Come, Die with Me...

[Honored to introduce our first guest post in our "Daily reflections for Lent" series, written by Pastor John King- Senior Pastor of Riverside Community Church]


Matthew 16:20-25 
 "Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." Hearing this, "Peter took [Jesus] aside and began to rebuke him. 'Never, Lord!' he said. 'This shall never happen to you!'"

What Jesus then said in the face of this apparent devotion consistently forces me to define discipleship in terms that I don't think I'd ever get to by my self. The Bible says that "Jesus turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.' Then Jesus said to his disciples, '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.'"

There were many who would have said yes to Jesus to come dine with me, or come be a part of miracles happening.   But “come die with me”... that brings a different response in most: “Never Lord”.

Yet, the call of Jesus in His passion to win a lost world is often “DIE TO YOURSELF”.

The journey of the Gospel has been written in the blood of people who were willing to say ANY TIME, ANY PLACE, ANY COST.

Most of Christendom will only take the gospel to the safe places of earth. Still a third of the World (the area known as the 10/40 window) lacks real Gospel penetration and gets only a minute percentage of Christian’s resources and probably prayers.

It is said that 87 percent of missions giving goes to the regions of the world that the Gospel has already saturated and hardly any to where the Gospel still needs to go . . .we are willing to go to the safe places and not willing to go where we will need to die to self.




Ask yourself- Where is your safe place?  Are you willing to step outside of it?

God, grant this Lenten season that we will be empowered to say to Jesus “I am willing to take up your cross and willing to die for your cause and the salvation of lost people”. 


John King.
Senior Pastor
Riverside Community Church Peoria IL. 
An Inner City Church with a passion to influence a City toward Jesus.
WWW.RIVERSIDEPEORIA.COM

Dandelions: You See Flowers in These Weeds

Psalm 51:10

Create in me a pure heart Oh God, and renew a right spirit within me.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel as though I have very little to offer God.  Particularly so during this season of Lent, where I am deliberately giving of myself in order to connect with Him on a deeper level.  Sometimes I find myself wondering “what do I really have to give?” in the span of an Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent God.  

I remember a song from my teenager years by a (then up and coming) horn band called Five Iron Frenzy.  Their songs had some unexpectedly meaningful lyrics.  

One song in particular reminds me that no matter what I have to give Him, it is in the act of giving that God is glorified, rather than in what is being given.  God has the ability to see beautiful flowers even in the weeds that we give Him. 

He has the ability to see past our sinful hearts and our brokenness and find something beautiful.

As you seek to draw closer to Him, may this song bring you some encouragement in knowing that not only is He seeing something beautiful inside you, but He is also creating something beautiful within you.  The words to this song speak more than I could try to explain, so with that said, take some time to meditate upon their meaning. 

In a field of yellow flowers,
underneath the sun,
bluest eyes that spark with lightning,
boy with shoes undone.

He is young,
so full of hope,
reveling in tiny dreams,
filling up his arms with flowers,
right for giving any queen.

Running to her beaming bright,
while cradling his prize.
A flickering of yellow light,
within his mother's eyes.

She holds them to her heart,
keeping them where they'll be safe,
clasped within her very marrow,
dandelions in a vase.

She sees love, where
anyone else would see weeds.
All hope is found.
Here is everything he needs.

Fathomless your endless mercy,
weight I could not lift.
Where do I fit in this puzzle,
what good are these gifts?
Not a martyr or a saint,
scarcely can I struggle through.
All that I have ever wanted
was to give my best to you.

Lord, search my heart,
create in me something clean.
Dandelions
you see flowers in these weeds.

Gently lifting hands to heaven,
softened by the sweetest hush,
a Father sings over his children,
loving them so very much.

More than words could warrant,
deeper than the darkest blue,
more than sacrifice could merit,
Lord, I give my heart to you.

Why Japan Matters To Us: On Suffering & Hope

Revelation 21:4
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

I'm sure you've heard by now about the tragedy happening in Japan after the 8.9 magnitude Earthquake that devastated the country on Friday afternoon.  The earthquake triggered a massive tsunami that brought even more death and destruction to the already wounded country. 

Things like this don't always hit home for those of us who live in distant lands, surrounded by comfort and even luxuries.  And when the news finally does sink in, we are left confused, questioning a God who says He cares and who says that He will take care of us.  How can we make sense of the tragedy in our lives in the shadow of an all-powerful, all-loving God?

Either He is lying...or He doesn't really care.  That's what it seems like at times, doesn't it?

Last weekend at church I was really moved by a message addressing this issue.  Long before the devastation in Japan, these questions have been asked by men and women all through history.  Men and women trying to make sense of the pain in our worlds while believing in the power of our God. 

The pastor explained this concept by separating "this age" from "the age to come".  

