The Christian Dependent

Psalm 89:9-18

⁹ You rule the raging of the sea;
    when its waves rise, you still them.
¹⁰ You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
    you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
¹¹  The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;
     the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.
¹²  The north and the south, you have created them;
     Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
¹³ You have a mighty arm;
    strong is your hand, high your right hand.
¹⁴  Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
     steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
¹⁵ Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
    who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
¹⁶ who exult in your name all the day
    and in your righteousness are exalted.
¹⁷ For you are the glory of their strength;
    by your favor our horn is exalted.
¹⁸ For our shield belongs to the Lord,
    our king to the Holy One of Israel.

***

Reread that passage. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Did you reread the passage, or just go straight to this sentence? Reread it! Trust me.

If we let these words from the beautiful 89th chapter of the book of Psalms sink into us, something will change.

There have been many times in my life that, as a man, I have taken pride in doing something alone. "I don't need anyone else!" I proclaim, whether inwardly or out loud as I tackle a problem. I rely on my own power, my own knowledge, my own ideas or my own ability to problem-solve. 

This verse flies in that face of that attitude. The idea here is to "walk in the light of the LORD's face." What does that mean? Walk in God's will and, by definition, his favor. The writer here makes it clear first why we should follow the LORD, and then what it looks like once one does follow Him.

He rules the sea, it's ebb and flow, the currents and shifting plates.

He can not just fight off but scatter His enemies. 

He lays claim to both the heavens and the earth.

He creates the poles, curvature of the earth, the sense of directional awareness.

He is good; righteousness and justice are the foundations of His throne.

These truths shout an overarching story above their baseline ideas: There is another way. A better way. You can have the LORD of all things in your corner. He can fight with you, fight for you. You don't have to be alone.

As a guy, this is a hard concept to grasp. We are brought up to believe that asking for help equals weakness or inability. It's something only a lesser man would do. Real men stand up, shut up and do whatever they need to do, independent of anyone and everyone. 

This is not the picture of true manhood we see painted for us in Scripture. A true man is in touch with his need for salvation, for sanctification, and a continual reliance on Christ. To lean onto Him is to break free of the hollow, frail shell of manhood the world presents us with and to embrace our true nature: wholly and completely dependent on the person of Jesus Christ for all things. The world and heavens are His; what foolishness it is to run from Him and seek to persevere under our own power! 

My old pastor said something profound one Sunday morning years ago: "Live in such a way that you cannot survive without daily dependence on God."

Our God is to be trusted and to be relied upon. We are made to rely on Him. The sooner we accept this truth and lean into Him, the better our lives will be. They may not be easier, they may not be more fun, but they will be better.

Seeing God at Work

Luke 11:29-36

The Sign of Jonah

²⁹ As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. ³⁰ For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. ³¹ The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now one greater than Solomon is here. ³² The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now one greater than Jonah is here.
³³ “None of you lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead you put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. ³⁴ Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. ³⁶ Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

Reflection

One day while I was in chapel at Azusa Pacific University, our campus pastor stood up on stage holding a chair in one hand about 2 feet off the ground. He stated in a dramatically loud voice, “God, if you are real, make this chair stop before it hits the ground.”

The crowd was silent as the campus pastor let go of the chair and it plummeted to the ground and off the stage. “Well I guess God isn’t real,” the campus pastor said after the chair hit the floor.

Now, my campus pastor was just trying to make a point. He did not really think that his little experiment disproved God’s existence, but I think if we were really honest with ourselves we would admit we play little games with God like my campus pastor did. We tell God, “If you do this then…fill-in-the-blank.” We sometimes just cannot see God at work, so we are moved to demand a sign.

In the text today, Jesus stands in the mist of a crowd asking for a sign: some type of miracle that would “prove” Jesus to be who he said he was. It was not enough for those in the crowd to have heard the stories; the crowd wanted to see the miracle man work his magic. It was not enough that Jesus spoke as one with authority, they wanted to see the “good-stuff;” they wanted to see the show.

Jesus just responds by saying, “no sign will be given except the sign of Jonah.”

Jonah was a man who was called by God to preach to the people of Nineveh, a people group whom Israel did not really like because they were so wicked. (This is why Jonah ran away from God’s calling at first and had to go through that whole eaten-by-a-whale part of the story.) When Jonah preached to the people of Nineveh, they all turned from their evil actions and followed God.

