Today’s song comes from the youngest artist to ever sign a contract with Sparrow Records. Connie Scott was 18 years old at the time and went on to become a popular Canadian Christian singer in North America. While Connie never reached the fame of Amy Grant or Twila Paris, her lyrics and voice has left behind her own music legacy with Forever Young.
Fight the good fight of the faith; lay hold of the eternal life to which you were summoned and [for which] you confessed the good confession [of faith] before many witnesses, 1 Timothy 6:12.
The lyrics of Forever Young is like a closing benediction at the end of a church service. This tradition song reminds listeners that you’re only as old as you believe. If you allow self-fulfilled prophecies to speak doubt, illness, and worry into existence, your life will be shortened. Yet, if you claim the power of God’s promises in the Bible, the abundant life of John 10:10 is in reach by spiritual discipline and faith.
I have fond memories of today’s song. My college roommate introduced me to the group Acapella. After spending my first semester of college exploring the party scene, I turned my life back to God. When I moved off campus, Mike and I would spend weekend nights sitting in lawn chairs on our front yard listening to Christian music. One of those songs was Better Than Life.
I am the Door; anyone who enters in through Me will be saved (will live). He will come in and he will go out [freely], and will find pasture. 10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it [b]overflows), John 10:9-10.
While there are several Acapella groups that go on tour every summer, the lyrics of Better Than Life struck a cord with my soul. Based upon words from a Psalmist and John 10:10, the Bible is crucial to discovering the abundant life that Jesus promised. While Acapella isn’t a flashy group like most modern Christian artists, the words of Better Than Life provide spiritual food for your soul.
When I met the parents of my students for the first time, I developed an active learning exercise using a glass of water, a paper towel and a sponge. Since the desks in my room were shared with 2-3 other students, there were low areas on each one. I poured water on a desk in the middle of the room, let it sit for a moment, added a paper towel and then a sponge. Each scenario represents one of the three choices that students make daily.
For it has pleased [the Father] that all the divine fullness (the sum total of the divine perfection, powers, and attributes) should dwell in Him [p]permanently. 20 And God purposed that through ([q]by the service, the intervention of) Him [the Son] all things should be completely reconciled [r]back to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, as through Him, [the Father] made peace by means of the blood of His cross, Colossians 1:19-20.
Like a parable of Jesus, the table is symbolic of a heartened heart with the water the information I share with students daily. When students don’t care, the water just stays in the room. However, when a piece of information catches a student’s attention, the paper towel absorbs what they want to hear. This half-hearted nature picks and choices when students want to listen and when they tune out. The final option and ultimate goal is to become a sponge by pouring your whole heart into learning every day.
For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature]. 10 And you [f]are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—and reach full spiritual stature]. And He is the Head of all rule and authority [of every angelic principality and power], Colossians 2:9-10.
Until Christians develop a whole heart for the Bible by making Jesus the Lord of your life, Romans 10:9-11, you only receive a portion of the abundant life, John 10:10. This is like reading the Cliff Notes version of a book to study for a test rather than the actual book; taking the path of least resistance. While we all stumble and fall short of God’s glory, Romans 3:9-12, God is searching for men and women who are willing to put their whole heart into faith. When you become all in for Jesus, you will begin to experience the fullness of God.
An intimation is the action of making something known, especially in an indirect way. To the visual learner, speaking in parables by using analogies that spoke to a first century audience was effective. Instead of dumbing down his message like a teacher telling everyone the answers, Jesus uses prophetic intimations to make people think. One of the stereotypes assigned to Christians is naive, blindly following an invisible God. Yet, this is far from the truth.
This charge and admonition I commit in trust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with prophetic intimations which I formerly received concerning you, so that inspired and aided by them you may wage the good warfare, 1 Timothy 1:18.
Free will offers everyone the chance to spend their time as they wish. Going to church, reading your Bible or praying isn’t forced by a spiritual drill sergeant. Rather, attending church, going to a Bible Study or worshiping God should be something that Christians want to do. When I was a young Catholic searching to make sense of God, I was eager to find out the truth. The more I read the Bible, Old Testament prophecies began to align, opening my eyes to the Savior of the world.
