Category Archives: General

Have you ever thought of yourself as a coach?  If you’ve ever coached an athletic team, you’ll reply in the affirmative, but what if you never filled that role?  Why would I call every Christian a coach?

• Because David said so under the inspiration of the Spirit: “I will teach transgressors your ways…” (Psalm 51:13).
• Jesus’ Great Commission to the church is a command to be coaches!  “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,” He said, “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).
• The apostle Paul instructed Christians to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom . . .” (Colossians 3:16).

So, Coach . . .  how have you been doing coaching (teaching) others the ways of God?

There is a great disconnect in the church of Jesus Christ today between the pew and the pulpit.  Our pews are filled with people who come to watch a Sunday morning “show,” go out to lunch and enjoy a hearty meal of roast pastor, and then get on with the business of living life, believing that it is the minister’s job to do all the coaching (teaching) to the body of Christ.  They could not be more thoroughly mistaken!  As you’ve seen, Ministry is not a work to be left to the “professional” minister.  Ministry—coaching and instructing and exhorting—is expected for everyone who has been raised from death to life.  This truth is unpacked through the phrase “EVERY MEMBER A MINISTER!”  Every Christian is a coach and is given all the grace he or she needs to fulfill this all-important role in the body of Christ.

You see, before David said, “I will teach transgressors,” he asked God to “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”  David’s words richly reveal that God’s grace and mercy in our lives is the foundation from which our coaching is to be delivered.   The grace we have received in our times of great need qualifies every Christian to teach and encourage others, in turn, during their time of great need.  Our own rescue is the platform upon which we stand as we coach others in how to receive their rescue.  Jesus commanded us to go and tell others what God has done for us; this makes every Christian a coach!   

The best coaches share their life stories as teaching tools of transformation.  My mentor, Clark, has been doing this ever since God brought him into my life twelve years ago.  His stories of God’s rescuing grace have inspired and instructed me to continue to “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).  Clark has done much more than simply teach me about God and His grace, as important as that is; Clark taught me about his personal experience of God and His grace.  He never stopped with providing a definition of grace; he always gave me a demonstration of grace.  

God wants to use your story to shape the lives of those He is calling you to coach.  Your story is worth far more than any kind of formal training.  Please understand me: I am not minimizing the importance of solid training in theology and evangelism.  However, I am maximizing story-telling by every Christian.  Your story fits into His story, and every time you share your story you are sharing His story of love, mercy, and grace. 

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

This Sunday Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church will come together for ONE combined service.  Those who prefer a “contemporary” service and those who favor a “traditional” service will unite as ONE under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  God never designed His demonstration community to be segregated in any way, especially as it relates to particular styles of music.  “There is one body and one Spirit,” Paul explained to the Ephesians, “—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6) . . . and there is to be one demonstration community.  This is the clear teaching of the Scriptures and the vision of my good friend and pastor, Tullian Tchividjian. 

Regrettably, we see evidences of segregation throughout our culture—race, age, and socioeconomic status being the three most obvious.  But when this “tribal” mind-set, as Tullian has called it, pokes its haughty face into our congregations, we deny God’s divine design for His demonstration community to the world.  God has made us one in Christ, and we do violence to our calling when we erect walls to keep those who are like us in and those who are unlike us out.  Tullian wrote in Unfashionable:

Most churches would agree that any segregation arising from racial or economic bigotry runs contrary to the nature of the gospel and should not be tolerated.  But there’s another segregation, perhaps more subtle, that many churches today have embraced.  Following the lead of the advertising world, many churches and worship services target specific age groups to the exclusion of others.  They forget that, according to the Bible, the church is an all-age community, and instead they organize themselves around distinctives dividing the generations: Busters, Boomers, Millennials, Generations X, Y, and Z. Many churches offer a traditional service for the tribe who prefer older music and a contemporary service for the tribe who prefer newer music. 

