“We see Him as a benevolent Being who is satisfied when people manage to fit Him into their lives in some small way. We forget that God never had an identity crisis. He knows that He’s great and deserves to be the center of our lives…. He never begs us to give Him some small part of ourselves. He commands everything from His followers.” – Francis Chan, Crazy Love

“Holy crap, I suck.” That’s what I said after reading this statement. So often, I’m thrilled with myself when I concede one of my little selfish habits to the Lord. I probably even pat myself on the back. But God shakes his head sadly.

God doesn’t really want use to just stay away from the drugs, sex, and rock-and-roll. And he doesn’t want us to just fight off our selfish desires. God wants to be at the center of who we are.

The truth is, when we concede everything to Jesus and put first his kingdom, our lives become more meaningful and fulfilling than we ever imagine. We no longer worry about our little wants and desires because we are living for something so much bigger than ourselves. We begin to see life’s circumstances and every person (including ourselves) through God’s eyes. And we start living out God’s purposes for each one of us.

That’s the life God wants for us. That’s the life I want to live for myself. And that’s the life I want you to be able to experience.

His story was defined by a terrible childhood with a monster of a mom and an absent father. As a child, Flash went to church and recounts of one woman who really made a difference in his life. She was a Christian who really loved other people and would check up on Flash when he was younger. Flash says that religions are crap, but what that woman had was true Christianity.

I really wish I could post the video of that interview (darn copyright laws) for everyone to see. The video really reminded me of the power loving people around us, no matter what they are like. It made a huge impact on Flash. Everyone who experiences that kinda love couldn’t deny that our faith was something special.

I need to live more like that. Are you aware of the people around you who need to be loved?

With the sun shining and music pumping, life seems like a moving picture show. And I enjoy ever moment of it. Today, it made me reflect on God. The beauty of the Oregon countryside had me in awe of the greatness of God.

Here is my question for you: What things sorts of things make you stop and reflect on God?

Our efforts were not to be or seem more like a “Christian.” We desired to really be more mindful of the Lord’s will. After reading the passage in James at some point, Alec and started to discuss how we often forgot to look to God in our daily lives and decisions. We would make plans to do things, but we’d forget to ask Jesus for direction. And we desperately wanted to be more mindful of the Lord and his direction.

So, what was the outcome? We became more mindful of the Lord’s will and his leading throughout our day.

Do you need to be more mindful of what the Lord desires for you? I know I do.

This is a pretty big command. If part of you cause yo to sin, get rid of it. I don’t know about you, but I’d have a pretty hard time cutting off my own hand. But it’s what Jesus told us to do. So, why don’t we see more people without eyes or hands?

The thing about it is this: Your hand doesn’t cause you to sin, it’s your heart. The sinful nature, or flesh, is what causes us to sin. The hand is just the accessory to the crime. And we tend to blame the crime on the accessory. “My hand just did it” or “My eyes just looked at that girl inappropriately.” We don’t take responsibility for our sin.

By talking about cutting off a hand or eye, one thing Jesus is telling us to get rid of the excuses. Jobs, friends, video games, and other things tend to be our excuses for sin in our lives. Get rid of the excuse! Ask God for help and the Holy Spirit will help you overcome your temptations and sin.

What excuses do you need to get rid of today?

After Peter rebuked Jesus for predicting his death, Jesus called Peter to the carpet with these words. It wasn’t on account of Peter’s lack of love for Jesus—his love was quite apparent—but it was for Peter’s lack of understanding of God’s purposes. He was concerned with the purposes of men. “If Jesus dies, he can no longer lead us and into his kingdom. I need to protect him,” Peter thought. He was concerned with man’s purposes and understanding: death and suffering are bad.

So, Peter tried to correct Jesus. Think about that. Peter tried to give guidance and direction to the Lord God Almighty. God doesn’t need our advice, he can take care of himself.