And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, Why does your Master eat with tax collectors and those [preeminently] sinful? 12 But when Jesus heard it, He replied, Those who are strong and well (healthy) have no need of a physician, but those who are weak and sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy [that is, [i]readiness to help those in trouble] and not sacrifice and sacrificial victims. For I came not to call and invite [to repentance] the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God), but sinners (the erring ones and all those not free from sin), Matthew 9:11-13.
During a first century conversation, Jesus target audience comes into focus. The healthy don’t need to doctor, able to survive on their own. However, the sick and sinners all reach a point of desperation. Subsequently, Jesus recruited and trained 12 disciples to become spiritually self-sufficient. The goal was after Jesus fulfilled God’s master plan, these men could carry on his ministry after his ascension into heaven. As Christians strive to live the abundant life, John 10:10, you should want to draw closer and closer to God with each passing day. Seize the time that God gives you on earth.
In this age of calorie counting and weight watching, favorite drinks vary. Whether it’s alcoholic beverages, energy drinks, specialty coffees or a glass of water, the amount of calories will dictate what you decide and how many you will drink. Depending upon how well your New Year Resolutions are going so far, good choices and self-control will shape your beverage of choice. Yet, the Bible refers to filling up a different kind of cup.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my [brimming] cup runs over, Psalm 23:5.
The context of the passage above refers to what David as a shepherd had to do daily to meet the needs of his sheep. Since sheep don’t eat or drink when they are stressed, oil is applied by shepherds to each sheep, serving as a bug repellent. Once sheep feel safe and comfortably, water containers are filled to the brim, overflowing so that their noses don’t get stuck. Like a glass of milk before going to bed, drinking this water was the last thing sheep did before falling asleep for David.
Jesus answered her, All who drink of this water will be thirsty again. 14 But whoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never, no never, be thirsty any more. But the water that I will give him shall become a spring of water welling up (flowing, bubbling) [continually] within him unto (into, for) eternal life, John 4:13-14.
In a conversation with a Samaritan woman, Jesus brings up the concept of living water. On a hot summer day, in the middle of a desert, a drink of water is refreshing. However, Jesus is talking about eternal life, a living water that will extend far beyond your life on earth. To individuals who enter a personal relationship with Jesus, John 14:6, reading the Bible is like filling your spiritual cup up to the brim, Psalm 1:3. If you want to experience the abundant life, John 10:10, take time daily to drink God’s Word.
Religion is an interest that a pursuer ascribes to as their supreme importance. This pursuit results in a particular system of faith as individuals believe in and worship a personal God or gods. Meanwhile, relationships are the way in which two or more people are connected and behave toward each other. Relationships can be traced back to a common alliance, bond, or connection based upon shared values. Religion tends to focus on teetotalism, a rigid following of a clearly defined set of rules. Depending upon your own personal desire, relationships can be kept at an arms length, drawn closer, or become intimate.
For the whole Law [concerning human relationships] is complied with in the one precept, You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself, Galatians 5:14.
This case study begins with a first century sect referred to as the Judaizers. These Jewish converts to Christianity did not want to abandon their Old Testament heritage. Instead of focusing on their newly formed relationship with Jesus, the Judaizers overemphasized a strict adherence to Jewish customs. The leaders of this group convinced Gentile members of the Church in Galatia to become circumcised. Instead of following the apostles teaching in Romans 10:9-10, the Judaizers claimed that if you really wanted to be saved, “you need to to adopt Jewish customs and practices found in the Torah.”
But if you bite and devour one another [in partisan strife], be careful that you [and your whole fellowship] are not consumed by one another, Galatians 5:15.
