The other day I was driving somewhere and I happened to be listening to a sports station. Generally, I listen to Christian music in the car, but I decided to listen to a segment of sports talk. During a commercial break, this particular station promoted the fact that the listener could also hear this sports station online. What struck me as baffling is the reason that they cited for the listener to keep up with the station online. It wasn’t to remain informed on the state of the local teams. No, they claimed that one should listen to their station, “so you won’t miss a life-changing moment.”
I sat there in stunned disbelief. Did they seriously just claim that their station, or sports as a whole, is “life-changing”? I think this is a good reminder for us as the NFL’s regular season is about to commence: sports are anything but life- changing. Yes, I would certainly grant you that sports can be life-changing for the individuals actually playing the sport, but I’m talking about the spectator here, not the athlete. For the fan, any sport (be it football, baseball, etc.) is just inconsequential entertainment.
Let me be clear so I’m not misunderstood: you are not hearing me say that it is wrong to watch sports. There is nothing morally unsuitable about spending a Sunday afternoon watching your favorite football team play a game. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing how all the teams in the NFL will do this year, not just the Denver Broncos. I’m a fan of the entire league, and I have been since I was a very little boy. I’m simply saying that when you get right down to it, a football game is not a life-changing event. Sports are wonderful. Sports are exciting. Sports are unpredictable and enthralling. But sports are not life-changing.
Kevin
Monday, August 26, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Habakkuk's amazing declaration
Habakkuk 3:17-18 reads, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
This is such a fantastic statement. I paraphrase this passage as follows: “Even if there’s no money in the bank, even if friends choose to abandon me, even if health fails and intense trials overtake me, even if everything in my world is falling apart, I still trust in the Lord and His will."
I just recently completed a homework assignment where I gave an outline for the entire book of Habakkuk. This book is relevant for our lives today. I’m not going to take the time to rehash everything I wrote in my assignment here, but I had to relay Habakkuk’s beautiful statement of faith and trust in God.
I have a T-shirt that has a cross in the middle of it, and the inscription “In God I trust.” Along with that, there’s a citation of Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” Recently, I’ve been going through several trials in my life. I don’t see the point in sharing all the details, but I’ve had to draw on Habakkuk’s words of faith and echo them back to God for myself. I’ve had to quote Proverbs 3:5 to myself, and I’ve said to God countless times, “Come what may, Lord God, I trust You.”
Why am I telling you this? Am I proclaiming how great I am? No, a thousand times no! Please get this: I am not great; the God that I worship is great. Furthermore, this God is worthy of our trust. We may not understand why God is doing what He is doing (incidentally, that’s where Habakkuk found himself for most of his book), but His will and His plan is always superior to ours. If I didn’t believe this, the direction of my life would look very different. But I do believe, with every fiber of my being, that God’s plan is better than my plan.
Kevin
This is such a fantastic statement. I paraphrase this passage as follows: “Even if there’s no money in the bank, even if friends choose to abandon me, even if health fails and intense trials overtake me, even if everything in my world is falling apart, I still trust in the Lord and His will."
I just recently completed a homework assignment where I gave an outline for the entire book of Habakkuk. This book is relevant for our lives today. I’m not going to take the time to rehash everything I wrote in my assignment here, but I had to relay Habakkuk’s beautiful statement of faith and trust in God.
I have a T-shirt that has a cross in the middle of it, and the inscription “In God I trust.” Along with that, there’s a citation of Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” Recently, I’ve been going through several trials in my life. I don’t see the point in sharing all the details, but I’ve had to draw on Habakkuk’s words of faith and echo them back to God for myself. I’ve had to quote Proverbs 3:5 to myself, and I’ve said to God countless times, “Come what may, Lord God, I trust You.”
Why am I telling you this? Am I proclaiming how great I am? No, a thousand times no! Please get this: I am not great; the God that I worship is great. Furthermore, this God is worthy of our trust. We may not understand why God is doing what He is doing (incidentally, that’s where Habakkuk found himself for most of his book), but His will and His plan is always superior to ours. If I didn’t believe this, the direction of my life would look very different. But I do believe, with every fiber of my being, that God’s plan is better than my plan.
Kevin
Monday, August 19, 2013
My life is not my own
I think I’ve previously told you that I wear a gold ring on the third finger of my right hand that says “true love waits” on it. It’s an outward symbol of my inner conviction to remain sexually pure until married life. Incidentally, sexual abstinence isn’t my main point today, but I do want to say that this subject matter is something that the culture finds archaic, outdated, and inhumane. But that doesn’t matter; sexual purity until marriage (and sexual fidelity within marriage) is something the Bible teaches. Therefore, it is something that the Christian should live out, by God’s grace and power, even if it is laughed at and mocked today. Once again, that’s a subject for another day.
