The Longing of God

Looking across the sky often causes my mind to wonder.  As the sun is setting and the brilliant display of so many colors cascade across the evening sky, I am amazed at the handiwork of God.  His power is unmatched and his ability is without measure.  He speaks and matter is created in perfect order.  And in the moments I slow down enough to notice and worship, He hears the words I pray.  It is truly the grand displays of God’s majesty that make his nearness even more surprising and magnificent.  The God who speaks, creates, and knows no limit bends to hear the voice of one of His creation.

Exodus 33 recounts a time when Moses needed the ear of God.  After spending forty days and nights with God on Mount Sinai, he discovered the unfaithfulness of the Israelite people.  God was establishing a law, a way for his people to relate to Him and one another.  The holy God was fulfilling what He promised, “I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God.  And they shall know that I am the Lord their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them.  I am the Lord their God” (Exodus 29:45-46).  Exodus 33:9 recounts times when Moses would enter the Tent of Meeting set on the outskirts of the Israelite camp.  As he walked in, the pillar of cloud – the presence of God – would descend to meet with him.  “Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Exodus 33:11).  Not only did God speak to Moses but promised His presence would go with him and the people…and He would give them rest (33:14).

The story of God is filled with such moments.  From the beginning, humanity has been given the choice to love God, follow Him, and experience His unending presence and rest.  He has always given clarity to the way in which a man should go to have abundant life.  Yet, we have always rebelled.   And despising the shame, God has always pursued his rebellious people.  Beginning in Eden, God restored Adam and Eve providing covering and forgiveness.  He made a covenant with Abraham establishing a great nation whose purpose was to draw the world to see the One True God!  He rescued from Egypt, gave them a good land to dwell within and influence the nations.  Throughout faithless generations, God remained faithful, long-suffering, patient, and ready to restore, forgive, and bless.

At the culmination of the story, God became flesh and literally dwelt among us (John 1:14).  Jesus “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking on the from of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).  Jesus entered into the world and was rightfully called, Immanuel -God with us!”  And the rest of the story is increasingly more amazing.  After Jesus was raised from the dead, He ascended to the Father and sent His Spirit.  “Or do you not know that your body is the a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?  You are not your own…” (1 Corinthians 6:19).  God, through the death of His Son, made a way for His presence to be with us forever, the indwelling of His Spirit.

The Almighty Creator of the Universe who paints galaxies and speaks matter into existence, the Eternal One who orders life, calms storms, and has no needs chose to pursue you, me and all of humanity.  He longs to be with you.  He doesn’t need you but wants you.  He is still holy, righteous, always good, and to be feared.  And somehow, He also allows His people to affectionally call Him Father, Daddy, and Friend.

Moses would have many good days and difficult days the remainder of his life.  Some of the challenges he faced resulted from his own wrong decisions.  After guiding God’s people through the desert for forty years anxiously anticipating a promised good land, Moses would not be able to enter.  But the land was only a blessing.  God longed for the hearts of the people, He longed for Moses.  He longs for you and me.  We too will have good and difficult days ahead.  And we too might fail to see a dream fulfilled.  But in abiding in Jesus, we discover we have all we truly need…and we remember that it has been His story all along.

Be encouraged today to find rest in the presence of God.  He longs to give abundant life through His abiding presence.  Abide in Him…He is longing to hear from you and He bends his hear to listen.  He is longing to speak…open His word and listen.

Winter in Houston is the best (and only) time of year to open the sunroof and enjoy a cool breeze.  The sunroof in our SUV tends to impress my children.  This magical window opens oddly and then part of the protective roof above them peels away to reveal clouds and an amazing winter sky.  And for whatever reason, it also tends to attract their fingerprints.  Honestly, every window in just about every car that carries children is frosted with smeared oily prints of little ones making their messy mark.  Typically, those prints drive me crazy and I crave that moment right after cleaning the car thoroughly that offers transparency rarely experienced in the Allen vehicles.  Call it OCD, but a clean car just makes the world seem a little more in order.

Climbing in last week and hurriedly pulling out of the driveway, I looked up and noticed the presence of those pesky invaders blocking the serene view I longed for.  I’m not talking about my children, but instead, their fingerprints.  And then, as if the Lord pressed hard on my chest, it hit me…one day I will have a printless car.  One day in the not-too-distant future, the windows will be spotless, the stains missing, the radio playing whatever I would like, and the background noise will simply be other cars passing by.  No longer will cheers and wondrous laughter erupt as I open that odd window above.  They will be gone.  My heart sank and I began to realize that these little prints are actually markers of three of the greatest blessings in my life.  As every day passes, I realize that I don’t get to keep them that long.  Eighteen years goes so quickly.