In my observations, we tend to do that same thing. We try to defend God and protect him from the insults and stones that the world throws at him. But the reality is this: He doesn’t need us to protect him, he needs us to obey him. Jesus is more concerned that we would be mindful of his purposes rather than protect him from people.

Be aware that God’s purposes in somethings aren’t always clear or easy to understand. In our love for God, we may get it wrong sometimes. But, may we be like Peter, who, when rebuked by Jesus, listened and allowed God to fulfill his plan.

I often find myself thinking about God and doing things a certain way because it’s the what I was taught. That’s how people learn and grow. We put into practice what we are taught. If we endlessly asked the question “why?” and not put into action anything until we completely understand, it would take forever. It’s not a practical way to live.

At the same time, if we just do what we are told and do it exactly how we are told without thinking about it, we often miss out on the purpose and the heart behind it. This is especially detrimental when it comes to our faith and relationship with Christ.

God has always been more concerned with the heart of things than the specific action or tradition. You see this even at the beginning with Cain and Abel. “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?” (Genesis 4:7). As Christians, it is important for us to seek out the heart of God. And God has revealed himself and his heart to us through the Bible. That’s why we need to be reading through it and praying and asking God to make his heart clear to us. And he will.

Have you been seeking the heart of God or just following the traditions you’ve been taught?

Jesus had been crucified, their hopes and dreams crushed,  and their hearts were heavy. As they walked and discussed the events of what happened, Jesus came alongside them and walked with them. After engaging them with where they were at, he began explaining to them why he had to die for their sins. All the while, they did not recognize him. Once Jesus had left, they recognized him and said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road…?”

More than relating to the disappointment and shattered hopes, I find that my life—and many Christian’s lives—reflect the roadside stroll with Jesus. We go through life wanting to see God made real to us and those around us, yet don’t recognize that he is walking with us and teaching us right now.

“But how do we always remember that?” There is no magical answer or formula. Seek the Lord, pray, read the Bible. Daily. Get up early, before the busyness of life gets a hold of you, and spend time reading the Bible and talking with God. Ask him to help you be continually aware of his presence with you. Encourage others and be encouraged by others. These are just a few suggestions.

What are you doing or will do to help you recognize and remember that Jesus is walking with you always?

The most extraordinary thing about these three is that we know almost nothing about them. They are practically only there in name. Thaddaeus asked Jesus one question and the other guys seem to have only been present in the gospels. When the early Christian church started, there seems to be no reference to their roles or significant things that they did. These three guys seem to be nothing special at all.

However, they were called. Like Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:12, “he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service.” The Lord considered these guys faithful and knew that they would follow him and obey him.

I often find myself looking for God to use me in big ways, the sort of things that people will see and know it was God. In doing such, I lose focus on simply following Jesus and obeying him in the little, average ways. That needs to be my focus: following and obeying Jesus. Not looking for big ways and things that I can do for him, but simply living a daily life in obedience.

Maybe nothing will ever be written about me, but I’ll know that I heard from the Lord and faithfully followed after him. And that’s enough for me.

That’s a great sentiment, but I wonder if we are only getting half of the story. Jesus ate and spent time with those who would be considered unclean and sinners. He didn’t separate himself from those who weren’t holy. And he didn’t ask his followers to cut themselves off from others.

This could probably apply more to us as individual Christians then to the church. I see a lot of this attitude of pulling away from all things and people that aren’t Chrisitians like us. Most of the time it’s in the name of being more holy (which we are called to be, by the way).

I even see that in myself to a certain degree. I work at church. Almost all of the relationships in my life are with other Christians. And I’m rather comfortable with that, unfortunately. Yet, I know something is missing in maintaining that kind of life.

It’s the most clear to me when I have the opportunity to reconnect with an old high school friend over coffee and talk about life. Even though I may not be sharing about Jesus directly, I feel so much more alive, like I’m doing exactly what I was created for. I know my faith was intended to be something more than just living with other Christians.

This is more a personal reflection than a devotional, but that’s ok. Read Mark 2:13-17 and ponder the passage for yourself.