Nothin' But the Blood of Jesus

As of this current season I am a fan of The Biggest Loser. For obvious reasons the show's name inspires plenty of jokes but it also inspires people. It inspires people to take care of their bodies and to fight for their health. However, every week as I sit and watch this show I am aware that there is one area where the show goes wrong. For many of the contestants weight gain and compulsive eating have stolen their lives, and where the show does address the emotional reasons behind such behavior, it also inspires contestants to believe that all they need to do to get their lives back is to find themselves and lose those extra pounds. Week after week contestants announce things such as "This opportunity has given me everything I need." And week after week I hear these comments and am saddened by them. The truth is that whether your an ideal 140 pounds or an obese 250 your identity must be founded on something that is certain for it to stand the test of time. Confidence that cannot be shaken, integrity that will not be compromised, identity that never changes, and freedom from fear are all things that must be grounded in a reality that is bigger than ourselves. Sheer will power is not enough to silence the voice of a pessimistic critical culture, internal voices of doubt, shame, and critique, or the reality of darkness in ourselves. However, these things can be silenced by the reality that you are a treasured creation of the most high God, one who He loves so much that He sacrificed His son on your behalf. The blood of Jesus spilt on the cross stands as an eternal testament to the love of God. It is the declaration through out all the universe that you are His, that He loves you, and that He will go to any length to reclaim relationship with you. Through this redeemed relationship God in His goodness offers us "life to the full". The Bible says that Jesus came that "you may have life and life abundant". It says that "those who are in Christ are a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come!" It says that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!" And it also says that there is no other way to the Father but through Jesus. We are eager to believe in avenues that allow us to put faith in our ability, understanding, and self importance. We love the idea that we can free ourselves from bondage, addiction, depression, obsession, oppression, etc.; but the truth is that each of these problems exists within each of us as a result of sin. We cannot cure what we contribute to. There is hope, but it is not found in finding or focusing on ourselves, it is found in the blood of Jesus which purifies us and gives us an eternal identity as holy and blameless. I respect and enjoy what is being done on The Biggest Loser; but weight loss, exercise, and support, though important, are not the keys to peace, confidence, and contentment. These can only be attained through relationship with the God that we were made to love.

A Place of Promise

Exile is not a word that we use a lot but do you ever feel like your in exile? Like you're in the place you never wanted to be or perhaps you are where you thought you wanted to be only to discover that it is not the perfect fit that you imagined? The sense that we are where we don't belong is a response to the fact that as believers in Christ that is our reality, we are in exile. We were not meant for this world of brokenness but we find ourselves in it surrounded by work places and cultures where brokenness takes on different forms. Each city, state, and country presents problems and evidences of lostness and each of them call for a response from us as the beloved of God. For the last two years I have made the mistake of being future minded. I have been living in one city mindful of the fact that I was leaving "soon" to make a home in another. By the time I do in fact leave this city I will have been here for two years, through most of which I was too distracted by the thought of leaving to invest in where I have actually been. In my last 6 months here I pray that the Lord uses me to do the good works which He has prepared for me to do in this city, looking back I wish that I had been faithful to this mission all along. Exile is not an excuse to not invest, because exile is not an accident on God's part. In a spiritual sense we are to anticipate being with the Lord while being fully invested in this life. In a physical sense we are to be active where the Lord has placed us knowing that we have been placed with purpose. Though we are to wait on the Lord and anticipate His direction, we are not to be idly awaiting new marching orders. We are not to be in a state of waiting for our lives to begin. Wherever you are in this present moment and this present place you have a purpose. He may be preparing you for a change but still He has something for you and for you to give where you are now. Jeremiah 29:7 says this, "But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare." The Lord's role in this verse is not passive. It says that He actively sent them into exile. While that is difficult, it is also encouraging. We are not where we are or as we are by accident. A second comfort found in this verse is that our welfare is never beyond the Lord's sight. We are in exile but if we seek the welfare of where the Lord has put us we will find our own welfare as well. God in his goodness has orchestrated all that He wills to do through your life and in your life with what is best for you. Further down in this same passage is Jeremiah 29:11 which says,"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a hope and a future." We can live in the present seeking the welfare of the place we have been put, knowing that God almighty is building our future. When we realize and believe this truth exile ceases to be a place of emptiness and becomes a place of promise.