God's approval must be earned!
The first week in December Eric and I jumped in the car and headed off to Colorado Springs for our Staff in Training conference.  The first morning we came down from the Nav castle, just finishing breakfast, to the Carriage House where Jerry Bridges waited to share his wisdom before we spent our time with God.  God blew me away speaking through Jerry.

I hope I can share it in a way at least close to what Jerry shared. So the reason for my title. We have mistakenly taken grace as God cutting us some slack or that God approves of everyone.  But that's not the case.  Jesus earned our approval so we don't have to, which we never could have done on our own anyway. 

We all have the default setting, like on a computer, of earning God's favor and approval by ourselves.  Jerry said 80% of Christians believe that our obedience earns God's favor!  The dangers of this thinking is - God owes me a reward for my obedience.  For example, how many of you have thought if you have your quiet time, then things will go well for the day?  A student was asked this question of why he has his quiet time every day.  He said, "So nothing bad happens to me."

We either believe we earn God's favor or at any moment the other shoe is going to drop because of our sin.  If we earn His approval, that means we earn His punishment.  It becomes a performance treadmill.  We end up blaming God when bad things happen to us because of this theology.

Jesus bought and paid for every answer to prayer and blessing we will ever receive, whether we asked for it or not.  That is grace.

God's
Riches
At
Christ
Expense

So if we don't earn God's approval, why does it matter if we obey?  Gratitude.  If you really understand grace, you will want to obey Him.  "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little." - Luke 7:46-48 When you realize how much you've been forgiven, you will live differently.

A guy said to Jerry that God's grace is for the weak.  At first Jerry was offended, but then he realized - I am weak.

Grace is for the weak.  Do you know you're weak!?

How do you know if you're really saved?
We sat in the comfy business building couches and chairs (in the picture to the right), while Eric and his guys crowded in a dorm room in Tener Hall (picture below) 8:30 on Tuesday. In our different places on campus, we cracked open our bibles to 1 John 3:6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

This is when things get interesting.  The past weeks we talked about what shows if you're saved.  One was - Do you love your brother - OK I can get on board with that.  Another was - Do you have the Spirit? - yeah I can understand that too. This week the question was - Have you stopped sinning? - wait a minute, what does that mean? Asked one of the students.  As we've wrestled through this question this is what we learned.

First though here are some questions we talked through to get to the answer.  I encourage you to think through these too.  What is sin?  What is the greek meaning of "keeps on sinning"?  What does it mean to live in him?  How can this verse and 1 John 1:8-10 be in the same book?

 ⁸If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

Sin - missing the mark.  Anything that is not perfection in living out all of God's laws is sin.  And we all know, that's EVERYONE!

The greek meaning of the word that is translated "keeps on sinning" is no remorse, no heart change, habitually, lifestyle of sin, not one act of sin, a heart attitude.  This means that sin is the exception not the rule.

So the question is, what road are you on?  One of obedience or one of sin/disobedience.  What is the "norm" in your life?

Will you accept this rose?

This summer, as many of you know, we lead the freshman ministry.  At one of the bible studies Eric asked the students, if God wrote a billboard what would he say to this generation.  One of the students put something so profound.  Many of you may or may not know what the Bachelor/Bachelorette, but the gist of it is this.  There is a guy or girl who is looking for their husband or wife.  Each week they decide who they want to keep getting to know until the final week when they give one person the rose and the guy can purpose to the girl.   Basically, when they give a rose to a girl or guy they are saying to them, "I choose you."

God is saying to you...(insert your name), I choose you!  How amazing is that!!!  He chose you to be with him for eternity. :)  And we're here on campus to tell others that, and I encourage you to tell others at work, school, etc.!  It says it right in his word...
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will...
Ephesians 1:4-7, 11

How to be thankful for fleas
 Have you heard the story of Corrie Ten Boom?  She was a Dutch Christian Holocaust survivor who helped many Jews escape the Nazis during World War II.  She wrote a book called The Hiding Place which talks about her life and her time in a labor camp.

