Cast Your Cares Upon the Lord

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 

- 1 Peter 5:6-7

Control is deceptive and powerful, like a chameleon it is always changing what it looks like to blend in.  Our fleshly desire to control fights against us casting our cares upon the Lord.  We often times are taken to a point where we realize we no longer have control and our only option is to cast our cares upon the Lord.  Often times God humbles us instead of us being obedient to 1 Peter 5:6 and humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God.

We do this because we don’t believe two important truths 1 Peter tells us.  First of all we need to believe that God cares.  Our God is covenantal, which means He is committed to us and doesn’t change (Malachi 3:6).  The lie we fall into is believing God is out to get us.  That he doesn’t really care.  Depending on if God handles the situations in life how we want, we determine whether God cares or not.  Look what we just did, control snuck in there again and had us thinking we control God and us defining what it means to care.

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” - Romans 8:32

God cared and continues to care.  He will always care about His children.  When we look at the cross how can we not know that God cares and is waiting for us to cast our cares upon Him.

Secondly, we must believe that God will lift us up.  No matter what storm comes your way, no matter how deep your pain, God is ready and able to lift you up when you humble yourself under His might hand.

Have you been walking with your head down, looking at your feet?  Have your eyes been looking at your past?  Jesus comes along and lifts our heads up so we are looking at Him.  When we look upon Jesus all the storms, all the pain, and all the worries disappear in the light of His glory.

Are you looking to the future?  A future redemption is coming.  We will be lifted up into eternal glory with Jesus Christ.  All the cares and worries of this world will be gone and we will be in the presence of our Lord.  So cast your cares upon the Lord and ask Him to lift our eyes to Him.

Life, Death, & Eternity

This past week my friend and co-pastor lost his only son in a motorcycle accident.  His son was 29 years old, six months younger than me.  As I flew to Alaska to spend time with the family and attend the funeral I had a lot of time to process and think about life, death, & eternity.

Life is a gift

"He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities."

- Psalm 103:10

Has anyone ever asked you, "How are you doing?"  I want my response to be, "better than I deserve."  What a perspective change, isn't it?  Our culture tells us all the time how much we deserve.  Nothing is a gift anymore because we justify in our heads why we deserve it.  Have you ever thought about the fact that the reason you are still breathing is because God allows you to.  Each day we are given here on this earth is truly a gift from God no matter how good or bad that day is.  God blessed Ryan Beachy with 29 years on this earth before he was called home.

Death is a transition

"For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep..." - Acts 13:36a

God created each of us for a purpose.  Our life should be us living out that purpose for the glory of God.  When God says we are done, we are done.  After that comes the transition.  Most transitions and changes in life are met with challenges and difficulties.  Whether it's a new addition to a family, a loss of someone, or an organizational or church change.  We must continue on serving the purpose of the Lord in our generation that God has placed us in.  Ryan did just that with a humble spirit and now the friends, family, and community must continue on keeping their eyes firming fixed on Jesus.

Eternity is unfathomable

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." - Romans 8:18

The more I read Scripture the more I start to realize I have no idea how glorious eternity will be.  It is unfathomable.  I can read passages like Revelation 21 and be brought to tears but that still is only a glimpse of what is to come.  The sufferings in this life aren't even worth comparing to the glory that is coming for those who know and follow Jesus.  What an amazing truth to understand and know.  Ryan now understands the fullness of that truth.  He is enjoying an eternity that is unfathomable to us.

Mt. Everest

As you read through the book of Psalms you come to the Mt. Everest of the book at chapter 119.  This chapter is an acrostic poem composed of 22 sections, each containing 8 lines.  Each sentence in each section starts with the same Hebrew letter.  There are 22 Hebrew letters, one for each section, starting from the beginning and going in order.

The most obvious observation for me after reading this Psalm was how much the Word of God dominated the life of the Psalmist.  From before sunrise to after sunset his thoughts, prayers, and perspective were constantly on God's truth.  I encourage you today to pick up your Bible and read Psalm 119.  Allow the Word to speak to you and focus in on a few verses that really connect with you and commit them to memory.

Living Our Priorities

"...God gives me enough time to do what God wants me to do.  God never calls us to do something and fails to give us enough time to do it." - John Ortberg

Are you living your priorities or are you just trying to do guilt management?  Many of us are missing out on the life God is calling us to live because we are just too busy.  It is often said, "If the devil can't make you bad, he will make you busy."

We can find ourselves in guilt management when we pray, read our Bible, or go to church just enough to appease our conscious.  When we live like this growth rarely happens, our faith is dull, and our lives are weak.  The early church did not reproduce like we see in Acts because they figured out how to reduce worship, prayer, serving, and community into tiny, small commitments that fit in around life as usual.  These were their priorities.  They were of first importance and the world was changed because of it.

