11/22 - Where Are You Going?

I saw a wreck on I-75 the other day and this one was was really bad. The scene didn't leave one with much hope for a favorable outcome for those involved. The odd thing was that there was just one car involved and it lay on its side with smoke pouring out of the car as if it would just blow up at any moment. Now I was able to observe this because, like everyone else, I slowed down to see what was happening. Normally, I try to continue at my normal speed and shoot up a quick prayer for the accident victims because I don't want to be that guy I always talk about who slows down traffic for something they can't do anything about. But this accident was a little different.

I began to think about why people slow down to watch accidents. Is it because we're nosy? Is it our undying concern for our fellow man? Or is it because some part of us that knows that accident could have easily been us? The most likely answer is because the car in front of us slowed down too, but I think there is something to that third reason - we know it could have been us. We're all so distracted when we drive - text messages, phone calls, meals, make-up, music, etc - we're really just seconds away from being on the side of the road with everyone slowing down to look at us. Now we don't intend to get into an accident and most certainly don't intend to harm anyone else but our good intentions aren't good enough are they?

In a book I'm reading (The Principle of the Path - Andy Stanley) the author points out that our intentions are not necessarily (and in most cases if we're honest) connected to our actual direction. We intend to be faithful believers, good parents, conscientious drivers, good cooks, etc. but if our lives have no evidence that we're on a path to becoming these things the outcome is quite predictable - we won't become them. I have dreams of one day being a decent cook. That one day I'll be able to throw something on the grill that will change the way people feel about food. However, one look at the path I'm on would clue you in to the inevitable truth that I'll never get there. My once-a-year attempt at grilling out might not get me there (until I'm 90 yrs old).

Thinking back to the accident analogy, we've all looked across at other distracted drivers and thought "You're going to get someone in an accident!" or "Let me get away from this person before they cause me to wreck." For many of us (me) this is very hypocritical but it points out something very critical about this principle. we often know where a particular path might lead...when viewing someone else's life. It's when we apply it to our own life that we can experience change and begin to ask God to help us align our intentions with our actions. The author would say that we ought to align our actions with our path (which consists of our actions).

Thought for the day: what are the discrepancies in my life between what I desire and what I'm actually doing?

11/6 - New Life

It's been a while since I've posted but be patient with me. I'm trying to get back into some sort of routine but 3-4 hours of sleep doesn't allow one to be in his best state of mind.

Wow. What an amazing couple of weeks it has been. That's probably an understatement but I'm not sure how else to describe it. Having a child has been yet another opportunity for me to experience God. The changes a woman's body goes through leading up to delivery - how the baby knows how to position himself, the body's impulse to push, the umbilical cord (which is pretty amazing when you think about it), the healing process afterward - who could think of this stuff but God? In everything that's happening it's tough not to see the hand of God in it. I thank God for that. I thank Him for opening my eyes because thousands of babies are born each day an still people aren't convinced of Him. He didn't have to reveal Himself to me but He did. Incredible.

So I have this new life now that my wife and I have been entrusted to and as expected a heightened sense of responsibility. However, it's a tough thing for me to get my head around now. I don't know, maybe because it's so early in Joshua's life. I know it's not possible but feel the burden to do everything right now. I don't use that term burden in a negative sense but in the sense that the call to righteousness now seems higher. Maybe it's unrealistic but still a noble concept I suppose. God did say Be holy because I am holy (1 Peter 1:16). I guess it takes something like this before I take that seriously.

I feel the call to be a godly example for him. One of my prayers has been that Joshua can get a glimpse, or even a quick peek, of God the Father through me, his earthly father.

I'm excited about Joshua's life. All the mystery behind what sort of man he'll be, what hobbies he'll have, what gifts he'll have. Many of you who know me also know that some things have already been established - he will be a Bengals/Reds fan, he will play infield and be a switch hitter and he won't endorse the activities of PETA. I'm kidding (but again, those of you who know me also know that I'm not kidding at all). But beyond that, it's all a mystery and that's pretty exciting.

