Sanctification

No one told me when I when I decided to follow Christ how hard it would be. 

I’ve been an attempted follower now for 13 years, and it doesn’t seem to get any easier. 

So far in my walk, I’ve realized that I am unloving, uncompassionate, selfish, inconsiderate, 

judging, deceptive, and realizing how horrible my heart seems to be.

I find the process of sanctification very interesting. It's not a good sermon, It's not a really good book.

What it has seemed to be in my life is failure. It's the times when I really screw up. The times when I look back,

and say to myself "what was I thinking?". Those are the times when the real me comes out.

However, the greatest part about our Jesus is that is when I feel Him the most. In the midst of humility. He loves

to show up there. We see in Jesus greatest act of humility, His death on a cross for us, that we see Joy come out of that.

It is after these moments of forced humility or self-humility that true sanctification begins, I believe. I believe that is Christ's

goal in us. When we are willing to admit where we really are, that growth from Him can happen.

Is this how santification is supposed work though, through failure? Paul says to the Corinthian church: "But

this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from

such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us." Of course he is talking about an actual physical situation, but it

applies to our spiritual life as well. If that means we have to go through some suffering or see the nastiness of our

heart, so be it. Isn't our ultimate goal to be like Jesus? Well, that's gonna take some serious failure in my life.

I mean, a lot...

Bring on the pain?

That's enough for now...

New Blog Site

My new blog has moved to my other site: www.ryanwadams.com.

Thorns in the Flesh

You have thorns. I have thorns. We all have thorns.

In 2 Corinthians 12: 6-10, the Apostle Paul tells of a thorn was in his flesh. Many theologians of our day have made the assumption that the thorn in the flesh which Paul testified of, was likely some physical ailment. Possibly stuttering speech, or bad eye sight. Many others make the proposition that we can't really know from the scriptures what the thorn in the flesh was. It really doesn't matter what the thorn was though. Paul spoke more about his heavenly visions in this passage anyway. However, we do know that the thorn in the flesh was in effect, Satan's messenger. (vs. 7)

Another interesting point is that the thorn was divinely purposed by God as similar in Job. (Job 2:1-10, 2 Corinthians 12)

And lastly, God did not remove the thorn from Job as he requested not once, but three times (there was a purpose God did not remove this). 

So, what is the point of this passage...

For me, here it is:  We have various things, sufferings, pains, afflictions in our lives. Some are thorns, some are things we allow. I wonder if God has given every Christian some sort of "thorn in there flesh"? I'm not sure what things in my life are "thorns" in which God has given me. But I challenge you with something I challenge myself with. This thorn, may be the thing you think has kept you from a ministry is the key to your ministry. This one thing you have wanted most to be rid of, God wants you to have. Why? So that he gets the glory.

The one thing that I've realized most about our walk with Christ is this. God always works in humble men and exalts Himself in them. God is not in the business of glorifying men, but in bringing glory to Himself as He works through those who are weak and foolish (people like me). If we would be in harmony with God and His way of working on the earth, then we must acknowledge our weakness, our ignorance, our foolishness, and cling to Him for power, wisdom, and grace. Paul realizes that boasting is not the answer to walking with Jesus. We all have things we are good at, we excel in, we are confident in. It may be in those areas that we know we are not good, that God will continue to let sit, so that he gets the glory. 

It reminds me of an old hymn that Derek Webb rewrote:

No More My God, I boast no more
Of all the duties I have done
I quit the hopes I held before,

To trust the merits of Thy Son

No more my God

No more my God

No more my God

I boast no more

Now, for the loss I bear his name,
What was my gain I count my loss
My former pride I call my shame
And nail my glory to His cross

Yes, and I must, I will esteem
All things but loss for Jesus' sake
O may my soul be found in Him
And of His righteousness partake
Amen, amen

The best obedience of my hands
Dares not appear before Thy throne
But faith can answer Thy demands

By pleading what my Lord has done my God

A Few of MY Favorite Things

I'd like to write down some of my favorite things (in random order): (corrie gave me the idea)

