Hungry? What are you waiting for?

I know. The Snickers commercial says, "Hungry? Why wait?" not "What are you waiting for?" But that's just it. If you're just hungry for a chocolate bar, then really, "Why wait?" A chocolate bar. That's a desire easily enough satisfied. So why wait? But my question for you, for me, for all of us is "What are you waiting for?" Or, to put it in a way that's been on my heart a lot lately, "What are you hungry for?" I'll admit it. Food is a weakness of mine. I'm thankful that God has given me an Energizer metabolism so I can kinda get away with it, but I love to eat. Too much. I love to satisfy cravings of my taste buds even when I am full. My belly is so often my god. It's because my focus is so small, so earthly. C. S. Lewis' familiar words sum me up so well: "Our passions are not too strong, they are too weak. We are far too easily pleased." What am I hungry for? A Snickers bar? Is that it? A bowl of ice cream or cereal? An entertaining novel? A movie? A moment of mere sexual pleasure? Is that really all I want?

My flesh answers, "Sure--why not? What else is there?" There's a lot more! There is more to be desired always while we wander on this earth. The ice cream and sex and thrilling views in pictures and sunsets are merely tastes of a much bigger reward. They are not the end, but the means. Just glimpses--like movie trailers. They're not the feature presentation, the main event. But they do point us to the Main Event. That's why we don't just renounce earthly pleasures altogether. We seek to use them for their proper purposes; after all, they are means. See, we can indulge ourselves to the deepest in these pleasures that we find all around us, but like Solomon discovered, we'll find them to be "futile," unfulfilling. They'll only leave us wanting more and yet sick from the gross mass that we've already gluttonously injested. We'll always be wanting more.

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy," Lewis again reminds us, "the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." Or to put it like the Apostle Paul in Colossians 2, I was made for another Person: Jesus Christ, my God. In many places in Scripture the Lord's people are referred to as a wife or a bride. When Jesus was asked why His disciples did not fast, His response was to assure the questioner that they would fast "when the bridegroom is taken away from them."

Think about this: there are few days in a person's life so longed-for as his or her wedding day. I've heard many different stories of creative ways guys will work to save enough money for an engagement ring. And they'll work hard! Harder than for anything else. And when the engagement takes place, the couple begins counting down the days. Literally. You can ask almost any engaged couple, "Are you excited?" And they'll respond with a number of days. Suddenly these kids who can't make change without a computer on a cash register become genius calculators! And since when is a quantity of twenty-four hour spans a measurement for excitement? Since a bride-to-be sets her eyes on the happiest day of her life.

Being preoccupied with a day like your wedding day will change your life and make you do some very different things. But we are the Lord's bride to be! Are we preoccupied with this? Does it drive us to do crazy things like go without food so that we can tell Him how much we need Him and how desperately we long for Him to return? So often we live preoccupied with this dying, passing world and it's temporary pleasures. So often I forget that "I'm a refugee; this world is not my home." Or as another poet puts it, I am "created for a place I've never known."

So next time you think you might be hungry ask yourself, "What am I waiting for?" A Snickers bar? Or the happiest day of my life . . .

Prayer: For something Divine

"Well done, My good and faithful servant! . . . . When I was hungry you fed Me, when thirsty you gave Me to drink, when naked you clothed Me, when a stranger you welcomed Me, when in prison you visited Me . . ."

O Father, my God, my Savior, Redeemer, my Master, I long to hear these words from Your mouth! Beyond any man's approval, more than that of my best friend or Pastor or Mom and Dad or brother or any other man, I long to feel YOUR approval on a life well-lived for Christ!
But God, I fear that all of these things I do to befriend people who have few friends or no friends or to help out homeless and poor people will be burned up as NOTHING-- I fear that I myself will be nothing! Because all of my best deeds are ruined by my despicable pride! All of my most holy and loving desires are overwhelmed and inhibited by my fear!
Ah, God, save me from myself! Save the rest of this world-- my neighbors, my enemies, my friends-- from the ugly, destructive, lustful, prideful, fearful nature that rages inside of me! Save them from Seth Martin.
Love them, Jesus Christ! Kill me, and use this body, heart and mind as Your chosen instrument of grace and love! I beg You, humbled and needy! Do this in my heart-- I cannot do this myself. You've got to do this! . . .

and humble me still more . . .

