How - Part 2

Last year, my family and I took a vacation to Colorado. If you’ve ever been to Colorado, you know the scene: towering mountains, crisp air, the refreshing scent of countless pine trees—it’s breathtaking. Though we had intended to have a relaxing time, soon after arriving, my brother Alec and I became fixated on something that wasn’t exactly in line with a calming retreat—climbing one of Colorado’s famous 14,000 foot mountains. I had never hiked up one before, and I wasn’t completely acclimated to the elevation or in the best cardio shape, but that was not going to deter my brother Alec and I—we were going to conquer the mountain. When Alec and I first set off on our quest, the environment looked similar to other hikes I had taken—tall trees and only a slight elevation gain. It was beautiful, but underwhelming in terms of difficulty. I was feeling pretty confident . . . until we crossed the tree line, and saw what we were really up against. Thousands of feet above us was a snow capped peak that was as menacing as it was majestic. It was clear that this trek was not going to be like anything we had taken on before. But we had made a decision, and since we both possess a streak of stubbornness, we just kept walking. Minutes turned to hours, and weariness began setting in. Eventually, after navigating steep drop offs, slick ice, cramping muscles, and constant lunges that would put a StairMaster workout to shame, my brother and I made it to the top. Exhausted, we sat down, took in the view, and opened our much anticipated summit sandwiches. We were worn out, but felt accomplished—we had done it, we had conquered the mountain. As I reflect, I’ve come to see that following Jesus is, and simultaneously is not, like climbing a 14,000 ft mountain. Let me explain.

God: CEO of Gospel Inc.

Remember the “three chairs” from last week? (What you do for God; how you love God; how you see God) Well, for many years I saw God as a CEO, and myself as a striving young employee. As the CEO, He was above me “looking down,” evaluating my performance. He had invested a lot in me after all—forgiven my sins, improved my life immeasurably. So my goal was to pay Him back, or at least try to. If I was able to perform, I figured I could earn my way up to a promotion, reach the “corner office” of sorts—in other words, be in a place where I would be so connected with God that everything would just click in my life. School would go well, I would achieve incredible success in my career, and I’d probably get in great physical shape, too.

As silly as this may sound, and though I was believing much of this on a subconscious level, this view of God had serious consequences in my life. I constantly wrestled with a heavy perfectionism. Almost every time I didn’t “perform” well, or at least perceived that I didn’t, I allowed shame to inform me that I wasn’t good enough, that I was a terrible person, and that I would never become the person I desired to be. To make matters worse, I figured that God was angry with me, and would remove His blessings from me, or “demote” me to stick to the CEO metaphor. 

Looking back, my view of God made a lot of sense in that I think it reflects some of the values of American culture. From an early age, the school system informs us that our worth is measured in letter grades, and corporate culture reinforces this later in life by valuing people by their merits. Doesn’t God work in the same way?

Well, though it reflects the espoused gods of several religions, gods that apparently change their opinions of humans constantly based on their performance,  the problem with this thinking is that it is a gross misrepresentation of who God reveals Himself to be in Scripture.

DWELL (It’s back)

14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” - John 1:14

Remember a few weeks ago we discussed the importance of “dwelling” with God—involving Him in our ordinary, everyday lives? Well, in Jesus (the Word), God came to dwell with us—do life with us, journey with us. To those who chose to follow Him (dwell with Him), He called them friends (John 15:15). And He offers the same title to anyone who chooses to accept His invitation today. Rather than being a high handed aristocrat that we have to appease in order to gain access to, Jesus comes down to our level and wants to be present in every moment of our lives—from the most difficult moments, to the times we deem to be insignificant.

So is following Jesus a little like our hike up a fourteener? No, and yes. No in that it’s not about earning our way up to the presence or approval of God. In the words Dallas Willard, “You cannot call upon Jesus Christ or upon God and not be heard.”  Whenever you call on God, He hears you and is present with you. Simply, God is not waiting for you to reach a summit (get your act together) before you can call on Him. When you reach out, you discover He’s been there the whole time. 