Now hundreds of years later, Jesus stands preaching the good news to another such wicked generation. The difference between when Jesus preached to that wicked generation and when Jonah preached to the other wicked generation is that the people of Nineveh listened to Jonah and repented from living in evil.

During the time of Jesus, it was believed that people could see because there was a “light” inside of them that would shine through their eyes highlighting everything in the world. This is what Jesus is talking about when he said, “Your eye is the lamp of your body.”

 If someone could not see, it was believed that the “light” inside him or her was “dull” or “dimmer,” because they had done something wrong. This is what Jesus meant when he said, “When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness.”

For those living during the time of Jesus, there was a large connection between the physical and the spiritual. If you were physically sick, there might have been a spiritual reason for it. If you were physically fine, there was believed to be a spiritual reason for it.

Today we might think this is really silly, but I think there is some truth to this. One time I was talking to a student when she told me that she had lately been really tired, sick feeling, and even randomly broken out in tears over “little things.” As we began to talk more, it became clear that there was a spiritual war with God happening within her. She was dealing with something very physical, but also something very spiritual.

Throughout the book of Luke and Acts, the writer refers to Jesus as “light” and the Evil One as “dark.” Jesus now picks up this theme by using the language and understanding of those in his culture to teach them a lesson. Jesus wants the crowd around him to realize that those with a “healthy eye” have an inner light and those with a “sick eye’ indicate that they have inner darkness. In simpler terms, the reason that the crowd could not easily see that Jesus is from God, and therefore requested a sign, is because the darkness inside of their bodies clouded out their ability to see correctly. Therefore, they could not truly see who Jesus was.

This story begs a scary question: if we cannot see God at work in our lives and/or in the world, is it because God is not there? Or, is it because there is some darkness inside us that is clouding out God’s work in the world?

Questions

1.     What did Jesus’s audience demand of him?

2.     Have you ever asked for or even demanded a sign from God? If so, why? What brought you to that point?

3.     Why cannot the people see Jesus for who he really is?

4.     Is there any darkness that might be blocking or clouding out God’s work in your life?

5.     What are some ways can you ask God to help you remove that darkness? In what ways can you seek God and his light?

6.     In what ways can your family try to focus on God and not the darkness of the world?

7.     Pray for each other as a family, pray and ask God to help you focus on him and see his light in the world.

The Transfiguration

Luke 9:28-36

The Transfiguration

²⁸ About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. ²⁹ As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. ³⁰ Two men, Moses and Elijah, ³¹ appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. ³² Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. ³³ As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)

³⁴ While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” ³⁶ When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.

Reflection

I remember talking to my mom about Jesus when I was around 9 years old. We were driving in her car and she was talking to me about who Jesus was and why he came. I remember her telling me that Jesus was the “Son of God” and that he came to “die for my sins.” To be completely honest, even though I heard what she was saying and could tell you that Jesus was the “Son of God,” I had no idea what it meant until much later on in my life.

In Luke, the disciples are like me; they do not understand exactly who Jesus is right away. Previous to our text today, we read that Peter confesses that Jesus is, “God’s Messiah.” In reality, Peter does not completely understand what this confession means.

After Peter confesses that Jesus is “God’s Messiah,” Jesus tells his disciples how he must die and then will be resurrected three days later. He then tells his disciples that to be “his disciple” they must themselves “die.”

We read this text and make the assumption that Jesus’s disciples “get it,” yet the story of the Transfiguration reveals the complete opposite.

On a clear day, Jesus takes his top three disciples up to a mountaintop, where he reveals a small part of his real glory to them. As Jesus is praying, he starts to glow. Upon seeing the glowing Jesus, the disciples fight off their tiredness and see that Jesus standing there talking to Moses and Elijah.

Moses and Elijah are honored as two of the greatest prophets to ever live. In fact, the book of Deuteronomy calls Moses, “Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.” Now, Jesus’s disciples see him standing there talking to these great prophets, and they cannot believe their eyes.

Peter, as if he has just forgotten the confession he made eight days earlier says, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

This statement shows that in reality Peter believes that Jesus is of the same greatness as Moses and Elijah, not that Jesus is anything more special than Moses or Elijah.