1. Life in Colorado - no humidity, great weather, great views. 

2. A cup of coffee on a cold morning.

3. A deer stand

4. Riding a motorcycle on a warm evening.

5. Playing in the water with Sadie.

6. The Va.

7. Hanging with YL kids. 

8. Seeing a YL kid begin to truly follow Christ.

9. Crooked Creek Ranch.

10. Spontaneous Events with Corrie.

11. Lawnchairs on a cool evening.

12. Pickin the 6 String.

13. Reading books at the beach.

14. Surfing.

15. Watching Washington Redskins Football with an amazing lunch.

16. Pick Up B-Ball Games

17. Watching ESPN in the morning.

18. Good times with Jesus.

19. Traveling to beautiful places.

20. My church.

21. Good music.

22. Taking a cool picture.

23. Hanging with good friends, doing stupid stuff.

24. Apple 

25. Mema's Sweet Tea

26. Mama's Fried Chicken

27. A Moore's Hot Dog

28. Eating all fruit.

29. Linus. 

30. Golfing in beautiful places.

31. Catching a trout while fly fishing

32. Shooting a deer.

33. Movies. Weird ones, and common ones.

34. A starry night.

35. Hearing Corrie laugh.

36. I love life.

The New 3G iPhone

Unbelievable! The new iPhone 3G came out and it looks amazing! To see all the changes that have been done, visit www.apple.com/iphone. However here are my pro's and con's (not many con's):

Pro's (in order):

- Price - $199 or $299 (that's a $200 saver)

- 3G 36% faster than any phone out there on the 3G network 

- Battery Life - it's double the battery life than the original iPhone in all categories

- Look/Design - Black or white back (plastic, which makes it lightier and not as possible to get scratched, new earphone design (fits more earphones besides apple's)

- GPS - enough said.

- Lots of applications from eBay, MLB, Google, and so many more...it has endless possiblities.

Con's (in order):

- Available July 11th - they're sold out of the original, and now you can't get one until July 11th.

- Was hoping for a 32 GB version.

All in all. Everyone has a reason to get one. They're so stinkin affordable now. It has GPS, 3G, best battery life out there for this type of thing. It's well worth $700 with all the features: iPod, GPS, Email, Phone, Video Player. 

I'm amazed. Way to go Jobs...again.

P.S. Also be sure to check out MobileMe (the new .Mac from Apple)

Making Myself Nothing

So I was spending time with Jesus this morning. Normally I come out of my time with Jesus extremely lifted up, encouraged, pumped, "on-fire"; however, this morning I came out completely pathetic. Why? Well, taking a look at this life I am living and what I have to offer and what I have to bring to the table is merely embarrassing. By table, I mean...works. It seems like I try to "work" my butt off, and it merely does nothing. 

Realizing that is exactly where I am supposed to be. To know that I really don't have anything to bring to the table...I have nothing. So if I have nothing, why do I act like I have something. Why do I act like I have something to offer? I wake up everyday, and in my mind I feel like "I" can do something to really make a difference. I feel like "I" really can fix a problem that I am dealing with. I feel like "I" really have the amazing genius answer to a contemplative question. Well the reality is that I don't. I don't have anything to offer. Yes, I know, I know, it sounds like I am giving you this "poor Ryan speech". It's really not that. It's really just me trying to be real about where I am at. 

I believe in humility. I believe it is humility that makes our walk grow further with Christ. I believe humility is where Christ wants us to be at. In fact it is Philippians 2 that we find that Christ was the example of humility. "But in humility, count others more significant than yourselves..." We can ignore that verse everyday. The fact is that is where Christ wants us at, absolute total humility. The idea that someone else, in fact everyone else is more important than yourself, it's hard to live out. In all honesty, there are people that I simply do not want to do this for. This makes me a hypocrite. "Follow Christ, but not all of it". Is that what I am saying? Sadly, yes it is. My challenge is Follow Christ completely, or don't follow at all. This is not to say that I won't fail, that my flesh won't take over. What I am saying is that it is our goal as follower of Christ, to strive as in Matthew 5:48 to be perfect. We will never obtain perfection until heaven, but we don't give up on it here on earth.

Live in humility friends. Count other interests, more significant than your own. Live as Christ lived. "...but made himself NOTHING, 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."

Live in humility. You are nothing. I am nothing, without Him.

Here's a song that capture's that: Bebo Norman - Nothing Without You

The Mighty Aslan

So I went to the movie theatre this weekend to watch the 2nd installment of "The Chronicles of Narnia". Here's just a couple of the highlights that were great analogies of our walk with Christ. I did have my girlfriend Corrie, right by my side to help me some of these I didn't realize.

