Life Is Like A Rubick's Cube

When we accept God'd grace and His Salvation through Jesus we are a mess of sin; like a mixed up Rubik's cube.  Miss-matched colors all over.

Each move that gets the cube closer to solved is like each sanctifying move that God makes in your life to make you more like Him.

On vacation this week, my niece's Rubik's cube was on the table.  I'd never been able to solve one, or ever really tried, for that matter.  But I've always wanted to do it.  One night when the kids were all playing and all they needed from me was to be in the room to supervise.  I grabbed the cube and looked up some instructions online.

If you've never learned how to solve a Rubik's cube, as I suspect most have not, you start by solving the white cross and then the white corners before you move on to anything else.  It's very systematic with very specific sequences of moves for each step.  There's nothing haphazard about it.

At first I needed step by step instructions and I messed up a bunch of times.  Eventually I got better and could do the whole thing without screwing up (still needing many of the step by step instructions).  The Bible is our step by step instruction book.  When we first decide to follow Jesus we screw up more often than we get it right, but over time, if we keep following those step by step instructions, maybe we screw up less and get it right more often.  There are even times I get close to completing the cube that I mix up a move and mess up the whole thing.  I have to go back several steps and fix what I messed up...It seems like we do that in life a lot too.  But God will help us move things back where they need to be if we just repent and let Him move our pieces.

The cube cannot move from messy to complete by itself, it needs hands to move its mix of colors into place.  We need God's hands to move our mess into place.

Our mixed-up cube won't be complete until Jesus returns, but each day He can move us closer and closer to completion if we lean into Him and His Word.

May we be every-reliant on Him.

note: I wrote this a year ago, but never published it.  Not sure why.  I logged into my blog for the first time since last year and saw this; thought I'd post it.

Thor: Ragnarok

In Thor: Ragnarok when Thor thinks he can't defeat his sister because she's too powerful; especially because he didn't have his hammer.  His mind goes to his father in that grassy field, and Oden tells him that his hammer was only to help him focus his power, but it was not the source of his power.  At that moment he goes from the Thor we knew up to that point to Crazy-Berserk-Ultra-Unbeatable-Mega-Thor with new power that he never knew he had.   It makes me think of a Christian who lives his life with little impact and one day realizes the power he has in the Holy Spirit.

Romans...Finally

Like Paul's longing to visit Rome, I have felt a need and desire to study the book of Romans in great depth for a long, long time.  It's just such a daunting and intimidating book.  I remember in 2004 in Salt Lake City at a youth conference called Challenge '04 that I chaperoned with our youth pastor, John Miller, talking about it and saying that I was looking for a really good study of Romans.  I've since thought several times that I want to study it.  Not long ago I heard Mark Driscol say (paraphrasing) that the advice he was given as a new Christian was to, "Take one book of the bible and read and study it until you really know it.  And then do that over and over and over again until you die."  It's time.  Romans is that book.

My plan each time I sit down (hopefully each night) is to ask God to speak to me through His Word and tell Him that I'm ready to hear Him.  Then read from one section heading to the next and then read through Timothy Keller's commentary on that section in his book, "Romans For You."

I started tonight, and it was so good...

Jesus' Command #21 - Pray for Laborers

Matthew 9:37-38 - Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

This one couldn't be much more simple.  We are commanded to pray for the Lord to send people to lead people to Him.  Just be prepared for Him to use you!

In a bit more depth; "the harvest" refers to those who don't know Him, but need to.  They may be searching for Him.  They may be searching for something, and not know what it is.  "The laborers" show people the way to Him.  Laborers can be 'full time' pastors, missionaries, or other ministry leaders.  A laborer can just as importantly be me and you.

Our country seems to be increasingly anti-Jesus; at least the news seems to make it sound that way.  I just read a story of a 7 year old in California who got in trouble for reading bible verses to his classmates that his mom put in his lunch box every day.  What an example that kid sets!  What a sad state our country is in if you can get in trouble for reading scripture in a public school during lunch time.  We need to be laborers like that 7 year old!

Lastly, He asks us to pray to Him to send laborers.  He could easily do this without us asking...but He wants us to ask.  What a great commentary on prayer!  I hope we all understand that God can do whatever He wants, but He still wants us to ask.

Let's be praying for Him to send laborers to our friends, neighbors and coworkers as well as friends, neighbors and coworkers around the planet!

