Stillness Matters

In today’s world, we have no shortage of interesting things to give our attention to. Eating breakfast too boring? Watch a video while you’re at it! The drive to work too quiet? Listen to a podcast! Need to go to the bathroom? Why don’t you scroll on Instagram or TikTok while you do your business? I could list a hundred more examples, but I’m sure you all know what I mean. Our lives are filled to the brim with distractions, headlines, and thumbnails just waiting to grab our attention, but the thing is, isn’t it exhausting? I know for me, at the end of a day, I regret spending so much time just consuming content. Surely there is something better and more fulfilling we can do with our time, right?

There certainly is, and in fact I believe it to be far simpler and more fulfilling than we make it out to be. What is it? Stillness. 

The practice of stillness is one modern society has largely fallen out of touch with; however, it’s one we see modeled in Scripture frequently. A fantastic example is that of Jesus himself. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus is a busy man (saving the world isn’t a small task!). He’s traveling all around Israel, preaching and healing in countless towns, all the while specifically teaching His 12 disciples the ways of the Kingdom of Heaven. Like I said, busy.

And yet, in the midst of all this, we see Jesus prioritize time with His Father away from distractions. In Luke 4:42 & 5:16, it states how not only did Jesus take time to step away and pray, but He did so regularly. In Matt. 14:13-23, Jesus goes off to pray, gets interrupted by the 5,000, and feeds them, then continues his original plan and prays by Himself. Perhaps most significant of them all, in Matt. 4, the first thing Jesus does after getting baptized is spend 40 days in the wilderness in solitude before beginning His public ministry. 

Even with His busy schedule, Jesus valued time with God immensely. So how do we learn to do the same in our everyday lives? By starting small. Whenever you get a moment where you could fill it with a distraction, I dare you to not. Instead, breathe. Focus on God, and welcome Him into your mind. And then linger there for a minute. If you can, set a 5-10 minute timer where that’s all you do. Simple as that.

God wants to encounter and transform you, and when you make this practice a lifestyle, you intentionally open moments everyday specifically for encountering His love, returning to our original design of being children loved by our Heavenly Father. So give it a shot, and see how God moves in your life, I think you’ll find Him more fulfilling than another TikTok.

Looking Deeper

“If only he understood, he would see how beautiful it is,” my dad said about the man who had just verbally, and publicly, ripped him to shreds.  

While I was in high school, my dad ran a mid-week course for the young adults at church called B.B.B., a silly but effective acronym that stood for “Basic Bible Beliefs.” We covered huge topics like Jesus’ Divinity, the Reliability of Scripture, and Spiritual Gifts. Under his tutelage, I got a head start wrestling with the concept of the Trinity by age 15. I still have a lot to learn, but I feel very privileged.  

On this particular evening, we dove into a complex theological topic with a variety of different perspectives. Without getting into the weeds, my father presented a straightforward explanation of the concept, stated his own opinion, and invited us to come to our own conclusions. I don’t remember the details of his presentation, but I do remember that a simple misunderstanding led to an older gentleman in the church vehemently berating him in front of a group of high schoolers. Boy, was I angry. Somehow, though, my dad remained cool and calm. How bizarre.  

During the ride home, I asked Dad to explain why that guy got so worked up, and he did. He clarified the communication breakdown and was able to trace the angry man’s line of thinking to the idea that set him off. But remarkably, my father didn’t stop at the intellectual disagreement; he looked deeper. He explained that the man’s hostility, the rage and rampage, was just a deep, simmering insecurity that had finally erupted. That guy blew up when faced with a different perspective, but my dad expressed compassion for him. “If only he understood...” 

I remember the strobe of yellow street lights passing overhead while I tried to comprehend this. True wisdom is more than having good answers, important as they are. But wisdom always looks deeper. My father explained, “There’s always more going on beneath the surface. Sometimes people get angry when their ideas are challenged, but Jesus never got stuck in a pointless argument; he looked for the deeper things.” That night I learned, and saw, how true wisdom leads to deeper love.  

Though he was hurt and frustrated, my dad couldn’t hide his Christlikeness. Impressively, he’d fused wisdom with compassion so that knowing and loving were inseparable, even toward the quarrelsome guy who just ripped him to shreds. And it was beautiful.  