This is when a voice reminiscent of when Jesus was baptized again comes from the clouds and says, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”

By saying this, God was basically saying, this guy Jesus who you call “master” and “messiah” is greater that both Moses and Elijah because he is my Son. Jesus is the greatest prophet that has ever lived and who will ever live. Listen to him and follow him because he is greater than anyone who has come before him. He is the Messiah who will redeem and save Israel and the world.

Reading this story in Luke, I cannot help but wonder how many times I have been like Peter. I confess that Jesus is the Messiah, but I just do not completely get it. I quickly forget or do not completely understand what my confession means. I forget that my confession of Jesus as the “Messiah” should be a life changing statement that transforms who I am, how I live, and how I love others. Sometimes, I think I need God to remind me that this guy Jesus is, “…my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”

Questions

1.     Try to remember to the first time you heard that Jesus was the “Messiah,” did that word mean anything to you? Did you get it at first?

2.     Now when you hear the word “Messiah” what do you think of?

3.     Do you feel like there are times in your life that you forget your confession that Jesus is the “Messiah?” Why do you think we forget so easily?

4.     Do you think our confession that Jesus is the “Messiah” should change how we live? If so, how? If not, why not? 

5.     What are ways or think you try to do allow God to remind you who Jesus is?

6.     What are some new thinks your family or you could do to create space for God to remind you who Jesus is?

Revengeance

Psalm 79

A psalm of Asaph.

¹ O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance;
    they have defiled your holy temple,
    they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.
² They have left the dead bodies of your servants
    as food for the birds of the sky,
    the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild.
³ They have poured out blood like water
    all around Jerusalem,
    and there is no one to bury the dead.
⁴ We are objects of contempt to our neighbors,
    of scorn and derision to those around us.

⁵ How long, Lord? Will you be angry forever?
    How long will your jealousy burn like fire?
⁶ Pour out your wrath on the nations
    that do not acknowledge you,
on the kingdoms
    that do not call on your name;
⁷ for they have devoured Jacob
    and devastated his homeland.

⁸ Do not hold against us the sins of past generations;
    may your mercy come quickly to meet us,
    for we are in desperate need. 

***

Have you ever wanted revenge?

I don't mean the "Oh man, that guy looked at my girlfriend, I should go over there and punch him... he disrespected her" kind of revenge. I mean the "This person is an affront to my entire identity and seek to destroy it as soon and as completely as possible... they must be stopped" kind of revenge. 


This is what Asaph was craving as he wrote this Psalm. He felt the walls of his Kingdom closing in around him; enemies having their way with the holy city and desecrating God's people. He doesn't want God to just stop the carnage on Israel; he wants God's wrath to pour out on His enemies. He longs for God to cease the silence He has maintained up until this time, open the clouds and strike all the evil out of the nation.


Asaph ends this passage with a fascinating tidbit: he asks God "Do not hold against us the sins of past generations; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need."


Asaph understands that, in spite of his anger, what's happening to Israel is the fault of the Israelites. It's not Gods fault, it's not the fault of Israels enemies; Israel herself is responsible because of her wayward actions.


When we desire revenge on someone or something, do we stop and think about if we deserve to get our way? Scripture clearly tells us in Romans 12:19:



"Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord."


So it is Gods job to avenge, not ours. We must understand this in order to function as Gods instrument here on earth. You cannot go through life, seeking revenge on everyone that wrongs you & have "Jesus loves you" on your lips at the same time. One seeks the will of the flesh, the other seeks God in all things.


When someone wrongs you in a big, life-altering way, seeking revenge is equivalent to desiring the role of God in the world. We must trust Him, His timing, His wisdom. 


As we walk into the coming weekend, some of you may be dreading a particular event, a person, or a situation. You may dislike, or even hate, one or more of the people you will see. Before you go see them, lay your emotions and feelings toward them at the foot of the Cross. If any of the negativity between you and them is your fault, confess that to God and ask Him to let you see the people as He does. Ask Him to help you rise above the worldly idea of revenge, even if it's subtle, social revenge. 

Give it to Him. He is trustworthy.

Coming Face-to-Face with the Kingdom of God

Luke 5:1-11

Jesus Calls His First Disciples 

 5 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. ² He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. ³ He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

⁴ When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

⁵ Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

⁶ When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. ⁷ So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

⁸ When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” ⁹ For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, ¹⁰ and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” ¹¹ So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. 