Some see "this age" as our current world: filled with destruction, death, and pain.  They await the "coming age" when there will be no more tears or sorrow...the day when Jesus will come back to rescue His people.
For these people, life can be very black and white.  They tolerate today, rather than thriving in it, in hopes of a better tomorrow.

Others believe that once Jesus came, "the age to come" had arrived.  That every tear would be immediately wiped from our eyes, and that Jesus would bring healing, success, and prosperity to those who believed.  For these people, discouragement is just around the corner when they are hit with disease, financial difficulty, and persecution.

So how can we make sense of this?  If Jesus is alive and powerful, why do we still suffer?  Whey do we still mourn?  Why is life still filled with hardships and strife?  Why is there still cancer, AIDS, and childhood trauma?

The pastor posed that it is because there is in overlap between "this age" (the time of Jesus entering our world as a baby) and "the age to come" (the second coming of Jesus).  The coming of Jesus DID bring hope, healing and new life.  It broke the chains of death and despair.  People who give their lives to this higher calling are filled with hope and freed from the pain of sin and death.  They are changed.  They are transformed.  I don't just believe this concept...I am living proof.  Jesus has brought hope into my life, freedom from addictions, and a peace that doesn't even make sense.  And I have seen him do the same and more in the lives of those around me.   

But this is not the end of the road.  Though Jesus brought rays of sunshine into the dark clouds of our lives, there is still something even greater that is to come.  There will be a day when these dark clouds dissolve and the face of God will bring the never-ending light of hope into our lives...forever and ever. 

You see my friends, this world is just the appetizer.  It is not meant to fill us because it can't.  But the main course is just around the corner to those who persevere.  There will be joys in this world, but there will also be pain...until the day that "every tear will be wiped away".

God is still alive and at work in our lives...preparing our hearts and the hearts of those around us for the day when He will have the final say.  Press on.  Have hope.  This is not the end of the story. 

As we meditate on the life of Jesus during this season of Lent, we are thankful, God, for the hope that you brought into our world.  We are grateful that you chose to bring your sunshine into our dark lives through the birth of your Son Jesus and through His death.  And we are hopeful, awaiting the day when you will come again, wiping every tear from our eye and bringing an irreplaceable joy.  Amen. 

"And you will never be completely happy on earth simply because you were not made for earth. 

Oh, you will have your moments of joy. You will catch glimpses of light. You will know moments or even days of peace. But they simply do not compare with the happiness that lies ahead....
 
Those moments are appetizers for the dish that is to come."--Max Lucado

What He Really Want From You...Is You

Hosea 6:6
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

One of my dear readers posed an important question after yesterday's post that I believe resonates with many of us- but maybe we're too afraid to ask.  She wondered, "I don't understand the purpose of giving something up to prove ourselves to God."

In that question lies a very important revelation of who our God really is.  She's right, when you think about it.  What is the point of giving something up during Lent, or any other time in our lives.  What kind of God is this who asks us to prove ourselves to Him.  If God is truly love, than why do we have to jump through all these hoops just to get His attention?

I believe at the heart of this question there is a deep seated fear that lies within all of us- that God would only be interested in us because of what we do for Him.  Within this comes a multitude of fear-based actions...doing, doing, doing, in order to be loved.

But this, my dear brothers and sisters, is not the God we serve.  God reminds us time and time again that though He appreciates what we give Him, what we give is not indicative of His love.  We will not be loved more because we give, and we will not gain His attention because we sacrifice.  Rather..it is in the moments of our offerings that for once....God finally has OUR attention.  For once, our eyes have finally let go of the things of this world that tend to hold us back, and have become fixed on Him. 

This, my friends, is the true meaning of sacrifice.  Learning to let go so that we can be uninhibited in entering God's presence, in connecting with Him, in acknowledging who He is.

For some of us, this may mean "taking up" something rather than "Giving up".  Spending time reading His words.  Opening our heart to Him in prayer.  Talking with Him.  Walking with Him.  Thinking of Him.

But no matter what you choose to do or not do during this season of Lent, remember that there is a God who loves you...waiting for you to enter into His presence and draw closer to His side.  Because at the end of the day, what He really wants from you...is you.



[Join me in daily meditations during this season of Lent.  Be on the lookout for guest posts by some very incredible men and women from all over the globe, from different denominations, all learning to draw closer to the heart of Jesus.]

Meditations for Lent:

John 12:24
²⁴ Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

In an attempt to prepare my heart this season of Lent I was reading through John 12 yesterday, contemplating what I was going to "give up".  For many, the season of lent is something that has lost it's meaning through the tradition- giving up things for the sake of giving them up, rather for the sake of drawing closer to God.  


As I was considering what to "give up", I wanted to make sure that I was sacrificing with the right heart- not just to "say" I was participating in lent.  This beautiful verse caught my attention, as it usually does- and took my heart back to the true meaning of this season.  


