The Consuming Fire

I am in awe of what is going on in California. I heard today that there has been 700 homes lost to the wildfires; 800 buildings lost so far. That blows my mind. As I heard the reports on the radio my heart sank. I feel helpless here in Arkansas and I can't imagine how the victims feel.

Then, two thoughts struck me. First, what an incredible act of God it would be if He just dumped a whole bunch of rain on Southern California; a place that rarely sees rain and needs it now more than ever. God could do that! So, I began praying in my car that He would just open up the sky and dump unforeseen rain on those fires. I am positive that I am not the only one praying that prayer either. Now, it is His choice on whether He answers those prayers. He may stop the fires in another way or He may choose to allow them to continue. That is His sovereign choice to make. Still, it is something that we can do to help...pray for His intervention.

The second thought was how those flames were engulfing the desert of Southern California. As those flames spread over the state they leave their impression in their wake. Fire does not come and go without making an impact. Well, the Bible tells us that God is a "Consuming Fire" (Deuteronomy 4:24, Exodus 24:17).

For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
Deuteronomy 4:24

How incredible is our God! He is a Consuming Fire and when you come into contact with the Creator that is a Consuming Fire you will never be the same!!

Please pray for the countless victims of these wildfires.

In Christ,

Nathan

Praying the Psalms

I am praying through the Psalms. It is a really neat idea that I was taught at a seminar by Donald Whitney, author of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. He was teaching on how to pray scripture. The part that stuck out to me most was praying through Psalms for several reasons. First, they are full of a wide range of emotions. Also, they are truth from the heart of the writer to the Lord.

The method for choosing the Psalm for the day is simple. Take the day of the month and add 30 to it until you have 5 Psalms to read. For instance, October 10 would mean you would pray through one of these five Psalms: Psalm 10, 40, 70, 100, or 130. This way you cover every Psalm over the course of a month (150 Psalms divided by 30 days=five/day!).

So, as I have re-acquainted myself to this prayer method as of late, I figured I would blog what they were speaking to me. I am not teaching...it is more sharing how I relate to the objective truths of scripture and the Unchanging Holy God. Here we go...

Psalm 70

v. 1-3
One thing I find interesting about the Psalms is the way the Psalmist (many times it is David) is fleeing for his life or feels oppressed by his enemies. As far as I know, I am not being hunted. So, to relate to this I think about spiritual oppression; spiritual warfare. I KNOW I am being hunted there!
In reading these three verses and using that context for myself, I can relate to these verses better.

"1 O God, hasten to deliver me; O Lord, hasten to my help!"

See the exclamation point. I didn't add that myself...it is written that way in the NASB translation. Also, there is urgency in the word "hasten." The Psalmist is pleading to the Lord to act quickly. Why is that interesting to me?? Well, because it shows that he was real with God. He cries out to God in a moment of desperation and pleas with the Lord for deliverance from the oppression.

v. 4
David then pauses from his pleas for a moment to praise God.

"Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; And let those who love Your salvation say continually, 'Let God be magnified.'"

We need to give God glory even in affliction. God points us to Himself during those times. Rejoice, be glad, love God's salvation and let Him be magnified. This is not always easy; however, it is always the best route.

v.5
We wrap up with one last plea. Notice David refers to God with four different names in this verse...God, Lord, Help, Deliverer. Each name carries a different meaning; yet, they all fit the moment. Remember when you are speaking to God in prayer to refer to Him by His attributes depending on your moment...Deliverer, Redeemer, Lion of Judah, I Am, Jehovah, Prince of Peace, (the list goes on).

I hope you find this encouraging.

Nathan

The Wilderness

I know it seems every post I have made lately is depressing. Well, I am one honest dude. And it seems as though this blog is my best release of tension, request of prayer, and outlet for my emotions.

I have never been more miserable in my life...emotionally and spiritually. That's it...plain and simple. I have too many important responsibilities to feel this way...I am a single parent with two small children who depend on me for everything. I facilitate an amazing small group on Sunday mornings where God is truly working. I have a new career I am trying to get off the ground. Still, when I don't have those responsibilities in front of me I sink deep into thought and lay motionless on my couch.

I told my small group yesterday morning how I am going through a "wilderness" experience. I told them to trust God and walk through that wilderness; don't lie down and throw a pity party. I told them God wants us to let go of self and hold on to Him when we are in the wilderness so we can do that when we get out of the wilderness. I told them that we should "limp away" from our wilderness experience just as Jacob did from his wrestling match with God when God re-named him Israel. I told them all of this...truth from God's word.

Yet, on Monday I am so scared to let go and trust God with my future. Why? Has He not proved Himself trustworthy in my life? Of course He has. But right now I am at a point where it's either trust Him or take matters into my own hands. The latter has never worked out for me. Why would it work now? It wouldn't.

So, I must trust that God is in control...even when it seems like He is not. I have to trust that He put me in this job for a reason. I have to trust that my children will be alright in the long run if I put them in His hands and leave them there. I have to trust Him while I am in the wilderness trying to heal from everything that I have gone through in the last 2 years. I have to trust that He will be waiting for me on the other side of the wilderness and that He is with me even now while I am in it.

I do know one thing for sure. He has led me to the wilderness. He has led me to what John of the Cross called "the dark night of the soul." My quiet times that were once exhilarating have lost their luster. God has virtually become silent to me. I can see His activity around me in our small group, our church body, and my children's lives. But the activity between God and I personally has basically come to a screeching halt. And as I said yesterday to my small group..."When God leads you into those wilderness times in life you have to walk through it, hold on to God, and limp away a changed person, forever." It is just as true today as it was yesterday. I know.

Psalm 34:18

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18

Wow, I needed that.

