Take a Breath...isn't that Amazing!

I saw this video:

It really made me think. This kid president is fun, has a lot of good things to say, but the one thing that stood out to me was the “take a breath…isn’t that amazing!” Think of how simple and yet profound it is to take a deep breath. Pause right now and take a long slow deep breath…in thru the nose and out thru the mouth. It is amazing. Taking a deep breath is refreshing. It brings fresh oxygen to the blood and revitalizes life. It’s a quick pick me up and it’s free.

The problem is we live life in such a way that we seldom breathe. I mean really breathe. Mostly we go through our day with short shallow breaths. We loose the art of breathing. The whole breathing rhythm we had as babies gets disrupted. We get too busy to take a deep breath. And that is sad.

But that isn’t what I want to talk about. It made me think about how we breathe spiritually. What brings us life and energy in our spiritual walk? It’s reading and studying the Scriptures. To stop and breathe in the Words of God is to allow spiritual oxygen to infuse our soul. Yet we get too busy to do it.

Thanks to Tim Csepe, I recently read my cover letter from over 10 years ago. I included what I thought was the most important parts of being a youth pastor. I talked about the time my faith really came alive, you know when God breathed life into my relationship with Him. It was when I realized I needed to be in the Word of God for myself. The Scriptures is the very breath of God that we can breathe in every day.

It made me think of this video:

We miss out on so much joy because we fail to stop and breathe. When you read and study the Word of God, it will come alive and change you (Hebrews 4:12). Don’t think that going to church and hearing a sermon is good enough. Even when you hear a solid sermon, you need more. Don’t think youth group is enough. You need more. Don’t’ think reading one time is good enough, you need more. Just like oxygen, you need a regular and constant supply of the Word of God to truly live.

And when life gets tough, you need it even more. Think of the professional football player who breaks away for a 92 yard touchdown and goes immediately to the sideline and grabs and oxygen tank to catch his breath. He did good, but needed to refuel. Even in peak physical condition he is still dependent on oxygen.

So even when you are living life the way God intended and seem to be in peak spiritual shape, you still are dependent on the Word of God.

Yet because we often neglect it, we have developed habits and sins that have destroyed our understanding. We need to constantly be in the Word of God for it to transform our lives (Romans 12:2). I’m thinking of my great aunt who smoked her entire life. She spent her life filling her lungs with smoke and not oxygen. In her old age she had to have an oxygen tank to pump pure oxygen in her because her receptors were so destroyed that normal air was not enough. Sometimes we allow sin to be so deep that the only way for us to survive spiritually is to have a constant hook up to the pure Word of God.

Spiritually healthy and spiritually hurting people need the pure oxygen of the Word of God. There is no substitute. There is no short cut. We just simply need to take a breath of God’s Word…isn’t that amazing!!

Shine Differently

Studying the book of Daniel is so rewarding! As a youth pastor, I love that the story starts out with teenagers making decisions to place God first in their life no matter the consequences. Daniel and his friends were God-focused in a me-focused world! The stories at the beginning of the book are great illustrations of standing strong for your faith, impacting those around you and trusting God to deliver you.

The second half of the book of Daniel gets a little more difficult. You start reading about statues, beasts, nations and apocalyptic judgments! It is hard to tell if you are reading the Bible or the latest Sci-Fi story. Some read these chapters and develop very intricate and detailed surmises about the end times. Others just shrug them off as if they already happened. However they are written for our instruction on how to live.

“And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3).

A careful read of Daniel’s prophecies help us see that the wisdom gained from understanding that there is a real judgment and an end to this world will cause us to live in such a way that points many to Jesus, the righteous One. No matter what your speculations about the details of the future, Jesus is coming back to rescue those who place their faith and trust in Him. The Bible gives very clear warnings that you don’t want to get caught unprepared for the end.

