Stained by Sin & Starbucks

Two weekends ago, some friends and I had the opportunity to serve at Crestview Baptist Church (in Midland) for a city-wide D-Now known as Impact Weekend. On the morning of the second day, my co-leader and I took our 7^th grade girls to Starbucks before our morning worship session. After we got our orders, I jokingly tweeted “7^th grade girls and coffee, what could go wrong?”   

Little did I know that they weren’t the ones I should be worried about. 

Before the session started, giant beach balls were being tossed amongst the audience. I was on my way to my seat at the end of a pew when out of nowhere came flying a giant, blue beach ball. Now, this doesn’t seem like such a big deal… except for the fact that it hit me right in the hand, causing my drink to sail out of my hand and spill all over the pew of the First Baptist Church, not to mention my tshirt, sweater, scarf, bible, and journal. I stood there, soaking wet and in shock for a few seconds before taking off my sweater and beginning to sop up the flood of coffee that was seeping into the seat. Without hesitation, my friends jumped up and began helping. They cleaned my phone and the pew as I went to the bathroom to relentlessly try to remove the stains from my shirt and wipe off my bible/journal.

 *the coffee stains on my journal. luckily, many people mistake these stains for a vintage page design* 

I’m telling this story for one reason: as I stood there during worship (after the chaos of my incident had died down), reeking of coffee and damp from my endeavors to remove the stain, I realized that the Lord had given me a choice during this whole situation. I could either let something as small as spilt coffee distract me from worshipping, or I could use it as an opportunity to glorify Him. I could let the devil feed me lies along the lines of, “Why are you worshipping? You’re wet, sticky, and you smell terrible”, or I could look at everything through the lens of the gospel.

You see, God doesn’t care what we look or smell like! All He wants is for us to worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Why? Because we were created by Him, we are loved by Him, we are sanctified through Him, and we belong to HIm. 

"But now thus says the Lord,

he who created you, O Jacob,

    he who formed you, O Israel:

'Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

    I have called you by name, YOU ARE MINE.'"

-Isaiah 43:1

Let's go a little deeper: just as you can come before the Lord covered in Caramel Macchiato, you can also come before the Lord covered in sin. You don't have to clean yourself up prior to coming before the throne. If God is willing to die for you while you were still a sinner, how much more willing will is He to talk to you and receive praise from you despite your trespasses! 

But, just as the Lord searches and knows your heart, so also does the devil. More than that, Satan uses what he finds to throw lie after lie at you, doing everything he can to distract you from worship. Satan's ultimate goal is to make you think your sins are too heavy for God to carry. 

Bask in these truths today: the same God that created the heavens and the Earth created you- and in his likeness! (Genesis 1:1 & 27) The same God that numbers the stars in the sky and calls them by name (Psalm 147:4) also numbers the hairs on your head (Luke 12:7). The same Hands that hold the world together (Colossians 1:17) also knit YOU together (Psalm 139:13). The same Arms that were extended on the cross are also extended towards you- no matter how far you think you've strayed (Joel 2:12 & 13). The same blood that flowed from Jesus at the cross is the blood by which you have been made righteous! (Ephesians 1:7) By His wounds you have been healed! (Isaiah 53:5)
There is nothing too hard for Him. (Jeremiah 32:27)

Paul tells of his time ministering to the people of Thessalonica in 1 Thessalonians 1:

"For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia." 

-1 Thessalonians 1:4-7

Now imagine if Paul had let something as irrelevant as spilled coffee inhibit his worship and spreading of the gospel. The people of Thessalonica, then, would have imitated him in that, becoming faulty and unfocused in their faith, rather than truly imitating the Lord. Paul lived a life glorifying to God, and others saw it! Despite his multiple imprisonments and sufferings, he made Christ look attractive to nonbelievers (Titus 2:10), ultimately leading them unto salvation. The choices you make not only affect how you worship the Lord but also how others perceive your Jesus. 

Here's a basic list of what I learned through a cup of spilt coffee:

1. Jesus takes us at our messiest. Jesus DIED for us at our messiest. Jesus saves us from our messiest. Come to him stained and reeking of sin. 

2. Jesus takes our chaos and turns it into means by which we can glorify Him. 

3. Just as I leaned on my friends to help clean up my spill, lean on your community to help drag you to the feet of Jesus- even in the stickiest of situations. 

4. Life is going to continually swamp us with distractions- it's inevitable. Our job is to continually praise God, no matter the circumstance. He is the only one worthy of our praise! 

5. Others are watching. Don't limit your light merely to situations in which you feel comfortable. Shine despite the circumstances. 

