Verse of The Week

Unplugged: Drawing Near to Him

Posted on by Justice

Have you ever gone to charge your phone, connected the cord and left it, only to come back hours later and find that it hadn’t charged? I know this has happened to me countless times with all of my technology. Far too often I would go to plug in a device and find out that my cord had been unplugged from the power bank or outlet. When this happens, I am deceived into thinking that my phone is gaining power, when in truth it simply sits there. The same thing can happen in our relationship with Jesus.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.” In John 15:1 Jesus gives the analogy of Himself being the vine. Just like an outlet the vine gives power and strength to those who are connected to it. Later on in the chapter Jesus says: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” (John 15:4) What we can see here is that the only way for us to live productive lives as Christians is when we are plugged in to Jesus our only source of true spiritual power.

Now I get it, the example of Jesus as the true vine is often over-used. I’ve heard it countless times, but it conveys a message that is scattered throughout the scripture: ‘Jesus alone can give us the strength we need to live in the freedom God intends for us.’ So, what happens when we think we are plugged in, but we aren’t? I believe that just like with our phones, we can think we are receiving power, when we aren’t even connected to the outlet. How does this happen? Through unconfessed sin. Psalm 66:18 says: “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” Sin keeps us from God, even the tiniest sin that we hold on to can keep us from Him. Isaiah 59:1-2 says: “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” There is some terrifying truth behind this. When we are living with sin in our lives, no matter how hard we try to be a “good Christian”, we will not have God’s favor or power working through us.

How often do we attend church, go to Bible study, and serve in ministries in our own power? How often do we think we are plugged in to God when we ourselves have pulled the cord? It can be really easy to get sucked into a religious routine, and when this happens, the devil is ready to pounce. 1 Peter 5:8 says: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” I would like to make the argument that when we are feeling at our “highest” spiritually the devil is most likely to attack. It is at that time that we become less vigilant and begin to relax as the wind directs our sails. It is then, that he sneaks in and tricks us into pulling the cord. We get disconnected from God, but we think that we are receiving power. We follow the routine without the Holy Spirit truly working in us, and this leads to further sin. I know this, because it began to happen to me. I’m writing this because I realized that I was getting caught in the routine. I went from an all-time spiritual high where I felt on fire for Jesus to feeling separated from Him. This happened because while I thought I was charging I had forgotten to check to see if I was plugged in. I began to trust in my own Bible reading more than the One who authored it. I had fallen for the devil’s trap.

Thankfully, there is hope for all of us who have foolishly pulled the cord on our relationship with Jesus. It may have been an accident, but the effects are still the same. James 4:8 & 10 provide us with a plan to reconnect to Jesus. “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double minded… Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” Humility is the solution. We often become unplugged because we trust in our own strength. We need to trust wholly in God. He loves us and wants what’s best for us. Without Him we are completely powerless, but when we repent, and become reconnected, He can and will do amazing things in our lives.

The Styrofoam Cake

Posted on by Justice

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was a little kid, and I was about to have my whole world torn apart. We were walking through Hy-Vee, and I was practically drooling at the sight of the massive cakes on display in the bakery department. It was at that point that I began to formulate a plan. (Readers Note: I formulate all kinds of absolutely destructive and sometime purely evil ideas. Thankfully I never execute them, I just enjoy the process of planning.) I would steal one of the massive cakes. All I had to do was drop it in the cart and run away. I’ll be honest, it seemed like one of the best ideas I’d ever had. Sure, it went against my morals; but look at that cake. It would be worth it. It was then that I pitched my idea to my parents, because I honestly had no intention of going through with it. They listened and then informed me that all those beautiful cakes were just a facade. It turns out on the inside these cakes were simply Styrofoam. Underneath the layers of sugary goodness lay something far worse than I could have ever imagined. Now I’m just glad I found out before I tried to take the cake.

You might be wondering why I spent so much time sharing my experience at the grocery store. Well, here’s why. Matthew 7:13 says: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” From this verse, we can see that the road of sin looks good, and it seems easy. Sadly, we can also see that many people fall for the deception of the easy road. It looks good, but it leads to destruction. This destruction is eternal separation from God. An eternity spent suffering in the fires of hell. I tried to find one good verse to sum up what hell is like, and I couldn’t, but I can tell you this, you don’t want to go there. (Some verses that provide a helpful description: Matthew 13:42, Revelation 20:10 & 14, Luke 16:19-31) The way of sin will always look appealing to us. If we allow ourselves to dwell upon it, we will become just like I did with the Styrofoam cakes. Infatuated. Many of the great people in the Bible gave into sin because it looked good to them. Why did Adam and Eve ignore God’s warning about the fruit? Why did Abraham try to rush God’s plans? Why did David commit adultery? All of these people sinned because it looked good, and in each circumstance, it was followed by shame and regret. They took a big bite of the cake, only to realize that it was all a lie.

