From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Mar 1 22:34:25 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2008 22:34:25 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Messages from God Message-ID: As I continue to research the mechanics of how God works in our lives, I read an article by David Coppedge who works at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The title of the article was, "The Teachable Moment". It believe it gives further insight those mechanics. He uses as an example a famous picture taken by the space probe Viking while it was passing over the Mars landscape in 1976. This picture shows what looks like a face carved into the rock. I must admit that the picture sure looks like a face to me. However, another picture taken by the Mars Orbiter in 2001 clearly shows that a better picture is worth a thousand words and the face is nothing more than a windswept mesa. The lesson, according to Coppedge and with which I agree, is that well-meaning Christians want and find physical evidence of God's finger carving out something of a message that is unmistakably directed at proving His existence when it's nothing of the sort. It is not that God could not or did not, in the past, do this very thing (the Ten Commandments, the pillars of fire and smoke leading Moses and the gang, etc.). It is, however, arguable that He controls universal forces, but does not send messages via the clouds or the the shapes in nature to tell us who He is. Jesus Christ is sufficient and should be the focus of our lives. "For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens, "I am the Lord, and there is none else." " Isaiah 45:18 The straining to see God in the physical is fruitless until He returns and we should focus on being prepared for that event instead of wondering if the pyramids of Giza were placed there by aliens. Coppedge says that God does have rule over nature and will engage in primary causation with special revelation, but we must also understand that, although he controls the wind and the wind carves something that looks supernatural, there is secondary causation that evokes natural revelation. We should be in awe of the wind, but understand that not all of its effects are a message from God. Allen From Wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Mar 2 22:37:15 2008 From: Wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2008 22:37:15 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Plot Devices Message-ID: <6173F11E-B5C3-4166-B263-BAD9C99FE1A6@clanwebb.com> There are levels of science fiction fandom. There are those that just want to see laser guns and explosions. There are those that prefer stories that dive deeper into analyzing the human condition and how our current society would evolve in the future. And, then, there are those looking for detailed science and technology descriptions based on only what we can theorize will be possible. They are looking for accuracy and believability. The classic example of something that wouldn't make it into hard sci-fi is faster-than-light propulsion. Using this plot device tends to be a strike against a story for the hard sci-fi fan as physics, as it is currently understood, states that it is impossible for anything, other than the possibility of some sub-atomic particles, to travel faster than the speed of light. Now, even good, hard sci-fi will include galactic phenomenon or alien species, from time to time, for the heroes to deal with. It's ironic to me, because the heroes and the villains or dangerous phenomenon always seem to be almost equally matched. Even when the heroes seem to be the underdogs, they are still close enough to have a shot at victory. This is ironic because, in a universe without God, the odds of that are extremely long. It is much more likely that such an encounter would be more like a single amoeba versus an elephant. It would be effectively impossible for the underdog to compete. This reveals the natural arrogance of mankind, however. We feel that we are so great that we can compete with anything. One man may not be able to defeat an incoming asteroid, but mankind can. One man may not be able to create or destroy a sun, but mankind can. You see this same assumption in the discussion of global warming. All of those arguments start with the idea that mankind can actually affect the environment so much that we can break it. "for he [The Lord] knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more." Psalm 103:14-16 "Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." James 4:13-14 "But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?' " Romans 9:20 The fact is that God is all-powerful and greater than anything we can even imagine. We, on the other hand, are not. I'm still a fan of all levels of sci-fi, but I continually have to suspend disbelief when the storylines clearly contradict the universal truths of God. Don't mistake the plot device for truth. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Mar 3 21:55:13 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2008 21:55:13 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Come Back Message-ID: We hear a lot about change in this election cycle. Politicians love the word because it sets them apart from the rest of the pack. It is a shallow idea, in their case, because it merely means that the change is that someone else (namely, the politician in question) should be in office. This change may very well be brought about by young, educated people in college or fresh out of it. They do not realize that they are a product of what appeared to be, at the time, a progressive move to change which was shallow in appearance, but turned out to be profound. Like the slow dripping of melting water from an icicle that eventually turns into a flooding river, the university system started in this country to educate a population that lagged behind the rest of the world. It has now grown to thousands of colleges and universities with millions of teachers and more millions of students. It has now reached a point that those universities will have tremendous control over the shape of our society. In the beginning, a student could be sure of two things that started with the McGuffey Readers and a stringent code of conduct: First, seventy percent of a student's coursework would contain a Christian world view. Second, a student would be held to a high standard of moral conduct. Then, in the 1930s, change was introduced and mind was replaced by brain and moral conduct gave way to personal freedom. In 1855, 25 percent of all graduates from Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth, and Columbia became ministers. The exchange of mind for brain has now evolved so far those original Christian values have been relegated to a sideshow to be mocked at, not revered. I agree that the country needs change, but it is of the mind and of the heart. Just as the children of Israel were told in the second presentation of the law, "Come back." This country should come back, too. "and you return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons," Deuteronomy 30:2 "The failure to rally around a set of values means our universities are turning out potentially highly skilled barbarians." Franklin D. Roosevelt I'll bet you won't hear THAT quote on the campaign trail. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Mar 4 22:27:08 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2008 22:27:08 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Clear Cut Belief Message-ID: Many people in this country and around the world were mortified when President Reagan called the Soviet Union an evil empire. They called him simplistic and un-nuanced. They said he didn't understand the shades of gray. The Soviets cringed at being recognized for what they were. Now, this was a dramatically different attitude towards the USSR than President Carter had portrayed when he said that Americans had an inordinate fear of communism. If you parse all of the words spoken during those years you'll find that President Reagan called it like he saw it. You were either for freedom or against it, for free economies or planned economies, for freedom of speech or suppression of speech. It was clear cut. The world hates viewpoints like that because there's no wiggle room to have it both ways. If they described the Soviet Union as some kind of neutral gray entity, we could both hate it and admire it. If you clearly mark it as evil, though, you have to admit the evil in your own heart when you lean towards similar practices. Trying to classify the world in shades of gray is really about ignoring the evil in one's own heart. John made the same point about belief in God. There is no middle ground: "Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." 