"So, now that we have been made righteous by his blood, we can be even more certain that we will be saved from God's wrath through him. If we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son while we were still enemies, now that we have been reconciled, how much more certain is it that we will be saved by his life!" 

-Romans 5:9 & 10

Jesus is Sweeter. 

The Christmas Christian

We’ve all heard the saying: Jesus is the reason for the season; it’s a caption on your Christmas cards, a sign in your house, or maybe even written out with lights on the side of your fence.

In the midst of the holiday season, it is easy to get wrapped up (no pun intended) in the presents, the story of Santa Claus, and the avalanche of Christmas songs, making us prone to forgetting why we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

“Jesus is the reason for the season” briefly brings us back to the meaning of the 25^th of December. However, though unintentional I’m sure, I can’t help but think that the catchy phrase puts Jesus in a box, a gift-wrapped, Christmas-lit box. Yes, Jesus IS the reason for the season, but He is so much more than that. Jesus is the reason for life, for everything!

Ecclesiastes 3 talks about how for everything there is a season, but there should never be just a season to celebrate Christ. So, in order to prevent the “Christmas Christian”, I’ve put together a list of qualities Christians exhibit exclusively during the holiday season and a few verses on what the bible says about each of those qualities.

Characteristics of a Christian during the Christmas season:

Thankful

When we are surrounded by loved ones and showered with gifts, it is easy to portray an attitude of thankfulness. In addition, at no other time of year are we being constantly reminded of how fortunate we are and how much we have to be thankful for. While the world tells us that it is sufficient to only be thankful during the Christmas season, the bible tells us that we need to be thankful at all times and in all circumstances.

“You have turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.” –Psalm 30:11 & 12

“Be joyful always, pray continuously, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Joyful

The word Christmas is basically synonymous with joy. From jolly old St. Nick to Joy to the World, the Christmas season is just ringing with bells of bliss! The Bible, however, tells us that we should be joyful always because our joy is found in Christ- not just during the Christmas season, but in all seasons of life! In fact, we are also called to be joyful during times of struggle and suffering.

“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

“Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory” -1 Peter 4:13

Hopeful

Whether it’s hoping for a cool gift or just hoping to get through a week with the in-laws, the Christmas season is full of hope. The biggest hope of all, of course, is that which is found in Christ. Bask in that hope each day. Don't let your hope depend on the presence of a Christmas tree. Let your hope depend on an unchanging God. 

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” –Romans 15:13

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." –John 16:33

Generous

We’ve all heard stories of generosity during the holidays: a stranger paying for coffee or groceries, countless toy drives and Salvation Army donations. But why do we only feel generous during the holiday season? How can it be so easy to donate our toys, time, and money for the sake of a reindeer-delivered Christmas present, yet we have such a hard time doing the same thing for the sake of Christ’s name throughout the rest of the year? Look at Jesus. He gave us everything! He humbled himself to death on a cross (Philippians 2:8) and gave his body (Luke 22:19) so that our sins may be wiped away (Isaiah 43:25). As Christians, we are called to portray this same generous spirit beyond the walls of Christmas.

“Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” –Luke 21:1-4

"One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed." -Proverbs 11:24 & 25

Our generosity should not stop with material items. Christ also calls us to lay down our lives in His name. 

“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

 –Matthew 16:25

Nostalgic

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, The Christmas Christian always seems to be nostalgic, not only when it comes to family but also when it comes to Christ. The Christmas holiday is centered around the birth of Jesus, so naturally we become nostalgic about Jesus’ humble beginnings. Yet it shouldn’t take a holiday in order to remember the birth of our savior!

This is the gospel, people!
Christmas is not just about a baby lying in a manger. Christmas is about God putting on flesh, humbling himself to that of a man, and providing us with means of redemption! Not just redemption for a year or until our next sin, but eternal redemption through an eternal sacrifice!

Since when did we start taking the gospel lightly? It’s not a way of life. It’s a way of eternity.

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." –Matthew 1:21

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you..” -1 Peter 1:3 & 4

My biggest prayer this season is that we would remember the meaning of Christmas and that we would carry on this celebration of Christ and the qualities of the Christmas Christian throughout the rest of the year.

Don’t let your Jesus be confined by the walls of the holiday season.

“It will be said on that day, ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’” –Isaiah 25:9

 

Jesus is Sweeter.

Greater Is He: How Jesus Would Handle Finals

In the midst of finals, it is completely “normal” aka socially acceptable to be worried, stressed, and best of all, complaining. In fact, we complain about being stressed to such a degree that it actually adds to our stress level.

