Category: Theology for Life

The Hypocritical, the Half-Hearted, and the Hungry for God

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for LifeLeave a comment

In the musical The Greatest Showman, P. T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman) assembles a group of social misfits and turns them into a team of incredible circus performers. One of the standout themes of the film is this hunger for acceptance. The misfits have grown accustomed to being shamed for their appearance or status in a culture where “polite” society disdains outsiders as problematic. But Barnum, a flawed and, at times, abrasive man, nevertheless sees potential in these outsiders and tells them they cannot let the elites define them.

The Greatest Showman reminds me of a parable that Jesus told in Luke 14 about a man who hosted a banquet.

Here’s the context for when Jesus told this parable. Jesus was a guest in the home of “ruler of the Pharisee,” and several of the religious elites would have been sitting in a U-shaped pattern around a table. Luke implies that Jesus was invited to this dinner party so that the Pharisees could evaluate Him, because he says “they were watching Him carefully” (Luke 14:1).

Unprompted, Jesus tells the ruler that when he has a banquet like this, he shouldn’t invite family and friends; instead, he should invite “the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind” (V. 13). Just imagine how that would have landed, as the religious leaders look at one another uncomfortably. To break the ice, one said, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 

In other words, “Why don’t we just celebrate the fact that we’ll all be included in the banquet hall in the kingdom!” Here’s where Jesus gives the parable of the great banquet.

“A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet He sent His servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses.” (Luke 14:16-18, ESV)

Note that the servant announced the dinner was ready to “those who had been invited.” Kenneth Bailey explains that in that Middle Eastern culture, the host would send out the initial invite seeking an RSVP to find out how much food needs to be prepared, and those who RSVP’d would receive a follow-up message once the banquet was all ready.

So, these guys who give various excuses for not coming had already said they would be coming. Scholars note that the excuses given were incredibly lame. For instance, one says, “I need to go see the land I just bought.” But, much like today, in the ancient world, you wouldn’t purchase a piece of land before first going to see it. The second says he can’t come because he has to go examine some oxen, but that again wouldn’t make sense. No farmer would purchase oxen prior to examining the oxen.

Today, this would be like someone saying, “I know I said I could make it to your wedding and reception, but I’ve gotta go take a look at the car I just bought.” 

The last excuse, Bailey points out, is the biggest insult. He says he’s married a wife, and he can’t come. What kind of excuse is that? Did he forget he’d be married when he RSVP’d? He didn’t even ask to be excused. He basically just said, “I’m married, so I’m not coming.”

The master of the house gets angry. He’s been publicly insulted in an honor-shame culture. But here’s where Jesus drops a bomb. Instead of retaliating against those punks who just insulted him, the master tells his servant, “Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame,’” intentionally echoing what He’d just said a few verses earlier (v. 21). 

The image is startling. Jesus is directing this parable at these religious leaders. They were the ones who knew the Hebrew Scriptures. They knew the promises of the coming Messiah, and they claimed to be awaiting the arrival of God’s kingdom. They are like the guests who had RSVP’d to the banquet. 

But when the Messiah finally shows up and announces God’s kingdom is arriving through Him, they are unwilling to go to the party. So, what does Jesus do? Does He angrily cancel the banquet? No, He goes out to the margins of society—to prostitutes, beggars, tax collectors, and sinners. And He says, “Come to the banquet. The food is ready!”

I love this image, because it teaches us how to think of mission. Many people will reject the invitation to meet Jesus, but that should not deter us. We simply must go to the ones who are hungry for God. 

Religious hypocrites are those that make a show of devotion to God. They use lots of “God talk,” they may go to church, and they claim to be on God’s side, but they don’t actually want God. If God was to show up in the flesh, they wouldn’t recognize Him. 

Others only make only a half-hearted commitment to follow Jesus. They RSVP that they want to go to Heaven, but Jesus is such a low priority for them that the moment something “more pressing” comes along, they have plenty of excuses for ignoring Him.

What I love about this parable is that it shows the incredible grace of God. He wants people to experience His joy. Those with hearts that hunger for Him will come to His banquet. When the servant says he has invited everyone from the city and “still there is room,” it reminds me of the greatness of God’s heart for the lost. 

The master says, “Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled” (v. 23).

It’s like the kingdom is ever-expanding, and God wants Heaven crowded. But why does the servant have to “compel people to come in”? Here’s what I see. The invitation is going out to the marginalized, the outcasts, the misfits, to those who have always felt that they don’t belong. 

Why do they have to be compelled? Because at first they cannot believe that some great noble hosting a grand banquet would want them there. They have been convinced that they are worthless, that no one would want their company. 

Here’s the part that breaks my heart. Many people believe this today, and they struggle to believe that God could really love them this much. Grace is not easy to believe. It sounds too good to be true. The hope of the gospel will always feel unreal until you understand the depth of God’s love for you.

If you want to know how deeply God loves you, you have to understand that God is the one hanging on the cross. There we see God in the flesh laying down His life for a world that had rejected Him, spat on Him, insulted Him, and treated Him as the ultimate outsider. The Bible says Jesus became sin for us so that through the shame of the cross, we might be welcomed in. 

I don’t know about you, but when I read this parable, I want to go tell everyone I meet how much Jesus loves them! If people reject the invitation, I don’t want to be discouraged. I want to go “to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in,” that the Lord’s house may be filled.

The parable ends with Jesus giving a warning: those who were initially invited but never actually came will never taste the banquet. They were so close, but never actually entered the Kingdom of God.

Are you interested in learning more about Jesus Christ and what He’s done for you? I’d love to hear from you!

Overcoming Anxiety by Delighting in God

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for LifeLeave a comment

Why do we get anxious? What’s the root cause? 