Reflection

This story was early in the ministry of Jesus. At this point he was just starting to gain followers and word was spreading about his teaching and ability to perform amazing miracles. As Jesus walks along the Lake of Gennesaret, people were most likely following him to catch a glimpse of this Jesus guy everyone was talking about.

Most likely knowing what the crowds where there for, Jesus gets into one of the boats that is docked on the shore, pulls the boat to the edge of the lake, and sits down to teach the crowds.

At this point of the story, Peter, James, and John are cleaning their nets after a long day of fishing to turn and find that Jesus as used their boat as a first-century pulpit. Not saying anything according to the text, they just turn, stand, and listen to Jesus teach.

After the sermon, Jesus turns to Peter (aka Simon) and asks him a simple request of any fisherman, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

Peter agrees to take out their boats and lower their nets into the water, despite their full day of fishing with catching no fish.

As Peter and his partners pull up the nets they can hardly bring up the nets because they are so full of fish. On top of that, once they get the fish into the boat, it is so full that the boat starts to sink in the water.

The future disciples have seen what everyone was hoping to see, a miracle!

Miracles play a special role in the ministry of Jesus. Not only do they help to make Jesus famous, but also they show a special reality that Jesus brings with him in his ministry called the Kingdom of God in the gospel of Luke.

At this point in the story, the nation of Israel has been waiting for the Kingdom of God to come to earth since the time of Abraham. The Kingdom of God is believed to be a time where God will dwell with his people on Earth in a special way. This indwelling of the Kingdom with the people of God brings with it healing, takes away pain, overcomes evil, and makes miracles an everyday occurrence. In Jesus’s ministry, a little glimpse of heaven is seen on Earth.

It is the reality of Heaven coming to Earth shown in the miracle of Jesus brings Peter to confess, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

Weekly in worship at church, through reading the Bible, and being in community with others we see and hear the same good news about the miracle of the Kingdom of God, yet are we moved as Peter was? If not, why not?

Two weeks ago, Pastor Tom was preaching in the 11am service and said something that really stood out to me. He said, “God is calling you. If you respond by just saying, ‘eh.’ Then it is your fault, not God’s.”

When Peter is confronted with the reality of the Kingdom of God, his whole life changes. He literally leaves his job and everything behind to follow Jesus, to be his disciple and learn from him. There is no reason that Jesus would not want the same level of commitment from us  when we are confronted with the reality of the Kingdom of God. Jesus is calling all of us to give up the things that keep us from following him. So…what is God calling you to give up? 

Questions

1.     Why were there crowds following Jesus? What had they heard about him at this point of his ministry?

2.     When Jesus asks Peter to get back in the boat and try to fish again, how does Peter respond?

3.     Once Peter comes face to face with the reality of the Kingdom of God, how does he respond?

4.     How have you seen or heard of the reality of the Kingdom of God at church, in a community Bible study, or when reading scripture? Tell the group about it.

5.     How have you been changed by coming face-to-face with the reality of the Kingdom of God?

6.     Spend some time reflecting, what is God ask you to give up today?

7.     Pray for each other.

Mary's Song

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹ At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰ where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³ But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Mary’s Song

⁴⁶ And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
⁴⁷     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
⁴⁹     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name.
⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful
⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”

⁵⁶ Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

Reflection

Every week in our Jr. High program, before we start singing worship, we ask the students one question, “Why do we praise God?”

At the beginning of the year, the students usually just look up at us with blank looks. By the end of the year, they are jumping to answer the weekly question saying some like, “because God created music, and we can use music as a way to thank God for what he was done.”

In Luke we read how Mary responds to God’s work in here life. A teenager at the time, Mary has just received some life changing news; she is pregnant with a child who will be called “the Son of God.”

At receiving this news, Mary runs to her closest family. As she enters the door to her aunt Elizabeth’s house, Elizabeth’s unborn child jumps in her womb and Elizabeth shouts, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!”

Immediately after Elizabeth’s confession, Mary is moved to praise God for what he is doing in the world. Mary starts to sing of the promises of God. She cannot help but tell of what God has done in her life and the lives of God’s people. Through song, Mary describes the dramatic acts of grace and power by which God has acted throughout history.

Embedded within Mary’s song, are the promises that God has not only continued to work in the lives of his people in the past, but that he is starting a new work in the lives of his people.

