So my Bible Study class at church is weird. I know that’s an awkward way to start this out, but it’s true. The class is weird. It’s not that the people in the class are weird. They aren’t. They are pretty normal; as normal as anyone else is anyways. I mean normal in the sense of they have jobs and are married and all. That last part, the thing about all of them being married, I guess that’s what makes the class weird. “Wait Matt, you’re not married so why are you in the class?” And that is certainly a great question, and I guess me being the single guy in a couples class is what makes the class weird. From my standpoint, I bring something different to the class. It’s great for me, I think, because I get to learn from all of these married people. You know, if you want to learn about something that you have never experienced, it is best to learn from those who have. Also, whenever I need relationship advice, which is not often, I have a bunch of married guys to talk to. (I say not often not in the sense of I am a pro in the relationship area, but as in I have no need for advice because of my lack of being in a relationship.) I wouldn’t ask a single friend about relationship advice because that’s like letting a blind person drive you around town – a wreck is bound to follow and soon. The Bible says a wise man seeks the counsel of others. I think this verse can be applied to relationship counsel. I have learned a lot from my friends, but also God has taught me a lot during my time spent in singleness. It’s amazing how much you can learn when you examine something from afar off. But then again, I have also learned things from the relationships in my past as well.

One thing I have learned about relationships is that it’s best when they are intentional. I know that sounds weird and all, but give me a sec. When I say intentional, I don’t mean that I am going to go up to a girl and say “Hi. We are dating now. 4 months from today I will propose and exactly 3 months from then we will be married.” That’s the kind of talk that would creep a woman out. Intentional dating is having some sort of plan, but also not having it all planned out. I guess it’s not casual. I am not a fan of casual dating, though I used to be. Most of the time someone gets attached and feelings get hurt…that’s why I can’t support casual dating anymore. Usually dating is something like, “Hey, we are going to be together until something better comes along or I get bored.” To me, this kind of dating isn’t all that great either. I don’t think Jesus would lend his support to regular dating. I guess I don’t have some set definition for intentional dating, but I know what it is not. It is not casual and it’s not selfish. It is not avoiding a DTR, defining the relationship, conversation.

I used to fear the DTR, now I think it is essential. When there’s not one, someone is always left wondering where they stand because the communication is not clear. I think the defining should rest on the shoulders of the man. Being a man, I gotta step up and lead.

I’m not that old fashioned when it comes to roles in relationships or anything. I mean, I typically don’t think that a woman’s place is cooking, cleaning, and popping out babies. I do think men need to be the initiators when it comes to relationships. In Proverbs it says that a man who finds a wife finds what is good. The guy is the one finding. He’s the one initiating. He’s the one pursuing. Why? Because a good woman has worth. Things of worth don’t just fall into your lap. Every other Friday money just doesn’t magically appear in my bank account without me doing anything to earn it. I have to work for it. So ladies, if I had to say something to you it would be that it’s okay – even good – to be a little hard to get. Don’t go all into playing head games with the guy, but ladies you are worth something so let him show you what he’s willing to do to have something of worth. A good and godly man will want to show a woman he is interested in that she is valuable to him.

One more thing on my mind. I used to have this mindset that there were things I had to get accomplished before I wanted to be married. Like be out of school, financially stable, and such. My thoughts have changed recently. I said before that it would great to save money while you are single that way you could bring something into a marriage, and I think this is true. You know, right now I could say that I want to get finished with grad school and be stable as a counselor before I am married, but I am not going to say that. After I accomplished those things I would probably come up with another list of things I thought I had to get out of the way. Sure if I was finished with school and very successful, pursuing a marriage would be easier. But there are always going to be things to overcome in every relationship, no matter how long you are in life. Fact is, I can always come up with tons of reasons not to do something; I can always make excuses. And I think one big thing in relationships is learning to get through things together.

