Greg Laurie’s son Jonathan — A Modern Day Prodigal

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This video from Greg Laurie’s Blog tells the story of Greg’s son, Jonathan.

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Luke 15:13-24

References:

Bible Gateway

Greg Laurie’s Blog

Whitney Houston’s Gone to Heaven — But She Went Through Hell

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As you probably already know, Whitney Houston died Saturday afternoon.

Her singing career began at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, where she sang as a gospel soloist. Whitney Houston professed to be a Christian. She’s been justified by Christ’s blood. When you’re justified by Christ’s blood there’s a joy in knowing that your mistakes and failings are forgiven. Whatever mistakes you may have made, whatever problems you may have had, you’re going to heaven. Where sin increased, grace increased all the more because of Jesus’ sacrifice on your and my behalf.

Positionally speaking, you reside in Christ, so God doesn’t see your missteps and failures. Because of her belief in Christ, Whitney couldn’t be in a better place — positionally.

Practically speaking, even though you may be saved by Christ’s justification, there are still consequences to living a life apart from God’s word. Practically speaking, the further away you drift from God’s words, the darker your life becomes. Practically speaking you’re to sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 20:7 KJV) It’s fashionable right now for Christians to live similar lifestyles to how the rest of the world lives. But God tells us that we’re supposed to be sanctified, or set apart, from the world. We’re to be engaged with the people of the world, to be sure. We’re to love on those in the world, absolutely. We’re to be in but not of the world. While speaking to God about you and about me, Jesus said, They are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:14-17) Practically speaking we’re to be sanctified by the truth, and Christ says that God’s word is that truth. Practically speaking there’s tremendous blessing there for you, should you decide to sanctify yourself in God’s word.

Speaking of Jesus, the book of Hebrews says, Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. (Hebrews 1:9, KJV) Because Jesus loved righteousness he was anointed with gladness. And because Jesus loved righteousness more than any other, he was anointed with gladness more than any other.

The bottom line is this: The degree to which you sanctify yourself in God’s word, the degree to which you love righteousness, the degree to which you live a holy lifestyle, is the degree to which you’ll be blessed with happiness. I’m not talking about the short term pleasure that’s experienced from sin. The Bible says that sin brings pleasure for a season, but, that’s followed by pain, destruction, and devastation. I’m talking about the kind of happiness that lasts.

A sanctified holy lifestyle is out of fashion right now, I know. In many circles it’s not the cool way to live, I understand. But that doesn’t change the reality. Tragically, Whitney Houston’s life is a classic example of these truths. She’s saved. She’s justified by Christ’s sacrifice. She’s gone to heaven — but she went through hell for much of the last twenty years, mired in addiction and entangled in an abusive relationship, because she lived apart from God’s word, she lived apart from a hunger and thirst for righteousness, she lived a life that was apart from holiness. (Matthew 5:6)

Whitney Houston’s gone to heaven — but she went through hell.

Maybe you’re saying right now, Yea but I don’t use drugs the way Whitney Houston did; or I don’t drink like Whitney Houston used to; or I’m not tangled up in a terrible marriage relationship the way Whitney Houston was.

If that’s true, I’m glad for you. However, if you want to learn about what you’re leaving on the table, keep reading. The scriptures are a light on your life path. (Psalm 119:105) And the more you incorporate them into your life, the greater the light you’ll have on your life. Conversely, the less of God’s word you have in your life, the darker your life path. Obviously, Whitney’s life for the last couple of decades was very dark. But I think there are many Christians today whose lives, while not completely dark, are very dimly lit.  Focused on their liberties more than on what God has to say, they’re experiencing uncertainty and anxiety where there doesn’t need to be uncertainty and anxiety. They’re experiencing doubt and distress where there doesn’t need to be doubt and distress. All they need is more light on their lives. With more light on their lives, they could live with clarity. With more light on their lives they could enjoy the enthusiasm for their life path that comes with seeing things more clearly. You could have so much more: so much more in the way of blessings; so much more light in your life; so much more happiness; so much more gladness. I’m not talking about joining an order of monks here; I’m just talking about studying the Bible for ten or fifteen minutes a day. I’m just talking about going to church on Sunday and maybe hitting a Bible study midweek. The return on investment will be spectacular.