A recent report said in the United States, “anxiety disorders are the most common mental health concern.” Over 56 million adults are affected by them, which comes to 19.1 percent of the US population. But in the younger generations, it gets even worse. Researchers have noticed there has been an incredible uptick of anxiety-related issues among Gen Z (those born after 1997). They tend to report more stress and anxiety than previous generations. Many researchers have noticed the direct tie between young people using smartphones and social media and this rise of anxiety.

Because I’m a follower of Jesus, I believe He is not only the Son of God, but that He speaks with profound wisdom and insight into all aspects of human life. That means that while He was here on earth 2,000 years ago, Jesus’ message is always relevant and timely. Let me encourage you to take the time to read the entirety of His famous Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5-7 this week. In that sermon, Jesus tells us how to say “No” to anxiety.

Fear is the first negative emotion described in the Bible, and fear and anxiety are closely related.

The most frequent command in the Bible is “Fear not.” Some have said that we find it 366 times in the Bible. Now think about that. That’s a “Fear Not” for every day of the year, even on leap years! 

The key to overcoming anxiety is getting a bigger view of God. Anxiety is actually a symptom of small faith. That’s exactly what Jesus says in this passage. Anxiety stems from seeing your problems as bigger than your God.

There is a way to deal with problems productively without magnifying them or seeing them as bigger than God. And the key is to see your Heavenly Father’s direct care over every aspect of your life. Remember, God does not roll the dice when it comes to your life. He exercises His Fatherly control over everything that you are dealing with—no matter how big or how small it might be. As my pastor friend Steve McCracken has said, all of life is “Father-filtered.”

Essentially, Jesus taught that the secret to overcoming anxiety in your life is to choose to delight in the sovereign power and gracious provision of our Heavenly Father.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:25-26, ESV)

Jesus reminds us to study nature, to look at the flowers and the birds and take a lesson from creation so that we better know our Creator. A few days ago, my family and I went to Washington Park here in Portland and checked out the International Rose Garden. At one point, a bold (and fat) squirrel ran right up to my kids (pictured above). The reason? My boys were eating from a bag of mixed nuts, and he wanted in on that. In other words, the squirrel decided he could trust us because he saw us as a source of provision.

That got me thinking about why we do or don’t come to God with our problems. Do we really see Him as our Heavenly Father who loves to provide for His children?

Elizabeth Cheney wrote this little poem called “Overheard in an Orchard” to help us understand what Jesus is saying here:

“Said the robin to the sparrow,
‘I should really like to know,
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so.’
Said the sparrow to the robin,
‘Friend I think that it must be,
That they have no Heavenly Father,
Such as cares for you and me.’”

Part of the reason for this passage is that Jesus is telling us we have every reason to be settled and secure, every reason to feel confident about the future, every reason to be happy, because we really do have a Heavenly Father who cares for us unceasingly and individually.

This is also a message about our witness to the world. The gospel is a joy-giving message (Luke 2:10). And it’s a message for everybody! So when we live as children of our Father, we adorn the message of the gospel and give people a reason to want what we have.

I want to point out something pretty basic here. We can choose not to be anxious about the things of life. How do I know that? Because Jesus tells us not to be anxious. Many times people say things like, “I just have an anxious personality” or “I’m just a worrier,” like it’s a permanent fixture of their identity. 

Let me say something that many need to hear. We are not merely driven by instincts and genes. Being human means God has given us agency. We can make choices that change the course of life. We don’t have to do what we’ve always done. When people say, “This is just how I am,” they aren’t recognizing that freedom from sin and fear is found in Jesus. That’s part of what it means to be redeemed. 

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can choose to live differently. And in this passage, Jesus is calling us to a new way of life. To look at life the way He does. To have the mind of Christ. He wants us to see that we can choose to delight in God, no matter what circumstance we face.

Here is something very practical to try: For every worry that enters your mind, choose to delight in God in that specific area.

Jesus asks that rhetorical question to put things in perspective: “Isn’t life more than what you put in your mouth and what you put on your body?” The obvious answer is….yes! You are not the sum total of your diet or your wardrobe. Life is not quantifiable like food or clothing.

Jesus is telling us that when we feel anxious and start worrying about the future, what we most need is to shift our perspective. We need to see things as He sees things, with God at the center of all reality. 

There’s a little parable that illustrates this principle of choosing to delight in God.

Once upon a time, there was a widow with two sons. One sold fans; the other sold umbrellas. Sunshine brought her misery, because she knew no umbrellas would sell. Rain brought her misery, because she knew no fans would sell. 

Finally a friend remarked, “If the sun is shining, people buy fans. If the rain is falling, people buy umbrellas. Change your attitude; be happy!” 

It’s a simple story, but this is actually a life-changing principle. If you look for reasons to be anxious, you will always find them. But if you look for reasons to be happy and grateful to God, you will always find far more. 

Everyone wants to be happy, but something that most people overlook is that happiness is a choice. Because true happiness comes from delighting in God.

Jesus isn’t just telling us to see the glass half full. He’s saying that with God, the glass is completely full. In other words, He’s calling us to see things as they really are. He’s not telling us to live in a dream-world. He’s telling us to see reality for what it is. There is a God who loves you more than you could possibly know, who knows your every need, and is already working out the details to make sure you have all things in Jesus. Through faith in Christ’s shed blood, you have been purchased, redeemed, adopted, made new, forgiven of everything that could be counted against you. And through faith in the empty tomb of Jesus, your eternal destiny is secure, and it’s not because you measured up. It’s all by sheer grace! That is gloriously GOOD NEWS.

A couple years ago, my friend Tim had an accident while helping his buddy. He fell off a ladder and broke his femur. For those who don’t know, the femur is the largest bone in the body. It was an extremely painful injury that set him back from doing some of the things he loves—like going for long walks and hiking to his favorite fishing spot. 

