"For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?"
-Ecclesiastes 2:25
Today I played soccer with friends from my church as we often do on Sundays. I had a good time playing even though I am now quite tired and sore. Later in the day, I was cleaning the bathroom in my house. Like many people, I do not enjoy cleaning at all, especially when I have to clean the bathroom. As I was cleaning the bathroom, a thought came into my head. Why do I enjoy playing sports but I don't enjoy cleaning? That sounds like a weird and foolish question to ask, but it got me thinking.
Why don't I enjoy doing chores? They're tedious and require time and effort, and I often don't feel like doing them. However, I do like having a clean house. I'm sure many (if not all) people would prefer to live in a clean house than a dirty one. So why do we dislike cleaning our house so much? I think it's because we don't like the process of actually having to work at cleaning and possibly getting ourselves dirty. We like the result, but we don't like the process.
So why do I enjoy sports? First off, I want to establish the fact that I am a very competitive person when it comes to sports. I love winning and I don't like to lose. Despite this fact, I enjoy sports whether I win or lose. Of course, I am a lot happier if I win, but regardless of whether I win or not I still enjoy playing. The reason I like sports so much is because I like the actual process of playing a sport. I like running, jumping, defending, and competing. This is why I can enjoy sports regardless of the result.
What is the point I'm making here? The point is that it is much easier to do something if you can enjoy the process as well as the result. The reason I don't like cleaning is because although we like the result we don't enjoy the process. The reason I enjoy playing sports is because I enjoy the process of playing regardless of the result. Playing to win is just another way to motivate me to play harder and enjoy myself more.
I believe the reason I find it difficult to spend time with God is because I don't enjoy the process. I understand the result of spending time with Him is desirable, but I don't find the actually process of it appealing. I believe that this is why many people struggle to maintain a close relationship with God. We think that spending time with God is tedious and requires effort, and we often don't feel like taking that time to spend with Him. I think in order for us to really grow close to God, we need to learn to enjoy the process of knowing Him.
Think of your friends; you spend time with them because you like being with them. You don't spend time with them simply because you can gain something from your friendship; you do it because you enjoy the process of being with them. We have to learn to enjoy God in the same way. We shouldn't think of spending time with God as some way we can gain something from Him. We should think of it as a way to enjoy Him. Growing in a relationship with God is much easier if we can learn to enjoy knowing Him. And really, how hard can it be? God loves us, He adores us, He cares for us, and lastly, He enjoys being with us.
-Smart
Objectivity
"Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things."
-Romans 2:1
In my engineering ethics class we talked about the idea of subjectivity and objectivity. Immediately people in the class talked about how nothing can be objective, since everyone is subject to their own views and beliefs. I've written before about truth and whether it is relative or not. I concluded that it cannot be relative, because truth has to be consistent in order to be truth. The topic I want to talk about today is similar, just more in depth.
There are many things that are subjective, such as people's opinions. Some people like action movies, other like dramas, and still others prefer horror. These are all subjective views; there is no such thing as an objective preference of movie genre. However, when raised with the question of objectivity versus subjectivity, people often forget that there are things that are objective as well. For example, a movie is a movie, not a book. That is an objective statement, and there is no room for debate on that.
When talking about objectivity and subjectivity, the previous example was trivial. What people really want to know is whether there can be objectivity in morality. Is it possible that our morals are objective? Is there a definitive "right" and "wrong"? Or is everything relative to the individual? Many people these days would say that morality is subjective to a person. A person's morality is just a result of a person's upbringing. They argue that since everyone has a different set of morals that there cannot be any absolutes. Everyone should be allowed to decide their own moral standards.
While I agree that everyone has a different set of morals, I don't agree that this means that morality is subjective. As an example, think about the laws we have in our country. Take speeding for example. The law says that if you drive over the speed limit, you will be given a ticket (given that you are caught). That is an objective law- if you speed, you will be penalized. However, people might differ on what they believe regarding speeding. Some may think that you can go ten miles an hour over the limit and you don't deserve a ticket. Others may believe that speeding limits are ridiculous and shouldn't be a law. Regardless of what you believe, if you speed, you will be given a ticket. What am I saying with this example? People do have subjective views on morality, but there is objective morality.
