Struggling with All His Might

I was reading through Colossians this weekend and was struck by the final verse of the first chapter:

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. 

(Colossians 1:24-29, emphasis added)

Paul struggled and toiled with Christ’s energy!

How often do I do the same? I must admit, the majority of my struggling is done by my own, insufficient energy. By doing so, I rob myself of victory. More importantly, I rob my God of his due glory in my life.   

Questions to Consider

• Do I understand this energy?
• Do I realize the immense implications of his powerful work within me?
• How does this truth affect my actions and the way I live my life?
• It’s easy to talk about toiling “with all his energy that he powerfully works within me,” but how does one take this concept and put it into action, as Paul did?

Another Look

Perhaps there are some clues in 2 Corinthians 12:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

(2 Corinthians 12:9-10, emphasis added)

What about you?

Do you toil and struggle with all his energy that he powerfully works within you? Does the power of Christ rest upon you?

What does all this mean?

The Death of Michael Jackson

The world watched and waited as conflicting stories were reported.

“Michael Jackson Collapses”

“Michael Jackson Has Died”

“Michael Jackson in a Coma”

And then, finally, confirmation: “Michael Jackson Dead at Age 50”

As one of my colleagues pointed out, “You will always remember where you were when Michael Jackson died.”  I was at work, sitting at my desk.

The World Reacts

The world reacted as it often does when confronted with the finality of death. 

“He is finally at peace.  Michael Jackson is a legend.  He will always be the King of Pop.  RIP Michael.”

I was deeply disturbed and saddened by the reaction I witnessed.  It seems as if world creates its own reality, its own God, in the face of death.  Peace, rest, heaven, and paradise for all who have passed. 

Though I do not wish to be disrespectful, I desperately want the world to know the truth – the truth about death, the truth about life, the truth about sin, the truth about God, the truth of the Gospel.  Beyond this world, peace only comes to those who have been reconciled to their Creator by the blood of Christ. 

I know nothing regarding Michael Jackson’s spiritual condition, nor do I care to speculate.  What I do know is that people around me, people around the world, have been sobered by yesterday’s events.  Do Christians not have an obligation to, lovingly and respectfully, share the truth of Gospel with the world around them, even in times such as these?  Especially in times such as these?

Truth

Below are two reactions, among many, that I found to be striking:

John Piper stated the following on Twitter: “Farrah Fawcett (62), Michael Jackson (50) and 150,000 others: "A flower of the field; the wind passes, and it is gone."

Piper was, of course, quoting Psalm 103:

As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.  (Psalm 103:15-16, ESV)

Justin Taylor had this to say:

He is dead at the age of 50. He had everything the world offered--but no Jesus.

I remember once looking at the liner notes from an album of his, and he quoted the final lines from William Ernest Henley's famous poem, Invictus:

I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Those are not the words you want written on your tombstone.

The King of Pop

Michael Jackson dead at the age of 50.  He was an incredibly talented man, beloved my millions, and will be remembered as a legend.

 

Still…the truth remains.

Free eBook: Pastor Dad

Dads and Future Dads:

Father's Day may have passed, but it isn't too late to download a free copy of Mark Driscoll's latest eBook, Pastor Dad: Scriptural Insights on Fatherhood. Read it, download it, or buy it here.

A great resource to distribute to other men in your life.

Navigator Neverdaters

I've shared before that I was a part of the Navigators' ministry in college. Another former Nav (and reader of this blog) recently brought this video to my attention. It's one of the funniest videos I have watched in a long time - probably because of its accuracy.

The video pokes fun at the dating dynamics within the Navs, but I'm sure you will see parallels if you run around in other Christian ministry/church circles.  Enjoy!

Word Cloud for Obama Speech in Cairo

Below is a Wordle word cloud I made for President Obama’s speech at Cairo University last Thursday. Click to see the full-size image. Interesting illustration, isn't it?

http://www.wordle.net/

Do You Know What You Believe?

Yesterday morning at Sunday school we took time to read through and discuss our denomination’s Doctrinal Statement.  It was a great exercise that brought to mind a number of thoughts and questions.  I encourage you to consider the following:

• Do I know what I believe about the core issues of my faith such as the nature of God, Jesus, the Gospel, salvation, Scripture, the church, etc.?
• Do I know what the core issues of my faith are?
• If asked, would I be able offer an explanation of my core beliefs?
• Are my core beliefs rooted in Scripture, my own opinion, or the opinions and beliefs of others?
• Is my list of core beliefs too short?
• Is my list of core beliefs too long?
• Do my core beliefs impact the way I think, interact with others, and live my life?
• Are my core beliefs the same as my church’s, my denomination’s?  Should they be?
• Over which of my core beliefs, if any, would I consider splitting from other Christian brothers and sisters or my church?
• Which of my core beliefs are worth dying for?  Which are not?
• How much time have I spent studying Scripture in order to shape my core Christian beliefs?

I hope to spend the next couple of weeks or months carefully considering many of the above questions and further developing my core beliefs as a Christian.


How much thought or time have you given to your church’s Doctrinal Statement?  Your own core beliefs?

An Omaha Concern: Bluhm Family Benefit

This Sunday, a benefit will be held for the family of Josie Bluhm, a 4-year-old girl who died due to injuries suffered in a tragic car accident nearly two weeks ago. Though I have heard mention of this benefit on a local radio station, I have yet to find information anywhere online. For this reason, I have decided to make it happen here.

I expect to gather more specific details, but this is what I have thus far:

Bluhm Family Benefit
Sunday, May 24th, 4:00 – 8:00 PM
Jack's Place - 1818 Binfield St, Elkhorn, NE 68022

 
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Moonlight Recording Studio is sponsoring the benefit and stated on their Myspace page that more than one band will be performing.

Tell others in Omaha and surrounding communities about this benefit! You can share this post (Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc.) by clicking on the orange “SHARE” button below. I have created a shortened URL to make this process easier as well: http://tr.im/bluhmbenefit

Please consider spending your Sunday evening at Jack's Place this weekend.

I will continue to update here as more details become available.  If you have further information about the benefit, please comment on this post or email me at .