Highway Hypnosis

Know that feeling when you’re driving and arrive at your destination, then all of sudden you think to yourself…hold the phone, I don’t remember any part of that drive. Did you know there’s actually a technical term for this? “Highway hypnosis” is a mental state in which the person can drive an automobile great distances, responding to external events in the expected manner with no recollection of having consciously done so. It especially happens when taking a route that you constantly drive over and over. (Such as your morning commute to work.)

A lot of times Christians suffer from this condition when they are studying God’s word, at least I struggle with this. We crack open our Bible, start reading a passage we’ve heard or read tons of times already and our minds just take over; we shut off and don’t respond to the depth of Scripture. We ask the Lord, “What is there left for me in this passage?” The truth is Scripture is so deep that every time you back to a verse it can reveal a new truth to you.

In a recent bible study the topic was Luke 2. “Isn’t that the Christmas passage?”, people responded. We all know the story of Christ’s birth; in fact we probably read Luke’s account every year when we sit around with family on a certain December morning. However, God revealed some things in that passage that I never focused on before. At the end of the story, after experiencing the miraculous birth of Christ to a virgin mother, verses 18-19 say “All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often.”

An easy verse to breeze right over, but there’s a beautiful lesson to be learned. We see Mary treasuring the culmination of God fulfilling His promise to her and using her life for His ultimate goal of saving humanity from sin through Christ. Made me think, how often do we take a timeout to relish the transformative work Christ has done in our lives? Do we treasure it? If we do, how often do we think about it?

Keeping our thoughts centered on what Christ has done for us can only lead to loving God more, loving his people more, and loving to serve Him more. More than anything it’ll bring more joy in your day to day life.

“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Luke 12:34

YNWA

Being Ordinary, Doing the Extraordinary

God chooses to use common people to accomplish an amazing purpose, to redeem mankind back to himself so that He may be glorified above all. As it says in 1 Peter 2:9, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” We all as believers have this responsibility to be ministers of the gospel, so the importance of remaining faithful to the task is of the highest importance.

There are three things that we should cultivate to remain faithful to the gospel message daily, and all three flow out of what Paul writes to his understudy Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:1-5.

The first is to remain faithful to the message. Simply put this means to preach the gospel in every interaction and chance you get. No matter what passage you are looking at or discussing realize that they each point to Christ. Want proof? Jesus said it himself in John 5:39 when talking with the Pharisees, he said, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.” Christ is the at the center of it all, never get over that fact or lose sight of it. We also never assume that a person totally understands the gospel! There is true power in the words of Scripture and the amazement of the news that Christ died for us, don’t try and change the story to be original or fit the popular norms, just stick to what saves and it’s not our persuasiveness or creativity.

You also have to be familiar with the people that you are dealing with. You can’t craft a sermon as a Pastor, or find the right way to encourage or challenge someone if you are isolated from them. Experience life alongside of them, take the time to know what inspires them or what trips them.

Finally, act with complete patience when dealing with people. There are always those people who you meet with regularly who just don’t seem to get it, or change. Overtime if we are not aware of our weakness in patience, if we don’t battle to seek Christ’s likeness in this area, then we begin to become frustrated or angry and it flows into our relationships with these people. When you fight this remind yourself of two things. One, God’s continued patience with us! Despite the fact he has saved us we still fall, fail, and don’t live up to meeting God’s expectations, yet God continues to be patient and grow us and mold us into the people he wants us to be. Two, remember sanctification is a process NOT an event! Think about all the illustrations of learning used in the Bible, it is often referenced to agriculture. Farming is a slow process, think back to how long it has taken us to figure out and trust some of the simplest truths about God. Why do we think the people we minister to should grasp it at the drop of a hat? It means being patient for God’s timing and not trying to change things or make things happen under our own power.

This passage from 2 Timothy reminds us to fight for these things daily because as seen in verse 8 there is a glorious future, crowns of righteousness, which await us as followers of Christ. But it’s only possible for us as sinful people to obtain such wonderful gifts, and that reality brings us back to our knees at the foot of the cross.

YNWA

Perspective Shift

What is your view of God? Maybe the better question is: how do you treat God?

Is he the cosmic genie who grants wishes to those he deems worthy? Or do you try to wrap him up into a convenient, containable package so that you can comprehend him? You may even argue he doesn’t exist, or if he does then he doesn’t care about you or I.