So what is objective morality? I couldn't go into full detail, but let's start at the core of the issue; where does morality come from? I recently heard Ravi Zacharias pose this question, and his answer was fascinating. His answer was that there is no such thing as morality without purpose. Think about it; if I gave you a baseball bat, you know the purpose of the bat is to hit a baseball. However, if you use it to hit a person, you are violating the purpose of the bat. I think it is the lack of understanding of our purpose that causes people to misunderstand morality. If there is no clear purpose for our lives, then there is no way we can violate or fulfill our purpose. In other words, there is no way we can do anything "right" or "wrong". People can try to justify their morals, but in the end they can't really rationalize them. So what is our purpose? To "glorify God and enjoy Him forever".
-Smart
-Romans 2:1
In my engineering ethics class we talked about the idea of subjectivity and objectivity. Immediately people in the class talked about how nothing can be objective, since everyone is subject to their own views and beliefs. I've written before about truth and whether it is relative or not. I concluded that it cannot be relative, because truth has to be consistent in order to be truth. The topic I want to talk about today is similar, just more in depth.
There are many things that are subjective, such as people's opinions. Some people like action movies, other like dramas, and still others prefer horror. These are all subjective views; there is no such thing as an objective preference of movie genre. However, when raised with the question of objectivity versus subjectivity, people often forget that there are things that are objective as well. For example, a movie is a movie, not a book. That is an objective statement, and there is no room for debate on that.
When talking about objectivity and subjectivity, the previous example was trivial. What people really want to know is whether there can be objectivity in morality. Is it possible that our morals are objective? Is there a definitive "right" and "wrong"? Or is everything relative to the individual? Many people these days would say that morality is subjective to a person. A person's morality is just a result of a person's upbringing. They argue that since everyone has a different set of morals that there cannot be any absolutes. Everyone should be allowed to decide their own moral standards.
While I agree that everyone has a different set of morals, I don't agree that this means that morality is subjective. As an example, think about the laws we have in our country. Take speeding for example. The law says that if you drive over the speed limit, you will be given a ticket (given that you are caught). That is an objective law- if you speed, you will be penalized. However, people might differ on what they believe regarding speeding. Some may think that you can go ten miles an hour over the limit and you don't deserve a ticket. Others may believe that speeding limits are ridiculous and shouldn't be a law. Regardless of what you believe, if you speed, you will be given a ticket. What am I saying with this example? People do have subjective views on morality, but there is objective morality.
So what is objective morality? I couldn't go into full detail, but let's start at the core of the issue; where does morality come from? I recently heard Ravi Zacharias pose this question, and his answer was fascinating. His answer was that there is no such thing as morality without purpose. Think about it; if I gave you a baseball bat, you know the purpose of the bat is to hit a baseball. However, if you use it to hit a person, you are violating the purpose of the bat. I think it is the lack of understanding of our purpose that causes people to misunderstand morality. If there is no clear purpose for our lives, then there is no way we can violate or fulfill our purpose. In other words, there is no way we can do anything "right" or "wrong". People can try to justify their morals, but in the end they can't really rationalize them. So what is our purpose? To "glorify God and enjoy Him forever".
-Smart
Priorities
"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
-Matthew 6:33
The past couple weeks have been very difficult and stressful, both mentally and spiritually. School has been getting harder, and now that finals are right around the corner, I am very worried. I'm worried for the obvious reason that I have to take finals soon, but I am also worried that I've already entered the "summer break mode". It's very hard for me to find that sense of urgency for school, even though I know that finals are very near. I believe that this in part due to my spiritual life suffering. I haven't reading the Bible or spending quality time with God. I feel far from God, and I know that it is causing me to lose my sense of purpose in life.
Earlier today I was listening to Pastor Tony Evans on the radio on the way home from the gym. He was talking about reconciliation, and how there is both a vertical and horizontal reconciliation that we must understand. The vertical reconciliation is between us and God. Jesus has already done His part to reconcile us to Himself, we just have to accept Him. The horizontal reconciliation is between us and other people. Tony Evans stressed that we must have a vertical reconciliation before we can even begin horizontal reconciliation. He later talked about how our spiritual condition affects every part of our life.
One of the main ways we can see our spiritual condition is by taking a look at our priorities. I once wrote about stress, where I touched on the topic of priorities. Our priorities dictate much of what we do in our day to day life. For many people like myself, the top priority is to do well in school to ensure that their future will be comfortable. People with this priority tend to spend a lot of time studying, doing homework, and going to school. Once they begin to do bad in school, they begin to worry about their life. This is because they've placed their hopes into school, and they believe that by doing well in school later in life they will be fulfilled. Unfortunately, placing our priorities in school will only bring a lot of stress and worry.