That’s really all of the thoughts I have for now and feel free to disagree. Live blessed and walk in love…

You want to know something personal about me? I want to get married and have a family one day. It’s something I really want. I want to have a wife to take care of and provide for. I want children who I can play with and be there for. That’s just how God made me. It is a desire He set inside my heart. But what if this doesn’t come true? What if I never get married and I never have any children? What if I am single my whole life? Can I cope with that? Will my life still have any meaning? Can I still be happy?

I remember talking to an exgirlfriend of mine about these issues about 4 years or so ago. (Funny thing, we were actually exes then and we were talking about these things. So for all of you out there, you can actually be friends with someone you used to date. You don’t have to be on bad terms.) She told me that since these desires to have a wife and kids came from God, then He would be sure to carry them out. I think this is true because my desires aren’t selfish or anything. I don’t think He answers all of our desires though. If I desired a Bentley, God wouldn’t give it to me just because I desired it. But unselfish and honorable desires, I believe He likes those. But I am not God. I cannot say what He will do. And most of all I can’t make Him do anything. He’s not a genie in a magic lamp who I pray to and He grants me wishes. He’s God; and for Him to be God- well He has to be able to do whatever He sees fit. So I have to wrestle with the possibility that I could be single for the rest of my life.

I know people that would say their biggest fear is to be single for the rest of their life. How do they handle this fear? Either A) They fall too early too soon for someone because they just want to be in a relationship and they don’t care who it’s with. B) They jump from relationship to relationship just trying to avoid anytime being single. They identify their worth on whether they are with someone (marriage is not the major league and singles the minor league.) C) They are in some dead end relationship with someone they shouldn’t be with but they lack the courage to end it. To me, if I can’t be single and at peace about it, then I am saying that my happiness is not based on Him. If my fear is being single for the rest of my life, then I am saying that He is not enough.

So right now I am single. What am I supposed to do while I am in this time during my life? Well, since I would like to have a family one day I probably should prepare myself for one. Take responsibility, be a man, don’t do stupid boyish things. I think one of the best things for someone to do who wants a family but is single is to start financially preparing. You know, I am probably not going to give a dowry to my wife’s father but I do want to bring financial stability to my wife. I don’t want to be up to my ears in debt and have no way of earning an income. It would be awesome if one day I could say to the woman I marry, “Before we met I started spending responsibly and saving so that now I can buy us this house.” Another thing a single person can do while they are single is to get a plan for your life. What do you want to do? Me, I have figured that God wants me to become a counselor, so I am pursuing that. When you have a plan, you actually bring something to a relationship. Ladies correct me if I am wrong, but it is not attractive for a guy to just be clueless on his future. I am not saying that single people need to have their whole life planned out, but seek out a direction in which you think He wants you to go and go after it. Being single is not a time to just sit around and be wasted. Relationships, particulary marriage, are for men and not for boys, and for women not for girls. So grow up.

Being single is not a bad thing. There is so much you can accomplish for Him that married people just can’t do. On the other hand, marriage is also a good thing. I don’t know how long God will allow me to be single. It’s up to Him. I am not just sitting around waiting for Him to drop a wife in my lap. Proverbs says that a man who finds a wife, finds a good thing. Finds means that the man actually has to be looking for a wife. At the same time, this doesn’t mean that I should just be jumping from girl to girl either. The whole idea of pursuing is a whole piece in itself. But for my single folks, if you believe God has marriage in your future start preparing for it. And for my people who are dating, make sure you are dating for the right reasons. Don’t be afraid of being single. If you have been with him or her for a year and you’re not sure if they are the one, get out of the relationship. Well I guess that’s all for now. Live blessed and walk in love…

I have been reading alot about relationships recently. Relationships have been at the forefront of my mind a lot. I have had many talks about relationships with people recently. Why? It’s just one of those things in life that interest me. If I could choose one word to sum up everything about life, it would be relationships. Relationship with God, relationships with others, relationship with yourself; these are the things life revolves around right? These are the things that can send us to the mountaintops as well as the valleys. As Jesus said, the most important things are loving God and loving others as you love yourself. I have learned a lot from my relationships. They have each played a role in shaping me. Right now I just want to focus on man and woman relationships, more specifically dating and such.

