as i travel thru ThisPilgrimLand

Family Devotional or Christmas Tree

Let me preface what I intend to say here by saying that I do not lead by example here.  I fail at this subject often but aim to do better and stand convicted often when I fail.  Pray for me.

That being said, I just want to take a moment to point out something.  If you listen to people talk about Christmas and their favorite parts of the holiday, one of the most mentioned and most celebrated aspects of Christmas involves setting up and decorating the Christmas tree.  Often times people discuss how the whole family comes together to hang ornaments and place the strands of lights. 

I can remember as a child what a big deal it was in my family.  Beginning around Thanksgiving, I recall being excited to hear mom say that it was probably time to unpack the Christmas tree from the basement and decorate it.  It was a time of togetherness and working as a team.

Making sure the ornaments were hung correctly and that the garland was placed just right was a priority.  Such care was taken and instruction given to space things out correctly.  We would work together and it was fun.  Then, when it was all done, dad being the tallest would be asked to place the star on top of the tree.  The anticipation grew then as I knew for sure, in just a few moments, someone, usually my sister or myself, would plug the long strand of lights into the electrical outlet and the tree would light up in beautiful color and brightness.  It was a magical moment and one that is remembered fondly. 

From movies to songs, the Christmas tree and its drawing ability to bring families together is celebrated.  That time of decorating the tree is one that causes people to drop what they are doing and work together on something.  Many families have a tradition of singing songs or reading a certain story book during this time.  It is a time for tradition, bonding, common goals, and presentation.  It is, especially in these days, a time to escape the world and quite simply, be a family. 

My friend, I want to tell you that there is a way to have this same moment every day.  There is a way to share time with your kids that is simple and magical.  There is a way to leave the world behind and start a tradition in your family that will never be forgotten.  There is a way to give your children and spouse something bright and burning every single day and it won’t run your electric bill up.  A time of devotion to Bible study with your family is this glorious and forgotten way.

Thinking about the times when our family has devoted time with one another and God are some of the most precious times I recall as a father and husband.  To turn all the distractions and outside influences of the world off and just as a unit that God Himself has constructed be with Him is a moment that I can’t even put into words.  It is peaceful, fulfilling, precious, historical, educational, and gratifying all at the same time.  It is a wonderful time. 

We put our Christmas trees up in order to have something pretty to behold and to place gifts to one another under.  In family devotionals, God refines us into something beautiful for Him to behold and helps us to place ourselves and our children under Him and His guidance.  What a glorious thing.  What gift! 

To the dads who may read this:  As a child, I can remember thinking what an honor it must have been to be tall and get to be dad and place the star on top of the Christmas tree.  It was the finishing touch, the approving moment, the culmination of the work that the family had done.  I can remember how excited I was the first time I was allowed to drag a chair into that living room and hang the star myself.  That fails in comparison though to the feeling I am given when I properly place the greatest star in his rightful place in my home.

To sit and study the Bible with my children and place Christ where He belongs is something that I know Christian fathers throughout history have done.  To be able to, with the help of my wife, show my children how to rightly divide law and gospel, show Christ as the center of all, is such a wonderful gift.  To remove that bright and shining star from the word of God and place Him on top of our family is a crowning moment of the day.  To decorate and bathe my children in Christ’s glorious triumph over death following his sacrificial death is fulfilling.  To be able to show my children the grace of God upon a fallen people and to help my children understand themselves as God sees them is my job, my duty, my privilege.  To know that this is a family tradition or practice that my kids may one day share with their own is the greatest gift ever.

There is a tree that your family can gather around daily.  It is stained with blood shed by an innocent savior and it has shined brightly for over 2000 years now.  Share this with your kids.

Sickening Compassion

I have made a choice in my life.  I have made a choice to accept the place that the Lord has placed me in my life.  I can remember the day that I prayed to God that I was turning things over to Him.  I remember praying and asking God to lead me to where He wants me to go and to give me the ability to find solace in knowing that His hand is the One guiding me.  I have made that choice and I regret it none. 

