Lukewarm Christian?

“Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?. . .Isn’t it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works?  That the works are ‘works of faith?’. . .Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?” James 2:20-24 (MSG)

In his book “Crazy Love”, Francis Chan boldly states his belief that there is no such thing as a lukewarm Christian.  In fact, he believes the phrase is an oxymoron.  When someone truly accepts the gospel of Jesus Christ, his or her life is utterly transformed.  There is evidence of salvation, not a lack thereof.

I have to agree with him.  Though, to agree is a scary thing for me.  James is clear in his biblical writing that faith without deeds is dead.  If lukewarm Christianity doesn’t exist, then salvation is black and white.  You’re either saved and bearing spiritual fruit, or you aren’t saved and not bearing spiritual fruit.   Agreeing that ‘lukewarm Christianity’ does not exist means I have to question the salvation of many loved ones around me.  Ultimately, it is not for me to decide or judge.  It does, however, break my heart for professing Christians who fail to bear fruit for God’s glory.

Chan makes a good point:  that the first Christians didn’t name themselves–they were “called” Christians by the people around them (Acts 11:26).  The people in Antioch saw the disciples following Christ, and aptly named them.

It makes me wonder. . .if people looked at my life, would they call me a Christian?  Would they see the fruit of a life changed by God?  Or, would they see a life so like the world it is hardly distinguishable and label me a lukewarm Christian?

Dear Christian, if people looked at your life, what would they call you?

Get over yourself

I have this grand plan in mind for my and Marty’s future.  It goes something like this:

We get married, work with Student Venture for awhile, go to seminary, find jobs at a church somewhere in the Midwest, and settle down with kids.  Grand plan–except it’s all mine.  The only thing God Himself has promised Marty and I is our wedding on January 2.  Everything else is up in the air.  And the underlying fear that my plan won’t happen the way I desire it to has affected my entire life this past week.  My attitude has been based on outside circumstances, rather than the joy that comes from knowing Jesus.  Praise the Lord for putting people in my life who love me enough to speak the truth, and point out areas that fail to reflect a heart that desires to please God.  Praise the Lord for people like Francis Chan, who write convicting books like “Crazy Love”.  The main point in the book thus far?  “You need to get over yourself.”

I hate that I make life all about me 99% of the time.  I get consumed with my agenda, my to-do list, my worries, stress, and frustrations–and forget about other things in life.  Like God, for instance.  I forget about Him so much!  As Chan boldly writes, “To be brutally honest, it doesn’t really matter what place you find yourself in right now.  Your part is to bring Him glory. . .how is it possible that we live as though [life] is about us?”

Plain and simple, I need to get over myself.  Life is too short to worry, too short to be stressed out, too short to live in sin, too short to be angry and stubborn and prideful and selfish and. . .the list goes on and on.

The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Sure doesn’t leave room for exceptions.  Regardless of our circumstances, regardless of what this life may bring, our part is to glorify the Lord.  But when we are attempting to make much of ourselves, we can’t make much of Him.

The solution?

Get over yourself.

I hate my sin

I have a confession to make.

I love my fiance more than I love my God.

I can almost picture your jaws dropping to the floor.  “But Jael,” you may be thinking, “Doesn’t the Bible command us to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength?”

Yep.  It does.  And I have fallen short.

Last week, one of the college girls on the CSU Summer Project shared with me a text she had received from her boyfriend.  “I love you,” her boyfriend had typed, “but I love God more”.

I was blown away.  I imagined this guy experiencing such depth and intimacy during a quiet time, that he became so overwhelmed with love for the Lord and just had to share it with his girlfriend!

Not only was I blown away, but I was also deeply convicted.  I had to ask myself, “Who do I love more:  God, or Marty?”

Though I would have loved to answer with the former, at the same time I had to admit that my thoughts, words, and actions more often revolve around Marty than they do around God.

Jesus is very clear in the Gospels that we are to love God first, and people second.  Matthew records Jesus telling His disciples to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness”.  In the book of Revelation, Jesus rebukes the church in Ephesus for ‘forsaking their first love’.

I want to love God with all of my heart.  I want to love and desire Him more than anything in this life.  I know that apart from pursuing Him as my First Love, everything else in my life will be of little significance.  I can’t love people fully, when I am not loving God fully.  I can’t love Marty in the way he deserves–unconditionally–unless I am loving him out of the overflow of my love for God.

Please pray for me.

Just think about it

I have read several quotes in the last few days that have greatly affected the way I think, talk, and act–and, I pray, will continue to greatly affect the way I think, talk, and act.   I hope the Lord uses them to build you up and make you more into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.  At the very least. . .just think about it.

