All posts tagged Honesty

Sacrifice

Sacrifice. It is selfless. Being selfless is hard.

I wish I was a better example of this, but I’m not. Maybe some of you can relate. My hope is that by God’s strength I can be more selfless every new day.

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Jesus’ words in Luke 9:23.

Every day I wake up and I want… I want, I want, I want. Just like a baby. It’s instinct to to be selfish. I’ve gotten to spend the last 3 weeks hanging with family which includes my two year old niece. I love my niece to death, but it’s funny to watch how selfish she is (I’m not saying this of her character obviously, but her humanity). Humans are clearly born with a predisposition to be selfish, it’s hardwired into our brains and for many it stays hardwired.

But, Jesus asks two BIG things of those who come after Him.

1. deny self: Above all, think of yourself last. Selfless.

2. pick up cross daily: Deny yourself to the point of suffering every single day. In Jesus’ time the cross was a device of torture; it killed a person slowly and painfully. Sacrifice.

The truth is, Being selfless is not easy and sacrificing is not painless. But if we truly believe Jesus, it is completely worth giving our whole lives to Him. In my opinion this is the biggest, and most important sacrifice we can give. In essence, this is denying self and picking up our cross daily and following Jesus.

Getting the gospel to the nations will require us to give it all to Jesus. Literally.

Pray with me as I really want this to be true for my life, as well as yours.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:5

 

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by browery on January 16, 2016  •  Permalink
Posted in Reaching the Nations, Reflections on Faith
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Posted by browery on January 16, 2016

https://nationsminded.wordpress.com/2016/01/16/sacrifice/

We can know God!

Wow, to think we can actually know God. What a thought. What a beautiful reality. The God who created everything; the whole universe. The God who created man. Oh, what a thought. Man and woman, created in such a way that they, from the beginning, could walk with God.

We know the rest of the story. Man and woman disobeyed and evil entered. But, from that point on God began a desperate pursuit to restore the relationship, because He really loves us. He went to such extremes as to even allow His only son to take the full punishment for our disobedience. Death.

And to think God was willing to do all that so we could know Him – be forgiven by Him. Is this hitting you right now? Is it crushing to think God did this for us?

Think on this story for a moment: A man cheated on his wife; he has three kids. The man realizes his terrible actions and begins to seek restoration. He starts with his wife. He tells her everything. He apologizes and begs for forgiveness. He then goes to his kids, one by one as they grow old enough to understand for themselves. One of the kids really resents his father and it takes years for the relationship to be restored. His daughter no longer trusts him, and even thinks that he could be some pervert who may have treated her wrongly as a kid. The other son forgives him right away but then later comes to resent him and again it takes year’s for their relationship to be restored. The father was completely honest with his family even though it was a huge risk and cost him a lot.

I read basically the same story in “Scary Close” by Donald Miller. The story feels fitting to paint the image of forgiveness and restoration, and how through restoration a relationship can be closer and stronger then ever before… What I didn’t share is that the father in the story was wholeheartedly forgiven; restoration did take place, and I wept right there reading the story in Starbucks. It didn’t all happen right away, but his family forgave him. Restoration happened and it all started as the father took a big risk by being honest.

What does this have to do with knowing God, though? Well, I believe we’ve all in some way cheated on God. We’ve carved images in our minds or put money and other things above Him. We’ve even manipulated Him to be what we want Him to be… We’ve said we believe in Him, we love Him, and we’ve even really sought to know Him, but still (at least for me) come to points in life where there’s yet again something else getting in the way…

God took a risk, and sacrificed His son so that we could be totally forgiven and restored to Him. Now, all He desires is that we take a risk, ask for forgiveness, and pursue reconciliation with Him. Maybe this is a daily thing. In John Chapter 3 verse 30 John writes, “He (God) must increase, but I must decrease.” We must take risks to decrease. To replace God with the things that we’ve put before Him means decreasing, and having complete trust that God want’s to be totally connected to us.

Taking a risk like this is what I think could be the next step for many. For me, I’m asking myself, and God, what have I put above Him/you?

See, I’m at a place in my life where I don’t want to settle for the marginalized Christian life of Church on Sundays and Bible study on Wednesdays. Or a 5 minute devo in the mornings… And I don’t want to settle for the “easy life” that just “get’s me by…” I want to take risks for God. I want to be intentional with my relationships. I want to be wholly honesty and wholly human to those around me.

If your in a similar place please share what you’re doing to seek God these days? What has God put on your heart that you want to take a risk on? Where do you need to be completely honest with God?

