Ephesians 2:1-10 Made Alive In Christ

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

I have never regretted day going in to my crossfit gym. I have often walked in the door nervous to see what WOD(workout of the day) is on the board, but never walked out thinking I should have stayed home. From what I can recollect, I have yet to meet someone else who has honestly regretted working to become a more healthy person- working out, eating well, getting enough sleep...at least on the back end of it all. I agree there is no satisfaction in many failed attempts of dieting and trying different exercise routines and everything else that many dedicate themselves to at the turn of a new year.

Sidenote: One of the biggest, if not the biggest factors in successfully becoming a healthier person, is sustainability. Find a way to eat, a way to stay active that you can do for the rest of your life. It is not 6 minutes = 6pack, it is not 60 days or 6 weeks of P90x, it is not 6 months of some agonizing diet/ fast/ cleanse and then done. It is a way of eating and being active that you can stick with 7 days a week until death do you part.

Incomparable to the happier, healthier, fitter Joel I have become, is the new life I have found in Jesus Christ. I could spend many more paragraphs and entire posts to the joy and satisfaction I have found in being a Christian. But how do I describe a transformed heart? I'm not sure I can explain my feelings, my peace and my hope in something outside of everything that has or will eventually fail me in this world. Would you take my word for it, or hundreds of more words? All I can give is personal experience; both in my crossfit experience and as a Christian. I failed at diets before, high school sports could not compete with my eating habits, I gained the freshmen 30 and averaged 10 more each year at college, eating was how I coped with the mess of life. And the same is true as who I am created to be; Legalism has been my religion, moralism has been my religion, and judging the shortcomings I see in others, which I might add were usually the very things in which I was coming up short. It all has failed and is failing. Self-reliance fails, and crossfit will eventually fail me. Crossfit can't save me from gravity, from getting older and ultimately death.

It's all about Ephesians 2. It's about Jesus.
Merry Christmas!


Bonus: This is one of the pictures that popped up when I googled Crossfit and Jesus

Link

http://www.thejohnnycashproject.com/

It's good.

"It's not you, it's Me" -God

Interesting to think about that cliche phrase in the opposite context we are used to. Initiating a relationship rather than a separation.

"One week-night, when I was sitting in the house of God, I was not thinking much about the preacher's sermon, for I did not believe it. The thought struck me, "How did you come to be a Christian?" I sought the Lord. "But how did you come to seek the Lord?" The truth flashed across my mind in a moment—I should not have sought Him unless there had been some previous influence in my mind to make me seek Him. I prayed, thought I, but then I asked myself, How came I to pray? I was induced to pray by reading the Scriptures. How came I to read the Scriptures? I did read them, but what led me to do so? Then, in a moment, I saw that God was at the bottom of it all, and that He was the Author of my faith, and so the whole doctrine of grace opened up to me, and from that doctrine I have not departed to this day, and I desire to make this my constant confession, "I ascribe my change wholly to God."

-C.H. Spurgeon

"For 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."
Ephesians 2:8-9

We have done nothing to deserve it, "not a result of works", nothing to retain it. Simply a God-given faith. Not even our faith has been self-conceived. I like what John Piper said in one of his sermons (paraphrase as I remember it), "You did nothing to participate in your physical, earthly birth. Conception, pregnancy, development, labor. So why would you think that your rebirth in Jesus is anything different?" Many, many people, non-Christians and Christians alike, refuse to even try to understand predestination. I believe in a God who knows all things, He created all things including the concept of past present future. He is unlimited, He does as He pleases(Psalm115, 135; Ecclesiastes), and it is His choosing as to whom He saves, to whom He grants the gift of grace and salvation through faith.

It is now my responseability to live thankfully and pray and desire for others to be given and to receive that which has been given to me. To do as I have been called to do and let God do what pleases Him, and come to find that He is good and desires what is best for me. And that makes me trust and love Him all the more, I may not completely understand the "how" or "why" of God's choosing, but I do understand that His very word tells me this is the way it is. And I cannot bring myself to do anything but submit.

"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life..." Jesus, the Word, His words are true and trustworthy and there is life to be found in them.

Philippians 2

I have been thinking about family a lot today. My family, extended family, church family, my friend's families, and it occurred to me that the Bible does not tell us a whole lot about Jesus and His family. We know who His family is, we know some of the interactions between them, but there is that gap of 20 some years of Jesus growing up, maturing, and family.

It is easy to observe my family and notice the faults, because it's my family. I am sure everyone can relate to this. So many other families seeeeeem to have it together, and then you wonder what's wrong with mine? Everyone has their flavors of dysfunctional right? But we all want our family to be that family. You know, the one that has family reunions, and loves spending time together and they get along for the most part and eats meals together, and...well you get the idea. So now we are all thinking again...what's wrong with my family? And not just your immediate biological family.