  “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2).

The Resurrection: First Importance

Creeds provide concise summaries of the Christian faith or answer questions about particular beliefs. Have you ever wondered… What was the first Christian creed? When was it written?

The first creed sits right under our noses every time we read the Bible. Yep. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15:3-7 and you’ll find it:

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

Some in Corinth questioned the resurrection of Jesus. So Paul built a thorough case for it in his letter. The entire train of thought rests on the earliest Christian creed: Jesus died, rose, and appeared to many. Paul is quoting this foundational creed to say: “Jesus rose from the dead! If you don’t believe me, go visit the eyewitnesses!” Many eyewitnesses were still available since Paul’s letter came within 20 years of these appearances.

But the creed dates even earlier than the letter! Most scholars agree it originated within 5 years of Jesus’ resurrection. What a clear statement of faith! Backed up by a landslide of eyewitness testimony! Imagine a trial lawyer calling over 500 eyewitnesses to the stand! By comparison, the earliest accounts of Alexander the Great came more than 400 years after he died in 323 BC. The historical evidence for the resurrection astounds!

Gould, Dickinson, and Loftin, in their book Stand Firm: Apologetics and the Brilliance of the Gospel, write that:

The reports of the central claim of the Christian gospel, namely Jesus’s resurrection, date to a time in which memories are still vivid and emotions are still raw. The dust has barely settled… There is nothing in all of ancient writing with this sort of pedigree.

Praise the Lord for such reliable evidence to rest our faith upon! We believe Jesus rose from the dead. That’s a claim of first importance. For “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:17). But if Jesus rose: “Death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Cor. 15:54), your sins can be forgiven, and eternal life is yours in Him.

Palm Sunday

This weekend we celebrate Palm Sunday. “So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!" And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?" So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee" (Matthew 21:2-11).

This was the pinnacle of Jesus’ earthly ministry: entering the city to the chorus of praise sung by the crowd. People willingly laid down branches and clothing to prepare the way. In the ancient Middle East, a king would ride a horse if he came to do battle, but a donkey if he came in peace. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, was displaying His intentions of offering peace to the World. 

The crowds expected Jesus to conquer the Romans, freeing their land economically and politically. The religious leaders only saw a threat to their own power. Just a short time later, the very crowds that were singing “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” were shouting “Crucify Him!” How could things change so quickly? How could the multitude switch so completely from celebrating Jesus’ arrival to demanding His death? 

Beware of unfounded expectations and the ability of those in power to manipulate the actions of others. Rather than confronting the Romans, Jesus confronted the religious leaders by cleansing the temple, making them indignant. They soon conspired to have Jesus arrested. The crowds, excited with the expectation of being freed from Roman rule, soon saw Jesus seemingly powerless against the Roman authorities. This evaporated their zeal for Jesus and turned it against him. 

Although many other aspects of our lives are vastly different from the days of Jesus, the most meaningful things are the same. People hastily join a bandwagon if it promises freedom from powers or obligations they dislike. And when they find out what they wrongfully expected isn’t going to happen, they are quick to blame others and attack whomever they think is the cause. Today everyone wants Jesus on their political platform. And far too many who claim to be Christian still look to Jesus to solve our political and economic woes through ways that may be mere wrongful expectations. 

No one in Jesus’ day expected Him to die on the cross as a way to deliver real freedom from oppression. And few in our day realize that following Jesus as He commanded us, by carrying our cross and dying to ourselves, is the way to find freedom in our day. Like the crowds in Jesus’ day, we want someone else to come in and change our circumstances. But the path to sanctification and eternal freedom, and for real lasting change in our communities, comes at a much higher cost. Let’s celebrate the true meaning of Palm Sunday: Jesus' arrival to complete the task of redemption from sin through death on the cross. And let’s celebrate it by following His lead and living a life shaped by Christ. 

Beauty

When I think of beautiful things, the first thing that comes to mind is a sunrise. Can you imagine the dark sky slowly changing from inky black to shades of blue, then reds and orange paint the sky just before the blazing yellow sun bursts through the horizon, until you can no longer look at it, for its brilliant rays become blinding? 

