Are you still fighting? Are you staying focused? Are you keeping the faith?

It was great to look at 2 Timothy 4:7-8 with you last Sunday as a reminder to not give up, and to finish stronger than we started. This week as I was thinking more about the path of pursuit to Christ, this story came to mind:

In the allegory "Hinds Feet for High Places," the main character is taken on a journey to the High Places, where she will one day dwell with the Chief Shepherd.

At the beginning of the tale, she has a lame leg and a grotesquely disfigured face, both of which seemingly disqualify her from making the strenuous trip and living in a land of untainted beauty. Along the way, she’s given two companions, and she must go through a desert wilderness, a steep incline, and along a lonely seashore, often walking in the direction quite opposite of the High Places as she follows the Chief Shepherd.

Near the end of the book, her face begins to radiate a beauty she never imagined possible. Even her leg is feeling stronger, allowing her to depend less and less upon her companions.

However, as she continues traveling, she is led into a dark forest. The ground beneath her is muddy and she begins slipping, sometimes even falling flat on her face into the filth. The narrator states, "All along she had hoped that the higher she went and the nearer she got to the High Places, the stronger she would become and the less she would stumble, but it was quite otherwise" (Hurnand, 205).

We too are on a journey, and we often assume that as we travel we will become better, stronger, eventually achieving a Christ-like perfection in this life. Do not be fooled, my friend. We are going to battle with some sins and trials for the rest of our lives. This is—in part—why I think the writer of Hebrews reminds his readers not to be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Heb. 3:13). In the midst of our ongoing struggle with this life, we must rely on the grace of God more and more with each day.

The goal is not that we will one day be able to walk on our own. The goal is that one day you and I will realize how desperately we need to be carried to our Chief Shepherd.

I pray your reliance on God will increase greatly this week, and you will know you are not fighting the battle of this life alone.

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday. We will be starting a new series called, "You’re Not A Kid Anymore: Lessons for Spiritual Growth from the Life of Daniel." We will also have a Creekside Family Chat after the service on Sunday.

Don’t forget your Bible! See you there.

You are loved,

Josh.

Are you still fighting? Are you staying focused? Are you keeping the faith?

It was great to look at 2 Timothy 4:7-8 with you last Sunday as a reminder to not give up, and to finish stronger than we started. This week as I was thinking more about the path of pursuit to Christ, this story came to mind:

In the allegory "Hinds Feet for High Places," the main character is taken on a journey to the High Places, where she will one day dwell with the Chief Shepherd.

At the beginning of the tale, she has a lame leg and a grotesquely disfigured face, both of which seemingly disqualify her from making the strenuous trip and living in a land of untainted beauty. Along the way, she’s given two companions, and she must go through a desert wilderness, a steep incline, and along a lonely seashore, often walking in the direction quite opposite of the High Places as she follows the Chief Shepherd.

Near the end of the book, her face begins to radiate a beauty she never imagined possible. Even her leg is feeling stronger, allowing her to depend less and less upon her companions.

However, as she continues traveling, she is led into a dark forest. The ground beneath her is muddy and she begins slipping, sometimes even falling flat on her face into the filth. The narrator states, "All along she had hoped that the higher she went and the nearer she got to the High Places, the stronger she would become and the less she would stumble, but it was quite otherwise" (Hurnand, 205).

We too are on a journey, and we often assume that as we travel we will become better, stronger, eventually achieving a Christ-like perfection in this life. Do not be fooled, my friend. We are going to battle with some sins and trials for the rest of our lives. This is—in part—why I think the writer of Hebrews reminds his readers not to be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Heb. 3:13). In the midst of our ongoing struggle with this life, we must rely on the grace of God more and more with each day.

The goal is not that we will one day be able to walk on our own. The goal is that one day you and I will realize how desperately we need to be carried to our Chief Shepherd.

I pray your reliance on God will increase greatly this week, and you will know you are not fighting the battle of this life alone.

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday. We will be starting a new series called, "You’re Not A Kid Anymore: Lessons for Spiritual Growth from the Life of Daniel." We will also have a Creekside Family Chat after the service on Sunday.

Don’t forget your Bible! See you there.

You are loved,

Josh.

