Greetings,
I just finished about four weeks of vacation and it was a lot of fun. I had the opportunity to do many things that I enjoy doing but rarely find time to do. One of the things I love is to paint and create art. I don’t do it often but when I do I lose all track of time and it fills my tank. I also really enjoy writing music I have a lot of songs that I have written and so I spent some time doing a rough recording of them.
Creation is built into us as image bearers of God. We were created by a loving God who made us in His image and therefore we are creative beings. Think about your life and what you like to create. How do you reflect the image of God in your work or hobbies? My guess is that if you think about it there will be something that you do that is creative and that is a general God given grace to all humanity.
I was thinking about some of the most famous songs ever written and many of them are written by non believers. They are so creative, but many of them are not using their God given gift of creation to honor very God that gave them that gift--some even curse Him in their creation!
How crazy is it that humans can use the very thing that makes us like God to creatively dismiss God? Romans 1:20 explains that “...since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
We are fully capable of seeing that there is a creator God and that He cares for humanity. He cares about science and math, art and history, social issues and economic issues; He cares about art and aesthetics. He even cares about the many little bugs and creatures that make ecosystems thrive. Yet in our God given creativity, humanity has replaced a loving, gracious God with humanism, atheism and agnosticism.
It feels like a parent giving a child an art set and then watching that child use the art set to make a picture of how he received the art set magically without any intervention from the parent. Even though he knows better, the stubborn child sticks to that story to the end of his life.
Praise God that He is a loving creator who loves us all so deeply that He would love us even though we hated Him. What a patient and loving God we serve!
Love ya,
Chris
Greetings,
I have a dog. He is my favorite kind of dog, a Bernese Mountain Dog. His name is Samwise (like the Hobbit). Many of you have met Sam. He loves people--sometimes too much. He assumes everyone is his best friend. Sometimes we have people over to the house who are either allergic to dogs or not fans of dogs, especially significantly sized dogs. We keep Sam downstairs most of the time but he loves being outside and being around people. Pets are a large responsibility. They are great but they are difficult.
I was very saddened to hear that three families in our fellowship lost a dog this last week. While there isn't much about pet ownership in the Bible, we do see often how God cares for His entire creation. Psalm 147:9 “He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.” Jesus said in Luke 12:6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.” We also see that the lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God; it is implied that God feeds them (Psalm 104:21).
God absolutely loves all of His creation and I think when we care for His creation along side of Him, it helps us to build a perspective toward God that few others experiences can create. Pets can teach us lots of things, whether it is new puppies with their naivety and curiosity that can make us laugh or frustrate us, or a good old dog that lazily hops along, faithfully barking still at new comers into the driveway.
I think the love of a faithful pet is indicative of our desire for authentic community. We desire faithful companions so much that we become very attached to the faithful friend that communicates with a look, bark, meow, neigh, scratch or whatever a bunny does. As we walk through this life my hope is that each of us would slow down and thank God for the little things in life that can bring great joy. Aim to be a faithful friend. Seek out true community with the believers in your life.
Love ya,
Chris
Greetings,
It’s almost the end of school and you know what that means… say it with me, repentance and spiritual reformation time. That’s right! The sun will be shining, and it will be the perfect time for us to shed those old sins that so easily entangle us. Who wants to be hindered this summer with all those ugly sins and dark corners of our lives that look and feel so gross? Let’s bring those sins into the open and expose them to the brilliant light of Christ. Are you tired of looking in the mirror and thinking about all those sins that you packed on over the last year? It is getting close to summer and everyone wants their souls to be in prime shape before the beautiful weather hits and then everyone will be able to tell just how sinful you’ve been. Act now, and the Lord will throw in a peace that passes all understanding!
When we Christians hear the word repentance, which is a key word in scripture, we often think of it in terms of an unbeliever turning from their sin and turning toward God. It is right to view the true and sincere repentance of the unbeliever as the undeniable sign that the Holy Spirit is leading a person into a saving relationship with Jesus. Repentance is realizing the gravity of your sin and humbly accepting the forgiveness of that sin through Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross. When the new believer experiences the power and transformation of the Holy Spirit, we think that they must have repented. Unfortunately, and all too often, our “repentance” is half-hearted or born out of guilt, shame or a fleeting conviction. True, lasting repentance requires perseverance.
I love it when I hear a person express a biblical worldview and then I get to watch them live it out in life. When I see people saying that they believe Jesus is Lord of their life and then I watch them obey his commands to disciple, teach, serve or proclaim the gospel, to name a few--that makes me a happy pastor.
The theological question with repentance is: do believers need to continue to repent even though their sins are forgiven? If we have been justified, why would it need to be necessary to continue to ask for forgiveness?
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves... if we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar... but if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins (1 John 1:8-10). Justification is amazing, but it does not mean that we are not prone to sin and individualism from God. Repentance helps us to restore a right relationship with our Father.
The Lord also calls us to confess our sins to each other so we may be healed (James 5:16). By confessing to each other, we can ensure that we are able to live in the light, in a place of freedom from slavery to undisclosed sin. Repentance requires humility and humility is the position where God can use His people the most.
We need to regularly ask ourselves if we are using the grace of Jesus to give us liberty to go on sinning. Do I continually lean on grace rather than humble myself and turn from the wicked things that I do? Repentance should be an active part of our obedience and worship to the Lord.
Repent! The kingdom of the Lord is at hand!
Love ya,
Chris