The verse Matthew 6:33 says to "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you". What is this verse telling us? It's saying that if we prioritize God our lives will begin to fall into place. We will have a new sense of purpose and fulfillment. Do you know what precedes Matthew 6:33? Jesus telling us not to worry. This is not a coincidence. Where we place our priorities will affect the rest of our life. If we don't prioritize our relationship with God, we will always worry. Putting God first places everything in perspective, and He will give us peace.
I've been meaning to write about a couple different topics on my blog, but I've been struggling to find the time and energy. I decided to write about this today because it's been on my mind and I wanted to re-prioritize my life. It's been hard letting God take first place in my life, because I've been so distracted by other things. I realize that this is having a negative effect on my life and is causing me to become lazy. I pray that God would help us to put Him back in the driver's seat of our lives.
-Smart
-Matthew 6:33
The past couple weeks have been very difficult and stressful, both mentally and spiritually. School has been getting harder, and now that finals are right around the corner, I am very worried. I'm worried for the obvious reason that I have to take finals soon, but I am also worried that I've already entered the "summer break mode". It's very hard for me to find that sense of urgency for school, even though I know that finals are very near. I believe that this in part due to my spiritual life suffering. I haven't reading the Bible or spending quality time with God. I feel far from God, and I know that it is causing me to lose my sense of purpose in life.
Earlier today I was listening to Pastor Tony Evans on the radio on the way home from the gym. He was talking about reconciliation, and how there is both a vertical and horizontal reconciliation that we must understand. The vertical reconciliation is between us and God. Jesus has already done His part to reconcile us to Himself, we just have to accept Him. The horizontal reconciliation is between us and other people. Tony Evans stressed that we must have a vertical reconciliation before we can even begin horizontal reconciliation. He later talked about how our spiritual condition affects every part of our life.
One of the main ways we can see our spiritual condition is by taking a look at our priorities. I once wrote about stress, where I touched on the topic of priorities. Our priorities dictate much of what we do in our day to day life. For many people like myself, the top priority is to do well in school to ensure that their future will be comfortable. People with this priority tend to spend a lot of time studying, doing homework, and going to school. Once they begin to do bad in school, they begin to worry about their life. This is because they've placed their hopes into school, and they believe that by doing well in school later in life they will be fulfilled. Unfortunately, placing our priorities in school will only bring a lot of stress and worry.
The verse Matthew 6:33 says to "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you". What is this verse telling us? It's saying that if we prioritize God our lives will begin to fall into place. We will have a new sense of purpose and fulfillment. Do you know what precedes Matthew 6:33? Jesus telling us not to worry. This is not a coincidence. Where we place our priorities will affect the rest of our life. If we don't prioritize our relationship with God, we will always worry. Putting God first places everything in perspective, and He will give us peace.
I've been meaning to write about a couple different topics on my blog, but I've been struggling to find the time and energy. I decided to write about this today because it's been on my mind and I wanted to re-prioritize my life. It's been hard letting God take first place in my life, because I've been so distracted by other things. I realize that this is having a negative effect on my life and is causing me to become lazy. I pray that God would help us to put Him back in the driver's seat of our lives.
-Smart
You are the Messiah (Part 3)
So what can we take away from this passage? What can we learn? First, we must realize that Jesus cares about what people think about Him. At the time of this passage, the people believed Jesus was some sort of prophet. What would people say today if asked the same question? Sadly, I believe the majority of people would say that Jesus never existed. Even more so, I believe that people today feel they have no need for Jesus, as I said at the beginning of this message. People don’t want to believe in Jesus as Messiah, because they feel that Jesus is a hindrance to them. They don’t believe Jesus is their Messiah, they look to other things to be their “messiah”. Seeking money, pleasure, respect, and power becomes their messiah. This should concern us because it definitely concerns Jesus. We also must consider Jesus’ second question- “who do you say I am? (verse 29)”. Our view of Jesus is shaped by the relationship that we have with Jesus. Jesus is just as concerned about our relationship with Him as He is with our view of Him. We know that Jesus is the Messiah, but do we know what that means? It is one thing to know the answer to this question, it is another to understand it. So what is the proper understanding of who Jesus is? To answer this, we must understand the Cross. Jesus told the disciples about the Cross because the Cross is how He would save us. The Cross is the ultimate picture of who Jesus is. The Cross reveals many things about Jesus, such as His wisdom, power, authority, and obedience; but ultimately it reveals His love. Jesus wanted His disciples to understand that He loved them enough to die on the Cross for them. When Peter rebukes Jesus, Peter does it out of his love for Jesus, because Peter did not want Jesus to suffer these things. What Peter needed to understand is that Jesus must suffer these things in order to save him. Jesus wanted Peter to understand His love for him. Sadly, we see that Peter could not grasp Jesus’ love for him, because he was only concerned about worldly things. Peter’s life did not change at this point even though He knew Jesus was Messiah. Only after Peter experienced the power of Jesus’ resurrection did He truly understand who Jesus was. After Jesus’ resurrection, Peter underwent a major change in his life, and began speaking boldly to others about Jesus. Sometimes we too may hold the wrong view of Jesus because of our emotions or limited understanding of Him. Jesus doesn’t want us to rely on our emotions or our understanding; He wants us to rely on His love. He wants us to experience the power of His resurrection and to be changed because of it. His love is enough for us.