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Margaret Wolfe Hungerford wrote in a book in 1878; this quote has been used countless times since. While this statement is true, the focus is on what you see with your eyes. What about what our hearts see?

We sing that Jesus is beautiful, yet Isaiah 53:2-3 says, “... He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” 

The New Testament does not give any account of what He looked like. No description of his build, or facial features. In fact, when the Roman guards showed up in the garden of Gethsemane, Judas had to point out who Jesus was so they would arrest the correct Jewish man. 

What is it about Jesus that is beautiful? Who He is, what He did, and how He loves us. 

He is God! He came down to dwell among us as a human; with all the constraints of an earthly body. He was hungry, tired, and endured pain. He did not survive the cross but died on it. Then He rose from the dead! And all of it He did so we could be reunited with the Father. What love! That is beautiful. 

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

You are included in that “everything” that He has made. The world emphasizes the outward appearances. I challenge you to look at yourself through the eyes of Jesus. See the beauty within and delight in the story He is writing in your life.

River Sunday

New Day is a Spirit and Word church. We embrace the teaching, guidance, and gifts of the Holy Spirit while grounding ourselves in the Word of God (the Bible). These two foundationally work together in the life of the believer every day. We meditate on the Word and hide it in our hearts. The Spirit makes the words we read in the Bible alive and active while helping us apply them with wisdom.

River Sundays provide a unique opportunity to embrace the Spirit and Word together as a community of believers. We set aside the normal schedule and format of a Sunday morning service making additional room to listen to the Spirit’s lead and follow. This creates space for broader participation among the family of God: many different New Day-ers may share a testimony, Scripture reading, prayer, word of encouragement, or prophetic (Rhema) word. This type of participation may occur on any given Sunday at New Day, but River Sundays dedicate more time and space to worship in this way. So come ready to listen to the Spirit and contribute as you feel led!

Pastoral team members serve as MCs during River Sunday to help us follow the model laid out in 1 Corinthians 14, which encourages the expression of spiritual gifts in a fitting and orderly way, to carefully weigh what is said, and to encourage all the believers. Our goal is to faithfully host the presence of the Lord, honor the Spirit & Word, and encourage one another. River Sundays tend to flow like a river: following whatever themes the Spirit inspires.

As Jesus said in John 7:37-38: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” The passage goes on to make it clear: “By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed him were later to receive.” So come with an expectant heart: drink deeply from Jesus, be filled with the Spirit, and let’s see what the Lord wants to do as we worship Him with all our hearts.

Long-Lasting Pain

This blog is written to be a comfort and offer perspective from the Lord for those of you who are in the middle of a long-lasting struggle. Whether it be health-related, relationally related, or something else, hear the words of Psalm 13 for you, a Psalm of David:

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? 
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. 
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me. 

David first expresses how hard it has been to endure the length of his present difficulty, asking how much longer this difficulty will continue. The Lord invites you to express the same despair. In doing so, you acknowledge the space you are currently in. 

Next, David cries out to the Lord in prayer to give an answer and to bring light to his eyes. The Lord invites you to express the same prayer. In doing so, you bring your honest, fervent request before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Lastly, David declares his devout trust in God’s unfailing love, his joy over salvation, and his praise toward the Lord for how good He has been to him. The Lord invites you to declare the same determinations. In doing so, you declare the foundational position you operate from, which remains rooted regardless of circumstances.  

God never promises the trials we endure will be short-lived. He does, however, promise to be with us through everything we face, consistently supplying us with what we need to carry on. 

Are you in the middle of a trial right now? I invite you to pray this psalm as a personal prayer from your heart to God’s by expressing to him:

1. The condition you are currently in

2. The questions you have about your situation

3. Your desire to be free from the strain

4. Your commitment to trust in Him, rejoice in salvation, and praise him for his goodness to you

The Lord is not far off from you. He is near to you in the midst of your struggle. Continue to rely on him and cling to him. Don’t give up. Keep trusting him day after day. Relief will eventually come — know that his comfort is present in the middle of your long-lasting pain.