Of all the my favorite lines in the movie, one was in particular. (If you haven't seen the movie or read the books you may not want to read this...I spoil it) Let me set it up for you: Throughout the movie, the Narnian's (which may represent God's chosen people, the Israelites) are fighting against a group of people called the Telmarines (which I think seem to be similar to the Egyptians you find in Exodus). This group of people basically want to rid the world of the Narnian's. They fight back. Which is great for you action-prone men that need that like I do. Throughout the movie though, Aslan (representing Jesus) is no where to be found. Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy are looking for him constantly. Lucy thinks she sees him in the beginning, but most people doubt her. She is confident though. After a while, she kinda gives up. When all hell breaks loose, she comes to her senses and decides to go find Aslan. She goes on this search and the great part is she does find Him.

My favorite line in the book/movie was this: After finding Aslan she says, "I thought it was you the whole time, I just knew it!" Aslan then says, "Then why didn't you just come to me." She responds with, "Well, I didn't want to come alone." Aslan says, "You can always come alone."

What a great meaning to the story! How many times in our lives do we feel intimidated to come to Jesus for whatever reason we make up in our silly heads. Christ always has the same calling, "You can always come alone." We don't need to fix ourselves, we don't need to be afraid, we just need to go. Then we can rest in the Savior's care. Isn't it a great feeling to rest and to be protected by the great Lion, Aslan?

Last line from the movie I want to share with you. Still wanting to find Aslan, Lucy and Susan are having a talk and wondering why Aslan has yet to come. Susan says, "We just need Him to prove that He's still there." Lucy (who is now my fav) says, "Maybe, He just wants us to prove we still believe." That's a great thought. Are we proving everyday that we still believe? Or are we waiting for Him to do something?

Another spoiler alert...The great part about the ending, just like He did to the Egyptians, he washed them away while splitting the sea in two....wow.

Catch you later...

Being Perfect

So here's a great mid-day, mid-week thinking question for you:

Matthew 5:28 says: "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Wow. Yes, wow.

So being perfect is a command given by Jesus. Are you perfect? Have you met anyone perfect before? So you agree, this is an unattainable goal. Then why is it in the Bible. Does it mean that we will never live to be what we are supposed to be?

Well, I went a little further into this verse. The word "perfect" in this passage is from the greek word "teleioi", which denotes "end", "goal", "outcome". So the verse is not saying that this perfection is a must although the word is actually a command in the Greek. The word is a outcome at some point of a goal. My translation is that we as Christians are to have a goal to be perfect, which we all know will only come when evil is vanquished and kingdom of God has come (when Christ returns). However you interpret this perfection, the bottom-line is that this is a demand for perfection (although we are not), and our goal is to be perfect.

It seems this day and age in the church, we settle for imperfection. We realize we have issues and that will never change, and we will never be like Christ. So why try for something we know we are going to fail at. Most people never deal with themselves because they know they are not perfect. I know I'm not perfect, nor ever will be. However, you or I cannot fall into this feeling that I cannot attempt to be perfect. 

This may not make sense to you, but I  hope it does. I am not saying you or I will ever be perfect. I am saying that this verse DEMANDS that we try, but yet knowing we are going to fail. I hope that also doesn't take the motivation out of it for you or I. The great part is that in the eyes of God, we are perfect, due to the fact that when God our Father looks at us, he sees Jesus. It is through the perfect blood of Christ that our sin is perfected into forgiveness and cleanliness from God.

Chew on that.

Dark Joy

So I haven't posted on this website in a while. I typically use my own website, but this is way easier to blog on.

I've been reading through a book that a friend of mine suggested called, "Champagne for the Soul" by Mike Mason. Overall it is a great book. In the book he talks about how basically it is our responsibility as a believer to be joyful in ALL circumstances. He says, "I saw that if joy does not arise out of the midst of tragedy, it will not arise at all. Christian joy is rooted in darkness, chaos, meaningless, sorrow." What the heck is he talking about? Joy to me never seems dark, chaotic or sorrowful. It seems happy. But I guess, the main this is deciding what is happy and what is joy. To me, being happy is a feeling that you get when something great happens to you or you do something that brings the feeling of happiness.

I'm not a instinctually joyful person. I don't wake up in the morning with a smile on my face. This is one of the reasons I am trying to grow in this area of joy. More trying to investigate what it takes to be joyful. Not happy, but joyful. Brother Lawrence once said, "I do not know what God wishes to do with me; I am always very happy." What I want to know is what did Brother Lawrence drink, or what was he taking that made him so joyful. I want that. I definitely am not a happy person by nature. Some people are, and I am not. I go through weird states of depression sometimes. Not major depression. I don[t always have such an optimistic view of life always. By the way, this is me being vulnerable. 