By doing so, I am surrounded almost daily by people who are desperate.  They are sad, lonely, neglected, and tossed aside.  They are looked upon as the lowest of the low in society and the society we live in would rather forget such people exist than offer them a hand.  These people are told by loved ones that they must help themselves; save themselves through hard work, determination, strong-will, growing up. 

These are the people I am around every day and they are broken.  Some days it is overwhelming.  Some days some of these people leave and I am forced to bury them in my mind for I know that the chances of them dying in the near future have multiplied exponentially.  Some days, due to bad decisions and refusal to apply what they have learned, it is so hard to have compassion, to show mercy, to be there for them when they aren’t even there for themselves.  Yet, I know that these feelings have to be nothing compared to what my God feels when He looks upon a humanity that denies Him. 

They deny Him despite the many signs and wonders He has presented us.  The 93rd Psalm tells us that He even gave us the stars in Heaven for mankind to see Him.  What did we do with them?  We turned them into a way to explore and map so that we could claim more of His Earth for ourselves.  How that must make Him feel.

Just as I look at the people that God has placed around me, God has allowed me to see all of mankind through His word in the same fashion.  People, we are fallen.  We are lost and doomed save One option.  While I thank God for this wisdom and this understanding, it is so saddening to me.  It makes me want to do more, to stand on the highest mountain and scream that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Light and those who refuse to believe and trust in Him will perish.  Yet, everyday I watch people who know this truth turn away from it and walk into a future that will cause them to perish should they not return.

I read the story of Christ’s interaction with the boy who has a dumb spirit in Mark 9.  I see the plea of the father of this child to Christ as he asks the Lord to please “do anything, have compassion…” and it causes me to weep.  People are looking for this compassion everywhere and in everything, yet God has provided it to me and I want nothing more than to share it and the source of it with everyone. 

This compassion the father is seeking is one that stirs you from the inside.  The father was asking to Christ to look upon his son and to be moved on the inside.  The father was seeking the compassion that moved the bowels, the type that makes you sick when you look upon something.  I think of the St. Jude’s Hospital shows that sometimes air on television.  Who can watch those without becoming emotionally disturbed?  How can anyone look upon those sick children and not want to do something, anything to help?  Oftentimes I flip right past those because seeing those sick faces makes me physically ill  because I feel so helpless to help them, to save them, to ease their pain and the pain of those who love them.  This was the compassion the father was seeking from Christ.  He showed his son to Christ hoping that Christ’s insides would hurt, his stomach would turn, his heart would break.  Being from a people who believed that love and pity were seated in the bowels of a person, this father literally was asking Christ to find it within Himself to help his son.  Of course, Christ did so based upon the father’s belief that He could save His son.

Is this the compassion that we have?  When we think about our neighbors, our friends, our family members who have denied Christ as their Savior, do we have a sickening compassion?  Is our heart stirred, are our stomachs turned at the thought of one soul perishing or are we satisfied in knowing that we ourselves are saved?  Has the Bible not told us that those who fail to call upon His Son for salvation are destined to an eternal fate much worse than the temporary suffering of the children seen in the St. Jude fundraisers?  What is wrong with us?  How have our hearts become so hardened that even knowing the Truth we are able to temper the stirring inside of us with worldly pleasures?  How much longer will we stand by and do nothing or blow people off with advise or even worse kind words rather than truth?  May the Lord grant us all with sickening compassion that moves us to do something that makes us know that yes, we are indeed the light of the world (Matt. 5).

Who Got to Felix?

In Acts 23 and 24 we read of Paul’s trial before the Roman governor Felix. This is a fascinating account and a key time of movement and transition in the mission given to Paul.  Without going into too much detail, I want to skip ahead to the actual time that Paul spent before Felix initially in his trial before him.  More specifically, take a look at verse 22 of Acts chapter 24:

But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of the Way, put them off…

This verse follows Paul giving his defense against false accusations and lies to Felix.  Paul explained to Felix that he was not guilty of the things that he was being accused of but was simply being persecuted because of his adherence to “the Way.” 

