"Spit" Decisions

Littered through our lives is one thing that will never go away. It can be the toughest challenge to face, and it is always fought best when confronted personally. No one can make it for you, yet so many times we do not know what to do about them. These are infamously known as "decisions". Lebron James made one in 2010, President Barack Obama makes them all the time, and as Christians, we constantly have to be mindful of them. Unfortunately, many times in our lives, we are indecisive; with our jobs, our lifestyles, our friendships, etc. Worst yet, we are indecisive as Christians. We are not sure whether we should stay in the boat or whether to trust God and get out. We are not even sure whether or not we should "really" live for God. Oh, decisions, decisions, decisions.
In Revelation, there are seven churches that are mentioned. Each church has made some decisions and has to deal with them, and at each church - Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, a letter is written to the angel that resides there. To the church in Smyrna, the letter encourages the angel saying, "I know about your suffering and your poverty - but you are rich!" (Rev. 2:9). As opposed to the church in Smyrna, the church in Laodicea claims it is rich materialistically, but it is really poor in spirit. Furthermore, what the church struggled with greatly was what is was doing in the sight of the Lord, and it was all...worthless.
As a matter of fact, if we are to fully understand the meaning behind the letter written to Laodicea, we would have to understand the context in which it was written. Around this church was a source of water in the form of a fountain and water tower. Along with the tower, an aqueduct was constructed from hot springs four miles south of the town. All around the Laodicea, cold and hot water was used to take care of the people and the land. Hence, giving some context to the letter to Laodicea, which boldly states:

"I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!" (Revelation 3:15-16)

The Laodicean church was doing things (and/or not doing things) that were unacceptable in the eyes of God. The letter is explaining that, like lukewarm water, there was no use for it and it might as well be tossed out (or more repulsively, "spit out"). There are many who are hot and seek the Lord faithfully, while cold water people have a heart that rejects God. Laodicea?  It couldn't make up its mind. In this context, it is far better to be cold and stone-hearted than be halfway between yes and no. A relationship is  unhealthy when one desires to go to his/her lover and then rejects the relationship moments later. Being indecisive is one of the worst strategies to use to get into or out of relationship because it is dishonest. This is how Laodicea was treating its relationship with God.

As Christians, we can easily become a Laodicea. We proclaim, as the Laodicean angel did: "I am rich. I have everything I want. I don't need a thing!" (v. 17) We get swept away by our comfortable decisions and our comfortable lifestyle. Our lives become about us. We may not like to admit it, but we become so full of ourselves that we become stagnant, stale, and unworthy of carrying the most prized possession: Jesus Christ. In the next season, we praise and love God for what he gives  us ("everything I want"). We can't make a decision on whether to be 100% in or 100% out, so we lower our expectations to maybes. God makes it clear we need to knock it off.

Coffee, in our generation, comes in all different forms. We need to stay awake, so a good shot of espresso almost becomes a necessity. In order to provide it year round, coffee joints sell iced coffees in the summer and hot coffee in the winter. 

Never do they sell lukewarm coffee. It is gross, and it can be compared to the coffee you leave sitting out all day. Just like the town of Laodicea, the hot water and cold water was used for something, but the warm water could not be put to use in any way. It was worthless.

Many times, we are that coffee that sits out too long. The ice melts and becomes watery; the hot coffee reaches room temperature. We sit out and do nothing with the spiritual blessings God has given us. And, God does give us them:

Paul says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3)

Unfortunately, after we make the decision to follow Christ, we tend to pull Laodiceas all the time. We sink into a comfortable lifestyle and become useless couch potatoes, and because of our indecisiveness, we look less like volunteers for our most High God and more like lazy servants who do nothing with their gift (Matthew 25:14-30). 

If we dare sit still, yet claim we have made God our Lord, we are merely trees tossed out and thrown into a fire (Matthew 7:19). In fact, just because we cry out, 'Lord, Lord,' this does not ensure eternity with him:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven," Jesus said (Matthew 7:21)

We need to constantly be aware of His will for us. We need to "...use whatever gift [we have] received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 4:10-11). In doing that, we can then "...make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19), all for God's glory.

