What's Your Habitat?

When my uncle, Jeremy, graduated high school, he took a one way ticket straight Hungary. There, he learned the native language, worked at a local church, and eventually got married to a nice, little Hungarian lady named Izabella. A few years later, his wife gave birth a child I like to call "the tornado" - his real name is Ezekiel. A few months ago, Jeremy started thinking about moving back to Hungary to continue missionary work, and Ezekiel was thoroughly upset with the idea. At pre-school, my four year old nephew constructed a poem in which he expressed his love for his "habitat." He talked on and on about why it's not good to leave your "habitat," and why he didn't want to go back to Hungary. Despite the odd word choice, "the tornado" was onto something. He understood that there are places that are good to live and places that are not. For example - hundreds of thousands of people live in Southern California right? What about death valley? What about the Gobi Desert? What about on top of Mount Everest? Yeah ... didn't think so. So let's think about this spiritually. God has put rules before us - He's given us an outline of the way that we should live our lives ... why? Because we are in control of the spiritual habitat that we choose. You can purposefully live where God wants you to ... or you can be an idiot and choose to live somewhere else (spiritually speaking of course). The question: Are you living in a spiritual desert? Or are you like a tree planted by the rivers of water? (Psalm 1)

Psalm 26


Verses 1-7 A lot of the times when you read the Bible, you realize that so many of the characters have the same heart and the same passion for God. In Ezekiel 11, we see that God makes a promise to His people to give them an undivided heart ... so this makes perfect sense. Although God has separate plans for each and every persons life - an individualistic adventure that He has set aside for you, the heart behind it is always the same for a person who chooses to follow. Daniel, the guy that almost got devoured by lions, has a famous Bible verse set apart to describe his life. It talks about how he purposed in his heart to not to live in sin, but to set apart his life for the purpose of pursuing the Father (no matter the costs). David echoes some similar thoughts in this Psalm. David says that he has "walked in integrity" - that he has walked in "the Truth" of God's word. David even asks God to examine his life and point out any areas where he might be stumbling. Michelle (my beautiful girlfriend) and I just started reading the book of Hosea. The book is such a wonderful reminder that we are all sinners. As Jesus would say - there is no one good but God. We fall short - we do not hit the mark, but are we living in a way that allows God to fix that in us? David continues and gives us an idea of how we are supposed to live our lives. He says that he chooses not to dwell in the midst of evil-doers - that he will not sit with the wicked (read Psalm 1:1-2). HAVE YOU CHOSEN A SPIRITUAL HABITAT THAT IS SUITABLE? If you're struggling with swearing, don't hang out with people who swear. If you're struggling with temptation to abuse drugs and alcohol, don't hang around people who will cause you to even be tempted. It just makes sense. In fact, I would encourage an even stricter policy - just don't hang out with bad people. Lambs don't drink water where the wolves are close by. Warthogs won't go to the fields where a pride of lions is hanging out. Humans don't camp in a cave full of bears. Why would we do that spiritually? In the new testament, Jesus says that if an eye causes you to sin, pluck it out (Matt 18:9). Maybe a bit extreme (don't rip out your eyes please) - Instead, I would encourage you to choose a "habitat" that is spiritually sound. Use discernment when choosing friends, places to hang out at, or even in participating in something you love. I have a friend of mine who plays college baseball - he tells me that he struggles with sin just because of the people on the team. How did I encourage him? What did I say to do? ... quit baseball. Easier said than done. It's much more important to build up barriers between you and sin than between you and God. period.

Verses 8-12 I don't want to go on very much longer, because I don't want you guys to fall asleep reading this ... but this is important. David says that he loves the "habitation" of the Lord's house (NKJV). He desires to live in a spiritually healthy place - in the presence of "living water" and not in a desert. He will choose to walk in integrity - meaning he will not choose a life of sin (or live in the presence of sinning people). Instead he will dedicate his life to glorifying God. Have you chosen your habitation out of love for God or something else?

