Brotherhood

After reading Hebrews 2, I couldn't leave these things unsaid.

I don't know if this is deep at all, or just exciting to me.

But in Hebrews it talks about Christ.

It talks about how He is the one over everything.

How God crowned Him with glory and honor

and put everything under His feet.

That's exciting, Jesus is Lord.

But I find the next part even more exciting.

Jesus Christ is a brother to us humans.

God made Him a little lower than the angels

so He could taste death for His brothers.

The one who makes us holy

is from our very own family.

Jesus

is

not

ashamed

to

call

us

brothers.

He joined us so He could save us.

He joined us so He could lead us.

He joined us because He loves us.

Open Letter

An open letter to the world around me,

I am sorry for being so judgmental. I am sorry for assuming things about you based on how you dress or look or where you're from or what music you listen to or what grades you get or anything else. I really shouldn't do that, and I am really honestly trying to work on it right now. Please understand that I want to love you. I just don't always do that as well as I would like to. Please understand that I will continue to struggle with this, I'm sure, but that I want so badly to just love you unconditionally. Whoever you are. I love you.

-Andrew Carl Archer

Inspiration

Jude 1:24-25
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy — to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

The entire book of Jude (although only one chapter) is a great reminder to stay firmly rooted in our faith. It's a reminder to not follow fleshly desires, but rather to follow through faith alone. To gather all of our strength from the Holy Spirit and prayer and to trust in God's sovereign power above all else. There are people who love dissension, strife, drama. People who live for their own desires. People who don't follow God. But when we truly follow Him in faith, then we have true joy. He is the one who carries us to glory, the one who forgives our sins, and the one who supplies all of our hearts' joy. There is no one like our God. There never was and there never will be one who is like Him. May our hearts echo Jude's closing words now and forevermore. Praise be to our great God.

Distance

I feel like I've been totally separated from the youth group lately. And I know that I just moved up to the college group, so that's inevitable. But I just feel like I haven't even seen a lot of people in weeks. I'll take the blame. I definitely haven't been trying to get more involved or anything. But it's partially because of how dead the group has felt lately. I feel like the year ended in a total routine way. And I feel like church has been like that in general for a while now. People go, they sit and listen, they talk a little, and they leave. That's all I've seen forever now. It's really starting to get discouraging. There are bright spots here and there, but on the overall, everything is boring and the same week in and week out. I'm tired of "building a foundation" so we can eventually go deeper. I'm tired of "before you get the rest, you have to get this." I'm pretty sure those of us who have heard the basis for a while understand it about as well as we're ever going to and it's not helping to hear it over and over again. It's truth, and it's amazing truth, but it's the same truth that I heard last week and the week before that, and you get the idea. I want to know more about love, I want to know more about peace, I want to know more about promises, I want to know more about God. I get grace, I get TULIP, I get calvinism as much as I'm going to I'm pretty sure. And hearing the same old isn't adding anything. I want to grow.

This is venting, but it's not exaggeration.

Pros and Cons

Proverbs 14:4 - Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.

I almost skipped right over this verse, thinking it had to be some cultural thing, or just something that was for people with farms or animals or something. And yes, owning and using oxen is definitely cultural, seeing as nobody I know uses oxen to plow their fields or carry their loads, but it's still a clear example. With oxen come good things and bad things.

It made me think of the Christian life. With being a Christian comes good and bad. But like the oxen, much more good comes than bad. I'll start with the bad though, to clarify just what kind of bad I'm talking about with Christianity.

More responsibility can be a negative of the Christian life. It is worth it to be disciplined and focused, but that also takes more work. Christians have to be constantly on the watch for sin in their lives, constantly considering whether what they're doing is pleasing God or not. Instead of waking up and thinking about what they're going to eat and what they need to accomplish, christians wake up and think an entirely different set of thoughts. What sins have they left unconfessed, what brethren could use comfort and encouragement, what ways can they best use their time for God, what can they do to become more like Christ every day. The Christian has a much more driven and meaningful set of responsibilities than that of any unsaved person. That is easily considered a con by many at times.

Another downside, realizing sin for what it is. Christian eyes have been opened to the filthiness and wickedness that is sin. They know just how much sin hurts and disgusts the infinite God. They are hurt doubly and feel their guilt multiplied with every transgression they commit. And on top of that, their hearts are grieved deeply by the abundant sins of the world. The weight of sin, although lightened by God's grace, weighs heavy on the flesh hearts of those who believe.

But, the goodness and benefits of Christian life certainly outweigh any downside or burdens it brings. That responsibility that can at times be cumbersome is certainly offset by the power of Spirit that dwells in the hearts of believers. And the deep sorrow of sin is certainly overshadowed by the amazing grace of the cross of Christ. And not only do the negatives have corresponding and offsetting positives, but much more exists in the goodness of Christianity. Christ gives new, restored life to all who believe, there is the promise and hope of life in heaven, the love and support of the Church, the joy of knowing God and praising His name, experiencing the Love of a Savior and Lord who is God.

