 Ford LTD – the “land barge” I called it. It was built like a tank. They were driving a 1980 Mazda RX7. Fast, but I could take them if I had enough distance.

We had been winding through some back roads and hit a long stretch where I made the fateful decision to punch it. I didn’t see the corner until it was too late. The little Mazda held the corner tight. The “land barge” found the ditch and eventually drove out on the other side. As I got out to inspect it, I saw the crumpled fender. My dad was going to kill me.

All the way home I tried to think of ways you could get a dent so large in a ’77 LTD. Hit and run while I was parked at a gas station? Someone drove me off the road? Anything but the truth. Maybe he won’t notice? I went with the hit and run. My dad saw right through me. (It probably had something to do with the giant clod of dirt that was under the front bumper.)

Have you ever felt that way with God? Like you had done something that was so bad or so stupid that there is no way He would understand. Blame it on someone else. Avoid the subject all together. Maybe God won’t notice. Meanwhile we've got a giant clod of dirt under our front bumper. The Hebrews passage above tells us to approach the throne with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace in our time of need. Isn’t it true that a lot of times we come to prayer with anything but confidence. Shame maybe. Guilt possibly. But not confidence.

The author tells us that we can come with confidence because we have a Savior who gets us. He was tempted just like we are. He didn’t give in, but He understands why we did. Jesus wants us to come anyways – confidently – knowing that we are forgiven and he has the grace and mercy that we need. The cross covers everything. It removes the clods from dirty souls and repairs dented lives. So come – bring your victories over sin and your failures – your successes and your tragedies. He understands. It’s why He came.

There's a passage in the Bible that says, "Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love." As you pray today, take a few moments to list off the things you have avoided bringing to God. It could be a recent moral failure or a habitual sin. It could be something that happened a long time ago and you still haven’t been able to forgive yourself.

• Thank God that He understands your pain and your struggles.
• Thank Jesus for being able to relate to you and for providing a way for you to come before God with confidence through His death on the cross.
• Confess any known sins and failures.
• Thank God for forgiving you your sins and for fixing the damaged relationship between you and Him.
• Ask God for mercy and grace to help you through your struggles and to live in the freedom from sin Jesus has provided for you.
• Ask God to give you His perspective on the things that tempt you and to respond to them in a way that shows gratitude for what Jesus has done.

Day 2 - Father

When you were spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were not free from the power of your sinful self, God made you alive with Christ, and he forgave all our sins. He canceled the debt, which listed all the rules we failed to follow. He took away that record with its rules and nailed it to the cross. God stripped the spiritual rulers and powers of their authority. With the cross, he won the victory and showed the world that they were powerless.
Colossians 2:13-15 (New Century Version)

“It’s a boy!”

I remember that day like it was yesterday. My wife and I had decided to wait to see what our new baby was going to be – with a boy’s name and a girl’s name already picked out. It was our first child. We were nervous. Scared. Unsure if we would be good parents. When the doctor gave us the news, our hearts leapt for joy. The gender didn’t matter as much, because we had the same reaction when our daughter was born 22 months later. In that moment, something inside us simply responded to this new life that came not-so-quietly into the world. It moved us. Changed us.

Our lives have never been the same.

Not only did that moment define us as to our new role on this earth, but that moment changed forever how I view the Scriptures – and more importantly how I view God. As I read the Scriptures, I realize that it was a Father who sent His only Son to earth and ultimately to a cross. I think of how protective I am of my own children and how something inside of me immediately jumps to protect them when they are in harm’s way. And yet this Heavenly Father seems to turn His back on His only Son at precisely the moment when He should charge in with legions of angels to defend the Creator of Life from those short-sighted beings He created.

Why?

All that power. All that potential. Nailed to a dirty, piece of wood.

And then I hear it. Did you hear it? In the passage we just read. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, He took all of the debt that we owed to God because of our sin and paid the penalty with His own life. Can you hear it? Paul put it this way, “When you were spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were not free from the power of your sinful self, God made you alive with Christ, and he forgave all our sins.” You want to know what I hear?

“It’s a boy!”

“It’s a girl!”

We are alive! We once were dead, but because of a perfect, protective Father who could not bear to leave us in harm's way, we are now alive! Jesus became our defender! The Father came for us! He came for you.

Live every moment that you are alive! Respond to the Father's gift to you. It’s what you were made for. It's what Jesus died for.

As you pray today, spend a moment thinking about what God did for you.

• Spend some time thanking God for being a perfect, loving Father.
• Thank God for what Jesus did in taking all of our sin upon Himself at the cross.
• Thank God that He has forgiven you of all your sin.
• Thank God for the fact that while you were dead in sin, He made you alive!
• Ask God to help you live today in a way that reflects gratitude for what He has done.
• Ask God to help you think often today about what it means to live fully alive in each moment.

Day 1 - In the beginning

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

John 1:1-3 (New International Version)

We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment.

Colossians 1:15-17 (The Message)

In the beginning…

The phrase alone gives hope. “In the beginning” suggests a time of fresh starts and clean slates. It’s a place where you can be anything you want to be without lugging around the oversized baggage of a fractured past. A blank page waiting to be written on. A fresh life waiting to be lived.

So it’s no wonder that God begins His book with “In the beginning…” He creates a brand new world that He quickly fills with earth and sky, water and land, flora and fauna. And then, towards the end of that first week, God creates man. The Bible teaches that God created man and woman “in His image.” It’s as though God is saying right from the start, “These people are important to me. I want them to have the capacity to know me and to be known by me.”

Value.

Meaning.

Purpose.

Long before the first couple rebelled against their Creator, God breathed into them a life filled with meaning. His desire is, and has always been, for His creation to know Him. In the seventeenth chapter of John’s testimony of Jesus, he records a prayer spoken by God’s Son. Jesus prays, " Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” Imagine – Jesus sums up all of eternal life, not with works or “right” behavior, but with knowing God and His Son Jesus.

As we begin this 21-day prayer journey, let’s begin with perspective. God’s desire is not that you pray as a means of getting things from God, though He has good gifts that He longs to give to His children. God’s desire is not that you learn a system of rules and regulations, though He has standards that He longs for His children to embrace. God’s primary desire in prayer is for us to spend time developing the relationship that we were created for “in the beginning.”

Also, as a means of support, you may find it helpful to have a friend, family member or co-worker keep you accountable during the next 21 days. Simply ask them to ask you each day for the next three weeks if you have prayed that day. Having someone to spur you on will help you accomplish your goal and, hopefully, develop a habit of prayer.

As you pray today, allow the following prompters to fuel your conversation with God.

• Spend some time thanking God for making you and giving you the capacity to know Him.
• Thank God for what Jesus did in restoring the relationship that was broken because of our sin.
• Ask God to help you view your life, your family, your job and your future from His perspective of value and purpose.
• Ask God to help you stay focused and on track through this 21-day journey.
• Ask God to give you someone to spur you on to completing this journey.
• Thank God for this time with Him and for going with you through the rest of your day.

Prayer-way

Life is so busy! For many people who call themselves followers of Christ, it is difficult to have a consistent Church life, much less a consistent prayer life. And yet, prayer is the one thing that every Christ-follower needs; not just to simply survive the consistent inconsistencies of life, but to flourish in faith, hope, love and intimacy with God.

This Monday morning, we will begin a 21 Day prayer journey together that will hopefully draw us to that beautiful place of intimacy. Our hope is that you will join us each day as we walk, learn, grow and pray together on this pathway - this prayer-way - marked out for us.

Thirsting for Him,
Chris