The end maybe closer then you even know. I’m not just talking about the return of Jesus, though that could happen any moment, but life is very fragile and we are not guaranteed tomorrow. We just heard today of an explosion in NYC today where latest reports tell us 2 died and 22 were injured. Then there is the missing Malaysian airplane. Life is precious and short, we need to determine what is of ultimate importance and live for that. Daniel and his buddies knew God was the most important and were willing to risk their lives for their belief. 

When you decide what is of first importance your life will testify to your belief. If you choose to follow Jesus, then you will shine brightly for Him and others will glorify God (Matthew 5:16). Following Jesus is the most important decision you can make. Have you trusted Christ alone? Are you following Him?

If you are a follower of Christ, you are His ambassador and need to tell others about His love and free gift for them too. Who are you sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with?

Act Differently

 

Let’s just say that a promotion was coming your way, either at work, on the sports team, first chair has become available, or the lead part in a play. Your name has been thrown in the hat and the boss likes you for the position. However, there has been a lot of competition for this spot. Your competitors are not content to just let you take the position, so they are gathering dirt on you. What do you think they would come up with?

What skeletons do you have in your closet? What about your past do you worry about coming into the light that might destroy you? What practices do you try to hide from others? Maybe you have skimmed some money from an account, or didn’t pay for your meal at work. Maybe you cheated your way to where you are?

Would their findings come back with something like this, “wow there is nothing negative we can find about her, except for her religion. Did you know that she prays three times a day!? Maybe we can use her faith against her!”

Yeah I bet that was what you were thinking about your list, right? No I didn’t come up with that either! However, that is all the jealous leaders could find in the life of Daniel. He lived in such a way, that the only negative thing they could pin on him was his commitment to his God! (Check out Daniel 6 for the story)

Daniel was so committed to God that he refused to obey a pagan law that forbad him from praying to the One True God. Even in the face of terrible consequences, being thrown into the lion’s den, he stood strong. He knew that he had a higher calling, a mission to live and act differently. His mission was to be an ambassador for God in a dark world.

Clear Priorities (Daniel 6:5)

We see that Daniel’s life was guided by his dedication to God. From early on in his life, Daniel 1:8, he decided to put God first in his life. Nothing was going to distract him from honoring God. Daniel’s decision to follow God impacted three pagan kings and their kingdoms.

Consistent Practice (Daniel 6:10)

In the face of trials, Daniel resorted to his daily habits. He didn’t call a special prayer meeting, make a new commitment, become more determined…no he already established a pattern in his life.

Continual Praise (Daniel 6:22)

Daniel was quick to declare God’s part in his salvation. He didn’t take credit for the miraculous, but pointed to God of Heaven. Praising God before kings was not new to Daniel, but something he demonstrated over and over. He was quick to praise God, because praising God was a continual practice.

Convincing Power (Daniel 6:25-27)

Daniel’s priorities, practice and praise led to a dynamic power that convinced a pagan king that the God of Heaven was unlike any other god. We see king Darius praising the One True God in the end. Daniel didn’t just tell others about the love of God, but his consistent daily practice pointed to God. As he aligned his life with his belief his testimony was undeniable and it was persuasively attractive.

What we need to learn from Daniel is that we are on mission for God. What is our mission? The Apostle Paul has outlined it for us in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21:

“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

If we are going to be ambassadors for Christ then we need to have:

Clear Priorities! Jesus died to give us new life. We need to make Him first in our decisions, in our day, in our lives. No one should need to ask if you are a Christian, because they would know that you are connected to your God.

Consistent Practices! We need to be in the Word of God and prayer daily! A consistent pattern that builds us up in our faith so that when trials comes, we have a strong foundation that will help us stand strong. We need to be committed to our local church and youth groups, a pattern that sets us a part from the world.

Continual Praise for Jesus needs to be on our lips! Others need to know that the good we do is because Jesus is at work in us (Galatians 2:20).

Convincing Power only comes from connecting our priority, practice and praise. People will see Christ in you and glorify God (Matthew 5:16). Dare to be a Daniel and watch as God uses you to impact your school, work, community and the world for His glory!