The Blessing of Reliance

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10, ESV)

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1 ESV

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.” (Psalm 37 5-6, ESV)

Over and over in Scripture, we read that God calls us to rely on Him, rest in Him, and find our strength in Him. It’s how we were designed to live and operate in life. However, how often do we find ourselves slipping out from reliance on Him and into striving by our own strength to get by? If you’re anything like me, it’s something you find yourself wrestling with on a pretty regular basis. So it raises the question, when we find ourselves in these moments, how are we to realign ourselves to rely on God rather than our own personal strength and striving? 

From my experience it can be summed up in one word: thankfulness.

When we enter into thankfulness, not only do we enter into praise, but we also orient ourselves in a posture of noticing His hand in our lives. We begin to open our eyes to see His provision and intentionality, and thus reawaken our awareness of just how much we rely on His presence. 

How beautiful is this! That by the simple act of being grateful, we see how much we’ve been relying on Him this whole time, and from there can enter into the peace of the knowledge He will continue to be the pillar we can rest on. We’ve never been alone, and we can be assured we never will be.

So my friends, I encourage you, take a breath and pause for a moment. Think of something to be thankful for,  a way God has been loving you that you may have overlooked, and give Him the gift of thanksgiving. In doing so, you draw back to the original design God laid out for you: to be a child, loved and provided for by their heavenly Father.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7, ESV)

Moral Failures

Too often a Christian leader is exposed as having serious sin issues. Often these are well known speakers, authors, or pastors. I’ve seen this happen so often over the years. Some were famous television evangelists or Christian personalities. Some were significant influences upon hundreds of thousands or even millions of people. But I’ve also known some, and even have had friends, that were just regular pastors who were not famous or well known. Unfortunately, failure amongst leaders is common. But how are we to respond? What about all the sermons they taught? What about the books they wrote that had a positive influence upon us or others? 

Jesus said, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don't follow their example. For they don't practice what they teach” (Mat 23:2-3, NLT). 

Moral failure among leaders is not a new problem. Jesus has a clear and direct answer to this issue. When the Word of God is being correctly taught, it is God we are obeying. When the Bible is being explained and applied, it is God’s Word that is instructing us. The person speaking is merely the instrument that God is using at the time. If we are using a pen to write something and the pen breaks, we don’t throw out what we are writing—we either fix or discard the pen. 

In the remainder of Matthew 23, Jesus continues to speak harsh judgment against the corrupt religious leaders of His day. What we learn is that it is God’s responsibility to deal with the moral issues in a leader that is sinning. Our responsibility is to be concerned about how we are learning and applying God’s word to OUR lives. And not get overly burdened about the failures of others. If you are only able to receive instruction from morally perfect teachers, then you will have ZERO teachers in this life. 

This does not mean that we exempt leaders from being accountable for their behavior. But we accept that it is not our responsibility to stand in judgment of them or to throw out Christianity because some leaders have abused it. “The proper response to abuse is not disuse, but rather proper use” (Sam Storms). When the Bible or Christianity is manipulated by people to gain riches, power, or fame, we don’t blame the Bible or cast off our faith in Jesus. We go back to the basics, and make sure we are living according to God’s word and not disqualifying ourselves in the process. “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself” (Gal 6:1, NLT).

It's Safe to Ask

Why do we read the Bible? If God is loving, how can he send people to hell? What does God have against gay people? Are demons real? Does God rig the election? Are miracles the same as magic? How can Jesus be God? Is there such a thing as ethical cannibalism? 

If you ever have questions about what it means to follow Jesus, trust me. You’re in good company. Every Friday night, I host a discussion with the young adults where we wrestle with complicated questions like the ones I’ve listed above. (Yes, we discussed cannibalism. No, it’s not ethical.) The most important rule at our meetings is this: No topic is off-limits. 

James 1:5 states very clearly, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask.” God invites questions. He loves it when we want to know more; when we trust him enough to ask. I know many people who think God is bothered or threatened by tough questions. Some of us were told things like, “Don’t ask, just have faith!” by well-meaning pastors and parents. Maybe they were bothered or threatened by the questions, but God is not. He can handle your questions. In fact, it wouldn’t be discipleship without them (John 16:13 & 24).    