A Pointless Birthday?

"Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing . . ."
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So what does Christmas mean to us? I mean, what's the point of it all? "That's easy: Jesus' Birth. Everyone knows, 'Jesus is the Reason for the season!' " Ok. But what does Jesus' birth mean for us? Why is it such a big deal that we have basically a whole month of shopping and decorating and playing special carols leading up to one day on the calendar? Why is this birth so worthy of hanging wreaths and red bows, decorating trees and making cookies, licking candy canes and giving gifts and having an international holiday?

It's not enough to just say, "Yay! Jesus was born!" Think about it, the Jews knew Jesus was born, and Herod tried to kill him; thirty years later the religious elite did the same thing. Problem is, the Jews missed it. They were looking for a political hero, a warrior messiah who would overthrow the Roman government and give the Jews political freedom from their slavish oppressors. But they were dreaming too small.

See, Jesus' kingdom is not of this world-- it's bigger (and better) than that. Jesus' kingdom can't be boxed up with easily manageable terms like political freedom and capitalsim and democracy. Jesus didn't come to overthrow tyrannical governments or to set up national democracies or to promise His followers political freedom-- otherwise His disciples would have taken up the sword against the godless and oppressive Roman Empire. No, Jesus came offering a freedom far greater and more glorious than any star-spangled banner or democratic republic or aircraft carrier could ever afford. Freedom from Adam's curse.

As angel choirs sang in the Second Adam's humble birth in Bethlehem, a bell tolled throughout the earth, the death-knell of sin and death itself. The curse would be reversed. Jesus' birth, 33-year life, and death and resurrection on our fallen sod was only the beginning. But it was the beginning. Not just a shadow of things to come, the coming of the Messiah was the actual Kingdom come . . . and still coming. It's a progressive regeneration and the Church is still being built and the Kingdom is still spreading like yeast through bread dough, like the invasive mustard tree-- a tiny, insignificant, despised seed irresistibly taking over a whole neighborhood, region, world. This is what the birth of Christ signaled. The death of death, good news for the poor, comfort for the mourning, the healing of broken hearts, the quenching of thirst, the sating of hunger, sight for the blind, dances for the crippled and lame, freedom for the captives and oppressed, love for enemies-- the forgiveness of sins and justification through grace-- LIFE for the dead, "that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified!" (Is. 61:3)This is why we celebrate Christmas. So if we really believe what we spend so much time saying we believe, let us celebrate "the year of the LORD's favor" with all our hearts!

"Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of GREAT JOY that will be for all the people . . ."

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!"
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Check out Isaiah 61:1-3 (cf. Luke 4:16-19). Jesus is reversing the curse. He tears out the roots of Adam's curse as He takes on the curse on the cross, and puts an end to death a few days later when we walks out of His grave-- death's sting-remover.

To Own a Kingdom

"Blessed are you poor for yours is the kingdom of God . . . But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full." -- Jesus

How can the possession, ownership, rights to the kingdom of God be compared to or contrasted with receiving comfort in full? We know that rich people can enter into the kingdom, so what does it mean for the kingdom of God to be "yours?"

I think sometimes we think of the kingdom in too concrete or "boxed-in" terms. Jesus compared the kingdom to many very different things, events, actions, people and said that it is here, coming, in us and among us. How do you box that up? All this cannot be packaged into something so cut and dry as eternal salvation or "heaven." Yes, the kingdom is, in part, heaven, and it is salvation, but it is also so much more. Ushered in by grace and love and received by given faith, the Kingdom is a lifestyle of love, of faith, of good deeds, of striving to be perfectly holy like our Lord and Father--a radical new value system.