Come back again for Jesus' Command #22 - Be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

Jesus' Command #20 - Beware False Prophets

Matthew 7:15-16 - "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  You will recognize them by their fruits.  Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?"

Jesus warns us to watch out for those who would tell us things that match up with what we want to hear, but are not the truth.  A lot of false teaching has invaded our modern western worldview that is perverse and does not line up with the only truth; that which we know is true because God says it is so.  The fact that there even is one truth about a subject is up for debate in our culture.  A common western worldview is that "There is no single truth; that whatever you believe to be truth is fine, just don't tell me what I believe is wrong."

This is a lie right from the Father of Lies, the devil.  If he can convince us that we can believe anything we want to be true then there become infinite lies for us to believe.  Which means the one truth can become lost in a sea of other possible truths.

I've found that in our culture it is hard to call someone out on something they believe to be true, but that we know is a lie, for fear that we will be labeled close minded, intolerant, or judgmental.  It's a real catch twenty two.  While it is important that we find a way to work through this problem in our society, I want to focus on the most personal aspect of truth.  Not that we tell other people what the truth is, but that we ourselves know the truth.  We have to start there.

Here's the simple truth...You can find answers to any issue that presents multiple ideas of what the truth could be...wait for it...in the bible.  If you want to know the truth spend some time with the Author of Truth.  Jesus says that He is, "The Way, the Truth, and the Life."  The words of truth in the bible will help you set your compass to true north and adjust your worldview to help you see the truth.

While it is true the truth will set you free, I heard it said today (and I'm sorry I can't recall whom to give the credit) that, "The truth will set you free, but it will probably hurt a lot first."  Let God set you free with the truth, but be prepared to have your ego or your reputation hurt as He reveals the whole truth to you.

May God bless you and keep you.  May He shine His face upon you and give you peace.

Check back soon for Jesus' Command #21 - Pray for laborers, for the harvest is plenty.

Jesus' Command #19 - Choose the Narrow Way

Matthew 7:13-14 - "Enter by the narrow gate.  For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

That's a tough passage.  Tough, at first, to understand.  And once understood, tough to swallow.  "The gate" is the way to heaven.  "The gate is narrow" means there aren't a vast many ways to go through it, but only one; Jesus.  Jesus is the only way to enter eternal life in heaven rather than eternal death in hell.  Romans 10:9 says "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."  That is the only way through the narrow gate.  Matthew 19:24, Mark 10:25, and Luke 18:25 say, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God."  That sounds damning; however, what is impossible to man is only possible with God.  While a rich man can do just about anything he likes on Earth it is impossible, by his own will and merit, to enter eternal life in Heaven.  However, what is impossible even for the rich man is possible with God.

So, although this passage is scary and tough to swallow, it offers eternal hope through Jesus!  It's sad that the bible says "those who find it are few", because we know that God wants us all to choose life by believing in Him and following Him, but we know only some will choose this path and enter eternal life through this 'narrow gate.'  And those that choose the path of the 'narrow gate' will enjoy life with our creator eternally.

I know it took me a while to get back on track in writing about Jesus' commands, but come back soon to hear Jesus' command #20 - "Beware of False Prophets".

Jesus' Command #18 - Do Unto Others

Matthew 7:12 says, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the law and the prophets."  Such a simple statement, but so completely loaded with importance!

You know, I've been stuck on this one for a long time.  Every time I open up my draft of this I start thinking about "the Law and the Prophets" and get stuck because I feel like I need to have this great explanation of what exactly are the Law and the Prophets.  Let's just keep it simple and summarize that it's the sum of all the scriptures until Jesus was born; the entire Old Testament of our Bible.

Jesus tells us that the whole of scripture to that point can be summed up by treating others the way we want to be treated.  If we are to do to others what we would have them do to us, and everyone treated each other with love and respect, like they want to be treated, wouldn't we eliminate the need for most laws in our country (and world)?  We sure would!  Wouldn't it put an end to all evil!?  Yes!

It's so hard to hear the news of what's going on in the world.  From the execution of a police officer while he filled his gas tank in our own country, to the murders and other atrocities by ISIS in the Middle East, to all of the racial unrest in America and through out the world.  Murder, rape, corruption, slavery, and an abundance of anger.  All of this would stop if we would only treat others the way we want to be treated.

What IF the whole world actually listened to Jesus and we began to treat each other with love and respect; the way we want to be treated!

Up next: Jesus' Command #19 - Choose the narrow way.