On Knowing Christ

Luke 14:33

So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that He has cannot be my disciple.

Philippians 3:7-8

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

Hebrews 11:26-27

[Moses] considered the the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised.

Jeremiah 9:23-24

Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

John 17:3

And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

2 Peter 1:3-5

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

Not to Please Myself

Romans 15:1-2 says:
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

We all have people around us who are stronger or weaker than we are (or at least appear that way). My tendency might be to think someone who is not excessively joyful is a weak person. Especially if I am experiencing a time of great rejoicing in the Lord, I may think that someone who is having a bad day must be “weak” for struggling with their attitude. My tendency, if I come across such a person, is not (and I know this may come as a shock) to respond in a godly way. If someone is feeling sad, and I'm feeling happy, I'll most likely not choose to sympathise with their feelings and “please my neighbor.” Instead, I'll be insensitive and ramble on about whatever it is I'm happy about.

Now don't get me wrong. There is absolutely no problem with having joy—even a great big happiness that manifests itself in smiling, joking, and laughing loudly. But if I take my jovial laughter (yes, I know it can be loud) and back-slapping hilarity into the home of a friend who got only 4 hours of sleep and had to spend the whole day doing yard work, that might not be appropriate. The key is to be sensitive to the needs of others.

Romans 12:15 says:
Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.

My goal must be not to do what pleases myself (expressing whatever feelings I have) but what pleases my neighbor (listening to how his day was, and offering sympathy or congratulations, depending on how he feels).

I said before that my tendency might be to have too much happiness at the wrong time. At least recently, that has been my inclination. I'm not saying I'm always joyful. I'm just saying, if I am, it can be very difficult for me to take it down a couple notches and weep with someone else. But others might have the opposite tendency. This has happened to me before as well. Imagine someone who has just uncovered some deep truth from God's word and is in a very somber mood. But this person just so happens to be at a party with some of the other girls and all of them are having a fantastic time. As they joke and laugh and get more and more ridiculous, this person might think, “What is wrong with all these immature people? We should be thinking about the Lord right now!” In that girl's heart, she has chosen her stoic, unflinching meditations over their innocent enjoyment of each other's company. They are not sinning. But she just might be, if she lets her perceived “strength” convince her that she is better than they are. Instead, I think it would be better for this person to (are you ready?) relax. She's stuck at this party, after all, so she might as well just take it easy and decide to have a good time. It's not up to everybody she's with to pander to the way she feels at the moment. Instead, she should be looking out for their wishes and trying to ensure that everybody else is doing alright.

Whenever you feel like you are the strong one in a conversation, realize that God is giving you an extra responsibility. Being strong does not mean that you get to enjoy your own strength—whether it consists of the joy of the Lord or your suffering for the Lord. It means that you have an obligation to reach down to the weaker person, find out how they are doing, and respond empathetically.

And if the strong people all chose to do this, I can only imagine what fellowship would be like. Romans 15:5-6 gives us a little glimpse:
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Though I may think that, in my strength, I have a great song to sing, God might just want me to turn down the volume and sing harmony for a while. What if every time I felt stronger than somebody else, I chose to complement their song with mine? Then together, with one voice, we could glorify our Father in heaven.

