As he walked down the street a business man was approached by a street vendor wearing a long overcoat. The street vendor stopped the business man, opened his coat and proceeded to remove fake Rolex watches from the coat’s many inside pockets. The business man, intrigued, looked over the watches, inquired as to the amount and was pleased to learn they cost only thirty dollars. With his purchase on his wrist, the business man walked away proudly sporting his “Rolex” watch.

It looked good, but there was one problem; it was a cheap fake. I once heard a preacher comment that the one real problem with Christianity was that it was too easy to fake. Like the watch it has all the glitter of the real thing, but lacks true authenticity.

Speaking with an unauthentic group of believers, Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27).

Authentic Christianity is difficult. Jesus likens it to a narrow road that is both hard to travel and unpopular (Matt 7:14). It requires the determined effort to live for another, whose ways are sweet but altogether unfamiliar (John 14:5). He requires absolute devotion to Him alone (Matt 10:37). He seeks to make you into something that is altogether different from what you have been (2 Cor 5:17). He requires you to die to your ambitions and earthy desires (1 John 2:15-16). And He seeks to eradicate everything from your life in which you once found both comfort and security (1 John 5:21). Finally, recognizing that He can accomplish none of these things while you are alive, He demands that you die (Luke 9:23).

And therein lies the rub. In Luke 9:23 Jesus said to them all, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” This is what faith looks like… dying to self and living for another.

The authentic Christian however, has joyfully succumbed to this admonition of faith. He does so gladly because he knows that it is only in dying to self that he can begin to live through the power of Christ’s resurrected life (Phil 3:7-11)

The things that Jesus seeks to accomplish in our lives can never be accomplished while we are clinging to this life. Jesus taught that we cannot serve two masters; for we will hate one and love the other (Matt 6:24). If we believe in Him, let us also trust in Him and allow ourselves to die, so that He can live through us with the power of His eternal, indestructible, and holy life. Only in so doing can we know the joy, strength and hope of that eternal life He so earnestly seeks to give away.

“For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection” (Romans 6:5).

“And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius … For the last will be first and the first last” (Matt 20:9,16).

Some people thrive in the morning. They wake up bubbly and ready to go. They usually wonder how anyone in their right mind can sleep past, say 6 am! By seven they have cut the grass, ran to the store, cooked pancakes, sausage and eggs and begun any chores that were needed to be done that day. Others, not so much; they are slow to rise in the morning. Like a 747, they need a long runway to get going in the morning.

I’m a not so much person. I need a long runway before me in the morning. When my alarm goes off, I’m usually somewhere between death and the comma state. I usually have to set my alarm a good hour before I have to get up. It takes me a good 45 minutes to even hear the confounded thing! It takes me another 30 minutes to even realize where I’m at. And people wonder why I drink so much coffee in the morning.

The Christian life can be like that sometimes. There are some people who jut take off running. Before they are a day old in Christ they have won people to the Lord, volunteered for every VBS, missions trip, and service community project the church can throw at them, and they still want more. Those are the early morning Christians! God bless ’em!

Then there are others who wake up to the Christian life much more slowly. It takes them a good while to warm up to everything. Coming into the church is a strange experience. They love the Lord, but are sometimes unsure of His people. They want to grow, but take longer to be comfortable in Sunday school and worship. They know the direction they want to go, but are not always certain on how to begin. That describes my first few years as a Christian!

The wonderful news of the Gospel is that Christ loves the slow to raise Christians as much as the early morning Christians. In fact, the bible says that God shows no partiality between people. Our Father takes delight in all of His children!

So whether you’re an early riser or still waking up, God seeks to bless you richly in Christ. Even if it’s late when you get to the table, He’ll keep the pancakes warm for you.

Life can be hard to understand sometimes. There are so many conflicting experiences we can have. We experience times of joy and times of sadness, times of happiness and times of sorrow. In 1 Peter 1:1-9 we are given a picture of life in microcosm. In a few brief sentences we are given the whole scope of life – but, as seen from heaven. A couple observations about life:

First, Life is Journey. Writing to the church, in verse two, Peter refers to them as strangers. The word in the original language also means pilgrim. He was referring to them as I believe God sees all of His children in this world. In this world we are strangers on a pilgrimage. Heaven is our true home (cf. 2 Cor 5:-10). So while we are here, we are on a journey.

It can be a hard journey, a joyous journey, a journey filled with confusion and adversity or with contentment and happiness. A lot is dependent upon what we experience in life. The things we cannot control, for instance, lead us in many ways; and more often than not, our ability to cope and overcome hardships with a positive attitude and joyful spirit and a heart filled with faith lead us as well. But no matter what we experience and how we face the challenges of the journey, scripture makes it very clear that life is just that, a journey.

It may be stating the obvious to say so, but it is important to understand that point; because if we understand life as a journey then we will not allow ourselves to become too settled. Continue reading →

I remember the first family funeral I had to deal with as a child. My grandmother, who I loved dearly, died when I just beginning high school. She was the first person I would usually see in the morning. When I was a child, she picked me up from school. She often made my dinner and took care of me. Her death was felt deeply.

I remember the first time I went to her graveside. It was a sad, lonely feeling. Cemeteries have such a finality to them. I can imagine what Mary Magdalene and the other women felt then they went to the tomb of Jesus in the early morning hours to prepare His body. There was no doubt a heaviness that weighed on them.

But when they got to the tomb it was not as they suspected. Instead of finding their beloved master dead, they were confronted by an angel who said, “He is not here, He is risen!” I think it would be hard to put ourselves in their shoes. Needless to say, no sweeter words were ever spoken! Continue reading →

Grace is a beautiful word. As used in the bible it refers to the unmerited favor believers receive from God. Sometimes we are led to believe that we deserve salvation. A little boy, whose dad was very proud of his religious abilities, was praying before he went to bed and asked, “Dear God, please talk to my dad. Sometimes he believes he is you.”

Grace means that we are given something we have not earned. The bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9).

It is a humbling thought that our salvation is dependent upon the work of another. Just to make sure we understand that point we are told, “And this is not your own doing; [it is] not a result of works.” God leaves no room for boasting expect in the person of Jesus Christ.

It is also a joyful thought that our salvation is dependent upon another. If we had to earn our own salvation we would always be plagued with the thoughts, “Have I made it? Have I done enough? Did I please God?” Grace takes the worry out of salvation. “For by grace you have been saved … it is a gift of God” Salvation is a gracious gift, given to us out of the depth of God’s love.

It is also a comforting thought that our salvation is dependent upon another. It is written “… you have been saved.” There is no room for doubt. There is no room for worry. There is only the comfort, peace, and joy that gives eternal confidence in the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. Because of His sacrifice on our behalf, our salvation is complete. The result is that we are free to enjoy the eternal Sabbath rest found in Jesus.

Dear Lord, help us to enjoy and live out of the confidence you give through Jesus Christ. Thank you for the gift of salvation, Amen!