Hope you guys are having a blast before school starts!
-Chris

The Lame Men Walk, The Blind Men See

Psalm 25
Don't get me wrong when I say this, but this is a longer Psalm than I have time to deal with. I mean, come on, it would take forever to finish every last detail of these 22 wonderful verses. This is just what you have to understand about the Bible - there is too much good stuff to cover for how short life is (start studying now ... you will never reach an end of good study). Even so, the show must go on. We've got to cover something right? Right! SOOOOO ... Let's talk about Jesus. Let's talk about how He not only had the power to make the lame walk and the blind see but also the love and compassion to reach out to those people in the first place. Our God is an awesome God, but chooses to make Himself open to forgiveness ... ready to offer second chances ... joyful in the opportunity for new lives to be started in Him. BUT ... are you choosing Him or something else?



Verses 4-5 Imagine being on a freeway overpass about to go to school. You mom/dad passes the normal exit you would take to head to a long, boring day of learning. For a moment, you get unbelievably excited because you think that you're off the hook for the day - no quizzes, no tests, no challenges, no teachers, nothing to worry about ... until ... your driver turns onto the next freeway entrance (which is supposed to be an exit) and you find yourself in a minivan going nearly 100 miles per hour in the wrong direction on the highway. DANGER. EXPLOSION. BIG ACCIDENT. HOSPITAL ... and you still make it in time for school. What a day right? Well here's the deal. The truth about God's plan for your life is that it's not always going to be fun or easy. Psalm 37:4 tells us that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our hearts. There's a big difference here between getting what you want and what God wants for you. If you delight yourself in the Lord, your heart will grow to be like His - His desires for your life become your desires for your life. The fact of the matter, though, is that God doesn't force his desires upon us (which is key in understanding the existence of both "free will" and God's plan for your life"). You basically have two choices - follow God's plan for your life, no matter the difficulty you may face OR make up your own plan (after all, you are a genius right?) ... and then SELF-DESTRUCT! If you make plans for your life, they will never work out the way you intended them to... but there is an almighty God whose plans for you are filled with promises of a bright future and the hope of salvation (Jeremiah 29:11). So VERSES 4-5 shows the mindset that we ought to have. We've been forgiven - just like Jesus cleansed the lepers, just like he made the blind see and the lame walk - His work on the cross has taken your rotten life and provided you with a second chance. This is not to say that sin itself passes away, but we choose a lifestyle in Christ rather than in sin. In Galatians it says - It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Think about the lives that Jesus touched - the radical transformation that took place in all the people who were healed. Do you feel you've been set free? Do you feel that you have tasted God's grace? These men had - and Christ said to the majority - "your faith has made you well."

Verses 4-5 SO, you probably thought we were moving on right? Well too bad ... buckle up and let's keep movin'. Right, so Jesus said "your faith has made you well." These men, for the most part, had faith enough to know that Jesus could make their lives whole - that Jesus could make their "story" a million times greater than it was. How do you feel about what God is doing in your life? Do you feel bummed out about Jesus? Well ... rethink your priorities. David says "Show me your ways Oh God ... teach me your paths." Why? Because God is the God of our salvation. He saved me. He saved you. How much more would a person have to do to have your trust? How much more would God have to do for you to pick up a life that glorifies Him? There's this song called "Let Everything that Has Breath" that says:

Praise You when I'm laughing,
Praise You when I'm grieving,
Praise You every season of the soul.

Maybe you are hurting right now ... who better to go to than the God that knit you together in your mother's womb? (Psalm 139:13) Maybe you're in a very comfortable time in your life right now. Praise God, right? In all situations in life, God asks that we give him the wheel. God asks for faith (trust) ... with which He will do great and mighty things. In fact, Habakkuk tells us that God is planning to do things in our lives that we wouldn't even believe if we were told (Hab. 1:5). How crazy is that? The God of the universe ... the creator of all ... wants to do a work in you. Let Him.