Corrie was put into a cell with her sister Betsie. Her worry now was that the guards would see the Bible, God had miraculously gotten into their hands, and take it away from them, the two sister's only source of hope and comfort. The place was so infested with fleas that the sisters could not move without instantly being covered with the bugs. Betsie told Corrie that they should thank God for the fleas, Corrie wasn't sure she could do this, but she and Betsie bowed their heads and thanked God for even the fleas. Weeks later, Corrie was struck by the blessing that came for her obedience to thank God in all circumstances; Betsie had heard a supervisor say she wouldn't step through the door of their cell because of all the fleas, and neither would the guards. It was because of the fleas that Corrie and Betsie were able to continue to keep their Bible without the guards finding it.

I have some "fleas" in my life too.  Some are more than just bothersome which I won't get all into and if I let these in they bring fear.  But when I heard this story about the fleas the thing that came to mind was my root canal.  I have went to the dentist twice now for a root canal.  Each time they give me around 4 shots of novocaine and they start to drill and I jump from the pain.  I get all geared up to go in and get it done just to have them send me home again because they can't get me numb.  To be honest it terrifies me to go to the dentist and I've been there 4 times in the last 2 weeks.  And now next week, I go in yet again and this time I'll have an IV to put me mostly under - whatever that means.  I have dreaded it, gotten mad and frustrated with not only the emotional pain, but the cost.  But when I heard this story about Corrie, I thought can I be thankful for my root canal?

Everyone has different fleas in their life, some a lot scarier than others, but we all have them.  Will you chose to be thankful for them or get angry or fearful?  The enemy wants to keep us in fear or in anger.  But as James says, resist the devil and he will flee from you.  How do you resist?  In repentance.  My repentance for the root canal is to not complain, not go to an unreality of this or that might happen, and to actually have a heart that says and means Your will be done I trust you.

GOD IS ENOUGH
Eric started his Nav Night talk with this John Piper Video (I recommend clicking on that link and watching it, amazing!).  After the video he purposed the question Is God Enough.  Take a moment to ponder this question...

What is it that you want more in the world?  For us it's a baby, maybe it's your health, or a spouse, or  a particular job.  If God said no to that one thing you desperately want, is He still enough?  I hope your answer is yes!  Let's look at what the bible says about this...

Psalm 73

A psalm of Asaph.

 ² But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
       I had nearly lost my foothold.

 ³ For I envied the arrogant
       when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

 ⁴ They have no struggles;
       their bodies are healthy and strong. ^[a]

 ⁵ They are free from the burdens common to man;
       they are not plagued by human ills.

 ⁶ Therefore pride is their necklace;
       they clothe themselves with violence.

 ⁷ From their callous hearts comes iniquity ^[b] ;
       the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.

 ⁸ They scoff, and speak with malice;
       in their arrogance they threaten oppression.

 ⁹ Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
       and their tongues take possession of the earth.

 ¹⁰ Therefore their people turn to them
       and drink up waters in abundance. ^[c]

 ¹¹ They say, "How can God know?
       Does the Most High have knowledge?"

 ¹² This is what the wicked are like—
       always carefree, they increase in wealth.

 ¹³ Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;
       in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.

 ¹⁴ All day long I have been plagued;
       I have been punished every morning.

 ¹⁵ If I had said, "I will speak thus,"
       I would have betrayed your children.

 ¹⁶ When I tried to understand all this,
       it was oppressive to me

 ¹⁷ till I entered the sanctuary of God;
       then I understood their final destiny.

 ¹⁸ Surely you place them on slippery ground;
       you cast them down to ruin.

 ¹⁹ How suddenly are they destroyed,
       completely swept away by terrors!

 ²⁰ As a dream when one awakes,
       so when you arise, O Lord,
       you will despise them as fantasies.

 ²¹ When my heart was grieved
       and my spirit embittered,

 ²² I was senseless and ignorant;
       I was a brute beast before you.

 ²³ Yet I am always with you;
       you hold me by my right hand.

 ²⁴ You guide me with your counsel,
       and afterward you will take me into glory.

 ²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you?
       And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

 ²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail,
       but God is the strength of my heart
       and my portion forever.

 ²⁷ Those who are far from you will perish;
       you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

 ²⁸ But as for me, it is good to be near God.
       I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
       I will tell of all your deeds.

Do you think I'm going to hell?