The less exciting but equally true mystery of Joshua's life is his salvation. I don't think it's ever too early to start thinking about this even though he's only 12 days old now. He's new, innocent and in my eyes can do no wrong but he still was born in depravity. The other of my prayers these first days of his life have been for that one soul - whether it be me, Kendra or whoever - who will share the gospel with Joshua and he will come to accept it and live his life for Jesus. Pray that with me if you don't mind. I'm also excited about Joshua's ministry- but this must happen first.

http://joshuachristopherscott.shutterfly.com

Joshua Christopher Scott

Haven't posted for a while but I have an excuse this time....my son was born yesterday October 25. Check here for info & pictures

http://joshuachristopherscott.shutterfly.com

Will post more on this soon Lord willing. Gotta feed the baby now

10/22 - Tough Promises

Read John 14-16.

It's two chapters full of some amazing promises for our lives that we may not always take advantage of. There's a lot in this passage so for all of you who read it, you'll get something different out of it (don't worry, thats the Holy Spirit working). The thing that stood out to me is that about 4 times in Jesus' monologue he offers this promise, "Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it." (John 14:14, 15:7, 15:16, 16:24).

In the study that led me to this passage, I was challenged to take these promises literally. However, I think we all know this isn't an open ATM. We can't just ask for and get whatever we want right? Isn't that the literal translation? The reason we know this isn't true is the same reason we have difficulty in putting our confidence in these promises - we've tried them and they don't work. Well, at least they don't work how we think they should work. We've asked God for things that are noble & spiritual things yet we haven't seen the results we desired. We've asked God to heal loved ones, deliver us from financial problems, mend relationships but sometimes these things don't happen. How does that line up with "You may ask anything in my name and I will give it to you"?

Well, let me confess - I'm not here to answer that question. I'm not qualified. This is one of those tough passages that quite honestly is hard to deal with. God is mysterious and doesn't necessarily require that we figure Him out. We can, however, begin to deal with this issue by understanding some very fundamental truths.

God's will is perfect. It's perfect because it's His. We cannot receive anything from Him that is also not subject to His will. (1 John 2:17)

God is good and worthy of our trust. No matter the circumstance, He has our best interest at heart. (John 14:1)

If we don't get what we want, it's probably for our good. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Today, let's be encouraged by what God has promised. Although it may be difficult to understand His reasoning, let's worship Him for that instead of causing it to draw us away from Him. Let the fact that He's mysterious, that His ways aren't our ways, that He's unsearchable, His way unfathomable....let these facts cause us to worship Him and seek to learn more about Him. It's issues like these that ought to drive us further into study and learning about this wonderful God.

10/20 - Rejoice!

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4). Today is an encouragement for us to do just that. I know we can get bogged down with the pressures of life but this verse doesn't seem to offer us any exemption in these times. It says to rejoice always. The ability to rejoice requires a little faith & a little trust in God.

There are certain people who, if I loan something of value to, I can be confident that I'll receive my stuff back. Then there are those other ones. Though they say things like "I'll get it to you next week," I have little confidence in it actually happening. I may even have to check up on them every once in a while just to make sure they don't forget because I'm concerned that they won't keep their word. When we worry about all the stuff in our life, aren't we treating God like I treat these people? We're worried He won't keep His word so we stress out trying to do it on our own.

God has made promises like Philippians 4:4 and here in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." So what does it say about us when we worry? Francis Chan described worry and stress this way:

Worry implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of whats happening in our lives.

Stress says the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace toward others, or our tight grip of control.

One of the things that Christians ought to be wary of is justifying our stress. We can fool ourselves into thinking that our anxieties are OK because they're ministry related. Again, God's promises make no provision for "how important" the issue we stress about are. If we believe 1 Corinthians 10:13, "...God is faithful; he will not tempt you beyond what you can bear" - then our only adequate response is to trust Him and carry on with life, rejoicing.

10/18 - How Good is Good Enough?

