To Give All You Have For The Hidden Treasure

“Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." -Matthew 13:44 (NKJV)

Often, the simplest things are often the most complicated things. Jesus Christ proves this again and again as He gives certain parables. The point He is driving home with this parable is crystal clear; the kingdom of Heaven is so great that when we see it, we should give all we have in order to be a part of it. However, to fully grasp the nuances of doing so tends to complicate matters, not to mention that the constant nagging of the Devil and our sinful nature make it difficult to live out.

Recently, I went through a phase in life when my priority list got skewed (I am still fighting off the effects). I started to place my social/dating life above following my Rabbi. It got pretty bad; to the point where I really began to sway and lose sight of Jesus. I was constantly thinking about my social life (specifically, a significant girlfriend/boyfriend relationship) and how to make "my next move." My own priorities began to blur my sight, and I could no longer see clearly.

Because I lost sight of God, I had no one to follow but my selfish desires. How intentionally I followed these desires scares me now. I literally was always going after what I wanted with all that I had, using my brain to make new plans and bend my body to my own will. I really thought that having a girlfriend would make life so much better.

However, thanks to the support of my good friends, I managed to come to terms with myself and start on the path of recovery. Have I gotten there, no; it's a process that is going to take time and consistent effort. That's not the point however. 

After I came to terms with myself, I realized that what I was doing was what I should be doing with Jesus. To really be a disciple of Christ, to be a talmid (a talmid strives to become what his Rabbi is), an aspect of that is fixating your mind on your Rabbi, to "beat your body into submission" (1 Corinthians 9:27). 

Now, I love the passage in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. As a former cross country runner in my high school days (sheesh, was it really that long ago?), and currently training to run a marathon, I understand what it means to run not just for the sake of running, but running to win. Running so that I prove that I am the best on the field, that the work I put in training and the talent that I have brought me to being not just my best, but the best. Thanks to intense running workouts, I know what it means to truly beat yourself into submission, to bring out the potential that you did not know existed. Many of you who play sports and are athletic understand what I'm saying.

Just like how an Olympian runner runs to win the gold medal, just like how much I really wanted a girlfriend, that's what it means to really sell out for Jesus. Fixating Him in our minds, imprinting Him in our hearts, and going after Him with all, that's what it means. Let us train with Him, and when our number is called in the race, let us run with passion with the end goal in mind.

My Book of Reflections - Chapter 11 (Selflessness As A Virtue)

Every Christian knows that the world is in a broken state due to sin. The effects of this can be seen everywhere around the world. People are starving, people are dying, and diseases without cures are evils that lie within the world. Within this dark shadow lays virtue, however, given by God to His people. These virtues are signs that bring hope, because they foster belief that the world isn’t wholeheartedly evil and that good still lives. While it is possibly unfair to rank these virtues in order of the greatest one, I say that the greatest virtue that anyone could possibly have is a selfless heart.

             

There is a beauty in having the selfless servant heart. Jesus Himself shows and speaks about being the last and serving others the way He showed His people. Serving really gives a certain joy to one’s heart. There is something special about being the one to put a smile on someone else’s face. It is the simple joy of putting someone else first and carrying one’s own cross that I believe Jesus was getting at.

             

Selflessness also provides a path to achieving great things in the world with God’s hand. I look towards organizations like World Vision and Compassion International. These companies were made off of a vision of a person who had the heart and the mindset to change things. Mother Theresa is another great example of how selflessness can lead to worldly change. These people are not limited by their fame either. I think of people like Becksvoort, Tamminga, and all of the unsung heroes of Christianity who ventured forwards into places where Christ was never even heard of. These men and women touched so many lives through just being selfless. In a society that tells people that they need more stuff, that they need to look a certain way and that these things need to happen this way, it is utterly foreign to the world to have a selfless attitude. I believe that it is Satan’s way of leading people away from things that are good and godly.

           

 I realize that selflessness is only one virtue and that the many other virtues have tremendous amounts of worth as well. However, Paul does say in the Bible that the greatest of is love, and that without love people can do nothing. Jesus tells the Pharisee that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord and to love your neighbors. Selflessness is a defining characteristic of godly love, and thus is the greatest virtue that one could have.

Suit Up!

(Many of you will recognize that line from the show "How I Met Your Mother." To be honest, I am also a big fan of the show and love watching it.)

I have this habit of dressing up when I go to church. Yes, I do "suit up!" The reasoning behind the suit to church is because for me personally, it's a symbol of respect for the House of God. My logic is that if I'm going to go "meet" God in His house, I should dress up out of respect for Him and give Him my best, even though a lot of times, my best isn't really all that great. I don't have a problem with people who think otherwise, it's just the way I see things.

Recently, a pastor at a church put this thought in my mind that has been bouncing around. Why do some believers feel like they have to figuratively put on a suit, shave, clean themselves up, and have their lives together in order to approach God? Why does it feel like in order to even just attend church, we have to be able to say that life is "all good" and that God's been blessing us so much (even though that is true all of the time, even in the storms)?

Yet in the Gospel, there are so many instances when Jesus would go to people and minister to them when their life was absolutely wrecked. Think of the demon-possessed man in Luke 8; how messed up he looked to the rest of society! He was filthy and dirty and none wanted to approach him because he was so obviously in a mess! Yet Jesus approached him, rebukes the demon and the man is healed and he immediately gives his testimony, of what Jesus has done for him!

And the leper in Luke 5 is another beautiful example. Back in those days, having leprosy was considered very unclean. Lepers had to shout "Unclean!" over and over as they walked through streets so that people could purposefully avoid them by walking all the way around them! They were complete outcasts because touching a leper would make you unclean as well! And yet when the leper in Luke 5 sees Jesus, the Son of God, walking towards him, he falls on his face (how the NKJV translates it) and says "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean (NKJV)!