I love the animated movie “Green Lantern: Emerald Knights” for many reasons, but high on the list is that it has a line in it that I just love. A seasoned Green Lantern is mentoring a new recruit. In the fictitious world where they reside, there are thousands of Green Lanterns that patrol all the sectors of the galaxy. In one scene of the film, this new wise Green Lantern says to the trainee, “Once you put on the ring [that is to say, when you become a Green Lantern] the life you live stops being your own.”
Ever since I first saw this movie all those months ago, I have often looked at the purity ring that I mentioned that I wear, and I will hear that Green Lantern’s words in my head: “Once you put on the ring, the life you live stops being your own.” This line is applicable to everyone who is a Christian. I suppose I could paraphrase that Green Lantern’s words in this way: “Whenever anyone puts their faith and trust in Jesus for salvation, the life they live stops being their own.”
Why do I say this? Well, the Bible says, “You are not your own; you were bought with a price, therefore glorify God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; NIV). Romans 12:1 puts it this way: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.”
To be clear: this is about more than just being sexually pure. That’s certainly one practical application, but it encompasses more than just that one subject. It means choosing to live for God, not ourselves. It means living a life dedicated to honoring and glorifying God. 2 Corinthians 5:15 reads: “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” In his book “The Way I Was Made” Chris Tomlin writes, "We were created to shine the spotlight on God."
It is the goal of my life to live in this way. I want to “shine the spotlight on God.” I want to honor and glorify God, not myself. I want to live for God’s pleasure and delight. This certainly doesn’t mean that I’m perfect and sinless, because I am not. I make sinful mistakes like everyone else, but it’s still my heart’s desire to live for God. And I want to encourage you to do the same, because you’ll never regret it.
Kevin
I love the animated movie “Green Lantern: Emerald Knights” for many reasons, but high on the list is that it has a line in it that I just love. A seasoned Green Lantern is mentoring a new recruit. In the fictitious world where they reside, there are thousands of Green Lanterns that patrol all the sectors of the galaxy. In one scene of the film, this new wise Green Lantern says to the trainee, “Once you put on the ring [that is to say, when you become a Green Lantern] the life you live stops being your own.”
Ever since I first saw this movie all those months ago, I have often looked at the purity ring that I mentioned that I wear, and I will hear that Green Lantern’s words in my head: “Once you put on the ring, the life you live stops being your own.” This line is applicable to everyone who is a Christian. I suppose I could paraphrase that Green Lantern’s words in this way: “Whenever anyone puts their faith and trust in Jesus for salvation, the life they live stops being their own.”
Why do I say this? Well, the Bible says, “You are not your own; you were bought with a price, therefore glorify God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; NIV). Romans 12:1 puts it this way: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.”
To be clear: this is about more than just being sexually pure. That’s certainly one practical application, but it encompasses more than just that one subject. It means choosing to live for God, not ourselves. It means living a life dedicated to honoring and glorifying God. 2 Corinthians 5:15 reads: “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” In his book “The Way I Was Made” Chris Tomlin writes, "We were created to shine the spotlight on God."
It is the goal of my life to live in this way. I want to “shine the spotlight on God.” I want to honor and glorify God, not myself. I want to live for God’s pleasure and delight. This certainly doesn’t mean that I’m perfect and sinless, because I am not. I make sinful mistakes like everyone else, but it’s still my heart’s desire to live for God. And I want to encourage you to do the same, because you’ll never regret it.
Kevin
Monday, August 12, 2013
"Ancient words ever true"
In my spare time, I’ve been watching you tube videos of someone playing the video game “Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.” I haven’t seen the entirety of the game yet, but at least so far anyway, I submit that it’s one of the better installments in the Zelda series. In the game, Link (the hero of the story), Zelda (the heroine and longtime friend of Link), and many others live on an island suspended midair above the clouds called Skyloft. They’ve all grown up on this island. In Skyloft, the notion of a world below the clouds is relegated to legends and fables.
However, Zelda soon discovers that a world really does exist under the clouds when she is swept into this world because of a tornado. Link resolves to find her. With the help of a mysterious new friend and travelling companion known as Fi, Link is able to travel through a rift in the clouds to get to the land below. I thought this was an interesting premise to a video game.
I was fascinated by a particular scene: the first time Link descends to the surface, he is soon met by a character named Gorko. He regales Link with how he has read “ancient texts” about people who “actually live on this sky island…the residents…live in a perfect society, totally free of conflict or unhappiness! Not only that, but…their civilization is way, way more advanced than ours down here.” He goes on to mention that the island is “filled with wonders we do not have here. Their buildings are made of gold.” He then speaks of a stream of water in Skyloft that makes you live forever, and trees that have fruit that cures you from all diseases.
What he is describing sounds fantastic. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is, Gorko is completely wrong about Skyloft. It is not a utopia. There isn’t an absence of conflict or unhappiness; the buildings aren’t made of gold; there isn’t water that makes you live forever, and so on. It’s not that Skyloft is an unpleasant place to live by any means, it’s just not a utopian sort of place. Link grew up there. He could have said, “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but what you are describing just isn’t accurate.” But he chose not to burst his bubble.