I understand the good intentions behind these seemingly harmless efforts, but they evidence a fundamental failure to comprehend the heart of the gospel.  We’re not only feeding toxic tribalism; we’re also saying the gospel can’t successfully bring these two different groups together.  It’s a declaration of doubt about the unifying power of God’s gospel.  Generational appeal in worship is an unintentional admission that the gospel is powerless to join together what man has separated.  Building the church on stylistic preferences or age appeal (whether old or young) is just as contrary to the reconciling effect of the gospel as building it on class, race, or gender distinctions. 

We disregard the divine design of our one demonstration community when we divide our congregations along any arbitrary lines that are drawn by society.  The end result is a functional denial of the unifying power of the gospel, declaring to all who enter our doors that the Word of God has no authority in the church of Jesus Christ!

Only when we see ourselves for what we truly are—undeserving sinners receiving unconditional grace from an unobligated Savior—will we begin dismantling the artificial and ungodly barriers we have erected around our own little kingdoms.  When the gospel is truly instructing and shaping our lives, self-protection will be replaced by self-sacrifice.  We will lift others up by laying our lives down.  We will forsake our atrophied agendas for God’s awesome assignments.  God did not save us and bring us into the body of Christ because of all the good we can gain from it, inasmuch as there is great good to be experienced; He quickened our hard hearts and called us into His community because of all the good we can give to it!

As long as we view our salvation as being all about us, we ignore our calling to live for the benefit and edification of our brother and sisters in Christ.  We will come to church because of what we can get out of it, not looking for what we can pour into it.  We will worship the god we want rather than the God who is.  We will be characterized by a mind-set of consumption rather than a heart of contribution.  The songs we sing will matter more to us than the One to whom we should be singing!    

When God unites us to Christ He unites us to one another.  As Steve Brown said so well, “All those who belong to Jesus belong to all those who belong to Jesus.”  God forbid that societal segregation would characterize our sanctuaries!

In His last prayer with His disciples, just hours before His arrest and execution, Jesus appealed to His Father, “I do not pray for these [the apostles] alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:20-21, NKJV).  And the truth of these words are the focus of this Sunday at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, as we gather to be ONE demonstration community, living out practically what we already are positionally. We will join together to “offer up a sacrifice of praise to God,” as the Scripture commands, “that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name” (Hebrews 13:15).

I can’t say it any better than my beloved pastor did in Unfashionable:

As we live together in a way that’s consistent with who we’ve been remade to be, we become a blessing to the world by showing it how sweet life can be in a community of individuals who love one another, care for one another, defer to one another, are patient with one another, and serve one another. The world will take notice of a community of men and women who refreshingly and joyfully bear one another’s burdens and who actively look to lay down their lives for others in need because Jesus laid down his life for them.

This is the DNA of the gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Have you ever heard the term, “The rhythm of life”?  It is a phrase that sums up life on this side of the grave since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden.  The wise preacher put it this way,

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

Prior to the Fall, the cadence of creation did not include all that we find in the valleys of this life.  Life was perfect and lived in paradise.  And one day, when Jesus returns, He will make all things new, and the valleys of a creation that groans, waiting to be set free from its bondage to decay (Romans 8:20-23), will be eliminated forever.  In that day, all who have placed their trust in Christ will enjoy an eternal “mountaintop experience”—rejoicing in living in the presence and the glory of our Redeemer.

But until that blessed day arrives, we will all plod through numerous valleys on the journey to the Celestial City.  The peaks of peace and planting, love and laughter, dancing and embracing are always welcome.  Quite naturally, we prefer the peaks to the valleys.  But in a creation that has been subjected to futility because of the willful, flagrant rebellion of our ancestors, valleys are inevitable.  Indeed, those valleys have been ordained! So the question we must continually ask and answer is: “How well do I deal with the valleys of life?”  What kind of God do those around you see when you’re in the valley? Do they see a God of grace? A God of humility and worship?

Job, after experiencing catastrophe that was more difficult to endure than his own death, fell on the ground and worshipped the Sovereign Lord of all. “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away,” Job rightly acknowledged; “blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21). Is that what others see in you during your valley experience? Or . . . is it something much less?