Bear with me today, this may get lengthy. At the same time I don't think I can do this subject justice in one blog post.

What does it take to get in to heaven? I asked a few people this question this weekend and the answers varied greatly. Some of the answers I got were: "Well, I pray everyday, " "If you live a good life," "I go to church sometimes," "My parents used to take us to church," and "I'm not sure." Besides the last answer, the majority of responses hinged on the popular belief that good people go to heaven. It's a theory many subscribe to regardless of religion. If this is what you believe, I'd ask you to consider a few points today. Not asking you to agree but if your eternity hinges on this belief, it's at least worth a second look to be sure.

I just read a book called "How Good is Good Enough" by Andy Stanley and he outlines a few problems with the "good people go to heaven" theory. Consider:

1. We don't know exactly what good is. Most religious leaders can't agree on this and they're supposed to be leading us to this truth. Ask several people as I tried and you'll get as many answers.

2. Our internal "goodness" gauges aren't good enough. White Americans in times past primarily believed that whites & blacks weren't on equal footing. Nazi Germany thought similarly about the Jews. I believe they were sincere in their convictions but it's generally believed now that they were sincerely wrong. As time passes, our definition of right and wrong tends to change.

3. We have no clear scoring system from God for good deeds. If the "good people go" theory is true, how much good will get you in? If 90% of your deeds are good? How about 51% just so the good outweighs the bad? Could you really end up one good deed shy of heaven?

4. This theory isn't as fair as we make it to be. Under this theory, you could simply run out of time. What if you plan on doing a ton of good deeds but die very young? What is the standard for good? What if Mother Theresa bumped the curve up so high that now it takes 60% good deed to get in?

Some of these questions may seem silly but when you go by this theory, they are some things that seriously should be considered. The Bible is one religious book that doesn't support this theory:

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" - Romans 3:23

"There is no one righteous, not even one." - Romans 6:23

"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in [God's] sight by observing the law; rather through the law we become conscious of sin" - Romans 3:20

Basically the Bible isn't giving much credibility to people's goodness. It does speak to a theory in direct opposition to today's subject: bad people go to heaven. The above verses indicate that no one is good, but somebody has to go to heaven right? The key is that the Bible doesn't use goodness as a measure, but forgiveness.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life" - John 3:16

"For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man" - Romans 8:3

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" -John 14:6

Say what you will about God's fairness (topic for another blog perhaps) but the layout is plain: there's one method into heaven - forgiveness; one who can give it - God; one way it's received - Jesus Christ. No back doors, no VIP passes.

10/15 - Will You Go?

While reading Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4 this morning this song that's been in my head (and is now in my itunes playlist) came to mind. Take a moment and listen.

If you were able to listen, it's hard not to be moved to worship. In these chapters we read about the four creatures who surround the throne of God crying these same lyrics, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" It's their only adequate response to such a marvelous God.

Let's look at Isaiah's response. He became immediately aware of how unholy he was (verse 6). Then one of the four seraphim flew to him, touched his lips with a burning coal and declared his sins forgiven. Then the Lord asks the question, "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" As you could imagine, Isaiah, being surrounded by God's glory and in awe-struck wonder, boldly says, "Here I am. Send me." Isn't the same question before us today? Whom shall He send? What is your response?

The very easy and obvious answer to the question is "yes" but before we dive head first into this call, it's important that we consider the cost. I may have mentioned this in a previous post but many believers jump into ministry very enthusiastically (and rightfully so) but haven't considered the cost. So when the storms come they are unprepared, the delusions of "everything being easier with God" fade away and they experience disappointment. After Isaiah volunteers, God responds with what will be a very uncomfortable task - Go tell your people, the Israelites who have always been God's people, that they'll never understand the truth. Their hearts, already turned from Me, will remain that way.

So who shall God send? Who of us will go for Him? Will we accept the call even if it's uncomfortable? Considering yesterday's question, will you "go" for a God who isn't required to explain His reasoning to us?