My favorite example of this is in Luke 1:26-35. Mary, whose faith is a template for all of Jesus’ followers, is told that she’s going to have a baby, even though she’s a virgin. She responds with the more-than-reasonable question, “But how?!” I would wonder the same thing if I were her. Mary is not told, “Don’t ask, just have faith!” Instead, the angel gives her an answer, saying, “Well, the Holy Spirit is going to overshadow you.” Whatever that means, I guess that answer was good enough for Mary. What’s good enough for me is to know that when I have reasonable questions about God’s bizarre plan to save the world (i.e., by being temporarily dead over a holiday weekend!?), it’s safe for me to ask. 

As we all prepare questions for the upcoming “Got Questions?” sermon series, keep in mind that no topic is off-limits. Since God welcomes tough questions, we do too! Bring them all. Whether you get the answer you expect, an answer that’s hard to swallow, or you end up with more questions, it’s always safe to ask.  

“Yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,  
Then you will...find the knowledge of God.  
For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding”  
(Proverbs 2:3-6)

Remain

I had a grapevine growing behind my house on a fence. It grew so fast; new shoots would appear seemingly each day. The vine would grab onto anything to keep spreading out. It would grab hold of the siding and climb up the side of the house. I would cut back branches and throw them in a pile. Within one day, they would wither and lay lifeless. The branches could not live without being connected to the vine. 

Jesus said in John 17:1-3, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” 

Jesus is the true vine, the One we must be rooted in. We can do nothing apart from Him. This is the first and most important truth. By remaining in Him, we bear fruit. 

It’s sobering to think about being cut off from Jesus. However, the only reason God would cut someone off is because they choose not to remain in Jesus. “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned” (John 17:5-6). A vinedresser would cut off dead branches because they carry diseases and decay which would affect other branches. Dead wood is worse than branches that aren’t bearing fruit, and must be removed. 

However, those branches that aren’t bearing fruit can be pruned for purposes of becoming fruitful. This process in our lives is difficult but necessary. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2-3).

By remaining IN Jesus, through prayer, reading the scriptures, and fellowship with His body, we WILL produce fruit in our lives. We will flourish in our faith and become more like the One in whom we remain—Jesus.

Praying with Shameless Audacity

What will your prayer life look like in 2024 beyond the wonderful start we had with 21 days of prayer and fasting? A consistent prayer life is key to our personal spiritual growth, connection with God, and the impact we have as Christians.

May we be challenged in our approach to prayer by a passage from Luke 11. Here, Jesus’ disciples ask him to teach them to pray. Lean in, because Jesus is about to reveal an important key to prayer as he shares this scenario: A man suddenly has a guest arrive whom he desperately needs to feed, but has no food. So the man goes to his neighbor, asking for three loaves of bread. The problem is that it’s midnight and the neighbor has already settled into bed for the night. His kids are asleep and his house is locked up. What an inconvenient time to ask a favor of a neighbor! That is where the shameless audacity comes into play. Jesus shares:

“I tell you, even though he [the neighbor] will not get up and give you bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.” (Luke 11:8)

Wow! Can you imagine this display of boldness being a part of your normal prayer life? Jesus is teaching his followers to “interrupt” him at any time and boldly ask for what they need. No matter the time of day or night, come to him with courageous persistence.

Jesus shares with his disciples another key about prayer in the same conversation. He teaches them to pray by saying, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” That is an important part of this mix. As we bring our needs with shameless audacity, we yield them to God’s will. There are so many things we do not see or understand that God does see and understand, so we trust that his answer to our prayers will be righteous. When we pray this way, we proclaim that we desire things that are in alignment with his kingdom. We even command things into being that are in alignment with his kingdom by using the power and authority Jesus gave his followers.

I am asking the Lord to teach me how to pray with shameless audacity this year. I invite you all to join me in that prayer. Let’s keep growing together

Rooted

In 2019, Micah and I hit the hiking trail for father-son time and some cool pictures. We got both in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. One of our favorite spots was Chapel Rock—a place where you find a tree that seems to laugh in the face of wind and erosion.