We sin our way into some of life’s valleys.  The cosmic rebellion of Adam and Eve plunged all of creation into darkness and decay.  Our parents were designed for peak living only.  However, when they believed Satan’s lie that they were missing out on something better, times of trial and trouble entered into the seasons of life.  We can all recall those valleys that we willfully entered, and the accompanying pain and sorrow that left vivid impressions on the canvas of our lives. 

There are other valleys that are the hard providences delivered by a good and gracious God.  These trials are designed to bring us to the end of ourselves and grow us up in our faith.  God ordains these valleys for our good and His glory.  God knows that continually living on the mountaintops would only encourage our natural desire for autonomy and self sufficiency.  Mountaintops can seduce us into removing the Master from the throne of our lives and believing that our satisfaction, meaning, and purpose is located in a place, rather than in the person of Christ.

God leads us into valleys, not because He is unable to protect us from them, but because He knows we need to walk in them!  God knows that mountaintop joy is fleeting, and He wants to give us real, lasting joy.  Mountaintops were never designed to provide us with that which only the Master can ultimately give.  And because this is true, God will inevitably intervene whenever we seek to construct our own personal Towers of Babel, which we would regard as monuments to our personal excellence and worth.

Do you recall Nebuchadnezzar’s great fall? He looked out from the roof of his royal palace and his heart was moved to worship . . . himself! “Is not this great Babylon,” he exulted, “which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” WHAM! “While the words were still in the king’s mouth,” the Lord announced that Nebuchadnezzar would be munching on grass like a cow! Was God simply “getting even” with Nebuchadnezzar for his self-glorification? No, this humiliation would last for a season of time, until the king knew “that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” And when Nebuchadnezzar raised his eyes to heaven and gave glory to God, both his sanity and his kingdom were restored to him. You can read all about it in the fourth chapter of Daniel.

Valleys are not delivered by a vengeful God.  They are delivered by a loving, merciful God who knows that we are prone to continue to believe the lie of the Garden—that we can find fulfillment apart from our relationship with Him.  We need to be rescued from our mountaintops by any and all means necessary, so God sends us down into valleys.

One final thought: regardless of the valley you may be experiencing, you do not walk it alone.  God is with you every step of the way.  “Where shall I go from your Spirit?” David cried. “Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!” (Psalm 139:7-8). That, beloved, is the ultimate mountaintop experience for anyone! 

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Who hasn’t experienced the pain of a broken heart?  Unfulfilled promises . . . unmet goals . . . shattered dreams . . . fractured families . . . rebellious children . . . broken relationships . . . passed over for promotion . . . lost job . . . loss of health . . . loss of a loved one . . . The list goes on and on.  If this wasn’t bad enough, in a fallen and sinful world, it is hard wired into our DNA to be heart breakers.  We are characterized by seeking what we want rather than seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33).  We pursue our own good and not the good of others.  We strive to satisfy our desires and our needs, to accomplish our goals and our dreams, regardless of the cost or circumstance . . . and we leave a trail of broken hearts in our wake.

So how could I possibly come up with the idea that a broken heart is the result of God’s grace?  I’m glad you asked!

If we truly believe Scripture’s assertion that “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28, NASB), we must then confess that even broken hearts are ultimately a grace of God.  Broken hearts remind us that life does not consist of the stuff of this world.  Sooner or later, everything on this side of the grave will fall short of our expectations and disappoint us.  But this heartbreak should drive us back to the Cross, where broken hearts are made whole by the Master’s touch.

But there is another aspect of the grace of a broken heart that I would like to call to your attention.  David acknowledged that “A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).  David understood at the deepest level that a heart that is broken under the weight of sin is a grace of gargantuan proportions from the hand of Almighty God.  When God breaks our heart, it is the best break we could ever experience!