Now, you have to keep in mind that Jesus was not walking by Himself. He has His disciples with Him, and the disciples were well aware of the social stigmas and traditions of that society. I can imagine that they saw the leper and heard him shouting "Unclean!" and moved to the side of the street to avoid him while their Rabbi walked straight at him! Imagine the horror on their faces as they saw their Rabbi interacting with this "unclean" leper! And remember, the goal of the talmidim (the disciples) is not just to know what the teacher knows, but to be what the Rabbi is. That means they were supposed to be up close and personal with this leper as well!

Jesus then does what ancient Jewish society would say is unthinkable. "Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed” (Luke 5:13 NKJV). Notice that Jesus touched the leper! According to Jewish custom, that made Jesus ceremonially unclean! But the story goes on to tell how the holiness and power of God the Son vanquished the uncleanliness and made the man clean.

My friends, the point is that when approaching Jesus there's no reason to try to put away the shame and guilt, to try to clean up your sins. God sees them anyway and He forgives you for them! All you have to do is go to Him and have faith. It doesn't matter how messed up your life seemingly is. He will accept you anyways, for you have been created in His image and He loves you.

How To Walk

Many times as a Christian I was told that I have to follow my Rabbi, be covered in His dust, and to learn from Him. However, there are times when I feel like my Rabbi has stepped aside and watches me rather than lead the way. In those situations, I am quite lost.

However, the joy of a father does not come from carrying his child. The joy comes from watching his child walk without his aid.

When Jesus stood out on the water in front of His disciples and called Peter to Him, He didn't say, "Oh Peter, let me go out there so I can give you a nice piggyback ride and a high five for saying the right thing." No, He stood some distance away from the boat and called Peter to walk on the stormy waters. He watched Peter walking on water! I can't imagine what joy our LORD must have felt when Peter was walking on that water, even though He knew that Peter would be distracted by the winds and the waves and would sink.

It is of utmost importance to be covered in Jesus' dust as we follow Him. But when He calls us off the boat into the stormy seas, let us not be afraid of walking. Let us instead stride out doing what our Rabbi does, as a talmid would do so. Let us not be afraid, even though we may fail, for Jesus rushed immediately to Peter's aid when Peter was sinking. He is out there. Let us walk and do what He has made us to do.

How Bad Do You Want It?

Some of you Youtube viewers will look at the title of this post and say, "Hey, I get the reference! I've seen that video on Youtube!"

If that is not you, here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsSC2vx7zFQ

The video talks about success. The man narrating tells viewers about how to be successful, you will have to want it badly.

The big line in the video is "If you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful!"

Recently, I came down with an injury that was by far my scariest injury yet. I pulled a muscle in my back (I'm no expert in the human body, so I don't know exactly what) and that little injury left me unable to breathe normally. Taking in a breath hurt my back and sent sharp pain throughout the left side of my chest. It scared me half to death.

Let me tell you now, while that injury was fresh, I did not think about anything else but trying to breathe and survive. Even though I was visiting and cheering on my high school cross country team (I graduated in 2012), I wasn't thinking about them. The only thought I had was "breathe!" I prayed to YHWH that I would be able to breathe.

Breathe, breathe, breathe, get some air! The thoughts consumed my mind like a furious flame.

That's exactly the point the video is trying to make. That point in my life, when I was struggling to even get a small breath, showed me how much I would have to want success. More than that, to have success, you really have to need it. If you want to be successful in anything, you have to work at it. The only way is through having the sheer force of will to be successful.

As a Christian, I feel like that's what we're called to do. We are called to be a driven people with the best purpose that any person could have, which can only be found through Jesus. We should have that spiritual hunger to really follow our Rabbi and be covered in His dust.

That force of will is why I love running so much. So much more of it depends on your mental strength rather than your physical training. It is my personal prayer that I will have that mental strength in everything that is good to the Lord.

Goodbye...

"It's difficult to say goodbye after all those times..." (Goodbye-Plankeye)

Those words contain much truth. It is difficult to say goodbye when it is certain and absolute closure. Whether it is towards family, close friends, or lovers, those two syllables, in that situation, do not seem to leave the tongue easily. The weight they carry is immense. There is simply no way to lessen the blow that they can deliver. The word by its very definition seems to signify absolute closure.

It can be kind of depressing to think about. Think of those times in high school, those incredible friendships that you made, the unforgettable memories that were created, all of that culminating into graduation. And guess what? Goodbye was right there. It is the end of that era in your life. It loomed closer and closer, and there it was. And then there was college, and the times that rolled there. And then there was goodbye again, waiting at graduation, the elephant in the room that people tried their best to ignore.

The context that the word goodbye seems to have is one of closure, as stated before. However, it is necessary for the start of the new. Those things that are in the past are no longer a part of us. They were part of the journey, important parts for sure, and parts that we should not forget, but they were in the past. Yes, I agree, a part of goodbye is that closure, but it also brings with it the start of a new part of the journey of life.

Think of Moses and when the Israelites were finally set free from their captivity in Egypt. It was not all happy for them, as every single person was leaving behind everything they ever knew and throwing in their lot with a God that they didn't really know. The goodbye said to their homes in Egypt were final, as Moses made it clear that they were not to return. For 40 years they wandered in the wilderness, 40 years of walking through the sands of the desert. However, where they did end up was where the Father chose them to be. And that is a far better place than what they had in Egypt.

Saying goodbye is partly closure. It is leaving behind things that we used to know without any intention of returning to them. However, when goodbye does come, it is also our commencement into the wilderness, a time when we need to move on and find our promised land. Without goodbye, there would be no growth.