This white pine sits atop a rock formation that is freestanding from the rest of the shoreline. The tree has these roots that shoot out across the free air and find their home in the soil on the mainland. It’s nuts! Just take a look for yourself...

Apparently, there used to be a rock archway supporting these roots. It collapsed in the 1940s, leaving this 250-year-old tree to survive on the strength of its roots or fall into Lake Superior.

It’s a modern-day picture of what the Apostle Paul wrote about in the letter to the church in Ephesus...

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19)

Paul’s prayer for his church family is that they would be rooted and established. POWERFUL. We are currently two messages into the “Rooted” sermon series to start the year. Let’s use these messages to inspire root development work in our lives. Let’s keep building powerful roots—like the tree on Chapel Rock!

There are forces in this world that would see you blown into the lake, forces that would erode the ground beneath you. But you have the power to stand firm in Jesus. I pray we would be people who “grasp… the love of Christ” and are “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Imagine what it would look like to see a community of believers “Rooted” to that degree. That’s a picture worth taking!

Adapted from blog posted July 26, 2020.

Only God Fulfills

2023 was a wild year, and as it’s now come to a close I must say I am excited for what God’s going to do in 2024! While the beginning of the next calendar year isn’t inherently a special time, we find ourselves in a season traditionally associated with setting goals committing to changing our day-to-day lives for the better, and I think that’s a wonderful thing! Goals like eating healthier and spending less time on social media are fantastic, but while we’re focusing on these, we ought to also focus on how we’re nourishing our spirits.

You see, ever since the beginning in the garden of Eden, us humans have tried to find ways to fulfill ourselves by way of our own strength. Adam & Eve with the apple, King David with Bathsheba, and us with our own vices (food, fitness, wealth? We’ve got options). The thing is none of these have ever truly fulfilled us. Perhaps there’s a temporary distraction, but at the end of the day we’re back where we started: ourselves, hungry for fulfillment once again.

So how do we approach the fulfillment of our spirits in a way that actually fills us? Jesus himself gives us the perfect model in Matthew 4, verses 1-4:

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Intimacy with God is the answer: making time to just be with Him, reading His word, welcoming Him to be part of your day to day life. Jesus knew that even supernatural miracle bread wouldn’t fulfill Him, so why should we expect our goals and strengths to? The only thing that can truly satisfy is God.

So, as we run towards our new goals and dreams for 2024, let’s not deceive ourselves with the lie that we can complete ourselves by our own strength. Rather, let’s lean into the truth that real fulfillment can only come from intimacy with God, that He should be our #1 priority.

Holy, Unblemished, and Unblameable!

This Sunday we begin a new series called “Rooted.” We will look at eight phrases found in Colossians 2:6-10. This is part of Apostle Paul's exhortation to the Christians living in the Roman city of Colossae. It may seem difficult to imagine what it was like to live as a Christ follower 2000 years ago in the Roman world. So many things have changed from that ancient time: our computers, cell phones, internet, cars, planes, and countless other things would have seemed completely magical to the Colossians. Yet the things that are truly important have changed very little. Our tools and toys may have been transformed, but the condition of the human soul remains the same. Paul integrates who Jesus is and what He accomplished with who we as Christ followers are and what we are called to accomplish. When we look at the issues addressed in this letter, we can soon see that the struggles the first century Christians faced are surprisingly similar to those we face today.

Colossians 1:21-22 (NIV): “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” Or, as the Young’s Literal Translation writes, “And you—once being alienated, and enemies in the mind, in the evil works, yet now did he reconcile, in the body of his flesh through the death, to present you holy, and unblemished, and unblameable before himself.” Our reconciliation with God was accomplished by what Jesus did in His physical body. The entire transformation of our lives, and the history of humanity, hinges upon what Jesus did while walking this earth in a body not unlike yours and mine.