There are tons of terms out there having to do with a relationship between a man and a woman. Courting, Dating, a mixture of the two is Dorting (no joke), Casual Dating, ‘Hanging Out’, Hooking Up, Friends with Benefits, and there are probably some more I am leaving out. Because this following Jesus thing is a lifestyle, it’s gonna influence all areas of my life including my opposite sex relationships. If I am taking my relationship with Him seriously, then how I ‘date’ or ‘court’ or ‘whatever’ will be influenced by Him.

So what exactly does this mean following Christ and dating? How does my relationship with Him influence my relationship with her…or him if you are a girl? There are so many ideas floating around out there in the Christian sub culture about these issues. There are numerous books on How to Date like Jesus (exaggeration), and Courting is of God and Dating is of the Devil. I do believe that the Bible does have great advice when it comes to ‘dating’, but I don’t think there is a list of guidelines you have to follow. I do not plan on giving my future father-in-law 20 camels and some sheep in exchange for his daughters hand in marriage. I am not planning on pulling an Isaac and choosing a wife because she gave some water to my servant and my camels.

I think dating or whatever you want to call it means investing in a relationship. I don’t think God created relationships so we could take them casually. And I’m just gonna go ahead and say it, I don’t think God is a fan of hooking up or anything of that sort. I remember reading a few years ago what Jesus said about lust and it totally changed my life. He said that if you even have lust in your mind, you have already committed adultery in your heart. So the question isn’t how far is too far with a member of the opposite sex. Is 2^nd or 3^rd base the stopping point? The question is how can I follow Christ more in this relationship. I plan on talking more on lust in a different piece.

One thing that troubles me with relationships is when I see others who expect for a relationship to complete them. It’s just untrue. How can some faulty person complete another faulty person? Here’s another one: why do so many relationships end because one person just lost interest in the other one. Everyone is interesting; I think it has more to do with getting what we want out of someone else. I have a lot of more ideas and topics I want to write about regarding relationships, but I will save them for a later date.

So I have been thinking about getting a tattoo. This is not a recent thought or something I am doing out on a whim. I have been kicking around this idea for well over a year now. They say that if you want a tattoo you should think about it for awhile before you get one. And if after awhile you still want it, then go ahead and get it because it’s not something you will regret. That’s just what ‘they’ say. Some of you may say, “Matt, I never knew you were the tattoo type.” To which I would reply, “There’s a tattoo type?” Or other, slightly more conservative folk like my grandmother, would say, “But tattoos are of the Devil.” I would probably ignore you if you said that though because sometimes I get tired of arguing. What thing do I want permanently inked onto my skin? Something simple. Just words, no pictures. I don’t want a flaming skull across my chest or anything. It wouldn’t match my life. I am thinking a Bible verse actually. Not a whole verse, but just the book, chapter and verse number. Isaiah 6:8. It’s kinda a reminder to me to be willing to do whatever God wants of me.

I think reminders are good to have. I know I especially need reminders because I have learned recently that I am very forgetful. (So if we cross paths sometime and I don’t remember your name, let me apologize. I’ll try to play it off like I remember, but I seriously am very forgetful.) I think reminders about God are important. I think we all need to be reminded who He is, and about His love, and who we are in Him. Why do we need reminders of these things? Because so often we forget.

I know there have been many times where I have forgotten whose I am. I have forgotten who I represent. I have forgotten who He is. It’s so easy just to get caught up in something; whether it’s a job, school, yourself, another person, the culture, and even playing religion. It is so easy just to lose focus. Notice I said playing religion. I imagine many TV evangelists face times where they forget about authenticity and take on the roles of performing a show. It’s easy to put on my Jesus outfit (not a literal outfit) on Sundays, but it’s hard to remember to put it on everyday. Though He is with us always, many times we forget that our lives should reflect this always.

