This past weekend, I went with my friends Andy and Aaron to Washington DC for John Stewart and Stephen Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear.
It was a pretty sweet time. The rally was a ton of fun. Crazy costumes, hilarious show with a really good message (don't believe anything you may have heard on the news about the rally).
The main theme of the rally, in my opinion, has two parts. First, the fear/sanity part. Stephen Colbert played the antagonist, talking about how there are all these things to be afraid of, showing clips of people in the media freaking out about all kinds of ridiculous things, including something about flip-flops and spiders. John Stewart played the protagonist, arguing that the media blows things way out of proportion, and, even though there are things to fear, that the American people can overcome the problems we have. The other theme was how people in America work together "every damn day" despite our racial/ethnic/socioeconomic/political/etc. differences, and that the only place where people don't work together is the media and in government. It was pretty legit. (And contrary to what Fox News says, the crowd of 200,000 people was pretty tame and accepting of everyone).
I thought it was great. We all do work together every day. It felt in some ways unifying to hear it. We can disagree on many things, but still be on the same team. Liberal, conservative, black, white, purple, other, Christian, Muslim, Jew, atheist, man, woman, straight, gay, unsure, tall, short, whatever...we are all people and we all matter.
This all being said, I did feel a bit out-of-place at times. I was out of the Bible Belt. Most people were not Christians. And though I probably agree with most of these liberal folks on many things and admire them for their activism and (whether altruistic or not) concern for things like the environment, poverty, etc., my beliefs about God are very different.
And all weekend, God felt fake. I felt like my beliefs were ridiculous and silly.
It's interesting how God feels real when I'm around lots of Christians, and fake when I'm around lots of people who don't believe in Jesus.
I know God is real. I was weak this past weekend, but I'm not questioning the truth of God. I am, however, questioning my faith, in a good way. I wish I was more exposed to the world outside of Christianity. I wish I had more experience with the "trial" of following something against the majority, which would build up perseverance in me for when I feel ridiculous for believing in Christ.
It's important to have a community of believers. But it's also important to be strong in your faith when that community is momentarily absent.
Praying for more experience in this particular trial, in order to build up my faith.
04 November 2010
23 October 2010
Brother Jed...and other thoughts
The last couple days, I have spent a lot of hours hanging out at Speakers Circle listening to Brother Jed. For those of you who are not familiar with Brother Jed, here is a quick summary of what he does:
Brother Jed is a Christian preacher who travels around and speaks out in the open at college campuses around the country. His methods are very controversial and confrontational, and full of provocative phrases that will draw a crowd. Many Christians and non-Christians alike are offended by some of the things he says. That being said, most of his beliefs are in-line with the majority of protestant Christians.
When I first came to Mizzou, I was pretty offended by Brother Jed and his fellow preachers. They talked about how they could barely remember the last time they had sinned and routinely called the people who stuck around to listen things like "whores" or "masturbators." I would say things like, "They are preaching hate," and, "I don't agree with the way they are going about this. It's just making Christians look bad."
I have a pretty different view on all this now. I think what Brother Jed does is pretty awesome. I still don't think I would ever say some of the ridiculous things he says, and I certainly still disagree on a few things he says....but it's hard to be critical of someone who is preaching Christ when I'm ashamed about my faith so often.
If nothing else, it gets people talking. It is amazing how easy it is to strike up a conversation about God with people in the crowd listening to Jed. This week, I had some sweet talks with various folks and even made some connections with a few people who are interested in checking out the church I go to at Mizzou. Incredible. I wish I had done this more during my college career.
Something Brother Jed said to me Thursday evening has been on my mind a lot. He asked me if I had accepted Christ, and I told him that I had. He asked me when, and I told him it happened about 12 years ago. Then he pointed toward part of the crowd and said, "You need to be discipling these people."
I'm not sure why this hit me so hard. Sometimes, it's good to be told what to do.
This got me thinking a bit about college ministry...like I need more post-graduation options. I want to be a teacher, but I also want to talk to people about Jesus. I know these are not mutually exclusive, but still.
Anyway, if nothing else, Brother Jed's statement to me has renewed a sense of importance about telling people about a relationship with Jesus.
Because this relationship is it. This is it! This isn't a part of us, just an aspect of our lives. This is why we exist, how we exist, who we are, and what we need to focus on. This is everything. The rest is a pale counterfeit to what Christ can give us.