When we look at our calendar we see a lot of squares.  The question we must ask ourselves is, "How will I fill these squares?"  One day will be your final square, will you have lived your priorities?

It All Goes Back In The Box

I enjoy playing board games.  One of my favorites is Ticket To Ride.  Each time we set up the board my goal is to plan my routes strategically so I will accumulate the most points at the end of the game.  As I observe life, I notice we live it very similar to how we would play a board game.  John Ortberg explains it this way,

"It's not bad to play the game.  It's not bad to be really good at it.  It's not bad to be Master of the Board.  My grandmother taught me to play to win.  But there are always more rungs to climb, more money to be made, more deals to pull off.  And the danger is that we forget to ask what really matters.  We race around the board with shallow relationships, frenzied schedules, preoccupied souls.  Being smart or strong does not protect you from this fate.  In some ways, it makes the game more dangerous, for the temporary rewards you get from playing can lull you into pretending that the game will never end."

There is a connection between our emotional scoring system and our behavior.  We tend to compare, compete, or climb.  The danger is that we will spend our lives comparing to others, competing against others, or climbing over others.  None of these emulate the call of a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Actually, Jesus came down, humbling himself by taking on humanity and becoming a servant.

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." - Philippians 2:5-8

When the game is over it all goes back in the box.  Life one day will be over and all you have accomplished, worked for, built, etc. will go back in the box.  The challenge for us is will we arrange our lives around what matters most.

Thoughts on Boston

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

- 2 Corinthians 4:4

As I reflect on what happened in Boston yesterday I see something more dangerous than a terror attack, I see the deceitfulness of sin.  You see, the terror attack is an obvious manifestation of a sinful, corrupt, depraved generation that is devoid of God.  We have seen this first hand in America over and over again in the forms of shootings, bombings, and attacks.  While Satan has us looking at the tragedy that is on the news we miss the real tragedy.

This is what I like to call the cycle of deceit.  Follow me for a second; a bomb explodes and people die, then the nation unites, seeks justice, and starts to reflect on life which raises spiritual questions.  After the initial sting of the event and maybe a visit or two to church it slowly becomes a faint memory.  Most people continue on in their lives blinded, unable to see the light of the gospel and glory of Christ.

We need to pray for Boston, but most importantly we need to pray the the eyes of people's hearts will be enlightened to the gospel and glory of Christ.  Pray the scales will fall from their eyes and the deceitfulness of sin will no longer rule their lives, that the Spirit of God would fall on them to see the glory and majesty of Jesus.

Many people want answers, many people want hope.  We as followers of Jesus Christ have been given the privilege and responsibility to be the hope givers.  May we rejoice that our hope is built in nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.

Overwhelmed

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30

Do you ever feel overwhelmed?  I have a tendency to stay under control and not get too high or too low.  At times though, I can find myself carrying a heavy weight, a weight of unmet expectations, failures, and trying my hardest and not being good enough.  The burdens of life can very quickly press hard on us and begin to crush us.

The problem is that I begin to carry the weight and don't seek rest in the Lord.  When I labor and am heavy laden I must remember to find rest for my soul in Christ Jesus.  As hard as we try to succeed, as much as we try to please people and meet their expectations, we will always come up short.  We must remember to come to Jesus, to learn from Him and experience the rest that only He can give.

Eye Contact

"Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed." - Psalm 34:5

Eye contact is one of the most telling forms of non-verbal communication.  We communicate in non-verbal ways all the time throughout our day.  Positively or negatively our body language communicates a lot to people.  Sometimes we don't even notice how much it effects those around us.

Have you ever thought about your non-verbal communication with God?  What posture do you approach prayer, worship, & devotional time with?  Are you making eye contact with God and allowing Him to make eye contact with you?

The outward evidence is on the faces of those making eye contact with God.  They are radiant, they are in awe of the glory and majesty of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Our sinful flesh keeps deep hurts, pains, and lies trapped in our soul.  When we just stop and make eye contact with our God our soul is detoxed.  We understand that God sees into the depths of who we are; our fears, our worries, our pain, and the longings of our heart.

In relationships you know the fellowship between two people is good when they can look each other in the eye.  Many times our sin makes us look at the ground because of the feelings of shame and guilt.  Know the steadfast mercy and love of God, receive the forgiveness found at the cross of Christ and in turn look to Him and you will become radiant!

#uncomfortable

This past Saturday we had our men's discipleship conference.  I was blessed by the men who came out and their desire to follow Jesus.  Here are some of the notes from the conference...

Desire without discipline always leaves you wanting.
- Is your desire to follow Jesus greater than your desire for comfort?

Excuses are rooted in our desire to be comfortable.
- What excuses do you find yourself making that are rooted in the desire to be comfortable?

