Earthquake in Haiti

I read a great article this morning in response to the earthquake in Haiti. John Piper accurately handles the Word of God demonstrating God's ultimate control over natural disasters. God has a good purpose in everything He does; even such a tragic event as this earthquake was. I would encourage you to read Piper's article and consider how you ought to respond to what God has done.

"When the earth shakes under your feet there is a dramatic sense that there is no place to flee. In most disasters the earth is the one thing that stands firm when wind and flood are raging. But where do you turn when the earth itself is unsafe? Answer: GOD." - John Piper

Treasuring Christ Above All Things

Would I be fully satisfied in Christ ALONE if he removed from me all of the gracious gifts He's given? Am I living now in such a way that demonstrates my love for Christ above any material or relational blessing on earth? This video by Desiring God Ministries is a powerful challenge to my heart:
Treasuring Christ Above All Things

Quote of the Day

"The pastor who is most Christlike is not the one who is fulfilled in every moment of his ministry but the one whose ministry has in it unbelievable elements of crucifixion." David Goetz, Leadership Magazine

Ordinary Obedience

I began reading the book of Daniel in my personal bible study yesterday. One aspect of Daniel's life stood out to me in the first chapter and I've been thinking about it ever since. Daniel was faithful in the "small" things.

When most people think about Daniel the first thing that comes to mind is his great faithfulness to pray when the king had written a law against prayer and consequently he was thrown into the lion's den. That was a tremendous act of obedience on his part and a demonstration of complete commitment towards and trust in his God. However, that great act of obedience was not an isolated incident. Daniel was simply being consistent with his life pattern of obedience in every area and refusing to compromise even in areas that might seem inconsequential to others.

In chapter 1 of the book of Daniel we're introduced to Daniel as a youth taken into captivity by the Babylonian empire. When given the king's food and wine to drink, Daniel politely refused and made arrangements to eat vegetables and water so that "he would not defile himself with the king's food." Except for Daniel's three friends, we are left to assume that all of the other Israelite youths did not consider this act of obedience to God's law a hill to die on. The others ate the king's food and defiled themselves before a holy God. They may not even have thought twice about it. They had just been taken into captivity by an enemy nation, the great Babylonian empire. They were prisoners of war in a foreign land. Their lives had been turned upside down and as far as they knew they would never see their homes again or worship in the temple. They had a lot on their minds, but Daniel resolved to remain obedient in everything.

I'm greatly challenged by Daniel's consistency in his faithfulness toward God. I've recognized in my own life that even in the midst of the smallest life challenges I tend to begin compromising on areas of obedience that seem too small to matter that much. I realized again, through Daniel's example, that great spiritual victories don't just happen, they are a result of consistent steps of obedience which develop character and keep our hearts sensitive to God's leading and open to his Spirit's power. If I'm going to be ready to face the lion's den; I need to be faithful today, at work, at home, when I'm alone, and when I'm tired after a long hard day. Small acts of obedience will eventually produce a great reward.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31

God is Sovereign

This morning I read the following excerpt from Charles Spurgeon's sermon on Ezekiel 1:15-19 quoted in an article from the BRIEFING magazine:

"I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes--that every particle of spray that dashes against the steamboat has its orbit as well as the sun in the heavens--that the chaff from the hand of the winnower is steered as the stars in their courses. The creeping of an aphid over the rosebud is as much fixed as the march of the devastating pestilence--the fall of sear leaves from a poplar is as fully ordained as the tumbling of an avalanche."

All I can say is WOW...what an AWESOME GOD.

Feed the Sheep

Over the last several days I've been reading through Ezekiel as part of my personal bible study. The constant theme of judgment has given me much to consider in regard to God's sovereignty and power over nations and people. Today the application was much more direct and convicting to me in a personal way because it concerns the call to pastor the people of God. The context here is Israel, but I don't think it's a stretch to see the same expectations for those like myself who have been called to pastor the New Testament Church.

In Ezekiel chapter 34 God is condemning the spiritual leaders of Israel for not shepherding the people as they were called to do. Instead of serving and giving their lives for the well being of God's people, the shepherds were serving themselves and getting fat at the people's expense. Here is a portion of God's judgments against them:

"Thus says the Lord GOD: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them."

Like the spiritual leaders over Israel, pastors have been called to shepherd the Church of Christ. Jesus commanded Peter to feed His sheep and every pastor carries the same responsibility to care for God's people just as Christ himself would do. Being reminded of this; I can't help but recognize the many areas in which I have failed to care for the sheep, sometimes even making justification for my negligence.

Have I worked hard to strengthen the weak believers? Have I prayed for the sick? Have I shown compassion for the hurting? Have I pursued the rebelling Christian not content to watch them walk away from Christ. Have I earnestly sought out the lost with the Gospel? I know that only Christ is the Good and Perfect shepherd and I will never be all that He is for the sheep, but I also can see areas where my heart needs to change and I need to get to work caring for the sheep entrusted to me in a better way. By God's grace I don't want to fail to fulfill God's call for my life to feed His sheep and serve them well.

Worship Matters- The Heart of Worship

This morning I began reading Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin. Recently, I've been struggling with my responsibilities as a worship leader in the church and feeling extremely inadequate for the job. I've had this book on my shelf for months and decided that instead of wallowing in self pity and feeling hopeless, I just might do something productive and try to learn a few things that can help me grow.

Only 2 chapters into the book and I am truly blessed. It was amazing to read the confession of Bob Kauflin that he too has struggled, felt inadequate, lost heart, and even made many mistakes in leading worship! I guess that shouldn't be a surprise, but my self absorbed heart often forgets that other people struggle too.

The main emphasis in the introductory chapters I read today was the importance of an undivided heart of worship toward God. Kauflin's description of idolatry hit me right between the eyes as I considered the idols of my own heart and how dramatically the division of loyalties has affected my worship. I spent some time in prayer recognizing God's worthiness of all my worship and realized how much impact my worship throughout the week has on my worship Sunday morning.

I'm enjoying the book immensely and can't wait to pick it up again for more encouraging instruction.