1 John 5:10-12 That's clear cut. God has declared that eternal life is found in the Son. If you have Christ, you have life. If you don't, you're out. Oh, and if you don't believe that, you're calling God a liar. Not a pleasant accusation, but it's the truth. That doesn't allow any wiggle room for the world to include caveats and exceptions. Of course, that's exactly the point. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Mar 5 23:38:47 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2008 23:38:47 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Look Deeper Message-ID: <0DECEBD5-2AEA-4FF1-B5D4-0D86FF3770FD@clanwebb.com> There's few things worse than the feeling of betrayal by someone you trust deeply. Whether it's a family member or close friend, it can cut deep. It changes those relationships dramatically and, often, permanently. I was thinking about Biblical events when people were betrayed or were encouraged to take the wrong course. With a few thousand years perspective, we can see that it's not just bad character involved, but it's often the enemy working through those closest to us. "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it." Genesis 3:6 Eve was deceived by the serpent. Adam was tricked into sin by Eve, but she was just the conduit. It started with Satan. "When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, "Come back once more; he has told me everything." So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. Having put him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him." Judges 16:18-19 Delilah betrayed Samson. It was someone he loved and she was used by the enemy to exploit Samson's arrogance and draw him away from God. "His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!" He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said." Job 2:9-10 Job, no doubt, loved his wife. However, she was encouraging him to sin so as to escape his misery. She loved him, too, but her outlook was skewed by the enemy. "From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You." But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's." " Matthew 16:21-23 In this case, the enemy was working through Peter's passion to tempt Jesus to avoid the cross. Peter was a close friend. However, not only did Jesus reject the temptation, but He knew immediately the source of the words Peter spoke. Once again, this was the enemy trying to trip up followers of God. All of this is to say that when someone close to you has betrayed you or seems to be encouraging the wrong path, look deeper at the source. It may be the right thing to do to cut them off. But, not always. Don't sacrifice a relationship if the person was simply weak and being used by the enemy to make you stumble. If the end result is a lost relationship, then the enemy can still claim success. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Mar 6 22:22:25 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2008 22:22:25 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Imagine Message-ID: I like art. The talent and imagination of the mind transferred to canvas, photograph, sculpture, or any other medium that stirs my soul is a good thing. Artists through history have been the first visual historians in that they left something physical behind. It was their imaginations that reproduced images and feelings into something you could see and touch. Scientists that exercise imagination to create a thesis, then an experiment, and finally to form a fact are often thought of having a better grasp of reality while the artist, although applauded at times, is thought to be just a little crazy and something of a fad. Their work has a short half-life like a rich chocolate that someone savors and describes as, "divine, decadent, or a sinful little pleasure." An observer will see a Leonardo and be amazed for a time, but the mind lets it go after a while. However, a scientific discovery can become a part of our lives and may cause us to change the way we live. Here is my question: Would you describe the creator of the universe as a scientist or an artist? "Your eyes will see strange things and your mind imagine confusing things." Proverbs 23:33 "All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations." Isaiah 65:2 "And I, because of their actions and their imaginations, am about to come and gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see my glory." Isaiah 66:18 Imagination is a gift from God, but like all gifts from God, it is to be used to glorify God. Both artist and scientist produce using the gift, but the individual must test the effort and judge the results. "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work with us." Ephesians 3:20 Amen. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Mar 7 22:51:46 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2008 22:51:46 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Leaks and Squeaks Message-ID: <1DCFEADC-75A4-4D30-BBCA-1D4FBF4DA2E7@clanwebb.com> There are those who will crawl under the car or take it to the shop at the first sign of a leak or squeak. There are those who will let it go until the car stops running. Those who jump on it early know that while a small drip or a little noise won't keep you from getting to work or to the store right now, it may grow into something worse over time. It's much easier and cheaper to fix when it's small rather than waiting until your engine overheats or the belt breaks going over the mountain pass. Our spiritual life is the same way. Once you notice a small problem, get on it. Don't let it go. If you let it go, the progression is always the same. I like the way that this Psalm lays it out: "An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate sin. The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good. Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong." Psalm 36:1-4 First off, don't think this description doesn't apply to you just because you're saved. The fact is that your heart is still wicked. Jesus has just promised to pay for all of your sins. Now, notice the progression. It starts when self-flattery obscures God from your eyes. Then you can no longer see sin creeping in. Nothing may have happened, yet, but you are simply blind to danger. Then your lack of fearing God turns into actual deceitfulness and wickedness in your speech. This is when the justifications come and the compromises start. Some of that deceit is in fooling yourself, too. About now, you're thinking that It's just in your words. It's not like you've actually done anything bad. (Actually, the act of conceiving it counts, but I digress) Next, you go from talking evil to plotting evil. In fact, you decide to move forward with actions you know are sinful, now. There's momentum in your thought process and you don't have the will or courage to stop. You get to a point where you can recognize the wrong, but you won't refuse it. About this point you start having thoughts like, "How did I get here?" By this point, repenting is still the best plan, but it is likely to be uncomfortable. The consequences of your actions may hurt. If you had caught yourself back when you were simply flattering yourself, there wouldn't be as much of a mess to clean up. Learn to watch for the little leaks and quiet squeaks in your walk with Christ. Get 'em fixed quick! Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Mar 8 23:08:46 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 8 Mar 2008 23:08:46 -0800 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Revolutionary Message-ID: <76E3FB1C-D55F-4975-AD3D-2761783F9AC3@clanwebb.com> It's nothing new, but it still makes me laugh. When I was in high school they way you rebelled and showed your independence was to color your hair, pierce your ear, listen to punk rock, and skip classes. Of course, the ones who did this all hung out together and looked alike. So much for being different from the herd! Today it's the same. Just the hairstyles and music have changed. The ones showing how independent they are still end up in groups where they look the same. In fact, the average American dissenter or rebel is really a member of a large group who all think alike, act alike, and feel comfortable being part of the team. There isn't much new under the sun and real revolutionaries are very, very few. The revolutionary isn't the person who simply goes the opposite direction. Much of human history can be described with a pendulum motion. People change directions at different times and upset the apple cart. The real revolutionary is the one who sets out on a course never before conceived. They go some place the pendulum has never been. Jesus was the real revolutionary. What He taught was unthought of and inconceivable by all who heard it. He taught that the way to the top is by serving all. "So the last will be first, and the first will be last." Matthew 20:16 "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave ? just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:26-28 He taught the way to prosperity is through giving more. "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured in your lap. For the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38 He taught us to love those who don't love us. "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," Matthew 5:43-44 He taught that we deserve death, but He's offering life when we clearly don't deserve it. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23 Jesus teaches that all the things the world offers are cheap imitations. Nothing here can satisfy. Jesus has marked out a course different than anyone else in history. He's the revolutionary I choose to follow. I'll happily rebel against the rest to follow Christ. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Mar 9 22:53:01 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2008 22:53:01 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Extra Humility Required Message-ID: "Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Matthew 19:23-24 "The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall." Proverbs 18:11 I've actually heard serious (non-Christian) commentators try to argue that these scriptures tell us that rich people can't go to Heaven. Actually, all it's telling us is that the rich have more to give up to gain the kingdom of God. They are still eligible for the same offer of grace as all of us, they just have more to lose. That makes the decision harder when one's sin nature is still active. And, of course, coming into all of this is pride. The rich man is proud of this accumulated wealth. The male model is proud of his physical attributes. The athlete is proud of his ability to play a sport or run a marathon. The genius is proud of his intelligence which separates him from the rest. In every case, the decision to give up the worship of self, money, beauty, or accomplishment is difficult when you are at the top of the heap. Think about it, if you've conquered a mountain, you don't want to admit that it's the wrong mountain or that it's a meaningless feat. Those at the bottom of the mountain have no such qualms. So, can the rich man go to Heaven? Of course! The model? The athlete? The genius? Absolutely. They have to admit that they are just as much a sinner as all of the great unwashed, though, which means an extra step of humility. So, don't be jealous of folks like this. Satan has thus far fooled them into thinking they can get a better deal here on earth. Pray for Jesus to show them the truth. "This is what the Lord says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the Lord." Jeremiah 9:23-24 Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Mar 10 22:55:32 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:55:32 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Almighty God Message-ID: <6D89EC24-0DF9-4B46-B83B-BCAE1B20CAF0@clanwebb.com> Sometimes we skim over words because we hear them so often that they lose their impact. It is a good exercise to stop and attempt to see them as if we were an alien reading them for the first time and think about what our reaction would be. Even the unbeliever can repeat many words about God, but they just do not absorb the meaning. Suppose I were to tell you, Mr. Alien, that I knew of someone that had all of something. I mean every last bit of something. I knew for a fact that there was no chance that anybody else anywhere else had any of it. This person has it all. Such a statement may pique your curiosity because our minds can rarely accept absolutes. Here is the thing I'm talking about: might. That's right. This person has all of the ability to control everything at His will. He is, of course, God Almighty. "And God said to him, "I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body." Genesis 35:11 He says, "I am God Almighty." He is without equal in any way, shape, or form. This statement should stop men in their tracks. They should be awestruck at the very thought that one being has all the might and to resist His will is futile. This concept should get the decision- making process working about what man's options are in such a case. Look at it! "I am who I am" Genesis 3:14 These are the words God gave to Moses to explain to a rebellious people just Who it was he was talking to on the mountain. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1 You can just hear Him: "I. Am. God. Almighty. I have always been. I am the maker of heaven and earth. I have all the might." Are you really hearing this? We learn this from the first book of the Bible and the message never changes all the way through to the last book. " "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:8 So, the next time someone says to you, "Lord God Almighty, how could You do this?" Just ask them, "Do you realize what you just said?" The name speaks for itself. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Mar 11 22:44:39 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2008 22:44:39 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Don't Wait For The Foxhole Message-ID: <6459A9E9-7444-4741-AFF8-05AF4B7BF29E@clanwebb.com> It's generally known as a foxhole conversion. It's the idea that when things get bad enough, a guy will start to bargain with God. It'll go something like this: "God, I don't know if You're there, but if You are I'll make a deal with You. If You get me out of this, then I'll go to church and follow the Bible." Those kinds of conversions are usually fleeting. Once the situation is resolved, that guy will usually go right back to his old habits. The reason being that he didn't really convert. He was just looking for a way out. There was no spiritual recognition. Of course, the right approach is to say, "God, it's all up to You now. I just want your will to be done." The subtle difference is that in the first case, the speaker was directing God and setting the ground rules. That never works. In the second case, the speaker has surrendered to God and is willing to let God take the lead. This kind of thing can happen to the saved, too. We promise to ratchet up our prayer, scripture memory, or other spiritual activity when we need results right now! Those commitments don't last long, either. I thought about the proper order of things as I read this psalm today: "I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart. I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, as you know, O Lord. I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly." Psalm 40:8-11 After doing all of these things, only then does the psalmist plead to God: "Be pleased, O Lord, to save me; O Lord, come quickly to help me." Psalm 40:13 "Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my god, do not delay." Psalm 40:17 The point here is that you can't ignore God and then only ask for His help when you're out of options. The right approach is to build that relationship with Him. Serve Him. Meditate on Him. Proclaim Him. Then, you'll know enough to go to Him first when things start to get tough. Don't convert in the foxhole. Change your habits now. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Wed Mar 12 23:56:03 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2008 23:56:03 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Not Lawless Message-ID: "To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." " John 8:31-32 The salvation that Jesus offers does, in fact, represent real freedom. However, don't mistake freedom for free-to-do-anything-dom. Spiritual freedom is the ability to choose your master. You don't get to choose to go master-less. In fact, that's a classic deception of the enemy. Those who think they have no master are, in fact, bound by sin. Again, freedom does not release you from consequences and rules. It just allows you to see the options and choose the best one. The Old Testament law is described as oppressive and a heavy burden. It is because it is impossible to obey all of it at all times. It is a law that condemns and reminds us how unworthy we are to be in Heaven. So, Christ offered us an alternative: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1-2 So, we have a law that allows for forgiveness of sin and grace. It allows a path for rotten sinners like you and me to get into Heaven. But, carefully notice that there still is a law. Your freedom is not an escape from the law. You've just been placed under a different law. Use your freedom wisely. Don't try to get in via the old law, you're already disqualified via that method. Place yourself under the new law and enjoy the freedom to do so through God's grace. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Mar 13 21:50:33 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:50:33 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Big or Small Message-ID: <09381CE9-7E62-4E45-9B3A-6A126CA40052@clanwebb.com> So, another big man falls. There will be a lot coming out about the life of the ex-governor of New York and we will be witness to the destruction that such behavior can produce. This is a matter of the mind with this guy. I am big and you are small. My power is big and yours is small. I can satisfy my appetites because my needs are big and you cannot because your needs are small. One very large lesson Christian men should learn is to never make anybody feel small about where they are in life. Lost is not small, it's just lost. There's a big difference. Those that are further along in their walk should not go forward like the winners of a foot race, but should always be returning to the end of the line to encourage everyone to keep going and to make the slowest feel like it is always possible to finish the race. No one man will finish first. There is no great prize for being ahead at the finish. It is all about finishing the race and putting out the effort to trust and obey. "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' " Matthew 25:40 "No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest." Hebrews 8:11 Life is not about attaining power, satisfying appetites, or who is big and who is small because, in the end, we will all stand in front of the same Lord. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Mar 15 00:15:29 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:15:29 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Better Destination Message-ID: There's an interesting rule in the game of Scrabble. If you believe your set of letters is so bad as to be unworkable, you can spend your turn trading the entire set in for a new set of letters. It's a gamble because you could certainly end up just as bad or worse than when you started and skipped your turn in the process. You are trading the known bad set in front of you for an unknown set. You could end up with a perfect combination of consonants and vowels, or you could end up with J-K-L-X-Q-W-V. Whenever I employ this strategy, I end up wanting to take my original tiles back. Now, that's a long to way to talk about the trade Jesus offers. He does not offer to remove all trouble from your life. He does not offer to make you happy all the time. He offers to save you from the penalty of your own sin. It may not be what a human mind would want, but it's guaranteed to be a better deal than what we have without Him. He reminds us that it will not be a smooth ride. "Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also." John 15:20 " [...] "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said." Acts 14:22 It's not an easy road ahead. It involves work, effort, and some persecution. Why would anyone choose this path? "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:29-30 Although we still have a burden, it is easier and lighter because Christ took the heavy stuff for us. Oh, and it also happens to be the only way to Heaven. "Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit." " John 3:5 So, why does anyone make this decision to take on this burden? It's not pain-free, work-free, or worry-free, but it's a lighter load and the destination is much better. Remember that whenever you are tempted to go back to the old burdens. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Mar 16 00:31:42 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:31:42 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Astonished Message-ID: Over the years, I've become more comfortable speaking in a variety of situations. I've done public speaking to large groups and had confrontational conversations with employees I manage. I've done countless interviews both as the hiring manager and the candidate. The thing that always allows me to feel comfortable is being prepared. I can practice a speech. I can rehearse likely responses when I know the conversation will be uncomfortable. I can decide ahead of time what to ask about or talk about when interviewing. I can be prepared. Furthermore, I can talk about my profession and hobbies without specific preparation because all of those facts and issues are at the front of my mind. I can have those conversations because I know I'm ready. On the other hand, I still get jittery when I'm in front of a group unprepared or having a heated discussion without having done my research first. However, I'm realizing that those are exactly the kinds of moments that God will use me best because it's about Him and not me. "Moses said to the Lord, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." The Lord said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." " Exodus 4:10-11 "But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you." Matthew 10:19-20 Peter was a passionate man who impulsively said things that were not of the Spirit. He wanted to do right, but continually fell back on to his own understanding. After Christ left, I think he finally got it. At one point, he was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin. He didn't blurt out something incendiary or full of false bravado. "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: [...]" Acts 4:8 Letting the Spirit speak does wonders. "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13 And there's the important fact in all of this. When the Spirit was done speaking, the listeners were astonished. They were astonished because the speaking seemed unusual for men like that. If they had expected it from Peter and John, they wouldn't have thought twice about it. Even more importantly, the listeners took note that these were disciples of Jesus. We all need to have the faith that the Spirit will speak through us when the opportunity arises. When that moment comes, those who hear us will be astonished and they will know that we follow Jesus. That's certainly better than anything I can do with all my preparation. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Mar 16 22:49:17 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2008 22:49:17 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Learn the Lessons Message-ID: <0F59ED87-D8E6-4983-9233-8B00508A3FCE@clanwebb.com> To the unsaved, the Bible can easily appear to be a strange combination of mythology and mysticism. The stories seem just as fantastic as Norse and Greek legends. I finally realized that part of the reason we distrust these stories now is that they don't make sense to us. If these beings were so powerful, why did they go about their business in such a human way? I'm sure that some look at the history of Creation, the Flood, the Exodus, and so on, and think they must simply be cautionary fables because the actions of God seem to be superfluous to His purposes. For example, if God simply wanted to rid the world of people doing evil, why did He bring the flood? Why not just strike every evil human dead on the spot? Why not vaporize them and leave no mark? He could certainly do that. The unsaved may have difficulty seeing it, but the truth is that God does things the way He does for a reason. And, I'm convinced that one reason for everything He does is to teach one or all of us. "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8 "Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law;" Psalm 94:12 "His God instructs him and teaches him the right way." Isaiah 28:26 Jesus used parables when He was here on earth. God used history. We learn from Noah that being faithful can be lonely and unappreciated. We learn that it can take long hard years of work to fulfill God's wishes. We learn that God rewards that faithfulness more than we can imagine. We would have learned none of that if God had cleaned the earth instantaneously. God uses history to teach. This brings even more power to the old saying that those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it. If we do not learn from the lessons God taught, then we will fall into the very traps He wants us to avoid. Don't scoff at the seeming clumsiness of how God interacts with man. Just remember that every step of the way, He was aware that we would be learning from those events many years later. He acted as much for us now as He did for the time at hand. From that perspective, His actions aren't unusual at all. They are perfect. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Mar 17 23:05:01 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2008 23:05:01 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Not About Knowledge Message-ID: <0A2C34E8-F645-43B4-9ED6-CFDBA266C8B5@clanwebb.com> I've spent my share of time around some very intelligent people who are clueless. It usually comes from the fact that those folks are attracted to studies and careers that tend to stunt one's social maturity. It can manifest as naivete, awkward interaction, or simply as the humor of a twelve year-old. Hang around these guys long enough and you realize that knowledge is not wisdom. Even using the secular definition of wisdom makes these two things quite different. One thing that happens repeatedly when very smart people don't know how to interact with the rest of us is that they often cannot help display just how smart they are. Many a conversation has died an early death because of someone trying to show off his vocabulary, his deep knowledge of string theory, or by explaining the obvious continuity problems in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The truly intelligent people are those who can use that intelligence to improve the lives of others. At some point, they have to communicate with mere mortals. Learning when and how makes them much more productive and influential. I was reminded of these guys when I read Proverbs today: "A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered. Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue." Proverbs 17:27-28 Learning to use your words with restraint and even silence will save you from many a disaster. Does this mean we should never speak out? Of course not. God has told us to go share the gospel: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20 That will certainly require speaking. The point is to show some self- control until it's time to share the Gospel. Then, humble yourself completely before God and let the Spirit speak through you. It's not about your words and your knowledge. It's about Jesus. In the meantime, think before you speak. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Mar 18 22:45:46 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:45:46 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Sometimes You're the Ram Message-ID: <75FA9C57-4DF5-4F5B-B5E1-476392CC6C52@clanwebb.com> While I love building software, it's not always pretty. While sitting in a meeting today, two of the developers got into a discussion about who had left a "to do" comment in the code from months ago and what it was for. It become a little comedic to see how easy it was to overlook something important. I leaned over to one of the testers and said, "It's not pretty watching the sausage being made." I continually marvel how the fate of multi-million and multi-billion dollar companies can sometimes rest on whether a 24 year-old single guy got enough sleep after putting in a fifteen hour day and then coming to work on Sunday morning to fix a critical bug. If he blows it, the very expensive marketing machine will trumpet new software that may erase your hard drive or corrupt the documents you work with. There are levels of verification that help, but the fact is that if I wanted to cause great grief to any company I've worked for, it would not have been difficult. Sometimes, the lowest man on the totem pole is the critical piece of the machinery. I thought of that somewhat as I read the story of Noah. This passage made me shake my head: "So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives. All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds ? everything that moves on the earth ? came out of the ark, one kind after another. Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done." " Genesis 8:18-21 So, imagine the ram being led from his home to be one of the lucky ones to survive on the ark. He gets aboard. He suffers through the storm and the flood. He waits through the weeks and weeks until the door is opened. He gleefully leaps off the ark to enjoy green grass and soft dirt again. Then, one of the boys grabs him and he becomes a sacrifice. To go through all that just to be used as a sacrifice when it's all over seems anti-climactic. However, if you read the story, it was also crucial. The sacrifice is an important part of the story. I realized that I always want to be Noah. I want to be the one called to doing fantastic and huge things for God. Sometimes, though, God wants me to be the ram. He wants me to work hard, endure suffering, and obey just so I can be the sacrifice. Or, just so I can be the nameless cog in the greater plan. The satisfaction is that we're all needed. We're all helping to bring the kingdom of God forward. The fame and recognition is not necessary to be important to God. "There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in men." 1 Corinthians 12:5-6 Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Mar 20 00:24:05 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:24:05 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Stuck in the Minors Message-ID: <420527A2-372E-409D-9092-62A996C1FDD1@clanwebb.com> It's about this time of year when I start reading about the players who will be staying in the majors when spring training breaks and those that will have to go back to AA or AAA baseball for a while longer. You start to read about those guys who have been up and down so much that they are "out of options" based on the rules of moving players up and down. Those players have to either make the big league team or they go on waivers or get released. Any way you look at it, these next few days could be the answer to a lifelong dream or one more person in a long line telling you, "You're not quite ready, yet." God will park us in the spiritual equivalent of a small town until we're ready for the big time. It's not about punishment or oppression. It's about training, honing, and preparing. Consider Moses. He spent the first forty years of his life in luxury as the adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter. Then, after an impulsive moment, he lived for forty years as a sheep herder in the desert. I'm sure that felt like a demotion! But, it was all in preparation for the last forty years of his life. At age 80, he returned to Egypt to follow God's commands and lead the Hebrews out of Egypt and to the land God had promised them. You could say that Moses was up and down a bit and went on to a hall-of-fame career. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4 The trials, the learning of patience, the learning of endurance are all training for your time in the big leagues. He has big plans, too. He has a spot for you on the roster. He's just not going to call you up until you're ready. Moses wasn't ready until he was 80. "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 Don't complain about the minors. Get better. Fill the role you were meant to fill. The good news is that once you're saved, you are never out of options. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Mar 20 22:33:04 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:33:04 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Back to Basics Message-ID: <59DB8EFE-5839-41B7-8027-B46082FFDD39@clanwebb.com> The more I study, the more I become convinced of two things: First, the gospel message is very simple. Second, men and women, through the ages, have had the same natures and face the same struggles. Our pastor teacher suggested we watch the movie, "Luther", to get a good portrayal of the life and times around the Reformation. Without getting into a lot of history, it is apparent that Martin Luther was a man in conflict. He was in conflict about his relationship with God, his church, and his contemporaries. He often suffered from depression over his inability to connect and give himself to God at a level he thought he should. In the movie, he is reduced to falling to the floor and crying out, "I am yours! Save me!" He was at odds with the church at such a level over the selling of indulgences and the authority of relics that he was led to teach and write in direct opposition to the Pope. This disillusionment and then enlightenment led him to nail the 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenburgh. Luther was driven to get back to the basics of a relationship with Christ. The Reformation took on the maze of corruption in the church and returned to the basics. These basics were the five "solas" (Sola meaning solo or alone): Christ alone, scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, and glory to God alone. "And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness" Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me." 2 Corinthians 12:9 I am yours. Save me because You are enough and there is nothing I can do to save myself. "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:19 Gentlemen, give in to Christ then give it up to Him. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Fri Mar 21 22:44:24 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:44:24 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Calling Message-ID: I think the phrase, "It's my calling," is misused. I would have said that I was called to write software when I was in college. Sure, I enjoyed making software and it's what I wanted to do, but I also knew there was a future in it. I knew I could support a family in that industry. Others may say that someone was called to his job because he's so good at it. In that sense, the speaker is really just pointing out how the person in question seems very well-suited for his job. I was reading about Abram (later to be Abraham) today and realized that when God called him, neither of these descriptions applied. "The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." So Abram left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran." Genesis 12:1-4 So, with no recorded response, Abram simply packs up everything and leaves. He has no idea where God is taking him. He is long in the tooth and God is promising him a big family that hasn't started yet. He may as well have been walking into a black hole for all the information he had. Abram was called. He followed. Then, I consider Peter, Andrew, James, and John: "As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fisherman. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." Matthew 4:18-22 They were called. The followed. By all accounts, they didn't know much about Jesus or the plans He had for them. They just followed. That's being called. That's not knowing where or what you're jumping into, but doing it obediently anyway because your Master calls. That's the calling I want. How about you? Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Mar 22 22:33:37 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2008 22:33:37 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Follow His Lead Message-ID: During my high school years, I existed in a strange sort of no-man's land between popular and outcast. I wasn't popular enough to date the popular girls or be invited to the parties. I wasn't enough of an athlete to gain access to the upper crust, either. On the other hand, I knew most of those folks and they knew me, so I wasn't completely ignored. When it came time for a group project or a lab partner, I was very popular. I like to joke that I helped the popular kids with their homework, but I never got invited to the parties. It was like watching through a window. I could see their lifestyle, but I couldn't join in. In retrospect, it was better for me. I'm glad I was never in a position of having to continually earn the right to hang out with those folks. During that time it was something I would have liked, but now I know I can live without it and I'm healthier for it. I thought of that time in high school as I read about Lot today. When he and Abram parted ways in the desert, they took very different paths. Lot saw the green Jordan river valley and set out for what appeared to be the better land. Lot also saw the hip, metropolitan cities and decided he wanted to be close. Abram, on the other hand, continued to be guided by God. He was not near a city and didn't look for the popular place to be. He just followed God. "So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord." Genesis 13:10-13 Lot decides to hover near a center of sin. He sets up camp near Sodom. Whether he knew about Sodom's citizenry beforehand or not is unknown. However, even once he discovered the evil of this city, he stayed. Lot was hanging around the edges. He wasn't part of the city, but he certainly knew men there and they knew him. In the end, his life would be barely spared and he would lose his wife due to living in close proximity to Sodom. Abram was elsewhere following God. Abram would go on to father the nation of Israel. "So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre in Hebron, where he built an altar to the Lord." Genesis 13:18 If you know a person, situation, or event is not good for you, don't hang around the edges and endanger yourself. Sometimes you may be called to share the gospel to these people, but that's not a call to endanger yourself unnecessarily. When God calls you, follow His direction no matter the destination. Don't try to split the difference by nuzzling up to sin and claiming you haven't done anything yet. If you keep hanging around it, you will. Go where you're led, not where you're tempted. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Mar 23 22:35:05 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2008 22:35:05 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] No Middle Ground Message-ID: <3AFAA2EF-DAEE-40D6-9E3D-1614CF58C0B1@clanwebb.com> During our Easter service, the guest speaker had a pointed challenge for those in the audience. He had just given a great message summarizing who Jesus was, why He came, and what He did for us. Then the speaker challenged the audience by pointing out that, now that they had that information, they would have to make a decision about whether to accept Christ or not. More to the point, he explained that either you didn't believe Jesus was who He said He was or you did. If you didn't buy it, then the Easter message has zero importance. If you do believe it, then the Easter message has immense importance. There is no way for it to have moderate importance. There's no way for it to be slightly meaningful. This strikes at the very heart of American Christianity. When so many people in this country self-identify as Christians and yet church attendance is so low, it's clear that this idea of a moderately important faith is common. What a lie! If you buy it, you believe that you can live your life your own way and pay some lip service to Christ and still be a Christian. The enemy has you just where he wants you. You're trapped into a life of ineffectualness which works fine for him. Even as a Christian, I was challenged by this message. I was reminded that I need to either treat Christ as being meaningless or of ultimate importance. I can't treat Him as something in the middle. "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm?neither hot nor cold?I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Revelation 3:15-16 I took two lessons from today's message: We have to spread the gospel and remind people that it's an all or nothing decision, there is no in between. We have to keep Jesus utmost in our lives. We cannot allow him to be a moderate priority. Let's leave lukewarm behind. Let's heat it up! Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Mar 24 23:19:52 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2008 23:19:52 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Seeing Perfect Message-ID: <3C11C1A3-3D0F-4AFB-913F-1BEA39E710C4@clanwebb.com> Easter Sunday has a variety of conflicting conclusions. For the pastors, it is an opportunity to speak before a larger-than-normal attendance and many pour over their messages with the mental picture that many unsaved people will come to the decision that will make them perfect in the eyes of God. The attendees are varied and are at services out of respect for a family member, out of fear of a family member, or they are there to clock in and get credit for time served. I gazed over the crowd, as I often do, and realized that there are, in attendance, every variety of sinner. I don't say that because I know their names or about their lives, but because of the math. There are so many of each kind in every group whether they're attending church or a football game. I place myself in a group of a particular kind of sinner. I am a member of that hardened group of believers that know exactly what Easter represents, but has a hard time letting it penetrate. I understand that the fact that Jesus Christ came back to life is the event that is the crux of our faith. Either He did it and validated everything written about Him and everything He taught or He didn't do it and Easter means nothing. And yet, I came in, sat down, and my mind was filled with distraction. My sins followed me in and took their place in the familiar, comfortable recliner in my head, leaned back, yawned, and seemed to let me know that they would be taking a nap until service was over and then we would be together again. I am the worst kind of sinner. I know the difference. I choose to study to become closer to Christ and, on Easter Sunday, I needed the message more than the first timer. If I were an Old Testament Jew, I cannot honestly say I would not have taken the money and cried out, "Crucify Him!" The stark realization of how hard it is to overcome sin on our own is the point of our faith and our greatest burden. So, I now not only believe that the death and resurrection of Christ was the greatest physical event in history, but that His taking on my sin was the greatest spiritual event in history. The physical event altered the eyesight of God on how He sees me and it was, and is, the only way anybody will ever see me as perfect. "but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away." 1 Corinthians 13:10 Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Tue Mar 25 22:52:39 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:52:39 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Be Uncomfortable Message-ID: God has planned it such that I have been thinking about the idea of being comfortable over the last couple of days. That word covers so many situations. I was talking to a new pastor on our staff about what brought him to us and he talked about being comfortable in his last pastoral position. He didn't want to leave, but God tugged on him until he did. I had God break me of this kind of comfort, too, when I was laid off from my previous job and had to move to a new city. It's easy to see, now, that it was the best thing that ever happened to my family. Then, I happened to flip by a cable show analyzing the physical and psychological effects of crucifixion. Once Jesus was on the cross, it was impossible to achieve any kind of comfort. Trying to relieve any kind of pain would just exacerbate the pain in a different part of the body. It was the polar opposite of comfortable. That's discomfort the likes of which we will probably never experience. I think being a Christian means you may be called to be uncomfortable in many ways. Those in China or in Islamic countries are certainly feeling the physical and psychological torture. In this country, it's the discomfort of denying yourself and following Christ. Seeking comfort above all else is a selfish act. That's exactly what we've been called away from. "Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." " Matthew 16:24-25 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God?this is your spiritual act of worship." Romans 12:1 "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him," Philippians 1:29 "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed" 1 Peter 2:24 We are not called to comfort. We are called to serve. We are healed and saved, but we are not placed on a large pillow and told to take it easy. Don't get too comfortable. God has things for us to do. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Mar 27 00:19:32 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:19:32 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Making Room to Lie Message-ID: <65A7FEE8-6164-4EAB-9949-D2F291F60197@clanwebb.com> Conspiracy theorists love to pick apart statements by politicians or government officials looking for evidence of the hidden plot. Often, they will wave away otherwise clear statements that counter the conspiracy argument by pointing out what isn't there. They claim that speakers who avoid the precise statement they want to hear are engaging in plausible deniability. Plausible deniability is the idea that one should only leave evidence that creates a believable claim that the accused knew nothing about the situation in question. It's the idea that, somehow, a person can speak out of both sides of their mouth and still be believable. The goal is to engage in less than honorable activities while maintaining enough distance so as to disavow any knowledge when confronted with an accusation. Basically, it's a plan to do something bad and be able to lie about it successfully. When you boil it down, you realize that this is no different than what most of us do when we sin. We try to convince ourselves that we didn't really know or that it was accidental. It's been tried before: "Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?" The Lord said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground." Genesis 4:9-10 It didn't work the first time. It still doesn't. Proverbs calls out this problem when we ignore those who need our help. "Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?" Proverbs 24:11-12 God knows your heart. You may be able to fool yourself, but you cannot fool Him. Plausible deniability may work when you're trying to fool other people, but you can't hide behind intentional vagueness with God. He knows it all. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Thu Mar 27 22:22:13 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:22:13 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] For What? Message-ID: <516B0713-0E83-445E-BA23-E213EB655A53@clanwebb.com> I had the privilege of growing up during the dawn of the video game age. My dad brought home Pong when I was young. I just about wore out my original Atari 2600. I was a pre-teen and teenager when arcades had the best games. Some games grabbed my attention and I played them frequently to get better. However, I never really got to the point that I ignored everything else. I still wanted to ride my bike, read comics, trade baseball cards, and climb trees. I do remember, though, those guys who would lock in on one game and had to be the best. They put everything they had into it. Of course this gamer mindset still exists today. There are still those guys who spend days on end playing a game so they can beat anyone else. I've seen interviews with the all-time Pac-Man champion. He actually seems a little lonely. I've watched TV shows documenting the time and money young men (and women!) put into being the best gamers in the world. I can appreciate the skill. I can admire the dedication to being the best. Yet, when it's all done, I can only shake my head and say, "For what?" For some of these games, the skill doesn't translate to anything else at all. If they're lucky, it may translate to newer games and they may be able to compete for money. Still, I can't imagine many forty and fifty year-old guys still playing these games in a few decades. This investment will simply fade away in time. And, yet, how are we any different than these guys? How many of us spend days and days pursuing a hobby or watching your favorite sport? How many of us can quote miniscule details about a car, football player, fishing rod, or HDTV, but cannot quote more than two verses of scripture? How are we investing our time? "Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." Ecclesiastes 2:11 "Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him. Though while he lived he counted himself blessed? and men praise you when you prosper- he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life. A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish." Psalm 49:16-20 Be careful how you invest your time and energy. Will it be worth it? Does it mean anything? Don't ever let anything get in the way of drawing closer to God. I guarantee you that building a relationship with Him will have eternal value. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Mar 29 00:20:20 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:20:20 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Willing to Die Message-ID: Jack Swigert probably thought he had lucked out. He was the backup Command Module pilot for the upcoming Apollo mission. The scheduled pilot had recently been exposed to rubella and the doctors felt he should stay home rather than risk getting sick on the mission. So, much to his delight, Jack Swigert joined the team and flew on that Apollo mission. That mission was known as Apollo 13. Jack was a happy substitute, but I suspect his happiness diminished greatly when he realized he could very likely die after the module was damaged. It's crazy to think that someone would have volunteered to go if they knew what was going to happen. Now, imagine not only volunteering for the dangerous mission, but for a mission guaranteed to end in death. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21 Jesus obeyed the will of His Father to come to earth, live as a man, be brutally abused, and then crucified on a cross. He knew that's how the story ended. He knew He would die. He went through with it for you and me. This isn't a complicated concept, but it is deep. It absolutely humbles me. Wyatt From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sat Mar 29 22:20:09 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2008 22:20:09 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Forever Message-ID: <4AD02BE3-DDE8-4B1D-A683-5599063F5BE0@clanwebb.com> Arguments are often just debates between people where one side will run out of defensible points and the other side looks better, but that doesn't mean they are right. A true debate is a way of sifting through arguments like a set of filters that get progressively finer until nothing will make it through other than that which cannot be denied. The concept of forever is just such an argument. When all of the philosophers have had their say and all of the scientists have had theirs, what comes out at the end is that forever means the same thing scientifically and philosophically. The real question is, "When is something forever?" What is always and never gone or forgotten? Words spoken, ideas, feelings, light, and the unknown can all be argued to be forever. But, these arguments are just exercises of the mind of man to make him feel comfortable. What passes through all those filters and is left all alone at the end is eternal. God is the only eternal. He is the only forever. He is forever. He makes plans forever. He makes promises forever. But, the greatest thing about God is: "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 118:1 The concepts of words that are used so often in the Bible should not be rushed past just because we see them often. We should allow our minds to expand and conceive what forever means to the Christian. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Sun Mar 30 22:05:29 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:05:29 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Christ is Still Christ Message-ID: <4462DCB1-80EA-45A5-BE20-0D257D25A62C@clanwebb.com> Many of us are coming to the end of a long commitment of study. It goes from methods, scripture, doctrine and more and ends with church history. I am pleased to say that I have learned a lot and, of course, I now realize how little I actually know and how much more I would like to know. One of the best results for me has been that, with all the mistakes and sometimes horrific behavior that can be attached to Christianity, Christ remains unscathed. His life and purpose never faltered and man's nature carries all the burden for the entirety of the "bad stuff". The best in our past, and no doubt our future, will always have tarnish and Christ will always be the same. Even Calvin, who struck the note of "the total depravity of man" failed to see his mistakes in church discipline. "He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he." Deuteronomy 32:4 "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him." 2 Samuel 22:31 Christian, do not look to any many or woman for perfection. Look only to Christ. Allen From wyatt at clanwebb.com Mon Mar 31 21:34:42 2008 From: wyatt at clanwebb.com (Wyatt Webb) Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:34:42 -0700 Subject: [Daily Push Up] Ignorance or Disobedience? Message-ID: "Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory capacity." Unknown How often I have done this, I cannot count. I go to an all-powerful God and ask, "Are you sure this is what you want?" The problem is always the same. It isn't what I want, so I question the action by acting like I don't understand the decision. The right thing is usually obvious, just not easy. "Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom." Psalm 51:6 We know what is right. We just weigh the perceived consequences if we do not do what God has placed on our heart. We cannot accept that His decisions are perfect and He will not let the world get in the way of His plan. We interrupt the flow with sin. This attitude comes down to wanting the world and not the Word. Allen