Despite all of the decisions we are constantly making each day, one decision that should never be difficult to make is to live out our commitment to Christ Jesus our Lord. Make yourself of use for the glory of God, and see how He can personally make you a vessel for His Kingdom.

So, what will your decision be? Will you be a stagnant servant, lukewarm in all your ways? Or, will you live out 1 Peter 4:10-11?

See also: James 1:22-25, Matthew 7:19, Matthew 25:14-30, 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 1 Timothy 1:6-7, 1 Timothy 4:11-14

Pointing at the Wrong Person

Where is God leading you? Is it what you hoped for? Do you even know what His plan for you might be? Out of fear, you refuse to seek God and His plan for you because, on the surface, you believe ignorance is bliss. You can run about, unknowingly rebellious, and it will all work out in your favor. Wouldn't that make you happy? After all, isn't your relationship with God all about making you happy? Unfortunately, we tend to believe this is the case. Our delight in the Lord is predicated by the moments when he acts as slave to our needs. When we get what we want, we praise God for all He has done for us.

Life is good when He does that. When we are given blessings, we are thankful and content. Is it good to have a thankful heart? Of course. We are called to rejoice and give thanks for his blessings. David writes about how we should "...give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name," and to "...make known his deeds among the people" (1 Chronicles 16:8).

Sometimes, though, it appears we think that is all God is around for. We believe God has an agenda to stick to; every Sunday, provide my precious child with good words on Sunday and a restful upcoming week. As long as my precious child prays an egocentric prayer, I will bless him and he will love me for what I have done for him.

Today's view of God is a lot like this. God is the life raft when we are sinking in life's problems, and when we are not, we give God the ol' shout out. Sadly, we fall into the lie that God is our servant and the way life treats us is an excuse for how we should treat him. When life is gravy, we give God a figurative pat on the back and remind him that he is doing a good job. When things are not going our way, we question God's authority and wonder what we have done to deserve such pain.

Like Job from the Bible, we ask, "If I have sinned, what have I done to you, you who see everything I do? Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you?" (Job 7:20) We feel the troubles and trials in life are God punishing us because we are bad. We begin to falsely accuse God of his ability to love us because he has not made us happy children.

If we can't look in the mirror and reflect on our own selfish tendencies, maybe a life lesson from Abraham will help. 

Abraham was the ultimate symbol of loyalty to his Creator. He knew his place, even when it did not make sense. The story begins when God calls out to Abraham and says, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love - Isaac - and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you" (Genesis 22:2). This is a command to Abraham to slaughter his one and only son [sound familiar?]. To add to it, this is the same son it took Abraham 100 years (Genesis 21:5) to have as his own. However, it is not God's command that is the focus of the lesson, but Abraham's response: "Early the next morning, Abraham got up and loaded his donkey" (verse 3). There was no hesitation, no argument, and no questioning of authority. Furthermore, whenever God asked for Abraham, "Here I am" was Abraham's reply. As Isaac caught on, he asked his father where the burnt offering was; Abraham's response? "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son" (v. 8). From the moment the journey to Moriah began, Abraham took on the "humble servant" approach. He not only kept perfect obedience with the Lord, but he also relied on God's plan without pouting.

An angel sent by God then responded to Abraham's faithfulness: "...because you have done this and withheld your son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore" (v. 16-17).

God is the ultimate authority, and as we remain faithful to his plans through humble submission each day, we will see what the Lord can do in our lives, as Abraham saw in his own life. Sometimes the Lord places trials and unique situations in our lives to test us as he did with Job and Abraham. Sometimes, he wants to strengthen us like James 1 promises. Most importantly, when trials do come our way, he wants to remind us that he is fighting with us, not against us. John 16:33 says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you will have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

As you begin delighting in the Lord, he will reveal his plan to you. He wants you to succeed (as Jeremiah 29:11 states); but, you need to know your place and trust that "God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). You need to stop pointing your finger and learn to rely heavily on him for everything, because, after all, He did save you from your sin. Instead of shifting the blame, recruit your leader to guide you through life's trials, troubles, and consequences.

So, do you delight in the Lord and all he is doing, no matter what? Do you trust him, despite the troubles this world brings? Is he only your God on Sundays, when it is easy and it confirms your place in heaven? Or, is he literally the Lord over your life? 