Following Jesus is like climbing a fourteener in that it’s a journey. You are not going to be transformed by reading this devotional, going to church one time, or reading your Bible once in a while. God is not in the microwave dinner business. You will be transformed, and see the growth and progress you desire through, as John Mark Comer says, the “unglamorous work of following Jesus.” More on this in the following weeks. 

Invitations for this week:

  • This week, call out to Jesus by asking Him to journey with you in your everyday life. One day this week, before work or school or whatever you do, try taking five minutes and telling him about your plan for the day. Ask him for what you need to face the day. Thank him for his presence with you. 

  • Listen to podcast

If you would like to pray or talk with someone, feel free to email me at ianreyes567@gmail.com, or another member of the Canyon Creek Project team at hello@canyoncreekproject.com.

On the journey with you,

-Ian


How - Part 1

I’m just going to say it: Sometimes theological teaching can be really abstract and not all that helpful in our day to day lives. Each of us has real responsibilities, to-do lists, schedules, and if you’re like me, I often feel that a lot of teaching about the Bible seems to have very little intersection with my “real” life. If I’m not careful, though I may not admit it, sometimes this can get to the point that I feel like God is not too involved in my day to day life. I begin to believe that God belongs to some other, abstract level of reality that I only think about at church—one that has nothing to do with my everyday life.* 

Commenting on the Church, theologian Dallas Willard said, “Our usual ‘gospels’ are, in their effect . . . nothing less than a standing invitation to omit God from the course of our daily existence.” What I understand Willard saying is that what is taught in most churches today almost exclusively focuses on how we can get to heaven, or in many Seventh-Day Adventist circles, what the end of the world is going to look like (eschatology). While these teachings are good, and often true, whenever they are the primary emphasis, they can cause us to forget how God actually wants to affect our daily lives.

The way of Jesus was never supposed to just be “three easy steps to get to heaven.” While part of Jesus’ mission was to invite us into eternal life through faith in Him, Jesus also came to invite us into what Dallas Willard calls the, “eternal kind of life.” In other words, Jesus came to give us the opportunity to have a certain quality of life in our here and now, everyday lives. This life is available to us whether we are rich or poor, young or old, single or married, or any other distinction. 

So in the next few weeks I want us to explore this question together: “What does it mean to follow Jesus in our daily lives?” 

The Three Chairs

I was only a few weeks into grad school whenever one of my professors, Dr. Allan Walshe, pulled out three chairs in front of our class. Seeing our confused faces, he began to explain in his silky Australian accent what each chair meant to our spiritual lives. “The first chair is what you do for God,” he said, “This chair represents things like helping others, serving in church, and even how much time you spend with God.” He continued, “The second chair is how you love God. This chair represents your feelings, thoughts and overall disposition to God as a Person.” He moved on to the final chair, saying, “This last chair is how you see God, in other words, your understanding of who He is.” 

Dr. Walshe went on to explain that while most churches often focus on the first chair (what we do for God), and some even on the second (how we love God), it is actually the third chair (how we view God) that determines the other two. Put another way, you will not want to love God or do anything He wants you to do if in your heart you believe He has a judgemental, petty, unfair character. Sure, you might try to do what He says, acting out of fear of some kind of punitive measure, but it won’t be out of a genuine desire. Our view of God determines whether or not we love Him or follow His guidance for our practical lives.

It did not take long for Dr. Walshe’s guidance to challenge me. As I started to analyze my “three chairs,” I began to see that for much of my life, I had been serving a “god” that was not reflective of the God of love who reveals Himself in the Bible. Somewhere along the way I had come to believe that He expected me to be perfect in everything I did. This made loving God difficult, as I saw Him as always being disappointed in my performance (or lack thereof). It also made the things I did for God (like worship, or other kinds of serving) difficult as I usually had the anxiety that it wouldn’t be good enough for Him. I realized that I had a third chair problem. Even years into my relationship with Jesus, I needed to ask myself, “Who is God? Who am I?” all over again.

Have you ever been there?

Those questions opened up a new journey for me, one that I’m still on. They challenge me to look into Scripture to discover who God is, rather than relying on my feelings, or only what others have told me about Him. 

