Over Desire

I have been struck recently by Romans 6:12-13 where Paul writes to Christians,

"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." (Romans 6:12-13, NASB95)


What is initially startling to me is the fact that Christians, those who have been set free, can once again experience a life of slavery. How can this be? If the Son has set you free, you will be free indeed (Jn 8:36)! Right?
To begin with, let's compare slaveries. This is important in my mind because I believe that the source of the slavery is the determining factor in our ability to experience freedom. Ephesians chapter 2 describes our condition prior to faith in Jesus Christ. To summarize, Paul says we are slaves to Satan, indulging in the desires of the flesh, by nature children of wrath. The slavery is involuntary and imposed upon us by the prince of this world, Satan.
However, what Paul describes in Romans is different. It is voluntary. It is the choice made by a believer to let sin rule and reign in their heart.
We have been set free from the slavery imposed by Satan through faith in Jesus Christ. Once delivered from the hand of the enemy, he loses all authority and power to rule our lives. However, as a Christian, we can decline the power of the Spirit in our lives and do the unimaginable. We can invite the sin that so easily entangles us and allow it to become the master of our life and eventually "dethrone" the only rightful ruler of our heart - Jesus Christ.
Understand that at the moment of faith, our eternal destiny is sealed. Paul (nor I) is suggesting that we can lose our salvation having truly believed in the gospel message. What Paul is talking about is transformation of your heart. Your heart is another way of describing your internal motivation. And Paul is telling us, your motive reveals your master.

"Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?" (Romans 6:16, NASB95)

In other words, there is no neutral ground. You and I serve the one whom we obey. We either obey our master Jesus Christ as He prepares good works beforehand so that we may walk in them or we obey our master sin which we invite to become the driving passion of our life.
But here is an important question. "How do we know who is the master of our life? What are the clues to help us determine the driving passion of our heart?"
This is where the original language is helpful. In verse 12, the word Paul uses is epithumia. The NASB translates this as "lusts". The NIV says "evil desires". The NET bible translates the word as "desires".
The root of the word, "thumia", literally means desire. An epithumia is an OVER DESIRE. In my mind, the NET bible has the best translation because it helps us understand that the desire does not have to be inherently vile. It can be a good desire. But any desire that supersedes your desire for Christ is an evil desire. In fact, if it is a driving passion of your life, it is a false god whom you serve as master.
If you are a workaholic, you serve the god of money or status or achievement. Perhaps it is an eating disorder and you serve the god of thinness or gluttony. Perhaps you look to your spouse to fulfill the deepest needs in your life and you serve the affection and acceptance of another person as god of your life. Even the duty of religious routine can be a false idol. ANYTHING that supersedes your obedience to Christ as Lord of your life is your self appointed master.
Although there is not a fool proof litmus test, here are some helpful hints to assist you in determining what is the driving passion of your life. They include the normal emotions of anger, fear and sadness. In and of themselves, these emotions are very normal and ones we all experience.

For example, when something happens in our life that is disappointing, it is a normal response to be sad. If something blocks us getting a good thing, it is OK to be angry. Or if a good thing is being threatened, we might be fearful.

BUT...when something has an inordinate value in our life, when it becomes the "ultimate something" and it doesn't happen, we don't get sad - we get epi sad. We struggle to break free from the disappointment and depression. When the driving passion in our life is blocked, we don't get mad, we get epi mad. And our fear turns into a paralyzing anxiety. We experience bitterness, unforgiveness and any variety of "epi emotions" which reveal the motive and master of our heart.
These emotions of our life can be compared to a dashboard. A series of gauges we monitor. And when they lean to the side of epithumia, or over desire, we might want to look under the hood and see what is truly the driving passion of our life. We are slaves of the one whom we obey.