Later that evening, the thoughts of my heart came full circle as I realized the brevity of their fingerprints and connected it to the brevity of my own prints in their lives.  As each sun sets and my wife and I tuck our kids into bed, another opportunity to leave our prints passes.  When each one exits our home, they will leave intentionally and unintentionally imprinted by our lives, our words, our example, our love, and our faith.

In some homes, kids will leave expert hunters, or go on to play collegiate sports.  Others will leave with a strong work ethic and plow ahead in life.  Others will be imprinted with so much fun having traveled to many places and seen amazing things.  All of our kids will see our habits and priorities and begin to form their own for good and bad.  Hard questions began to fill my mind…

What will mine leave with?

What will they remember their dad was like?  How would they describe me?

How has my example tainted their view of their perfect heavenly Father?

Have I modeled the love of Jesus to their mom and have they truly felt it themselves?

Have I been quick to say I’m sorry and quick to forgive?

Have I equipped them to love God with all they are and abide in Jesus daily?

Have I taught them what really matters?

It is so easy to let another night or another week go without having conversations about Jesus.  But we only have their fingerprints for so long.  There are only so many days left to intentionally impress them with our prints of faith that will guide them the rest of their days.  Today truly matters.  What prints will you leave?

For encouragement, read Psalm 78.

Daniel was removed from everything he knew as a young man.  Carried off into slavery, his life would be spent in a foreign land serving kings who did not share his worldview or beliefs.  In this foreign land, he and three close friends would face their own mortality on numerous occasions as they sought to remain firm to the truth.

The first challenge was subtle but Daniel faithfully chose not to turn his foot to the left or right, but consider the path of his feet (Proverbs 4:26-27).  His faithful commitment to honoring God in something so simple as his diet paved the way for what lay ahead.  God granted Daniel favor with those in authority over him. Not many days ahead, he would have to trust the same God to provide for His very life.

Such a story begs the initial question, “Do I consider my path in the simple, seemingly small steps?”  I vividly remembering flailing face-first toward a sidewalk one early morning running.  One moment I was beginning to hit my stride and the next, I found myself painfully limping home.  A simple uneven step where the drain met the sidewalk propelled me to a few weeks on crutches and embarrassment. I have learned to appreciate the simple steps.  When we cease to consider that every step we take has direct consequences, we fail to see life as a story and live from event to event.  Every step matters.

The story of Daniel continues when the King makes an absurd request of those in his service.  Troubled by a significant dream, he asks his “wise men” to not only interpret but reveal the dream as well.  Failure to do so resulted in the immediate death of every man tasked with the impossible request.  Near to death, Daniel seeks out his companions to join him in prayer.  God reveals the dream and everything changes.  The rest of the story is found in the book of Daniel, chapter 2.  For Daniel, something drastic happens which was even greater than God sparing his life.  His perspective changed forever.  He recorded these words in a prayer of blessing to God:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.  He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings…”   Daniel 2:20-21.  In those moments, Daniel confessed truth; God is sovereign.  Those who appeared to possess so much power were unknowing steward of the One who can sift their hearts like streams of water.  This perspective guided Daniel for the rest of his life.

Perspective matters.  When we choose to trust God in the small simple steps, we learn we can trust Him in the life-altering ones.  What decisions are you making today?  Are you looking at them through an eternal perspective?  The right thing is always the smart thing…according to God’s wisdom.  When we choose to live in the shadow of the Sovereign God, our perspective leads to joy, peace, and freedom because of the One who is truly in control.

Dear Kingsland Family,

Seven years ago, Jessie and I were sitting in our apartment in Atlanta, GA reading about a church that had called and set up an interview with us.  That church was Kingsland and as we read about it, we were so impressed.  I remember looking at Jessie and saying, “If this church really practices what they believe, this is a unique and amazing place.”  We would soon find that they did.  We knew God was taking us somewhere special but had no idea how much we would fall in love with this body of believers.

For the past seven years, we have had the incredible privilege to be a part of this amazing church.  The blessing you have been to our family has been profound and immeasurable.  You have poured your lives into Jessie, myself and our three kids.  When we moved here, we only had one little one.  And now our youngest of three kids is almost four.  Two have placed their faith in Christ and so many of you have made such an impact and difference in their lives.  Really, in all of our lives.  And so, it is with a very heavy heart that I am resigning from Kingsland.

The Lord has called us to another place of ministry.  And I want you to know that I don’t use that phrase lightly.  We have struggled and agonized over this decision.  We’ve sought godly counsel and gone back to the Lord time and again asking for clarity, peace and His clear will.  And he has given that clarity but in a different way than we thought.  So, we will choose to be obedient to His leading.  It has always been and will always be His story.