But when I visited Tim in the hospital, he was smiling from ear to ear. Ordinarily, this might surprise me. But this is who Tim is. Or I should say this is who Tim is in Christ. When I asked him how he’s doing, he just told me how thankful he is that God has a good purpose in this. He actually looked forward to how God might use this painful injury! That’s what it means to choose to delight in God in all circumstances.

Are you interested in learning more about Jesus Christ and what He’s done for you? I’d love to hear from you!

What Is the Gospel?

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life1 Comment

The gospel is the story that Christians have to tell the world. It’s the message of salvation for a world that is spiritually adrift. As we speak the gospel to others, we act as “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20). To remember the basics of the gospel, you can use the basic outline of God, Humanity, Christ, and Response.

God

Who is God? He’s the Creator of all that is (Genesis 1). He is the reason everything exists, and everything was created to bring Him glory. Unlike the gods of paganism, He is not merely part of creation or responsible for one aspect of creation, like the rain or the sun. He is the King over all the universe. The gospel must begin with God, because nothing makes sense apart from Him.

What is God like? God is holy, just, and loving. To be holy is to be set apart as spotless, pure, and perfect. He is unlike us in that He can never make a mistake and has never wronged anyone. And because He is just, God is a perfectly fair Judge who must hold the world accountable. It would violate His nature to sweep sin and evil under the rug of the universe. He must exact a just penalty for every single violation of His moral will. God is also loving, and this is tremendously good news. In fact, not only is God loving, the Bible even says “God is love” (1 John 4:8). As the Bible lays out, God has eternally existed in a perfect relationship of love as three persons in the one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Humanity

Because God is love, we were created for a relationship of love with Him. We were made for Him, and we will never find our purpose in any created thing. We were created to be like Him in many ways, but we have all “fallen short” of His glory (Romans 3:23). Through the cunning deception of our enemy, the devil, we have all missed our true purpose in life by choosing our own way (see Genesis 3).

According to the Bible, the world of humanity is now spiritually lost and broken. That’s why we all see so much evil and suffering in this world, and we all know we’ve done things we knew to be wrong. We each have wanted to do things our own way, and because of that we have incurred a spiritual debt that will have to be accounted for. The worst part is that we have deceived ourselves into thinking we are okay on our own, which has only exacerbated the spiritual darkness that has clouded our thinking (1 John 1:5-10). In short, we have all rejected God as our authority, and because of that, we are destined for a fair and just judgment.

Christ

The glorious good news of the gospel is that God didn’t leave us in our desperate and hopeless state. He promised to send a Savior to the people of Israel, One called “Messiah” or “Christ.” The surprising twist is that this coming Christ would be God Himself. He showed the full measure of His love by entering the very world that had rejected Him. John’s Gospel says of God the Son: “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him” (John 1:10). Incredibly, the infinite Son of God became small, by taking on human flesh and being born of a virgin (Merry Christmas!). Growing up, His friends knew Him as Jesus the son of Joseph. As Jesus grew to adulthood, He lived a perfectly spotless life. His own followers, who knew Him best and wrote about Him later testified that “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:22).

Jesus lived that perfect life and taught some amazing things, but ultimately, Jesus didn’t merely come to give us an impossible example to which we must aspire. He came to give His life. For His claims to be divine, He got crucified. And as He hung on the cross, suspended between Heaven and Earth, He bore the very sin that was separating man and his Maker. The judgment our sins deserved fell on Him, and He was willingly sacrificing His life so that we might live. But that wasn’t the end of the story.

Response

On the third day, Jesus rose to life again and appeared to His chosen followers so that they might testify to His resurrection and proclaim that forgiveness of sins is available. He told them that all that He had accomplished had been written about the promised Christ in their Hebrew Scriptures: “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations” (Luke 24:46-47).

To “repent” is to change one’s mind about who’s really in charge. It’s about doing a spiritual U-Turn, where you stop living first for yourself and start living for God. But this isn’t about changing behavior to earn forgiveness. God has promised to save only by grace those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (see Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 10:9-10). And as you are united to Jesus by faith, you receive a new spiritual life. The Holy Spirit comes inside, and from that point on, we will be transformed more and more into the likeness of God. The secret to repentance is being honest. We have to admit we have gone wrong, that we have done things we know we shouldn’t have, and that our only hope is the forgiveness and cleansing that is offered in Christ. Not only that, but when you trust in Christ, you join the people of God, known as the church. Through fellowship and community, we encourage each other on life’s journey.

This is the story we have to tell. It is a story about reality; it’s an overview of what life is really all about and what God has done to redeem us from our self-deception. It is the hope of the world, because through Jesus, we learn that this life is not all there is. Because of the Cross, our guilt does not have the last word. Because of the Resurrection, death is not the end. There is an eternity before us, and everyone will have to stand before God. My hope and prayer is that you will stand before Him, not dressed in your own shoddy goodness, which will not measure up and will leave us eternally lost, but that you will stand clothed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ and experience eternal joy in His kingdom forever.

Remember Whose You Are

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life2 Comments
Disney’s The Lion King (1994)
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15, NLT)

Sometimes when I watch movies with my kids, I like to ask them what “gospel themes” they saw in the movie. I do this, because I recognize watching movies is something they love to do (me too, actually), and I want to seize as many opportunities as I can to disciple them in the way of Jesus and help them develop a biblical worldview—even at a very young age.

Now, this isn’t as torturous as it sounds. I don’t pause the movie every five minutes to quiz them. I try to talk after we’ve finished the movie. Sometimes, we only get through half a movie during the evening, so I will try talking with them at bedtime about where they saw things like evil, redemption, hope, and sacrifice show up in the movie. 