Before we dive deeper into how we can better follow Jesus in our day to day lives, it’s crucial that we begin by asking ourselves, “Who is Jesus?” In other words, “What is He like? What is He about? What’s His attitude toward me?” If we want our actions, and our attitude towards Him to shift, we must first challenge ourselves to have an honest look at who He is and what He’s about.

How?

Everything practical that we will be talking about in the next few weeks will be of little use if you don’t know the character of the One making the invitation.

In the first lesson of his popular Bible study series [truth] Link, Ty Gibson says that the “true north,” or the point of departure, for his entire study is “God is love.” The same is true of our journey together. Discover (or rediscover) this for yourself this week:

  • Read Romans 5, asking yourself, “Who is God? Who am I?”

  • If you want to dive deeper, go to truthlink.org, create a free account, and read the first lesson of Ty Gibson’s course.

If you would like to pray or talk with someone, feel free to email me at ianreyes567@gmail.com, or another member of the Canyon Creek Project team at hello@canyoncreekproject.com.

Looking forward to seeing y’all soon, 

-Ian

*These ideas were brought to my attention in Dallas Willard’s, The Divine Conspiracy



WHAT DO I DO?!

“WHAT DO I DO?! How should I respond to everything that’s happening in our nation? How should I respond as a follower of Jesus?” Maybe these questions have come to your mind the last couple of weeks. They’ve come to mine. 

I’m sure you have so many different sources that are already trying to answer these questions for you. From the news to social media influencers, it might seem like everyone is trying to tell you how to feel, and how to react. 

In our reflection this week, I want us to consider one step Jesus might be inviting His followers into at this unique time.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” - Matthew 5:4 NIV

I read the following lines from influential author Brené Brown last week: “As individuals, we’re afraid of the darkness grief brings. As a society, we have pathologized it and turned it into something to cure or get over.” What I understand Brown to be saying is that, as a culture, we cannot stand the uncomfortable feelings that grieving brings, so we do everything in our power to short-circuit or bypass the process altogether. But is not engaging with the process of grieving (or mourning) the best reaction to the cultural moment that we are all facing? What would Jesus say about this?

The Greek root word for “mourn” in Matthew 5:4 is πενθεω (“pentheo”), which means, “to experience sadness or grief as a result of depressing circumstances or the conditions of persons.” In other words, I think πενθεω means to be sad about something that’s wrong around you, in other people, or in you. The root word for “comforted” is παρακαλεω (“parakaleo”), meaning, “to cause someone to be encouraged or consoled, either by verbal or non-verbal means.” (It can also mean to “urge,” “implore,” or “exhort.”)

Using these two definitions, I rewrote the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:4 in this way: 

“Blessed are those who ‘experience sadness or grief as the result of depressing circumstances or conditions or persons,’ because they will be ‘encouraged or consoled, either by verbal or non-verbal means.” 

To put it simply, Jesus is saying that we are in a state of blessing whenever our hearts break for the things that break God’s heart. Why? Because it feels good to have your heart broken? No. We are blessed because we are promised that the encouragement and consolation of God will meet us in our mourning. 

Notice who does the comforting. It does not say that those who mourn will comfort themselves. The people who mourn are not “blessed, happy, fortunate” because they comfort themselves by numbing the pain of deep sadness (whether through substances, distractions, or Christian cliches like “This too shall pass” or “Everything happens for a reason”). No, they recognize that something is wrong, they sit with it, they wait on God to comfort them.

As I reflect on the words of Jesus in light of what’s happening in our nation right now, I realize that my heart should be broken right now. I should experience sadness about the state of my country, church, and the sin/prejudices within my own soul. Things are not right. I need to sit with that and allow God to “urge, implore, exhort” or encourage me in His timing. If my heart is not broken right now—if I numb or distract myself—then something is not right within me. What about you?

If you’re grieving right now over something that breaks God’s heart, Jesus says you are “blessed, happy, fortunate.” Again, not in the sense that it feels good, but because you will be encouraged. 

So what should followers of Jesus do in this cultural moment? 