Top 5: Evidences of Grace, Guy and Faythe

1. Love for Others
Guy and Faythe Ladd are the parents of a close friend of mine.  But every time I am around them, I feel as though they are my friends too.  I'm not alone in this.  There are quite few people in the world (in Racine and elsewhere) whose lives have been touched by Guy and Faythe's love for others.  You feel genuinely loved by them; not like when you're around people who are only tolerating your company or who act like they'd rather be doing something other than entertaining you.  And their love for others is not just about serving them and meeting their physical needs.  It's a Christlike love that cares for the spiritual well-being of others above all.
2.  Wisdom 
Mr. and Mrs. Ladd have a lot of wisdom to show for the years they have been walking with the Lord.  Recently I saw this as I was sitting at the dining room table with them for a meal.  Mr. Ladd will often bring up a topic of edifying discussion for everyone to talk about.  This time he asked us our thoughts on just how holy and Christlike a human could become, based on some passages of scripture he had been studying.  He often leads his family (and guests) in a conversation like this that is thought-provoking, edifying, and usually very convicting.  This is a fantastic way to apply what he is learning personally, and cause others to think about the Lord too.  I am thankful for how God has given him wisdom, and spread that to others through him.
3.  Servants' Hearts
This one should go without saying to anyone who has ever known a Ladd.  They are serving machines.  From stocking up someone's fridge with groceries the day they come in from out of town, to teaching Sunday school or VBS at church, to giving someone a place to stay and food to eat without asking anything in return, the Ladds show over and over again that, like Jesus, they would rather serve than be served.
4.  Hospitality
Hospitality is mentioned and commanded numerous times throughout the New Testament--but it is a character trait that many people either don't have or just don't understand.  If you are wondering how to be hospitable, let me suggest that you learn from Faythe Ladd.  Even if you aren't as good a cook as she is (I'd be impressed if you were), you can still learn from the ways she cares for every person who visits her home.  She makes people feel welcome.  Hospitality, as I see it in Faythe, is all about giving.  I want to imitate her in this, especially if God ever lets me become a wife and mom.
5. Example
The Ladds have been faithfully following God for a lot of years now.  As with Ace and Linda, I see them as great examples for younger people of what we should strive to become.  They have demonstrated godly parenting and continuous service of the Lord over the years.  And the fruit of their efforts is plainly visible in the lives of their kids and everyone else they've reached out to.  It is encouraging to me to see the end result of years of obeying God.  Knowing the Ladds makes me want to follow harder after Him, so that a few years from now, I can be where they are.

Another Option

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

The theme verse of my blog is Phil. 2:5, as you can see from the top right side of this page.  But choosing a theme verse was not an easy task.  The Philippians verse was actually the third or fourth verse (of my favorite verses) that I referenced in search of a good title.  Though it is one of my favorite verses, I wasn't originally planning on using it here.

My first pick was the above verse from Romans 15.  Besides being the life verse of a good friend of mine, and a perfect reference to put by your name when you sign letters (I don't mind if you steal that from me), this verse seems to state what I want my life to be all about.

My God is the God of hope.  More than I hope in hanging out with my friends tonight, or seeing the next episode of my favorite show, or taking the first bite of a burrito or butterburger made just how I like it--I hope in my God.  And it's a different kind of hope.  No earthly blessing that I hope in is guaranteed to me.  They all fade over time and vary in the amount of happiness they provide.  But my God is always the same.  He's always in Heaven, securing my eternal home.  And He's always right here with me, every day, providing peace and security in life's trials.  What I want right now, more than almost anything else, is to be a person who, by the power of Holy Spirit, abounds in hope.

This verse states what my desire is for me and for you:  that our God, The God of Hope, will fill us up to the brim with the joy and peace of believing in Him day by day.  I want us to be people of hope, just as our God is the God of hope.  Now if only I was smart enough to think of a good blog title from this verse...

Overwhelmed With Joy

This is a guest post by my friend Katelyn Ladd.  She is everything a friend should be.  She loves Jesus, loves others, and points me towards an eternal mindset.  I hope you enjoy this awesome post about God's work in her life these days.  I know I did.
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Ever felt like the joy of the Lord was completely overflowing in your life? I hadn't felt that in a long while, in fact, I had been really struggling with being joyful. So, for a few days now I have been changing the way that I pray. Instead of just asking God to give me joy, I have been spending time rejoicing in the salvation that I have been given. When you spend time remembering what God has done, and praising Him for it, it will fill you with joy. A sermon that I listened to a few days ago, by John Piper, also changed my way of thinking. The message was on Psalm 51. In this psalm David is repenting of some pretty major sin. Piper said something that struck me. He said that David's sin, at the core, was not the adultery that he committed with Bathsheba, or the fact that he murdered a man. No, his sin began when he stopped rejoicing in his salvation.That's why David says this:

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation..." Psalm 51:12

To say the least, I have been learning a lot about joy, and I have been praying differently about having joy.

At youth group last night, God blessed me with another opportunity to rejoice in my salvation. He gave me a burden for a lost soul. There was a new girl who came for the first time, she pretty much knew absolutely nothing about the gospel, and God gave me a love for her. After small group I was overwhelmed by her need for a Savior, thinking about her need, caused me to rejoice even more in the salvation that I have already received. I came home from youth group last night, and I felt like I was overflowing with joy.

I am rejoicing in the Lord because of the salvation that I have been given, and I am rejoicing in the opportunity that He has given me to share the joy that I have with someone who has never experienced it.