These descriptions of God are a far cry from the descriptions found in the Bible. Read Exodus 19 when God descends on Mt. Sinai and people are warned that just touching the very base of the mountain would kill them immediately. It leads you to realize God is untouchable to us. His thoughts, actions, and feelings are so far greater beyond anything we can even begin to dream up. His holiness so pure, there is nothing we could accomplish under heaven to regard us worthy to bow, kneel, or beg for even just a second in the Creator’s presence. Let alone stand there!

But here is where the grace of God so sweetly intervenes, and Christ’s death and resurrection continues to perform the impossible…Hebrews 4:16- Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Unbelievable, the God of the universe actually desires us to enter his throne room! What a comfort knowing that God cares enough to allow us, as broken as we are to enter his holy presence and pour out our cares and troubles to him. And it’s all made possible by Christ’s perfect sacrifice on our behalf, bridging the gap between God the Father and us. All you have to do is take hold of that gift from Christ.

It’s even more than just approaching God with requests; our Creator wants us to dwell with him. Hebrews 12:22 tells us that we have not come to Mt. Sinai (that place of great trembling and fear) but we have come to Mt. Zion which is the city of the living God!

When you gain a clearer picture of who God truly is, and whom you are in comparison, you are lead to a place where all you can do is worship and serve the one and only king of kings.

So the question is how do you see God?

You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which graciously forgives instead of crying out for vengeance as the blood of Abel did. – Hebrews 12:24

YNWA

Practice the Presence of God

In the Old Testament there are three men that God calls to lead his people. These men weren’t extraordinary in terms of their skills but yet they left some of the biggest impacts ever recorded in God’s Word. When you look at these three different stories separated by many years you realize the promises of God have no concept of time, from age to age they stand.

Do you feel God calling you to do something radical? Something uncomfortable? Look at these stories for inspiration…

First, there’s Moses, a man on the run. In Exodus 3 he’s fleeing from the lavish Egyptian palace into the barren wilderness because he has just committed murder. Then he comes upon a burning bush calling out his name. (When was the last time shrubbery started talking to you?) God calls Moses to a task: rescue his people from the bondage they’re in. Like many of us, Moses’ instinctive reaction is, “Why me? I can’t do this…are you kidding me?” God answers simply, “I will be with you.” (Exodus 3:12) What more does Moses need? This is the Creator of the Universe we’re talking about here! One version sums it up this way in verse 14 when God says: “I AM THE ONE WHO ALWAYS IS.” (Exodus 3:14) We know how the rest of the story goes, God uses Moses to deliver the Jews out of bondage through a series of miracles.

Next, comes Joshua the man selected to take over for Moses as God leads his people into the promised land. Reports tell Joshua there are giants occupying the land they are supposed to enter, and that the people don’t stand a chance of beating them. Then comes God’s friendly and encouraging reminder: “For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.” (Joshua 1:5) As the story goes, Joshua leads the Israelites into the land of milk and honey and accomplishes his calling.

Then there’s Jeremiah, known as the weeping prophet. We learn that God has chosen Jeremiah even before he was born to be his spokesperson to the world. Much like Moses and Joshua before him, Jeremiah didn’t think he could handle this heavy responsibility. He says, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” (Jeremiah 1:6) Sound familiar to you? Or maybe you’ve said a variation of that sentence…”I can’t, I’m not smart enough! I can’t, I don’t have enough time! I can’t, I don’t have enough resources!” These excuses that we come up with sound so good to us when we say them, until we hear God’s response. “For you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you…for I will be with you and take care of you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” (Jeremiah 1:7-8) What happened after this scene? Jeremiah becomes a prophet that rocks the world by crying out warning them of God’s judgment of sin, but reminding them that the Lord is faithful to forgive and rich in mercy.

When God calls, it can be a scary reality. What if he asks me to do drop everything I’m comfortable with and do something crazy? Or what if he asks me to do something that I simply don’t have the skills to do? What if I fail? Maybe the worst, what if he calls me to do something that I don’t think I’ll enjoy, or doesn’t fit into my plan?

Yet it always comes back to the answer God gave these three men, and it’s the truth that we need to embrace in our own lives…do not be afraid, be strong and courageous! How can we be these things? By remembering God is with us, we are in his presence no matter where we go. That’s why Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit, to give us spirits of power and courage, not ones of fear and timidity! That’s why when we fear the worst in any calling God gives us, we have to learn to practice living in the power of God’s presence. Remember these promises often and know that they are valid for all eternity.

YNWA