The world teaches us to say:
I know I can, I know I can, I know I can.

Religion teaches us to say:
I know I can with God’s help, I know I can with God’s help, I know I can with God’s help.

A few years back I was on a tour in Israel.  It was a great experience although I preferred the archaeological, historical, cultural aspects over the visits to ancient churches; they were just so commercialized.

In Bethlehem we visited the church built on the site where they believe Jesus was born. Apparently, each year at Christmas time this church is the site of some big program on TV. The part that struck me was when the guy telling us about the church said they used to use a live baby for the program but that was too much of a hassle. Now they just have a plastic Jesus.

Isn’t that just how we like our relationship with God? The living God is really a hassle; he’s always asking us to do this, go here, serve this person and that person. It’s much easier to have a plastic God – convenient, still and silent.

When we say prayer doesn’t work what we mean, “God, you didn’t do my will, in the way I expected, at the time I specified.”

Satan’s purpose is to suck us into his way of pride and arrogance.

Creator God’s way is to draw us into his way of humility through the life of the Son.

Inspired by A Praying Life by Paul Miller.

Giving is a part of the Christian experience. Depending on the church family one belongs to, the work of the church is supported by tithes, a tenth of income, or offerings, or both.

How we relate to God impacts how we approach giving.

On the one hand, we might ask, “How much do I have to give?” This question comes from a sense of self-righteousness. It’s a position based on bargaining. I have given as expected, I’ve met my obligation now God must meet his commitments.

The other approach sounds like: “You only want 10%?” When one realizes the immensity of the gift given to us while we were rebellious, angry, broken, hateful… there is a swelling up of deep gratitude in our hearts. From this loving relationship we can say, “All I have is yours.”

How do you relate to God?

This is part two of a two part post.  Find part one here.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:1-3 (NIV1984)

Just as it is, this is a fantastic promise of God’s desire to have us in his home and the second coming of Jesus that will accomplish that reunion.  Like all the things of God, it’s even better than we can imagine. Go back a few verses into chapter 13.

Jesus announces that he must leave them (he is going to the cross). Peter doesn’t want him to go but of course, Jesus insists. Peter declares,  “I will lay down my life for you.” Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times! Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms…”

To the man who will deny him, Jesus says, ‘I know what you’re going to do but after you do it, don’t despair, don’t give up on us, stick with me and I will get you home.’ What an amazing God!

This is part one of a two part post.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:1-3 (NIV1984)

“There is no need for us to speculate about the precise nature of heaven. We are assured on the authority of Jesus Christ that it is the house and the home of his Father and ours (there are twenty-two references to the Father in John 14), that his home is a prepared place containing many rooms or resting places, and that he himself will be there. What more do we need to know? To be certain that where he is, there we shall be also should be enough to satisfy our curiosity and allay our fears.” Dr. John Stott

There’s an expression: What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Of course, that’s baloney. We don’t live in airtight, compartmentalized, containers. Everything we do impacts our lives.

As Christians, have we begun to think that what happens in worship stays in worship?  For an hour or so a week, our lives are saturated with things of God, inspirational music, and prayer. However, once the hour ends, it’s back to “normal.”

Brennan Manning once wrote, “The single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”