What is “the Way?”  This is of course the Christian life.  The hope, belief, and reliance on Christ Almighty.  This was the way that Paul spoke of and that we have the honor to read play out in his life in scripture. 

What stands out to me though is that verse 22 tells us that prior to Paul’s defense of himself, that Felix already had a “rather accurate knowledge” (KJV says “more perfect”) of “the Way.”  This tells us that Felix knew well of the Christian life and beliefs that Paul spoke of prior to Paul’s time before Felix.  Logically, this means one of two things:

1. Having heard that Paul was coming to have audience before him and knowing why (see chapter 23 of Acts), Felix studied the ways of Christianity prior to Paul’s arrival.
2. Some Christian had spoken directly to Felix in the past, perhaps in a conversion effort, about the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Which ever of the two, we can say definitely that Felix knew of Jesus and had some idea of the gospel.  The first logical assumption would seem to be a far-fetched one.  At this time (between 55 & 59 A.D.), there would have been very little to no Christian literature or writing for Felix to study or read himself in order to learn about Christian beliefs.  Any preparation he would have been able to accomplish prior to Paul’s arrival before him would have come via word of mouth.  He would have possibly had his advisors or those lower than him in the government prepare a report for him.  Either way, someone had to have told another person about Christianity in order for Felix to know what he did know by the time Paul came face to face with Felix.

Even the reasoning of the first assumption lends to the fact that the second assumption made above about Felix’s attainment of his “rather accurate knowledge of the Way,” would be the most likely.  Someone must have personally communicated the gospel to Felix at some point.  The fact that scripture describes Felix’s knowledge of the Truth with such clarity stands to affirm that Felix’s knowledge came from another who had a firm grasp upon the truth and that it was a knowledge  that stood directly in line with the truth that Paul spoke.  Imagine if Paul would have told a version of the Way that did not match with the one that Felix had been taught.  Would Felix had been as cordial and patient with Paul even if he did think he could get money out of Paul (Acts 24:26)?  One can only wonder.

Someone, somewhere, at some time, had made the effort to teach Felix the gospel Way.  If not Felix, then one of his subordinates who accurately repeated that truth to Felix.  Regardless, can we not assume that had someone not been out carrying forth the great commission (Matt. 28:18-20) prior to Paul’s audience with Felix, that this portion of Paul’s missionary journey would have turned out differently.

Sure, scripture seems to speak to the fact that Paul did all the work.  By no means do I mean to cheapen or lessen the life and torture that Paul underwent in order to spread gospel and build the church.  Still though, there is an unspoken hero or heroes in this story.  By some means, Felix knew of the gospel (keeping in mind there is a large difference between knowing of something and believing in something) before Paul met with him.

Who was it?  Who was the person running around spreading the gospel?  We may never know.  Yet still, that unknown and unnamed entity played a vital role in both the life of Paul and the establishment of the church.  By simply following the Way, the path for the Way was made more straight. 

I hope that you will think of that the next time an opportunity for you to spread the gospel comes to light.  Even if that person you teach does not believe and conversion does not take place, remember the story of Felix and Paul.  Remember how important Felix’s knowledge of the Way was once Paul was brought before Him and share the gospel in the way that we have been sent to share it.    You never know what might happen, but rest assured that God does.  God knows how and why Felix knew what he did.  God knows who shared the good news of His Son’s life and death.  God knows who is sharing that same good news today.  Is it you?

“How Do You Socialize Your Children?”

As homeschooling parents, one of the initial worries and frequent questions received is “how do you socialize your children?”  I believe this little video a friend tweeted about explains it perfectly.  There’s something about the robotic drone of the repeated question that sounds familiar.