A door turns on a hinge which is two pieces of metal, separately but in conjunction with one another, wrapped around a pin—the hinge pin. If the pin falls out, the door falls to the floor. Likewise, Jesus’ body is the pin that joins together, or reconciles, humanity with God. To draw this analogy out a bit, it was when Jesus was nailed to the cross, the eternal divine One driven by nails to a piece of wood, pinned to the cross, that our reconciliation with God occurred. This makes the human body the instrument of God’s redemption of humanity. And it makes those who accept Jesus as Lord “holy, unblemished, and unblameable!” Wow! What an amazing blessing accomplished through Jesus’ body. Now you and I are called to be like Christ. In and through our bodies, we are to represent Jesus to the world around us. As we allow Christ to transform our body, soul, and mind, we can become instruments of reconciliation for those around us.

Hearing God for the New Year

In John 10:27, Jesus says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” As followers of Jesus, we need to be equipped to hear the voice of God when He speaks to us, as well as to understand the written Word of God, so that we can grow in our relationship with Jesus as the Word of God.

There are three Greek words used to refer to God’s Word in the New Testament. One is logos, as used in John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Logos is a very general term that means the idea, thought, reasoning, motive, or meaning of something. It can refer to a specific saying or, as it is used in this verse, something as grand as Christ Himself.

Graphe is the second Greek word, as used in 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” This term is the most specific, as it refers to the written word. The written word of God, the Bible, is our only authoritative source of revelation. All other forms of hearing from God and being led by the Holy Spirit must be submitted to the objective standard of the Bible, rightly understood and properly applied.

Rhema is the third Greek word, as used in Matthew 4:4: “But he answered, ‘It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.''’ It refers to something spoken, an utterance. So someone would read a graphe, but hear a rhema, in order to understand the logos. Keep in mind that these words are sometimes used interchangeably. Understanding how the Bible uses these three Greek words helps us grasp various ways God actively communicates with us.

As Christ-followers, we deeply value all the ways God communicates to us, and we strive to hear, understand, and obey God’s word in every sense that it is conveyed. We are encouraging all New Day participants to read the Bible daily. On our website (https://newdaycommunity.org/bible) you can find a link to a very easy to use Bible reading plan that has a variety of ways to access it, such as a smartphone app, website, printed versions, and other options. Or you can find a vast variety of plans using the YouVersion Bible app. Regardless of the specific reading plan you use, it is vital to daily spend time interacting with the Word of God. I encourage you to pick a plan and stick with it. Let’s all make the next year one in which we grow deeper in our understanding of God’s Word.

Glory!

What do you picture when you see the word glory? Do you see sparkling gold beams of light reflecting off an expanse of water? The moon radiating in the night sky? The sun as its rays burst through the clouds? Does the brilliance blind you?

Luke records the encounter that the shepherds had with angels the night Jesus was born: “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified” (Luke 2:8-9). The brilliance of the Lord shone! It radiated so much that the shepherds couldn’t deny it, and they fell down in fear.

“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger’” (Luke 2:10-12).

Did you see that? This birth, the birth of Jesus, is cause for great joy! No matter what kind of situation you’re in, this good news is the reason why we can have joy—even in the midst of difficult situations. The world can feel like a dark and hopeless place, but with God there is always hope. It’s why we sing and praise God even during hard times. God is faithful and good all the time. He doesn’t change even when our circumstances do.

“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests’” (Luke 2:13-14).

Glory not only describes a radiant brilliance, but ascribes adoration and honor. ”Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice” (1 Chronicles‬ 16‬:‭10‬). The angels did it on that most holy night and they continue to do so now! Let’s join with the heavenly hosts and give glory to God. Give thanks and praise to Him today and every day. Then, when your friends and family ask you the reason for your joy, give God all the glory!

God Loves the Lowly

The truth that God loves to reveal himself to the lowly, work through the lowly, and honor the lowly continues to impact me. It wonderfully surprises me every time I come across it in Scripture. I would have expected this reality to feel less stunning over time, as I became accustomed to this way of God. Yet here I am, astounded again, and motivated to be more like God in this way.

God loves the lowly. This dynamic is seen in the Christmas story with how Jesus starts out his time on earth. Jesus does not come as a fully developed man, he is a baby—the most lowly, vulnerable, and dependent anyone can be. You see, God does not shy away from lowliness. Instead, he honors Jesus while he is in that humble state through the magi’s visit.