Earlier this semester, a pastor named Dave Megill said that God is not a "harsh master who cheats." I lost it during that talk because, subconsciously, I have viewed God as that cheating, harsh master. I viewed God as weak, lacking the power to bring real joy, real holiness, and real love. I viewed God as the bringer of salvation, but yet too weak to actually affect my life. But I don't believe that's true anymore.
I hear Christians talking all the time about how they will keep falling into sin despite their relationship with God. But I don't think it's supposed to be that way. God can and will help us break out of our sinful ways. I don't know that we'll ever stop sinning completely, but to view it as something that's going to happen no matter what is a terrible perspective.
Because holiness is possible! Joy is possible too! God does want us to be happy despite our circumstances. He can break us out of depression, out of lust, out of selfishness, out of hatred. He is real; He is powerful; He is not a harsh master; and He doesn't cheat us.
He wants us to have life more abundant, and that's what is waiting for us. We just need to believe it enough to throw away all the crap that's holding us back from the truth that we all feel.
I know this post is pretty random and disconnected. I want to put my thoughts down a bit more in-depth on some of these topics in the near-ish future. In the meantime, let's keep seeking the truth and throwing away those things holding us back....not to earn God's approval, but simply to know Him more and live the abundant life He wants us to have.
08 October 2010
There are no half-naked girls dancing around the words of Jesus.
"So, I don't care if nobody loves me, nobody loves me, nobody loves me but you.
Because the truth is never sexy. So, it's not an easy sell. You can dress her like the culture, but she'll shock 'em just as well. But she don't need an apology for being who she is. And she don't need your help making enemies."
This quote is from a song by Derek Webb that I listened to today. The lyric "the truth is never sexy" really caught my attention.
So much about the truth from the Bible, especially the words of Jesus, are in no way sexy. If they were a commercial on TV, there would be no half-naked girls dancing around.
If it were marketed toward kids, there would be no mothers to approve it. There would be no smiling, retired, old people.
There would be respected law-abiding citizens telling the audience to stay away. That it's going to ruin everything you've worked toward. It could make you sick or move away from your family or give all your money away or quit your job or lose your dignity or be killed. It would be like those commercial for new drugs, where most of the commercial would a list of bad side-effects.
But it's still the truth. And it's just as good as the preacher in church says it will be. It's just as breathtaking and exhilarating as you hope it could be. As you want it to be. It's that.
Unfortunately for a lot of us, we want the exhilaration without the side-effects. But it doesn't work that way. God requires nothing from us for His love. But we're not going to feel his love unless we do what He commands us, with disregard to what people and culture say.
Do you want to feel God's joy? That happiness that stays despite your circumstances?
Do you want to be holy? Set apart and victorious over the temptation of sin?
Do you want to feel God's love? To be special and wanted and loved, knowing God's commitment to you and His joy from being with you?
I believe those things are all possible and real. I think the key to all of them is to really believe the things Jesus tells us.
So, when Jesus says to love our enemies, let's not gossip about them. When he says to sell stuff we have (or buy fewer things) so we have money to give to the poor, let's actually give money away. When he says that it's hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven, let's make it easy on ourselves and become poor. When Jesus spends all his time with the losers, the disabled, the sick, the poor, let's spend time with those people too and become their friend and love them.
And when we do these things, we will joyous, holy, and overwhelmed by God's love. And if we don't do these things, then we're probably just faking it.
Because the truth is never sexy. So, it's not an easy sell. You can dress her like the culture, but she'll shock 'em just as well. But she don't need an apology for being who she is. And she don't need your help making enemies."
This quote is from a song by Derek Webb that I listened to today. The lyric "the truth is never sexy" really caught my attention.
So much about the truth from the Bible, especially the words of Jesus, are in no way sexy. If they were a commercial on TV, there would be no half-naked girls dancing around.
If it were marketed toward kids, there would be no mothers to approve it. There would be no smiling, retired, old people.
There would be respected law-abiding citizens telling the audience to stay away. That it's going to ruin everything you've worked toward. It could make you sick or move away from your family or give all your money away or quit your job or lose your dignity or be killed. It would be like those commercial for new drugs, where most of the commercial would a list of bad side-effects.
But it's still the truth. And it's just as good as the preacher in church says it will be. It's just as breathtaking and exhilarating as you hope it could be. As you want it to be. It's that.
Unfortunately for a lot of us, we want the exhilaration without the side-effects. But it doesn't work that way. God requires nothing from us for His love. But we're not going to feel his love unless we do what He commands us, with disregard to what people and culture say.
Do you want to feel God's joy? That happiness that stays despite your circumstances?
