New Life Resolution

Every year at this time I am sure we all get the same question about a million times! “So, what is your New Year’s Resolution?” Why do we feel the need to make New Year’s Resolution? What drives us to try and make a change for our lives for the better at the start of each year? Maybe because each of us when we look at our lives we can look and see a thing or two that could definitely use improvement or maybe there are certain areas that we aren’t confident in and if we made a few changes we would have more confidence? I have never really gotten into the whole New Years resolution thing and I’m not really sure why. It definitely isn’t because I have it all together or feel that nothing in my life could use improvement, I just have never really gotten into them. I have nothing against them at all and think they are a good way to make short term improvements in the way we live our lives. My question to us all, is what good is change if it is only intended to be for a short time? If I plan to resolve to work out more for the next year, what happens next year or next month when that resolve goes away? If I plan to eat healthier or avoid certain foods, what happens when I start back eating unhealthy foods and start indulging in those foods I was avoiding? What happens when I resolve to set time aside for God in my daily life, but then after a while I slowly move away from God and stop giving of my time to him? In any of these situations when I choose to change something for a short time I am left again needing to change that very same thing again in a short time. So how about this idea? (and I am sure I am not breaking any new ground) Why don’t we change our New Years resolutions into New Life resolutions? Isn’t that what Christ is calling us to when He calls us to follow Him? When Christ called His disciples He didn’t say come follow me and if you want to you can continue living the way you live. Is Christ not calling us to set aside the things and ways we used to live for a new life?? In the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 5 the apostle Paul says it like this in verse 17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”. Or as in one of my new favorite songs by Shane & Shane called Everything Is Different the last line of the chorus goes like this “This revelation makes me wanna shout, that Jesus has been sent, and everything is different!”. The old has gone and the new has come! Jesus has been sent and EVERYTHING is different! These are absolute statements!! So I challenge us all to resolve to make New Life resolutions. Because a Savior came and died for us. He took away our old sinful selves and has made us a new creation in Him! He has been sent and because of that everything in our lives should be different!!
desiring for things to be different
sg

"Who Says I Can't Get Stoned"

(To start things off, I know that is a bold titled and it is so in order to get your attention, now I pray that your attention will be held throughout the rest of this blog.)

After some of the recent things happening with famous Americans I am inspired to write a response to some of things I have heard from people in the media.  My inspiration comes from a couple of things.  One, comments that one of Nike’s spokes person said and two, some things that John Mayer said on a radio interview on Sirius Radio as well as one of his songs.  John Mayer wrote the perfect song for every famous person in America. Heck any person in the world can sing this song and think that it makes them feel good and justified in what they do.  The song is “Who Says”.  Im not sure how many of you have listened to it and if you haven’t I’m not sure that I would suggest it.  It is a very catchy song, one that can easily get stuck in your head.  The main line that is most prevalent in the song is “Who says I can’t get stoned?” and then it follows up things he would do after he gets stoned.  (“There is one good verse that says “Who says i can’t be free? From all the things that I used to be. Re-write my history Who says I can’t be free?” a good verse but even that doesn’t redeem the song in my book. Cause if someone handed me a pile of crap and told me that there was the worlds most famous brownie in the middle of it there still wouldn't be any way I would eat the pile of crap.  Because it is still a pile of crap) Ok, that was a little bit of a ramble, but now on to the main points.  The comment that a Nike spokesperson said was something to the effect that, in 30 years as we look back over Tiger Woods’ career this whole unfaithfulness and cheating on his wife thing will be just a blip on the radar.  They went on to say that Tiger Woods made a mistake and we should cut him a break.   I guess this guy expects us to sing the words “Who says I can’t have an affair?” or “who says I can’t have my wife plus 6 other women?”.  Moving right along to John Mayer he said in his radio interview that people act much more offended than they actually are, this in reference to Adam Lambert’s stage antics a few weeks ago on the American Music Awards.  I am offended by his disgusting display of what he calls “art”.  Many in our culture expect us to all be desensitized and completely tolerant of any and every kind of behavior.  Because “Who says they can’t _______ (fill in the blank)”.  I would agree that each person in this world has free will that has been given to them, and no one should be able to control another’s actions, but all people should be willing to take suggestions and advice to better their actions for the common good of all.  So my response to Nike’s spokesperson is, “You are right we shouldn’t go out and all get irate and try to lynch Tiger Woods for what he did.  He is human and we all make mistakes and one mistake shouldn’t define a person’s life.  But just look over it and express no opinion on his unacceptable actions, I think not. I do think we should express our disappointment in him because he is in a position to influence many people’s lives through his actions.  In the words of Andy Stanley, it is an “unintended consequence of being in leadership” people watch you, people shape their actions after you.”  To John Mayer,  “I think people truly are as offended as they are acting.  What parent wants their child (no matter their age) to see two grown men (or even grown women) open mouth kissing??  What parent wants their kids to learn to say, “Who says I can’t get stoned?”.  People have the right to be offended by the things that the mainstream media tells us we should tolerate, and just because we are offended by such things doesn’t for a second mean that we are uneducated or narrow minded.  You are right, I can’t say that you can’t get stoned but I would advise against it.” So in closing to my long rant I challenge you all (and my self) to  check and see what about this world offends us.  If the Spirit of God is living in you and me like we claim He is, then many things of this world will offend us!  So, I am not advocating that we should all go away and make our own lil community out in the woods  somewhere, but I am saying that we should truly be aware of what we are accepting and tolerating in our lives and what we are allowing ourselves to be exposed to!