Disney’s classic animated film The Lion King is one that actually carries a pretty powerful message about identity. I know, I know. There are some pantheistic themes to The Lion King. It’s good to address those, too. But I would argue that the whole “circle-of-life” thing isn’t actually the main theme of the movie. At the core, I think it’s all about how our identity shapes our purpose in life.

The Lion King is loosely based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, with the whole bit about the evil uncle slaying Hamlet’s father so that he can be king. But in The Lion King, as young Simba runs away in fear, he also ends up running away from responsibility.

He meets Timon and Pumbaa, a lovable meerkat and warthog duo that has developed a philosophy of life called “Hakuna Matata,” which apparently means “No Worries.” They are the classic slackers. They talk about embracing a lifestyle of “no rules, no responsibilities,” and how this leads to a carefree existence. 

Honestly, I think there are a lot of Timons and Pumbaas in our world—those who would rather eat a plate of bugs than embrace any level of responsibility. The two teach Simba how to belch, joke, and sing. With nothing better to do, they speculate about the mysteries of the universe with no true authority or guidance but their own imaginations. Ironically, I think these comical clods are meant to be an indictment of where running from responsibility will take you—looking for satisfaction by eating slimy worms! Notice we never meet a Mrs. Timon or Mrs. Pumbaa.

Simba joins their lot for a time, until he runs into a freaky baboon named Rafiki, who tells him: “The question is… Who are you?” Simba regretfully admits he’s not so sure anymore. 

Then comes the great turning point in the plot—the reason The Lion King is a compelling story, kids’ movie or no. Simba has a vision of his father, Mufasa, who says, “Simba, you have forgotten me.” “No,” Simba replies, “How could I?” Mufasa continues, “You have forgotten who you are, and so, you have forgotten me… Remember who you are. You are my son and the one true king.”

That reminder is what makes all the difference and compels Simba to return to his place as king. In the same way, you and I who belong to the one true King need to remember who we are.

When you come to Jesus Christ, you leave your old identity behind, and you find your true identity in Him. Through our union with Christ, God our Father adopts us into His family, and He calls us His beloved children with whom He is well pleased (Matthew 3:17; Romans 8:14-17). 

To our great astonishment, God now considers us royalty, destined to be co-heirs with Christ our King. This thought should blow our minds. If we really contemplate what this means, it just might!

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:16-17, ESV)

We belong to God our Father, and that means we who suffer in union with Jesus will one day be glorified in union with Jesus. See if your soul can take in the magnitude of that thought. 

What does this mean? Well, for starters it means that we have indescribable value in God’s eyes. We matter more to Him than we could possibly fathom. It means there is a purpose and meaning to our lives beyond “Hakuna Matata.”

Ironically, if your existence is just about a grand “circle of life,” then the “No Worries” lifestyle actually makes sense. We live. We eat. We die. Our bodies become food for bacteria. So, why worry about how you live? Your “life force” is going to keep going around the same circle anyway, so you might as well live it up and enjoy yourself for your brief segment of the circle.

But if we belong to God, we really do have a purpose in this life that will carry forward into eternity. You were made to make a difference—to know God and to make Him known. It also means that God has a calling on your life. Like Simba, we have an enemy who wants to thwart our Father’s plans for us. He lies about our identity. He tells us we don’t matter to God, that we’ve sinned too much to be forgiven or used by Him. 

That is why we have to take up the shield of faith, Scripture says, to protect us from all the fiery darts of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16). Only through faith in what God says about us can we overcome and be more than conquerors through Him who loves us.

Remember whose you are. If you have trusted in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, you have a new identity. You belong to Jesus Christ. You are clothed in His righteousness. You are forgiven. You are valuable in your Father’s sight. He adopted you as His own child because He loves you, and He is not ashamed of you. He is well pleased to call you His own.

“In love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:4-5, ESV)

Are you interested in learning more about Jesus Christ and what He’s done for you? I’d love to hear from you!

Learning to Pray from Jesus

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for LifeLeave a comment

Nearly every Christian I’ve talked to would like to grow in their prayer life. And who better to learn from than Jesus of Nazareth? He wants us to pray with greater passion, persistence, and expectancy. According to Jesus, this kind of effective prayer can be learned. That’s why Jesus once told His disciples, “When you pray, say this…”

“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.” (Luke 11:2-4, ESV)

Persistence in Prayer

I once read about a prayer adventure related by Doug Coe, who has a ministry in Washington DC. Doug tells about a time when Bob, a brand new Christian, came up and said, “Hey, I’ve been reading the Bible and I found where Jesus says, ‘Ask whatever you will in My Name, and you shall receive it.’ Is that really true?”

Doug said, “Well, it’s not a blank check. You have to take it in context of the teachings of the whole Scripture on prayer. But yes—it really is true. Jesus really does answer prayer.”

“Great!” said Bob. “Then I gotta start praying for something. I think I’ll pray for Africa.”

Doug said, “That’s kind of a broad target. Why don’t you narrow it down to one country?”

“All right,” Bob said. “I’ll pray for Kenya.” Bob didn’t know anyone in Kenya. He just wanted to pray for Kenya. So Doug made an unusual agreement. He told Bob that if he prayed for Kenya every day for six months straight and nothing happened, Doug would pay him $500. And if Bob did not pray every day, the whole deal was off.

Bob began to pray and for a long time nothing happened, but he kept at it. One night, he was at a dinner in Washington. He met a woman who helped run an orphanage… in Kenya. Bob really wanted that $500, but he just couldn’t keep it to himself. He said he had been praying for Kenya. He showed so much interest that the woman invited Bob to come visit the orphanage in Kenya. 

