Learning To Live Worry Free

25“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?26“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27“Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29“and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30“Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32“For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
Matthew 6: 25 - 32 NKJV

Some time ago I noticed something peculiar about my own work habits as they related to the all too common workplace drama we all face.  I noticed that whenever there would be one distraction or another popping up that I would somehow find it that much easier to concentrate on what I was doing in that moment.  Now, this may totally go against all known wisdom in that these distractions didn't keep me from my work.  On the contrary, I became that much more focused.  Now, I would love to claim that I ran my own personal life he very same way, but it wasn't like that at all.  For when the trials and tribulations of everyday life would knock on my door, I would all too often be a nervous wreck.  Go figure.  I mean, does not Jesus tell us in the beatitudes not to worry ourselves with these distractions of veryday life?  Yet we continue to fall into much worry and fret whenever these pitfalls come knocking.  This week Wayne Jacobsen told of his recent conversations with a few profesional athletes who shared with him some pretty interesting conversations.  It seems that these stars of the sporting world found it easier to relax and be at ease when they were not in competition trying to control the outcome of their respective contests.  Imagne that.  Now, the jobs of these athletes may be different than my own, but in some ways they are the same.  Where I am prone to deal with my own workplace drama, these guys will often deal with the stresses of competition, fans and a often unforgiving media.  I can totally see how one would be that much more relaxed when not in such a environment.  I've often found that when I need to recharge my own batteries from time to time I am prone to be that much more relaxed when the worries of my everyday life are far behind.  It is in these moments that I am free to focus on what is truly important.

28“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Matthew 11: 28 - 30 NKJV

How is it that we can learn to live relaxed?  Is there such a thing?  Well, I never used to believe that this was possible until I Christ Jesus was made known to me.  See, I believe that the reason that Jesus tells us not to worry is that when we release the worries and cares of the world to Him, that we are then free to live a life free of worry.  Much like the athlete who finds relaxation away from the pressures of his own occupation, so also can we find peace when we place our lives unto Christ.  The apostle Paul tells us that it is Jesus Himself who lives through us today {Galations 2:20}.  Knowing this, when we rest in the knowing that all we do and experience we do AS Jesus, then we shall surely experience that peace His peace that surpasses all understanding {Philippians 4:7}.  Think of how much easier life is when we are free from whatever stresses and problems may come our way.  How much easier is it to simply say, "you got this Jesus."  It is easy, because we ARE Jesus.  I cannot recall but a very few times in His own life when Jesus allowed that which was going on around Him to affect Him personally.  We know that Jesus wept, became angry and that His own soul became exceedingly sorrowful leading up to His crucifiction.  However, when we hear the name Jesus we also think of peace, tranquility and not of anxiety.  No, we are told to be anxious for nothing {Philippians 4:6-7}.  When we allow ourselves to rest in His presence, we will find that peace and relaxation are not as far away as we once thought.

6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;7and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4: 6 - 7 NKJV

~Scott~

The Road Not Taken

9A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.
Proverbs 16: 9 NKJV

There is much to be said about the path that a person chooses to follow in their life.  For such a decision will likely have lasting implications in ones life.  Where would I be if Christ Jesus had suddenly, in a moment of weakness, decided not to follow that road to the cross?  How much different would history have been if the apostle Paul had decided to follow Christ sooner than his own Damascus road experience?  Indeed, that path we all ultimately choose will not only affect our own lives, but the lives of others as well.  A coworker of mine is fond of a particular saying, "don't practice being foolish because you may just get good at it."  Of course, there is much to be learned from such a statement.  However, how much of our own lives is determined by our own actions and how much is guided by that which is unseen?  Solomon writes to the reader of proverbs 16 that while we may indeed plan our own ways, it is the Lord who directs our steps.  So, are we simply here to plan a life path that God will ultimately direct us down?  For me, I like that explanation better than the universe being just a happenstance of random events.  There is no doubt for those who follow the Lord that His creation has been given that precious ability of choice.  For good or bad, we alone choose that path we will follow in life.  A good friend often has told me that we are the only branch of our Lords creation given the ability to make a choice.  There are those who choose to follow the Lord and those who refuse to even consider it.  Does this alter their identity as a child of God?  Absolutely not, only that they chose a different path.  Somewhere along the line, we are all faced with the decision of whether to follow the Father or take a different road.  For myself, it would come down to that road not taken.