This is shown by the fact that only a few verses earlier, Elizabeth’s unborn son “jumps” in side the womb at just being in the same room as the unborn Christ child.  When this happens, the Holy Spirit moves within Elizabeth and she confesses that Mary’s son will be called, “Son of the Most High.” That Mary’s son will be a king of a kingdom that will never end. The God that has been faithful to his people in the past, that he will continue to be faithful to his people as his promised Messiah comes to earth as an infant.

At the same time, Mary’s song of praise acts as an invitation to join what God is doing in the world. Just as Mary replied to God’s call to bare his Son saying, “I (Mary) am the Lord’s servant, May your word to me be fulfilled,” we are called to work with God in the unfolding of his Kingdom in the world through saying, “I am the Lord’s servant.”

Mary’s song acts as not only a confession of a God who is faithful to the promises he made to his people, but it an invitation to join God as he continues to work in the world.

Questions

1.     Why was Mary moved to praise God?

2.     What works of God stand out to you in Mary’s praise song?

3.     What do you think Mary’s praise tell us about why we should praise God?

4.     What invitation was also imbedded within Mary’s song?

5.     Why do you think God wants us to join what he is doing in the world?

6.     What are some ways our family can be a part of what God is doing in the world?

7.     Pray as a family.

Keeping Up with the Temporal

Psalm 73:1-12

Truly God is good to Israel,
    to those who are pure in heart.
² But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
    my steps had nearly slipped.
³  For I was envious of the arrogant
    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

⁴ For they have no pangs until death;
    their bodies are fat and sleek.
⁵ They are not in trouble as others are;
    they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
⁶ Therefore pride is their necklace;
    violence covers them as a garment.
⁷ Their eyes swell out through fatness;
    their hearts overflow with follies.
⁸ They scoff and speak with malice;
    loftily they threaten oppression.
⁹ They set their mouths against the heavens,
    and their tongue struts through the earth.
¹⁰ Therefore his people turn back to them,
    and find no fault in them.
¹¹ And they say, “How can God know?
    Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
¹² Behold, these are the wicked;
    always at ease, they increase in riches.

***

I don't know about you, reader, but I have felt this way more times than I can count. I look at the rich and powerful, and it's clear that they are able to provide for themselves. They can buy anything they need or want for any reason. They can pay others to do hard work they don't want to do themselves. When times are tough, they don't feel it. They float along the top of society while less fortunate people drown beneath. 

And what accompanies this wealth? Flippancy toward the Almighty.

When people put their trust in wealth, they begin to feel like God can't do anything for them that they can't do themselves. They seek wealth because wealth equals security. It means that your friends will never judge you because you don't have the latest whatever, or you can't get your kid into such-and-such a school, or you can't attend the fancy weekend away. It means security from the dangers of being shelter-less and hungry and the dangers of being socially outcast. 

Jesus flies in the face of all of this.

As Christians, our ultimate goal should be the glory of God.

It is first.

It is primary.

It is the lens through which we ought to see all things.

This is intensely difficult for us to grasp sometimes. We put so many things in front of Jesus! Most of us, when push came to shove, would never utter another word about God if someone constantly had a gun to our head and told us they'd kill us if we did. Why? Because we value our lives. 

There is nothing wrong with wanting to live. God gave you the life He gave you for a reason. But when we are faced with the choice of continued life or giving God glory, things get messy.

Or do they?

The choice is actually pretty simple: If you value God being glorified more than anything, you will never stop glorifying Him. If you value your life above His glory, you will comply with the gunman.

Where it can get dicey is this: You know you should honor God with your life and glorify Him, but you are attached to other stuff; stuff like living, or your family, or your money.

But here's the thing: This world is not our home. We belong in communion with our King. Scripture calls us "aliens and strangers" in this world. Jesus tells us that those who follow him are not of the world, and the world will hate them for it. This is the true word of God. 

So many of us want it both ways. We want to value God and money at the same time. But Jesus blatantly tells us that we "cannot serve both God and money." One has to win. One has to take priority. The scary thing about this is that we have to trust God for our needs. We need to deny ourselves. Most folks want enough money for what they need and what they want; Jesus wants you to rely on him, because in the end he's all we have anyway. He promises us in Matthew that the Father will provide for our needs. Why doesn't he tell us he will provide for our wants? Because he knows all we should want is him, whom the Father has already graciously given us. What else could we possibly desire in light of him?

Jesus first. All else second.