a prayer for every day

col. 1:9-12

9 we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you
with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may
please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the
knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious
might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving
thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the
saints in the kingdom of light.

what an amazing prayer. as i read through this today, i couldnt help but envy the people of the church in colossae. i know that people pray for me. my wife, parents, and other family. i have had in my life a few people not related to me, and not necessairily *close* friends say to me that they pray for me regularly. those times have been so refreshing. i know that i do not pray as often as i should, and i most certainly do not pray enough for "the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding" how do i go through one day without praying for that?

i need that more than i need just about anything else. how many problems would be solved if i had the answer to this prayer! no more doubting, or even wondering " am i in god's will? what about this decision??"and the means to that knowledge?? and aside from just being a "problem solver", the sheer weight of having a better understanding of god should make my knees buckle.
all spiritual wisdom and understanding. what a gift. to have the wisdom and spiritual knowledge that leads to a better understanding of god. what could be an answered prayer of more value??

grace and peace,
-stephen

screaming at the blind

as i walked out of class yesterday, i saw travis standing in the hallway talking on his cell phone. i knew that every tuesday and thursday, he waited there for my friend randy, and they would walk to chapel together. this particular day, randy wasnt in my 9 am class, so when i walked out, i realized that travis could be standing there for awhile, not knowing that randy wasn't coming.
i waited patiently next to travis as he finished his phone conversation. i think he sensed there was someone there waiting on him. i had met travis a few times before, through randy, but i wasnt sure if he would remember me. as he hung up, he turned towards me, and i introduced myself again. "yeah, i remember you." was his reply. i told him that randy wasnt in class, but i would walk to chapel with him if he would like. "sure," he said, "just let me grab your arm."
so he took my arm and we headed on our way across campus.
did i mention that travis is blind?
far from being helpless, and adamant not to be pitied, travis is much more self -sufficient than you would think. after all, he is working on his masters degree, and plans to pursue a phd. after that. he played (very successfully , i might add) high school football as a lineman. he isnt quite what you would call "helpless".
but still, he can't see. so every tuesday and thursday, travis takes randy's arm as he guides him up and down stairs, around corners, through hallways and doorways, outside, across the street and through other obstacles. today, i got to be travis' eyes.
i enjoyed having conversation with travis as we walked. having never guided a blind person before, i was very alert to potential obstacles and hazards, being careful to point out steps, curbs, doorways etc. at the same time, i didnt want to be insulting. after all, this man has made it this far in his lifewithout sight, and i didnt want to treat him as if he were helpless.
we made it all the way to the chapel without incident enjoying good conversation. but once we reached the chapel, the crowded sidewalks and doorways started making me nervous. travis had his cane, so obviously people could see that we weren't strolling arm in arm because we shared a special bond, but it didnt seem like anyone bothered to get out of the way. everyone trapped in their own little world, with their own thoughts and concerns. i dont doubt or question anyones hearts, and im sure if someone had pointed out "hey, you are in the way and the guy who is blind cant get around you" they would have apologized profusely and obliged. but at that moment, i was frustrated at the lack of sensitivity.
as we waded through the crowd, we approached the rather narrow door way, that included a significant step up. i informed travis that we were at the door with a step up, and waited for him to feel the step with his cane and walk in.

he just stood still. at this point, i felt anxious because i thought he had been insulted that i would inform him of something he probably alreayd knew. after all, he had been coming to chapel for a couple of years and no one had changed anything about the structure of the building.

as i stood there, for what seemed like 3 solid minutes, wondering whether or not to repeat myself, or if he knew what he was doing and it just was taking a minute, he simply said " you go through first, and ill grab your shoulder and follow you in."

it was as simple as that. we made it in, sat down, chatted some more before the service started, and after it was over, we made our way back across campus and i walked him almost all the way back to his next class.

"i can make it from here." he said, as we came down the final set of steps to the hallway where his classroom was." i told him to have a good day, he thanked me and wished me a good day as well, and i walked upstairs to my class.

for the rest of the day i couldnt help but think of his comment "you go through first, and ill follow you". it stuck with me, and still is, and at first i wasnt sure why.

first of all, i want to point out that in no way am i making light of travis' condition, nor am i drawing a parallel between his physical blindness or any spiritual condition of his.

but what did come to mind was this. we live in a fallen world, and in a culture that is decaying faster by the day. we as christians talk frequently about the need for a "christian worldview", and how much our country, and our world, need to follow jesus.
but how effective is it when we sit back, and wait for the world to do something we dont like? we get on our soap boxes and pontificate about how sinful the world is and how they need to follow the truth in god's word. we want celebrities with money to burn and no accountability to act as upstanding christian citizens, and we want our lawmakers and politicians to consult scripture on every issue regardless of their political party or affiliations.