Do you want to be holy? Set apart and victorious over the temptation of sin?
Do you want to feel God's love? To be special and wanted and loved, knowing God's commitment to you and His joy from being with you?
I believe those things are all possible and real. I think the key to all of them is to really believe the things Jesus tells us.
So, when Jesus says to love our enemies, let's not gossip about them. When he says to sell stuff we have (or buy fewer things) so we have money to give to the poor, let's actually give money away. When he says that it's hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven, let's make it easy on ourselves and become poor. When Jesus spends all his time with the losers, the disabled, the sick, the poor, let's spend time with those people too and become their friend and love them.
And when we do these things, we will joyous, holy, and overwhelmed by God's love. And if we don't do these things, then we're probably just faking it.
15 September 2010
Field for sale
Matthew 13:44
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought the field."
The kingdom of heaven, whatever that means, is so amazing and important that Jesus describes it with this little analogy. The man finds a treasure. It's far more important than anything he has, so he sells all his stuff to make sure that he gets the treasure, which is the kingdom of God.
But me, I'm not even willing to give up my savings for the kingdom of God, let alone sell things I have. I mean, what if an emergency happens and I need the money? What if I need a downpayment for a house some day? What if...
But, you see, Jesus tells a parable about people like me. It's the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). In the parable, a man leaves and gives his servants some money. God has given me some money. Some of the servants invest the money, get back more, and give it to the man. He is pleased and blesses them. The final servant hides the money, doing nothing with it, and gives it back. The money I have is hidden in a bank account. The man takes money and gives it to the faithful servants, and the worthless servant is thrown "outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Weeping and gnashing of teeth? That's a description of hell. The servant who keeps the money and does nothing with it is thrown into hell.
So, this is a serious thing. Now, I don't think this parable is saying that God wants us to go invest into the stock market to try to get rich. But I do think this parable is saying that we should give our money away. More specifically that I should give my own money away...and invest it in something or someone that is doing the work of God.
Jesus says it so many freaking times. He tells the rich man to sell all his posessions before following him. He says that it's really hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. In Luke 14:33, he says that we can't be his disciple if we don't give up everything we have. In Luke 12:33, Jesus straight-up says "Sell your possessions and give to the poor." At the end of the same chapter he says that from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded. Keeping money is a way to be safe in life, and in Luke 9:24, Jesus says that we will lose our life if we try to save it, and save it if we lose it. Luke 6:20 has Jesus teaching that the poor will be blessed because the kingdom of God belongs to them. And these are just the verses I found perusing things I've marked in my Bible....there's probably many more.
Maybe not all of these verses support what I'm saying, and I don't understand them all completely, but there's enough to back it up. It's clear that Jesus wants us to give up things for the kingdom. He wants us to trust him for everything, which is way easier when we don't have a savings account to trust in. Maybe I'm wrong, but should we risk distancing ourselves from God because of our excess money that will one day vanish?
I found that treasure in the field. But apparently, I'm somehow not convinced that the field is a good investment. What will you sell for that field?
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought the field."
The kingdom of heaven, whatever that means, is so amazing and important that Jesus describes it with this little analogy. The man finds a treasure. It's far more important than anything he has, so he sells all his stuff to make sure that he gets the treasure, which is the kingdom of God.
But me, I'm not even willing to give up my savings for the kingdom of God, let alone sell things I have. I mean, what if an emergency happens and I need the money? What if I need a downpayment for a house some day? What if...
But, you see, Jesus tells a parable about people like me. It's the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). In the parable, a man leaves and gives his servants some money. God has given me some money. Some of the servants invest the money, get back more, and give it to the man. He is pleased and blesses them. The final servant hides the money, doing nothing with it, and gives it back. The money I have is hidden in a bank account. The man takes money and gives it to the faithful servants, and the worthless servant is thrown "outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Weeping and gnashing of teeth? That's a description of hell. The servant who keeps the money and does nothing with it is thrown into hell.
So, this is a serious thing. Now, I don't think this parable is saying that God wants us to go invest into the stock market to try to get rich. But I do think this parable is saying that we should give our money away. More specifically that I should give my own money away...and invest it in something or someone that is doing the work of God.
Jesus says it so many freaking times. He tells the rich man to sell all his posessions before following him. He says that it's really hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. In Luke 14:33, he says that we can't be his disciple if we don't give up everything we have. In Luke 12:33, Jesus straight-up says "Sell your possessions and give to the poor." At the end of the same chapter he says that from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded. Keeping money is a way to be safe in life, and in Luke 9:24, Jesus says that we will lose our life if we try to save it, and save it if we lose it. Luke 6:20 has Jesus teaching that the poor will be blessed because the kingdom of God belongs to them. And these are just the verses I found perusing things I've marked in my Bible....there's probably many more.