As I contemplated this scene, it occurred to me that one could say that Gorko was reading the wrong “ancient text.” His text was erroneous; conversely, the Bible is filled with “ancient words ever true” (as the song “Ancient Words” puts it). It speaks of the wonders of a utopia which is awaiting those of us who have a right relationship with God, through Jesus Christ.
Revelation 21 tells us that there will come a day when “the dwelling of God [will be] with men, and he will live with them…He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4). This is a promise from the Word of God. Someone might claim that this sounds too good to be true. I love this quote from Dwight L. Moody; he said, “God never made a promise that was too good to be true.”
Kevin
However, Zelda soon discovers that a world really does exist under the clouds when she is swept into this world because of a tornado. Link resolves to find her. With the help of a mysterious new friend and travelling companion known as Fi, Link is able to travel through a rift in the clouds to get to the land below. I thought this was an interesting premise to a video game.
I was fascinated by a particular scene: the first time Link descends to the surface, he is soon met by a character named Gorko. He regales Link with how he has read “ancient texts” about people who “actually live on this sky island…the residents…live in a perfect society, totally free of conflict or unhappiness! Not only that, but…their civilization is way, way more advanced than ours down here.” He goes on to mention that the island is “filled with wonders we do not have here. Their buildings are made of gold.” He then speaks of a stream of water in Skyloft that makes you live forever, and trees that have fruit that cures you from all diseases.
What he is describing sounds fantastic. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is, Gorko is completely wrong about Skyloft. It is not a utopia. There isn’t an absence of conflict or unhappiness; the buildings aren’t made of gold; there isn’t water that makes you live forever, and so on. It’s not that Skyloft is an unpleasant place to live by any means, it’s just not a utopian sort of place. Link grew up there. He could have said, “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but what you are describing just isn’t accurate.” But he chose not to burst his bubble.
As I contemplated this scene, it occurred to me that one could say that Gorko was reading the wrong “ancient text.” His text was erroneous; conversely, the Bible is filled with “ancient words ever true” (as the song “Ancient Words” puts it). It speaks of the wonders of a utopia which is awaiting those of us who have a right relationship with God, through Jesus Christ.
Revelation 21 tells us that there will come a day when “the dwelling of God [will be] with men, and he will live with them…He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4). This is a promise from the Word of God. Someone might claim that this sounds too good to be true. I love this quote from Dwight L. Moody; he said, “God never made a promise that was too good to be true.”
Kevin
Saturday, August 10, 2013
A good lesson for us all
On August 5th, Sesame Street uploaded a you tube video of Cookie Monster that I wanted to briefly talk about today.
Believe it or not, Cookie Monster comes upon a plate of hot, fresh, cookies. Rather than devour them immediately, as would be expected, he starts singing about how he wants to eat the cookies, but “self-control is something me must do” and he resolves to declare over and over in a catchy song: “Me want it, but me wait.”
I was very impressed with Sesame Street’s moral, wholesome (and Biblical) message to choose to wait and exercise self-control rather than indulge in immediate gratification. I applaud them for teaching children this very important lesson.
You know as well as I do, however, that it’s easy to say “I’m going to wait” but it’s another thing entirely to practice it and live it out on a daily basis. Especially if the thing that you have been waiting for turns from hours, to days, days turn to years, and in some cases, years perhaps even turns to decades. In short, it’s not easy to wait. But I’ve always been encouraged by Isaiah 64:4: “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him” (NIV, italics mine for emphasis).
If you are interested, that Cookie Monster song I’ve mentioned today can be found at you tube.com, just type in “Me Want It (But Me Wait).” It’s a good song. Every time I hear it, the song sticks in my head. And considering the great message associated with it, I’d say that’s a good thing.
Kevin
Believe it or not, Cookie Monster comes upon a plate of hot, fresh, cookies. Rather than devour them immediately, as would be expected, he starts singing about how he wants to eat the cookies, but “self-control is something me must do” and he resolves to declare over and over in a catchy song: “Me want it, but me wait.”
I was very impressed with Sesame Street’s moral, wholesome (and Biblical) message to choose to wait and exercise self-control rather than indulge in immediate gratification. I applaud them for teaching children this very important lesson.
You know as well as I do, however, that it’s easy to say “I’m going to wait” but it’s another thing entirely to practice it and live it out on a daily basis. Especially if the thing that you have been waiting for turns from hours, to days, days turn to years, and in some cases, years perhaps even turns to decades. In short, it’s not easy to wait. But I’ve always been encouraged by Isaiah 64:4: “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him” (NIV, italics mine for emphasis).
If you are interested, that Cookie Monster song I’ve mentioned today can be found at you tube.com, just type in “Me Want It (But Me Wait).” It’s a good song. Every time I hear it, the song sticks in my head. And considering the great message associated with it, I’d say that’s a good thing.
Kevin
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