David had plenty of personal experience with this grace of God.  The king knew that his sin prevented him from breaking his own heart.  Sin had seduced David into thinking that he was entitled to have anything he wanted, whenever he wanted it, without regard for what his actions might do to others.  David was the ultimate heartbreaker, until the Lord sent Nathan to confront him.  The grace of confrontation, which I have discussed in a previous article, forced David to face himself.  For the first time, David saw himself just as he was: a great sinner in need of an even greater Savior.  God mercifully gave David the grace of a broken heart, which drove David to the throne of grace . . . the only place where he could find healing and restoration.

Years ago, Dr. Kennedy addressed a group at the seminary, and he said something I have never forgotten: “You cannot break the law of God.  You can only break yourself upon it.”  Think about that for a moment; what might seem on the surface like breaking the law of God is really only breaking ourselves on it.  We are the ones who are ultimately broken, not God’s law.  “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). 

Yet despite our willful rejection of God’s law and our stubborn denial of God’s authority over our lives, He is gracious to give to us a broken and contrite heart that can sense the wickedness of our sin and drive us to the only place we can find healing.

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT…AMEN!

Have you ever been encouraged to feel better about your life by comparing your lot with those who have less?  Many well-meaning family members and friends, even counselors, suggest this without ever realizing what is happening at the deepest level.  Comparing ourselves with others generally leads to two sins: pride or covetousness. 

When we compare ourselves with those who have more, our sin nature rises up within us and begins coveting. 

You are content with your job . . . until your friend gets a promotion.

You are content with your home . . . until your friend buys a bigger home.

You are content with your vacation . . . until your friend shows you pictures of his vacation.

Our natural defense mechanism to keep from coveting what others have is to compare ourselves with those who have less, and once again our sin nature rears its ugly head—this time in pride. 

I may not have the job I studied, planned, and trained for, but look at Joe; he’s been out of work for months! At least I’m working!

I may only have a cramped little house, but look at John; he’s renting a mobile home! At least I own a house!

My marriage may be a little rocky—OK, very rocky—but look at Jim; His wife left him last month! At least I’m still married!

The Bible does not teach us to find our contentment in what others lack.  Our comparisons are never to be horizontal; they are always to be vertical.  Paul never compared himself with any of the other apostles.  In fact, when he did get into comparisons, he always saw himself as “the very least of all the saints” (Ephesians 3:8) and “the foremost” of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).    Horizontal comparisons never shaped Paul’s life; Christ did.  Paul never denied the reality of difficulty, struggle, or need.  He simply determined to live above the circumstances of his life by relying on the power of Jesus.  Paul wrote, “I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:12-13). Paul always looked vertically in life, which was the secret to his contentment.

It’s important to remember that Paul said he had learned contentment, which means he was not content by nature . . . and neither are we! We are restless.  We are dissatisfied.  We are unfulfilled.  Only when we fix our eyes on Jesus will we begin the lifelong process of learning contentment.  It is all of grace, yet it takes time and effort.  God gives us the grace to accept our lot in life, whether it is filled with abundance or lack and scarcity.  To live a life of contentment in the midst of shattered dreams and broken promises is only possible through our relationship with Christ.  Christ is our contentment, not our current condition in life. 

When we make horizontal comparisons in life, we are building upon sand.  Is there anything you have in this physical world that the storms of life cannot take away?  The only thing that can never be taken away is your relationship with Christ.  When we fix our eyes on Him we build a life upon the Rock of ultimate contentment.  We can run the race with endurance and joy.

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!  

We have all heard the phrase “the apple of his eye.”  But do we know what it means from a biblical perspective?  We find it a number of times in the Scriptures with the basic meaning of favorite, desired, or beloved. 

“He shielded them and cared for them, guarding them as the apple of his eye.” (Deuteronomy 32:10)

“Keep me as the apple of your eye.” (Psalms 17:8)

“Keep my commands and live, my teaching as the apple of your eye.” (Proverbs 7:2)

When the Scriptures identify God’s Word as “the apple of our eye,” we are to understand that the Scriptures are to be the object of our desire.  When the Scriptures identify us as “the apple of His eye” we are to understand that we are the object of God’s desire.  Have you ever thought of yourself as the object of His desire?  Omnipotence cares for you, guards you, and desires you!  You are the most cherished in the eyes of your Creator.  You are His favorite, His beloved. 