Decisions, Decisions

Making decisions can be extremely hard...especially big decisions. Some people can make a decision in a split second and live with that decision. I, on the other hand, have to pray, ponder, pray some more, ponder some more, ask for advice from people I trust, and then pray some more. Sounds ridiculous...I know.

It is actually great to pray about big decisions. God does care about the big decisions we face. However, at some point you have to trust where His spirit is leading you. Sometimes He leads you into a very hard decision. That is where I find myself now. In doing what I believe I had to do for the best of everyone involved, I am left with a troubled heart. Does that mean I made the wrong choice? No. It is a natural development. Therefore, for those that have stumbled upon this blog I ask for your prayers that God's strength will be made perfect in my weakness.

Always seek the Lord in all decisions; big and small. He cares about your every need. Have a blessed day.

In Dying We Live

In dying we live?? How does that make sense? It sounds to me like an oxymoron. What makes this statement even harder to except, at a surface level, is that we are talking about living by dying to selfish pleasures, ambitions, and goals that are outside of what God desires for our life. Now...even more confusing??? How could dying to my own desires and aspiring to achieve someone else's desires for my life really equal living?

Believe it or not, that is exactly how anyone on this earth achieves lasting satisfaction, contentment, adventure, and purpose. So if I am to really live...if I am to die to my own selfish desires and ambitions...if I am to strive for something different...who should I strive for and what should I strive to do? The answer...Jesus Christ and his plan for your life.

Now, before you stop reading this blog and tell me that you are not religious or worse...that you are religious...let me explain. I have lived the party life. Those of you who know me from college know. I am not afraid to admit it. I do not hide it. Let me tell you, I WOULD NEVER GO BACK! I don't miss it. It is empty, meaningless, and creates more problems than anything. Sure, it can be fun in the moment. But it still lacks substance.

Jesus came to this earth to show a strayed humanity how He originally intended us to live. He came with compassion for the poor in spirit. He came to seek and to "save that which was lost." (Matthew 18:11) He loves me and He loves you. He wants to save us not only from our sins but from a meaningless existence.

Ask God to reveal Himself to you. Open up a Bible and begin reading the book of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. These are the books written predominantly about the life of Jesus Christ as he walked on earth. Make no mistake. This is not myth. This is history. There really was a man named Jesus. No other man has stirred history like this man. He wants to stir up your life...AND I PROMISE YOU WON'T REGRET IT!!!

In love,

Nathan

Taking a trip from Good Friday to Easter

Hey all. I just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Easter. What a privilege to worship and serve the risen savior, Christ the Lord.

Last night I attended a Good Friday Vespers service at my father's church in Hot Springs, AR. It was such a blessing to recognize the events of Good Friday and how it has impacted eternity. As we worshiped with classic hymns about the cross I was reminded of the brutality of Jesus' death. As I reflect on the cross and the punishment endured by Christ my heart breaks again; like the first day that I accepted him as my savior.

Christ, who exists uncreated, created the world.

16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were
created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things
hold together. Colossians 1:16-17

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through him all things were made;
without him nothing was made that has been made. John 1:1-3

So, if Christ was "in the beginning" then what did he give up for us to come to earth and take on a fleshly body? In heaven we learn from scripture that angels surround the throne and sing Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty. The earth is filled with your glory. It is paradise. It is perfect. He is exalted and sits at the right hand of the father. He gave up worship to come to earth as a baby born of a virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit. In heaven he was worshiped, on earth he was ridiculed. He had to flee to Egypt as a toddler for King Herod was killing all baby boys in an attempt to murder this Messiah he had heard about. By the time of his ministry he was not even welcomed in his home town of Nazareth. He was rejected during his time on earth and even now he is still rejected by many human hearts all over the world. In heaven he is adored. Isaiah foretells of his treatment on earth.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our
iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his
wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

He was perfect, sinless. So, to receive unwarranted punishment like this begs the question "why?"

Would you believe the answer to that question is simple...because he loves us. Period. Regardless of what you have done. Regardless of your past. No matter how ashamed you are or who you have hurt. No one deserves his love. Not I, not you, not Paul, not Billy Graham, not your children, not your parents. No one. Even though we don't deserve his love he offers freely. That is called grace. And his grace is sufficient because it is based on his perfect ability to forgive broken hearts not our ability to earn it. He loves us so much that he gave up worship in heaven for insults on earth. He was, and is, high and lifted up in heaven while on earth he was just hammered and lifted up on a cross to die in public humiliation. And don't think for one second that he had to this. He CHOSE to do this. Without his sacrifice there was no chance for us to be reconciled. Adam's sin brought on the fall of man. Jesus came to sympathize with his creation. He came to walk among us and love on us. He came to bring mercy and compassion and truth. He came to set us free. He came to lead us back to paradise. And he was crushed for my sin and yours because he loves us.

So, as we look at the cross and it's grusomeness we should feel broken. For an eternity with him is within our reach as a free gift. We should feel broken because we deserve the lashings, beatings, spit, and brutal death that he took for us. Yet, in that sorrow of reflecting on his suffering and death remember one thing. Friday was good. Good for you, good for me, and the Father saw that it was finished. His death cancelled our sin for those who accept him. And don't forget either that the story doesn't end there. When Satan and this world thought they had put an end to this Christ; when they watched him be buried in that tomb, no doubt they were having a party. Only, their party was premature. It was only Friday...and Sunday was coming!
Sunday Jesus was raised back to life! Sunday meant victory over death! And some days later Jesus ascended to the Father and now he sits in heaven receiving glory and honor and praise. The Holy Spirit is now here to guide us and direct us as we wait for his return!

This Easter worship the risen savior, Jesus Christ, in spirit and in truth. Our Joy Comes in the Morning!