We have been called to Bay Area First Baptist Church in League City.  My role there will have three major functions, Executive, Spiritual Formation, and Teaching.  I will have the opportunity to invest in leadership, discipleship, connecting church and home and preach regularly.  We are excited for what the Lord has and yet our hearts are heavy.  We are very thankful for the opportunity to remember that this is God’s story and not ours.  He is always faithful and He has purpose in all that He does.

Though the timing is difficult and honestly, I don’t understand the details of God moving us now, I do know that He is leading.  I believe that Kingsland has amazing days ahead of her.  If I could in any way be encouraging, remember who you are as the bride of Christ.  Jesus gave His life for His Church and He is still preparing for the time He will come again to come for us, His bride.  His love is relentless and His passion for you, His people, is unfading.  He is the Good Shepherd.

Partnering in ministry these past seven years has been an amazing adventure.  Whether in our ABFs, whom I have known best, or in our preschool, children and student ministries, God has raised up amazing men and women to lead and make a difference for His Kingdom.  It has been a privilege to walk alongside men’s and women’s ministries in the past, our door greeters, welcome teams, ushers, and so many more.  God has blessed Kingsland through your faithful service and love for Him.  Lives have been changed because of God working through you and using you and He will continue to use you for His Kingdom.

Through this time of change at Kingsland, stand firm and remember Who you serve.  Continue to fight the good fight of our faith.  Be encouraged to lead with excellence, especially now.  Pray with fervency, love each other well and forgive one another quickly.  Kingsland’s past has moments of trial not unlike the one we find ourselves in now.  But, it is through the faithfulness of you, the men and women, students and children who choose to love God and love others that He will use to walk Kingsland through this valley to the great days He has planned ahead.  Stand firm.  Or as the Lord told Joshua, “Be strong and courageous!”

Parents and Grandparents, continue discipling the next generation.  Continue turning the tide of our culture one home at a time.  Fight for your kids the fight that matters and leave them with the one thing that changes everything – a thriving relationship with Jesus Christ.

I would love to conclude with a prayer.  This is our prayer for Kingsland:

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:9-14, ESV)

We are forever grateful for the blessing you have been to our family.  We love you deeply.

Josh & Jessie

 

What kind of man can simply walk into the life of another and so profoundly make an impression, he would drop all and follow?  What kind of man can change the heart of another through simple statements with life-altering consequences?

Each time I read through the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, I am amazed at the simplicity yet life-changing call on His followers.  John 1 records Jesus’ call on Andrew, Peter and Nathanael.  How could such men so easily follow a Rabbi they knew so little of? How could He evoke such emotion that Nathanael calls Him the Son of God and King of Israel?  While the Jewish people were certainly looking for Messiah, they weren’t looking for Jesus.  A man of usual appearance from a county town in Galilee, Jesus didn’t have a Rabbinical pedigree.  Yet, he had been amazing the teachers of the law since He was a teenager.

Jesus was, is and will always be an enigma.  His very name can polarize close friends.  Even voiced in vain, it carries such power and emotion.  Jesus befriended those without hope.  He called those who were humble, arrogant, weak and strong.  Jesus’ inner circle listed a zealot, tax collector, orthodox Jews, possible Essenes and many more.  This motley crew lacked any formal eduction or unifying political bent.  From their various walks of life, they discovered One worth following.  Their own religious leaders would go to great lengths to challenge their Rabbi, calling to question every claim.  Jesus’ answers would soon stun crowds and send the scribes away angry, scratching their heads in disbelief.  He would speak with such authority.  Jesus was not what anyone expected, but somehow He was exactly what everyone needed.  He still is.

John 1:11 states, “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.  But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”  I would contend Jesus is the One worth following because He came.  God coming to earth for the restoration of humanity reveals His character and heart unlike anything else.  So many believe in a distant deity while worshipping their own lives.  So many Christians disconnect life from faith and compartmentalize Jesus, fitting Him into the appropriate box of their lives.  In the simple act of coming, Jesus spoke countless words of compassion, love and grace.  He was and is and will always be Holy.  Yet, He humbled Himself, knowing the pain and rejection He would endure.  He came knowing the relentless questioning He would face.  He came knowing those closest to Him would deny Him at the point of His greatest need.  He came knowing He would be born in a feeding trough in some distant cave in a remote town called Bethlehem.  He came knowing He would be misunderstood His entire life.

He still came.  He still came and He gave the right to those who believed in His name to become children of God.  As I sit and write these words at my computer, I am dumbfounded that He came.  I am awed that He called people to follow.  I am astounded that He gave them a choice – that He gave me a choice.  Those early disciples encountered a man they could not help but follow.  Their words and actions speak volumes about the God who became a man and made a way for humanity to be reconciled to their Creator.  Today, I hope I can follow with the same wreckless abandon those early men displayed.  Oh that we would be so captivated with the call of our God, our Creator, that we would leave the cares of this world and follow well.  Of all that will distract my mind and heart today, there is only One worth following.