Where Do Our Thoughts Rest?

We know that the place where our thoughts constantly return and rest reveal what our treasure really is.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Matthew 6:21-23 NKJV

We are to constantly turn our thoughts back to Jesus, our God, and find our rest in Him.

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:2-3 NKJV

Open the gates, That the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in. You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on  You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in YAH, the Lord , is everlasting strength.
Isaiah 26:2-4 NKJV

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord , “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
Psalms 91:1-2 NKJV

Our faith is made real as we take each thought captive, returning our mind to Jesus when the "many waters" of the enemy comes against us.

Don't We All Believe in Jesus?

You know why there are so many beliefs about God and Jesus? I will tell you.

The Bible says that the names of the elect were written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world. It also says that the beast, false religion, will rise up and EVERYONE whose names were NOT written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will worship the beast. The only ones who will not be swept away into false religion are the elect.

Revelation 13:8 NKJV

All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Revelation 17:8 NKJV

The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Matthew 24:24 NKJV

For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

So that means that ONLY THE ELECT WILL BE KEPT BY GOD from being fooled and worshipping the beast. Guess what happens to everyone who worships the beast? Whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world.

Revelation 14:9-11 NKJV

Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his  mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

One of us is dead wrong, and it is going to carry catastrophic eternal consequences. Forever is a long time.

Challenge Your Faith

Here is a question to challenge those who profess Christ. We sing of and talk about God's love for us, and many even profess that love to be unconditional. Time to challenge your faith, if you dare care to test what you think you know.

1. IF you must "choose" God in order for Him to save you, would that not make His love conditional?!

-You must either conclude that God's love is conditional, or that He loves you BEFORE you decided to glorify God as God.

2. IF God loves everybody the same, how do you tell someone being damned to Hell that God loves them?

- You must become a Universalist and blatantly make Jesus a liar by claiming that Hell is temporary and that suffering the undiluted wrath of God is somehow loving, or you conclude that God has a peculiar love for His bride (Imagine that).

Please feel free to comment on either point. Can your faith withstand testing? If it is built on Truth, it should.

How Are We Righteous?

Want to know how to be righteous? Believe God. Period.

James 2:23 NKJV

And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.

Genesis 15:6 NKJV

And he believed in the Lord , and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

Romans 4:3 NKJV

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

Galatians 3:5-7 NKJV

Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does  He  do  it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Therefore know that only  those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

Teaching Moment

Becca and I took Hayden to Bodies in Motion for his birthday, and we did a cosmic rope course together. The first thing they do is put on a harness that has two "lobster claw" hooks securely attached to catch you if you fall.

Once we got to the top and secured our "lobster claws" to the cables above the rope course we started out on the first obstacle, and Hayden was freaking out. He asked us if we were scared, because he was.

Becca showed him how the cable and "lobster claws" were 100% dependable as she hung in the air with no hands as the harness, "lobster claws", and cable easily supported her full weight.

We went on from the demonstration by explaining to Hayden that it was a great illustration of faith. We KNOW that the "lobster claws" will hold us, and so it is with genuine faith. With that same confidence we KNOW that we are 100% secure in Jesus.

Do you have your "lobster claws" in? Are you secure enough to let go?

Why Regeneration Must Happen First

Jesus says that the Seed, the Word, can only bear fruit when it falls on "good soil" in the parable of the Sower.

Matthew 13:8, 23 KJV

But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Since the heart of a man must be "good soil" in order for the Seed, the Word, to bear fruit, God must first replace the heart of stone with a heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 36:26 NKJV

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Since the heart of flesh occurs simultaneously when God indwells a man with His Holy Spirit, this is the moment of salvation. Faith is the result.

2 Corinthians 1:22 KJV

Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

Ephesians 1:13-14 KJV

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

God must regenerate a man BEFORE He can receive the Word. Be not deceived. Salvation is entirely in the Hand of God Himself.

Great Questions

I was asked this question, and I thought it appropriate to share it here also.

"Hey Osa, I don't wanna argue or upset you, just curious about your opinion.