The way holiness results in gladness is why God says the things He does in His word. It’s because God’s for you; He wants to see you do well; He’s rooting for you; God desires to see you happy; He wants to see you glad. When you live a life in the light of God’s word; when you live a life of sanctification, you gain good things in your life. Things that God wants you to have.

Take joy in that you’re justified by Christ’s sacrifice on your behalf, definitely. But also sanctify yourself. It’s a powerful way to live. There are huge gains there for you. Blessings there for the taking.

Live life closer to Him.

Live a holy lifestyle.

Sanctify yourself in God’s words.

You’ll be glad you did.

Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 20:7 KJV

References:

Bible Gateway

Reuters Article on Whitney Houston

John Courson Teaching: 2/12/12

Genesis 31:1-21 — Your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times

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Knowing which way God wants me to go

In Genesis 30 we left Jacob in a state of prosperity. In spite of his mistreatment at the hand of Laban, Jacob refused to focus on the negative, and instead focused on using his knowledge of selective breeding to increase his flocks in dramatic fashion. He’s become a wealthy man. (See previous post on Genesis 30:25-43)


Genesis 31

Since Jacob’s come into his new found prosperity, he’s beginning to hear rumors, reports, and rumblings about Laban’s sons.

Jacob’s raking it in! They said. And at the expense of our father! He’s taking over everything our father owned and has gained his wealth from what belonged to our dad.

Beside the change in Laban’s sons, Jacob also noticed that Laban himself no longer had the same attitude toward him.

A couple of thoughts: One, it’s interesting to note that while Jacob was struggling under Laban, while he was laboring for Laban’s daughters and receiving no material compensation, Jacob was looked upon with great favor. But after Jacob began to prosper, the attitude of those around him changed. Everyone asks the Lord for prosperity. But people seem to see the Lord in us, during those times of trial. Peter Marshall, the former U.S. Senate Chaplain once said, “It is a fact of Christian experience that life is a series of troughs and peaks. In His efforts to get permanent possession of the soul, God relies on the troughs more than the peaks. And some of His special favorites have gone through longer and deeper troughs than anyone else.” God uses the troughs. It’s when we’re in the trough that people are attracted to Christ.

A second thought is that Laban’s sons are overvaluing material gain, as most of us do. You’re probably reminded, as I am, of what Paul said regarding money, For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:10) Here we see Laban’s sons’ hearts, pierced with many griefs. Had they kept the material in perspective, and maintained their good relationship with Jacob, perhaps they could have continued to enjoy Jacob’s company and the associated prosperity.

Shortly after the changes in attitude of those around him, Jacob hears from the LORD, Head for home Jake. Go back to your father and your family, and I’ll be with you.

So Jacob, while tending the flocks, sends word to Rachel and Leah to meet him out in the pasture.

Hey look, Jacob says. Your father has had a change in attitude toward me. Things aren’t the way they were before. But take heart because God’s been with me. You know how I worked my fingers to the bone for your dad, but your father continues to cheat me by changing my wages — he’s done it at least ten times! (Interesting that the same type of sin that Jacob was prone to be involved in, deceit and trickery, was the same sin that seemed to bother Jacob the most when he saw it in someone else. I wonder if he realized that in many ways, Laban was a mirror of Jacob himself) Nevertheless, Jacob continues. God’s watching over me and hasn’t allowed him to hurt me. If Laban said, The speckled ones will be your wages, then all the flocks had speckled offspring. And if he said, The streaked ones will be yours, then all the flocks gave birth to streaked offspring. So over time, God’s taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me.

One time during the breeding season, Jacob continues, I had a dream in which I looked up and saw streaked, speckled, and spotted male goats mating with the flock. The angel of God said to me in the dream, Jacob. I answered him, Here I am. And the angel said, Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled, or spotted, for I’ve seen everything that Laban’s been doing to you. (Here we see that Jacob’s attempts to alter the outcomes of breeding with striped sticks, and even with his selective breeding process, weren’t the reasons for his success. It was God’s hand on his life all along.) I am the God of Bethel, the place where you made the pillar, and anointed it with oil, and made a vow to me. Now leave at once and head back to your home town.