Maybe not all of these verses support what I'm saying, and I don't understand them all completely, but there's enough to back it up. It's clear that Jesus wants us to give up things for the kingdom. He wants us to trust him for everything, which is way easier when we don't have a savings account to trust in. Maybe I'm wrong, but should we risk distancing ourselves from God because of our excess money that will one day vanish?
I found that treasure in the field. But apparently, I'm somehow not convinced that the field is a good investment. What will you sell for that field?
31 August 2010
Analysis of a Despedida
Leaving Medellin, I had to say a lot of goodbyes. Leaving the farm, I said goodbye to the boys that I hung out with a ton and the other farm staff, who I had grown close to. A week before then, I said goodbye to Paul, the other gringo who was there for about the same time I was. Later that Sunday, I had to say goodbye to all the church folks that I had met. Then, some final goodbyes the last couple days I was there. It felt like I was saying goodbye to at least one person every day that last week.
And goodbyes suck.
It feels so weird when you spend all your time with a group of people, then all of a sudden, you don't see them at all, and maybe even never again. It's like when a boyfriend and girlfriend break up. One moment, they are the most important people to each other....next, they are barely in each other's lives.
I've had to do this a few times in my 23 years. After high school. After LT two summers ago. After Denver last summer. After this summer in Medellin. And after this last year of my college career ends, I'm going to have to do it again.
And I had the realization a few days ago that this upcoming set of goodbyes will undoubtedly be the most difficult I've had to do. Hands down.
I wish I could take a part of college with me. Maybe that's why so many feel like they have to find someone to marry while they are in college....so they can take a part of college with them to their post-college lives...
It's strange to think of all the people I've met in my life. I wonder what percentage of those people I will see again after leaving here before I die. I bet it's a really low number. We're all going to be going off to other parts of the state/country/world to do all kinds of crazy things.
What do I conclude from this? That life is short. And these different stages or seasons of life are even shorter. So, I want to enjoy and cherish this last year as much as possible before I have to move forward to the next stage of life.
We're food for worms, lads!
And goodbyes suck.
It feels so weird when you spend all your time with a group of people, then all of a sudden, you don't see them at all, and maybe even never again. It's like when a boyfriend and girlfriend break up. One moment, they are the most important people to each other....next, they are barely in each other's lives.
I've had to do this a few times in my 23 years. After high school. After LT two summers ago. After Denver last summer. After this summer in Medellin. And after this last year of my college career ends, I'm going to have to do it again.
And I had the realization a few days ago that this upcoming set of goodbyes will undoubtedly be the most difficult I've had to do. Hands down.
I wish I could take a part of college with me. Maybe that's why so many feel like they have to find someone to marry while they are in college....so they can take a part of college with them to their post-college lives...
It's strange to think of all the people I've met in my life. I wonder what percentage of those people I will see again after leaving here before I die. I bet it's a really low number. We're all going to be going off to other parts of the state/country/world to do all kinds of crazy things.
What do I conclude from this? That life is short. And these different stages or seasons of life are even shorter. So, I want to enjoy and cherish this last year as much as possible before I have to move forward to the next stage of life.
We're food for worms, lads!
31 July 2010
So, I've been a total blog failure this Summer. Sorry about that.
I come home on Wednesday. That's so crazy. Time has totally flown by. There have been some awesome moments, some sad ones, some boring ones, and many exciting ones.
Today, I said goodbye to the boys from the farm, and some of the staff. Here are a couple highlights:
First, last night, Orlando, one of the guys who helps run the farm, showed me a video last night. The video was of this guy named Nick Vujicic who has no arms or legs. He goes around speaking to huge crowds about Christ. I had seen the video before, and it's pretty legit. I normally like to stay away from "overcoming adversity" people, but this guy has a freakin' awesome message. Here's a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td069At34TM
Anyway, Orlando told me that I remind him of this guy, which was really encouraging.