Bob was appalled at the poverty and lack of medical supplies he saw. So Bob continued praying. He then wrote to as many pharmaceutical companies as he could, reminding them that they throw away a lot of unsold medical supplies. Bob asked that they instead send those supplies to this orphanage in Kenya. 

Months later, he learned that the orphanage had received over a million dollars worth of medical supplies. All because Bob committed to pray for Kenya every day for six months.

What’s something that could radically change in your life if you committed to pray every day for six months?

Jesus’ Theology of Prayer

One thing I’ve learned about prayer from what Jesus says in places like Luke 11 is that the way you pray says a lot about what you believe about God. In fact, I think this is at the core of what Jesus teaches us on prayer. Our prayer life is a barometer of our theology. What we believe to be true about God will show up in the way we pray.

Something that is clear to me is that if we want to have effective prayers, then we have to be willing to learn from Jesus. A man I look up to told me, “Everyone prays in their own way.” And on the one hand there’s some truth to that. We’re all unique individuals. But what’s also clear is that effective prayer must be learned. 

The reason I know that is because in this passage, Jesus says, “When you pray, say this…” Now, I don’t think that means our prayers must always match this prayer word for word. In Matthew 6, the other place Jesus gives what we call the Lord’s Prayer, He even says, “Pray then like this.”

So, if Jesus says, “Pray like this,” that tells me that there is a right way to pray, namely by following the model of prayer Jesus gave us. Granted, we see various kinds of prayers in Scripture. And I don’t think Jesus was emphasizing rote memorization over heartfelt passion. But I think there’s incredible value, if we want to grow in our prayer life, to try and learn to pray as He prayed. And most often those other prayers in Scripture follow the same basic pattern of beginning with an exalted view of God Himself.

What if there are times our prayers are not very effective because we aren’t praying in line with what Jesus taught us? Isn’t that what James, Jesus’ brother, was getting at?

“You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:2-3)

I don’t want to oversimplify this. Answers to prayer come in all sorts of ways. But Jesus is our Lord, and so it only makes sense that we would want to learn how to pray from Him.

I love the concept of prayer as conversation with God. It’s intimate and relational to think of prayer that way. However, I do think that Jesus was showing us that our prayers need to be focused on God as the Holy One, the King of the universe, and that a kingdom mindset should shape our prayers. When we pray, we should remember that we are part of something far bigger than ourselves. What if you followed Bob’s example and focused on praying for one nation or community or church for a set period of time?

Jesus taught us to keep short accounts, confess sin, forgive others, and see prayer as a way to depend on God for everything in life. But He begins by acknowledging the greatness of God. When we address God in prayer–just as we would in any conversation–we need to be thoughtful about to Whom we are talking. 

God is holy (Isaiah 6:3). God is love (1 John 4:8). God is righteous in all His ways (Psalm 145:17). When you pray, you are talking to the One who holds all creation in the hollow of His hand (Isaiah 40). No space can contain Him. No challenge is too great for Him. Everything was created by Him, through Him, and for Him. He can do all things, and it’s impossible for Him to fail in what He sets out to do! This is the God to whom you pray, and He never changes. He is close to those who recognize they need Him. So, pray with this God–your Father–in mind.

This is why reading great books on God’s attributes like The Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer and Knowing God by J. I. Packer is important. Or, start with reading Isaiah 6 or Isaiah 40 or Psalm 139. Your prayers will be powerfully shaped by a deeper knowledge of God and His majesty.

Who is this God we are talking to when we pray? 

Jesus would want us to think deeply on that question.

Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!

How Teachable Are You?

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for LifeLeave a comment 
“Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.” (Proverbs 3:7, ESV)

As long as we are still here on this earth, we need reminders. I’m 37 now, and I can still remember a conversation with one of my high school teachers twenty years ago that has stuck with me. I think it stuck with me, because overall I thought of myself as a good student. But during that time, I was facing some challenges and not making the best decisions.

He told me he noticed that during the first part of the school year, I was doing well in class, but lately, it seemed like I wasn’t really taking the subject seriously. Initially, I wanted to brush him off. Why is he picking on me? I’m a good student, after all! 

I think he recognized something was off. When a student has done well consistently throughout the year, but they suddenly bomb an assignment–and then another one–the issue is probably the student, not the teacher. For me, it was an issue of teachability. His words stuck with me: “I’m saying this to you because I know you’re capable of more.”

Ouch. Those words stung! It felt like he was calling me lazy. And you know what? He wasn’t wrong! For various reasons, I had stopped putting in the effort. And he noticed and told me as much.

It can be hard to receive counsel from others. We tell ourselves that we know what’s best for ourselves. On top of that, we live in a culture that says you should trust your feelings above all else. Christians need to remember we are in a battle with the ideas, selfish desires, and spiritual forces that oppose the gospel (commonly called “the world, the flesh, and the devil”). And part of that battle is remembering how easily we can fool ourselves. That’s why we need to hear instruction and counsel from others.

The wise king Solomon taught: “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment” (Proverbs 18:1). 

In other words, the one who refuses the counsel of others is instead surrounding him or herself with bad thoughts. The man who doesn’t let others speak into his life or hold him accountable is ultimately the fool headed for a train wreck. Whether he realized it or not, my teacher’s words to me were like a wake-up call: “Don’t be a fool!” Or said in a slightly nicer tone: “Don’t waste what God has given you!”

Wisdom begins with recognizing how much we need it and how following our own desires and impulses can so easily lead us astray.

Solomon also said: 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
   and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
   and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
   fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
    and refreshment to your bones.” (Proverbs 3:5-8, ESV)

How teachable are you? Do you let people speak truth and wisdom into your life? Do you let Scripture direct your paths and shape your thinking–or is God on mute in your life?