He loves you, so why fight his love when you can bask in it, through the good and bad?

The lyrics express how we should view God and his plan for us.

Credit: Hillsong United, Youtube

There's a Plan for That

You don’t matter. Everything you want to become and want to do in life is never going to happen. You are stuck, and the only good that comes from your life is that you managed to live it until you die – whenever that day comes. You might bag groceries. Maybe you are at part-time job. Everything you have done is worth nothing. In fact, you are an accident. You were not meant to be alive. When others are happy, you think it’s fake. There is no way they are happy because you cannot imagine what happiness looks like and feels like. When you die, no one, with the exception of few, are really going to care. You did not accomplish anything, so this idea of pursuing life is not worth the trouble.

The truth is, you are not doing well. Even if you did lie on the outside, the truth is sitting in the pit of your stomach like a virus. It eats away at you, yet you bottle it up and shake it. You hope it will disappear, but it only grows. What started out as a beautiful rose is now withering away, as crimson red turns into a dangling, crumbling mess. You are vomit, spit on a wall and refused to be cleaned. Nobody wants the inside scoop because the truth is too ugly. What will people think when they find out you believe you have no purpose?

Have you ever believed this? Some of you have, some of you haven't, and some of you fall somewhere between 'I have' and 'I have not.'

Nobody’s story is the same. However, in everyone’s life, curveballs have been thrown our way. We have struck out before, and it has not been pretty. Some of us have gone an entire season striking out, and, once you make contact with the ball, it does not go anywhere. Although our stories are all unique and separate from the next person, we all have one thing in common: our lives are riddled with struggles. No one is perfect, and life has never been handed out on a silver platter. Yet, despite all of the struggles life holds, we have one more thing in common:

There’s an individual plan for all of us.

Take Jesus, savior of the world, brutally beaten to save us. He died the most horrendous death, that, similar to the goodness of the Alpha and Omega, we cannot imagine how his death went. While the Gospels are all about Jesus’ life on Earth and death on the cross, it is also about God’s plan for Jesus. As Jesus lived on Earth, he mentions several times that he is only executing what the Father (God) commands:  "So Jesus explained, ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does” (John 5:19).

At this time, Jesus broke the Sabbath by working on that day, and the Pharisees were furious. In fact, they wanted Jesus dead because he was not following the law. However, Jesus does not answer to the Pharisees; he answers to his Father, who has a plan for him.

Even before Jesus was born, God had a specific plan for him. Matthew 1:23 says, “The virgin (Mary) will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God with us’)”. There is no, “If you want to name him Immanuel, it’s up for grabs,” or “I want Mary to have a son, but it’s ok if you’re not ready for it yet.” God is not a ‘maybe’ God. He had a plan for Jesus, and it was fulfilled because Jesus was commanded to live it out.

God made his plan known to the earthly parents of Jesus, but it was not just in Jesus’ birth that God was there. Just as Jesus was dying, he whispered, “‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30). Jesus knew he had fulfilled the duties given from God, as God had his plan laid out to Jesus.

Man of Steel is one of the best Hollywood films to use in this context. Clark, known as Kal-El in Krypton, had a purpose, which his Kryptonic father knew about long before Clark was born. At one point in the film, his father encourages his son that he will enter the world and save the people from being destroyed. Furthermore, Clark’s earth father (Jonathan Kent) knew of his purpose and plan. “I believe you were sent here for a reason,” Jonathan says. See, each father knew Clark had a purpose long before the plan was in motion. Clark, though struggles and obstacles often came his way, had to save Earth from being eliminated. As Superman faces the reality of his purpose, his real father encourages him: “You will give people an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders.”

So, as you see your life crumble before you; as you feel the things you love vanish, remember that God has given you purpose since before you were born. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11).

One day, Satan approached God. God, knowing what Satan wanted to do, offered, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” God allowed Satan to test Job. He knew Job would withstand Satan, and when we walk in step with God and his plan for us, we too can live with purpose and avoid giving in to Satan’s tricks and schemes.

God has a wonderful plan for all of us; and, to believe the lie that you do not, well, is the worst lie you will ever believe.