This week our country has a birthday. We are celebrating its 243^rd birthday if I’ve done my math correct. The 4^th of July has come to represent one main word, Freedom. The sad observance today is that we are losing a sense of what freedom actually means. Freedom doesn’t mean one can do anything one wants. If that were the case there would be no need for any laws to govern the people, and without laws to govern the people there would be wars and chaos within the people at catastrophic levels. Isn’t it interesting to think that in a free country where we consider ourselves free, we still need direction and accountability? It is because the human heart in and of itself is desperately wicked.

In the Christian thought there are two basic understandings of freedom. Freedom From & Freedom For. Freedom From regards the condition we have been set free from in the past with its governing statutes. In the sense of our country, the Revolution brought freedom from the tyranny of the  “old country.”  Freedom For brings us into the present freedom to express ourselves in ways the “old country” restricted. In the same we as believers since the cross have been set Free From the tyranny of sin. We are now set Free For the beauty to walk with Christ that otherwise could not have happened until we were set Free From the holds of sin.  Freedom always comes with a past and moves us into a future that is determined by the choices we make today.

Recently, my family and I traveled to our sister church of Bull Creek in Kaycee, Wyoming, Kaycee Community Cowboy Church. We have established great friendships there over the last few years in which we have come to love the people, the country side, and the weather (especially in the summertime). As we were doing our different things and having our conversations, it is hard to miss that people are people wherever one travels. There is a unique beauty of familiarity in this. We may express ourselves in different ways, traditions and personalities, often called culture, but the heartbeat of our needs are still the same.

In a world that often points out peoples differences and judging them for it, I think we must stop and consider how much alike we are. We all need the basics: food, clothing, shelter, etc., but more importantly the common bond of all people is a need for God, an object (or rather Person) of direction, meaning, and purpose. In Jesus, the reality of God becoming a human, God has given us the basic need of all, relationship with Him. Many are searching for the right relationship in this person or that person, or purpose in this career or that one, but ultimately we weren’t made for other humans or jobs, but rather for God Himself. No one can validate or invalidate you except the truth of who God says we are according to Scripture.

Our basic need is that we all need forgiveness and a sense of who we are. Jesus is the great Forgiver and “Do-over” where we can all punch the reset button on life. No longer trying to do it ourselves, but doing life with the One who created life itself. With Him life sure runs a whole lot smoother. Invite Him into your life and start building a relationship, not religion, with Him today.

Have you ever had a question about life and someone responded, “just have faith”? In the angst of having a question it can be quite discouraging when someone gives you such a pat answer. So what does it mean to have faith?  

There are two types of faith that we can discuss: Blind Faith & Evidential Faith. Blind faith is how many describe their faith. Sadly, many believers, give this definition which is having no reason to believe something, but believing it anyway. It’s almost like a badge of honor to some. This understanding of faith is absurd, furthermore dangerous, and why people do crazy things in the name of religion!

The Biblical understanding of faith is one of evidence. It is not faith or reason, but rather faith and reason. Reason reveals the bread crumbs to follow and faith sees the inference. We have all watched the CSI shows where one rationally finds the evidence, and then can infer the most probable outcome. It is the same way with faith according to Scripture. As Ravi Zacharias once put it, “God has placed enough evidence before us to make Christianity a rational endeavor, but left enough out to make it a relational experience.” There are in fact reasons for faith such as the reliability of the Bible, existence of God, the person of Christ, and ultimately His resurrection.

Hebrews 11:1 NLT – Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.

One of the great debates of our day is whether or not God exists. Many of our day choose to believe that the worldview of Atheism (NO GOD) is the best explanation over and above the worldview of Theism (GOD). So how can one determine which worldview is true? The only answer is in the evidence.

Now many want to point to Darwinism as a support to Atheism, but the reality is not whether one believes in evolution or creationism (another discussion), the bigger question is “Why is there something versus nothing?” Science is in agreement with the Bible in the fact that both state the Universe came into existence. So the question is “Why does it exist now?” From a logical standpoint the only game in town is that there had to be something prior to the existence of the Universe that brought the Universe into existence. This makes sense at every level regarding Cause & Effect. For example, if a book comes into existence there has to be an author.  Therefore, if the Universe came into existence at some point the only logical explanation was that there had to be a Cause behind it. It seems to take greater faith to believe ‘something came from nothing’ than to believe that ‘something came from something prior to it.’ The first statement of the Bible seems to be the most logical, and simply put I don’t have enough faith to be an Atheist.

Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth

For the believer joy is a fruit of the spirit. To know that our sins are forgiven, our account is cleared, graced bestowed, and hope granted should create an inner celebration for those who have put their faith in Christ Jesus. Therefore, as followers of Christ, our perspective of life should be different than the rest of the world not rooted in the circumstances of life but in the reality of a loving and forgiving God.

My question for us this week: Is your temperament, mood, or attitude towards life rooted in your circumstances or the reality of God’s love for you?  I’ve heard many times the statement, “Well under the circumstances…” For the Christian one must ask, “Why are you under the circumstances?” Your reality in Christ is greater than any circumstance that comes your way in this life. See beyond today through the spectacles of eternity.

Paul writing to the Philippian church from a Roman dungeon clearly is not under the circumstances of his situation where his hope would be minimal and future dreary. No he is rejoicing at the fact  that He knows Christ, he has been recognized by the world as a spokesman for Christ, and is willing to be punished and even die as a prisoner for Christ. Paul would tell us that no matter the circumstances you are in, even if death is inevitable on the immediate horizon of your future, as a believer you have reason to rejoice in Jesus. May we as His followers rejoice in God’s love no matter our circumstances.