Carly, thanks for letting me post! --KJL

George Müller, Amy DeBurgh, and Me

Guess what I just found out?  The word "amen" is another word that doesn't mean what I thought I meant.  I thought it meant something like, "May it be;" as if to end my prayers with one more "please answer this."  My definition was close, but not quite right.

Here is what DeYoung (can you tell I'm reading his book?) says about the word:
"Amen" is not short for "prayer over" but means "Truly!" "Verily!" or "This is sure to be!"

And "amen" is not just a nice sentiment--it's Biblical.  When we are praying within God's will (a.k.a. according to the Lord's prayer), a statement of confidence like "amen" is a totally appropriate ending.

I remember about a year ago, my mom started to pray for a whole hour every morning.  Within a week or two, she was telling me amazing examples of God answering her prayers.

And then about a summer ago, I read the biography of a man named George Müller.  Basically it was a whole book of instances where this man needed something, prayed, and got it.

Now, don't get me wrong, I've always believed that God hears and answers our prayers.  It's just that I thought it happened to other people, not to me. 

What made Mom and George's experiences so different from mine? 

It wasn't that God cared about their prayers and didn't care about mine.  It was that they believed in God's ability to answer.  They believed enough in His willingness to answer that they continued to confidently ask even if He didn't answer right away. I had been making an incredibly stupid mistake.  I was expecting God to answer prayers I wasn't praying!

Praying for someone on the same night they give you a request is better than not praying at all, but not as good as bringing their needs before your Father day by day.  Firing off a 5-second request for help right when you need it is good, but it's not the same as diligently pleading for victory over a certain sin for days, weeks, or months.  I've come to realize that truth ever since I started writing in this:

This little purple journal is, I suppose, a prayer journal.  The front side of each page that I've gotten to is filled with prayer requests about people I love.  Some of the requests were given to me by these people.  Some are things I only wish the people I love would ask me to pray for.  

Just about every night, I go through as many of the pages as I can and lift up the requests to my Father.  I don't always remember to say amen; sometimes I drift off to sleep before I get to that part.  But let me tell you--I believe "amen!"  I believe that, when I pray, "it will be"--because I have seen it happen time and time again.  On the back of almost every page is written one or two or ten or twenty ways that God has answered that prayer.

"Amen" doesn't mean what I thought it meant.  But now that I know what it means, I'm not surprised.  It just makes sense.

Top 5: Evidences of Grace, Dave and Linda

1. 
   
   Wisdom
   Ace Westcomb is one of those people who has been in his ministry forever. He has at least 13 years of high school leadership.  But it isn't just the length of years that makes him a good leader. He has had a growing, thriving relationship with God for even longer, giving him a huge capacity for encouraging others and giving them godly advice.
2. 
   
   Example
   Young people like me need examples of godly lives lived out. Ace and Linda Westcomb are invaluable in that respect. Young adults need to see what a marriage that honors Christ looks like—one that has stood the test of time. We need to see people who love the church, love their kids, and endure in serving the Lord even when life gets tough. I see all these things in Ace and Linda.
3. 
   
   Serving others
   If you spend any amount of time at Racine Bible Church, you know that Linda Westcomb is hugely involved in ministry there. She is a crucial part of the framework that holds things together and keeps them running smoothly. If you ever happen to be in her office on a workday (which I have been) you will certainly find yourself wondering “How does she do it?” She will take multiple phone calls, make connections, send e-mails, arrange the church bulletin, figure out whose car is parked on the crosswalk in front of the door, and write down memos all while having an edifying conversation with you! Ace and Linda are serving machines.
4. Care for others
   This is a blessing that I have experienced personally. My mom and dad were overseas for about three weeks this summer. While they were, Ace and Linda practically filled in for them as our parents. It's hard to explain if you've never felt this before, but I am not being too nice or exaggerating when I say that Ace and Linda were family to us. Being around them was just like being with adopted parents or grandparents. I saw a thousand times how much they really cared for our physical and spiritual well-being.
5. 
   
   Mentoring
   I have several friends at RBC who just so happen to be guys. And most of them also happen to be living, breathing testimonies to Ace Westcomb's faithful discipleship. A recent prayer request Ace shared with me included the names of no less than four sophomore and junior high school guys who he plans on meeting with every week.  As someone who knows these guys fairly well (and is closely related to one), I can't tell you how thankful I am that they get the opportunity to spend even 20 minutes with such a fantastic influence as Ace.