25“But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ 27“Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28‘for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 29“Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30“And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31“But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”
Luke 16: 25 - 31 NKJV

Not so long ago I was fond of telling my closest friends that I would never be like my own father.  For my own father was prone to alchoholism and promiscuity not only while he was married but in the years following as well.  As a result of his own choices, I never knew my own father that well.  So, in a way, I was correct in saying that I would never be like my own father.  Where my fathers path was one of satisfying the flesh, my own was one of coming to know my Father in heaven.  Would my own father have come to know the Lord had we connected later in life?  Perhaps, but it is also understood that those choices I made for myself were available to him as well.  The very same scriptures and prophets which influenced me were also there for my own dad as well.  Because I do not know if he ultimately came to know the Lord later in his life, I can only assume that his life continued in the same direction as when I knew him.  Yes, that is a bold assumption to make, but one that is made out of knowing what little I know of my father and his family.  Again, my fathers life choices can never take away the fact that he, as well as his son, are children of our heavenly Father.  That false belief that we all too often carry with us is that we alone are in control of the circumstances in our lives.  Despite our own ability to choose, it is we who are totally independent of our heavenly Father.  Not only is this belief in error, it portrays a false relationship we share with our Lord.  For we are not seperate at all.  For those who know Christ Jesus, He lives through us today {Galations 2:20}.  Jesus did not simply rise from the dead only to look down on Gods children from heaven.  There is no seperation between ourselves and God, for that is not relationship at all.

"Forgiveness is not about forgetting.  It is about letting go of another persons throat."
~William Paul Young The Shack~

~Scott~

No More Tomorrows

13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow hwe will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
James 4: 13 - 17 NKJV

Too many of us have become accustomed to putting things off.  I admit that I have been as guilty as the next guy when it comes to procrastination.  We seem to believe that tomorrow is always given, that despite all we know to be true, that we will always be able to get back to that which we seek to accomplish if we only put it off until tomorrow.  However, what if as the brother of our Lord claims, that tomorrow never comes?  What then of all those plans we have made?  Obviously we will never again be able to recapture what we once sought to do.  This truth became all too obvious for me this week with the passing of my own father.  Now, for those who have read a few of my posts you already know that my father and I never had what you would call a possitive relationship.  In fact, my dad was not in my life from the time I was about twelve years old.  Even though I always missed that relationship with my father, I always vowed to make amends with him...tomorrow.  See, there was always tomorrow to do that which I wanted to do today.  It's much easier to face challanges in life on credit than paying for it outright.  However, like any ultra high interest credit card, that which we put off until tomorrow never goes away, it just waits until the next day.  I used to refer to people like this as being afraid to face reality.  Until I realized that I was just like them.  Hey, nobody likes to face a difficult situation point blank, I get it.  However, how many things have you put off until tomorrow that actually went away as you hoped they would?  I'm guessing not too many.  See, when today is too tough, there is always tomorrow.

25“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?26“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27“Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29“and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30“Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32“For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
Matthew 6: 25 - 32 NKJV