This is the number one reason we are to understand our faith as a relationship and not a religion.  The Christian life is not about what we do.  It is not bound up in a list of do’s and don’ts, despite the fact that Scripture outlines many things we are to do and not do.  Nevertheless, the Christian life is about who we are in Christ.  It is about a relationship with the living God.  The Creator of the universe desires you—your trust, your devotion, your love—above everything else in all of creation.  Now if that doesn’t light the fire of your faith . . . your wood’s wet!   

Even after Adam and Eve turned away from God and gave their hearts to another in the Garden, God made it clear that man was still “the apple of His eye” when He announced His intention to rescue fallen mankind: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15).  God’s promise to destroy the works of the devil would be accomplished through the death of His Son, the Captain of our salvation.

Think about what that really means.  The righteousness of God demanded payment for sin.  If God simply waived the just punishment for our sins, He would be guilty of a miscarriage of justice—a contradiction of the very nature of God.  So, in an expression of incredible mercy and grace, God accepted that payment, not from those who had sinned, but from the only One who knew no sin (2 Cor. 5:21).  The blood that was demanded in payment for our high treason against God was the blood of His precious Son . . . not the blood of “the apple of His eye.”

The righteous Judge of all the earth (Genesis 18:25) is also a forgiving Judge.  The righteousness of God demanded justice, not forgiveness. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5).

To be “the apple of His eye” is to be loved beyond all human comprehension.  God’s eternally beloved Son was sacrificed on the cross for sinful, selfish, self-absorbed people who desired to live outside of their divine design.  “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).  Truly His grace is amazing, in that God would pursue and rescue rebels like you and me and make us “the apple of His eye.”

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!   

In 1965 the Rolling Stones released “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” a Number One hit that is now ranked at the top of at least one list of the 100 Greatest Rock Songs of All Time.  The song was one of the 1960’s anthems of rebellion, but I believe that the reason for the song’s enduring popularity is that it is rooted in the reality of the human condition. 

I can’t get no satisfaction,

I can’t get no satisfaction.

‘Cause I try and I try and I try and I try,

I can’t get no, I can’t get no.

Every child of Adam is born into the condition of dissatisfaction because of one simple reason: sin.  Sin separates us from God, and we remain restless in our endless search for satisfaction.  Not until a person is born again by the power of the Holy Spirit will real and meaningful satisfaction ever be experienced. 

Pastor Tullian frequently quotes Augustine: “God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you.” We are made by God for God, and there is a God-sized void within every individual that can only be filled by God.  Work cannot fill it.  Money cannot fill it.  Success cannot fill it.  Relationships cannot fill it.  Alcohol and drugs cannot fill it.  Pleasure cannot fill it.  Recreation and hobbies cannot fill it.  We try and we try and we try, but we can never get the satisfaction we crave for at the deepest level.  Only God can fill the space inside every individual that was meant solely for Him.  The things of this world might temporarily make us feel filled and satisfied, but eventually they all turn to dust, leaving us empty and wanting.

So . . . is your life defined more by the Rolling Stones or the Righteous Rock?  Where do you look for satisfaction?

If you are looking for it in anything smaller than God you will never be fully satisfied.  Augustine was 100% right: the desire for satisfaction has been given to us by God.  God created us to be fulfilled and satisfied, but that fulfillment will be found in only one place: a right relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  When we hunger and thirst for the things of this world, we will never be filled.  The Wise Preacher of Ecclesiastes said it is like chasing the wind.  It is only when we hunger and thirst after righteousness that we will be filled.  God has promised it! “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). 

The righteousness Jesus calls us to hunger and thirst after is not a list of rules.  Far too many in the church believe this is the way to satisfaction and fulfillment, but it is not.  The righteousness Jesus calls us to hunger and thirst after is a relationship with Him as our righteousness; a living, vital, intimate, loving relationship with the King of kings and Lord of lords.  When we are pursuing Jesus, we are promised to be both filled and fulfilled. We will be truly satisfied!