So often we refuse to listen to our critics or those who disagree with us, believing we already know best. But what if God is sending such people to get our attention? 

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest source for humble teachability. It tells us that we have all made a mess of things through our sin, but at the same time, we have a God who loves us unconditionally–and proved it through the sacrificial death of Jesus. Knowing you are so easily swayed by sin creates humility. You can no longer believe that you can’t be deceived or led astray. At the same time, because God so dearly loves you, you have every confidence to confess where you’ve been duped or made bad decisions, knowing He forgives and restores. 

We have all been in that place. So, know that your sins and mistakes doesn’t disqualify you from God’s love. If we are rooting ourselves securely in His love, it can become the very thing that opens us to receive instruction and correction. 

So let me encourage you to make a commitment to be teachable this coming week. Listen to those who want to provide godly counsel. 

Is there anyone who you need to talk with that you have been avoiding?

Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!

The Living Hope of the Resurrection

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life, Why I Believe1 Comment

It’s become popular for intellectual types to say things like “the resurrection of Jesus is a symbol of hope.” The problem for many is that it remains just that: a mere symbol, but not reality. 

In the film The Shawshank Redemption, the main character Andy tells his fellow inmate, Red (played by Morgan Freeman), that hope is the only thing the prison guards can’t take from them. Red’s response is memorable: “Hope? Let me tell you something, my friend: Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.” Red does have a point. If you are in locked in prison for life and there is zero chance of escape, hope can eventually fade into severe disillusionment. In the end, a metaphorical or symbolic hope is no help at all.

The Apostle Peter discusses hope in his first epistle found in the New Testament:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” (1 Peter 1:3, ESV)

He starts this sentence saying, “Blessed be” or “Praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” This is the starting point. For Peter, everything begins and ends in worship, because everything begins and ends with God.

And he says this great God of all has shown unspeakable mercy to us, by causing us to be “born again.” In other words, God is the fountain and source of all spiritual life. We were spiritually lifeless and hopeless, but He stooped down to rescue us. In fact, He not only saved us but made us His own child.

Something we never want to take for granted is the fact that, as followers of Jesus, we are privileged to call God our own Father. For some people, this has taken some getting used to. Maybe you doubt you could ever be worthy of addressing God as “Father.” Or maybe you can’t get past the fact that your earthly father failed you growing up. And it’s hard to understand God as a father. 

But let me tell you that there is incredible peace in knowing that, despite all the promises broken and failures of your earthly father, you have a heavenly Father who will never abandon you, never fail you, and will keep every promise perfectly.

God is a Majestic King, a Fearsome Warrior, and Just Judge. But before anything else–for the Christian–God is our loving Father. He loves as only a perfect Father could. He delights in His children and He lavishes us with His love in a way that sometimes seems unthinkable.

Peter says we have been “born again,” meaning we have been given new spiritual life and made a child of God the Father.

“… he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” (1 Peter 1:3, ESV)

Our hope is alive. Why? Because our Savior is alive. So many people think that the Christian idea of Heaven is just pie-in-the-sky. They assume it’s just a fairytale for grown-ups, to help us cope with life’s hardships. Some even imagine Heaven to be boring. 

That may be the case for other religions and philosophies out there, but from the very beginning the Christian church has always had its hope rooted in historical reality. And Heaven is about the reconciliation, redemption, and restoration of all that we hold dear in life. It’s about the satisfaction of all our earthly longings: our longing for justice to be satisfied, love without end, freedom from futility, and purpose for our existence.

Remember what Paul said? After listing all these evidences that Jesus really did rise from the dead (the tomb is empty, He appeared to people at many different times and in different contexts, the birth of the church itself), he added that Jesus even appeared to Paul himself, after His ascension!

And then Paul says something pretty radical:

“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:17, ESV)

He is willing to hang everything on the truth of the resurrection. That is something no other religion or belief system is willing to do. But here he says, “If this one event did not happen, it’s all for nothing… and we have no hope. If the stiff corpse that lay in that tomb for 36 hours didn’t miraculously and supernaturally come back to glorious resurrected life, then we have no hope whatsoever.”

Of course, he goes on to say, “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:20).

Some of my favorite Christian testimonies are of those who, in God’s providence, set out to disprove Christianity and ended up realizing the evidence actually supported the resurrection. 

That’s how it was for Josh McDowell. He was a hardened skeptic who thought Christianity was a bunch of old myths that had no bearing on life. 

And some Christians challenged him on that, to do the research and really investigate everything historians know about the resurrection. And so he did just that. He went all over Europe desperate to prove everything about Jesus was a myth: His claims to deity, His resurrection, all of it. Until one night, he found himself in a library in London. Here’s what Josh writes:

“After several hours of research studying some out-of-print books, I leaned back in my chair, rubbed my eyes, and without remembering I was in a quiet library, I spoke out loud, ‘It’s true. It’s true! It’s really true!’”

He is just one example. Many other skeptics have done the same thing and found the evidence actually works against them. That is not to say that you have to go out and become a historian before you can be a Christian. The point is that even for the skeptic who demands compelling evidence for belief, the evidence is available if you’re willing to look. 

Because Jesus is alive today, Christians have a living hope rooted in history.

My friend, you need to know that, if you’re not a Christian, the evidence for Jesus conquering death is compelling. Investigating the truth about it might just change your life. And if you are a Christian, you need to know that you have a living hope, because you have a living Savior. If Jesus can beat death itself, then what could possibly stop Him? Who else in history has conquered the grave? And just as He promised ahead of time to rise from the dead, He promised to raise us from the dead. The fact that He already did the first guarantees that He will do the second.

Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!

What Is Your Next Step?