I am back from a great trip to Tennessee. I was able to speak to over 2000 Children’s pastors and workers from around the country and God moved in MIGHTY ways. Thank you for your prayers.

Recently I was contemplating on what it takes for us to truly pursue God. This passage came to mind: "You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him and keep His commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him." Deuteronomy 13:4

Follow…fear…obey…listen…serve…hold fast.

I’ve never been one to just fall in line. It is hard for me to follow and I have a grave dislike for being part of "The crowd." Yet, so often God says, "Follow me," beckoning me to leave my own desires aside and fall in line with His will. At times I feel like it is against my natural bent, but in the end I have to realize that following actually sets me apart for a specific purpose.

The steps to following God are simple in concept: fear, obey, listen, serve and hold fast. At first glance these may seem conquerable, but when you try, the tasks are much harder to act out.

Fear: To have a deep revere for the Lord demands my humility.

Obey: To be able to take His direction means I have to be thoroughly familiar with His commandments.

Listen: To hear His voice require intimacy in order to know what He sounds like when He speaks.

Serve: To serve Him with wild abandon calls for complete availability to His promoting at any moment.

Hold fast: To cling to Him with my entire self, from the depths of my soul, means I have to trust His sovereignty completely.

Humility…familiarity…intimacy…availability… sovereignty.

For all of us, there are moments when following Christ seems impossible. Especially when He asks for our conformity in a time of utter disappointment and lack of clarity.

When it comes to following God I must remember this: Though His steps are lengthy and cause me to stretch, there is nowhere else I would rather plant my feet than in the footprints He is leaving as He walks before me.

You are loved,

Josh.

Here we sit on the brink of a new year … a time seemingly to start over and reboot our life’s hard drive. I am notorious for starting resolutions and failing or forgetting them by the end of January. However, I think I’ve found a model worth following.

I recently read about one of my heroes. He lived some 300 years ago, and he knew the importance of setting a goal and sticking to it. His name was Jonathan Edwards, and when he was about 22-years-old he sat down and started a revolutionary list that plainly laid out his goals for a personal reformation. All-in-all, Edwards had 70 items on his list.

I know you’re thinking, if I can’t even hold to one resolution, why I would be inspired by a guy with 70 times as many? Allow me to tell you why Edwards invigorates me:

First off, he was young when he wrote his resolutions. It is inspiring to hear about a man even younger than me who understood the importance of analyzing life and was always seeking to improve.

But that’s another thing I love about Edwards – he didn’t just want to improve for his own acknowledgement, but he understood that the chief-end for his resolutions was to bring glory to God. At the beginning of his list, he wrote, "Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat Him by His grace to enable me to keep these resolutions … for Christ’s sake."

This is revolutionary! Think about how many resolutions we have made that are so focused on us. "If I lose weight," or "if I work out more," or "if I study harder"... all are goals that are only going to bring us bragging rights. We must be like Edwards and understand that all of our personal motives must lead us to the one goal of glorifying God!

The other thing I love is that Edward’s resolutions were practical. He was very specific and wrote things like:

"I resolved to read Scripture steadily, consistently, and frequently…"

"I resolved to never do anything out of revenge…"

"I resolved to never speak anything that is ridiculous…"

As you can see, all of his resolutions were all Bible-based. As you read them, you can think of a Scripture to back up each one.

Finally, I loved that Edwards did not set these at the beginning of a year and leave them to fade into the gray matter of his mind. He continually added to them and made sure to review them weekly or as needed, so that he could be reminded of these God-minded goals.

So I’ve followed his example and written my own resolutions, and I am sure that I too will keep adding to them. I have made them practical, Bible-based, and with the goal in mind of glorifying God, not myself. I encourage you to do the same. Take some time to start your own list. Like Edwards, write on the top that you acknowledge they will all be broken if you don’t have the supernatural help of heaven.

Make a commitment to weekly read through your resolutions our own. I am going make it a routine part of my quiet time with the Lord. And a year from now, I hope I will be able to look back over 2010 and see that my resolutions helped me resound with 1 Corinthians 2:2 that says, "I resolved to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified."

Sunday we will continue our series, "How to get from A to B: Turn Resolution into Action." I hope to see you there!

You are loved,

Josh.