Amazing Grace...Jesus Removes the Scales

This weekend, I watched the film Amazing Grace, which has become one of my favorite films. The film is about William Wilberforce and his lifelong battle to end slavery. However, this is not why this is one of my favorite films. The film includes John Newton, as he was Wilberforce's pastor and mentor and his story ties into the whole slavery issue. Newton was a former slave ship captain until his radical conversion by the grace of God. This grace so profoundly impacted Newton, that he penned the hymn Amazing Grace in 1779. It has since become arguably the most popular Christian hymn of all time. So, back to the film, the best two lines in the film are in the same scene where John is dictating his account as a slave ship captain, when Wilberforce enters to speak to him. The old preacher says "Two things I know; they are that I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior." This to me was summed up in the hymn Amazing Grace. The second greatest line in the film is really a question he asks of Wilberforce, "I once was blind, but now I see, did I really right that?" William replies "Yes, you did." With tears in his eyes, John exclaims, "Now at last it's true!"(what is truly ironic is that at this point, John Newton was actually blind!)

As I watched this film, I wept because for some inexplicable reason, it was made more real to me when, in a very moving scene(other than the one mentioned above), Wilberforce sings the hymn in a very clear and moving voice. The words, as I listened rang so clearly in my heart, that I began to cry. That night, as I realized that my life has been a continual cycle of essentially throwing God's grace in his face, I knew that I had to take radical action to change my ways.

Today, I made a connection between the line 'I once was blind, but now I see' and a very powerful scene(and my favorite) from the C.S Lewis classic The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
The scene in question is a scene where Aslan confronts Eustace, a selfish and rude boy from the real world, who has turned into a dragon because of his greed. Eustace vainly attempts to rid himself of the scales, and return to his regular state yet, every time he tries, it doesn't work. Finally, Aslan tells Eustace that he must undress him. And so even though it was very painful, Eustace let Aslan tear off the dragon scales with his claws. After the painful process is over, Eustace is a boy again, and a much humbler, and grateful boy than before. Eustace finally understood that he needed Aslan to do it for him, because only he could change him.

This is a beautiful picture of what Jesus does for us. Aslan represents Jesus in the Chronicles of Narnia, and is the perfect allegory for how we need Jesus to remove the scales over our hearts and eyes so that we may see the truth about ourselves, and about him. Without the fierce love of Aslan, Eustace could not begin to understand his need for Aslan to remove the scales, so that he might begin to really live. We are no different. Sin has blinded our hearts to our condition, and our need for a savior. The scales are so thick over our eyes, that we have no hope of saving or changing ourselves. Instead, we must let the Lion of Judah tear the scales away, however painful it will be. This is what Jesus does by his grace. He allows us to see that we are sinners and that we desperately need a Savior. Even after we are saved, the great Lion must continually tear away scales to change us and transform us through the process of sanctification. This makes grace that amazing! The question I have to ask myself is: Am I willing for the lion to tear away at me? Jesus, tear the scales away!

Christ Bids Me Come and Die

One thing that I have kept hearing over and over again throughout the last several months is the phrase "count the cost". Of course, this phrase is often associated with Dietrich Bonhoeffer from perhaps his greatest work The Cost of Discipleship. This is not the first place we see this phrase used however. Jesus commissions us in Luke 9:23-25 to take up our cross daily and follow after him. If I would follow after Jesus and be his disciple, I must die to myself and carry my cross daily. Counting the cost of following him must therefore be taken with solemn and courageous hearts. Jesus offers a life of suffering and trial, not a life that is carefree, but he does promise that he will be with us as we walk that road.

So the question begs an answer. Am I counting the cost? Jesus commands that I give up everything to follow him. I must be able to say with Paul that "everything is but loss, for the sake of Christ." Do I see the worth and beauty of following Christ? Am I willing to give up everything on this earth for him? Heavy questions to ponder and consider. The eternal life promised far outshines any earthly gain or wealth that can ever be attained here in this temporal existence. This life is fleeting and will pass away, but life eternal will never fade away. How could I ever trade the glorious riches of eternal life in Christ for cheap and fleeting idols that only weaken and destroy? Yet, the tragedy of this is that, often I do drink out of broken cisterns that hold nothing. May it never be, that I would trade what Christ has paid for with his own blood, for empty promises that broken cisterns offer!

