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As Far as the East is from the West

October 25, 2011 in Deeper, Living our Faith with Leave Your Thoughts

Photo Credit: Lars Gunnar Aa Opstad (Creative Commons)

Every Tuesday, I publish a devotion for the Ignite Student Ministries blog. It is meant to help encourage, strengthen and challenge your faith. Below is an excerpt from this week’s devotion:

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
Psalm 103:12

We put a lot of emphasis on sin.

We talk about it, pray about it and read books on its power to destroy us. We confess it to each other, building relationships around trying to breaking it. We change our habits, put filters on our computers and block certain TV channels. We spend time and energy trying to avoid it. We even cover it up, putting on a happy face and pretending we don’t struggle.

But no matter what we do, we still sin.
No matter how hard we try, we still stumble.
No matter how much we change, we still fall.

We know the sins we struggle with. We know our faults and flaws and hangups. We know the propensities we have to stumble. We know the depths of darkness in our own hearts.

When we sin, when we stumble, when we mess up yet again, it doesn’t feel far from us.

It’s in our hearts. In our minds. In our being. It’s a part of who we are that we can’t seem to shake. We own those sins, adding them to our identity and believe they will never leave. They were paid for, covered, taken away, yet are still with us.

Our sin feels near.

Godly Persecution

October 21, 2011 in Living our Faith with 10 Appreciated Comments

Photo Credit: Jan Ramroth (Creative Commons)

I’m not a huge fan of persecution.
Shocking, I know.

I don’t like it when people give me weird looks when I pray for my meal. I’m not comfortable when people start mocking my faith. I get angry when I hear people say there is no God. I don’t like it when people take advantage of my good nature. I hate it when politics enter the church and destroys people’s lives. I’m not a fan of backstabbing, rumors, gossip and being at the receiving end of two-faced people who say one thing to my face and rip me up and down behind my back. And I definitely hate it when someone tries to do that to the people I care about most. I can’t stand divisiveness, critics and people who seem to find pleasure in bringing pain to others.

I would rather avoid trials, tribulations, suffering, hard times, testing and sickness.
I know I’m not the only one.

We don’t enjoy rough seasons. We don’t wait excitedly to be betrayed by someone we love. We don’t look for opportunities to be taken advantage of at work. We don’t want to be mocked, made fun of or told we’re stupid. We don’t sit awake praying that God would make our lives more difficult.

But it happens.

Image of Faith

October 19, 2011 in Ignite, Living our Faith with 14 Appreciated Comments

Photo Credit: Ignite Student Ministries

This past weekend, I had the privilege of leading the Encounter Retreat for Ignite Student Ministries. It was a powerful time of discussions, worship, prayer, silence, reflection, fellowship and just getting to know one another.

We had 21 students from 6 different schools, including Monmouth College (Monmouth, IL), Carl Sandburg College (Galesburg, IL), Culver-Stockton College (Canton, MO), Illinois State University (Normal, IL), Ashford University (Clinton, IA), Galesburg High School (Galesburg, IL) and United High School (Monmouth, IL), along with three Ignite staff members.

There’s a lot I could say about all God did during our retreat, from encouraging students to pursue God more completely to challenging them in dealing with the issues in their lives. We saw students get on fire for God, realize that they are not alone in their struggles and even for the first time hear that they are a part of something bigger than themselves.

But the most profound part for me came Friday night. After I had finished praying for and encouraging these students, they pulled me into our prayer circle and started doing the same for me. And then one of my students said something that rocked me:

You are the image of what it means to be a man of faith to me.

God of the Impossible

October 12, 2011 in Living our Faith with 18 Appreciated Comments

Photo Credit: Alain Safa (Creative Commons)

I have a confession to make: I don’t really believe God can do the impossible.

Don’t get me wrong, I know God is big. Huge, really. I know He is able to perform miracles and defy the laws of science. I know He can heal the sick, cleanse the leper and raise the dead back to life. I believe He really did part the Red Sea, kept Jonah alive in the belly of a whale and can soften the coldest of hearts. I know He can provide when I’m in need, heal the hurts I’ve struggled with for years, and help me accomplish things I never could have done on my own.

I know God is all powerful.
I know He has no limitations.
I know He can do the impossible.

But I don’t really believe it.
And I’m willing to bet, you don’t either.

Small Actions. Big Impact.

October 10, 2011 in Living our Faith with 25 Appreciated Comments

Photo Credit: Sherman Geronimo-Tan (Creative Commons)

I don’t always put a lot of value in the little things of life.

A smile. An encouraging word. A handwritten letter. Buying someone’s meal. Giving someone a free bottle of water. Inviting people over. Donating the clothes I don’t wear anymore. Sending a card. Making a phone call. Buying a coffee. Playing Ultimate Frisbee in the dark with glow sticks. Making a DQ run. Sitting on a porch late at night having a conversation.

Those actions don’t seem all that significant to me.

They aren’t going to cure cancer. They won’t bring an end world hunger. They aren’t going to result in wells being built, lives being saved or even cities being transformed. You won’t read a news article about that phone call I made last week or the clothes I donated a few months ago. CNN isn’t going to do a feature story on the game of Ultimate Frisbee I played with a bunch of college kids Friday night (that is unless Anderson Cooper got my email). Churches aren’t going to adopt a new program, reach out to their city and see thousands saved just because I wrote an encouraging letter.

In the grand scheme of things, most of what we do on a daily basis seems small. Insignificant. Sometimes a waste of time.

Judge Not

October 7, 2011 in Living our Faith with 17 Appreciated Comments

I have been known to judge people.

It’s not something I’m proud of. It’s not even something I even like to admit. I would much rather keep that little tidbit hidden and let you think I’m holier than I really am, but it’s true.

I judge people.

I see someone putting more effort into sports than schooling, and I think they are wasting their time.
I see someone in debt, and think they have no self control.
I see someone who lets their house fall apart, and think they are lazy.
I see someone who thinks, looks or approaches life differently than me, and think they are wrong.
I see someone with no computer skills and get frustrated.
I see someone giving up on their potential and think they just gave up too soon.
I see someone who made a bad decision, took a path I didn’t think they should take and I wonder what they were thinking.

I judge others.
We all do.