So the believer must look beyond the little mess that has been made in his manger, and look to the wonderful benefits provided by the God who is stronger and more profitable than any number of oxen. Though the Christian standard of living requires some labor, Christ's yoke is light and His love is wonderful. The work that it takes to please God and to get closer to Him is so worth it. We can rejoice as we do the work of the Lord, knowing that the pros certainly outweigh the cons. God is good, and overwhelmingly so.

The Mud, The Ropes

I was reading in Jeremiah 38 tonight, and I really feel like what I read was some sort of divine intervention.

6: Then they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchijah the king's son, which was in the court of the guardhouse; and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. Now in the cistern there was no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.

This past weekend has seemed to be full of "mud" for me. That is, it hasn't been entirely full of dirt and filth, but it also hasn't been full of pure water. It's been more of a mixture. And even though pure water, on its own, is clear and cool and satisfying and life-giving, mixed with dirt it becomes mud. And even though mud contains that cool, refreshing water, it is still a mess. And almost always, mud is even more of a mess than plain, old dirt. And that has been my weekend. Not totally good, not totally bad, just a messy mixture of the two. I've been stuck between good and bad, purity and corruption, light and dark. And even though I've had recent times of worship and love, they've been tainted by the times of sin and despair. the pure water of fellowship has been mixed with the filthiness of sin and has created a mudpit in me. And just like the cistern that the prophet Jeremiah had fallen into, the cistern I've been in contains no water, but only mud. Because even though water is part of the mixture of mud, it is not part of the result. And even though, like I said, there's been a mixture of things going on in my life, there's only been one result. In the end, there is only mud. Even the purest, clearest, best streams of water become nothing less than a pit of mud when you throw in a pile of dirt. And another thing about the mud is that you sink. Like quick sand, any attempt to escape the mud just causes you to sink down deeper. And all of my vain attempts to escape the mud have proven to be just as useless. Just like Jeremiah sank hopelessly into the cistern, alone I sink hopelessly into my own mess. But thanks, infinite thanks, be to God our Father who loves us and cares for us. Because even in our helpless state, all hope is not lost.

13: So they pulled Jeremiah up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern, and Jeremiah stayed in the court of the guardhouse.

Jeremiah was lifted from the pit. Saved by the efforts of good men, he was lifted and restored to the solid ground. And that same hope exists for me today. I am surrounded by cords of hope. Whether it be the word of a friend, the prayers of fellow believers, the Word of Truth, or any other sort of divine intervention, there is hope! Just like the men that pulled Jeremiah from the cistern, there are people in my life who are willing to pull me from my mud. Thank the Lord for the believers at my church, for the people who pray for me, for christian friends at school, for my amazing girlfriend, for my access to God's perfect word, for the ropes I have to hold on to. So instead of wallowing in the mud that I've been stuck in, I'm going to embrace the ropes around me and trust in God to pull me through and lift me higher. I have a wonderful hope and a wonderful God to cling to and to trust in. And He is able to turn my desperation to joy, my tears to laughter, and my mud into pure water. He has been faithful, so faithful, and He will ever be.

Comments

I think I made it easier to comment, I know some of you told me you were having trouble. I made it so if you click on the title of the post you want to comment on, it should open up just that post with a comment box beneath it. Hopefully that works for everyone. So feel free to comment away.

And if that does work, could you leave a comment on this post to let me know.

Returning

It's always amazing to me that I could ever leave the fold of God. I am loved and accepted by the most holy and perfect God. And I love that, and I love Him back so much. And I find sincere and overwhelming joy when I'm lost in Him. He totally covers all of my imperfections with His grace, and at times He removes all my doubting. There are moments, and sometimes even whole days, where I let myself let go of pretty much everything else and just embrace His love, grace, mercy, everything He offers. And I can say that days like that, or even near that, are the best days of my life. There is no question. There is no joy, no peace, no hope, nothing better than what Our Lord provides. And still, despite all that He is and all that He does, I somehow choose to seek other things. But instead of dwelling on my own stupidity and wandering, I want to share something more exciting: returning to Him. It is so amazing to return to the arms of God after wandering alone in the cold world. So comforting to become reacquainted with the wondrous love that He shares. There really is no rest outside of Him, no peace, no joy, no hope outside of Him. And being able to return to a God who loves unconditionally is so amazing. To be able to return and experience His love as if I'd never left in the first place. What amazing grace this is, the love of God. And there is no power on earth or in heaven or under the earth that can fully separate me from it. Whether it be temptation or trials or the world or myself, there is nothing that can keep His Love from me. Even though I leave Him for no reason, He still loves me for no reason. At least no reason that I can think of, except for the fact that He is Love.