"If God is all powerful, is he also all loving? And if he is all powerful and all loving then how do you explain the problem of evil, such as terrorist attacks or natural disasters. If he is truly all powerful then why do bad things happen to good people? Why doesn't God stop it? If he is all powerful then He should be able to interfere. We have been talking about this in theology and just curious of your view on the topic. Don't get me wrong I am not doubting God just trying to grow my faith."

Before we jump into this, we must also address the erroneous assumption that there are "good people". We are ALL sinners, and only God is good. Bad things happened to a good person only once, and that was when Jesus willingly went to the cross.

Mark 10:18 NKJV

So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is,  God."

Those are GREAT questions. The answer lies at the core of creation and why we are here. The Bible says that EVERYTHING that was created, which is ANYTHING that is not God, was created by Jesus, for Jesus, and through Jesus.

Colossians 1:16 NKJV

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

John 1:1-3 NKJV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

Romans 11:36 NKJV

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

These things create the foundation. All of creation is focused on Jesus, not us. The cross is God’s chosen focal point. Before the foundation of the world it was determined, and then everything was created to revolve around the cross to the glory of God the Father, through God the Son, by the power of God the Holy Spirit.

I Peter 1:20-21 NKJV

He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Revelation 13:8 NKJV

All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have NOT been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Even the vessels of mercy, whose names were written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, and the vessels of wrath, whose names were NOT written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, were created for the glory of God.

Revelation 17:8 NKJV

The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Ephesians 1:4-6 NKJV

just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

Romans 9:11, 13, 22-24 NKJV

(for the  children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

I Peter 2:9-10 NKJV

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

Everything that Jesus created that was given the ability to choose themselves or Him rebelled, and decided they would rather be God. This was not by accident, but by design. God knew what they would choose. This includes every man and woman, and the angels. The only ones that stayed loyal to their Maker were the elect angels and the elect men, and by God’s own power and will.

I Timothy 5:21 NKJV

I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality.

Matthew 24:24 NKJV

For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

God did not create sin, but God created beings that would sin. He allowed Satan into the garden. He allowed Adam and Eve to be deceived. These things had to come to pass so that there could be a cross. God uses the evil of men and the demons for His purposes.

Acts 4:27-28 NKJV

“For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.

Genesis 50:20 NKJV

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but  God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it  is this day, to save many people alive.

Isaiah 10:5-7, 12-13, 15 NKJV

“Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hand is My indignation. I will send him against an ungodly nation, And against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, To seize the spoil, to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so; But it  is in his heart to destroy, And cut off not a few nations. Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that  He  will  say,  “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.” For he says: “By the strength of my hand I have done it, And by my wisdom, for I am prudent; Also I have removed the boundaries of the people, And have robbed their treasuries; So I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man. Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it? Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it? As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up, Or as if a staff could lift up, as  if  it  were not wood!

God is in COMPLETE CONTROL my friend, and He brings all things to pass to fulfill His purposes. He allows evil to have it's place so as to beautifully contrast His love, grace, mercy, forgiveness and power.

Psalms 33:8-12 NKJV

Let all the earth fear the Lord ; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord , The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

Can a Person Lose Their Salvation?

There is a very stern warning in Hebrews chapter 10 about trampling the blood of Christ under foot, and again in the Gospels about the servant who is caught being evil when Jesus returns. These verses are used by some to say that one can lose their salvation.

Matthew 24:48-51 NKJV

But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’  and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards,  the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of,  and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Luke 12:45-46 NKJV

But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk,  the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

Hebrews 10:26-31, 38 NKJV

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the  testimony  of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”

These verses are about the apostasy that was to come, and even now is taking place. The apostasy is those who worship the beast and are lead astray. Like Judas these were called, but not chosen. The Bible has much to say on this.

Matthew 22:11-14 NKJV

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him  into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Luke 22:22 NKJV

"And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”

John 17:12 NKJV

"While I was with them in the world,  I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled."

Jude 1:4 NKJV

For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

I John 2:19 NKJV

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they  went  out  that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

Those whose names were written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world are kept by God, for God, and through God. All praise to Him who keeps us, for we can do nothing on our own.