Rachel and Leah look at each other and say, We don’t have any share in our father’s inheritance anyway. Dad treats us like strangers. Not only has he sold us to you Jacob, but most of what he accumulated while you were working for him he’s used up. Everything, all the wealth that God took away from our dad now belongs to us and our kids. So, do whatever God has told you.

So Jacob puts his kids and his wives on camels, and he puts his flocks and herds ahead of him, along with all the material blessings he had accumulated, and he heads off to Canaan where his father Isaac still resides.

Two things I like about the way Jacob handled this situation. One is that even though he had received clear direction from the LORD, he made sure he had clear communication with his wives. Whether wife or husband, coach or teacher, father or mother, boss or leader, you’ll find that things will go much better, much smoother, much more peacefully, if you communicate clearly what you’re going to do, before you do it. Jacob even allowed his wives to give input. Would he have changed his course had his wives given feedback that he should go in a direction that was different from that which he received from the LORD? I don’t think so. But by allowing his wives to offer input, Jacob allowed his wives to feel listened to, to feel like they were a part of the decision to move to Canaan. This communication piece was a very wise move on the part of Jacob.

The second thing I like about how Jacob handled this situation is that he didn’t hesitate to obey God’s word. After he receives God’s instructions to relocate to a place that’s 450 miles away, he immediately calls for a family meeting. He allows his wives to offer their input as discussed above. Then, without further ado, he heads for Canaan. That’s a great example for you and for me. So often we wait to do what we know God wants us to do. I’ll get to it tomorrow, you might say. I’ll go to church next Sunday, you might think. Then tomorrow turns into next week, which turns into next month, which turns into next year. Next Sunday turns into next month, which turns into next Easter, which turns into next Christmas. There’s power in responding to God’s direction immediately. Without hesitation. Try it. You’ll be blessed.

Sometime during the process of gathering things for the move, Laban had gone out to shear his sheep. And while he was gone Rachel got into her dad’s stuff and stole his household gods. A good addition to the communication discussed earlier might have been for Jacob to meet with Laban and let him know that he was leaving. But Jacob, operating out of fear as we’ll see later, forgoes that communication and flees with everything he has. He crosses the Euphrates River and heads for the hills, literally. He heads for the hill country of Gilead.


Four keys to confirming direction:

Maybe you’re in a situation right now where you’re trying to make a decision, where you’re trying to figure out whether or not you should take the left fork or the right, where you’re trying to decide if you should stay or go. If that’s you then keep reading, because in our story we see four keys to recognizing God’s direction for your life.


1) Your responsibility

Your responsibility, is it fulfilled? In Jacob’s case, Jacob honored everything he ever said to Laban. He dutifully served his seven years for Leah, even though he was tricked into service for that period. Then he faithfully served another seven years for Rachel. Then, even though Laban changed the terms of their agreement ten times, Jacob acted honorably on his end and fulfilled all that was required of him according to the terms of their deal during his final six years with Laban. If you’ve made a commitment to stay in your job for at least one year, or if you’ve committed to coaching that youth sports team for at least one season, or if you’ve committed to your marriage until death do you part, then your direction is set. Like Jacob did, honor your commitment.


2) Your reception

Keep in mind that this key only applies if you’ve accomplished two things: a) You’ve fulfilled your responsibility, your commitment as described in point number one above. And b) You’ve genuinely loved those around you as the Lord would have you love, according to His word and His example. If, like Jacob, you’ve fulfilled your responsibility, and honored and blessed those around you, then this key applies. If, in spite of your best efforts, the people around you no longer receive you as they once did. If they have soured toward you, then it’s time to take a look at a change in direction. After everything that Jacob did for Laban, in spite of Laban’s deceitful ways, Laban’s attitude toward him soured. When you’ve fallen far enough out of favor, it’s time to take a look at a change in course.