“If our hearts are not right, whatever should be a blessing becomes a curse.”  –Wiersbe’s NT Commentary

“Every single person. . .shares the same heart condition:  a sinful inclination to find life outside of a relationship with Christ.”  –”The Ultimate Road Trip:  A Guide to Leading Small Groups”, published by CruPress

“[The Gospel] tells us that we are more wicked than we ever dared believe, but more loved and accepted than you ever dared hope–all at the same time.”  –Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Church in NYC

“We are obsessed with being respected, but rarely consider our own obligation to respect others.”  –”Sacred Marriage” by Gary Thomas

“Even a dime declares the glory of God.  A dime held up to the night sky covers 15 million stars–how dare we try to rule God?” –Jeff Lucas, pastor of Timberline Church in Fort Collins, CO

“. . .You become clear, as I disappear.”  –Bebo Norman, “Disappear”

Choose whom you will serve

“. . .choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. . .but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”  Joshua 24:15

Before his death, Joshua gathered all of the people of Israel at Shechem and gave them a farewell speech.  Included in it was a reminder to the Israelites of all the Lord had done for them:  He brought them out of captivity in Egypt, destroyed their enemies and gave them the Promised Land.  In light of the Lord’s good works for them, he exhorted the Israelites to “fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness.” (Joshua 24:14)  Then, he gave the Israelites a choice:  will you  serve the one and only true God, or will you serve the foreign gods among you?

The answer, of course, seemed simple.  Immediately the Israelites cried out, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods!” (24:16) However, Joshua was quick to remind the Israelites that unless they wholeheartedly turned from the Lord and forsook the foreign gods among them, God would cease to do good to them.   When the people persisted in saying they would serve the Lord, Joshua gave them this command:

“Now then. . .throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”  (Joshua 24:23)

I don’t know about you, but conviction settled in my heart when I read this verse.  I often pray that I would love the Lord with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength, but how often do I really do it?  Like the Israelites in Joshua’s time, there are foreign gods in my life.  They may not be the wood and metal statues the Israelites bowed down to, but they are just as destructive:  unforgiveness, anger, impurity, complacency, apathy. . .the list goes on and on.  Joshua was quick to remind the Israelites that unless they rid themselves complete of these idols, they couldn’t serve the Lord as the Lord desires for us to serve Him.  We can’t live double lives–seeking to serve God in some areas of our lives, but withholding other areas from Him.  It doesn’t work to have one foot in God’s Kingdom, and one foot in the world.  In the book of Revelation, Jesus rebuked the church of Laodicea, saying, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.  I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm–neither hot nor cold–I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (3:15-16)

There’s no middle ground in our relationship with God.  We either serve Him, or we don’t.  We either love Him, or we don’t.  We must choose whom we will serve, and serve wholeheartedly.   And if we choose to serve the Lord, we must rid ourselves of any idols that would keep us from wholeheartedly serving Him.

The ball is in your court.  Choose this day whom you will serve. . .but as for me, I will serve the Lord.

The answer to our greatest desire

“What a man desires is unfailing love.”  Proverbs 19:22a

What a man desires most is unfailing love.  Yet, where do we typically look for this unfailing love that we so desire?  Man.  Imperfect, sinful, ever-failing man.  Though we all long for unfailing love, none of us can give it.  Proverbs 20:6 says, “Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?”

So if we can’t find unfailing love in man, where do we find it?  In God.  God is the only One who will never let us down, never fail us, never give up on us.  He alone can love us fully, perfectly, unfailingly.  The Apostle Paul attests to this in Romans 8:38-39:

“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.”

Beth Moore writes, “The Word of God uses the phrase ‘unfailing love’ 32 times, and not one is attributed to humans. . .only God’s love is unfailing.”

So, knowing this, who will you hope in?  Who will you depend on for your every need?  I can guarantee if it’s anything (or anyone) other than God, you will be left hanging.  Whether or not you’ve recognized it, your greatest desire is unfailing love.  And whether you’ve realized it or not, only God can satisfy that desire.  “[God] Himself is our one answer to a thousand needs. . .He is the fulfillment of our chief desire in all of life.”

Are you shallow?

I don’t know about you, but I desire a deep, intimate walk with God.  However, I was convicted this past week when I read the following excerpt from “The Power of  a Praying Woman” by Stormie Omartian.  (Men, this applies to you, too!)

Five Ways to Tell if Your Walk with God Is Shallow

1.  If you follow the Lord for only what He can do for you, your walk with Him is shallow.  If you love Him enough to ask Him what you can do for Him, then your relationship is growing deep.

2.  If you only pray to God when things are tough or you need something, then your walk with Him is shallow.  If you find yourself praying to Him many times a day just because you love to be in His presence, then your relationship is growing deep.

3.  If you get mad at God or disappointed in Him when He doesn’t do what you want, then your walk with Him is shallow.  If you can praise God no matter what is going on in your life, then your relationship with Him is growing deep.

4.  If you love God only because of what He does, then your walk with Him is shallow.  If you love and reverence Him for who He is, then your relationship with Him is growing deep.

5.  If you think you have to beg God or twist His arm to get Him to answer your prayers, then your walk with Him is shallow.  If you believe that God wants to answer the prayers you pray in line with His will, then your relationship with Him is growing deep.