A life filled with pain and suffering would be worth the cost if it meant spending eternity in the glorious presence of my God! A life of sacrifice would be worth it if it meant that I had the joy of heaven to cast my vision toward! Jesus, give me the courage to deny myself, to walk the hard road, and to follow after Thee; to gladly share in Thy suffering, and truly count the cost of following Thee as a disciple.

If you know anything about the extraordinary life of Bonhoeffer, you know that he was martyred on April 9, 1945 for resisting the Third Reich. He gave his life for his fellow believers in Germany and entrusted himself to his Savior, which enabled him to face death with the certainty of being united with Christ. Bonhoeffer was able to count the cost of following after Jesus because the grace of Jesus Christ compelled him to live a life in total surrender to his Lord, and live sacrificially, even at the cost of his own life. Bonhoeffer himself wrote these searing words, "Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again... It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life." This was certainly true in Bonhoeffer's life as he lived it out to his tragic death only nine days before he would have been liberated by the Allies. Perhaps the greatest statement he ever made was this:"When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." His life is a poignant example of how a man ought to live for God, but more importantly, it points to the great sacrifice of Christ who took up his cross, and died that I might live. Christ bids me come and die, and so I die...

Men with Brave Hearts: Part II

So control. Self-control is important for many disciplines in life. It takes self-control to rein in anger; to control fleshly lust, and train yourself for spiritual as well as physical pursuits. Without self-control, greed, lust, anger, and other vices would be more prevalent in the Christian life. Self- control also helps one handle fear. Part of bravery is having the self- control to take hold of your fear and use it for good. Having self- control can also make it easier to do the hard thing. I want to be a man of self-control because I don't want my life to be one of unchecked emotion and impulses.
In Part 1 I spoke of fear and how it can cripple you. In my life, fear of making the wrong decision about something has seriously crippled me in being a man of action.This year, I hope to develop more of a broad, and long term vision for my life, and for the Kingdom of God. I want to turn my fear of the future into action and hope for what God has in store for me. A friend told me last week, "Tyler, I think this year is going to be a year where you learn to do the hard thing." He's right. A man who trusts in his Lord will not be afraid to do the hard thing. If I must learn through mistakes then I will, but I am tired of not being a man of action. My heart has grown too restless. I want to step out in faith and be a man with a brave heart.

Men with Brave Hearts: Part I

The other day I was listening to the BraveHeart soundtrack which got the mind gears cranking and turning. When you think of that great film, words like freedom, courage, and manliness tends to come to mind(at least in every guys' mind). William Wallace was a man who loved his people, his land, and his home, and fought to keep what was rightly his. At this point in history, the 1200's, the British controlled Scotland and harassed the Scots, taking their wives, burning their homes, and imposing outrageous taxes on a people who could not pay.
After having enough, Wallace decided it was time to fight back. He spent years trying to unite all the clans together to fight against the English. William was later captured and executed, but he died for what he believed in, and eventually, the Scottish, led by Robert de Bruce, gained victory over the English, and won their freedom.
Today, it seems rare that we hear of a man with a heart of courage, of conviction, and vision. But just because we do not hear of them, in the news or common every day conversation, does that mean that those kind of men do not exist. Certainly we know about men like George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and others who had convictions and stood up for what was right, yet what about those not written in the pages of history? Men in everyday life, who lay down their lives, who live out their beliefs with conviction and sense of purpose are just as honorable as the famous men we read about and admire.
It may be said that perhaps courage and vision are lacking in our present generation, and I believe it to be true. boys want to stay boys and not grow into mature manhood. Few young men have long lasting direction and vision for their lives. I confess that I have been one of those young men who tried to postpone growing up because of fear and comfort. I have never been an extremely courageous person, fear of the unknown crippled me because I had no vision for my life. Once a man begins to build a vision for his life, and marry that with his God given purpose, that fear though it may creep back up, will be controlled.
Part II coming soon!