Chapter 25 If you read the rest of the Psalm, you'll really see how much David trusted God. He put his life in the Lord's hands for joy, mercy, restoration, peace, deliverance, and all sorts of things that we've talked about in the last 25 weeks (crazy huh?). It's almost like David made himself to have the attitude of a blind man. He made himself nothing, cause he knew the power that our God has. Why did the blind men call out to Jesus? Why did the lame men crawl to his feet? Because ... in our weakness, God is always strong. When our plan fails us and we turn our hope to God, He always has a plan to pick us back up on our feet (Isaiah 40:13).


Hope to see you all this week!
-Chris

God ... Everything ... and You

So as the title for this week implies, our psalm talks a little about God and everything (everything includes you), but it also steps back and touches on the opportunity to have a one on one relationship with the God who created everything. We have a really short Psalm this week, but it's one that is quite powerful ... Pay Attention! - Psalm 24



Verses 1-6 As a boy growing up, there were times where I had a horribly messy room - maybe not as bad as the picture above, but sometimes it felt like it. On the other hand, even when my room looked like a tornado rolled through it, I was still able to find the things I cared about - my cell phone, my back-pack, my computer, my baseball stuff. There was always so much going on in my room, but I had it under control - it was no longer a messy room to me ... it was just artistic living. Now think about GOD. David says that God is the creator of everything ... the grass in your front yard, the tree you fell out of and broke your arm, the lake your family visits every year, the massive oceans separating continents, the earth, the sun ... the universe. Man, talk about a messy room. Not to say that God is chaotic, but He certainly does have a lot of stuff going on - a massive list of things He has to know. But David continues ... who can stand in the presence of this Holy God? Who is worthy? Who is able? Me? You? ... no way jose'. Even though God is the creator of the universe, and even though He literally has a million other things to worry about ... He drops everything - just to be with you. Amazing. Psalm 139:17-18 tells us that God's thoughts towards us are as numerous as the grains of sand on the Earth. Jeremiah tells us that God has planned to give us a future and a hope. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John showed the reality of these promises through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Does that mean for one second that we are worthy? Does that mean the answer to David's questions is "MEEEE"? No, but ... just like when I was a young boy and my room was filled with garbage - God looks at creation and he knows where you're at. I cared about my computer ... God cares about you.

Verses 7-10 The second part of this Psalm is a bit different, but the question we're basically given here is this - Is God your king? Are you loyal to Him and no one else? Do you bow at His feet? Do you heed his commands? Truly, these are questions worth considering. If the "King of Kings" is willing to search through creation to find you ... as little as you are ... are you willing to return the favor? God is the "King of glory" ... but is he yours?

See you all later this week!
-Chris

What a Good Shepherd

This weeks Psalm is probably the second most famous passage in the Bible – just behind John 3:16. Here it is – Psalm 23



Often times when I read a section of the Bible that I have previously read, I tend to see things differently. Usually when I read this Psalm, I see a picture of lamb and a loving shepherd … a picture of comfort in knowing that God loves me and protects me. Although that is a wonderfully perfect way to look at it, this time when I read the Psalm, I saw something a little differently – this time I saw a list. A set of qualifications. A description of who my God is and what he does for me – a truly Good Shepherd

Verse 1 – The Lord is my shepherd? What in the world is that supposed to mean. Well, think about it – if we are the sheep and He is the shepherd, that would mean his job is to provide, to sustain, to guide, to protect – obviously the list goes on. In a nutshell, this simple verse that people tend to glaze over to get to the “meat” of the chapter is somewhat the most important. The Good Shepherd has claimed ownership over us. In other sections of the Bible, we are told that we have been adopted (Ephesians 1:5). How crazy is it to think that the owner of the universe would take the responsibility of making you His son or his daughter. We're told that his thoughts are endless towards us – it simply blows my mind. In this Psalm, we'll see just what it means the Lord is our Shepherd.