Jeremiah 2:5
This is what the LORD says:
"What fault did your fathers find in me,
that they strayed so far from me?"

Some [radical-but-not-really-radical] Ideas

Things to START doing:
- Praying with others much more often
- Talking about God with people much more often, whether they're Christians or not
- Spending more time acticvely serving God and others
- Truly believing that God is all-mighty and powerful
- Surrendering in all ways to God

Things to STOP doing:
- Spending so much time and money on looks, clothes, hair, etc.
- Spending so much money on self-entertainment
- Serving self way more often than serving God or others
- Ignoring the opportunities God lays out
- Holding back from living new life

All reasonable-and-not-that-radical things when you think about it as a true child of God. Hopefully there are more people out there who are ready and willing to start living out faith more fully and wholly. I'm definitely still staying at the edge and dipping my feet in right now, but I'm ready to go in all the way. And all of these things can be done here, now, in the lives we have. We don't have to get up and move to another country, we don't have to sell everything we have, we don't have to change everything we do, just the way we do it. We can give up our own selfish goals, habits, fears and gain a new life full of new pursuits, actions, and hope. Let's get these weights that we've grown so accustomed to off of our chests and let our hearts beat at full strength for our Savior and Lord.

Thoughts Heavily Derived from Romans 6:1-10

It's still a difficult task to daily walk in newness of life. Despite the fact that we have been buried with Christ through baptism into death, despite the fact that we share in the likeness of not only his death but also His resurrection, and despite the fact that we're to consider ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus, it remains a constant struggle to live new lives. We find ourselves dwelling, and even delighting in the things that we've supposedly died to, and more than that, the things that were part of our old self we supposedly crucified. It is amazing how powerful sin is and how tenacious the old self is that even after tasting, feeling, and drinking deep from this new and eternal life we still return to our former state. Do we not know that if we have been baptized into Christ Jesus we have been baptized into His death? Do we not know that being baptized into His death means we also share in His resurrection? Do we not know that resurrection leads to a new life? And do we not know that a new life is inevitably followed by a new self? How lightly we take the call, the privilege, of living as new creations in Christ Jesus. How loosely we hold onto the precious life we've been granted by His blood, death, and resurrection. And how tightly the old man keeps his hold on us, strangling our attempts to breathe in the hope we have in Christ, covering our eyes to the Glory of our King, stopping our ears from hearing His promises and Love. What a struggle we have with ourselves, with our sin. And yet what Hope, what Help we have in Christ Jesus. Our Rock, our Deliverer, our Salvation, and our Life.

Our First Love

Once we've been resurrected into new life in Christ, we are born into love. And that love exists entirely in God, in the Father, in the Son, in the Spirit; He is our first love of this new life. And He is deserving of every ounce of faith, every piece of our hearts, every bit of our desire, and every breath of our lives. And like faithless Israel, we turn away and forget our first love. We forget the love that came down to save us out of death and into life and out of darkness into light. And while the love that He showed us the moment He resuscitated our stone hearts burns as bright now as it did that day, our love flickers like the sign of a cheap motel in a hurricane. But thank the Lord our God our Savior our Hope that the only fitness he requires of us is to feel our need for Him. I had a moment of prayer today where I looked at my life and my accomplishments and my possessions and my relationships and my all, and it was telling me "you're nothing without Him." And at least for that moment, I felt void of all pride, I felt indifferent toward all vanity, I felt needy of all things, I felt God in my heart in a way that I can't recall ever experiencing. I felt like a true child of God, dependent on Him for all things. I felt like I'll never need anything else in the world. This love knows no bounds, this love is beyond compare, this is true Love.

Psalm 113:5-6

Who is like the LORD our God,
Who is enthroned on high,
Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in heaven and in the earth?

Our God is so awesome that He has to humble Himself even to look into the things that are in heaven. He is above even the most perfect and holy of all tabernacles, and He has to lower Himself to even look into the paradise we can't comprehend. That is the God I want to worship.

Broken Cisterns

The words of the Lord from Jeremiah 2:13:

For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me,
The fountain of living waters,
To hew for themselves cisterns,
Broken cisterns
That can hold no water.

Some of you might recognize the imagery from summer camp a few years ago. Sean talked about the broken cisterns that we make for ourselves. And we do make so many of them. But, and to go along with Caleb's latest blog, I want to focus on leaving those cisterns behind. Not looking at all of the cracks and all of the dust that fills up the empty places where we've searched for life and freedom and satisfaction, but looking instead to the one true fountain of living waters, Jesus Christ. It is only clear just how broken our pursuits are when we view them in comparison to the one true satisfaction. How much more infinitely satisfying and fulfilling and life-giving He is. To drink form His living water of love and truth and grace and freedom and so much more. So instead of focusing on the cisterns we've been hewing for years and scraping the dust out of for our whole lives, let's drink deep from the fountain. And to be honest, I have no idea what that entails in its entirety. I think rejoicing and singing and praying and loving are included, but I know that there's more. But for now, I'm going to take the biggest drink my parched throat will allow, and what I've tasted already only makes me want more. Satisfaction that is never-ending and a fulfillment that always offers more. This is what Christ supplies. This is being truly alive.