Hind's Feet on High Places

“God is sovereign, and invariably good; we are morally responsible, and frequently evil.”
-D.A. Carson

This was the quote I read in my devotional this morning and I feel like it is the best summary of my study in the prophets this summer. Even more, it is an accurate summary of all scripture. As such, it is the summary of all mankind for all time and within this statement is the beauty of the gospel message.
For there is none righteous, no not one. All, like sheep, have gone astray. We are dead in our sin, slaves of Satan and under the power of the Prince of this world. The wage of our sin is death and we are all without excuse. Frequently evil and morally responsible. (Rom 3:10, Is. 53:6, Eph 2:1, Jn 3:16, Rom 1:20)
But God, while we were yet sinners, because of His mercy and love, made us alive in Christ. There is therefore no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. He works all things for good for those who love God and who are called according to his purpose. He protects, seals and delivers us from the enemy who once controlled us. We serve a sovereign God who is invariably good. (Eph 2:4, Rom 8:1, 28, Ps. 62:2, Eph. 1:14)
So often when we read the Old Testament and we see the repeated failure of the Israelites, their inevitable compromise, their eventually apostasy and syncretistic idolatry – and we shake our heads in disbelief. How can they so consistently do what God has so clearly told them not to do? How many times will God rescue such a stubborn and stiff necked people?
May we have eyes to see – this is the repeating story of all God’s people throughout all history (i.e. we are no exception!). God is sovereign and invariably good; we are morally responsible and frequently evil. God is rich and mercy, slow to anger and not wanting any to perish (2Pet 3:9). We, on the other hand, are easily convinced to follow false idols and the lure of the world often speaks louder than the voice of God (James 1:6, 1Jn 2:15).
What a great and mighty God we serve who is faithful to His promises and one day will stand to judge the earth. In that day, there will be no more compromise as the hearts of man will be laid bare. And those who have trusted in Christ will share in the glory of God beyond all possible comprehension. There will be a new heaven and new earth. A new predisposition for those who have been redeemed - No longer frequently evil, but like God, invariably good.
In our new reality, we will be eternally worshipful having been faithfully redeemed. May we fix our eyes on this hope. May the world and its lure fade by comparison. May we live, not day to day, but with great anticipation for the fulfillment of the promise made by our sovereign and invariably good creator God. May this blessed hope of tomorrow along with God’s faithfulness in the past, give us great strength and boldness of faith to live today with all joy and peace and assurance in Christ Jesus. (Rev 11:18, 20:11, Is. 45:23, Phil 2:10, Rev 22)
My brother, Jay understood this well. In the midst of his cancer he was asked about the source of his strength and faith. He responded with strong conviction, "I know I will be healed."
At first, we were concerned. Could this be a false hope? What if God does not remove his cancer?
Yet, Jay went on to explain, "You need to understand. I don't know if it is on this side of heaven or the other. All I know is that God has promised that I will be healed and I have faith that He will carry this through."
Blessed hope of tomorrow along with God’s faithfulness in the past, give us great strength and boldness of faith to live today with all joy and peace and assurance in Christ Jesus.


"Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. (Habakkuk 3:18-19)

What I Learned from Jeremiah

During my study of the Old Testament Prophets this summer, I have been intrigued by the testimony of Jeremiah. I could not even begin to encapsulate all of what I am learning in this brief entry; however, I would like to reflect on one of the truths that has impacted me recently.

As you know, Jeremiah is commonly known as the "weeping Prophet". Although it is a good memory tool, this description is not entirely accurate. In fact, this attribute of mourning and sensitivity toward an unrepentant people was something that God had to develop in Jeremiah's heart. As he began his ministry, it was not his first thought. When opposed by the people, he responds by saying:

"But you know, O Lord, all their plots to kill me. Do not forgive their crimes or blot out their sins from your sight. Let them be overthrown before you; deal with them in the time of your anger." (Jeremiah 18:23, NIV)

Not exactly weeping for his enemies, right?! Yet, as his ministry progresses, God works in the heart of Jeremiah. He teaches him to persevere through difficult circumstances and to preach to a people who will not listen. Instead of a callous indifference, Jeremiah learns to look at people through the eyes of God. To the point that he weeps when he learns of their impending judgment.