One thing we should do is mourn—in other words allow ourselves to feel what we’re feeling. We are called to courageously choose not to numb ourselves, but instead to mourn and reflect on the conditions of our country, of people groups, and our own hearts. By giving ourselves time in this space, we will be “encouraged,” “consoled,” “urged, “implored,” “exhorted,” by God. In doing this we will receive the courage we need to encourage others and actually be the people of Jesus in this difficult time. 

“3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” - 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NIV

How

  • This week, take some time to write down some of the feelings you’re having as a result of what’s going on in our country. Whether grief, anger, sadness, or anything, write it down.

    • Take your emotions to God in prayer, saying or writing something like, “Jesus, today I’m feeling angry . . .”

  • Take some time to talk to a trusted friend about what you wrote, asking them to simply listen, whether or not they agree with your perspective. Ask them to pray for you in this difficult time. 

If you would like to pray or talk with someone, feel free to email me at ianreyes567@gmail.com, or another member of the Canyon Creek Project team at hello@canyoncreekproject.com.

We’re in this together,

-Ian

FILTERS

I have a love-hate relationship with photo filters. Growing up, Instagram was still emerging, and I was pretty excited when I discovered the filter feature. All of a sudden the somewhat (very) awkward selfies of my early teenage self were graced by a level of sophistication they had never had before. As the years passed though, I became disillusioned with filters, primarily because of a single thought, “What if I’m setting people’s expectations too high?” In other words, I became afraid that my real appearance would not be able to live up to the image other people saw through the filter I was projecting to them on social media.

Beyond affecting my teenage anxieties, filters play a role in each of our lives. 

All of us have filters (biases) that affect (for better or worse) the way in which we see the world. 

One of my favorite thinkers, John Mark Comer, teaches that the factors that shape us are our habits, environments, experiences, and our relationships. Put another way, what we do regularly, the people and spaces in which we surround ourselves, and the lessons we learn, form our characters and our filters. This is very intuitive to most of us, as I think we have all experienced the way in which the influences that surround us mold the way in which we see ourselves, others, and our world.

Now more than ever, in light of all the events that have taken place in the last few months, we as followers of Jesus must check the filters through which we see life.

“. . . Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me . . . If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” - Mark 8:34,38 NIV

Here Jesus makes a clear invitation to all of us: “If you want to be my disciple [apprentice, student], you have to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.” In other words, He calls us to question and let go of our natural way of living, seeing the world, relating to others, and every other part of our lives. For Jesus, it is all or nothing; He is either the Lord (the Master, Teacher) of our lives, or He’s not. There is no in between. He wants all of our lives. How we treat others, what opinions we accept, what we post or don’t post on social media, our lifestyle—He wants to influence all of it. His invitation is optional and can only be freely chosen . . . “Whoever.” In other words, “If you want to.” But if you want to, He tells you how in this invitation. 

I’m not telling you what to think, how to vote, what cause to support, or what influencers to subscribe to. I am challenging each of us to question ourselves and our filters. Helpful questions can be:

  • Where is my opinion on [fill in the blank] coming from?

  • Is what I think on this issue informed by my political party or by the values of Jesus?

  • Is how I’m treating someone (in person or on social media) being determined by what I heard on the news, or by the way of Jesus?

I want to make it clear that the first person who has to do this . . . is me. It’s not easy to question our way of seeing the world because it opens us up to the possibility of change. But I do believe that this reflection is what Jesus is calling me, and calling you to. Not reacting as others in our culture do, but to individually and as a church, seek to respond in the way in which Jesus would—in the way of love. 

HOW

Putting this into practice is not a mathematical formula, it’s a journey with Jesus—one I’m inviting each of us to step into. 

Take 20 minutes to reflect this week (more effective if you write this down)

  • What does it mean to deny yourself and follow Jesus in this season of your life?

    • What things (whether actions, or thoughts or opinions) is He asking you to challenge?

  • Are your views on your life, others, and society being influenced primarily by your own thoughts and feelings? The news? Other people? Or by the teachings of Jesus?

  • What would it look like in your life to see yourself, others, and what’s going on in our country through the lens of the words of Jesus?