Yes, my dad and I never had a solid relationship, and I mourn that as much as I do him in his passing.  That which I put off until tomorrow so many times never came to fruition.  So does that make me a bad person?  Hardly, only one who fell into the illusion that tomorrow would bring yet another opportunity for what my heavenly was laying upon my heart.  Now, I believe God is not one who tends to nudge us but once when he wants us to know something.  No, for there were numerous times when He put it upon my heart to reconnect with my father.  That refusal and procrastination rests in my own backyard.  Do I know if my dad also longed to reconnect with his youngest son?  I can't be certain, but I would guess that he did.  One thing a good friend of mine told me years ago was that every father, every dad, longs for a relationship with their children.  Through the years of hurt feelings, anger and missed opportunities my dad and I missed out on that opportunity which we both more than likely desired.  Why not, wouldn't there always be tomorrow for such things?   I'm sure we both felt we had plenty of tomorrows left.  It is funny how we take that our Lord never promises us for granted.  Indeed, we are never promised tomorrow.  We are, however, promised only that He has our best interests upon His heart in all He does {Jeremiah 29:11}.  Jesus Himself tells us not to worry ourselves about tomorrow {Matthew 6:34}.  Yet we continue to believe that tomorrow we will travel, tomorrow we will prosper and that tomorrow we will reconcile.  The old saying was never more true, why put off until tomorrow what we can do today?  I know in my heart that my true Father has made it His mission to reconcile me closer to Him {1 John 3:1}.  Despite the loss of my earthly Father, my heavenly Father lives on through me {Galations 2:20}.  It is the legacy of both that I carry with me.

34“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matthew 6: 34 NKJV

~Scott~

Our Human Condition

7And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
Genesis 2: 7 NKJV

In the past few weeks our nation has been inundated with arguments for gun control on both sides of the aisle.  What began as a conversation in the wake of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida has evolved into yet another political hot button issue.  But did it need o even go there?  In my honest opinion, no.  Yet young impressionable students have followed the lead of anti gun adults around them to come together for yet another assault on the rights of others.  Don't get me wrong, I feel for the loss of lives which our nation has felt after each and every of these senseless killings.  I also realize that when I say that further restrictions on firearms are not the answer to this issue that I will receive more than my share of criticism.  Why is it that I feel that more regulations on firearms will never lead to a reduction in violence?  Simple, Cain simply used a rock to kill his brother Able in the worlds first ever recorded murder {Genesis 4:8}.  Cain used what weapon he had available to do the deed.  Had our Lord layed a AR-15 at the feet of Cain, he may very well have used that.  The truth is, it wasn't the rock that whispered to Cain to kill his own brother.  In fact, the Lord issued a warning to Cain prior to his wicked deed.

6So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7“If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is dfor you, but you should rule over it.”
Genesis 4: 6 - 7 NKJV

So, Cain was all bent out of shape because the Lord had accepted his brothers offering and not Cains.  Does this mean that the Lord suddenly had abandoned Cain?  We're not told that this is the case.  On the contrary, the Lord advises Cain against heeding the desires of his own sin.  Obviously he didn't accept his Lords guidance.  So, bringing us back into the current raging gun control debate, what is it about more restrictions upon firearms that will curb our own human condition?  Will restricting access to guns suddenly erase the sinful desires of those who seek to do harm to others?  I think not.  The gun control lobby will counter with the fact that restricting firearms will take away the weapons that others would use to inflict violence upon those around them.  Timothy McVeigh killed 168 people in Oklahoma City not with guns, but with a bomb made from fertilizer.  Ted Kacynski, the famous unibomber, used homemade expolsives to kill his victims.  Recently, the city of Austin, Texas was terrorized by another series of homemade bombs.  Young Mark Conditt would describe himself as a "psychopath" in a confession he left behind.  Now, tell me again about the effectiveness of gun control on those who would choose to do violence upon others.

20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2:20 NKJV

One question that I seldom see being raised in the wake of each of these mass killings is that of our human condition.  Why did this person choose to commit violence upon others?  In my opinion, the conversation of ultimately stopping this epedemic begins and ends with that question.  Why do others choose violence?  Why did Cain choose to kill his brother?  I would say that emotions can add fuel to the raging fire of hate burning within a person.  Have I ever experienced such feelings?  Sure, but I did not act upon them despite all within me that was screaming for me to take revenge.  What makes me different from those who have taken the lives of others?  I'd like to say that I realized that there would ultimately be consequences for my own actions, but maybe that's not it at all.  We are told in Genesis 2 that the Lord God breathed into us the breath of life and that man became a living being {Genesis 2:7}.  So, each and every one of us was created in the very image of our heavenly Father.  That is, His Spirit image.  How is it that we have so cheapened what our Lord has created?  The apostle Paul also tells us that it is Christ Jesus Himself who lives through us today {Galations 2:20}.  Created in His Spirit image while Jesus Himself lives through His children.  This knowledge alone should be enough to shout from the rooftops that it is not we oursleves who are important, but God.  Yet we continue to believe in the lie of satan that we are truly independent from our heavenly Father {Genesis 3:4-5}.  Nothing could be further from the truth, for all that we are we have received through Him.  It is God Himself who created us with our own human condition.  It is God Himself who lives through us today.  When we are driven to anger against another, we are in anger against our heavenly Father Himself.

19Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body gand in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 6: 19 NKJV

~Scott~

Gods Little Ones

12I write to you, little children,Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. 13I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father. 14I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one.
1 John 2: 12 - 14 NKJV

I saw a story on tv the other day about a man who grew up in a religious family upbringing yet chose a life of bad behaviors before returning to his faith.  As I watched, I saw many similarities to that life which I myself have followed.  Now, I haven't been to the extremes that he has been (drug use, domestic violence and prison) but there have been times where I have strayed from the teachings of the Lord from my childhood.  Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful that my own mother spoke the word of the Lord to me and made sure that her son knew the Father.  I believe that these early experiences have shaped me into the man that I am.  However, what was it that made me abandon those teachings I knew to be true and to embark on my own into a world that many consider to be against God?  I'm guessing that I needed to experience for myself just what life had to offer as so many before me had done as well.  I will say that even though I was off doing my own thing, the teachings of my youth still remained with me.  For despite my own best efforts to distance myself from Him, God never left me.  In fact, if there were ever to be any seperation between Christ and I, which there isn't, it would be due to my own beliefs and not because Jesus grew weary of me.  For despite all of my own wanderings, I am assured that Christ Jesus has always been in me {Galations 2:20}.  Although my own thoughts and beliefs may have changed over time, it is Christ who has NEVER changed...ever {Hebrews 13:8}.  That is not who He is.  God never drives us away, He only welcomes us back unto Him.

20“And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21“And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23‘And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24‘for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
Luke 15: 20 - 24 NKJV

One of my favorite passages of our Lords love for us comes from Luke 15 and the story of the prodigal son.  In fact, I can relate to this lad in my own experiences in that, despite the sqandering of his fathers riches, I also chose to go my own way.  Something in me nudged me to alter my own life path to sample what the world had to offer me.  Of course, I have all too often looked back on my own decisions and wondered what could have been.  Where would my own faith walk be had I not wandered?  How many other lives could I have touched had I walked that straight and narrow path?  I think back on something my friend Dennis taught me about the local hawks that populate our area.  See, when the young hawk is born, it is cared for by the parents.  However, something interesting happens when the young bird comes of the age to leave the nest.  The parent stops bringing food to its young.  At first I thought this was because there must have been something wrong with the young bird, but I quickly learned that this was its first life lesson.  See, the young hawk needed to learn to hunt and get food on its own, and this was the older birds way of teaching its young to live life beyond the nest.  So, were my own wanderings of my younger years something look upon as a bad thing?  Perhaps, but they also were a large part of my own growth in the Lord.  Like it or not, I had to see the world around me on my own.  Each of us comes to that point where we wander from the comforts of our own younger days and venture out on our own to find our own way in the world.  No, it is not the Father who pushes us forward into a world He knows is against those who follow Him.  He is, however, always with us no matter where it is life may take us.  We can always be assured of this...we are Gods little ones.

1Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of aGod! Therefore the world does not know bus, because it did not know Him. 2Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
1 John 3: 1 - 2 NKJV

~Scott~

Fake Views

14For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. 16Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5: 14 - 17 NKJV