Like Thy Brother Jonah

This semester in our Youth Staff devotional on Monday mornings, we have been reading Surprised by Grace by Tullian Tchvidjian. The author takes a close look at the story of Jonah and shows how it is more than a story of a man being swallowed by a great fish, rather it is a testament to the grace of God to rebelling sinners. In fact, the subtitle is God's Relentless Pursuit of Rebels. The title fits all of us because we are rebels in need of grace. The author's primary objective is to get you to see how we are just like Jonah. We see that God doesn't pursue Jonah only once in this story during the storm, but actually, the entire story is about God relentlessly pursuing both Jonah and Ninevah and calling both to repentance.
More and more, I begin to see just how much like Jonah I really am. Even though I have been saved by God, my heart is still sinful and will still run away from God and after idols. God's grace is not a one time deal. I know from my own life that I am in constant need of the Father's grace. It is only by His sovereign mercy in my life that restrains me from following the sinful desires of my heart to my own ruin. Why don't we see how destructive sin is in our lives? Why would we ever want to trade the glorious gift of life for things that can only bring us death?

I Am

This last week has been challenging, yet it has also been good and a blessing. I have been filled with doubt and uncertainty as I struggle to find work. Waiting on hearing back from employers is not the most fun thing to do, and usually I want results pronto. It was definitely an area that I was trusting God with. In my personal devotion time with the Lord, I have been reading through Genesis as I try to work my way through the Bible in a year. Recently, I have been going through the motions and not really getting much out of it, so with a little encouragement from someone far wiser than myself, I read the first chapter of Ephesians to mix it up, and try an exercise. From this passage, we get a list of things that Good has done for us, and also a list of who we are because of those great acts performed by God. So I made a list of "I Am" statements out of Ephesians 1. My list is as follows:
1. I am predestined
2. I am forgiven
3. I am redeemed
4. I am saved
5. I am sealed with a promise
6. I am blessed
I am all these things because of what God did before the world was ever created! And if He predestined us how does he not know what we need? Why did He do all these great things for us? Because as Paul writes in verses 10 and 11 that it was all according to His will and purpose. That purpose was "... to unite all things to him, things in heaven, and things on earth."(verse10). What a great encouragement! After reading this chapter, my confidence, not in myself, but in the Lord rose, and I was greatly encouraged by this reminder of the gospel. It totally changed my view on my situation and trust in the Lord. The Lord has a plan for us all, we just need to entrust ourselves to Him, in faith believing that we each have a purpose and role in this world, and live as children of the Lord who is the Great I AM.

A New Identity

I confess that the idea for this post was provided in part by my dear friend Sammy Rhodes. Today, I was listening to the first RUF podcast from this semester at Georgia Southern University. The theme of this talk was "Identity Crisis". The identity crisis dealt with here is the identity crisis experienced in college. So I am unabashedly borrowing this theme to share with you about my identity crisis and how it ties into the issue of manhood.
It is my observation that most high school teens are in a constant state of angst and drama. They worry about fitting in and being liked by their friends, while being bombarded from every form of media that they have to look a certain way, do certain things, and have a special personality type or they won't be "cool". Identity is something that teens spend their every waking moment being anxious about. I know personally, as an awkward kid in middle and high school, I was always worrying about others thought of me and tried to be one of the in-crowd.
Once senior year rolled around, my identity, was in my mind, cemented in a comfortable place. Only when I started college, did I realize that I was mistaken. My desire for approval came back, and this time, I understood that it was idolatry. My world changed. The idea that wanting others' approval was a form of idolatry was new to me.
College is an exciting time for anyone, but a time where you experience things that shape you for the rest of our life. Your identity shifts again as you grow and (hopefully) mature in an adult. They tell us that they are the most exciting times in our lives. In college, I never fully figured out who I was as a person, or what I wanted to do with my life. I felt directionless and frustrated, but was constantly being reminded that my identity was not in what I did for a living or if I was athletic or not. Once I was identified as a sinner justly deserving God's wrath and in desperate need of a Savior. Now that I have been saved by God's boundless grace, I have a new identity. My identity is in Jesus Christ. Because he is my identity, I don't have to worry what others think about me, or how cool I look simply for no other reason than Jesus views me as his son covered by his grace and free in him. I was reminded of these truths today while listening to "Identity Crisis". Thank you Sammy for the reminder!