Revelation 17:8 NKJV

The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Matthew 24:24 NKJV

"For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."

Philippians 1:6 NKJV

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5 NKJV

Let  your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Hebrews 10:39 NKJV

But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.

Holy Spirit on All Flesh?

Here is another verse that I have heard people say means every person and all of mankind, but if we use Scripture to interpret Scripture we realize once again that the "all" here is specific to believers.

Joel 2:28 NKJV

“And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions."

Acts 2:17 NKJV

‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.

Romans 8:9, 14 NKJV

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Whatever it Takes

All the time as God has me witnessing  to people I hear their problems and I see the calamity that lays before them, and I do not attempt to steer them from it. I know that God brings us to a place of brokenness so that we can be humbled before Him, and ANYTHING a person must endure to get there is absolutely worth it. In fact, to the contrary, I pray that God will crush their pride, whatever it takes, so that they may turn to Him. If Hell served that same purpose, then I would not feel the need to prevent it.

I went to prison for 20 months, and it was an absolute blessing that I would never change. It was an opportunity that most people don't get, because I got to spend 6 to 8 hours a day in prayer and reading the Bible for 20 months. To some that would suck, but anything that brings us closer to Jesus is well worth it.

Here is a very real example in my life... I have men in my life that God has given me to love from when I was in prison. One guy in particular has gotten out and violated, got out again and violated again, and got out again. When I talk to him I tell him that if he belongs to God He will do whatever is necessary to bring him to Himself. Him going back to prison doesn't even cause me to flinch because I see the scope of the eternal. Whatever it takes will be well worth it. I know how bad prison sucks because I too was there, but who cares how bad it hurts if that is what is required to bring about the glory of God?

I have another friend, a very dear brother of mine, who has served 25 years in prison so far. He is a godly man now (has been for the last 15 years), and I would love to see him free. The thing is that we both know that our lives are God's, and we are willing to endure whatever He has called us to for His glory. We know that anything we endure for ANY amount of time is worth eternity with Christ.

If Hell was a duration of time that would end, and the result was eternal life, I would encourage anyone to endure whatever God has called them to knowing that the end result was eternal life.

Paul is the most blessed man with spiritual maturity in the Bible after Jesus came (in my opinion), and if I have this eternal perspective even though I am nobody how much more did He?! In Romans 9 he expresses his great sorrow for the Jews who could not receive the promises. If their missing out was only for a duration of time I am sure his response would have been of joy instead of sorrow.

I know it isn't though, so I preach the Kingdom of God and call people urgently to repentance.

Get to the Meat.

Some just don't continue to search things out. It is not that they are not saved, but they remain on the milk.

I Peter 2:1-3 NKJV

Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Hebrews 5:12-14 NKJV

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that  is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

I Corinthians 3:2-3 NKJV

I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to  receive  it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there  are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?

Did you know?! You should.

If a person is to be judged for their sin, then none would be saved. We are born into sin, completely depraved from birth. We do not sin because we choose to. We sin because it is who we are. Because we are sinners, haters of God from the moment we are born, God gives us over to the filth in our heart.

Romans 1:21-22, 24-26 NKJV

...because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.

Habakkuk 1:11 NKJV

"Then his mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, Ascribing this power to his god.”

Ephesians 2:1-2 NKJV

And you He  made  alive,  who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience...

If we could just quit sinning on our own, Jesus never would have had to hang on the cross nor send the Holy Spirit to enable us to do what we cannot. Don't be deceived. Just as it is God who gives us over, it is also Him who works in us once we are filled with His Spirit.

Philippians 2:13 NKJV

...for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

We can NEVER be "good enough" or "DO" anything to be "better". Without the Holy Spirit, we are SLAVES to sin. We have no say in the matter. Sin dwells in us. Only with the Holy Spirit are we made free from sin, being given a choice, and made bond servants of Christ.

Romans 6:17-18 NKJV

But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

This is why a person will not go to hell for their sin, but for their unbelief. Without the Holy Spirit we are but the walking dead, destined to die again. Life only comes to those through faith.