I can think of many times in my life where I made the mistake of chasing after the “Styrofoam cake” of sin. It looked so good to me at the time, but once I had taken a bite, I felt so guilty. I’m sure you’ve made similar mistakes as well. The question is: what can we do to keep ourselves on the narrow path of righteousness? How can we keep ourselves from falling for the lies of sin again and again? We need to remind ourselves that Jesus is what we are truly looking for. When you feed on Him and His word, you will never be filled with shame and regret. John 6:26-27 says: “Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw the miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”” Jesus is telling us that He is truly satisfying. Unlike the facades that the devil offers us, Jesus is giving us something good and eternal. Not only is the bread that Jesus offers us better than the cake of the devil; it even has God’s stamp of approval on it!

You Deserve This…

Posted on by Justice

When you pour your time and effort into a project, it’s really easy to feel like you deserve success. When the work you do doesn’t turn out the way you want, you tend to feel like you’ve been ripped off.

I’ve felt this way a lot for the past year. It was my last year in speech and debate, and this led me to dedicate even more time toward preparation for my events. When the competition season finally came around, I was ready to win. I honestly believed that I had earned it. This caused me to leave every tournament disappointed. Every time I felt like someone had stolen something that I deserved.

Let’s be honest. We all like to think that we deserve all of the good things that happen to us. However, the Bible says the exact opposite. Matthew 5:45 says: For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” This verse goes to show that God gives good things to everyone, not just those who deserve it. In fact, those who don’t deserve it are continually blessed because of His unfailing mercy.

Our culture relentlessly tells us that we deserve all kinds of good things. You deserve a raise, to be appreciated, a better car, good looks, even a new grill. The list goes on. We even try to persuade ourselves that we deserve all the gifts that God has given us. “The only thing we deserve is hell.” My dad would tell me this when I was younger. He’s right, we have earned eternal suffering. We deserve separation from God. Romans 3:23 says: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Exactly three chapters later in Romans 6:23, Paul explains: “For the wages of sin is death.” The Bible is very clear with us. It tells us exactly what we deserve, and it’s not good things. We are worthy of punishment. Thankfully Paul continues the verse: “but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The desire to earn the blessings of God finds its roots in our pride. I was proud of myself and my cases. I foolishly trusted in them to get me the win. When I didn’t come out on top, I was disappointed and even angry. If you ever feel like you have been robbed of something you deserve, I want to remind you: “The only thing you deserve is hell.” Thankfully Jesus had mercy on us. He held back His judgement and instead died to save us from our sins and our pride. Ephesians 2:8-9 says: “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Our works will never be able to earn our salvation. Jesus died to save us, and He offers us the greatest gift that we will never deserve.

Good Friday: The Best and Worst Day

Posted on by Justice

I have always wondered why it is called Good Friday. It always seemed to me that the name should symbolize the horrors that took place roughly 2000 years ago. When we consider all that Jesus went through, it feels like we chose a poor name for this holiday. Spending more time in God’s word has helped me to realize just how good and bad this Friday really is. Let’s take a moment to look back upon exactly what took place on this day and see whether or not we can still call it Good Friday.

The book of Mark gives us some of the clearest insight into what happened immediately before Jesus was hung upon the cross. Mark 15:16-20 says: “The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the company of soldiers. They put a purple robe upon him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit upon him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.” I don’t know about you, but this passage horrifies me. It seems to perfectly describe the seeds of sin and hate that the devil is constantly sowing in our lives. I wonder how it was possible that these men were able to be so spiteful against someone who had done absolutely nothing to harm them. What amazes me even more is the fact that Jesus remains silent. You don’t hear Him calling out for help. He doesn’t even rebuke them. Instead, He willingly takes the punishment that we deserve.

In the gospel of Luke we are provided with the most vivid description of the crucifixion. Luke 23:32-43 says: “Two other men, both criminals were also led out with him to be executed. When they came near to the place called the Skull, they crucified him along with the criminals – one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are king of the Jews, save yourself.” There was written a notice above him, which read: This Is The King Of The Jews. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what we deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”” This is it. Jesus hanging there on the cross to pay for our sins. There is not a hint of anger in His voice. Sadness, perhaps, but not anger. Instead as He hangs there dying He shows His love. “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” How could they not know? They were brutally murdering an innocent man. Not only that, they were brutally murdering The Son of God. Jesus had every right to be angry, but all we can see is His great love.