The opposite side of this study is a woman who took relationships to the extreme. Unable to find love in normal relationships, Mary turned to prostitution, selling her body to unfulfilled men. Despite the money Mary made, the void in her heart remained. Instead of developing a physical attraction toward Jesus, a spiritual hunger was conceived. Eager to discover meaning in life, Mary becomes a follower of Jesus, trying to reconcile all the poor decisions of her past. Based upon the actions taken in John 12:3, Mary was closely listening to Jesus’ teaching. Perhaps a sign of contrition, Mary takes an expensive bottle of perform and anoints Jesus’ feet.
But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God), Galatians 5:16.
The passage above offers a solution to souls wrestling with religion verses relationships. While religion provides a sense of direction, relationships offer freewill to choose your level of commitment. According to the apostle Paul, there is an internal tug of war going on within your mind daily. Instead of feeling forced to go to church or behave in a certain manner, walk and live habitually in the Holy Spirit. As Christians begin to develop a permanent meaningful lasting relationship with Jesus, you will want to go to church, pray and read the Bible. When you embrace the freedom Jesus offers, faith replaces the need for religion. Thus, choose the abundant life Jesus promises by keeping in step with the Holy Spirit.
When tragedy strikes, most people need a shoulder to lean on, an attentive ear to listen or a hug to be consoled. During his several missionary journeys, the apostle Paul endured agitators, harassing crowds and mobs that wanted to silence his teaching about Jesus. On a couple of occasions, Paul was nearly beaten and stoned to death. Despite this persecution, Paul found time daily to kneel before the Great I Am.
For this reason [seeing the greatness of this plan by which you are built together in Christ], I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 For Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named [that Father from Whom all fatherhood takes its title and derives its name]. 16 May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality], Ephesians 3:14-16.
In a letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul reveals the secret to his prayer life. Upon his knees, prayer rejuvenated Paul, replacing his own needs with a desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Apparently, prayer strengthened and reinforced Paul, sensing God’s presence as he poured our heart in prayer. Paul exercised his faith in prayer by making a permanent place in his heart for Jesus.
17 May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; 19 [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]! – Ephesians 3:17-19
Over time, Paul’s faith in Christ was deeply rooted, like the firm foundation of a skyscraper. The daily discipline of prayer conceived and established the love of Jesus within Paul’s soul. When people become devoted to prayer, selfish desires are replaced by the fullness of God. When you begin to experience the abundant life, John 10:10, a spiritual addiction is born. Instead of allowing the world to dictate your mood, praying in the Spirit is like a wave flooding your soul with God’s presence. This is why Paul was driven to his knees.
The Shell Game is symbolic of three stages in life: early childhood development, reaching your prime and going through a mid-life crisis. As a child, a lack of confidence, fear and insecurities cause many young people to hide who they really are. When afraid, frightened or threatened, most turtles seek shelter under their shell, disappearing and hiding underneath until its safe to come out. Likewise, human beings possess a similar defense mechanism, withdrawing from society until assurance, confidence and hope is restored.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing, James 1:2-4.
In the early years, stuttering prevented me from ever expressing myself clearly as a child. Being made fun of, mocked and teased was too much to endure. These attacks against what I could not control led me to live a private life until my teenage years, participating in solitary play, imagining what it would be like for me to talk without stuttering. After my dad was transferred from New Jersey to Delaware, a neighborhood of kids helped me come out of my proverbial shell. Friends like Jeanette, Steven and Richie overlooked my stuttering, seeing a potential that no one else had prior.
More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us, Romans 5:3-5.
By the beginning of my senior year of high school, my faith in Christ, amazing friends and an unquenchable fire for life transformed me. This one year served as a catalyst to do things I never imagined possible. Despite periods of stammering, God inspired me to become a youth pastor, high school teacher and invest the prime of my life coaching, mentoring and sharing my faith with others. During this fifteen year period, I was filled with unswerving faith that allowed me to experience the abundant life, witness miracles and experience a spiritual awakening within Columbus, Indiana. Unfortunately, at some point in the last fifteen years, I have reverted back to playing the shell game, trying to hide the person that I have become.
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed, 1 Peter 4:12-13.