Verse 2 – God makes us as sheep lie down by still waters. He puts us in the greenest of pastures. If that makes absolutely no sense, think about the most peaceful place you've ever been. When I was a freshman in High School I sat on a rock in the middle of a river waiting on the Lord – peace. As our shepherd, God has taken on the responsibility of giving us a safe-haven, a place of rest, and most of all a place of peace. Sometimes I find myself questioning this idea – does God really give me peace? The answer is a resounding yes. The only times I find myself in danger or in pain is when I stray from the plan that He has for me – when I take my life in my own hands. Check out the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15). This section of the Psalm also talks of abundance and life. In Psalm 1, we're told that we are to be a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit. God has given us the opportunity to find peace, as well as an opportunity to grow spiritually – what a Good Shepherd.

Verse 3 – Here it is again. God has called us His own. As we make our way down the checklist, we find that our God is a God of restoration. Many of you are probably familiar with this cultural tidbit, but bear with me. In old times, shepherds were known for breaking the legs of misbehaving sheep – if they walked too close to a cliff … BOOOM … broken leg via a mighty swing of a staff. What happens next? Well the shepherd carries the injured lamb on his shoulders to teach it to stay close – to build a strong relationship between the sheep and himself. That's what God is constantly doing with us. So putting it together – restoration hurts … it's not fun. On the other hand, we have a Shepherd who uses situations in our lives to teach us more about Him and to keep us in line. We have a God who will do whatever it takes to call us his own – what a Good Shepherd.

Verse 4 – Sometimes God uses the rod on us – to protect us right? On the other hand, think about what damage he can do to those who try to mess us up – uhm … like the devil. The last several Psalms that we covered talked about God as a rock, as a foundation, a shelter, etc. This week, we see an active portrayal of what God truly is as a Shepherd – He is our protector. I go to a Bible study every Tuesday (almost) … It's led by a guy named Mario. Before we start every week, Mario likes to say something along the lines of, “If there are any wolves here, I'll protect my sheep.” Although I like Mario very very much, he will never be able to save me from the wolves of my life. He will never be able to defend me in the way our Almighty God can. Truly, as he has promised time and time again, God will protect us and keep us from harms way – what a Good Shepherd.

Verse 5 – Out of all of the descriptions of a shepherd, this is the weirdest to me. Never in my life have I ever heard of a Shepherd preparing a feast (a Thanksgiving Style feast) for his sheep. Animals are meant to eat slop. I loved my pet pig, Kramer. Even so, I fed him garbage – cause he ate it. Think about it this way – even though we are but sheep in the presence of a mighty Shepherd, He has gone above and beyond – preparing us a feast in the presence of our enemies. He, after snuffing out a wolf, shares the triumph with us. God is our victory. Not only that, but he blesses us with so much more than we will ever deserve. People have asked me time and time again – why does God love us? … Too which I generally end up at - “I'm just as confused as you.” The question is not why he loves us but HOW HE LOVES US. God has chosen to provide for us in abundance, give us peace, make our lives fruitful, restore us, adopts us and give us belonging, protect us, bless us, and share in his triumph with us – what a Good Shepherd.

Verse 6 – So we lay it on the table. Truly, if you recognize the truth of these statements, then you can say - “I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever … and ever … and ever ...” can you?


It's good to be back home!
Look forward to seeing all of you guys!
-Chris

Psalm 22

A Psalm a week: Psalm 22

This is a long one, full of great verses and ideas; here are only a couple of the big ideas. Read it for yourself here!