Cling to Christ

"Take care, then, when you find your Master, to cling close to Him. But how is it you have lost Him? One would have thought you would never have parted with such a precious friend, whose presence is so sweet, whose words are so comforting, and whose company is so dear to you! How is it that you did not watch Him every moment for fear of losing sight of Him? Yet, since you have let Him go, what a mercy that you are seeking Him, even though you mournfully groan, "O that I knew where I might find Him!" Go on seeking, for it is dangerous to be without thy Lord. Without Christ you are like a sheep without its shepherd; like a tree without water at its roots; like a sere leaf in the tempest—not bound to the tree of life. With thine whole heart seek Him, and He will be found of thee: only give thyself thoroughly up to the search, and verily, thou shalt yet discover Him to thy joy and gladness."

-Charles Spurgeon

And how true are those words to our lives. He is the sweetest friend we have ever known. He comforts us in a way that no other can. He brings us greater joy than we have ever known. And somehow we still turn to other friends (good yes, but nothing without Christ), other comforts, other sources of joy. Sometimes we even turn to the very things that He hates and by His grace we hate as well. We turn to sinful friendships, ungodly comforts, and shameful pleasures for our joy. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good. Cling to Christ as the rich man does his wallet, cling to Christ as the glutton does his bread, cling to Him as a newborn does his mother. He will never let us down, He will never let us go.

"Yes, 'tis sweet to trust in Jesus
Just from sin and self to cease,
Just from Jesus simply taking
Life and rest, and joy and peace."

The Light

1 John 1:5 - "...God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all."

Genesis 1:4 - "God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness."

Job 33:28 - "He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit, and my life shall see the light"

Psalm 18:28 - "For You light my lamp; The Lord my God illumines my darkness."

Proverbs 13:9 - "The light of the righteous rejoices, But the lamp of the wicked goes out."

Ephesians 5:8 - "for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light"

God is Light, and through Him our darkness is illumined and we are light too. God isn't just bright or kind of light or more light than us, He is Light. There is no darkness in Him at all. We were darkness, not dark or a little dim or dark just in comparison, we were darkness. But He lights our lamps. He shines in our darkness. He makes us His children of Light. His children. We haven't just been altered, we have been made entirely new. We were once the opposite of light, darkness, and now we are the opposite of darkness, light. We were nothing like light. We were full of sin and error and darkness. And now we are full of light and goodness and Him.

When Job was afflicted, he looked to the light. He saw that God was light and that one day he would see that light, even if it was after a world of darkness. The psalmist too saw that God was light, and had the power to light. And not just to light anything, but to give light to the darkness that is us. Solomon tells us about the light of the righteous rejoicing and the light of the wicked going out. Thanks to God's grace we share His righteousness and therefore His light too. And Paul encourages us to walk as children of Light, children of God.

Unfortunately, sin blocks His light from shining through us. Pride blocks His light with our own conceited darkness. Lust blocks His light with our own dark desires. Gossip blocks His light with the harm of others. Hate blocks His light with our human hearts. Sin blocks God's light with our darkness. But by grace we are free from sin, we are conquerors of sin, we are children of Light! So through song, through service, through gathering, through speech, through teaching, through encouraging, through giving, through whatever means available let Him shine through us. Pray that His light would be ever stronger through our vessels and that our darkness would continually grow weaker and dissolve more.

Thankfulness

I've been considering thankfulness lately. And some new ideas on it have come up. Thanks to input from a few others (mostly one other), I'm starting to develop a more complete view of thankfulness, and a more joyful approach to being thankful. Which is confusing because being thankful can't be totally contrived or controlled, especially when it's overwhelming and powerful. But what we are thankful for, and the source to which we are thankful for it can be perceived differently.

Thankfulness should be dependant primarily on what we are thankful for, not what we are lacking. We should thank God for what He has given us not because of what He didn't hold back, but for what He gave. Be thankful for salvation not because He held back wrath, but because He poured out love. Be thankful for blessing not because He kept us from poverty, but because He has shown generosity. Be thankful for life not because He has kept us from death, but because He has given us life. Be thankful for the good not because it isn't bad, but because it is good!

It is so great to rejoice in the Lord. To rejoice in His love and power and goodness and splendor and light! Not because He isn't hateful or weak or bad or dull or dark. Just because of what He is. Regardless of the bad, God is good. And in the fullest measure! So instead of looking at the negative side and feeling relieved you aren't there, look on the bright side and rejoice that He is there!