3) God’s response

Jacob heard from God in a dream what his course of action would be. You may hear from God in a dream, or while reading His scriptures, or while praying, or at church, or while catching a teaching on the radio. You’ll find the same scriptures coming up again and again. The same topic coming up repeatedly. The same message popping up in a way that makes you say to yourself, Hey, this is more than just coincidence. Of course to hear the LORD speak to you in these ways, you’ll need to develop the regular habit of reading His scriptures, and praying, and going to church, etc. These are ways in which we can tap into the direction and wisdom of God. Having those activities in place provides access to the One who created the universe. Making these things a habit connects you up with He who knows far beyond anyone else what’s best for you and the people you love and care about. Who wouldn’t want to tap into that? So spend time in the places and activities where God speaks. If you’re not in prayer, not in church, not reading His word, then you’ll hear from Him much less. To hear what He has to say, you have to be paying attention.


4) Others’ recommendations

In Jacob’s situation he receives a recommendation from his wives to move forward with what he believes the LORD would have him do. Enlisting the wisdom of your spouse is a great move when seeking God’s direction. It’s also important, I believe, to seek out those who are older, wiser, and more godly than yourself. Particularly those who have already walked the path you’re considering walking down yourself. (Proverbs 15:22)

If these four keys line up: Your responsibility has been honored; your reception has soured, in spite of your best efforts; God’s response to your situation is to put the same or similar message in front of you, from His word; and finally, others’ recommendations confirm your decision, recommendations from those who are wiser and more Godly than yourself, and who have already walked the path you’re considering; when all these line up, God is saying, it’s time to change course.

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 3:6


Job 26:14 Who then can understand the thunder of his power?

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I honestly have no idea if the "You Are Here" arrow accurately portrays the location of earth. But one thing is obvious, the earth's mass is microscopic by comparison

The scale of God’s universe from ten to the negative 35th power to ten to the 27th power is beautifully illustrated here: http://htwins.net/scale2/  It takes two or more minutes to load but is well worth the wait. Check it out.

And these are but the outer fringe of his works; 
how faint the whisper we hear of him! 
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?

Job 26:14

1 John 1:7 — The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin

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Young man: “The blood, the blood, the blood. You’re always talking about the blood.”

Old man: “I won’t talk too much about the blood, because you can’t talk too much about the blood.” (see Jon Courson teaching 2/8/12)

The blood. God Himself spoke of it:

He said to Cain, Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. (Genesis 4:10)

He said to Moses, For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. (Leviticus 17:11)

God told the Israelites to wet their door jambs with blood. He said, The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. And all of Israel’s first born were saved. (Exodus 12:13)

God’s word says, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Hebrews 9:22)

God through Jesus’ disciple John said, the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7 KJV)

And there’s more. More scriptures about the blood. Many more. It’s obvious that God is serious about the blood. It’s plain that the blood is of the highest importance to Him. But why? How does this blood thing work anyway?

I don’t know.

When you don’t know, the right thing to say is, I don’t know.

What I do know is that the Lord Himself has made it clear that there’s something very special about the blood. And I also know that it makes no sense for me to judge God’s word or His ways. If He declares that the blood is important and I don’t understand it, that doesn’t change the fact that the blood is important. It’s the slipperiest of slopes to move from receiving God’s word as your judge to putting yourself in the position of judging God’s word. Watch people’s lives. Watch the lives of those who genuinely receive God’s word. And then watch those who decide what they’d like to accept and what they’d like to reject from the scriptures. The proof is in the fruit.

My last post included a quote from Napoleon Bonaparte. He said, “I know men; and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man.” Jesus Christ is no mere man. He’s the very Son of God. And Jesus Christ’s blood is no mere blood. By receiving it, by accepting it, the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7 KJV)

We all fail. We all fall. We fail, we fall because it’s inherent in our nature. It’s simply a part of the package. It comes with being human. But there’s a way. A way out. You can receive God’s sacrifice on your behalf and be cleansed of all your failures and wrongdoings. You can be absolved of that mistake you made. When Christ was on the cross Jesus looked at Him as though He was you. He was there in your place. Jesus’ blood paid the price for your failures. After receiving Christ, God looks at you as though you’re in Jesus. He no longer recognizes your wrongdoings.

There’s nothing to lose and eternity to gain.

Receive Him.