Why We Don’t Have Livestock in Church

A friend recently sent this video my way and I think this should be posted as a PSA about having livestock in the church. The report of this incident states that nobody was hurt thankfully.  Enjoy!!!

BOOK REVIEW: “Radical” by David Platt

Is the American Christian life today any different that that of our fellow non-believing mankind?  That seems to be the question that David Platt is asking in his book Radical.  Upon his observation when asking himself this question, he returned with an answer of NO.  I could not agree more.  Just based upon my own life, I know that my life as a Christian is not all that different from my neighbor who either doesn’t care or doesn’t even know about Christ. 

This isn’t a new question though and is certainly not a new observation.  Historically, Christian writers have been asking and pleading with Christians to turn their lives away from the world that is so very appealing to our lusts.  Platt is another in a long line who has the courage to stand up and say something about it and I applaud him for such. 

Platt does a wonderful job in this book of presenting to the Christian the hard evidence of the gospel of Jesus Christ and exactly how this good news changed the lives of those first New Testament Christians.  Platt pulls no punches in pointing out how people who call themselves Christians today no longer live as though they are changed by Christ.  Platt points out many areas in which American Christians are nothing more than status-quo with the rest of society and he does not fall short of pointing that the only answer to this question is a renewed vigor and faith in the good news of Jesus Christ. 

At the same time though, Platt offers a version of the social gospel that comes close to unraveling what I feel is his overall intent.   Platt encourages the reader to be more charitable in many parts of the book.  What discourages me about the way it is presented is that one could walk away believing that by giving all their stuff away to charity or to a faith-based initiative, they have done something pleasing to God.  I don’t find Biblical backing of that teaching and while Platt does a good job of identifying specific individuals who have sold their lives out for the missionary cause, there is still a hint of “give your stuff away and let others carry out the great commission for you.”  That’s the danger of the social gospel.  You may start buying cheaper hand soap, but if you’re not out yourself teaching others the gospel, you don’t need the soap anyway because you never got your hands dirty.

I hate to even be that critical of the book because I feel Platt has produced a very good work here.  I don’t know if the last chapter of step-by-step, follow this program of Christianity serves any value (such things make me nervous), but take that one chapter out and this is a valuable book for 21st century Christians. 

I would recommend this book to others with the small disclaimers above.  I think that there is a great deal of good in this book and as a Southern gentleman myself, it feels nice to see someone nearby receiving such acclaim for a great effort.  This book would make a good Christmas present and I suggest you follow one of the product links in this post and purchase a copy for yourself. 

TO READ CHAPTER ONE OF RADICAL by DAVID PLATT, CLICK HERE

 I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

Paul’s Two Hats

We hear so much about identity today.  We are told that everyone is looking for their true identity and trying to find out who they are. We are encouraged to “be yourself,” and we instill in one another a brazenness of like it or lump it.  Yet, most people I know are very uncomfortable with their true identity.  Due to this, they hide behind many different things and getting to know, truly know someone is borderline impossible. 

The apostle Paul did not seem to have this issue.  As you read the epistles of the New Testament, Paul often bravely identifies his then current self and his former self in no uncertain times.  Possibly my favorite verse of Paul’s self-identification comes in the first line of his letter to his beloved friend Titus.  Titus 1:1 reads: 

“Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness”

Paul identifies himself as two things:

1. A SERVANT OF GOD
2. AN APOSTLE OF JESUS CHRIST

Many times it seems that we just lump those two things together in teaching.  We teach people that if we are being a follower of Christ that we are serving God.  I do suppose that is a valid point as servitude to God does now under the new covenant mean following Christ.  However, the separation made by Paul in his identification of himself is important. 

Paul believed himself to be a servant, a slave to the Creator God.  Paul viewed himself as a slave, a man of servitude.  Paul viewed himself as a man who had given himself up to the will of God.  Paul was devoted to God.  Just as he had shown great devotion to God as he believed God was prior to his conversion, Paul was now a man in total disregard of his own interest.  Paul served God.