And that’s the thing when you claim to follow Him, you bring Him with you everywhere you go. Whether you are doing what He says to do or not, He still there with you. We can’t change that He is there. We can change how others view Him based on how we represent Him. They can either be turned off or turned on. Everyone knows I believe in gray areas when it comes to faith, but these things are black and white. I’m either doing what the Bible says or I am just not that serious about following Him. Either I am fleeing from lust or I am an adulterer (remember when Jesus says that even our thoughts can make us adulterers. So it has means more than just pre-martial sex.).

I guess the main thought of all of this is that I want to remember more often that I belong to God. That He is not something I can just put on whenever I feel like it. And if I really am taking my relationship with Him seriously, then I will actually do what He says to do. It’s really a simple idea, but often times I know I let it slip my mind. Simply living as He wants me to live, everyday, no matter where I am or who I am with. Doing what He says when I am out with friends on a Friday night. Doing what He says when I find myself alone with my girlfriend (I have no girlfriend, but if I did this would apply.) Doing what He says when I think no one else is watching. Doing what He says when it seems no one else is. Doing what He says and not adding to that my own created list of religious practices (I don’t have to abstain from alcohol; I just don’t need to get drunk.) Well I think that sums it all up. Walk in love…

“He’s just going to use it to get drunk.” That’s what I told myself when I saw a homeless man last week. There I was making my way through downtown, in my moderately nice vehicle on my way to an enjoyable evening of spending time with friends, cooking out (well technically it was cooking in. The grill was broken and George Foreman was used as a substitute. And on a side note. George Foreman is a genius. The world of indoor grilling was totally transformed when he stepped on the scene.). Here I am, stopped at a red light and I see this man. A little dirty, hasn’t shaved in a while and he has a sign. ANY BIT WILL HELP. GOD BLESS. I tried not to make eye contact with him at first, fearing that if our eyes met I would immediately feel guilty. I was only about 20 feet away from him, but I refused to make contact. I just kept my eyes looking straight ahead, even though I could sense that his eyes were locked onto me. Then the thought came up, “Don’t pay him any attention. Just ignore him. If you give him any money he will just go get drunk.”

I’ve been in this situation many times before. This is not the first homeless man that my path has crossed. There have been some I have ignored. Some I gave money to. Some I have talked with. Some I have bought food for. But no matter what I have done, that first thought to just ignore has almost always happened. Maybe I’m just an unsympathetic sinner?

I don’t consider myself that materialistic. I mean, I have some nice things, but I try not to let those things consume me or define me. I think I would be able to adapt pretty well if I was in some place where my things were stripped away from me, say like living in a hut in a village in Africa. I wouldn’t miss my SUV or my cell phone. But here’s this guy, out on a Saturday evening begging for money. Maybe he’s a drunkard, maybe he’s not. Maybe he’s just down on his luck, maybe he hasn’t been given the same opportunities I have. The fact is I have more than him. I have more stuff and that’s why I was sitting in my car listening to my ipod and he was on the street corner. Sure I can talk myself into ignoring him; I can rationalize myself to not be concerned with this man. I can subscribe to the idea that because I have more things than this man, then I am more important than he is. I could go that route.

But that’s not apart of following Christ. This lifestyle that I am trying to pursue, being after God’s own heart, well it tells me that I can’t ignore. That I can believe the idea that my stuff defines my worth. That I can’t believe that I am better than someone else because of what I have. If I am following Christ, I can’t choose to ignore a homeless man or simply write him off as a drunk. Yes, I do have more things than him, but I do not have more so I can keep more to myself. I have more so I can give more. “We are blessed so we can be a blessing,” is something I heard a pastor say once.