In this book that I am reading Mr. Mason basically suggest that Jesus was our example of joy. It is through His death, that brought His joy, which is found in the resurrection. If it wasn't for the tragedy, the latter miracle would have never happened. Easter is a joyful celebration. Churches across the country fill up on Sunday's to celebrate the joy that came from the death. Good Friday isn't necessarily so good. Maybe that is why it is called Good Friday, because we all know that joy that comes on Sunday.

I'll keep you updated with what I'm learning through the book. Til next time...

Orphan Annie

I love the movie “Annie”. I love stories of rags to riches. I love the fact that a cute, yet unattractive (most because of her hair), freckled, young orphan is given an opportunity for a second life. Annie’s life, much like mine started off without hope. She was born into it. She didn’t have a choice. She was born as an orphan. She didn’t get to ask what she wanted for breakfast. She didn’t get to have a choice in her clothing. She couldn’t complain about her chores. She was forced to live a life that was not what she wanted, not what she was really born to do. Whether by accident, or by choice, this was the life that Annie began. Plagued by a mistake or accident, her life was made to be that of a orphan.

Going through life, it has always been hard for me to understand, what it really means to be an orphan spiritually. I’ve always had a hard time understanding some metaphors that God chooses to use in the Bible. One of them is that we are in essence...orphans. Yes, I am an Annie (I think that’s correct grammar). I am misfit. I know my life pretty well, and I would say, that yes I am a misfit. I am prone to make mistakes. Not just being clumsy, but big mistakes. I hurt people. I hurt myself. I screw up a lot of the time, and by a lot of the time...I mean a LOT of the time. I am sitting here right now thinking of all the people that are probably ticked off at me right now. I am not fit to really have any relationships with people. However, one day like Annie, God swooped down and rescued me. God, through Jesus, allowed me to learn and keep learning what a life as a true son is supposed to be. He began and continues teaching me things about myself that I never knew. When I mess up, he loves me. When I screw up, he loves me. He teaches me the definition of unconditional love. Love that doesn’t care where you came from, or how you got there. Love that doesn’t end. Even though it’s real, this really is a hard theology to understand and really feel.

Since I can remember (which might be about 3 or 4...i am a late learner at everything), I have never know what it is like to have a dad. When you grow up without a dad as guy, it does something special to you. By special, I don’t mean a “spectacular special”. I mean it does something to you, that guys with Dads’ don’t get to experience. You grow up with a sense of wanting to belong. Wanting to be part of a legacy, or something bigger than just you. When I was a kid, I remember going to my 2nd grade class. It was a Friday. This was a sunny day that I recall. Recess had just let out and I had whipped up on some kids in dodgeball. As soon as we came in from recess, our teacher had a laid a piece of red construction paper on our desk. She then said, “Class, it’s time for you to write a Father’s Day card to all of your daddy’s.” Maybe for the first time, and I am not sure if this was the first time, I remember realizing that there was a major difference between everyone else in the class and me. I didn’t have a father. So what was I going to write? I thought about making up something, so I didn’t look different. I started to peak at what other kids were writing. Things like “You’re the best dad ever!”, or “I am so glad you’re my dad”. These were some of the wonderful things that kids were saying. Instead, on the inside of my card, I remember writing, “I don’t have a dad.” I turned that in to my teacher. She never said anything to me after that concerning my dad. Maybe she didn’t know how to deal with a kid without a dad. I know they’re a lot kids now like me. However, at the time, I didn’t think so.

I walked away that day with one feeling in my mind. I was an orphan. I was missing out. I didn’t have dad to come to football and basketball games. I didn’t have a dad on Father’s day, and I didn’t have a dad that loved me. I won’t continue this sappy story any further. I want you to know what is the best part for me about not having a father. The great part about growing up without a father, is that I knew the feeling of what it felt like to not belong. The feelings of wanting someone as a male figure to love you and care for you.

Why do I tell you this? I tell you this because I won’t you to understand what being a spiritual orphan is. We were created for a better life than an orphan. Unfortunately, we are born as a orphan. We are enslaved under sin and all the failures and problems that sin brings into our life much like being an orphan. Our destiny is live and die as an orphan. However my Father is not like my father. My Father, My God, came down to where I was, and continues to do this everyday, and tells me that He loves me. He is watching me in all that I do. I can experience in a way that some can’t what it means to be an adoptive son, as Paul calls it. Romans 8:23 says: “Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

God chooses to adopt us. Obviously, by doing this, we are not to live as orphans, but as adopted sons. To experience the full understanding and feelings of a son. Living like this is the hard part...