Habakkuk 2:4 NKJV

“Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith."

Hebrews 10:38 NKJV

"Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”

You cannot be "good" and quit sinning. That is a lie from the pit of Hell. Turn to the Lord in FAITH, and be saved! All else is empty garbage.

Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it  is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

GOD'S PURPOSE IN A BELIVER'S LIFE

I do not write to the world, but I write to those who are called unto God. The world cannot receive what I have to share. God created EVERYTHING for His glory. Period. There was no obligation. He simply did what He wanted to do. Each believer is brought to Christ, by God, through faith, ONLY of grace so that we will be sanctified into the image of Christ that God might be glorified in us. This is truth. This is why we are here.

Knowing this, and believing it, changes how we perceive things. Marriage is God's greatest gift to us, because it is thee most tangible illustration of the relationship between Jesus and the Church. Marriage is also God's greatest tool to sanctify a believer. Think about it.

Some of the characteristics of Jesus that will be evident in us as we become like Him are grace, mercy, unconditional love, forgiveness, truth, openness, meekness, humility, and unwavering commitment. How do you suppose God will bring such characteristics about in your life if you do not go through situations that refine and demand these qualities? It is only under the fire of testing that we can be molded into the likeness of the God we serve.

Let Him have His perfect work in you. God can change your marriage in a heart beat, but would that rob you of the refining of your character? Nothing is impossible for our God. NOTHING. See God's hand and providence in your life, in your marriage, and let God finish what He has started. God joined you to your spouse for a reason. Your character has to be able to bare the weight of your destiny, so don't you dare lose faith when God is preforming His Word. Praise Him, and know that He is doing a great thing!

Grace

You call yourself a "Christian", and you live a life where your faith costs you nothing? You have been led astray my friend, and you do not have what you think you have. Apparently someone unfamiliar with Jesus has duped you into believing a lie. True grace does have a cost. Read the four gospels, the first four books of the New Testament, and then let us reason together. If your being a "Christian" has cost you nothing, I would challenge you to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Food for thought.

“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession.... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

“Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: 'Ye were bought at a price', and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.”

― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

To Be a Father and Husband

There is something God has written on my heart with great conviction. It is what His love is supposed to look like in our lives. We all have people in our lives that we love, and we love them the best that we can. In my life I came to terms with the reality that the best love I had to give to those I cared most about was not enough. What is on the inside always comes out, no matter how diligently we strive to make things different. I was a selfish boy who cared more for me than for those I loved. It was that selfishness that corrupted the love I sought to give. What came out was the best I had to give, but it was really all about me.

It was this truth that God used to bring me to Himself. I didn’t want to hurt anyone anymore. I didn’t want to hurt my wife. I didn’t want to hurt my kids. The turning of my heart was a moment when I cried out to God with complete sincerity to just make me the man my wife and kids needed me to be. I didn’t ask Him to help me. I didn’t ask Him to make things better for me. I asked Him to do whatever it took for me to be the man they needed me to be. This was the beginning of my new life.

God showed me that the only way I could love my family the way they need to be loved is if I would lay down my life. I had to die so that they could live. I had to take up my cross so that I could love them the way they need to be loved. I realized that only through defeating selfishness could I give of myself in such a manner that my love would be genuinely felt by the recipient.

It is the love that God showed me when He suffered the crucifixion that has changed my life. While I was still in rebellion against Him, living selfishly for myself and hurting the people around me, He still loved me. He pursued me in spite of myself, and never gave up on me. It is this love, unconditional and sacrificial, that I wanted to be able to give to my family. By yielding to God, He has shown me what love is supposed to look like. After all, God is love.

I cannot say that I know much, but I can say that I know God. I know love for the first time in my life. Because I know love, I know hope. Without God I am nothing but a selfish vacuum where my best is short of ever being what I would want it to be. With God, it is Him working through me. He can and will do what I cannot. Love is sacrifice. Love is everything, and without love there is nothing. I am bound to what God has shown me. Though the doubts and fears come, God always moves to keep me on track. He is faithful even when I am not.