I don’t want this view of social status to keep me from following Christ. I don’t want to believe that this man and I are on different levels because of the things we have or do not have. God made this guy just as he made me. I am not better than him. I am not better than him. (I just thought I needed to repeat myself.) And I don’t want to help the poor or the homeless to make myself feel better. I don’t want to help the poor or the homeless so that I will feel less guilty for having more stuff. I want to do it because that’s what God wants. He doesn’t want me to question their neediness or to turn a blind eye. He wants me to show the love that I have been shown. And since I am trying to take my relationship with Him seriously, I want to do more of what He wants me to do. I want to not ignore signs that read ANY BIT WILL HELP. GOD BLESS. Walk in love…

I guess I think of myself as generally a smart person. I mean, not in a conceited way or anything. But in life, there are just some things I don’t understand. Women, for instance. I really don’t even know what to say about ya’ll except the more I try to understand you, the more I am left clueless. And the less I try to understand you, the more I am amazed. (Did that even make any sense?) Another more serious thing I don’t understand is tragedy. Virginia Tech. More eloquent people than I have already said a lot about the tragedy. I guess the first thoughts that went through my head were about the shooter. What led him to this? What was going on in his life? I don’t understand any of it. I watched the movie Hotel Rwanda the other weekend. It was such a great movie, but it made me really sad. I don’t understand how 700,000 people can be slaughtered while the rest of the world ignores the injustice.

When we hear of tragedies like these or go through our own, sometimes we say things like, “Oh I can’t wait until I get to Heaven.” There’s even an old hymn, “When we all get to Heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be.” I guess we say these things because we know that in Heaven there will be no more war or tears or starving children or mass suicide bombings. We believe that in Heaven, we will have life as it was intended to be before the Fall. And I agree with these ideas about Heaven. But sometimes these ideas about future glory impact our lives in a way that really goes against the things Jesus said. For instance, for many Christians it’s easy to not get involved in humanitarian efforts because they know one Day all will be made right. It’s easy to neglect the present world when you only have your eyes on the future one. When Christianity is just about getting to Heaven, we take away from the message of Jesus. Robb Bell says, “What happens is the Gospel becomes about another world and this world greatly suffers.” Don’t get me wrong, there is a future hope that we should be eagerly awaiting, but there is also a present world that needs our help too.

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full,” is something Jesus declares in John chapter 10. I believe that this life that Jesus spoke of is something that happens now, and not in some distant future. My life with Christ starts when I accept His love for me, not when I get to Heaven. There are bumper stickers out there, you know the ones. “Incase of Rapture, this car will be unmanned.” This may just be me, but this sticker represents this anticipation to leave this world behind. I can’t wait to get out of here. To me, this kind of thinking is not that Christ-like. Think about it. While He was here, did He ever say, “Man, you people are so screwed up. I can’t wait until I get to go back home.” Of course not. What did He say He was here to do? In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus says, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Jesus was here to teach, to heal, to love, to work, to help. So if Jesus is the ultimate example for my life, shouldn’t I be doing the things He did?

In the end, God restores the world to the way He meant it to be. So, that means it will never be fully restored until He does it. But since we are His children, since we are of His kingdom, shouldn’t we be trying to do a little restoring too? I am not judging anyone, but let’s face it, there are many of us out there who accepted Jesus just to avoid Hell. Now we’re just waiting around until God calls us home. That’s not the way He wants us to live, though. God wants us to get involved in this world and make a positive impact on this world for His Kingdom, and there is so much more to this than just getting ready for Heaven. It means bringing little pieces of Heaven here to Earth. It means actually loving your enemies and making peace a priority. It means getting involved in relationships so that no one ever feels alone. It means feeding the hungry, supplying for the poor, and telling enemies that war is not the answer. It means living our lives the way in which Jesus lived His. Walk in love…

So I guess you can say I am in the working world now. I still don’t feel comfortable in this place, to be honest. At least not comfortable being apart of corporate America. You know what, I have actually learned from being here. I’m not sure of if you are aware of this concept, but in order to advance in business you have to perform well. If I want to climb the so called “corporate ladder”, I have to constantly do better and better. Actually, I guess you can say this concept applies to most things in our world. If you want something, you have to work for it. I think this concept has been branded in our minds. It’s just the way the world works.