 

 

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by browery on December 5, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Reflections on Faith
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Posted by browery on December 5, 2015

https://nationsminded.wordpress.com/2015/12/05/we-can-know-god/

Sharing in the midst of Struggles

There’s a mighty big problem in the world. Here it is: After the fall of man sin became an issue and the world was consumed by it. I know people are struggling all over the world. Whether big or small there are issues that come up in our lives that can cause us to stumble or become distracted from our relationship with God. Just like when I was in High School I was distracted from my relationship with my parents because I was focused on myself; on being accepted, finding the next high, or having money. The issues are different now and I may not struggle as much, but it’s in those times of struggle that the devil tries to keep me from not only pursuing God, but sharing His gospel. We can, in the midst of struggles, share the gospel of God. In fact God is all about giving opportunities to do this. This last summer there was a night that I was feeling shame.  That particular night we were hanging out with some friends when God gave me an opportunity to share my testimony and the gospel of Jesus. In the midst of struggle God made this happen and helped me share.

Don’t forget why God has kept you alive. None of us deserve it, as we have all sinned and if God wanted to take any of us up to Him, He could. But He decides not to because of this: Matt 28:18-20, Philemon 1:6, 2 Tim 2:2.

Don’t let personal issues distract you firstly from loving God with all your heart, strength, and mind, and secondly don’t let them keep you from sharing your faith with others.

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by browery on October 26, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Reaching the Nations
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Posted by browery on October 26, 2013

https://nationsminded.wordpress.com/2013/10/26/sharing-in-the-midst-of-struggles/

Are you bonefide?

(Romans 12:9) starts like this, “Let love be genuine.” I’ve been thinking about this lately. How does our love for one another become genuine? Paul is writing to the Romans and has already broken down the gospel and in this passage he is writing about what a real Christian looks like. Other versions of this verse say “love must be without hypocrisy.” It is interesting that this is the first mark of a Christian that Paul mentions. Remember that the greatest command from God is to love Him with all your soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself (Matt 22:37-29). Let this love be genuine; toward God and people. Here is the opposite of genuine. Hypocritical, dishonest, fake, unreal… Followers of Jesus prove their genuineness as they willfully give all for the one the believe is true. Luke 9:3-6 gives an example of how willing Jesus’s followers were to give all that they had to follow their savior and bring the message of salvation to the world. Another example of a guy who was willing to give his life for the advancement of the gospel is Stephen in Acts 7:54-60. To be genuine does not necessarily mean to go die for what you believe in, but rather to be willing, in every way to let go of self and cling to God, even if that means death. This is the only way we can truly love, and truly be genuine and real. I realized a long time ago that I cannot love without God. In fact, when I was lost in sin I hated people. It wasn’t until I began clinging to God that I was able to show love and mercy to those around me.

Now, I want to ask myself this question… Is my love for God genuine? Do I wake up every morning a hypocrite or a bonefide follower of Jesus Christ? Check the rest of Romans 12:9-21 and Luke 9:23.

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by browery on September 25, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Reflections on Faith
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Posted by browery on September 25, 2013

https://nationsminded.wordpress.com/2013/09/25/are-you-bonefide/

To Loan or Not to Loan? Indonesian Peoples

Matthew quickly put down the phone with a look of concern on his face. He just had a conversation with his Indonesian ‘brother’, Dwyiki, in which the conversation suddenly turned to matters about money. Dwyiki had asked Matthew if it was possible to borrow money as an advance to his paycheck coming at the end of the month. Dwyiki needed to pay off a small phone bill and buy parts for the family car.

Matthew, a cross-cultural worker, was relatively new to Indonesia. He had only arrived six months beforehand, but was already conversant in the national language and had established a good network of friends. However, Dwyiki was more than a friend. Matthew’s first two months in Indonesia were spent in a home-stay with Dwyiki’s family, and they became as family to Matthew. They taught Matthew how to live and maneuver in his new surroundings. They called him their adopted son, and had made Matthew like part of the family. Matthew was greatly appreciative of this family, and felt strongly connected with them.

Dwyiki was close in age to Matthew, and they both enjoyed many of the same activities together. During Matthew’s home-stay Dwyiki would borrow the family truck and take Matthew on adventures up into the mountains. They both felt like brothers. Later, Matthew had moved into a city about one hour away to continue formal language study, but promised to stay connected with his family out in the village. Indeed, this family was a priority to Matthew, and he was praying for opportunities to go deeper in relationship with them.