Consider your church family, and think of the diversity. There are some really hokey people in the church, can I get a witness? Yeeeeah! And I think to myself, I would never talk to or spend time with this person if we did not go to the same church...but we do...brothers and sisters in Christ right? And there are people that don't get along and there is conflict and there are divorces and separations and enough sin to dam us all to hell 10 times over...and our biological family has the same flavors of dysfunctional.

I wonder how we would rate Jesus' family? I can imagine there were times when Mary and Joseph were those parents that everyone complains about how they are disillusioned to think their child can do no wrong, and you want to shake'em and say "Open your eyes! Your kid is not perfect!" and then it would occur to them, "oh yeah, their son really can do no wrong...crap" It would be sooooooo much worse with Mary and Joseph...you can't go there. There had to be some resentment in that church : ]

But the root of my thoughts comes out of a desire for my family to be more like a family. And like so many things in our short lives, I believe it has much to do with attitude. Here's a list of attitudes, and ask yourself, when I act and speak and feel this way, how does that affect my family?

Resentment
Anger
Bitterness
Annoyed
Entitlement (I deserve this)
Pride
Arrogance
Laziness
Stubbornness
Apathy

How about...
Patient
Compassion
Sacrificial
Empathetic
Servant leadership

I see it all in my family, often given and received without balance. But I wonder fundamentally how my family would function if each individual approached every day with an attitude of, "I want to be more like Jesus Christ. I want to know His words intimately, I want to know His heart deeply, deeeeeply.......and the days I don't feel like it and don't want to...I want to want Christ more."

Instead of examining the dysfunctions and trying to manage and change behavior, why don't we seek and transformed heart? A transformed heart that will transform every other part of life, that will transform our family. There are so many days I know it is easier to avoid the hard work of investing in family. I can work hard on most anything else, but it's totally different when it comes to relationships.

"Do not conform to the ways of this world(insert dysfunctions and selfish attitudes here), but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2

Time is running out...

Needle in a haystack.

Today I was working in the yard with my Mom and as usual I had my ipod on. Headphones in, ipod in pocket working away on ripping out some ivy/ groud cover stuff. Of course this stuff is all over the place and very green. I take a quick turn, a branch catches my headphone cord, rips my ipod out of my pocket and goes flying. It took me a minute and then realized it was gone and only knew that it was within 10 feet of where i was standing. The best part of all this is how my ipod is a shade of greed that matches beautifully with its surroundings. I like it when my clothes match, but this matching sucked. Mom and I spent a good 17 mintues looking my proverbial needle in a haystack. Not 16 and not 18, yes, 17...whatever.

All this to say I was reminded and given new perspective on the lost sheep and lost coin that Jesus speaks of in Luke 15. Of course my ipod is super nice luxery to have. But I have spent the rest of my day considering other things I value and the vigor I give to finding them. While digging for my ipod I kept thinking, "I know it's here and I am not giving up looking for it." Especially because online sermons and music from my ipod is way better to listen to than the whrrrrrrr of a vacuum cleaner, carpet cleaner or the dead silence in the church during my late work shift. Praise the Lord that I found my ipod, but I think I will be taking some more consideration of what or who is more deserving of my time and effort.

Peace.

It's about that time...

Well I think it's been long enough since I last posted that nobody is reading this blog anymore. Bwahaha. Maybe a few checked up on it for a while and then realized, he may never come back. I have another blog these days and honestly I am not very good at maintaining that one either, but it's focused on my workouts with crossfit. But what caused me to come out of hiding and post again was a result of me having the time to do so and a moment of not paying attention in church this past Sunday. : ]

Jonathan was speaking about Hebrews 1 and I was off in chapter 12.

7It is for discipline that you endure; (P)God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

8But if you are without discipline, (Q)of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

9Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we (R)respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to (S)the Father of spirits, and (T)live?

10For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, (U)so that we may share His holiness.

11All discipline (V)for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the (W)peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Hebrews 12:7-11

I have never been good with discipline. Part of me despises my lack of discipline and yet it has taken till now to start moving int he right direction. The one phrase I love that sums it up..."All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."

Peaceful righteousness, two things I could use as a life goal. My goal is to find peace in righteousness. Security in surrendering to God, to be molded and guided and disciplined and knowing eternal joy is closer and closer with every day. Some of you have noticed that I often end my conversations and emails and messages with "peace". Some probably think, "hah what does he think he's some sort and gansta/ rappa that speaks the lingo?" nope. yeah certainly no. I honestly wish peace upon the other person. If you have spent any time in the Christian Reformed Church you may be familiar with "passing the peace", a fancy way of greeting one another, but is also comes in the benediction at the end of the service...

The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

So remember, that God is a good God. He wants the best for his children, including discipline, and know that He works all things together for His glory and our good.

Peace.