I guess now the question is how this “performance equal rewards” concept has affected our relationship with God. My guess is in a bigger way than we think. Let me say this. God can never love you any more than He does right now. Did you here that? God can never love you any more than He does right now. Let that sink in. Seriously. This idea is something that greatly amazes me and has affected my life. I guess I grew up with the idea that if I wanted God to love me more, I would have to do more things for Him. I mean, this concept is something that is true in most areas of our lives. I go to church whenever the doors are open because I want God to love me more. I read my Bible everyday because I want God to love me more. I say a prayer before every meal because I want God to love me more.

This kind of thinking about God, about performing for acceptance, it is not that healthy. It’s doing things out of obligation and not out of love. Example: I have a wife. (Use your imagination) Let’s say my wife has a birthday. Which do you think would be the sign of a healthy relationship between her and I: me giving her a gift because I felt it was my duty or me giving her a gift because of my love for her? Obviously the latter is the best.

The simple fact is God’s love for me and you can be no better than it is right now. No amount of mission trips, tithes, Bible studies, or prayers could ever improve His love for us. I know there are some people out there who would yell at me “faith without works is dead”, but I am not arguing against that. I am saying that sometimes we get in these places in our relationship with Him, where we are just doing things out of obligation. When we start trying to wrap our minds around of this great love God has for us, I believe it will cause in us a desire to want to live a life for and about Him.

This concept of His love, that there is nothing we can do to earn it; it’s so unlike the ways of this world. He did say something like His ways are not ours. We are brought up with these ideas that in order to get ahead in life we have to work harder, but God’s love doesn’t work that way. He says, “I love you just as you are. You don’t have to try to prove your love to me in order to get ahead. It can’t be done. Just accept that I love you and let My love transform you.” Notice the part about letting His love transform you. Yes, God does love us right where we are. God loves the pastor, the prostitute, the missionary, and the atheist each where they are. But, God wants His love to flow through us and change us in order to become more like Him. I want to love as God loves. I think many times in the Church, we have this idea that if someone wants to be apart of our big Christian family they have to meet us on our terms, but truthfully our love should meet them where they are first.

I don’t want to perform “Christian things” out of obligation, trying to earn His love. I don’t want to apply the world’s concept to One who is above this world. I don’t want to be apart of the false gospel that God’s love can be earned by doing more good deeds. I want to live fully in God’s love, allowing it to shape me and draw me closer to Him and spread from me to everyone I come in contact with. Walk and live in love…

This whole following Christ deal is difficult. I mean, He said it would be and He is right. One of the most difficult things for me is the balance between right and wrong. We don’t have a list of things to do and not to do, though some Christians will say that we do. And because sometimes the answers are not clearly written in stone, we have times where we disagree. One person will say this is right and the next person will say it’s wrong. And then there’s a big debate and sides are chosen. This whole cycle of things is so old and has been too overdone. With all that being said I am going to voice my opinion about something. Again this is just what I believe and I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. This is just me taking what I have learned from God and trying to apply it.

Did Jesus support war? I can’t find any scripture that says He did. Sure most of the Old Testament is about war and God constantly told the Israelites to go to war. But to me, when Jesus stepped out of Eternity and into this world, He brought with Him a different way of doing things. He said things like blessed are the peacemakers. When the Romans came to arrest Jesus with swords and torches, Peter makes a violent act of cutting off one of the soldier’s ears. Jesus could have just let it be, but He doesn’t. He says no to the way of violence. He says if He wanted to He could call down a whole army of angels to have His back. His army of angels would definitely be better than anything Caesar could put together. But Jesus doesn’t play by the way of violence. He says no. He says those who live by the sword will die by the sword. He tells Peter to put down his sword; to stop the violence.