The kingdom of Heaven, of God, is here, now. It is today, this generation; the redeemed lifestyle of the redeemed, we live now with hope, and we LIVE! We live by faith with confident hope toward a future and perfect life that knows no death. The kingdom of God is a preview taste today of a beautiful life to be lived in full tomorrow. We all intuitively know that there is something better--heaven, a kingdom--in another life to come, but Jesus tells us, "Yeah, that's coming and it's gonna be great, but, I'm telling you, the Kingdom's already here! Don't wait to start living that life--I'm here with you now!" The true children of the kingdom--the sons and daughters of God, the royal priesthood--are to be the incarnation of that kingdom and its Savior LORD. One writer says, "Believers are a dime-a-dozen nowadays. What the world needs is people who believe so much in another world that they cannot help but begin enacting it now."

An integral part of that present kingdom living is poverty. The freedom to be poor even if you have the means to great wealth. God calls some Christians to high incomes. Is that wrong? No. But He calls all kingdom children to use their income (whether high or low) to give freely to those in need. It is the means to spread the kingdom further and deeper. When we cling to our worldly wealth or use it for our own self-absorbed enjoyment and pleasure we are "receiving [our] comfort in full." (remember what Jesus said?) Woe to us! Complete ownership or possession of this fluid, conceptual, yet real Kingdom is only fully realized by embracing what would be considered poverty by the world. The freedom to be poor allows us to grasp (or own) fully the power, the pleasure, the joy and the beauty of, the betterness of this Kingdom. Only when we have relinquished our grip on this world's mammon and passing pleasures, on our own pride and self-righteousness and embraced the richness of Christ's holiness and pro-active love, the freedom of poverty can we really own the kingdom. When we are the poor (in so many physical and spiritual ways) then the kingdom of God will be ours!

With ALL . . . (part 2)

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment."
--Jesus

[All means all, but how to live out such a radical command in a world that seems to demand that we "have" certain things in our lives?]

This will always be a struggle. This is something that I've struggled with and still do. It's too easy to sugar-coat and dilute and over-contextualize what Jesus clearly states in His teachings til we can say that this doesn't apply to me or that it meant something else or it's just . . . just . . . but Jesus WAS radical. We know how popular He was with great multitudes following Him everywhere, but there were also many more who like the Rich Young Ruler turned away from following Him, turned away from eternal life because He was a little too radical. Because He said stuff that went contrary to common sense and made demands that can only be made by a Master to His slaves as a King to His people. But the people that turned away weren't hung up on nuances and hyperbole and wondering if Jesus really meant everything He said. They understood Him. And they would not renounce all that they had. Intellectually. Materially. Familially. They turned away from Jesus. And crucified Him.

And it's a struggle for us. It's not a single battle, but a war with campaigns and many battles. But the glorious power of Jesus' grace promises that as we put on the armor and wade into battle day after day, fighting our hearts-- fears, lusts, idols, hate, and pride-- we will be more than conquerors THROUGH HIM! Like Cassie said (in our facebook discussion), we can't do this on our own. If we sound like a broken record, that's ok, because it's essential that the record break and repeat this part of the song . . . over and over and over, every day for the rest of our lives. Because this IS our life-- HE is our life! John 15:5-- "For without Me, you can do nothing."And that's the basis for living free from materialism and love for people and things and ideas that exists outside of a love for God. Because Christ is our life! Colossians 1:16 tells me that I have no reason for existing other than for Christ. And so if there is anything in my life that has a reason for existing outside of Christ then that thing must be "counted as loss."

We need to critically examine each thing in our lives. And where Christ is not pre-eminently dominating, where we cannot say "Christ is our LIFE," there must be radical change, surgical and revolutionary. I guess a good question to ask of everything and everyone in your life is, "Does this world or my heart demand that I have this in my life or has God sovereignly placed this in my life?" and then if it has been put into your hands by your God, ask, "Do I love and enjoy this person or thing apart from Christ? or in Him, through Him, because of Him, and FOR Him?"

Sometimes we'll have to get tough, sometimes we'll have to be creative. Often we'll need both. But through the pain (and there WILL be pain) we'll find in our Husband Christ a joy fulfilled and unspeakable. And can the passing pain compare to the indestructible joy? No, I promise you it cannot.

Happy is . . .?

"Happy Thanksgiving!"

I think five or six of my friends texted me throughout the day just to say that today. Made me feel special that people were thinking of me even on their vacations. "Happy Thanksgiving." And it was, I guess. I enjoyed a lot of (too much) good food. Played football with my family. Laughed at the antics of my nieces and nephews, and just relaxed. Isn't that happy? Yeah, sure, but fulfilling? Satisfying?