I learned something these past few weeks.  Without opening a book or attending a seminar, life taught me a lesson which I'm sure was sorely needed at the time.  That lesson learned was how I perceived those around me, in particular those closest to me.  I'm sure we've all come to that point in our own lives where we've allowed negative thoughts, rumors and feelings tarnish that image of others around us.  That image which testifies that we, as well as those around us, were created in the very image of our heavenly Father.  Not only that, but that those around us carry the image of Christ Jesus just as we do {Galations 2:20}.  Believe me, I surely haven't cornered the market on our Lords presence in my life.  For if He lives through me, who am I to proclaim that He does not live through others as well?  Obviously this is flawed thinking, but in the moment we sometimes seem to forget that we ourselves may have been at the same point in our own lives that we may find so disagreeable in others.  That indwelling presence of Christ is not reserved for only certain people.  I can surely be thankful for that.  So we succumb to many of the same rumors that others may be saying about us and attach them to another.  These are fake views.  I call them fake views because all too often what we might think of those around us is far from the truth of who they really are.  So who are they?  Well, they are the same as we ourselves are.  They're the same as I am.  Indeed, if I can confidently proclaim that Christ lives through me, then who am I to deny His presence in others?  Fake views.  The truth of the matter is that all have access to the same freedom in Christ Jesus which I have experienced.

9Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12‘I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13“And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
 Luke 18: 9 - 14 NKJV

It's funny that I have turned to that parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector that we find in Luke 18 many times when I felt that I was being mistreated by others.  Never in my own mind did I think that I myself would be that Pharisee passing judement upon others.  Yet that is exactly what I have done on occassion by judging others around me.  Of course, those very same people I have misjudged may very well have been themselves justified by our heavenly Father.  It's no secret that it takes more effort for one to forgive than to pass judgement.  Then again, when we pass judgement upon others are we not placing ourselves above others?  We then become that Pharisee, looking down on others.  I hate to keep beating that drum, but at times I wish that I had the foresight to see that it is Christ who lives through those around me as well.  However, that might be a tough pill to swallow when we feel we are on that righeous path ourselves.  A good friend told me some time ago that we may not like it if God were to use that same measure of judgement on ourselves that we use on others.  I agree.  I can be thankful that despite my many faults, that it is Christ Jesus who never wavers nor changes {Hebrews 13:8}.  The love of Christ is not based on status or behavior.  His same love that enveloped me is the same love he lavishes upon others as well.  We love Him because He first loved us.  Not only that, we are called to love one another as He Himself loved us {John 13:34}.

1Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. 5One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.6He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; aand he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.
Romans 14: 1 - 6 NKJV

~Scott~

Life Outside The Pew

13“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.14“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15“Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
Matthew 5: 13 - 16 NKJV

I work with a man who puts a lot of emphasis on his attendance record in the local house of worship.  There has been many a conversation where he has fallen back on his own church attendance to compensate for his own shortcomings.  If only I were so fortunate.  Instead, I have been laboring through life forsaking the traditional sunday morning gathering for a deeper relationship with Christ Jesus.  So, who is the 'better" christian?  Well, truth be told, if we each have that Spirit of Christ in us, then there is no difference between the two of us.  Oh, but don't tell that to the traditional, church each sunday christian who dutifully fills his pew each week.  For to them people such as myself might very well be on the jagged edge of losing my salvation.  I've been told by many a christian friend that I need to repent, get closer to God, be more like Jesus blah blah blah.  It's that same traditional institutional thinking that we've been hearing for thousands of years now.  So, am I simply a lost and wayward soul who needs to clean up my act before God cuts me off?  Or, am I a loved and cherished child of God whom Christ Jesus lives through each and every day?  One of my favorite passages of scripture might help others understand just how I would answer that question.  In Ephesians 2: 8-9 the apostle Paul lays it out that we could NEVER work our own way into our Lords salvation.  As Paul tells us, it is but by our heavenly Fathers grace that we have been saved...and that NOT OF YOURSELVES.  It wasn't because of Pauls efforts that Christ came to live in him.  Neither will it be due to my own efforts that I will ultimately see His eternity.  There is no way that I can, as a friend of mine likes to say, punch my own ticket into heaven.  As Paul tells us, this is Gods gift unto us {Ephesians 2:8}.