I spoke at the beginning about my high school friends. Many times they asked me why I did the things that I do: why I go to church, why I don’t go to parties, etc. I would simply just answer- “Because I believe as a Christian that I should go to church and I shouldn’t go to parties or etc.” If they asked me now, I would probably tell them that it is because Jesus is my Messiah, and because of that I cannot be the same. The power of the Cross and Jesus’ resurrection changes the way that I live. When I see the students around me and wonder why I continue to live in the manner I do, I know that it is because Jesus is the Messiah. However, it is not enough just to know that Jesus is my Messiah; Jesus wants all people to know that He is the Messiah. Jesus is asking me “who do people say I am? (verse 27)”? Jesus is asking us- “who do you say I am? (verse 29)”. Jesus is our Messiah; not one who came to rule over the earth by exerting power and authority, but one who came down to become one of us. He is our Messiah who suffered and died and rose again in order to save us from sin and death. He is our Messiah who loves us. Let’s read the key verse together- “‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah.’ (verse 29)”.
-Smart
(Thanks for reading! If you have anything you'd want me to write about, let me know.)
I spoke at the beginning about my high school friends. Many times they asked me why I did the things that I do: why I go to church, why I don’t go to parties, etc. I would simply just answer- “Because I believe as a Christian that I should go to church and I shouldn’t go to parties or etc.” If they asked me now, I would probably tell them that it is because Jesus is my Messiah, and because of that I cannot be the same. The power of the Cross and Jesus’ resurrection changes the way that I live. When I see the students around me and wonder why I continue to live in the manner I do, I know that it is because Jesus is the Messiah. However, it is not enough just to know that Jesus is my Messiah; Jesus wants all people to know that He is the Messiah. Jesus is asking me “who do people say I am? (verse 27)”? Jesus is asking us- “who do you say I am? (verse 29)”. Jesus is our Messiah; not one who came to rule over the earth by exerting power and authority, but one who came down to become one of us. He is our Messiah who suffered and died and rose again in order to save us from sin and death. He is our Messiah who loves us. Let’s read the key verse together- “‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah.’ (verse 29)”.
-Smart
(Thanks for reading! If you have anything you'd want me to write about, let me know.)
You are the Messiah (Part 2)
Jesus then asks the disciples a more personal question in verse 29, the key verse. Let’s read that together: “‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah.’ (v.29)”. Jesus challenges His disciples to come up with their own answer to His previous question. He asks all of the disciples this question, but only Peter answers it. As we read, Peter answers Jesus by saying “You are the Messiah (verse 29)”. We know that disciples were able to answer Jesus’ earlier question because they had heard what others had said about Jesus, so where did Peter get his answer to Jesus second question? Looking at Matthew 16, which records the same story, Jesus tells us where Peter got his answer. Matthew 16:17 reads “And Jesus said to him, ‘blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in Heaven.” This verse tells us two things; Peter got His answer from God, and that Jesus accepts Peter’s answer.
