The Cost of Freedom - Part 2

Growing up, I never really liked fairs and carnivals - funnel cakes and clowns just weren’t my thing. As an adult, I didn't like them for the same reasons but also for the fact that you had to have those “dreaded tickets” to do most anything - tickets, tickets, always having to buy more tickets.

Disney was more my style. Someone paid at the gate and then it was “all you wanted for as long as you wanted.” There was no money or tickets to have to worry about at all. You just get to enjoy all the park has to offer. That is, until you got hungry or thirsty. $$$

I think that our lives as believers are somewhat like this. Someone else has paid for us to have the opportunity to be admitted to the Christian life and now we are free to go and do what we want to do - with some boundaries, of course. But yet, we get physically and spiritually hungry/thirsty and there is a cost associated with that. At Disney it takes money to satisfy our physical hunger/thirst. To truly feed our spiritual hunger/thirst our cost is intentionally seeking God. As we pursue Him and nourish that relationship, he nourishes us.

We all know what it is like to be “hangry” - irritable and of no good to anyone until we get fed. We can be like this spiritually as well when we allow ourselves to feel distant from God by not intentionally spending time with Him and looking elsewhere to fill that void. God created us to be relational with Him and when we don’t do this, it ultimately results in us either “running on fumes” or trying to refuel with something that our “gas tanks” were not designed for.

Our lives will reflect the quality of those choices. This passage says it well:

Colossians 2:6-8 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.

When we are “spiritually hangry” there are many options available for us to try to quench that hunger/thirst - entertainment, achievement, possessions etc… These things are not necessarily bad but can become liabilities for us if we are trying to use them to fill that spiritual void. They may satisfy for awhile but they all have diminishing returns and will ultimately leave us unfulfilled and empty. You don’t have to look very far to see plenty of examples of that.

As the verse above says, don’t be taken by the “hollow and deceptive philosophies of the world” but rather pursue a growing relationship with our Creator and Savior. Entertainment, achievement and possessions can all be part of our lives but are meant to be pursued in a healthy balance with an intentional and growing relationship with God. He knows what our priorities are and those priorities will be revealed by what we passionately choose to pursue.

One of my favorite C.S. Lewis quotes is: “If I find in myself desires for which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”

As Christians, we are ultimately made for another world. But, we are in this world now and God has a great plan for our lives. Are we “running on fumes” or full of His love and grace to pursue His plans for us?

Hunger and thirst for Him,

Big E

The Cost of Freedom - Part I

On the 4th of July our nation celebrated the 243rd anniversary of our independence. Ironically enough, Julie and I were in England on that day - the very nation that we had to battle for our freedom. Even though the US and England are great friends now, there were no celebrations or really any visible signs that we would typically see in America that day. We had a few nice well wishes from people that knew we were Americans but things were pretty quiet other than that. The one memorable reference to the “Fourth” was a British radio show which polled the audience for the greatest things that America had ever given England. The top three responses were the TV show Friends, the iPhone and Budweiser. Yikes. I am not sure if that is more incriminating for us or for them….ha

The next day we were down in Cornwall, England - the southwestern coastline of the North Atlantic. (Amelia Island is 4000 miles away straight across the ocean :-) We had the opportunity to visit what was probably the most charming seaside church I have ever seen - St Just in Roseland Church. With roots back to the 1200’s, it’s quite humbling to walk around the church and think about all of the people that have visited there before you.

As we spent time in the church, there were two images that were powerfully present. The first was a beautiful stained glass depiction of the crucifixion that is hundreds of years old.

The second was a registry of signatures of all the American and British troops (fighting on the same side this time) that had worshiped there leading up to D Day during World War II. They were in camps nearby and were literally waiting for the word to leave for the beaches of Normandy, France for the D Day invasion in June, 1944. Many of them would die or be wounded and this would have been the last place/time that they attended church. Powerful to say the least.

What these images represent to us are strikingly common in a few key ways:

• Both came at a cost - Freedom is never truly free

• Both bought our freedom - Christ’s sacrifice bought us freedom from our sins while the soldiers sacrifice bought us the privilege of continuing to live in a free country.

• Neither could we have accomplished on our own - We can’t save ourselves. it required someone else acting and sacrificing on our behalf.

I certainly don’t equate our American citizenship to our heavenly citizenship as Christians but they are both nonetheless powerful images that help us remember the sacrifices that have been made for us.

One day prior we were in London on 4th of July where virtually everyone was, understandably, unaware of what that day meant because they weren’t Americans. I can’t help but think of how many there are that are also unaware of Christ’s sacrifice. True freedom is available to all those who put their faith in Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. The Spirit of the Lord lives in us as believers so that freedom is available to us. But, that freedom can also be misunderstood.

Over the next few weeks I plan to address the freedoms that we enjoy as Christians as well as the cost of those freedoms. It’s truly one of the most special blessings that come with a saving faith and it’s important that we understand how it should impact our lives.