If you want to continue this conversation, have some questions, would like to study the words of Jesus with others, or simply want someone to pray for you, feel free to email me at ianreyes567@gmail.com, or another member of the Canyon Creek Project team at hello@canyoncreekproject.com.

We’re in this together,

-Ian










FEAR v. LOVE

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been looking at the stories that our culture tells us to live, versus the story that Jesus invites us into through the lens of Psalm 91. This week we’re looking at the narrative of fear versus love. 

In a moment of despair, the young hero, wounded and with his face tarnished by dust and worry, looked over to the elderly man next to him and said, “I wish it need not have happened in my time . . ." The elderly man, with a look that could be described as an odd mixture of sympathy and amusement, a look that only arises when one has seen many years and many troubles, replied back, “So do I . . . and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

If you’re a fan of J.R.R. Tokien’s The Lord of the Rings like I am, you probably recognize that dialogue as a conversation between Frodo Baggins, a young hobbit who has been given a nearly impossible mission to save his world and is on the brink of giving up, and Gandalf, his wise guide. 

As the weeks have gone by, maybe Frodo’s wish has crossed your mind, “I wish it need not have happened in my time.” Life was probably already complicated for you—you didn’t need Covid and it’s health, economic, or mental effects to make it worse. Yet, this is where you find yourself in, where we all find ourselves. The question now is, what will we do with the time that has been given to us? Will we live a story that is defined by fear and uncertainty, or by love?

We are not the first to face things that cause us to fear, or the first to find ourselves in stories that we would not have chosen for ourselves. In Psalm 91, God makes promises to deliver whoever dwells with Him from several dangers. However, as I thought about this, I realized that what’s also implied is that this person, the one dwelling with God . . . IS EITHER FACING, MIGHT FACE, OR WILL FACE ALL OF THESE TROUBLES. And these are not exactly G-rated issues this person is going through. Check this out:

(v. 3) “Deadly pestilence,” “pestilence that stalks in darkness,” “plague that destroys at midday” (v. 6)

  • The Psalmist seems to be talking about some serious health risks. We’d probably call these . . . yes, pandemics. 

(v. 5) “terror of the night” 

  • Sometimes the worst aspect of uncertain times is not the tangible threat, but the terror and anxiety about what might or might not occur. I think that’s what the Psalmist is getting at here. 

(v.5) “arrow that flies by day”

  • The Psalmist seems to be referring to the threat of physical violence and war.

A lot of these dangers are real, not imagined, and the person who dwells with God is not excused from facing them. She is not promised a life that will be easy, convenient, or separated from the imminence of legitimate trouble. 

Yes, this seems like a downer. It seems that even for the person who dwells with God, the story that they’re forced into is one of fear, where they’re on their own and have to fight to survive. 

But wait . . . what does God have to say to the person who dwells with Him?

“‘Because he loves me’, says the LORD, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.” Psalm 91:14-15 NIV

The LORD (as Pastor Peter says, “The One who gets messy with us”) promises rescue, protection, presence in trouble, deliverance, and even honor. To whom? To the one who’s good, or perfect, or has earned it? No. To the one who loves him.

This person has learned to shift their focus from the fear in front of them, to the LORD who is with them. Instead of focusing on the things that cause them fear and living a story that is defined by fear, he or she emphasizes love in their life—for God, themselves, and others. They live a different story, a story in which the ultimate power is not their circumstances, but the God of love in whom they have chosen to trust. 

HOW 

As you might have guessed, choosing to live a story of love instead of one of fear is often not easy, and it’s not something that happens overnight—it’s a process. After all, the majority of the things we watch, listen to, and are shaped by are all pulling us in the direction of fear. So how do we start on this journey? Well, as we’ve learned, it seems to start with shifting our focus from fear of circumstances to love for God. But how do we cultivate this love?

Something that is helping me on this journey is realizing that how I love God is determined by how I see Him—what I think He’s like, His character. In other words, it’s going to be pretty hard for us to love God if we have a skewed picture of who He is.

So this week, I want to invite you to take 20 minutes one morning and just ask yourself the questions, “What is God like? Why should/why do I love Him?”

    • Write your reflections down, then simply praise Him (tell Him how great He is!) for who He is and what He’s done in your life.