Funny (actually sad): I gorged myself on a lavish lunch with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, all the dessert I couldn't fit into my stomach . . . but I continued to snack on those chocolate covered raisins all day. Even though I wasn't hungry! Why? Because, though my stomach was full, I wasn't satisfied. Happy Thanksgiving--sure, but there was something terrifyingly missing. Adriana got it right. She sent me this verse:
"Come into His presence with singing and into His courts with praise. Be thankful unto him and bless His name, for His mercy and love are everlasting, and His truth endures forever!"

Doesn't say anything about turkey or family or football. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for food, family, and fun, but as I experienced today, that thankfulness is pretty superficial, surface stuff. I can fill up my belly and score touchdowns on my older brother and say, "Thanks, God!" for all of that but if that's it . . . ? It's like standing on a mountain peak in Colorado at night with an indescribable, celestial quilt of stars and planets and moons filling a vast and trackless sky above my head, while I stare down at my little flashlight bulb for hours--thanking God for lightbulbs. Lightbulbs are pretty cool, but seriously . . . I gaze at the gift and miss the GLORY.

Adri sent me this verse at lunch time but I was too distracted and still missed it. Til now. What was the Psalmist thankful for? For mercy and love and truth that never ends, never runs out, and can never be outlived. For these beautiful, life-giving glories of God. These are the things that satisfy. Mercy, Love, and Truth, forever and ever--this is the GLORY of God.
I'm thankful for my family. But one day I'll leave them all to go to a land across the sea--for this God of mercy, love and truth is so much better than my family. I'm thankful for food. But one day I'll be glad to leave America, where I would never have to worry about my next meal, to go to a land where people die of starvation--every day--and God's provision will truly be a constant miracle of mercy. I'm thankful for football (and other sports). But I will gladly give up such frivolities for a life of hardship that is envigorated and empassioned by the joy of seeing the Kingdom of God wage unstoppable war against the kingdom of Satan in dark places using the weapons of mercy, love, and truth.

Yeah, it was a "Happy Thanksgiving." And I'm thankful for the things that brought that happiness. But, God, I beg You: give me the heart of this Psalmist; for he was not merely happy--he was satisfied!

With all . . .

"He loves Thee too little who loves anything with Thee which he loves not for Thy sake."
--St. Augustine

This prayer by Augustine makes practical the first and greatest command, the essential mission of our lives: "Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all you strength." All necessitates an exhaustive fullness, a complete and focused singularity to our love for the LORD. All leaves no room for any other outside passions. No rivals. Does this sound extreme? Over-applicative? Too "radical?" But as a friend reminded me, can anything be too "radical" in love for the One who gives us physical life-- a beating heart and aspirating lungs-- and then, at the cost of the life of His only Son, gives us a new spiritual life-- the only thing that makes our physical lives worth living? No, there can be nothing radical at all about anything I might seek to do and to give my LORD out of love for Him. This is illustrated over and over again in the New Testament. Indeed, Jesus tells us that our love for our own families should be like hate compared with our love for Christ; He tells us that our love for HIM should utterly destroy our love for our possessions to the point that we give everything away to the poor in our passion for following Christ; and as if that doesn't quite cover it all, Christ declares that anyone who seeks and holds onto life to any extent above death outside of a love that follows Christ will forfeit his soul and the true life (that which comes by dying to this dead life).

But, I mean, surely the basic survival and satisfaction instincts are, at least in part, outisde of the demands of this spiritual life and exclusive love for God? no. ALL means ALL. Augustine had it right: "anything . . . which he loves not for Thy sake." This applies poignantly and constantly to my relations to food, to friends, to any clothing, books, car, job, hopes, goals and plans. It applies to my thought and to my writing. To my guitar and my time, my sleep. To my cell phone, my grades, my degree from the University. Applies to my computer, my music, and my movies. It applies to and must dominate every aspect of my life no matter how small, narrow, and seemingly insignificant. All means all.

My Lord, You shall have no rivals in my heart life. "Grant what Thou commandest, and command what Thou wilt." I am Yours alone.