Perhaps the love that Jesus showed almost 2000 year ago is the reason that we call today Good Friday. The fact of the matter is that great evil took place. The devil was most definitely rejoicing to see Jesus dying, but he wasn’t ready for what would come next. In hindsight we know that Jesus rose from the dead. We know that we can spend all of eternity with Him thanks to the gift He gave us. We know that His blood paid the price for our sins. This should be humbling. We are so rotten, that it cost Jesus His life to cover over the mistakes we made. One final thought that I believe we all should be thinking about this Easter. One of the criminals mocked Jesus. We all know where he went when he finally died, and it’s not a nice place. The other man approached Him in humility, asking for forgiveness. What did Jesus say to him? “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” This is why we call today Good Friday. Not because of the great evil that took place. We call today Good Friday because of the good news of salvation that Jesus purchased for us.

He Has A Plan In Your Suffering

Posted on by Justice

Last year I wrecked my car. I only had it for a few months, and I was crushed when I heard it was totaled. Sadly, I didn’t respond to it in the right way. I began to ask why God was mad at me. I wondered what I had done wrong to warrant the loss of my vehicle. Ultimately, I became irritable and grumpy any time a situation arose where I wanted to drive. When I look back on it, I wish I had taken the time to read Job and taken to heart the message it bears.

Let’s start with some context, who was Job? The Bible explains in Job 1:1-3: “In the land of Uz there lived a man named Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the east.” Job was blameless he didn’t sin against God, and he did everything for the Lord. It makes sense why things went so well for him.

Well, the Bible tells us that one day the devil came before the Lord and challenged Him. Job 1:9-11 says: “‘Does Job fear God for nothing?’ Satan replied. ‘Have you not put a hedge of protection around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.'” God accepts the challenge and allows Satan to take away everything from Job except for his life.

Following the tragedy that befell him, Job’s friends show up to mourn with him and give him counsel. They all explain to him that he must be harboring some unconfessed sin that has caused God to become angry with him. Job replies to them by explaining that there is no sin that he is holding onto, but his friends remain unconvinced. They all believed that for bad things to happen to Job, he must have angered God.

After the conversation with his friends, the Lord appears to Job and begins to question him. Job 38:1-5 says: “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you and you shall answer me. Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know. Who stretched a measuring line across it?” God explains to Job that he has no right to question Him. He explains that Job is unable to see all that He does, and ultimately doesn’t see His plans. In Job 42:2-3 Job replies to God saying: “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things to wonderful for me to know.” Job came to the realization that even when he couldn’t see it God had a plan.

In the end we can see how God responds to Job’s humility through his suffering. Job 42:13 says: “The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters.”

Hopefully you can see how God wasn’t punishing Job for his sin, He was testing his faith. I learned the same thing with my car. I was angry that I had lost my car, I asked why God was mad at me, and I ultimately realized, He wasn’t. God was not trying to smite me for a past sin, He was trying to show me that He has the perfect plan. A few months after I lost my car, I started searching for a new one. God helped me to find one that was significantly better than my previous one, and He provided the money I needed to buy it. Now when I look back on that event, I am reminded of how much God loves me, and that He uses hard times to strengthen our faith.

Just like Job, we all can learn to trust God to work things out. He loves all of us, and He wants what is best. Remember, we don’t see everything that God does. He knows what He is doing, and He loves you.

If you have had a time in your life where God has used something hard to help you grow, feel free to mention it in the comments. If right now you are struggling through a tough spot, I am also happy to pray for you.

Paving The Road For Us

Posted on by Justice

I was getting ready for the regionals debate tournament and I was getting nervous. Would I make it to nationals? I definitely did not have enough points to make it through the at large system, so this was my only chance. I knew I should trust that God had everything under control, but it was getting hard. I had been forced to drop my first tournament due to sickness, and that was causing me to struggle with a difficult question. Was God holding me back? What if He was trying to prevent me from succeeding? I knew that He knows what is best, but I was really beginning to doubt.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

I was thinking of God as a roadblock. I thought He was holding me back, but it turns out He was really paving a path for me. I ended up breaking to nationals, and I learned a valuable lesson… Trust God in all things, it may seem like He is slowing you down, but He is really paving the road for His perfect plans. In truth what seems like the fastest road to us is often a deadly shortcut. Driving off the road may seem faster at the time, but it always comes back to haunt you. Remember trust in the Lord and He will make your paths straight. God’s plan is always better even if it seems like the long road at the time. Trust in Him and you will never look back on the journey with regret.