 4But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,9not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Ephesians 2: 4 - 9 NKJV

I titled this piece "Life Outside The Pew" because I've noticed that far too many christians seem to center their faith and beliefs around the church itself.  Not that they're bad people, it's just what we've been taught for so long.  So what is life outside the pew?  Well, if you want to break it down, life outside the pews of the church is where our real work of evangelism begins.  This is where we are called on to be real in every aspect of our faith.  Jesus did not call upon us to make disciples of all who were in those churches that surround us.  No, Christ called us to make disciples of ALL THE WORLD {Matthew 28: 16 - 20}.  How is it that we can make disciples (followers of Jesus) of all the world if we ourselves do not step outside of the walls of our local church?  I'll tell you how...we can't.  We simply cannot rely on the conscience of others to lead them into church before we tell them the good news of Christ Jesus.  Like it or not, we are ambasaodors of Christ Jesus in all we do.  There are those who will base their opinion of the church on how we conduct ourselves.  There are those who will view Jesus by how Gods own children exhibit Him.  Yes, if we have accepted Christ into our hearts, then we have that opportunity each and every day to exhibit Him for others to see.  It is through Christ Jesus living through us that the world around us will see Him {Galations 2:20}.  Keep in mind that those of Jesus' day would never have seen Him had He not come in flesh form.  It is no different for us today.  The only change is that we ourselves are exhibiting Christ for all around us to see.  So the question I ask is...how will those around you see Christ in you?

20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2:20 NKJV

~Scott~

Our False Image

 16Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5: 16 - 17 NKJV

I have to admit that one of my shortcomings, if you can call it that, is that I just CANNOT deal with arrogant people.  Those around me who seem to think that it's their way or the highway, that the world revolves around them.  Yes, it is these arrogant souls who all too often draw my contempt.  Lately, however, I've been noticing that those very same behaviors which I've found so deplorable in others around me are also the same faults I've seen in myself.  Imagine that.  Now, I'm not going to sit here and attempt to justify my own behaviors while ridiculing others.  No, when the time comes you need to call a spade a spade.  I am sure that there are all too many people out there who spend their lives living in the belief that they are Gods gift to others.  This is our own false image.  Why do I call this mispalced confidence a false image?  Well, the apostle Paul tells us in Galations that it is no longer we who live, but Christ Jesus who lives in us {Galations 2:20}.  So, if Jesus Himself lives in us, are we truly that arrogant soul who all too often surfaces?  Absolutely not!  We do well to remember that Jesus would have gone unseen by people of His day were He not in the flesh of a man.  God...and man.  Now, I can imagine the pushback if those who have accepted Jesus and harbor His spirit in them proudly proclaim that they are indeed Christ.  Just look at the reaction of the Jewish authorities as Jesus proclaimed that it was He who was the promised Messiah...the Son of God.  I have a feeling that we would receive pretty much the same reaction from those still stuck in the institutional system.  In fact, there remain to this day segments of the Jewish faith who hold to that belief that the promised Messiah is yet to come!  Boy, would I love to have a conversation with one of these dudes.

9Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12‘I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13“And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be dhumbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 18: 9 - 14 NKJV

I will say that when we deceive ourselves into that belief that we are above anyone we fall into the trap of the independent self.  Can we honestly say that we exist seperate from God?  For if His Spirit is indeed within us, are we truly seperate from Him?  To think this way is really in error.  For there is nowhere we can go where Gods children are far from the Fathers presence.  To me, this is a comforting thought.  Others might find themselves convicted that they are truly not as alone as they thought.  Mind you, it's not up to us to point out to another that they are exhibiting that false image, that revelation comes from the Father in due time.  However, I feel that what we are obligated to do when others approach us is to share Christ who is in us.  Certainly, when we truly know He is in us, then Christ Jesus will be known to others through all that we do.  For we are that light of the world and salt of the earth {Matthew 5:13-14}.  I truly believe that some of the best testamonies of Christ can be found in those who carry His Spirit within them.  Honestly, this is how it was supposed to go down anyway.  It is Jesus Himself who became sin on our behalf that the burden would be lifted from us {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  You can see now just why I can call my personal pride a false identity.  For I can truly do nothing apart from Him.  I am lost without His love and mercy.

13“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.14“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15“Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
Matthew 5: 13 - 16 NKJV

~Scott~