Death.  


I don't mean to sound morbid, but really, how do you get around that when reflecting on this season of Lent?  These days, in preparation for Easter, are centered around the concept of death founded in the crucifixion of our Savior.  Death of the perfect Lamb of God.  Death to the bondage of sin and death.  Death to the prisons of self: Self-centeredness.  Self-hatred.  Selfishness.  Self-absorption.  Self-gratification.  

Death to self, in order to open ourselves up to life in Christ.  


In a tiny way, this season of Lent...this season of "giving up" is one small way to allow the seeds of our SELF to die, so that the life of Jesus may flourish in our own lives.  

So, no matter what you choose to lay down this season of Lent, remember this one thing: "Nothing, how little so ever it be, if it is suffered for God's sake, can pass without merit in the sight of God."- Thomas a Kempis.

As you learn to die daily to self in this season of Lent, may you be filled continually with His life.

There's a Hedge in the Way...

"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world"- Mother Theresa

Acts 20:35
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

Yes, I know.  I've been on a "service-kick".  The topic of serving others has been implanted in my brain the past few weeks.  God has really been burning his love for people into my heart, asking me to follow in His steps.  But here's the thing- I don't want this idea of serving to be a phase, a fleeting idea, a momentary fixation.  I want it to be a part of my everyday life.  And that's the hard part.

I was talking to a friend the other day as a group of us were discussing this idea of serving.  She agreed.  She has been wanting to reach out in service to her elderly neighbor for the past few months, but doesn't.  "What's been stopping you" we wondered. 

"There's a hedge in the way".

The idea was hilarious to us at the time...that a simple hedge was preventing her from doing something her heart had been desiring to do...until we saw the picture of the hedge, that is. 

But here's the thing...how many of US can say the same thing regarding our lives?  How many of us are not doing what we were created to do because of some sort of obstacle that seems too difficult (or too inconvenient) to overcome?  For us, it may not be a literal hedge...but what about the hedge of time, of fear, of insecurity.  What about the hedge of finances, of career, or of reputation.

Let's be real with ourselves...we, Christians, are afraid to really give of ourselves.  We are afraid to give until it hurts.  We allow the obstacles in our worlds to get in the way of really following Jesus.  But nobody makes a greater mistake than he who does nothing because he could only do a little. 

There is something profoundly final in the words of Mother Theresa who regarding this topic says, "I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love".

What's Your Story?

1 Peter 4:10-11
¹⁰ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. 

When God puts something in your heart, it is very difficult to ignore Him.  You can make excuses, and you can even pretend you didn't hear Him, but at the end of the day those who decide to follow His leading find themselves blessed beyond imagination.

God has put the concept of service on my mind the past few weeks.  Being a new mom, I had taken a temporary "sabbatical" from serving others and focused on serving my new baby girl.  To be quite honest, I didn't have the strength, energy, or desire to do much else the first few months of being a mom.  But lately God has slowly been challenging me to take a step of faith and reach out to others in this new stage of my life.

My last post was a challenge for each of us to take a look at the gifts we have been given and put them to use...and as I said before, I can't seem to get this topic off of my mind.  A discussion I had this morning reminded me of a story I had read last year in Donald Miller's Book: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. 

In this book Don talks about his friend's teenage daughter who was making some poor decisions in her life.  Her dad finally realized that his daughter was making these choices in an effort to find purpose and meaning.  He realized that he had not put much effort into helping his daughter create a  "story" for her life, something significant to live for.  And so, she decided to go make up a story of her own "a story of risk and adventure, rebellion and independence". 

This father decided to take the initiative to really give his daughter something to be passionate about...to help her write a good story.  He held a family meeting and presented the idea of raising money to help build an orphanage for needy children through an organization he had researched.  His daughter's face lit up at the prospect of having something meaningful to live for.  They found her taking initiative, raising money, and coming up with brilliant ideas to serve the poor.  She even planned a family trip to Mexico to take part in building the orphanage as a family. 

Soon, she broke up with her loser boyfriend, and began to focus on greater things.  As Don records in his book, "No girl who plays the role of a hero dates a guy who uses her".  

And that's the reality of living our lives the way God intends for us to live them...through His power, we become "heros" in the stories of our lives, living to make this world a better place just as Jesus did.  We take on the identity that He longs for us to have and the purpose that we were made for.

Too many people are walking around, without a significant story to live for- living roles they were never intended to live.  Rebellion and risk look enticing to someone who has nothing better to do.  In my sincere opinion, I believe that 90% of America's youth are going down the wrong path because no one has taken the time to help them write a good story for their lives.  They are bored...looking for an adventure, which is precisely what they were created for. 

God's adventures for our lives and for the lives of those around us are above and beyond what we could ever imagine...if we would only take the time to let Him lead us.   

I'm ready to take my story to the next step...are you?