Matthew felt mixed emotions of fear and endearment when Dwyiki asked to borrow money from him. Fear because he knew that this money could jeopardize their friendship if Dwyiki was unable to pay him back. Endearment because Matthew knew that this Indonesian tribe functioned as a highly collective society, and borrowing among friends and family was an accepted practice. The fact that Dwyiki trusted Matthew enough to ask this seemed to signify that there was a kindred bond between them, which was important to Matthew.

Matthew chose to consult with his two mentors, both having over a decade of experience in cross-cultural work with this tribe. One mentor strongly warned against loaning money noting that every time he had loaned it had soured his friendships. This tribe is known to have a problem with money management, and frequently entrap themselves in webs of debt. Another mentor acknowledged the risks, but looked at the situation as an opportunity to enter more deeply into the life of this family. “To refuse,” he said, “would be the same as saying you do not value the family or friendship.”

Matthew felt torn and unable to protect himself from the risks now placed upon him. He thought about the Sermon on the Mount and giving to those who ask. He also thought about the pain it would create if Dwyiki could not pay him back. The doorbell rang; it was Dwyiki wanting to pick up the money, what should Matthew do?

2 Comments
by browery on June 19, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Ethne, Reaching the Nations
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Posted by browery on June 19, 2013

https://nationsminded.wordpress.com/2013/06/19/to-loan-or-not-to-loan/

Counsel | Receive it

My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Proverbs 3:1-2

Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips. Proverbs 22:17-18

Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exult you. 1 Pet 5:5-6

Why? Why is it important to receive counsel and apply it. It’s counsel from men or women who are walking with God and have life experience; that will help us grow. When we listen, apply, and give counsel, growth will occur in our lives. Humility is crucial, and without it you will hardly make it past listening to counsel. However, if you seek counsel with a humble and honest heart you will see change in your life. The change may hurt and the process may be long, but it’s worth it. Ultimately, we must seek the Father and be in communication with Him for growth, and receiving counsel is a huge part. We all have choices to make every day; be honest with your friends and listen to what they have to speak into your life.

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by browery on April 4, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Reflections on Faith, Uncategorized
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Posted by browery on April 4, 2013

https://nationsminded.wordpress.com/2013/04/04/counsel-receive-it/

Opacity: The Transparency of Life…

Facade, and fake rule our American culture. Everyone is always “good.” Everyone always lives in this facade of confidence self-dependance.

I’m a Photoshop junkie. In Photoshop, opacity reflects how much you can see behind the layer you are adjusting the level of opacity. In our lives we have this big black layer that covers the picture of our who we actually are. It’s so easy to have a life of 100% opacity (nothing gets through), but Paul has a different opinion. Phil 4:14 “Still, you did well by sharing with me in my hardship.” Our opacity with each other should be low; others should be able to see into our lives. Especially with those who are close to us. In fact, I think those that we have a low opacity with are the people we are closest with. “Since you put away lying, Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another,” Ephesians 4:25. Keep a very see through and not opacitaited (I just made that word up) life.

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by browery on March 25, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Reflections on Faith, Uncategorized
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Posted by browery on March 25, 2013

https://nationsminded.wordpress.com/2013/03/25/opacity-the-transparency-of-life/

Honesty and Boldness

So Moses asked the LORD, “Why have You brought such trouble on Your servant? Why are You angry with me, and why do You burden me with all these people? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth so You should tell me, ‘Carry them at your breast, as a nursing woman carries a baby,’ to the land that You swore their fathers? Where can I get meat to feed all these people? For they are crying to me: Give us meat to eat! I can’t carry all of these people by myself. they are too much for me. If you are going to treat me like this, please kill me right now. If you are pleased with me, don’t let me see my misery anymore.” -Numbers 11:11-15

Moses is mad at God. He is real and honest with God. 

“How long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long will I store up anxious concerns within me, agony in my mind every day?” – Psalm 13:1-2

David is desperate and frustrated at God. He is honest and he is real. Are you? God doesn’t care about fakeness. He sees your heart, so cry out to Him, yell at Him, pray your heart to God. Not what you think He wants to hear, that’s a joke. 

“Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.” Hebrews 4:16

Be bold with God. Be open with God. It’s good; He can handle the emotions of your heart. 

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by browery on January 31, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Reflections on Faith, Uncategorized
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Posted by browery on January 31, 2013

https://nationsminded.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/honesty-and-boldness/

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