References:

Bible Gateway

Jon Courson teaching 2/8/12

An Empire Built On Love by Donald Miller

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The following post is from best selling author, Donald Miller’s Blog . I found the quote from Napoleon to be particularly intriguing. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I read a quotation recently in which the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, musing on the negotiation of clout, gave an appropriate summation of the power of Christ’s love and kindness, saying, “I know men; and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force! Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.”

I confess, I have often wondered how a soft Jesus would instill such devotion in the hearts of men. I suppose the answer rests in this mingling of challenge and kindness. But the kindness part is not so palatable for me, the word kindness rings as a synonym to, well, weakness, wimpiness.

I came across a book a few years ago, however, that helped me understand the power of kindness in leadership. The book was about a man named John Gagliardi and his career as head football coach at St. John’s University. The unorthodox method in which Coach Gagliardi leads his players is intriguing, if not completely odd. An anomaly to say the least, Coach Gagliardi does not ask his players to lift weights during the off-season, holds no spring practice, and rarely allows players to hit each other during drills. Instead, Gagliardi employs an exercise called the “Nice Day Drill” in which players lie flat on their backs, stretch left and say to the player beside them, Nice day, then stretch right to say the same to the player on the other side. During stretching exercises, captains greet their teams with smiles and ask them to comment on the beauty of the day. Players then look around the field, up to the sky, out to the trees, and comment on the nice colors and soft breezes.

I couldn’t help but laugh as I read, quite honestly, until I got to the part of the book that mentions St. John’s win record within their very competitive division. Coach Gagliardi is the winningest football coach in the history of college football or, for that matter, any football. He has more wins than any five NFL coaches combined. The results of Gagliardi’s unique philosophy are phenomenal. And what of the performance on the field? The players systematically score above each and every rival, recently by more than 70 points.

John Gagliardi points out that St. John’s is a Catholic school and the monks who run the university, when they hired him, were looking for two things in their football program: (1) a program that reflected the leadership style of Jesus, and (2) wins. Lots and lots of wins.

Coach Gagliardi says players are asked to treat their teammates in the way they would like to be treated, with kindness, graciousness, and altruism. The players work as hard as they want to work, and when they come to practice they do exactly as the coach asks them to do, not because their positions will be threatened if they don’t (St. John’s offers no football scholarships), but because they care about one another, work as a team, and love their coach because they sense his love for them.

And so when I consider the way I am treated by Christ, the degree of kindness with which He guides me, I know that as Napoleon said, I would die for Him. And I would not die for Him because He threatens me; I would die for Him because He loves me, and because I am part of a community of people who are committed to one another, to the world, and to the mission of Jesus.

This passage was an excerpt from Searching for God Knows What.

References:

Donald Miller’s Blog

Donald Miller is the best selling author of Blue Like Jazz. His most recent book is A million Miles in A Thousand Years, it’s about how the things that make a great story are the same things that can make for a great life. Check out his blog at http://donmilleris.com/ .

Matthew 25:40 — ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

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‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

…the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Luke 2:6-7

How Jesus loved people:
Jesus showed up. Jesus, The Christ, blessed us with His presence. Jesus, the One who was the Word, and was God. The One who was with God in the beginning. The One through whom all things were made. He became the Light of all mankind. (John 1:1-5)


In fact, no one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God. (John 1:18) He became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (John 1:14)


Jesus, who was God, the Creator of all things, the One who lived with the Father, Jesus, The Christ, He became one of us.


How you can too:
That’s what Jesus did. He lowered Himself. Even though we’re but dust and ashes, Jesus came to us. He showed up. He blessed us by initiating a relationship with you, with me, with all of humankind.


You have the opportunity to do the same. You might have a desire to bless the big man on campus with your presence. Or you might have a desire to bless the most popular people with your friendship. You might want to get to know the most powerful, or the richest, or the most famous people.


But where you really have power to make an impact, is with those people who would be blown away by your company. You know who they are. That shy person. That depressed person. The kid who wears funny looking clothes. The unpopular kid. I’m talking about Raj Koothrappali from the Big Bang Theory here. Or the the guy who’s struggling financially. Or the wallflower. That person who you know will light up when you approach them.


I’m not talking about doing anything special, I’m just talking about having a conversation, showing them a little love, taking two minutes of your time and talking to them. Bless them with your presence.


Just show up.


Like Jesus did.