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for LifeLeave a comment

One of the most familiar metaphors in Scripture is walking with God. From the earliest pages, we learn that Adam and Eve would walk with God in the garden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). We read about many faithful people walking with God–including Noah, Enoch, and Abraham. 

Beyond those early examples, we read about this same theme consistently. In Micah 6:8, we are urged to “walk humbly with your God.” Living faithfully in God’s presence is described as walking in His ways, walking in the light, and walking in the Spirit. 

The Apostle Paul writes, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16, NIV).

This concept of walking with God teaches us that faith is a journey. Your relationship with Jesus is taking you somewhere; we aren’t meant to live spiritually stagnant lives. If there is a destination, that means there’s a clear path for us to walk on. Granted, not everyone’s journey is going to look the same. And there will be times we will stumble over something in our path, or sin will sometimes lure us off the path in the wrong direction.

The important thing is that this is a journey “with God.” He empowers us to walk by His Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16), live faithfully and pursue His glory as our greatest good in life. It also means we need to humbly walk with our God, not run ahead of what God wants to teach us. We never want to forget that life is about enjoying God and embracing His love for us.

Lastly, because our relationship with God is a journey, there is always going to be a next step. And the question you and I need to be asking in our times alone with the Father is: “What is the next step You’re calling me to take?”

Ask the Lord for clarity, wisdom, and motivation to take that next step. 

Maybe it’s serving at church in a new way you’ve never tried before. Maybe it’s intentionally forming relationships with a couple of your neighbors. Maybe it’s making a commitment to lead your family in prayer and worship at home. Maybe it’s choosing to intentionally spend more time with your wife or husband. Maybe it’s about looking for ways to take the next step in your career. Or maybe God is calling you to lead in an area you haven’t before or mentor someone new to Jesus. Maybe it’s about reading a biblically solid book that will challenge you personally. Maybe you need to encourage a friend or family member who is struggling in their faith by taking them out for coffee or lunch.

God is going to lead you into that next step, but it does require something from you: faith. Every next step in your journey with the Lord is a step into the unknown. It requires trust and courage to take that next step and be open to ways God might be wanting to stretch you, grow you, and take you outside your tidy comfort zone. 

At times, our next step is a step away from disaster. It might be getting back on the path with Jesus, which is always just one step away. It could be leaving behind an addiction, a time-wasting habit, or a harmful relationship. Severing old ties can be painful, but if they allow you to get back to walking humbly with your God, they are both necessary and beneficial.

The thing to remember is that as you walk with the Lord and humbly seek His wisdom, that next step is always going to be taking you on a journey of deeper trust and joy in the Lord. 

So, let’s do this! One step after the other. What is your next step?

Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!

The Secret to a Joy-Filled Life

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life2 Comments

Americans are reportedly lacking in joy. A recent survey found that young Americans (under 30) have especially seen a decline in happiness. While nearly everyone would say they want to be happy, most people claim it’s something that seems to be just beyond their reach.

People want to know: What’s the secret to a joy-filled life? People want more than just a hit of dopamine; they want to know how to be happy for the long haul. A number of books have hit the New York Times bestseller’s list in the last several years which try to answer that perennial question, “How can I be happy?” Is it a romantic relationship? Is it success in your life or career? Is it money?

One Harvard professor said, “We think money will bring lots of happiness for a long time, and actually it brings a little happiness for a short time.” Many people have concluded that lasting happiness is ultimately elusive. It’s something we constantly pine after and dream of, but never actually attain. And I’d say if they are looking only to this world for ultimate happiness and joy, then they are right.

C. S. Lewis put it this way, “I cannot find a cup of tea which is big enough or a book that is long enough.” While it’s true that ultimate happiness cannot be found in the things of this world, that’s because we were made for eternity. At the same time, in Scripture God tells us He wants us to know joy in every situation we face in this life, in every hardship and every trial. 

The man who wrote the treatise on joy is the Apostle Paul. That treatise is the Letter to the Philippians. As you read this short letter, you find that when Paul talks about joy, he’s not some schmuck who has it easy, telling people, “Turn that frown upside down!” He’s someone who has been through the wringer. He was horribly treated countless times and was persecuted for the gospel in ways we can barely even imagine. In fact, he wrote this very letter to the Philippians from a Roman jail cell, chained to a Roman soldier. So, he really does have credibility when he talks about having joy in every situation. 

He says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4, ESV).

Joy in Jesus: that’s the main theme of this little letter to the Philippians. God wants to encourage you to know that there is an unbreakable joy that comes from knowing Jesus. It’s not the fluffy kind of joy or happiness that bubbles up and evaporates. It’s the kind of deep-seated joy that wells up in the soul of the believer who knows their Redeemer well and is captivated by His love. Jesus wanted us to know the fullness of His joy (John 15:9-11).

Feeling a bit like your emotional tank is empty and the orange light has come on this week? Take inventory of your soul. It’s not good to stuff our emotions just so we can keep chugging along. God hardwired us to have emotions. Jesus expressed His emotions. You have been designed to “feel the feels.” So, what’s going on in that heart of yours? Is something weighing you down? Take it to Jesus. Tell Him about your struggle. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with the joy of Jesus. 

Lastly, let me encourage you to spend some time reading through Philippians. Read it slowly. Soak in all that Jesus wants you to know about the joy of knowing Him.

Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!

How Can I Be Sure I’m Going to Heaven?

On By Jason SmithIn Theology for LifeLeave a comment

It’s hard to trust every promise you hear these days. Most of us have had the experience of someone breaking a promise they made to us. 

I remember a time early in our marriage when Whitney was away at a women’s Bible study one night, and a man selling vacuum cleaners came to our house. I told him right away at the door that I’m not interested. He said, “Oh, I’m not really needing to sell you anything. All I have to do is get enough demonstrations done, and then I get paid for that.” 