"one nation under god" says our pledge, and "in god we trust" says our money. we fret and wring our hands over the possibility that these two things might come to an end, and we hold rallies in our churches crying out about our rights and hold protests and sign petitions and write letters to the editor.

we are screaming to our world "the door is right there!!! just walk through it!!!" and we forget that the world is blind! and instead of aiding them, by showing them they way through the door, we just criticize their lack of sight.

1 corinthians 2:14 says

"The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God,
for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because
they are spiritually discerned".

in ephesians 4:18 paul wrote

"They [the non-believer] are darkened in their understanding, alienated
from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their
hardness of heart."

why on earth do we scream so loud at non-believers to act like christians?
they are spiritually blind!

just as my telling travis at the top of my lungs to step up and walk through doesnt help him see any better, so it is with the world. shouting directions at them does no good. they need to follow us through the door.we are so caught up in our lives and what we see wrong everyday, just like those seminary students outside of chapel, they couldnt see that they were *in the way* of those who are blind. instead of showing concern, and helping show them the way, we stay in our own minds with our own problems, wondering why people dont just go through the door!

the scrutinizing should start with ourselves. are we living in all ways according to what scripture mandates? what about pride? deep down, is there an inkling that because we are believers, then we are somehow better than those who aren't? oh, we may never say that out loud, but what do our actions show in how we speak to, and about people and issues in our lost world? is our overarching message " you should be more like *me*!!!" or is it "follow me through the door.... that leads to christ!"

instead of sitting back and complaining, and allowing the world to see us as those who... sit back and complain, why dont we pray for those we work with those we voted for, and those we didnt? why dont we show them the love of christ, instead of the wrath and boycott of a christian institution?

am i saying that we never speak out on issues that are destroying our families, our culture and our world? by no means! but how we speak out, and what we say when we do is vital. we should not shy away from the message of christ. more than we seek to influence people to vote for a certain political party, we should seek to influence people with the gospel.

in our churches, are we equipping our members to go out into society armed with the truth of god's word and the gospel, ready to have an answer for anyone who asks about the hope that they have? are we equipping people to live for christ as doctors, lawyers, school teachers (private *and* public {1} see below), politicians, bankers, policeman, buisness owners, etc. ? or are we sending messages that say "withdraw from this evil world, for we know the truth, and we must not be tainted by those who do not!

"the gospel is "GO AND TELL!!!" not, "sit back and complain about how they don't know!!" if we want to make a difference in our world, then we are going to have to get *in* it, just like our savior did. he came to seek and save the lost. not to wait for them to come knocking on the front door of the church after they have decided they want to be like those who always seem mad for no good reason.

when our world looks at us, do they think "they dont agree with me, but i know that they are concerned about me." most likely, all they see is our backs, and our cries of "you are wrong and not like me!!" and our anger.

should we speak out about abortion, gross sexual immorality, blatant disregard for human life? yes, yes, a thousand times yes!! but we should have a reason that is known by all for speaking out! it is not because we want *our way*. it is because there is one trueand holy god who sent his son to die to reconcile lost and dying man to him. and that gift is attainable if you repent of your sins and believe in christ jesus! and that same holy god has called us to a holy life, a life of obedience. and it is because of *THIS* that we speak out against these things!

*THAT* is the message the world needs to hear from the church. not one of "do things our way", but one that shares with them the hope of salvation and eternal life with the one true and holy god.

will everyone repent and believe? no. we know that from scripture. but knowing that god calls to himself those who will believe is no reason to excuse ourselves as his instruments of bringing the good news to them. the fact that the world for the most part will turn a deaf ear to the gospel is no reason for the world to not know *why* we hold the views we do.

this earth is passing away. if the lord tarries another thousand years, if history tells us anything, america will be a distant memory. so what are we fighting for? are we fighting to *christianize* a non christian (because it isnt, people) nation, or are we fighting to share the gospel with all who will listen, to make them citizens of a kingdom that will never fail?

may god give us wisdom and mercy,

-stephen

{1} perhaps a post on this at another time. suffice it to say for now, that while i do not think that it is wrong to have children enrolled in private schools, i shudder at the thought of public schools without christian teachers and students to share the love of christ with non-believing students, whether it be in content of material, or in relationships. if children are educated properly in the matters of faith in the home and at church, it would be a waste to deprive our public schools of such a valuable resource to make a difference in our communities. it seems to do little good, again, to withdraw and leave the lost to their own devices.

intermission...

sorry it has been awhile since the last post. honestly, i didnt think anyone would notice. i have been a bit surprised at the messages and emails i have gotten about not having updated. thanks for reading. ive been encouraged by your comments and emails.
i had my wisdom teeth out 2 weeks ago, and been playing catch up ever since. i hope to get back around these parts within the week. thanks for stopping by. take care.

(go cards!!)

-stephen