Why did Jesus ask the disciples this question? We know that Jesus cares about what people think of Him, and Jesus also cares about what His disciples think of Him. Jesus didn’t want the disciples to have the same view of Him that the other people did. Jesus is now asking how their relationship to Him differentiates their answer from the people. Jesus wanted to know what they personally say that He is. As we know, Peter answers “You are the Messiah (verse 29)”. We also know that this was the correct answer, because Jesus accepts Peter’s response. What does this mean however? In the time of Jesus, the Jews awaited the coming of a messiah. The word “messiah” means “savior”. It also means “one anointed or chosen by God”. All the Jews knew of a promised messiah, and they all had an idea of who that person would be. They thought that the promised messiah would save them by coming with power and authority. When they saw Jesus, they knew He was from God, but He wasn’t their view of who the messiah would be. Jesus didn’t take over the government by exerting His power and authority, as the people thought the messiah would. Peter probably had the same view of who the messiah would be, yet he was able to proclaim that Jesus was the Messiah. This was because Peter was inspired by God to confess that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. After Peter’s confession, Jesus warns them not to tell others about Him. Why is this? Jesus knew that if the people found out He was the Messiah, they would try to fit Jesus into their description of the messiah. They might try to make Jesus king by force, like they tried to do in John 6:15 which reads- “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. (John 6:15)”. Jesus also told the disciples to not tell anyone because He knew the disciples would not be ready until He died and rose again. Jesus had not yet died on the cross and risen again, and the disciples still did not fully understand who Jesus was. Jesus did not want the disciples proclaiming that He is the Messiah until Jesus had finished His mission as the promised Savior.
Why did Jesus ask the disciples this question? We know that Jesus cares about what people think of Him, and Jesus also cares about what His disciples think of Him. Jesus didn’t want the disciples to have the same view of Him that the other people did. Jesus is now asking how their relationship to Him differentiates their answer from the people. Jesus wanted to know what they personally say that He is. As we know, Peter answers “You are the Messiah (verse 29)”. We also know that this was the correct answer, because Jesus accepts Peter’s response. What does this mean however? In the time of Jesus, the Jews awaited the coming of a messiah. The word “messiah” means “savior”. It also means “one anointed or chosen by God”. All the Jews knew of a promised messiah, and they all had an idea of who that person would be. They thought that the promised messiah would save them by coming with power and authority. When they saw Jesus, they knew He was from God, but He wasn’t their view of who the messiah would be. Jesus didn’t take over the government by exerting His power and authority, as the people thought the messiah would. Peter probably had the same view of who the messiah would be, yet he was able to proclaim that Jesus was the Messiah. This was because Peter was inspired by God to confess that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. After Peter’s confession, Jesus warns them not to tell others about Him. Why is this? Jesus knew that if the people found out He was the Messiah, they would try to fit Jesus into their description of the messiah. They might try to make Jesus king by force, like they tried to do in John 6:15 which reads- “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. (John 6:15)”. Jesus also told the disciples to not tell anyone because He knew the disciples would not be ready until He died and rose again. Jesus had not yet died on the cross and risen again, and the disciples still did not fully understand who Jesus was. Jesus did not want the disciples proclaiming that He is the Messiah until Jesus had finished His mission as the promised Savior.
Now that the disciples knew that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus began explaining to them how He would suffer and die. This bothers Peter, so in verse 32 “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke (Jesus). (Verse 32)”. It is easy for us to criticize Peter for rebuking Jesus, because we know that Jesus’ death and resurrection are necessary for our salvation. However, we must keep in mind the context. This is the first time Jesus is telling the disciples about His crucifixion, and recall that Peter now knows that Jesus was the Messiah. Peter believed that because Jesus was the Messiah He would liberate His people with great power, authority, and even by force. When he heard Jesus talking about being beaten and crucified, he didn’t see a powerful messiah, he saw a weak, defeated man. Peter respected and loved Jesus greatly, and did not want these things to happen to Him. He took Jesus aside out of respect for Jesus, so that Jesus would not be rebuked in front of the disciples. Right after this, Jesus turns back to the disciples and rebukes Peter in front of them. Does this mean Jesus doesn’t respect Peter? He even calls Peter “Satan” in front of the disciples. Of course we know that Jesus loved Peter, but He didn’t want Peter to have the wrong view of Him. He called Peter “Satan” because Satan did not want Jesus to complete His mission, and Peter unknowingly is acting the same way. Why did Jesus turn towards His disciples? Jesus loved not only Peter, but the other disciples also. He wanted them all to have the right view of Him, so He exposed Peter’s wrongdoing in front of all the disciples. What is amazing about Jesus’ mission to die on the cross and to rise again is that it is not a sign of weakness or defeat. In fact, it was the greatest sign of His power and authority. “But we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. (1 Cor. 1:23-25)”. Jesus did come with authority and power, but He did not come to save the Jews from the king, He came to save them from sin and death. He did not come to conquer the king, he came to conquer sin and death.
-Smart
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