No Greater Love

Posted on by Justice

When you consider love, what do you think about? Do you think about a person that you love, or do you think about that restaurant you just couldn’t live without? I absolutely love eating at Canes. All of these things tend to make love look like it’s simply a feeling. I feel love when I am around my family, or I feel love when I am with my favorite food. Our culture has defined love as a feeling or an emotion. However, the biblical view of love is something far more than that.

In the Bible, love is not described as only a feeling. Love is described as an action. In John 15:13 Jesus says: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” In this verse, Jesus is explaining that the greatest form of love is that one lay down his life for his friends. From what Jesus says, we can learn that love is not simply an emotion or a feeling. Love is sacrifice.

John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life.” God loves us so much that He gave up His Son to save us from our sins. Jesus gave up His life because He loved us.

Love is not just a feeling we get when we are around someone we enjoy being with. True love requires sacrifice. Sometimes it can be something simple, like spending time with a family member even though you are busy. Other times it can be hard, like giving up your life to save someone else. Jesus is the perfect example of love. While we were still sinners He died for us to save us from our sins. We are called to love our neighbor as ourselves, and love our enemies. This doesn’t mean conjuring up a warm and fuzzy feeling for them. Love means a willingness to sacrifice.

Never Put Off For Tomorrow….

Posted on by Justice

If you’ve ever watched Lego Ninjago, you probably remember Sensei Wu giving the ninja some kind of good advice. There is one of these lines that really stands out to me. In one of the episodes, he walks in to find the ninja playing video games when they should be training. He pulls the plug on the tv and then proceeds to tell them: “Never put off till tomorrow what can be done today.” There is a lot we can learn from this line, but first we need to make sure it’s in line with God’s Word.

God’s Word has a lot to say about the sluggard in Proverbs, and the concept of laziness is looked down on throughout the Bible. James 4:17 says: “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is a sin.” James is explaining that failing to do the right thing is a sin. When we put off doing something that we ought to do, it becomes much easier to forget about it. Proverbs 3:27-28 says: “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it” when you have it with you.” In this passage we can learn that it is wrong to prevent good from coming to those who deserve it, and we can learn that it is wrong to put off helping your neighbor, when you are capable of doing it immediately.

Overall, it is wrong to put something off when we are capable of doing it right away. When we put something off, we tend to forget about it, or keep on procrastinating until it never gets done. It is important that we all learn to “Never put off till tomorrow what can be done today”.

A Perfect Plan

Posted on by Justice

Have you ever had plans for something that just didn’t work out? You began working towards your goal, things were going great, and then you hit a dead end. This can be incredibly discouraging. It’s really hard to see your plans fall apart before your own eyes. You worked so hard for it, and now it all feels meaningless.

Romans 8:28 says: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

This verse is an excellent reminder when our plans fall apart. It reminds us that God has a perfect plan and His plans never fail. All things work together for the good of those who love God. Even when it seems like everything is falling apart God is working for the good of those who love Him. Trust God when your plans fail. He loves you and He has a perfect plan.

Out of Context

Posted on by Justice

“And whatever things you ask for in prayer, believing, you will receive.”* Sounds great right? I can finally get that Lamborghini I’ve always wanted. Maybe I’ll even order a burger while I’m at it.

Looking at this verse out of context can do us more harm than good. It does look like I can get whatever I want as long as I believe while I ask for it, but that’s not what this verse is saying. If we really want to understand the meaning of this verse, we need to look at it through the lens of the surrounding verses.

The events surrounding this verse can be found In Matthew 21:18-21. “Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

There are three “ifs” in this passage that we need to consider before we try to start calling down money, and tossing mountains in the river.

First: “If you have faith.” We need to have faith to cast the mountain into the sea. One of the things that we will begin to understand as we grow in faith is that God knows what is best. Another one of the things that we will have as we grow in faith are The Fruits of The Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. If we have faith in God, and are filled with His Spirit, do you think we will be throwing mountains in the sea just for fun? No, we will have the self control to avoid doing it.

Second: “Do not doubt.” We need to be completely trusting that God knows what is best for us, and will do so. If you doubt that He is able to cause the mountain to move into the sea, you are unable to tell it to do so. Part of trusting God, however, is also trusting in His plans.

Third: “Believing.” We have to believe that God will give us what we ask for. And the more we believe in Him, the more we trust in His plans for our lives.

God is fully capable of doing all these awesome things in our lives, and He wants what is best for us. When we ask Him for something it is important to remember how much He loves us, and how good His plans are. If you don’t get exactly what you asked for, just remember that God knows what is best, and He is working out His perfect plan in our lives. Also, remember that the more you put your trust in God, the more your desires will be in sync with His. When we really put our trust in God, we will be asking Him for what He wants, not our selfish desires.

Matthew 21:22