There are moments in my life when I perceive God through the lens of my humanity. This perception is how I believe God is. I believe the essence of who He is is determined by who I am. His Godness is established through my personal viewpoint. My definition of God has become subjective.

God by His very nature defies defintion. His essence lies outside of my little perception. His nature goes beyond mere words or whatever description I may attach to Him. The mercy He shows may not make sense to me. The justice He executes sometimes perplexes me. The love He expresses may be uncomfortable with me.

You see, the God I serve doesn't fit comfortably in a box. Yes, the Word of God reveals some of Him to me. But, sometimes, in the comfort of my existence, God becomes like a nice old sweatshirt. You've had it for a long time. It is worn in. You love to wear it.

God is so much more than that and I am glad He is. I want Him to be more than definable. I want Him to defy description. I want His holiness to be awe-inspiring. I want His love to be so wild and free. This selfless love full of commitment which brings my response of adoring worship.

As Simple as Time

When I look back at the people who have had the most impact in my life, there is a common denominator. They were willing to invest themselves into me. They were willing to spend time with me. The time they invested was expressed through a listening ear, a hug, a prayer, etc. They gave something of themselves to me.

Recently, I had the opportunity to walk with a family through a dark time in their lives. Through this encounter, I was reminded of the need to spend time with people. Having spent this time with them, I was excited to see the impact of love in their lives.

May I remind you to take a moment to invest time as an expression of love to those you hold dear. This is a great time of year for us to show our family and friends we care through a listening ear, a hug, a prayer, etc.

The action of sin in its simplest definition is willful disobedience. The nature of sin can be defined as selfish independence. Sin's beginnings came about as a result of man's fall from God's perfect creation through the expression of selfish independence. The fall of man has marred who God intended us to be.

I don't know about you, but, I have moments of obssessive behavior. Something gets in my head and it is difficult to let it go. Sin appeals to me through personal weaknesses that others may or may not have. Being a fallen man can show its ugly head through my leadership as well. I can run from responsibility through doing nothing or I can be insistent that everything go my way.

While sin may have impacted you differently than me, its impact is still an ugly thing that needs the touch of God. This is the beauty of redemption. Although we failed our Creator, He came to us, lived among us, gave His life to address the mess we made. Thank God!

Made of Earth

Have you ever marveled at the majesty of God's grace in your life? Think about it. God, the Creator of the Universe, came and dwelt among us, took our sin upon Himself, bled, died and rose again, so we could experience His grace.

Now, that is amazing enough. Yet, what's even more amazing to me is the Truth that He offers this grace to such an unworthy recipient. Say, you accept His grace and believe in your heart that Christ gave His all, rose from the grave and sits at the Father's right hand interceding for you. But, on your best day, you, the recipient of this amazing grace, are an absolute failure. Alone, you cannot be obedient enough or good enough. You must depend upon Him for every second, every breath, etc. The Apostle Paul wrote it well when he wrote, "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."

When I am reminded of my inability and His grace, there rises in my heart an obedience founded upon love and expressed in grateful living. Now, I am not saying that I live this way every day. What I am saying is this grace has changed me forever and for that I am thankful.

Living the Tiny

For so long, I have looked at the spiritual life thinking something real is going on when big things are happening. I have allowed the "Hollywood" mindset to seep into my thinking regarding spiritual matters. You see, I have thought God was more interested in the "big splashes".

Think about it for a moment. Todays Christians approach the spiritual life in much the same manner. We are interested in high-powered churches. We fawn over excessive televangelists. We make big deals out of the next best program.

This is true in my own life. I remember a Denominational Leader telling me I was going to do "big things" for God. So, after hearing that comment, what do you think took place when "big things" weren't happening in ministry? You guessed it. I would become discouraged with the tiny.

Now, I am finding God is more interested in "living the tiny" moments of everyday life. The spiritual life is more about the faithful living of the smaller moments in life rather than living the grandeur of the large moments of life.

I believe there are no insignificant times in life. Like the seemingly "insiginificant" widow that gave everything, I believe every moment matters to God. I believe He is interested in every word I speak. I believe worship happens when I am relinquished to God and allow Him the small moments of my life as well as the large moments of my life.

The Spiritual Life

I tend to be a black and white individual. Things go in their place. No gray areas. Yet, the spiritual life is difficult to compartmentalize. The "black and white" doesn't necessarily work. I'm finding the spiritual life to be much less definable than I previously thought. Prayer doesn't always look like prayer. Growth doesn't always look like moving forward. While this may have bothered me in the past, today, I find it strangely comforting. Comforting because in the not so "definable", I find Jesus.