Philippians 4:4

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Psalm 46:10 – Be still, and know that I am God;

When I was young my mother used to tell me I had “Ants in my Pants” because I wouldn’t sit still much as I was always into something. Sadly, we have become an “Ants in your Pants” society because most of us hate being still. How many people constantly stay on their phone nowadays? We are a culture of little busy-bodies! Over time this kind of approach to life is exhausting to our body and draining to our spirit.

In this little verse, God is calling us to be still, but why? The answer is to know that He is God and not ourselves, or some circumstance or interruption in life. The reason many of us struggle with hearing from God is because our lives are too loud, too busy with our own self-will that we cannot hear as Elijah did ‘the still, small voice of God’ (1 Kings 19:11-13). Sitting in silence, allowing our minds to declutter and detox from the junk of the world is a necessary practice for spiritual sanity. Biblical meditation is refocusing the mind on God unlike the Eastern practice where one attempts to empty their mind which is actually logically impossible. We must learn to recapture the silence and the stillness of life and let the beauty of God rekindle the fire within our hearts. There is a time to be busy, but the joy you get out of the busyness of life will be determined in how connected you are with God in those still moments we create every day. 

The word “blessed” can be translated as the word “happy.” Scripture states that happiness can be found in the company we keep or that we don’t keep. Many people are unhappy because they are taking advice from those who are not qualified to give it. It is like one alcoholic asking another alcoholic, who is active in his addiction, how to stop drinking. Who do you seek advice from in your life?

Peer pressure is a real thing to deal with not just as a student in school, but in the entirety of our lives. What company do you keep? Are you victim of peer pressure? Are you hanging around people that will make you better or worse? Will they make you grow as a person or help you to become more stagnate in your life? Scripture clearly states, “Bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33

            There is something else to remember that happiness is not only found in the company you keep or don’t keep, but also in taking delight in God and His Word. God is a good God who wants to be understood by you. The more we understand our Creator the more we can enjoy and find happiness in the life He has given us. Life itself is a gift from God. The more we understand the God who gave us life, the more “blessed” or “happy” we shall be.

Psalm 1:1-2

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of

sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

So let’s begin with a few questions…What or who is guiding your life today in this very moment? Who are you taking advice from? Are they qualified to give advice? Who should we turn to for help?

As a person going through life there are many things that compete to guide our lives. The problem is that only One Person is qualified and that is not even ourselves. It is the Holy Spirit of God. God knows our lives from beginning to end and only He is qualified to be the captain of the  ship of life. When I lived in Nashville and was pursuing music, the drive for my career in music and what pleased me was the guide of my life. I was the “god” of my life, yet so very unqualified. I often found myself shipwrecked with despair and discouragement feeding desires that I had often said I would stay away from. We go to a mechanic to ask advice for our car, a doctor for our body, an attorney for legal matters, so why do we turn to ourselves for the greater questions regarding life? This makes absolutely no sense, but we are all guilty of it. Let God, who is life, guide your life so that you can miss some of the bumps in the road that maybe awaiting you up ahead.  

Galatians 5:16- So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

This Sunday is Mother’s Day, and I wanted to take just a moment to celebrate the role mothers have with their children. I know my mother has played an instrumental role in who I am today. I think of three things when I think of my mother. First, she delivered me. She delivered me into this world physically, but also lead me to the Lord so she was a part of my spiritual delivery in my coming to know Jesus. Second, she has been there to show devotion to my life to raise me in a Christian home with integrity and a sense of principles to live by. She was at my ballgames, school events and when I started playing music she came to everything I did. She was devoted to supporting me, and there was no greater support she could give than by praying for me as she did. Third, she disciplined me. Now this third one wasn’t so fun for me, but I’ve come to learn it wasn’t that fun for her either. But she loved me enough to discipline to help shape my character. I remember her telling me that she loved me enough to not let me get away with things, and now I appreciate it. What I see so much today are children parenting the parents rather than the parents parenting their children. Discipline is not a cruel thing, but to not discipline is a cruel thing.       

Our parents are our first “God template”. Everything we ultimately look for in God such as love, nurture, safety, correction, protection etc. we first look for in our parents. This is why many have a distorted view of God because they have no point of reference in their life for what some of the characteristics of God look like outside of a theory. If a parent abandoned you, then it is hard to imagine God, who you haven’t seen, not abandoning you. Not everyone has been as fortunate to have a solid, stable mother in their life as many have, and for that I am sorry. For those that have then this Sunday tell them how much they have meant to you because a mother’s presence and love truly can shape future generations even after they are gone.

            The Church, according to the Scripture, is a family of faith where forgiven sinners rejoice in the grace given them in Jesus, and who seek to follow Christ authentically in their daily lives. Now are all Christians living that way? No! But that is what the Church is designed to be. For those who maybe skeptics, as I have been, make sure you don’t confuse Christians for Christ. Christians may do you wrong because we are still a work in progress, but Christ is the One to seek because He can fill your hearts to overflowing.

            Jesus, before returning to Heaven, gave a very famous statement regarding what His church was to be about in the future. It is called the Great Commission. It is called The Great Commission because 1) It is given to us by Jesus 2) It is an invitation to work with Jesus not just for Jesus. Jesus is at work through the lives of obedient believers who are surrendered to Him. He wants us to be partners in His work. We are to be about telling others the Good News that is in Jesus such that in Jesus forgiveness of any and all sins can be obtained, that a new beginning for life can be received, and an eternal hope and future given by placing faith in the Risen Lord. Also, we are to be teaching, applying and implementing Christ’s teachings in our daily lives and decisions. We are to be lights of hope in a dark world, and messengers of grace so that as we await His return may His will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Matthew 28:18-20

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”