Solus Invictus

Working The System - Romans 9:30-33

2007-08-29T07:26:00.000-07:00

Without question, many of us understand the idea of obeying the law. In fact, we can argue that all of us have some innate, instinctive concept of morality, of right and wrong, from a very young age.

Case in point; my sons, Hayden & Ephraim, figured out how to lie at around age 2. They didn't need any instruction in it, nor could they have understood seeing an example of it, but they did it nonetheless. Why? Well, each of them demonstrated the ability to lie when they had done wrong and didn't want to admit it or get into trouble (sound familiar?). They already knew the law!

It's quite a bit like Paul's description of Israel here. They failed to get the point of God's law; to drive them to faith in Him! Throughout history we have all failed miserably to live up to the perfect standard of the Law; the question becomes, how do we respond to that reality? Many turn away, insistent that God is sadistic and cruel. Others become deluded, pursuing a variety of 'ways to God', assuming that since perfection is unattainable, there must be another way.

But the amazing and joyous reality is this; the Law was given to demonstrate our desperate need for grace, which is only offered by one person, Jesus Christ. The difference between obeying the Law while being justified by faith and trying to earn justification by our works is not subtle; it merely becomes muddied and blurred when we start looking to our own 'wisdom' for answers.

Perhaps it's best put this way:
'Justified...
Just as if I'd
Never sinned at all'
--Black Eyed Sceva, from 'Way Before The Flood'

Confidence Man - Psalm 27

2007-08-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

So, here I am, 5 months later with a new post! Good thing I don't get paid for blogging, or my pockets would be empty!

David expresses such great confidence in the Lord in this passage; he had enemies all around, trying to take him down, ruin his credibility, destroy his integrity, question his authority and even murder him. But David's complete faith in God was untouched at this time, and he exclaims it with no uncertainty:

"The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid?" Verse 2
We live in a world, culture and society full of doubt and cause for doubt. Political upheaval, economic fluctuation, social unrest, racial tension, ethnic conflict, sexual immorality, educational indoctrination, moral ambiguity and religious relativism surround us, like so many bloodthirsty barbarians encamped around a hill that we live on. They are ready at a moment's notice to charge the hill, slay us all and burn our village to the ground. Yet we have reason for great confidence!

Our 'village', our 'stronghold' is the Lord Himself! The horde cannot even penetrate its walls, least of all cause us harm. At best, they can yell and scream, hurl spears and arrows our way, and attempt to intimidate us, but in the end, the fight is already lost for them!

How easily we forget this truth! Do I live daily in this kind of confidence? Do I go about my life with the complete assurance that God will prevail and nothing else matters? God, give me more faith today!

Petty Distractions - Numbers 11-13

2007-03-09T06:17:00.000-08:00

The nation of Israel had wandered for some time in the desert, and had witnessed some amazing things, constantly being provided for by God. Yet even after all of this, they struggled with petty jealousy, spite, slander and doubt. Joshua, future leader of the nation, cannot stand to see two of the tribal leaders bestowed with a gift of prophesy, and asks Moses to silence them. Aaron and Miriam, Moses' own siblings, speak ill of him behind his back.

Such petty sin and unkind attitudes cripple us all, and when we could enjoy the beauty of Christ and the unity that He desires in His kingdom, the ugliness in our hearts can rip that all away in moments. Our ability to go forth and conquer in His name is stunted and we experience fear and doubt about His directives. To be restored, we must be cleansed, purified, as Miriam was for 7 days outside the camp.

Just after these petty disagreements are recorded, Joshua, Caleb and 10 other men are sent to scout the land of Canaan; the 10 return with a bad report. The land is amazing, but the inhabitants are fearsome and there is no way, in these men's eyes, to overcome them. But in chapter 13, verse 30, Caleb states, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." There was no pettiness in his heart. Caleb had not been tainted by the foolishness of the nation, and saw the reality at hand; a people who are united in following God cannot be stopped.

F.U.D.

2007-01-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

In the tech industry, FUD stands for "Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt". I had my own experience with these emotions this past week, to a degree that I have rarely ever felt them before.

My job with Desert Springs Church calls upon me to serve in a few different capacities, based on my God-given talents, personality and resources, and recently I have been overwhelmed with a certain major project we are trying to complete. This past few days, I thought I would have a nervous breakdown as a result of the tremendous pressure to finish the job well, combined with an inordinate amount of obstacles, challenges and miscommunications. I found myself Friday night nearly panicked over it all, but still managed to get to sleep, hoping Saturday would be better.

Saturday wasn't better. At first, anyway. Tasks we had set out to complete were delayed, people we were relying on couldn't make it, work we thought we could do a certain way simply didn't function how we thought it would! Midway through the day I was exhausted and frustrated.

Then the light came streaming through the clouds, and rescue was sent to me. God provided people and solutions all over the place, and we made serious headway on the project. At the end of the day, I found myself reflecting on my own responses to the situation, and I was convicted by my own Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. I had failed, because in all of this struggle, I did not look to God, but rather only at the problems around me. I was Peter, sinking into the waves, because I hadn't fixed my eyes on Jesus.

Praise God that He is patient with us! I can look at this time now and learn from it, which is because of His grace; I encourage you, ask yourself how you are giving in to FUD this week!

Every Opportunity - Acts 8:4-8

2007-01-03T09:08:00.000-08:00

The early church had seen its first martyr, Stephen, and then witnessed the beginning of massive persecution, including the murderous threat of Saul. Yet as men and women alike were being dragged from their own homes for no real crime but preaching the gospel, the followers of Christ were only more emboldened!