Second, today, I gave my watch to one of the kids at the farm. It cost me 8000 pesos (which is about 4 dollars) downtown in Medellin, but it really meant a lot to him. He then gave me something in return, along with an encouraging note. "Amigos por siempre"
So yeah, spending the last couple nights here in the city before I have to say more goodbyes. Hopefully, tomorrow, I will get another chance to talk to a guy I met at church a couple weeks ago. He told me about his life....which was filled with a lot of gang stuff, killing, drugs, and other crazy stuff. But he wants to change, and probably has changed a ton, but still struggles with the desire to return to that type of life. For some reason, he chose me, the gringo with limited Spanish, to open up to. So, while he was crying (this is a guy who at first seemed to have his stuff together) and sharing about everything, I was sitting there trying to pick up as many words as possible. We read Romans 8 and I got to share the story of Paul and how God used someone who did terrible things in his past (like kill lots of people) and some other stuff.
So.....I'll update again soon with more things that have happened this summer. Dios les bendiga!
I come home on Wednesday. That's so crazy. Time has totally flown by. There have been some awesome moments, some sad ones, some boring ones, and many exciting ones.
Today, I said goodbye to the boys from the farm, and some of the staff. Here are a couple highlights:
First, last night, Orlando, one of the guys who helps run the farm, showed me a video last night. The video was of this guy named Nick Vujicic who has no arms or legs. He goes around speaking to huge crowds about Christ. I had seen the video before, and it's pretty legit. I normally like to stay away from "overcoming adversity" people, but this guy has a freakin' awesome message. Here's a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td069At34TM
Anyway, Orlando told me that I remind him of this guy, which was really encouraging.
Second, today, I gave my watch to one of the kids at the farm. It cost me 8000 pesos (which is about 4 dollars) downtown in Medellin, but it really meant a lot to him. He then gave me something in return, along with an encouraging note. "Amigos por siempre"
So yeah, spending the last couple nights here in the city before I have to say more goodbyes. Hopefully, tomorrow, I will get another chance to talk to a guy I met at church a couple weeks ago. He told me about his life....which was filled with a lot of gang stuff, killing, drugs, and other crazy stuff. But he wants to change, and probably has changed a ton, but still struggles with the desire to return to that type of life. For some reason, he chose me, the gringo with limited Spanish, to open up to. So, while he was crying (this is a guy who at first seemed to have his stuff together) and sharing about everything, I was sitting there trying to pick up as many words as possible. We read Romans 8 and I got to share the story of Paul and how God used someone who did terrible things in his past (like kill lots of people) and some other stuff.
So.....I'll update again soon with more things that have happened this summer. Dios les bendiga!
13 July 2010
Read this post to earn a special prize!
So, these are my notes for what I taught the youth at the churches here. I didn't say everything exactly how it is on here, but I followed this general outline and added or removed some things as I was teaching. If you read all of this post, you get a special prize (the satisfaction of having read all of the post).
1. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2. GIVING UP ON MIRACLES
I start with these verses because of what people think when they see me. I have had several people ask me if I have prayed for a miracle. I even had someone tell me that God was going to heal me. Yes, I used to ask God for healing, and when I was younger even expected it. I would ask God, "Why? Why me?" I could have given up on life and just waited around for physical healing from God.
But, fortunately, like Paul, I gave up on that specific miracle.
What if Paul would have stopped spreading the news of Christ because of his "thorn"? We wouldn't have half the New Testament, and the Gospel would not have spread to the Gentiles like it did.
What if I would have given up? I certainly wouldn't be here in Medellín. I wouldn't be in college. I wouldn't have gotten to do all the cool things that I have the privilege to do.
And according to this passage, I don’t need a miracle. God says that his grace is sufficient and that He is powerful in our weaknesses.
That's not to say that I don't wish I could walk. I would love to not have a disability. But that's not for me to decide.
3. James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
4. THE ADVANTAGE OF WEAKNESS
Why does James tell us to consider our trials "pure joy"? For us, it's hard to not be bitter during trials. If we can not be angry, that seems pretty good for us. But James tells us to be thankful for our trials! How crazy is that?
We ask for blessing all the time, but do we ever ask for trials? What would that look like?
What if, instead of asking for blessings, we ask God for whatever strengthens our relationship with him, whether that be blessing or trial? Are we willing to ask for trials in order to strengthen our faith?
This is where we have to figure out if we value comfort over our relationship with God. This is something we all probably struggle with.
God does not promise us comfort. He promises us trials:
"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
We will have trouble, but God will give us peace.
5. IDENTIFYING YOUR WEAKNESSES
What are you "weaknesses"? Here are some that I found:
Fear.
Depression.
Finances.
Tough family life…or not having a family.
Insecurity.
Physical problems.
Pride.
Lack of trust.
Anger.