tired of just ok,

sg

(disclaimer: I have never been stoned nor have I ever done any illegal drugs)

After Our Hearts

I have long been fascinated with a scripture out of the book of Hosea chapter 6 verse 6. It says “For I delight in faithfulness, not simply sacrifice; I delight in acknowledging God, not simply whole burnt offerings.” I found this scripture my freshman year of college while I was writing a devotional for my home Church. I was reminded of this scripture again on my drive back here to Artesia on this past Saturday night. At times in my life I think that if I do enough and give sacrifices to God that my duties are done and all the items on my check list have a check by them. I think that the things I am doing for God are all that I need to do, and I forget that the base of a relationship with God is more than just doing things but it is truly knowing God it is loving God it is allowing God to have your heart! In the book of Luke chapter 11, Jesus speaks against the Pharisees. Not because of them not doing things but because of the position of their hearts. Jesus puts it like his “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.” Christ goes on to call them unmarked graves (in other gospels he calls them white washed tombs) Again, Jesus doesn't say that their gifts or the things they give to God aren't important He is challenging them that our love for God should be more important to us and should be our focus. The other things are important as well though; Jesus highlighted that as well as the prophet Hosea!! But when you get down to the nitty gritty, us knowing God and being known by Him is far more important than the things we do. Sacrifice is good, but faithfulness is better! Sacrifice is good, but knowing God is much better!! You see God in His infinite wisdom knows that if we allow Him to have our hearts that those other things will follow. Yesterday I posted a tweet saying “It's our heart He is after! God knows that if He has our hearts our gifts and talents will follow!". I said that it was the thought of the day, well I believe more than that God desires for it to be the thought of every day! As it says in Hosea 6:6 “For I delight in faithfulness, not simply sacrifice; I delight in acknowledging God, not simply whole burnt offerings.” God is after our hearts!!

Tired of just going through the motions, ready for faithfulness and acknowledgement of God

sg

Why Do You Want That?

A few weeks ago I started reading the book "Forgotten God, Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit" by Francis Chan, it has been a blessed read so far!  (Im just in the beginning of the 4th Chapter, but would definitely recommend it) The fourth chapter is titled "Why Do You Want Him?" referring to the Holy Spirit.  He starts off the chapter with a great story and the story hit home and made me began to think about my walk with God and about the things I have asked God for in my life.  After reading that first page of that chapter the question "Why do/did you want that?".  The that has ranged from anything from maybe a good grade on a paper, that some girl would date me,  to getting a truck, to finding a job, or that God would heal a family member, and the list goes on.... I am reminded of Christ's prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Christ prays in Chapter 26 of Matthew in verse 39 "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."Christ is asking His Father in Heaven for something, but knowing that there is a good chance of what He is asking wont happen.  He asked for this knowing what would be ahead of Him in the coming day, but also knowing that it was more important for God to be glorified in Him than for His human desires to be filled.  The end of His prayer "Yet not as I will, but as you will." I am sure has been repeated and prayed a couple million times after Christ prayed this, heck I bet I have even prayed it a few times in my life. Most of the time I pray it though, I prayed it just following a learned prayer from others.  Not actually meaning what I said.  Praying hoping that my will would be done, not His.  There have been a few times distinctly where I truly meant it when I said, "yet not my will, but Your will be done." Most of the time I have prayed that I have been at the end of my rope, and was tired of trying to do things my own way.  One specific time was when I was looking for a job after graduating from college.  I had a few disappointments in the job hunting process.  I was tired of trying to impress people, because obviously a young and single guy applying for a job to work with kids wasn't appealing for too many churches.  I remember on my drive to Artesia I prayed to God and pretty much said, "God, apparently I am not doing the right things to get hired by a church so you know what, I'm just gonna go to the interview answer their questions as open and as honestly as I could then leave and go back to Texas and God if you want me here, then You do what you need to do."  He did what He needed to do, in fact He had been doing what He needed to do way before I even knew about the job!  But, there have been many other times though.  Times when I have prayed out of nothing more than selfish reasons.  I prayed "yet not my will, but your will be done", but lived out a life that shouted I will do things my way no matter the cost.  These thoughts have made me seriously re-evaluate the things I am currently asking God for.  It has made me stop and think about why I want what I am asking for.  Do I want them in order to serve my own selfish reasons, or do I desire to glorify God with what I am asking for?  I am striving to pray and ask for only the things that will ultimately glorify God.  Pray for me as God is once again blowing up the way I think about things in order that He might put them back in the order He desires!

not ok with just ok,
sg