We find Phillip, who had been selected as one of the Seven earlier in Acts, proclaiming the good news in Samaria, and performing miracles. It's interesting to note that Philip was "merely" a deacon before this, one who saw to the mundane needs of widows and orphans, not a preacher or evangelist. With the constant threat of persecution, however, God calls Philip out to a new role, and even sends him into what most Jews would consider enemy territory!

I find that I often respond to life's persecutions by becoming defensive, shutting up, cowering or even running away; a stark contrast to the zeal and faith of these early believers! Reading about Philip and others who strove to preach the gospel at every opportunity fills me with a strong desire to be more bold and trust God more as I share my faith with those around me. Don't get me wrong; I'm no gifted evangelist or preacher myself, but I know that doesn't mean I won't be called upon to step into that role at times, and when I am, I pray that my response will be that of Philip.

How do you react to persecution or ridicule? Do you look for every opportunity to share the truth of Christ's love and sacrifice with those you are in contact with? What areas of your life need to be surrendered to Him?

Distractions

2007-01-02T11:39:00.000-08:00

I have often in the past taken time off from certain hobbies and activities that I enjoy, mainly to focus on more important things, such as my spiritual life or my family. As I begin the New Year, I find myself compelled to once again lay aside some of these distractions, and enjoy a somewhat quieter life for a while.

This time around, I am giving up two things; video gaming is a hobby that I enjoy thoroughly, and while I do maintain my priorities well in balance with it, I just feel the need to put the old controller down for a bit. The other thing I will fast from is internet use, aside from e-mail and important work-related needs.

I'm giving them both up for one month, beginning today, and I hope to get more reading, writing, sketching, guitar playing and web design done during this month. Please pray for me as I spend this time with fewer distractions and more focus!

Eyes Fixed on Christ

2006-12-14T08:48:00.000-08:00

Acts 7:54-60
Stephen's words obviously troubled the people listening to him, but it wasn't until he gazed at heaven and saw Christ at God's right hand that they went into a rage and took action.
If we are to affect those around us who do not yet follow Christ, our eyes must remain fixed on Him! We can do nothing in our own flesh, despite the best of intentions, the greatest preparation or the most impressive display. Even my best efforts to share Christ will fail if I am not focused on Him, because it is that focus itself that will in turn spill into every aspect of my life.
We must also realize that though we may reveal Christ to others through our lives, there will always be some who do not respond. As Stephen saw Christ glorified, the crowd covered their ears and rushed him; they were wholly intent on drowning out the truth with their anger, their voices and their actions. We face this kind of opposition, especially if we live with our eyes fixed on Him, but again it is that very focus that enables us to do His will, despite slings, stones and arrows.

Delegate, delegate, delegate!

2006-12-04T07:15:00.000-08:00

Acts 6:1-7 describes the early church's first leadership dilemma; as Peter, James and the other disciples of Jesus are working to teach and pass on all they have learned from Christ, certain other needs are going unmet! This is brought to their attention and they make a decision that sets an important example for us all.

We are each called to certain kinds of work by God, and fulfilling our purpose according to Him means following that call and none other. While some may be called to seemingly thankless jobs (putting up chairs, for example), the importance of each believer's call cannot be understated. The twelve disciples did not pull names out of a hat in order to see food properly distributed; they prayed and considered the character and reputation of the men they chose!

Verse 3 says, "But select from among you, brethren, seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task." Yet, how carelessly and haphazardly we often select people to do things!

More importantly, how often do we as leaders choose to do them ourselves. Delegation is the key to good leadership. As we move forward in any kind of ministry, its spiritual leaders must remember to "work themselves out of a job" by passing on everything they can, and at the same time watching carefully over those to whom they have given responsibility.

Power Up! Acts 5:17-42

2006-11-20T07:29:00.000-08:00

When we set out to do the works God has prepared for us, we must first be empty of ourselves and filled with His Spirit! Only then will we be effective for Him.

The disciples, after being warned once by the leaders of the Jewish community not to speak Christ's name, go right back out and do it again! They are apprehended, jailed and left until morning, only to be released by an angel and instructed to go preach the gospel in the temple courts. Once again, the leaders have them arrested and brought before them. Peter's words, "We must obey God rather than men!", along with his continued insistence that Jesus is the Christ, angered the group greatly.

But before they could do something foolish, one of their own, Gamaliel, spoke words of wisdom. He said to leave the disciples alone, "For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

Truer words were never spoken, and by a man who could be counted among the Gospel's enemies! The reality is that we must each, every day, submit our will to God's if we are to accomplish anything for His kingdom. Stop right now and pray to Him, confessing your sins and acknowledging your daily need for Him. Ask to be filled with His Holy Spirit, so that your thoughts, words and deeds would come from Him rather than from yourself. And go! Do the things He has prepared for you!

Welcome to Invictus!

2006-11-14T07:24:00.000-08:00

Solus Invictus means "Conquering Sun" in Latin. The term was used by Constantine before his conversion to Christianity, but I find it very appropriate for use in the culture of Christ's followers, because Christ Himself is the "Conquering Son"!

The purpose of this weblog, or blog, will be to post thoughts I've had about our lives as His followers, things that I observe in scripture or everyday life that we can all grow and benefit from. I will try to post often, but at the very least once per week. I would encourage you strongly to click on the "submit comment" link after a post if you have thoughts of your own about it; this way you can interact with myself and with other folks who comment here!

Many of you who visit here are probably part of my church; perhaps leaders of Care Groups or just part of our family. Regardless of who you are, though, I pray that God will touch you through our interaction. Just remember; I am not perfect! What I write here may at times be flawed or short-sighted, but my goal is to always write from a perspective of love for my Savior and for my brothers and sisters.

Peace to you all!