At some point in life, whether you call it a mid-life crisis or the painful reality that you’re not the same person that you use to be, this fact is hard to swallow. Recently, I have tried to go back in time, to see where I went wrong. When you don’t have the energy, drive or passion anymore, its hard to make progress or fix the flaws that are obviously present in my life. What makes matters worse is seeing a shell of the person that you used to be and feel powerless to alter, change or repair the damage done. If you reach this stage in life like me, Jesus is the only one who can mend your pain. While restoration is a long process with bumps along the way, Jesus is like Med-Express, available at any time you need medical and spiritual attention. As this endless shell games presses on, reach out to Jesus, who will hold your hand through the storms of life. May this blog comfort your soul as you endure the good, the bad and the ugly in the shell game called life.
Abashment, distress, embarrassment, humiliation and mortification are words associated with shame. This painful feeling is caused by conviction, an internal alarm alerted by consciousness within minds. God designed human beings with a sense of right and wrong. The moment your actions cross this invisible line, spirits of guilt and shame inflict souls with a sense of wrong doing. While God extends his hand, offering grace and forgiveness to those who trespass against others, shame often blocks out the sun.
And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself,” Genesis 3:10.
Shame is a byproduct of sin. This overwhelming sense of remorse first struck Adam and Eve after breaking God’s only rule, to avoid eating fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. This initial compromising act opened the door for shame to haunt souls for the past 6000 years. One of the ways the Devil inflicts harm on earth is through preventing individuals from forgiving themselves. Playing flashbacks of previous errors in your thoughts, perfectionists struggle to let go of foolish mistakes. The more people think about themselves, the Devil uses shame to block out the son, the good news about Jesus Christ.
Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy, Isaiah 61:7.
An Old Testament prophet uses God’s promises to break through clouds of shame. Since this ancient book depicts an angry and jealous God, grasping the concept of grace, God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense, was difficult to comprehend. Nonetheless, Isaiah gave a glimpse of the New Testament, an introduction to the abundant life, John 10:10. Yet, for many believers, shame stands in the way of experiencing everlasting joy. Therefore, if you are having a tough time letting go of your past, invite the Holy Spirit to break up these clouds. If you do, the light of Christ will begin to shine through, dissipating any reminders of shame that remains.
The idiom “seeing is believing” was first recorded in 1639. This saying is based upon the words of Thomas, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. Based upon the passage below, Thomas doubted that Jesus could rise from the dead following his crucifixion. Thomas developed a mindset that only physical or concrete evidence could convince him otherwise. Unfortunately, this same thinking is prevalent today, keeping many in the dark, void of the faith necessary to believe in modern day miracles.
But Thomas, one of the twelve [disciples], who was called Didymus (the twin), was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples kept telling him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the marks of the nails, and put my finger into the nail prints, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe,” John 20:24-25.
Thomas wasn’t the only disciple to experience a crisis of faith. Apparently, several disciples did not believe the initial news that Jesus has risen from the dead. Yet, these same men witnessed Jesus walk on water, turn water into wine and raise his friend Lazarus from the grave, cancelling a funeral in progress. In addition, Peter, James and John watched Jesus transform into a heavenly figure, communicate with Elijah and Moses and cast demons out of formerly crazed individuals. When seeing is believing becomes your motto for life, faith is powerless, preventing believers from ever experiencing the abundant life Jesus promises in John 10:10.
Now Jesus, having risen [from death] early on the first day of the week, appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and reported it to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe it. 12 After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them as they were walking along the way to the country. 13 They returned [to Jerusalem] and told the others, but they did not believe them either, Mark 16:9-13.
Only three out of a thousand Americans make close to a million dollars per year. Those who don’t have the education, experience or knowledge to earn this annual salary may enter contests, gamble or pursue gameshows to attempt to strike it rich. For a few, this pursuit may become reality. Yet, many will remain in their current situation, struggling to pay all of their bills while trying to put enough food on the table. When Jesus was hungry, prayer and a few resources fed thousands of people. With these previous miracles in mind, perhaps its time to believe in God’s power now so that tomorrow will bring daily bread, manna from heaven and a storehouse of blessings.
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