This servitude and Paul’s understanding of his slavery had to be key in his ability to persevere through so much pain and agony during his missionary journeys.  Paul must have understood that He served a God who is despised by many in the world.  Paul had to understand Christ’s teaching in John 15:20 that reads:

“Remember the word that I said unto you, ‘The servant is not greater than his lord.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.”

Paul’s view of humanity and man’s inner being is a bleak one to say the least.  This darkness in humanity stems from mankind’s refusal to trust in the Lord, to obey Him, to SERVE Him.  Many in the world hate the Lord.  As a servant of God, Paul must have understood that this meant that the worldly and unbelieving would hate him as well.  Applying the teaching of Christ above, why would Paul expect anything else when Christ laid it out for His disciples in no uncertain terms?  In a world in which the church is full of teachers, pastors, preachers, and members who want to be liked by and more like the world, we could all do well to ask ourselves if this desire is one that matches with Paul’s description of himself as “a servant of God.”

Paul then identifies himself as “an apostle of Jesus Christ…”  Paul was not only a servant to God, but an apostle of Christ.  An apostle, in its most original and pure sense, means a delegate or a messenger.  Paul understood that His calling was one that meant he was chosen to carry on the message and teaching of Jesus Christ. 

Perhaps we Americans have lost some sense of what the word delegate means.  In a time of political corruption (as if there has been a time without) and forced legislation, the people of the United States have lost faith in their delegations.  If you live in a state in America, you have delegates who you elect on municipal levels, state levels, and federal levels.  It is the job of these elected officials to then hear your voice and your concerns and to take them to the government bodies who can fund and oversee making the changes or improvements that you desire.  As we have recently seen in political backlash in our country, when those officials fail to properly delegate, someone new or more willing to carry out your/the majorities desire is elected and replaces the failing delegate. 

Paul saw  himself as a delegate of Jesus Christ.  Paul understood and stated in Titus 1:1 that Christ had elected, chosen, picked him to carry a message to Christ’s constituents, all the people of the world.  God had sent His Son to save the world and Christ had chosen Paul and a number of other apostles to take the message of His saving grace to the world and build and sustain the church is to continue to delegate and share today: “Jesus Christ has died for your sins.” 

Paul understood that his servitude to God and his apostleship to Christ were separate but common matters.  Being a servant to God does not mean “be good,” in the sense that many think it does.  Being a servant to God does not mean that we serve others through elaborate and expensive social projects that simply show we are Christian.  Being a servant to God does not mean that we show some fake semblance of “love” to people despite the fact that we know, according to the grace and knowledge afforded us, that those people stand to die in their sins and be condemned. 

No. Under the new covenant, being a servant of God means that we are an apostle of Christ.  It means that we share the message of Jesus Christ with others.  If you are a Christian it means you have been elected, chosen. But this election does not mean what we have cheapened it to mean.  It does not mean that you are picked to go to Heaven.  No, it means that you have been chosen to take the gospel to others and following the examples of the twelve, of Paul, and of countless others throughout time, lay down your life to delegate that message.  If you are not doing so, you are not doing what you have been elected to do and you are what the political types like to call a lame-duck, serving no purpose. 

For fathers this could mean laying aside your hope for that new boat so that you can be at church teaching or helping others be led in worship instead of at work earning money.  For mothers, this could mean laying down your hopes and desires for your life and status for that of guaranteeing your children understand the gospel.  For friends, this could mean giving up that round of golf or shopping trip so that you can knock on doors and share the message of Christ crucified to save a lost humanity.  It can also mean that we have to turn away from friends who deny Christ or His message.  Your servitude means that you have laid down your desires so that you may carry out the will of your master.  That will is that all of us go forth and teach others the gospel through which the saving of souls will occur (Mark 16:15-16).