Stay hungry,

Big E

A Trowel and a Sword

Nehemiah lived about 400 years before the birth of Christ. He was a Jew and it was during the time after the Babylonian captivity of the Jews when they were trying to rebuild Jerusalem. He lived in Persia and had the highly trusted position of cupbearer to King Artaxerxes.

Word got to Nehemiah that the progress for rebuilding the city wall in Jerusalem was very poor. Walls were very important back then for defense and to build a self-sustaining community. Nehemiah sought and was granted time away from his position with the King to go and try to lead the “impossible” task of rebuilding the wall. He had tremendous success in doing so and the story of Nehemiah is looked upon as a model of great leadership, faithfulness in prayer and perseverance.

During the rebuilding process they faced many obstacles - including direct opposition by those who didn't want to see the wall rebuilt. In Chapter 4 verse 17 it refers to the laborers and how they actually did their work with one hand (with a small tool called a trowel) and held a sword with the other. I believe that this is an excellent picture of how we are to live our lives as Christians.

In one hand a trowel - we are called to work. Work is a privilege and a blessing. We work vocationally in whatever role God has us (school, career, homemaker) and we also do Kingdom work as we serve God and others using the spiritual gifts that he has given us. There are many scriptural references regarding work but my favorite is Colossians 3:23-24: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

In the other hand a sword - which has a dual purpose. A sword can be used to defend but it can also be used to sharpen. Our swords are needed to face opposition. Often that opposition is our own sinful nature as we battle pride, sins of the tongue, envy and all of the others sins that we must contend with. This is the ongoing battle that we face between our sinful nature and the Holy Spirit living in us. Galatians 5:17 speaks to it as “being in constant conflict with each other.” A sword is a great reminder not just that we continually have to fight that battle but also that God has EQUIPPED us for the fight.

A sword can also be used to sharpen. We need daily sharpening and we do this by exercising spiritual disciplines. The one that I want to highlight is the one that Nehemiah did so well - pray. Under his leadership, they were able to accomplish a task that seemed impossible and do it in a time frame that was even more impossible. Nehemiah was truly a man of action but before he did anything - he prayed. This was consistent throughout the whole story and serves as a great reminder to seek God daily in prayer. A wise man once said:

“You can always do more than pray after you have prayed but not until you have prayed.”

Stay Hungry,

Big E

Life Verses

Hello family and welcome to bigefamjam.com! I hope that you will enjoy the site and blogs. Feel free to respond to them if you wish. I am also open to any suggestions for making it better. Just let me know.

I feel a little funny about having my name (Big E) on the family website but famjam.com was already taken. This site and blog is about our faith and family and certainly not intended to be about me. However, personal experiences certainly shape our views on matters of faith and life so I will draw on those from time to time. Today is one of those times…

I have had 3 different life verses since adopting my first one when I was around 25. The first one was Job 8:5-7 If you would seek God and implore the compassion of the Almighty, if you are pure and upright, surely then He would rouse Himself for you and restore your righteous estate. Though your beginnings are small, your end will increase greatly.

I may be the only person on the planet that adopted a life verse from the book of Job. Ha. I also kind of took the verses out of the context in which they were delivered but, nevertheless, they really spoke to me at that point in my life. My life was pretty simple then and we were in building mode in terms of career and family. It was very encouraging to think that if I truly sought after God and pursued a pure and upright life, then our humble beginnings would increase over time. The theology behind that was a little “works” and “rewards” oriented but my intentions were on the right track.

My 2nd life verse came along in my mid to late 30’s. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a sprit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

This verse really connected with me during those years - and still does today. As Christians we have the power of the Holy Spirit living within us. That power should not leave us timid but bold. The Spirit is also one of love as we are called to love others as ourselves. Lastly, the Spirit should produce in us spiritual disciplines to help us mature in our faith and self control as we seek to live a life that honors God. We are to take on the likeness of him who we follow - Christ.

A couple of months ago, I attended a retreat at Pursell Farms - sort of an adult version of JH Ranch. That time away gave me a chance to reflect and helped me to realize that I needed more “hunger” in my life. I had allowed some things to be on cruise control and that is not where God wants us to be. I wasn’t very far off track but just needed some renewed focus and goals in some key areas. This blog is a product of that process.

This led me to adopting my 3rd life verse - Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

I’m at the stage of my life now that I know that the things of this world do not satisfy, but I still need to remind myself of that at times. I love the thought of “staying hungry” as we seek God and pursue holiness in our lives.. The true richness in life is in loving God and His people and serving them with the gifts and resources that He has given us. Such a simple concept but so easy to get distracted from.

If you haven’t found a life verse yet, I would encourage you to begin thinking about it. God will reveal one at the right time. I’d love to hear about it!

Stay hungry,

Big E