"Therefore I wail over Moab, for all Moab I cry out, I moan for the men of Kir Hareseth. I weep for you, as Jazer weeps, O vines of Sibmah. Your branches spread as far as the sea; they reached as far as the sea of Jazer. The destroyer has fallen on your ripened fruit and grapes." (Jeremiah 48:31-32, NIV)

Notice that these are not even the people of Israel. The Moabites are the enemies of Israel. And yet, Jeremiah still looks upon them with sadness when God declares their coming judgment. What an amazing transformation.

Here is the thought that struck me this week: In the life of Jeremiah, we find a balance that we should do well to notice. First, he does not avoid sharing truth, as difficult as the news may be. In other words, Jeremiah does not compromise his message.

So often, in a world that is unrepentant where truth is relative, we soften our message and call it grace. We don't speak truth into people's lives because we don't want to offend them or chase them away. All too often, we avoid the conviction of God's word because we don't know it our self.

Yet, Jeremiah teaches us that we are a people called to speak the uncompromising truth of God's word through our mouth and through our lives. At times, the message is difficult. People don't want to hear that God hates divorce or materialism is idolatry or apathy is the same as blasphemy. And yet the consequence of disobedience is far greater than any momentary discomfort we might have in sharing God's truth. Our God is holy. As His people, we are called to live holy lives. May we never shy away from this commitment or apologize for the devotion God requires of his people.

Yet, on the other hand, Jeremiah teaches us not to give up on people. Our tendency (my tendency) is to speak truth to people and if they don't respond to the message, I often give up on them. Their heart is too hard and it does me no good to continue counseling this person. They are not married, they continue to live in sin. Oh, they may show occasional signs of repentance but then they go right back to their old ways. They don't get it and I'm done.

Not Jeremiah! For a lifetime he preaches to a people that will not listen. In fact, God tells Jeremiah that the people will never receive his message - yet, he was to continue preaching. We too should not grow weary of doing good. The change in another person's heart never has been, nor will it ever be a result of our personal persuasion. We sow, we water, but only God can cause change and growth in another person's heart.

May we live the balance seen in the life of Jeremiah. Let us live a life that proclaims the uncompromising truth of God's word in a compromising and relativistic world. And may we do so with great perseverance and sensitive hearts never growing weary of doing good in the eyes of the Lord whom we serve.

Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me

You would think I would have learned by now, but apparently I continue to be a little slow on the uptake. Or maybe it is because I want it to be different but reality says its really not. Here is my situation:
So often, I encounter someone, particularly in the church (but not always), who I will pursue and attempt to get to know them. As I do this, I will routinely invite them to join in on opportunities of fellowship such as a Men's Group, a Sunday School class, or maybe a worship service one Sunday. Most often I hear the same type of response, "Oh sure. That sounds great. I would really like to do that sometime."
On occasion, when the desire for growing in their faith is genuine, they will follow through and meet other people and begin to form meaningful relationships. However, more often than not, there is verbal ascent to the offer but no true evidence of a desire to experience fellowship with other believers in Jesus Christ. The excuses take a variety of forms
"We're so busy."
"Oh, was that last night?"
"We're not sure we fit in."
"We live so far away."
Etc...
Up until now, my assumption was that they are just private people who prefer to fly solo. Or maybe they are a couple who has trouble making new friends and so they stay isolated. Or maybe they do live to far away...but not anymore! Here is my new default position:
If people are invited to live in fellowship with other followers of Jesus Christ and give verbal ascent of a desire to do so and yet never follow through and choose instead to maintain lives of isolation - SOMETHING IS WRONG!
Too often now I have chalked it up as the personality trait of a person or a couple who simply does not want to live in the context of community. They are "private people" I would tell myself. But my personal experience is teaching me that it is most often not a personality issue, but a sin issue. And here is my Biblical basis for this new default position:

"If we say we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." 1John1:6-7

People who chose to live in isolation usually have something to hide. To live in the light of fellowship with other believers will expose this sin and so they choose to live apart from authentic community. Even if you are not trying to hide something, living in community - by God's design - will expose issues of sin which inhibit your growth and maturity in Christ. That is one of the important purposes of the church: Sanctification of the Saints to the glory of God. Living apart from this fellowship is at worst a deliberate attempt to hide sin and at best a selfish choice to remain in control or self protect ultimately and inevitably resulting in stunted spiritual growth.
"Oh, but I read my Bible or I watch this great preacher on TV or I don't like church because of all the hypocrites."
"If we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another..."
Need another one? How abut this:

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to encourage one anther to love and good deeds, not forsaking our gathering together , as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as the day draws near." Heb. 10:23-25

As we prepare for Christ's return, may we fight against the influence of the world which continues to isolate our lives from one another as so poignantly made clear in the new Pixar movie Wall-E. Left to itself, and by the design of the enemy, this is the natural course we will take. Yet, God calls us to walk in the light of authentic community with other Christians and even more as the day draws near. Today is nearer than yesterday and tomorrow may be the day!

I'm Uncomfortable With Grace

Last week I am rushing up to the church for a meeting during lunch. I will need to get back to work for another meeting so it will be a quick in and out. As I pull up I notice that the youth group is doing a car wash and there is goo ol' Len leading the way.
Being the faithful supporter that I am, I thought, "Hey...I'll just pull up in line, let them wash my car while I am at the meeting, and then I'll come back out to pay them for their fund raiser."
Actually, I am feeling pretty proud about my good deed for the day.
But within the first 5 minutes of my meeting it dawns on me! "What if Len is doing one of those outreach projects?" Doah!!!!
Now I am feeling completely guilty. I can't let those kids wash my car for free. But it's too late. They have already come inside to return my keys.
"Here you go Mr. Cepica."
Oh great! They are even going to be kind and humble about their act of service for someone who really didn't deserve it in the first place.
Why am I so uncomfortable with this?!!!
Well, quite frankly, I believe I am uncomfortable because I am uncomfortable with grace. This idea of unmerited favor is unsettling. Something inherent within us says that we must do something to earn blessing.
I believe this even translates into our relationship with Christ. Don't get me wrong. I definitely want His hand of blessing upon my life. However, I often would prefer to do something, even a little something, to convince myself that God's act of kindness is more of a reward for my good behavior. For some reason this is a little more comfortable than accepting a pure act of love that was completely undeserved.
But what if I had insisted that Len and his youth accept my $10 I had planned to donate to the cause. Would they not be insulted by my arrogance to assume that they were not worthy to serve me without receiving some kind of payment. To force payment would turn their act of kindness into a duty of employment. Now I am in charge and they literally work for me.
It is the same with God. To refuse His grace is to assume control and to wrongfully place yourself in a position of authority. But God does not work for us and we should we should not be so arrogant as to assume we can earn His love.
Grace is uncomfortable. But accepting grace is the only way to experience forgiveness. We don't deserve it and we can never do enough to earn it. We must humble ourselves and accept the gift he offers...no charge.