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Today is our final installment of a three-part series on self-examination, inspired by Paul’s exhortation in 1 Corinthians 11:28, “Let a person examine himself and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”  On Monday we examined the motivation of the heart—the why behind what you do.  On Wednesday we explored one of the most important areas in all of life: relationships.  Today we will conclude with a discussion of “transcendence,” with the goal of determining if you are pursuing it in a God-centered way.

So what is this thing called transcendence?  For our purposes, the word transcendence is used in reference to God’s relation to the world.  He is above, beyond, and completely outside of the ordinary.  Being made in God’s image, man is hard-wired for transcendence—living above, beyond, and outside the borders of our lives.  It is stamped into the DNA of every human being to transcend the boundaries of simply “making a living” and “getting through the week” just to “chill out on the weekend.”  We were made for so much more than simply living for ourselves!  Because the One who made you is larger than life, you are to live for something larger than life.  In other words, you are called to live a life that is sold-out for the Savior.

So how are you doing in the area of transcendence?  What have you been living for?  What would those closest to you say about you?  We were made by God and made for God; we were NOT designed to live for something as small as the tiny kingdom of you.  Too many Christians get caught up in the “rat race” of life, never realizing that even if they win the race . . . they’re still a rat!  Transcendent living raises us above the mundane, carries us beyond the meaningless, and delivers us outside of man-centered living.  God has designed you for greatness—not “greatness” as the world defines it, but as God defines it.  Greatness is refusing to live for anything smaller than God.  Greatness is having God both at the center and circumference of your life.  He is your everything, in the most important areas of life as well as in the most mundane.  Do we dare settle for anything less than transcendent living?  May God forbid it! 

The world says, “Live for yourself,” which is actually death.  God says, “Die to yourself” (see Matthew 16:24 and 1 Peter 2:24, for example), which is actually life . . . abundant life . . . a life of transcendence.  A transcendent life is a life shaped by the Savior, grown by grace, and set apart for selfless service of God and others.  This is not the narrow field of “leaving a legacy” that many speak about today.  God created us, not for leaving our personal legacy but to expand His under the lordship of Jesus Christ.  When we understand our lives to be all about Him rather than us, we are freed to live for something bigger than ourselves.  Only transcendent living provides the necessary meaning, significance, and purpose that every human being craves from the cradle to the grave. 

Does transcendence mark your life?  What gets you up early?  What drives you to give it all you have with all you have been given?  Never settle for less than what you have been created for!  I don’t know if God has called you to be a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker.  What I do know is that He has called you to do whatever you are doing for His glory and His glory alone.  God is on a mission of making all things new, and He has called us to be part of this “above and beyond” process.

This is transcendent living.  This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

We’re in the midst of a three-part series of self-examination, inspired by Paul’s exhortation in 1 Corinthians 11:28—“Let a person examine himself and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”  On Monday we looked at the motivation of the heart—the why behind what you do.  Today we will look at one of the most important areas in all of life: relationships!

How would you rate yourself in the area of relationships?  Remember that God said that it is not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18), which means we were created for relationship, beginning with our Creator.  We cannot begin to live in a right relationship with each other until we are in a right relationship with Jesus!  When we are rooted in a relationship with our Redeemer, we are rescued from the tyranny of living for our own good and and our own glory; we are freed to live for the good of others to the glory of God. 

 “Where is Abel your brother?”  the Lord questioned Cain (Genesis 4:9).  “I do not know,” Cain replied sullenly; “am I my brother’s keeper?”  The Scriptures are crystal clear about the answer to Cain’s sinful, self-centered question.  The answer is YES, YES, a thousand times YES! We are our brother’s keeper!  Steve Brown summed it up succinctly: “All those who belong to Jesus belong to all those who belong to Jesus.”  When God saved you, He placed you within His body, called the church, eliminating all barriers of separation erected up by man.  Paul explained to the church at Colossi that “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all” (Colossians 3:11). We are all part of the same body and as such, we each need all of us.  The Bible knows nothing of the solitary saint.  The Christian life was never meant to be lived in intentional isolation, with self-protection as the highest goal.   

