My Problems Are Bigger Than Yours

My problems are bigger than yours and I can prove it. Well...no...I can't. But at times I live as if they are. I teach others of how God answers prayers and provides for their needs. I teach of how God always responds with something great. I teach others to lift all their cares up to God. Then I run home and hold onto my own problems. You see, while God can handle your problems, mine are too big.

What's that you say? You feel the same? You wonder why I don't just trust in the Lord while you hold on tight trying to solve your “bigger” problems without Him?

Well guess what. We're both wrong. It really doesn't matter who has the bigger problems. God is bigger than all of our problems combined. He asks us to cast our cares upon Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7) and wants to do something about them. So let us today give everything that worries each of us over to God, knowing He loves us and will give us what is best for our situations. Trust in Him.

What's Between The Prayer and The Pearly Gates?

I accepted Christ back in the 1980's. After, I sought out other Christians and began my Christian walk. For whatever reason I was quickly sent out to share with nonbelievers, earning leadership positions both in church and in a Christian group on campus. I thought I was growing. Looking back I realize something was missing. I was well versed in how to become a Christian and on what would happen at the end of life but I was not sure about what was supposed to come in between.

So what is "the walk" in between our prayer to receive Christ and our arrival at the pearly gates? Early on I was taught to spend my time trying to live right and trying to share the Gospel. Both are supported by scripture which speaks of a new creation and of the Great Commission. But scripture also speaks of a very important promise given by Jesus in His explanation of why he came to earth.

"...I come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

Jesus speaking in John 10:10

Followers of Christ have received life and we have received it more abundantly. That sounds like something good, especially considering the context. Jesus spoke these words showing a contrast between himself and "the thief," who comes to steal and to kill. The thief comes to take something away from us, leaving behind a person who is empty, not having received abundant life. Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. So what is abundant life?

I'm not sure how I would've answered that question twenty or thirty years ago. Whatever I would have said likely would have sounded good, perhaps even biblical. But my actions and my emotions likely would have looked more like work than like life. Back then I was doing church, serving in every way possible even at the expense of my own health. I was trying to prove that I was a great Christian. This was not life. It was the path of self destruction, a path on which I had a lot of company.

I didn't want to admit it but that kind of walk is just another form of idolatry. It was a life that had a form of godliness on the outside but was lacking power on the inside. Instead of drawing from God I was pouring out from my own emptiness thinking that if I didn't do it, it might not get done. Yes the pats on the back I received from fellow Christians were nice but I was still longing for something else. I was still longing for abundant life.

"For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will."

John 5:21

There's no way around it. If Jesus is Who the Bible says He is, then life begins in Him. This life is more than just a beating heart and the ability to do things. Every person walking on earth has that no matter what they believe. So then what is it that Jesus promised in John 10:10?

"And this is Eternal Life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."

John 17:3

According to Jesus eternal life is a relationship. We tend to define it as living forever. That's just a side effect of a relationship with the everlasting Father. Likewise it follows that abundant life comes as a result of the same relationship in which Christ pours out and we receive. Our actions (our obedience) come in response to this relationship not as a way of earning the relationship. As such we are to live as God's children, not out of burden but simply because that's what we are. (John 1:12-13).

Here's where I have to confess that I do not fully know what abundant life looks like. I know Christ should be recognizable within those who have abundant life. How that plays out is perhaps too much to go into in a single blog post. I do know that abundant life is a gift given freely by Christ to those who believe. It is something we all can enjoy in between our prayer to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, and the day we reach our heavenly mansion. This abundance is much more than just acting like a Christian should. It is a life of fullness that is a result of walking daily with the creator of the universe.

I trust that as I focus on Him I will receive that gift of abundant life. Are you open to receiving from Christ? If Your a Christian how are you spending your time between your prayer to receive Christ and your arrival at the Pearly Gates?


(Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.)

How God Blessed Me in June 2019

The Christian life is one of experiencing the presence of God. His presence is seen in a series of both big and small events, orchestrated by His hand as He works to make us more like Himself. One or two “acts of God” are not enough to see His presence, as all but the most miraculous come with other possible explanations. Only as we pull back looking at the big picture of the entirety of the Christian walk will we see the author behind the story. Otherwise, based on one “blessing” or just a single testimony of what the Lord has done, we might dismiss His actions as coincidence or as a logical occurrence.

From time to time I would like to share situations from my life where I believe God is at work. I encourage skeptics and believers to consider these as a growing narration not as single isolated events. I acknowledge that the testimony of one thing that happened can be dismissed. What then do we say of a lifetime of multiple testimonies?

Last month I shared how God blessed me and my family in the two previous months. Here I would like to share a few things God pulled off during the month of June.

I suspect every follower of Jesus has had that moment when they felt compelled to do something, believing they are being “moved by the Spirit.” Some even speak of how God speaks to them, encouraging them to do something they would not have done otherwise.

That Last Bit of Homework
With a little more than a week left in the school year one of my sons was studying for a test. He logged onto Google Classroom where he found the study materials, including a study guide where he needed to fill in a number of blanks. Initially we were not going to print out this guide but something inside lead me to believe we should. We did so and he answered the questions, taking the pages with him to school the next day in order to continue studying.

In class his teacher asked everyone to turn in their homework. None of the students knew what the teacher was talking about so he put a picture of the first page up on the board. This is when my son realized it was the study guide he had completed and was carrying in his bag. He was the only one in the class who turned in his work.

The Cost of Auto Maintenance and God’s Open Wallet
June is car inspection month in our household. This year, inspection time meant three major repairs on our two cars. We knew we would have to make two of those, but the third was a complete surprise. God provided for all three. He also revealed how He will provide for a conference we would like to attend this month. Time and again God has provided for all of our needs and even for a number of our wants. I rest knowing He will continue to provide as we move forward.

Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid
As a parent of two teenagers we deal with a lot of emotional ups and downs. Unfortunately there are times when other adults (teachers, coaches) are not always helpful in dealing with the teenage psyche. In this case something was said (by a person in authority) to one of our sons that the person should have kept to themselves. My son did not want to repeat what was said, leaving us in the dark. Internalizing what was said drew my son into a few day’s depression. Fortunately God knows how to bring the truth out into the open. He directed us in how to deal with our son and is in the process of healing. This was a reminder of the great advantage that comes with being able to discuss parenting with our creator.

These are just a few of the many blessings we enjoyed in June. How has God blessed you?