Not only did Jesus want to stop the endless cycle of violence, but he wanted to bring restoration to man’s violent ways. For instance, he could have just left the man’s ear on the ground, and by earthly standards, the man deserved it. But Jesus doesn’t give the soldier what he deserves. He heals him. He makes things new. Jesus is the ultimate peacemaker and He is the restorer of our own violent ways.

There tends to be this unspoken conservative Christian rule that if you love Jesus you will vote Republican. And if you are Republican you will be for the war in Iraq. Christianity and politics are a touchy subject, I know. We have our issues of abortion and gay marriage and we say that we want to have laws concerning these areas. We call it the Sanctity of Life. We say God is against abortion and gay marriage so we want to make laws against them. I just have one question, why do we think we can apply our faith to laws about gay marriage and abortion and then disregard what Jesus says about violence and war? It seems like a double standard. We vote as if we want our nation to be a Christian nation, but we totally neglect what Jesus says about violence. If we want to apply Jesus to laws of gay marriage and abortion, shouldn’t we apply Jesus concerning war?

Really I am not saying I am for the war or against it. I honestly don’t know where I stand as a follower of Christ on this issue. Is war ever justifiable as a nation? Maybe. Is violence ever a way that represents Jesus? I can’t say that it is. I don’t think we are a Christian nation. Sure there were some great Biblical ideas in forming this nation, but we are not a theocracy. For me, I can’t support the war and then turn around and want to vote for God concerning gay marriage and abortion. I would have to call myself a hypocrite. For you, it may be okay. I am simply saying what Jesus had led me to believe. I do know that as a powerful nation, we should help the oppressed. I know that in Africa there are 10 year olds being forced to fight in wars and we as a nation have done little to end this. I think the War in Iraq will never be won because we are not fighting a nation, we are fighting a belief. Nations are easier to defeat than beliefs.

I do support our troops and I do love my country. But my citizenship is first and foremost in His Kingdom and I have to remember that while living in this world. I know some of you may disagree with me and that’s okay. I am not here to debate these issues or anything. I am just throwing ideas out there. If God speaks to you, then great. Debating hardly ever brings about any positive outcome. Walk in love…

Well I am back from a writing sabbatical. I didn’t go anywhere, but I just took a few weeks off from writing. I want to take a trip to Colorado soon though; anyone want to join? Well, I didn’t plan on taking time off writing. There are things that have been on my mind, things I have felt like writing about. There are things I have wrestled with; issues and topics. Things I don’t understand. I’m still relatively young and I know that there’s a lot I don’t know yet about life and walking with God. I have a lot to learn.

A few weeks ago I was reading the Bible. I was in Revelation reading the Jesus’ letters to the churches. I came across the famous letter to the church in Laodicea and the whole ‘lukewarm’ statement. You know, “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” This is one of those passages that just jumps off the page. We probably have all heard sermons on the dangers of being lukewarm. We probably have all heard people trying to scare us into obedience so Jesus will not spit us out of His mouth. And of course, this passage raises questions. Why does Jesus say that those who are lukewarm would be better off cold? How is this Jesus who spits people out of his mouth the same Christ who welcomes and forgives all? And the big question, what does it mean to be lukewarm?

I heard a great illustration from Pastor Francis Chan of California a few weeks ago. I will probably butcher it, but bear with me. If I were going to go in the army, I would meet with the army recruiter. What would happen if I told the recruiter that I didn’t want to commit to serve 3 years? “Hey Sarge, check this out. How about I only serve a year? That works better for me. And the whole boot camp thing, yeah I’m gonna sleep in and probably only train when I feel like it.” I doubt the recruiter would let me sign up. He’d probably yell at me and kick me out of his office. Why? Because when you sign up for something like the army, you are pretty much signing your life away for those years. But if I am going to be truthful, sometimes I have this attitude when following Christ; like I don’t want to be all in. I think that’s the heart of lukewarmnicity.

Anyone can pray a prayer. And one can say Jesus is Lord. Anyone can get dunked underwater in front of a church. But those things aren’t what it means to follow Him. Die to yourself. Pick up your cross. Hate your mother. Hate your brother. Unless I am not first in your life, unless you would leave it all for My sake, then you’re not following me. You are lukewarm.