Doubt and Unbelief.
Temptation.
Idols: wealth, boyfriend/girlfriend, intelligence
6. WHAT ARE YOUR WEAKNESSES KEEPING YOU FROM DOING?
Are your weaknesses keeping you from following God in any way?
Let's look at Moses.
Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?"
2 Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?"
"A staff," he replied.
3 The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground."
Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 "This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you."
6 Then the LORD said, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, [a] like snow.
7 "Now put it back into your cloak," he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.
8 Then the LORD said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second. 9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground."
10 Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."
11 The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."
13 But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."
-Exodus 4:1-13
God provided all these miraculous signs for Moses, and yet he still didn't believe that God could use him to do his purpose. Moses thought that because of his speech problem, God couldn't use him.
Often, we think the same way. But God used Moses to free the Israelites anyway.
Let's not let our imperfections get in the way of God working in our lives.
I don't have the gift of prophecy, but I think that for many of us in here, God has something he wants us to do…something that we don't think we can do. It could be anything: apologizing to a friend you have wronged, going to another country for college, becoming a pastor or missionary, or telling somebody about Jesus. I don't know, but if you are like me, there is always something crazy that God is wanting us to do.
My encouragement to you is to not be limited by your weaknesses, but to let God use you to accomplish his purpose.
"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." -Philippians 4:13
1. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2. GIVING UP ON MIRACLES
I start with these verses because of what people think when they see me. I have had several people ask me if I have prayed for a miracle. I even had someone tell me that God was going to heal me. Yes, I used to ask God for healing, and when I was younger even expected it. I would ask God, "Why? Why me?" I could have given up on life and just waited around for physical healing from God.
But, fortunately, like Paul, I gave up on that specific miracle.
What if Paul would have stopped spreading the news of Christ because of his "thorn"? We wouldn't have half the New Testament, and the Gospel would not have spread to the Gentiles like it did.
What if I would have given up? I certainly wouldn't be here in Medellín. I wouldn't be in college. I wouldn't have gotten to do all the cool things that I have the privilege to do.
And according to this passage, I don’t need a miracle. God says that his grace is sufficient and that He is powerful in our weaknesses.
That's not to say that I don't wish I could walk. I would love to not have a disability. But that's not for me to decide.
3. James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
4. THE ADVANTAGE OF WEAKNESS
Why does James tell us to consider our trials "pure joy"? For us, it's hard to not be bitter during trials. If we can not be angry, that seems pretty good for us. But James tells us to be thankful for our trials! How crazy is that?
We ask for blessing all the time, but do we ever ask for trials? What would that look like?
What if, instead of asking for blessings, we ask God for whatever strengthens our relationship with him, whether that be blessing or trial? Are we willing to ask for trials in order to strengthen our faith?
This is where we have to figure out if we value comfort over our relationship with God. This is something we all probably struggle with.
God does not promise us comfort. He promises us trials:
"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
We will have trouble, but God will give us peace.
5. IDENTIFYING YOUR WEAKNESSES
What are you "weaknesses"? Here are some that I found:
Fear.
Depression.
Finances.
Tough family life…or not having a family.
Insecurity.
Physical problems.
Pride.
Lack of trust.
Anger.
Doubt and Unbelief.
Temptation.
Idols: wealth, boyfriend/girlfriend, intelligence
6. WHAT ARE YOUR WEAKNESSES KEEPING YOU FROM DOING?
Are your weaknesses keeping you from following God in any way?
Let's look at Moses.
Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?"
2 Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?"
"A staff," he replied.
3 The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground."
Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 "This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you."
6 Then the LORD said, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, [a] like snow.
7 "Now put it back into your cloak," he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.
8 Then the LORD said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second. 9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground."
10 Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."
11 The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."
13 But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."
-Exodus 4:1-13
God provided all these miraculous signs for Moses, and yet he still didn't believe that God could use him to do his purpose. Moses thought that because of his speech problem, God couldn't use him.
Often, we think the same way. But God used Moses to free the Israelites anyway.
Let's not let our imperfections get in the way of God working in our lives.
I don't have the gift of prophecy, but I think that for many of us in here, God has something he wants us to do…something that we don't think we can do. It could be anything: apologizing to a friend you have wronged, going to another country for college, becoming a pastor or missionary, or telling somebody about Jesus. I don't know, but if you are like me, there is always something crazy that God is wanting us to do.
My encouragement to you is to not be limited by your weaknesses, but to let God use you to accomplish his purpose.
"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." -Philippians 4:13
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