As Christians, we are called to live as Jesus did. Now, we all know that this is not possible because of our sinful nature, yet the impossibility of the task is no reason not to strive for it altogether.

So, if we genuinely want to live as Christ did, let’s take a look at how Jesus would handle finals.
(silly concept to think about, I know)

Recently, I posted on Facebook about Jesus and his words, or lack thereof. Over the span of Jesus’ life, He was recorded as speaking an astonishing 2,000-some-odd words.  Meaning that a vast majority of the Christian doctrine, aka the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, was founded largely upon Jesus’ actions.

The time span from which Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane until Calvary was about an 18 hour span.

Those 18 hours of Jesus’ life encompassed some of his most imperative moments and teaching opportunities. In that 18 hour span when the people were “deciding” (I put this in quotations because Christ’s death was ultimately a part of the Lord’s plan) Jesus’ fate, He spoke right around 500 words. 500 words that would take less than 5 minutes to say. In that 18 hour span when Jesus was staring death in the face, a lamb being led to the slaughter, He spoke less than 5 minutes.

Jesus had multiple opportunities to provide excuses to the council, to plead for his life, to condemn those who were condemning him. Yet, Jesus spoke less than 5 minutes, none of which encompassed excuses, pleading, or condemnation.

1 Peter 2:1-25 are the verses that my RSC pledge class recently memorized, and it has completely opened my eyes to a lot of things. This is one of them.

“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate. When he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly”. -1 Peter 2:22 & 23

If you ask me how Jesus would have handled finals, I can tell you right now that he would not be stressing and complaining. Instead, he would approach his burden with confidence, cast his worries upon the Lord, and ultimately entrust himself to God. (no, this is not an excuse for you to fail all of your finals).

Steps to approaching finals in a Christ-like way:
1.     BE STILL.

When I think of the concept of being still before the Lord, I am reminded of Moses and the Israelites fleeing from the Egyptians. After an extended period of oppression from the Egyptians, the Lord used Moses to lead the Israelites out of bondage. Later on, Pharaoh decides to pursue the Israelites due to the hardening of his heart.

“As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord.”…. “Moses answered the people ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you only need to be still.’” Exodous 14:10-14

With finals approaching and your professors beginning to remind you more and more of Pharaoh, be still before the Lord. The same God that delivered the Israelites from a vast army of Egyptians can deliver you from a few, simple tests.

2.     YES, STUDY!!

Just because you know that the Lord has a plan for your life and that he is on your side and all those other clichés does NOT give you an excuse to avoid studying. Do not expect to watch Netflix for an entire week, pray for guidance during the test, and get an A. I’m not putting limitations on the Lord here, but that mindset just isn’t parallel with scripture.

Colossians 3:23 says “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

As a Christian, and I do not use this term loosely, everything you do either glorifies God or glorifies the world. The Lord has provided you a school to attend and has specifically set you in those classes for a reason. Be a good steward of that and glorify him with your work ethic.

“The sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied” – Proverbs 13:4

Lastly, keep in mind that just as the Lord used Pharaoh and his army for His glory (Exodus 14:4), He can also use your attitude towards finals for His glory.

3.     STOP COMPLAINING

We all get it, you’re stressed, you’re ready to go home, and you’re tired of the 15 degree weather. Nevertheless, stop complaining. If all you talk about is how worried you are for your finals, you might need to reevaluate your trust in God.

Philippians 4:6 says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Did you catch that? Present your requents to GOD. Not to your friends, your family, or anybody else who will listen. Call upon the name of the Lord. Cry out to God just as the Israelites did. He is El Shaddai: The All-Sufficient One.

4.     YOUR GRADES DO NOT DEFINE YOU

This is one of the hardest concepts for me to grasp. Largely in part to my sinful pride taking precedence when it comes to my grades. As great as it is to glorify God with your grades, your grades do not define you. The Lord, in his sovereignty and grace, has provided each of us with different gift and skill sets (1 Corinthians 12). Overall, those gifts and skill sets are meant for us to use to further the kingdom, yet as a sinful society, we have turned those gifts and skill sets into means by which we glorify ourselves. Jesus himself, the only man to have ever lived a perfect life, testified that, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing…” John 8:54

Eventually, everything of this world is going to pass away- your grades included. Even our lives here on Earth are but a breath, a mist.

At the end of the day, despite what the red-penned grade on the top of your test may tell you, you are still a child of God, you are still His precious stone, you are still worthy.

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory”

–Ephesians 1:13 & 14

Jesus is sweeter.