This Psalm of David is really cool because, as I learned it at school, it contains prophecy that Jesus fulfills. After reading the first part of verse 1 (“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”) you may recognize this statement. Many years after this verse was written, Jesus was hanging on a cross and said the same thing (check out Matt 27:46 or Mark 15:34).
Why did Jesus say that? One reason is as follows. The Pharisees, with all their biblical knowledge, would recite passages from the Bible in a funny way. One of them would start by saying the first verse and then the rest of them would finish it. Jesus knew this, and so He appropriately started speaking the words of a Psalm that contained prophecies He fulfilled, so that the Pharisees that surrounded and watched his crucifixion would think to themselves the verses that follow. As we will see, the Psalm continues (verses 16-18) with random statements that happened to Jesus in the moments following his crucifixion. In John 19:24,36,37 we see these verses of Psalms repeated… “They divided My outer garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots”, “Not a bone of Him shall be broken”, and “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.” It is really amazing that years before Jesus was even born, God was putting prophecies in the Bible that His Son would fulfill. It is just further proof that God had to inspire the words of the Bible, for 40 different men could not have written such perfectly prophesied words and verses. Awesome.

So besides this Psalm being an amazing testament to the perfectly, inspired word of God, it also has great comfort for Christians today. The title of this Psalm in my Bible says “A Cry of Anguish and a Song of Praise”. Repeated throughout this Psalm, we see cries of pain or loneliness, a cry for deliverance, then we see a song of praise remarking on how holy and awesome our God really is. The first two verses are a cry of anguish, a cry for deliverance from words, but David remarks in verse three “Yet You are holy.” Again we see the reoccurring theme that in pain and times of trouble, God is there for us. Holy is such a weird word, what does it even mean? Upon researching this word, it means “pure, loving nature and separate from evil”. God’s holiness demands a response of worship, which is where David’s songs of praise come in. “22 I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you. 23You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! 25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you [e] will I fulfill my vows. 26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the LORD will praise him may your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, 28 for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations. 29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him those who cannot keep themselves alive.”
So, to sum it all up, God is all knowing (fulfilling prophecies in Jesus and composing the Bible in perfection) and God is comforting to those who diligently seek His face, worship Him, for He alone is worthy of praise, and live to give God the glory in their lives.

God bless!

p.s. sorry for the delay this week :/

A Good King

Psalm 21


Every king is marked by his kingdom. This is how I know that the Burger King is the most disappointing king of them all. Burger King's food doesn't even taste good ... that should tell you something. Anyway, let's think about real kings. As we all know, any successful king that has ever walked this planet has taken two things very seriously - his nation, and his people. Every king's pride is found in his people, and every king's status is marked by the prestige of his nation ... If that doesn't make sense, it will in a little bit. Today, we're going to see a king that didn't place his trust in the wealth of the world or the stone that help up the walls surrounding his city. Rather, the king we study today is the one that found his wealth and his protection in the father - one that truly showed our God is worthy to be called the King of Kings.

Verses 1-6 So this guy ... this David character - a remarkable man and notable king - He didn't even think he was worthy to stand before God. On the flip side, he entrusted everything to God. Think about your most prized possession - maybe a cellphone, Xbox, car ... you name it. David gave his entire kingdom over to God. Why? Maybe because he understood that stone walls around his city were only so strong , that his money was only worth a particular amount, and that his people would only put up with him for so long. ON THE OTHER HAND, he knew that the protection God could provide would be impenetrable, and because of it, David basically makes God the general of the kingdom. Continuing on, David knew that the riches he possessed would only last so long, but the gifts that the Father could provide would be eternal - gifts including [but not limited to] eternal life! For this, David made God his treasurer. Lastly, David knew that people would love who God was and what he would do for them - and for that, David made God his King. It's amazing to put it this way, but David gave his entire kingdom to the Father - for all the reasons we've seen in the past 20 Psalms and more. The question you need to ask yourself is ... HOW MUCH ARE YOU WILLING TO PUT INTO THE FATHER'S HANDS? Is your life so important that you need to be in control? ... Uhm sorry to say, but you will fail miserably. David teaches us that even the mightiest, richest, and most powerful of men still have to give God the reigns in their lives. Boom!