We must be intentional in our conversation if we want to be purposeful in our relationships.
- What relationships do you need to be more intentional in?

We make time for what we value most?
- How much do you value time with Jesus?

All Day, Everyday

"Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death.  Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live." - Mark 5:22-23

Implore: to beg, call, or pray earnestly or desperately

Comfort and ease often crowd out our understanding of the need for Christ.  We need to understand that our need for Jesus in our lives in all day, everyday!  Often times we don't think God cares about us so we don't implore Him, we don't talk with Him, and we don't walk with Him.  We don't believe that God can do something because in our minds we limit His power because of our lack of faith.

"When I look at your heavens, the word of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?"

- Psalm 8:3-4

We need God all day, everyday!  May we walk and talk with Him and let Him know how much we need Him.

You Shall...

"And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." - Deuteronomy 6:6-9

The word shall simply means a command.  God commands us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and might.  We are also commanded to keep God's words on our heart, to teach them to our children, to constantly talk about them, and to always keep them in our sight.

God gives a great recipe for how to love him.  When his word is on our heart our emotions are engaged.  We ponder the truths of Scripture and allow them to fight against the lies that have a domino effect on our emotions.  Greater responsibility comes when you have someone that is watching you.  When you are raising children or discipling people there is a responsibility to teach God's word.  Children and people watch your life closely and we need to be examples.  Finally we need to keep God's word constantly in our minds.  We need to see it, read it, and always be thinking about it.

Drifting

"In the Christian life, if you do not go forward, you go backward; there is no permanent standing still." - Warren Wiersbe

There is a deceptive drift that we as followers of Jesus Christ can fall victim to.  It starts with neglect, we stop spending time reading and meditating on the Scriptures.  Next comes entertaining lies which incites doubt in your life.  You begin to question God's character and your heart starts to harden. Bitterness, distrust, envy, and ungodly attributes start to take over your life.  The drifting continues as your life becomes sluggish, God's word tastes stale and feels dull.  Church or church people become hypocrites and you want nothing to do with them.  You start to isolate and become hard hearted to the things of God and the people of God.  In the end you become hardened by sin stop listening to God.

"But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." - Hebrews 3:13

It is important for us to examine our lives and examine our hearts.  We must help each other stay focused on loving God and one another while understanding His grace to radically change those of us who have hardened our hearts.

Are you asking God for a spirit of humility to show you how you have drifted?  Let us exhort and encourage one another EVERY day to not be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Metamorphosis

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind..."

- Romans 12:2a

To be conformed means to assume an outward expression that does not reflect what is really inside.  You could relate this word to a masquerade or a costume party.  Paul is urging his readers, who were already becoming conformed, to stop immediately.

To be transformed means to outwardly manifest our inner, redeemed natures, not only once but daily.  When a caterpillar is transformed into a butterfly it doesn't look like a caterpillar anymore.  It has been totally transformed.

By the mercies of God we have hope and redemption in Jesus Christ.  True salvation is an internal change that manifests itself through how we live our lives.  As Galatians 5 states, our life should be controlled by the Spirit and producing the fruit of the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit must change out thinking through the consistent study and meditation of Scripture.  The renewed mind is saturated with and controlled by the word of God.

Is life a costume party for you?  Is your outward appearance reflecting your inward change?  Are you being transformed by the renewal of your mind?  I encourage you to commit to the consistent study and mediation of Scripture and you will see transformation!

The Fruit of Joy

This Sunday we begin our evening service at Countryside Chapel.  We will be walking through the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5 and the armor from Ephesians 6.  Here are a few thoughts on joy, which I will be speaking about this Sunday.

“Though you have not seen him, you love him.  Though you do not now see him, you believe and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,” - 1 Peter 1:8

Joy is not reserved only for the future
Often times we are seeking that "thing" which will help us have joy.  We live life using phrases like, "if only" or "when this, then..."  Joy is only in our future which is always just out of reach.  If we are not living with joy, remembering and rejoicing constantly in Jesus Christ we are lacking belief.  When we love God, when we truly believe and know the love of God in Christ Jesus the only response is inexpressible joy.

“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” - John 15:11

Joy comes in obedience
God is the potter and we are the clay.  We are the created and He is the Creator.  He has laid out His Word and instructed us how to follow.  When we are obedient our joy is full because we are doing what we were created for.  Lack of joy should be a red flag for us to take a look at our life and hold it to the mirror of Scripture.  Obedience to God leads to His fullness of joy which can't be found any other place.

Joy is an incredible gift of God.  Joy allows you to smile when your whole world is falling apart.  Joy is centered in the truth of the eternal God's love for us and trusting in Him to work everything out for our good and His glory.  My prayer is that your joy may be full!