Life Here and There

I love being a Pastor. I’m passionate about preaching. I am humbled that God has called me to shepherd a flock of His choosing. And I especially love the fuel that fires me up – the Word of God and what it has to say about whom I am.

One of my favorite passages on the subject is Paul’s gut-wrenching goodbye to the Epehsian elders who met him at the island port city of Miletus. It’s recorded in Acts 20:17-38. I’ve been reading it afresh today and have discovered a pattern of ministry I hadn’t spotted before…

(more…)

Gideon is one of my favorite Bible heroes. In my wife’s Bible class curriculum, he’s known as “G. I. Deon!” I especially love the way he’s introduced…

The way Gideon sees himself:

Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
~Judges 6:11

His further questioning of God’s choice of him shows us a heart of humility and self-abasement. There was a lack of courage throughout all the land, and Gideon demonstrated this widespread fear. Everybody lived the part of the oppressed. But look at the way God sees Gideon (and announces accordingly):

And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!
~ Judges 6:12

I wrote in the margin of my Bible next to this verse, “God calls ‘em like HE sees ‘em!” We see God doing this throughout Scripture – God assigning names and titles to people who really don’t seem to fit the part because He sees what they can and will become. While the rest of the world labels us according to external factors, God labels us according to the heart.

(more…)

I have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I’m saved and secure. I’m on my way to heaven someday. But I still live here and I know that my purpose is to glorify Jesus Christ in all of the life that I have left. But how?

A common plight Christians suffer is this wrestling between getting ready to do something, and doing it now. When I surrendered to God’s calling on my life to ministry, I wrestled – do I spend some years in school, doing little and learning much, or do I get involved, doing much but perhaps learning little. I’ve heard it preached both ways. You have too, and it’s confusing, isn’t it?

(more…)

Life is a pursuit. That’s true for all of us – no escaping it. You chase something, you know it, and you can’t quit – that would be crazy. So what do we chase?

• Money
• Pleasure
• Popularity
• Success
• Peace
• Beauty
• Acceptance
• Love

That list could probably go on for days. The endless chase, whatever it is, is what gets you out of bed in the morning. It’s what makes you check your inbox and your mailbox. It’s what causes you to ask the opinions and feedback of others. The chase wears you out at times, but alas, after resting from your panting, you run again.

Most of the objects we chase are moving targets. We’re left with daily frustration. At each benchmark, we simply receive a new baton and run for the next mark. It’s endless.

Moses chased vengeance and wound up expelled from Egypt. David chased sex and it cost the lives of thousands. Saul chased power and control and it cost the lives of early martyrs. For each of these, however, the chase abruptly ended in a sharp confrontation with the Almighty.

A burning bush, the words of Nathan, the Damascus road. Everything changed when two chases collide. In their pursuit of power and pleasure, they were oblivious to the fact that they were, in fact, being pursued… and they had finally been caught.

God has chased us down throughout history. With prophets and preachers, scholars and scribes, He has communicated His message. Through circumstances, events, and miracles, He has indicated His presence. And with His Son, He threw a net.

I hope your chase for anything other than God lands you at the foot of the cross. He’s the ultimate pursuit. When you come to Him, you’ve caught the ultimate prize. And as Paul put it, this is what you’ve been apprehended for. I’m gladly caught. Then again, I’m still passionately pursuing!

Paul said, “I have yet to apprehend that for which I have been apprehended… I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” He’s always just beyond my reach, but someday… someday this chase will be worth it. Is yours?