Verses 7-13 Some of you might have read the last section and thought, "Well Chris is stupid and he doesn't know a thing about my life." Although that is probably true, let me tell you a fact. No matter how difficult life may be for you ... no matter what trial is being thrown your way at this time in your life, Verse 7 (along with countless scripture) tells us that the love we have from the Father is unconquerable - that nothing can separate you from Him. If you give him your world ... he'll give you a new one ten times better. Time and time again I find myself questioning the power and love of our God ... only to slap myself in the face and either realize 1. That i'm pulling myself away from that love and need to get back 2. Or I was just stupid and forgot it was there for a few days,weeks, or months. There's really no need to talk about the last verses if you truly understand the consequences of verse 7. As a true king to a spiritual king (that's you if you haven't surrendered your life to the Father, David has made you a promise that God will never fail you. How awesome.


That is all.
Chris

Some may trust in horses ... Psalm 20

When I was a baby, my parents gave me a checkered blanket with patches of all different colors on it. For some reason, I thought that this blanket would protect me from all sorts of danger - whether I was pretending to be a superhero jumping from couch to couch, or simply hiding under the covers from the monsters in the closet. Looking back, I'm sure you'll all agree that the blanket did nothing for me. If anything, it was the reason I tripped down the stairs all of the time - it did nothing to protect me. Today, we look at the question - where do you place your trust? Is it in a checkered blanket or in the arms of the Almighty God?

Verses 1-6 So, first off ... why would I place my trust in God anyway? The fact of the matter is that God will always protect you. We have been talking in Luke about a lot of nerve-wrecking stuff. For instance, it's not always the easiest thing to proclaim Christ in the midst of your piers, especially when they are living in sin, but (and this is a big but) when we come to realize that God is our defense - we become spiritually unstoppable. Romans 8:31 says "For if God is for us, who can be against us?" If you're truly living a life according to God's will, there is never such a thing as defeat. God is victory. God never loses. As David says, God is our sanctuary, God is our rock, our defense, and our purpose for celebration. David says, let's rejoice and raise the banners. God has saved us, he has heard our cries, and he has been with us through the highs and through the lows of our lives. Think of how many times even your best friend has let you down. Now think about a time when God let you down (truly, never ...) God truly is the best friend you will ever have, and He is worth of honor, glory, and most of all - your trust.

Verses 7-9 This section is pretty simple. Basically David says, if you don't place your trust in God, good luck finding somewhere else to put your trust it. Just think about verse 7. Back in the day, so many men placed their trust on horses and chariots - as symbols of their power and status in society. Do we still us chariots? Do we see horses riding up and down the freeway? I think not! Time has passed and horses and chariots have lost their importance, but God has remained the same. Psalm 18:2 says that God is our rock, our foundation, in whom we should place our trust. Time and time again, for all eternity God has proven himself to be of a solid reputation.

Some may trust in horses ... So what do we get out of today's Psalm? What does that mean for me? You may not have to worry about what brand of chariot you're going to stroll into school with, but I'm positive that each and every one of you worries about how you talk around friends, what you wear, what type of cellphone you have, and all that nonsense. When I was in school, I struggled with the same things - I worried about what was popular and what wasn't. The minute I graduated high-school (some wonderful 2 years ago), all of that just went away. I don't even see anyone I went to school with, nor do I care what they think about the fantastic blue shirt I'm wearing right now. I don't care what they think that I don't drink, swear, or do drugs - why? Cause it doesn't matter. Because man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. Man looks at what is temporary, but God is concerned with that which is eternal. Let me tell you this - If you place your trust in popularity, it will fail you. If you place all of your trust on your cellphone plan, you will get a dropped call now and again. If you place all of your trust in friends, they will skip out on you from time to time. If you place your trust in the Father, He will always be there for you, he will not drop your call in the middle of a prayer, He will not look at you funny because of the clothes you wear, and He most definitely will not turn you away ... That's the God that has earned my trust.


Sorry for the jumbled mess that I call a Psalm a week - my brother is on his Xbox killing zombies at full volume - rather distracting.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Have a nice week!
- Chris