“Really?” I said. “You mean you get paid just for coming into my house, vacuuming my carpet, and then leaving without me spending a dime?” “That’s right,” he said. So, I reluctantly agreed, but I made him promise that he wouldn’t try to sell me anything. 

As it turns out, his demonstration included telling me about every part of the vacuum cleaner. I listened respectfully as he explained the marvels of every brush, wand, and hose. He finally got to the point where he demonstrated the vacuum cleaner’s power, but not before dumping some dirt on our carpet. No, he didn’t ask first. Just dumped some dirt and said, “Watch this.” Apparently, he only planned to clean up the mess he himself was going to make.  

After about 15 minutes into this demonstration, he said, “You know, you seem like a nice guy. I want to tell you about an exclusive sale we’re only allowed to give to a few.” Oh boy, here it comes.  

No, I didn’t buy the vacuum cleaner. And no, I wasn’t impressed with the fact that he broke his promise and tried to sell me something. 

We all know what it’s like when someone breaks his or her promise. It’s irritating in cases like my encounter with the vacuum salesman, but in other cases, it can be devastating. We hear politicians make promises they can’t keep. We hear bosses make promises and then forget to keep them. Husbands and wives make vows and then break them. And so, because there’s a sour taste in our mouth from all the broken promises, sometimes it’s hard for us to believe God when He gives us a promise. 

But not all promises are meant to be broken. Some are so unbreakable that they are rooted in eternity. God is a good Father, and a good Father never wants His children to doubt His love for them. He wants them to know they are His–not just for today, but forever. 

Something every Christian wants is assurance of eternal life, but we will never have it until we learn to look away from ourselves to Jesus Christ as the Author of our salvation from beginning to end.  

The Apostle Paul delivered this promise in Romans 8:

“For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.” (Romans 8:29-30, ESV) 

The phrase “those whom” occurs four times in these verses. The reason for that is to emphasize he is describing the same group throughout this whole section. Also, note that God is the main Actor here. God is the One who works all things together for good (v. 28). God foreknows, predestines, calls, justifies, and glorifies.  

Those Whom He Predestined, Called, Justified, and Glorified

Predestination means “determine before” or “mark out for a destination.” In other words, God marked out this group ahead of time. Calling means God supernaturally called you to Himself through the preaching of the gospel. Third, justification means God declares you to be right with Him. That happens at faith (Romans 5:1). The moment we trust in Jesus as our Savior, God wipes out our record of sin. Essentially, God takes your record of sin and puts it through a cosmic paper shredder. And then He burns that. There is no longer any legal record of your sin debt in God’s courtroom. But on top of that, God credits us with the perfect life of Christ. That’s what it means to be justified. To be glorified means to be made glorious, brought into the glorious presence of God. It is to be brought home to glory in Heaven to be with your Creator for all eternity.

It’s essential to understand that God can legally and righteously do all this because of the cross. It’s like this. We were on death row, ready to face execution as a penalty for our sins. We broke God’s Law, and we offended His holiness. But then—glorious good news!—Jesus came and took our place on death row and endured the penalty for our sins. He stepped in and the hammer of judgment fell on Him, not us. So when we put our faith in Christ’s sacrifice, God can legally declare us just, holy, and righteous, because Jesus willingly exchanged our record for His. He got our sin; we get His righteousness.  

Please notice from all this that our legal status as being right with God had nothing to do with how good we were. We all like to say to ourselves, “You know, I’m not perfect, but at least I’m doing better than that guy.”  We love to compare ourselves to others. 

Surveys show that nearly every American thinks that he or she is morally better than average. But, if you do the math, you can’t have 98% of people doing better than average. It just doesn’t work.  

My Only Boast: The Cross

The more you understand the gospel, the more you see that our confidence before God can’t come from looking at ourselves. Our confidence has everything to do with the fact that our sins could only be paid for one way. There was only one way we could escape judgment—not by works, but by faith in Jesus Christ. Only Jesus could expunge our record of sins. Only Jesus could rescue us. Our confidence is in Him. 

Paul said, “The only thing I have to boast about is the Cross. That’s it! Otherwise, I’ve got nothing!” 

So often Christians struggle with assurance, because they look first at their own life. They think, I haven’t lived the life God wants me to. I haven’t lived up to all the things that the Bible calls me to be. My life doesn’t always perfectly show the fruit of the Spirit. So am I really saved?  

There is a place for considering your own life. The Bible does say to examine your life and consider whether you are loving Jesus and seeking to honor Him as Lord of your life (2 Cor. 13:5). Because if you have no signs of repentance, that’s a serious concern. James says, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26).

But the problem is that your works were never meant to be the basis of your assurance. If they were, you would never be confident of salvation. You would always see there was work to be done and changes that needed to happen. Because we aren’t perfect. No, the ground of assurance is not in looking to yourself but looking outside yourself to Christ on the cross and then the empty tomb and then seeing Him right now at the right hand of the Father interceding for you. It’s about letting the truth of the gospel wash over you again and again. 

Those with true, saving faith don’t become bored with the gospel. If you’re bored with the gospel, then the fullness of the gospel hasn’t sunk in. Because the glory of God’s grace, the beauty of Christ’s personal love for you, and the joy of forgiveness are never boring. 

Take this promise of Jesus to heart.  

“Those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:37-40, NLT, emphasis added) 

Let me encourage you to come back to this promise over and over and plead with the Holy Spirit to drill these truths into your heart until you can say, “Yes! That’s true of me! I have come to Jesus in repentant faith, so God has promised eternal life to me.” 

This same security is found here in Romans 8:

"And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.”  (Romans 8:30, ESV) 

Have thoughts on this post? I’d love to hear from you!