Modern Day Prophet

Most often, when people hear the word prophet, they think of a person who can mysteriously predict the future. It is no longer purely a Biblical term since people of all faiths (or non-faith) have come to be known as “prophets” based on their oracles of future events and impending judgment.
This is unfortunate since the role of the prophet was so critical to the Biblical story, and in my opinion, is still very important today. In fact, I suggest we need more prophets in our modern society! Since the term has been redefined over time, some who read this are already assuming that I have started my slide toward religious fanaticism. But hold on…it may not be what you think.
The Biblical prophet had a consistent role with the people of God. Most often, the job of the prophet was to convince the people that the way they lived was not consistent with God’s plan and provision for their life. Yet this was hard for the people to understand since they had adopted a slow and gradual decay in their spiritual lives such that their sin had become very normal and acceptable. It is like the frog in the boiling water story. They had no idea what danger they were in.
It could have been alliances with foreign armies, syncretistic worship of the Hebrew God along with foreign gods, corrupt leadership (both religious and political), or ritual religious practice with no heartfelt devotion. In any case, the drift had been slow enough that most people of God never realized what happened. When the leaders (including the priests) led the way, the people followed their trail of corruption.
Yet it was the prophet who called the people back to the way of the Lord. It was not uncommon to hear the judgment of God within the message of the prophet, but only because the people refused to admit to their sin and repent before the Lord. Their way of life apart from God had become very comfortable and socially acceptable. Oh sure, they still did sacrifices in Jerusalem or Dan or Bethel (whichever was most convenient). In fact, they would even compete at the altar to see who could offer the more extravagant sacrifice. There was often no shortage of religious routine (orthodoxy) but yet it was rare to see faith in action (orthopraxy).
As I look at our world today, I see the Old Testament relived. Subtle compromises over time accepted as the norm. Slight deviations that eventually lead to wide degrees of separation from what God has called His people to live. Plenty or orthodoxy in our world…very little orthopraxy.
We need more prophets. People of God to stand up and remind us what God has called us to. People who faithfully teach God’s Word so that we can judge our life by His standard and not our own false assumption of what seems right in our own eyes. Immorality, injustice, poverty, corruption of leadership…these are all realities of our present day. Leaders, both political and religious, have led our society into acceptable compromise. We often see the syncrestistic alliance of worldy values within our church culture. We turn a blind eye to poverty and stuff ourselves with pious knowledge.
Nothing new under the sun, just a repetition of things gone by and foreshadowing of things yet to come.
Somebody stand up and remind us, “This is not the way it is supposed to be!”
Now, I know that we live in a sin cursed world BUT God’s people have been set free from this curse and should therefore not be enslaved by its chains. Instead, we should do justly, love mercy, walk humbly. We should contrast with the way of the world, not blend in. We should ask ourselves, “Does our community of faith look different than the ways of the world?”
If not, hear the words of a prophet: “It should!”

Fearfully Excited!

Recently, the boys and I were jumping on the trampoline together. We had finished up because the crystals in my inner ear were telling me, "Your too old for this." It's just jumping on the trampoline but for some reason extended time makes me feel like I have been on the Tilt-A-Whirl. Who knew!?!

As we were climbing off, the typical scene took place. One I am sure you are all familiar with. I stood on the ground looking up at my youngest son who was standing on the edge.

"Go ahead Grant, Jump!"

You've seen the look. Simultaneous expressions of complete fear and total excitement. One side of the brain is saying, "No! Don't do it. You might fall." The other side of your brain is saying, "Daddy will catch you. Trust him. Jump!"

It was one of those surreal moments when I witnessed this all too familiar expression in my son's face and I realized...that's me!

I am standing on the edge of the unknown. A place in my life that I view with simultaneous fear and excitement. One side of my brain says, "Don't leave the security of your career. You've worked hard. You have been diligent. Just stay safe."

And yet, my Father is extending open arms and He is calling me to jump. "Trust me He says. I would not call you to do something that I have not prepared beforehand. I am faithful. Jump!"

Like my son, the bigger part of me knows that he will catch me. The excitement of following what He has called me to is greater than anything I could imagine. Yet the fear of failure and the waves crashing around me cause my faith to weaken.

Without a doubt, this is the life lesson God has been teaching me since we started this journey. When I chose to stop pursuing my MBA and instead move toward a (very expensive) seminary degree...Do your trust Me? When I chose to remove the safety net of my physical therapy licensure...Do you trust Me? As we now prepare for the changes in finances...Do you trust Me? As I look ahead to life as a pastor. A life I look at with admitted fear and excitement...Once again, do you trust Me?

And as a Father, I can understand the joy it must bring when His child is willing to defy the fear of death in order to experience the faithful arms of love. I know it makes my heart glad when Grant leaps from the side of the trampoline with eyes wide and fixed upon me. Only to land in the safety of my arms and with great excitement say, "Again, Daddy, Again!"

I pray that I bring my Father that same joy - over and over. "Again, Daddy, Again!"