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. They opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11)

Again God honors the lowly by sharing the best news in history up to that point with shepherds—one of the most lowly professions one could have. It is to them that God sends his angels to proclaim the Messiah has been born! What joyous news—the long awaited redeemer has arrived.

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.’” (Luke 2:8-11)

This pattern with God continues with Jesus’ first recorded miracle. It was the servants at the wedding in Cana who first learned that Jesus had changed the contents of their jars from water to wine.

“And the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew.” (John 2:9)

As they served this miracle wine to the wedding guests, what must they have been feeling? I'm sure awe and honor were among their emotions. Let’s allow wonder for God’s countercultural way of doing things to change us. Try telling your good news to the lowliest person you know. Share a miracle that God did in your life with someone whose age, profession, or economic status is less desirable by the world’s standard. Together we can be impacted by, and in turn impact, the world around us with the truth that God loves the lowly.

He Came!

He Came! He comes! And he’s coming back again!

The season of Advent is here. If you’re like me, you may not be very familiar with that word, Advent. You might have a vague notion that it is connected to Christmas—that people eat chocolate out of cardboard calendars or light candles or something like that. But what does it really mean?

Advent comes from the Latin word Adventus which means “arrival, appearance, ripening, or invasion”. In our context, it refers to the incarnation of Christ. Our creator God came to earth and became a human. John captured this in his gospel when he wrote this about Jesus:

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

So Advent is a time to remember that Jesus came. We remember his birth, his life, and ultimately his death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. We remember that three days after he died, he rose again.

Advent is also a time for Christians to kindle their faith and hope in the return of Jesus. He’s coming again—the second “arrival.” The apostle Paul talks about this in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. He ends the passage by reminding us that at this return of Christ “we will be with the Lord forever.” And he asks us to “encourage one another with these words.”

We remember the first arrival of Jesus at his birth. We look forward to his second arrival when he returns for us. But did you know there is another arrival sandwiched between? A university professor named Pfatteicher writes, "Since the time of Bernard of Clairvaux (died 1153), Christians have spoken of the three comings of Christ: in the flesh in Bethlehem, in our hearts daily, and in glory at the end of time."

It is this third arrival I encourage you to embrace today, this Advent season, and every day of your life. Jesus came! Jesus will come back again! Very true. But equally true is this—today is the day that he wants to show up in your life. I encourage you not to put your head in the sand and wait for his return. Look up, look around, come toward him, and find his “appearance” in your life today.

“Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
– Jesus

Run to the Throne of Grace

I don’t know about you, but when life gets hard, stressful, or even just busy, I’ve found I have a tendency to get consumed with whatever it is in front of me that I need to tackle. The deadline for a big work project coming up? I’m gonna constantly think about it. Gotta have a hard conversation with someone important to me? You know I’m gonna go over what I’m planning to say 100 times and STILL feel like I don’t know what I’ll say. The thing is, when I start to focus on things in this way and get consumed by stress, I tend to push other priorities in my life out of the way: things like going to bed on time, eating healthy food, or spending time with community.

However, I’ve found there’s a priority that we as Christians can at times unknowingly push away when the going gets tough, and frankly it’s the one priority that should never be pushed away: intimacy and time with God.

Somehow we get it into our heads that closeness with God is something that’s more like an elective activity rather than an essential one, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Relationship with our Creator isn’t one of the items on our priority list. It’s more like the air you’re breathing while you write the list. We are designed for relationship with Him to be the foundation on which we approach our lives, not just an activity we do when we have time.

The tricky thing is that as we start to prioritize and focus on things without Him, we can fall prey to the deception that He starts to distance Himself from us, and that in order to get back into closeness with Him again, we need to make it up to Him and somehow earn it.

My friends, do not listen to this lie. Our God is not full of bitterness or resentment for us when we stray from Him, but rather is full of radical grace and outstanding mercy. He is EAGER to welcome you back and brush off any loneliness or shame you may have. All you need to do is turn around and welcome Him back into His rightful place in your life.

Hebrews 12 exhorts this truth beautifully: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 12:15-16, ESV).

I pray you and God are able to have an intimacy like never before this holiday season: that He will be your constant foundation, no matter what heights or depths face you.