Best Next Step

The Reason to Rejoice

“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.  However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”  Luke 10:19-20

What most excites you about your faith?  When you think about all the benefits, all the possibilities we have as followers of Christ, what gives you the greatest joy?

Do you think about peace that passes understanding?  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6-7

Does your mind go to the presence of the Holy Spirit?  “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”  John 14:16-17

Maybe it’s the permanent nature of God’s love for us.  “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:38-39

Or, what about the availability of God’s power?  “His incomparably great power (is) for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”  Ephesians 1:19-21

The disciples were excited as they returned from a successful time of ministry.  “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’”  Luke 10:17  And while we share their desire to be faithful and successful in the work of God’s kingdom, what should get most of our focus, is the miraculous truth of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ.

Take a moment to rejoice in the one thing that makes all the difference.

“We also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”  Romans 5:11

The Journey Continues

“Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.  Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.”  Luke 1:1-4

About five weeks ago,  my family started a journey through the gospels.  By reading just two chapters each weekday, we will have the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of Jesus this summer.  Before school starts again in August, we will have read, discussed and applied Jesus’ teachings to our lives.

Today we are starting in Luke’s gospel.  You are welcome to journey along with us.  I’ve set up a blog for this season.  You’ll find it at www.thesprings.typepad.com/gospels.  Each weekday there will be some questions to guide your time of discussion.  I encourage you to find a consistent time each day when you can dialogue about the gospel chapters with your family or a group of friends.

Luke was a doctor and as an educated man he set out to write “an orderly account” of the life of Jesus after having “carefully investigated everything from the beginning.”  In Luke’s gospel we read many specific details of Jesus’ life communicated in a clear, chronological order.  In fact, Luke follows up his gospel with the book of Acts to give the same kind of complete account of the early church.

As I consider the precise nature of Luke’s writing, I am reminded of the fact that we have a faith that can stand up to the greatest of minds.  Yes, at the end of the day, ours is a belief in a God that we don’t fully understand.  But it is a belief that can and should be fully investigated.

That is why my family is taking a journey through the gospels.  We want to explore the life of Jesus for ourselves.  We want to hear what He taught and see what He did.  We want to more fully understand His words and see how He lived out His life.

I pray that your time with God would be transformed to a high level, far reaching investigation into Who God is and how that impacts your life.  I pray that your daily reading of the Bible would take on a new significance and a new intensity as you search out the claims of Christ.

And I pray that through all your inspecting, you would come face to face with the God that loved you so much He sent His Son to die for you.

Rest

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30

My wife and I just returned from a weekend away in celebration of our 25th wedding anniversary.  Thanks to the generosity of friends and family, Kim and I enjoyed some great down time together.  We believe that this type of investment in our relationship is why we just celebrated 25 years together.  This time away provided us with a focused time to connect and rest.

Life is busy for all of us, but it is God’s desire that we find time to rest.  Times of rest give us the opportunity to reflect on where we are and bring life back into proper perspective.  Times of rest provide the setting to nurture and grow relationships.  All of this happens with those around us and with God.  Sure, weekends away are great, but that can’t happen all the time.  Even in the midst of our busy lives, God can bring us to times of rest.

“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’”  Mark 6:31

I’m sure that life in the Middle East in the first century was not lived at the pace we live at today.  However, when you consider that Jesus called His followers of that day to a time of rest, it should challenge us all the more to do the same.  In fact, this time of rest is so important that it even made God’s Top Ten list.

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.  On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.  For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.  Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”  Exodus 20:8-11

So, how do you, in the midst of day-to-day life, take time to rest?  How do you create white space in your overcrowded schedule to reflect?  How do you slow down long enough to connect with those you love and with the God who loves you?

You just do.  You prioritize your time.  You take control of your schedule.  You plan date nights with your spouse and down time with your kids.  You make time to play on Saturday and nap on Sunday.

And more than anything, you come aside to rest with your Creator every day.  This is the only way I know how to keep my life on track in the midst of all that must be done.

The Source of Love

Twenty-five years ago, a couple began their life together as husband and wife.  As all new couples, they were full of hopes and dreams for their future.  They firmly believed that God had brought them together and desired to make their faith in Christ the center of their relationship.

They selected a verse for their wedding day to testify to the source of their love for each other: “We love because he first loved us.”  Both of these young people had experienced God’s love through a relationship with Jesus Christ.  They knew that their ability to love one another would be found in the love they had received from God.

From the start, they had been encouraged and challenged to pursue each other and to pursue Jesus.  He knew that following God’s plan for his life would help him be the best husband for his wife.  She knew that following God’s plan for her life would help her be the best wife for her husband.

As the years went by they found time and time again that the verse from their wedding day was still very true: “We love because he first loved us.”  But now, this love was being shared far beyond their own relationship.  God brought friends, neighbors, co-workers and children into their lives.  With each relationship, they were challenged to show the unconditional love that they had received through Christ.

They haven’t lived perfect lives.  They haven’t always shown God’s love.  They haven’t realized all their dreams.  But they have strived to live their lives on the foundation of God and His truth.

My wife, Kim, and I are so very grateful for all that God has done in our lives these past 25 years.  He has blessed us with five wonderful children and an incredible son-in-law.  He has given us the privilege of serving together both in raising a family and as partners in ministry.  More than anything, He has continued to teach us to rely fully upon Him for the love that we share.  And now,

I pray that you would receive the love of God through Jesus Christ.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16

I pray that you would grow in understanding the full nature of this love.

“I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”  Ephesians 3:17-19

And I pray that you would share this love with those around you.

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.”  1 John 4:7

Out of Darkness

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”  1 Peter 2:9

My family has just finished the Gospel of Matthew as part of our Summer Journey through the Gospels.  We will be reading all four gospels this summer by reading just two chapters each weekday.  You can join us by going to http://www.thesprings.typepad.com/gospels.

The final chapters of Matthew’s gospel bring us to an incredible contrast.  As we move from the deep darkness of the crucifixion to the brilliant light of the resurrection, we find the picture of what Jesus wants to do in our lives.

But in order to more fully appreciate the light, we need a better understanding of darkness.  Perhaps this darkness is illustrated best in Matthew 27:46 where we read, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?”

That Jesus died is an historical fact.  How He died causes us great pain.  Why He died is too wonderful to fully comprehend.  But perhaps the greatest challenge is to consider what it cost Jesus.  God the Father and God the Son had never been separated.  Now, as He took on our sins, He saw His Father turn His back on Him.  The whips – painful; the mocking – humiliating; the cross – shameful.  But it was after all this that He cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?”

Jesus paid a high price for your journey from darkness to light.  “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”  1 Peter 1:18-19

But the story doesn’t end on the cross.  Matthew goes on to record the events that take place after the resurrection.  The light of new life shines through the fears and doubts of the women at the tomb.  “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.”  Matthew 28:5-6

“Just as He said,” reminds the women of God’s faithfulness.  Throughout the Bible we find evidence of God doing exactly what He said He would do.  Living in the light means you can go forward with confidence knowing that God is faithful.

Death gives way to life.  Darkness gives way to light.  Choose today to live in and enjoy the light that Jesus died to give you.

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children of light.”  Ephesians 5:8