In this verse in Revelations, Jesus is basically saying that we are either all in or all out. There is no middle ground. Here’s another example. Say I am dating someone. (I’m not.) Let’s say this woman I am dating sort of likes me and sort of don’ts. She thinks I am a good person and enjoys spending time with me, but she’s constantly looking for the next better thing. (I could make a joke here but I will refrain.) For her, it’s a relationship of convenience. Okay, I would have to be stupid to be in this relationship. Hey, either you like me or you don’t. Either you are with me or you’re not. That’s what Jesus is saying.

Yes, Jesus is redemption and love and forgiveness. But he also wants to be number 1. He doesn’t do second place. Just think, He went all the way for us. He didn’t tell Pilate, “Yeah, this whole death thing, um, I’m not really feeling it. Say, how about I just take a few lashes and be done with it?” Of course not. He went all the way for us. I know there are times in my life that I am lukewarm. It’s not that I don’t love Jesus; I guess I just get so caught up in everything else. But I guess if my life is not fully for Him, nothing else really matters. I am tired of my own lukewarmnicity. I want to be all in. Walk in love…

matt

So usually I average about 2 of these writing pieces a week. Some weeks I might do 3 and some weeks I might write just 1. I don’t have a list of topics or anything that I just choose from. I write about something only when God speaks to me about it. The Holy Spirit will lay some topic or issue on my soul and then I’ll write. It has been going steady like this for awhile now. I don’t have some quota, as far as how many writings per week I can turn out. I just write when I’m inspired, and as I said it’s been about 2 a week.
Last week I just wrote one piece. I didn’t write anything this weekend. I just haven’t felt inspired since the one I wrote last week. I was sitting with my notebook in hand last night and the thought came over me that I was supposed to write. I had this feeling as if it was just something I needed to check off my list. (You know the good Christian checklist, pray: check, read my Bible: check, go to church: check, help an old lady across the street: check, write a piece: ummm.) I sort of felt like it was my duty to write. But, I hadn’t been inspired to write about anything since last time. I could probably scribble down something about how Jesus’ resurrection meant more than just Him conquering death for us; that His resurrection was also a symbol of the restoration He offers us from our broken lives. You know, some profound theological piece. But there was no inspiration, and I just couldn’t bring myself to write.
I think at times we all get like this on our spiritual journey as Christ followers. One day we wake up and the inspiration and passion has faded away like a distant memory. Then, we feel the need to perform like we are actors in some sort of play. We put on a life of what is expected out of us, what a good Christian is supposed to do. Sunday we go to church so that we can just mark one good deed off our list. We read our Bible not because of thirst or out of love, but so that we feel as if it’s our job. And I’m not saying that during the times where we don’t feel as close to God as we should, that we just wait until we feel like doing these things again. Practicing discipline is what can get us through these ‘down’ times. But for me, I don’t like getting to the point where I’m just going through the motions. I don’t enjoying performing as the character of the good Christian. And I’m not a legalist by any means, thinking that one has to perform all of these certain things in order for God to love them.
I don’t want to just perform the Christian duties because that is what I’m supposed to do. I want to do because that’s want I desire to do. Jesus did say that two certain things were most the important. Love God and love everyone else. And if I am loving God and loving everyone else as I was created to do, everything else that I do will be out of an act of love. I will pray because I love talking to my Father. I will read my Bible because I love the things that Daddy can teach me through it. I will go to church because I love serving my Father and love just being around my brothers and sisters. I will help old ladies across the street because I love old ladies. I guess the point I’m trying to make is that yes there are some times when we feel like we need to perform our Christian duties because we feel like that is just what we are supposed to do. But before we just give into the motions and act out of duty, we need to take a step back and reflect on God’s love for us. When we see how much He loves us, we will want to do the good Christian things out of our love for Him. Live Blessed and Live out of Love…