GETTING TO KNOW THE GREAT ONE
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Wayne Gretzky ("The Great One") retired years ago, but he's still a legend when it comes to hockey. 

He holds or shares over 60 NHL records including most goals, most points and most assists.  One of my favorite stats of his is “most goals for one season” – he comes in first at 92 goals (’81-’82) as well as second with 87 goals in ’83-’84 (and eighth, and tenth...)

During the 80’s you could turn on the TV and watch him play, hear commentators tell how amazing he was, you could follow his stats, collect his memorabilia and chat with your friends how great he was.  In other words, you could know a lot about him…and you could celebrate a lot about him.

But…does that mean you really knew him?

It’s one thing to know about someone and entirely different to really know them, to be counted as their friend.  If I happened to be walking down the street and Gretzky passed me by, he probably wouldn’t stop and say, “Hey man, great to see you again!” 

The unfortunate thing is that many of us treat Jesus like we do Wayne Gretzky (or insert your favorite sports hero here).  We talk a lot about him, we go to large gatherings to celebrate him, we hear commentators talk of his greatness, we collect his memorabilia.  But do we really know him?  Personally?  It’s one thing to know about Jesus…it’s another thing altogether to have a deep relationship with him, to be an intimate friend. 

It’s not enough to know his stats, it’s not enough to read of his records or to celebrate his deeds.  What he wants…what he longs for…is for us to know him deeply, intimately.  His deep desire is that we meet with him on a regular basis so we get to the point of knowing his voice and understanding his heart. 

We’ll spend tons of money and lots of time to stand in line and see sports stars or the famous.  But we bemoan the fact we have no time to spend with God. 

Yet in God’s presence is fullness of joy (Ps 16:11), strength (Is 40:31) and peace (Mt 11:28).  As we wait on him he’ll direct us, empower us, provide and guide us.  As Robert McCheyne once said, “a calm hour with God is worth a whole lifetime with man!”

Jesus is the Greatest Ever…let’s make time to spend with him this week!

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THE MILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE!

                                                                              
"I'd really love to pray more," he said to me, "but I just don't have the time!"

Many of us have heard – or said – something similar to the above statement.  It seems to be a common excuse for the prayerless life.  However, I firmly believe that it’s not that we don’t have the time to pray – it’s that we don’t have the desire.  We haven’t made prayer a priority in our lives.

Imagine with me, if you will.  A representative of Coca-Cola comes to your door with an amazing offer.  He says, “If you can get up at 6:30am every day for a month without missing a day, and watch a half-hour presentation on our company, we’ll give you a million dollars!”  Wow, what a deal!  What do you think you’d do?  Would you say, “Sorry, I’m not a morning person, I don’t have time for you or your million bucks!”  No!  With great excitement you’d tell your family about the offer and get them pumped up about the prize money.  Perhaps you’d encourage them to get up and watch with you.  You’d tell your friends and remind them not to call you after 10pm as you had to get to sleep early; you would cancel your late-night hockey games; you would put your kids to bed early; you would set 5 alarm clocks instead of just one.  In short, you would do whatever it takes to reorder your lifestyle for that one month in order to get up early for that presentation!  That prize of a million dollars would spur you on!

The truth of the illustration is this: we make time for what is important to us.  If socializing is important to you, you’ll prioritize that over prayer.  If entertainment grabs your heart, you’ll stay up late for that.  Whether its money, sports, internet, shopping, work, golf…if you’re passionate about it, you’ll make time for it.

So we see that, except for those very rare occasions, it’s not that we don’t have time for prayer, it’s that we don’t have desire.  Unfortunately most of us wait for moments of crisis to pray…as that’s when desperation and desire kick in!  In crisis we suddenly become aware that we need to shuffle our schedule and priorities to pray.

The men and women of God who have made a difference throughout history knew and prized and treasured Jesus more than anything – even more than their sleep.  They didn’t wait for crisis.  They made prayer a priority, despite busy schedules, heavy workloads and crowds of children.  They rearranged their schedules and learned to say no to things that would have taken away their time and attention from the priority of prayer.

People often ask me, why don’t we see God move here in North America like you say He is moving around the world?  Part of the answer is that they have desire and desperation – while we are content for life to keep on going as it’s always gone.  Poverty or persecution spurs them on.  Affluence and ease lull us to sleep.

What we need is a God-given passion.  The Kingdom of God and the salvation of the lost are worth more than a million bucks…Are you up to the challenge?