In Revelation 3, Jesus Himself tells the church in Laodicea, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.  I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm–neither hot nor cold–I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”  (vv 15-16)

God doesn’t want shallow Christians.  I don’t want to be one.  I pray all of us who have confessed Christ as Savior and Lord will pursue God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Anything less makes you shallow.

Spiritual suffocation

Have you ever felt like you’re suffocating spiritually?

I’m not talking about the lose-your-breath, gasping-for-air, physical suffocation–though spiritual suffocation certainly evokes physical symptoms.   I’m talking about a feeling (or feelings) that is so strong, you physically feel like you’re suffocating  in your chest and throat.

Let me try to explain.  In my experience, there are two types of spiritual suffocation.  One is from the Lord, and happens when we are convicted of sin in our life.  David describes this type of spiritual suffocation in Psalm 32:

“When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.”

There have been times in my life when I have felt just as David felt–that the Lord’s hand of conviction was so heavy upon me, I could do nothing but confess my sin to Him and to others–or continue to suffocate.

The second type of spiritual suffocation is one I’m only beginning to realize.  This one is from Satan, and happens when he attacks us with so many lies, we ‘suffocate’ from experiencing truth.  Aptly named the ‘father of lies’, Satan wants us to become so weighed down by doubt, fear, insecurity, lack of trust, unbelief, etc, that we are blinded from God’s truth and what will ultimately free us.

Earlier this afternoon I experienced this second type of spiritual suffocation.  It’s been a long, emotional week, and I’ve been battling all kinds of lies.  I cried out to the Lord for help, and His response was simple:  “Stand firm”–a reference to Ephesians 6.  Beginning in verse 14, the Apostle Paul lists the armor we are to put on in order to ‘stand firm’ against the devil.  His first recommended piece of armor?  Check it out:

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist. . .”

The only thing that can stand up against Satan’s lies is God’s truth.  If you’re experiencing spiritual suffocation at the hand of the enemy, get into God’s Word.  It alone provides the ‘oxygen’ you need to breathe normally again.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go take my own advice.

What you see is what you get

I started today experiencing what can only be described as ‘the joy of the Lord’.  I couldn’t quite put words to my emotions, but everything inside me wanted to shout and dance and tell the whole world about my happiness!  I was overwhelmed to tears by God’s goodness in my life, and kept telling Him how much I loved Him.

Fast forward twelve hours.  I’m sitting in front of my computer after a long day of ministry and feel like all my emotion from the morning has swept to the opposite extreme.  Earlier, I fought back tears as I read the blog Marty and his teammates are keeping during their mission trip to Ghana, West Africa.  God is moving powerfully in their hearts and in the hearts of those they are ministering to, and I desperately want to be there–both to be with Marty, and to experience God’s glory with him and the rest of the team.

Lately my longing to share life with Marty–really share life with him, not simply over the phone–has intensified, and I can hardly wait till our wedding day and the end of this long-distance relationship.  That longing is further intensified by the fact that tomorrow is my birthday, and I don’t get to spend it with him–or any of my loved ones, for that matter.

I know it is God’s will that I am here in California, and it His hand that led Marty to Ghana during these two weeks.   I know that spending holidays away from my family is a small sacrifice compared to the eternal difference God is making in and through me, as I minister to high school students.  Yet, these are the little things that threaten to steal the joy I have in Jesus and the commitment I made to follow Him–anywhere.

There really isn’t a point to this post–but does there need to be?  This is the ‘authentic ramblings of an external processor’, after all.

Welcome to my heart.

Whatever it takes

Last week during Campus Crusade’s worldwide day of prayer, a director asked us to join him in praying for Christians in closed countries– that they would do ‘whatever it takes’ to spread the gospel everywhere.  These believers face death on a daily basis, and some–people whom this director has personally served with–have even been martyred for their faith.

As I gathered with my Student Venture teammates to pray, I was struck by the reality that Christians all over the world are experiencing persecution.  Not the ‘persecution’ we Americans face for our faith.  Sure, it isn’t fun to walk on campus and be mocked for our beliefs.  I find it hard to ‘rejoice’ when students reject the gospel.  But at least I don’t have to fear being killed by someone I am ministering to.

It’s easy for us to sit in a room in America and pray for Christians in closed countries to do ‘whatever it takes’ to spread the gospel.  Don’t get me wrong, I wholeheartedly agree we should be praying–and praying hard!  But what does it mean for us Americans to do the same–to do whatever it takes to spread the gospel in our own country?  Are we really laying down our lives for Jesus’ sake, or are we simply content to sit in our air-conditioned rooms and thank God we aren’t in other believers’ shoes?  What does it look like for someone living in the United States, a land of freedom (though who knows how long that will last!), to give themselves wholly and utterly to the cause of Christ?

I don’t know what the answer to that question is, but  I’ve spent the last few days asking the Lord to reveal the things He is calling me to give up for His sake.  Believer, will you join me in doing the same?

Ephesians 4:1 “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”

Matthew 16:24-25 “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it.”