The Triune God is in a perfect relationship; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, providing the perfect relationship model for all the world to see.  If we are to reflect the character of Christ in a way that glorifies God, it must include the way we relate to others . . . all others.  Make no mistake, God is never more pleased and proclaimed—glad and glorified—than when we love and lay our lives down for others, just as He loved and laid down his life for us.  Our relationships are to shine a light on the transcendent glory and grace of God.  Our relationships should bear witness to a watching world what God is like and what He is here to do: rescue this fallen, broken, sin-filled world and make all things new . . . including relationships.      

My beloved Pastor Tullian said it beautifully in this section in his book, Unfashionable:

Just as bicycle spokes are linked by their common attachment to the hub, so Christians are linked by their common attachment to Christ.  In him, Christians of every tribe, tongue, and nation become brothers and sisters.  Though we’re all distinct, all different, in Christ we’re no longer divided.  We don’t always act unified, but that doesn’t change the fact that in Christ we are one.

Because of the power of the Gospel, we remain distinct, yet we refuse to be divided because serving Jesus is more important than serving the self.

So . . . how are you doing in the area of relationships?  What changes do you need to make?  Only the Gospel in all its glory can reorient the direction of our heart away from the self and toward the Savior.  The more we live in the deep truths of the Gospel, the more we will live a cross-shaped life: worshipping God and serving others.  Laying our lives down for others is the primary sign of the diminishing rule of the sinful heart and the increasing rule of the Savior in our lives.  This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

This week I will present a three-part series on an often neglected “means of grace” that is designed to return blessings multiplied to those who consistently engage in it.  One of the overarching themes in the Bible is that of self-examination.  “Let a person examine himself . . .” Paul exhorts, “and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup” (1 Corinthians 11:28).

Today we will focus on motivation; this is the “why” behind what you do.  Why serve the Lord with all your heart?  Why go to church?  Why study the Bible?  Why pray without ceasing?  Why go that extra mile?  Why give more than you receive?  Why love God and others more than yourself?  Why forgive when you have been wronged?  Why confess your sin and ask for forgiveness when you have wronged someone else?  Make no mistake, the “why” behind what you do is more important than what you are actually doing!

The Pharisees—for whom our Lord reserved some of His sharpest rebukes—did all the right things . . . but for all the wrong reasons.  Their motivation was rooted in what they believed they would receive in return for what they were doing.  In essence, they were working their way toward God in an attempt to earn His favor and secure His blessings. 

Paul provides the Master’s motivation that should rightly drive all of our attitudes and actions in 2 Corinthians 5:14—“Christ’s love compels us.”  What an all-consuming motivation, the love of Christ!  Paul would not be motivated by guilt.  He knew that guilt would only take him so far and its hold on him would eventually weaken.  Nor would Paul be motivated by fear.  He knew that fear would only take him so far and its hold on him would eventually ease.  For Paul the only “why” for doing anything was the overwhelming love showered upon him by his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  It was the only lasting power to pull him into the perfect plan and purpose God had called him to.

And how did Paul keep this powerful motivator before him?  The Gospel!  Only the good news of the Gospel has the power to transform our lives.   

Jack Miller said, “We need to preach the Gospel to ourselves every day.”  Far too many Christians believe the Gospel is only for sinners who need to be saved.  The Gospel is just as necessary for sinners who need to be sanctified.  In preaching the Gospel to ourselves daily, we are reminded that we are still sinners who need of the love of Christ, who laid down His life for the forgiveness of our sins.  “God demonstrates his own love for us in this” Paul wrote: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  What greater motivation could there be to live the Christian life than to know that Jesus loves us that much?  At this level of living, duty turns into devotion that springs from a heart overflowing with thanksgiving for all that Jesus has done.   

So . . . what is the “why” behind what you do?  I pray that a little self-surgery on your soul today will open your heart to the incredible hope-filled, joy-powered motivation of all that God in Christ has done for you.

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!