Below are a few ideas to help us practically grow our desire for God

a. Ask the Holy Spirit for a renewed passion for Jesus and for prayer (“You have not because you ask not” – James 4:2)
b. Set a schedule…and an alarm clock if necessary!  (You schedule everything else that's important to you, why not prayer?)
c. Get friends together and pray.  (That’s what the early disciples did in Acts – gathered daily and from house-to-house.  It helps keep us accountable…and helps spur each other on).
d. Fast and pray – as you learn to fast and say “no” to earthly appetites, you’ll be surprised how your spiritual appetite will grow!  When you unplug from the world, it’s easier to plug-in to God!
e. Read and/or listen to those that were passionate about the things of God.  Their fire can help ignite yours!  I'd suggest pretty much anything by Keith Green, Leonard Ravenhill, Charles Finney or John Wesley.

f. Meditate on eternity.  Once you grasp the reality of hell and the necessity to reach the lost, you’ll find a new fire and passion kindling in your heart!  You’ll begin to agree with Charles Spurgeon who said: “If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies.  And if they perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees…let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”

 "Could a mariner sit idle if he heard a drowning cry?
Could a doctor sit in comfort and just let his patients die?
Could a fireman sit idle, let men burn and give no hand?
Can you sit at ease in Zion with the world around you damned?"
 - Leonard Ravenhill -

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On Diapers and Good Deeds

                                                                                                   
It always amazes me how many diapers we go through each month with our baby.  Thankfully though, we’ve been through this routine before and I know that one day he’ll grow out of them.  He’ll go on to maturity: he’ll start to feed himself, dress himself and make his own bed (well…maybe not that one!) and eventually make it through school.  His growth won’t be easy though – it will require some work and training: potty training, piano lessons, homework, chores…but it’s our prayer that one day he’ll be both mature and fruitful in life.

It also amazes me how many Christians pay little attention to their growth in godliness.  In my last post (WWJD: What Would Jordan Do?) I talked about the importance of practicing the spiritual disciplines that Jesus did.  However, talking about “disciplines” may make some uncomfortable.  Since the Reformation, it seems, many of us have a fear of “good works.”  However, I believe one of the biggest lies of the devil is that any emphasis on deeds or works immediately means legalism.  Some might say: “We’re saved by grace, we don’t need to focus on works!”  Unfortunately, that is plain unscriptural!

Now obviously it’s true that we’re saved by grace alone – but that doesn’t negate the need for us, as believers, to emphasize good works.

I want to share with you a distinction that has helped me tremendously.  It’s the simple truth that there is a vast difference between one’s IDENTITY and their MATURITY. 

As a believer you can’t change your identity – you are IN CHRIST.  The moment you repented and turned to Jesus you became a child of God…works won't make you a Christian or make God love you more.  That’s your identity – you are a CHILD of God.  However, you can change your level of maturity.

A baby doesn’t work to be born….but to grow to maturity requires LOTS of work!

No matter how long my boys stay in their diapers, they’ll always be my kids…their “works” won’t change my love for them.  However, their “works” will change their maturity, their growth and their fruitfulness!  When my son is 18 and heading off to college, my guess is that he won’t take a box of diapers with him!

YOU ARE IN CHRIST...your works can’t add to your identity.  But the question is – are you going to be a BABY in Christ or an ADULT in Christ?  Are you going to go on to maturity, to fruitfulness?  If you are, that will take work!

That’s why the Scriptures are full of exhortations to “Grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 3:18) and to “make every effort” (2 Pet. 1:5, 15; 3:14; Heb 12:14, etc) and to “train yourself to be godly” (1 Tim 4:7,8)...and that believers are to “prove their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20 – heard a sermon on that one lately?).  And that’s why Jesus said “by your fruit you will recognize them” (Mt 7:20) and why he declares over and over in Revelation “I know your deeds!” (not just “I know your intentions!” – see Rev 2:2,19,23; 3:1,8,15). 

Your deeds – your works, growth and fruitfulness – are of extreme importance both here on earth as well as on judgment day!  (See Rev 22:12 and 1 Cor 3:11-15).

Martin Luther himself, in his treatise on “Christian Freedom” said, of course, that Christians are “justified by faith,” yet he also was emphatic that while still on this earth the believer must:

“give heed to exercise his body by fastings, watchings, labour, and other regular discipline, so that it may be subdued to the spirit, and obey and conform itself to the inner man and faith…True then, are these two sayings: ‘Good works do not make a good man, but a good man does good works’” (Martin Luther – Concerning Christian Liberty ).

That’s why spiritual disciplines are so important – like a child learning practicing piano, or a basketball player doing training – disciplines and good works help us grow in spirit and have a positive impact on the world around us.

Works won’t save you.  But they’ll sure help you get out of your diapers and make a difference for Christ!

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     Recommended Resources:

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• The Life You've Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People - book by John Ortberg
• How does the Disciple Live? - article by Dallas Willard

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