  • Passages to start with

    • Psalm 23

    • 1 John 4:7-21

    • Jeremiah 31:3

If you’re at a place where you’re not sure if you love God, that’s ok. I’ve been there too, and I’m still there some days. Whether we feel we’re struggling in our love for God or not, I would challenge each of us to ask ourselves, “Do I know God for who He says He really is? Or am I basing my picture of Him on what I’ve been taught by another person?”

If you have some questions about this devotional, want to dive deeper into who God has said He is in Scripture, or just want someone to pray for you, feel free to email me at ianreyes567@gmail.com, or another member of the Canyon Creek Project team at hello@canyoncreekproject.com.

He is with us,

-Ian







DWELL?

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” - Psalm 91:1 NIV


Last week, we had a conversation about how, in a world that tells us we are alone and have to hustle in order to provide for ourselves, Jesus invites us to a different way of living. Specifically, he invites us to “dwell” with him. This week I want to dive deeper into that concept of dwelling, and explore what it really means in our lives. 

Most of us know what it means to dwell [live, reside] with other people. Whether with parents, grandparents, siblings, or another family arrangement, shared life is familiar to us (whether we liked it or not). If your experience was anything like mine, you know that when you live with other people, two things almost inevitably happen. 

First, you see the good, the bad, and the ugly of people, and vice versa. There’s nothing like a shared space to reveal who people, and you, really are. Because of your proximity, you get to see what other people are really like in times of joy, stress and everything in between. Second, even in subtle ways, you become more like the people you live with. For better or worse, I have developed an appreciation for 70’s & 80’s music because of my brother Alec’s constant replaying of the classics on Spotify, and that’s one of the smaller ways in which he’s influenced me.

I think that this type of shared living is what Jesus’ invitation for us to “dwell” with him is all about. As opposed to just a quick prayer in the morning or going to church once a week, Jesus is inviting us to do life with Him. He wants us to invite him into those moments that only a person we live with would see—both the moments of unspeakable joy, and unbearable pain (and everything in between). He wants us to let Him in, and share every part of our life experience with him. I think that’s His invitation when, through the words of Psalm 91:1, He speaks about us dwelling in His shelter. For those who accept His invitation, he promises to give them rest. 

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest . . .” 

He says to each of us who are restless, anxious, worn down by the story that our culture keeps pushing upon us: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28 NIV).

He invites us into a whole new way of living. Instead of anxiously hustling for commercial success or even for His approval (or the approval of others by the way), He invites us to “dwell” with him. To leave our restless house of cards, and enjoy the shelter of His presence. He invites you into this today.

HOW?

I struggle with accepting this invitation from Jesus. It’s hard for me to be vulnerable with God; to live in His shelter, asking Him to come into every part of my life, rather than just going to Him as an occasional visitor. 

Something that has helps me in this journey was suggested to me by a friend a few months ago, and I want to ask each of us to try it this week:

Take 15 minutes on one morning this week and talk to God . . . except, don’t say any “thank you’s” or make any requests (no “T’s & G’s,” aka “thank you” and “give me”). In other words, simply share how you are really feeling on that particular morning (“Today I feel ___,” “I’m worried about ___” etc.). You can do this through writing (my personal favorite), or by taking a walk and talking, or some other way that makes sense for you. When you’re done, take a couple minutes to be silent, knowing that God has heard you and is with you no matter what you’re going through. He’s your shelter.


INVITATION

Instead of trusting the story that culture tell us, or that we often tell ourselves--that we’re alone, that we have to figure everything out for ourselves, that we’re unworthy, or that God is far away--what if Jesus is asking us to trust Him today, to dwell in His shelter and enter into His rest.

If you’re confused about where to start, have some questions about this devotional, want to dive deeper into who God has said He is in Scripture, or just want someone to pray for you, feel free to email me at ianreyes567@gmail.com, or another part of the Canyon Creek Project team at hello@canyoncreekproject.com.

Enjoy His presence this week.



HUSTLE v. DWELL

There’s something about stories that draws us in like nothing else. From Netflix and Hulu, to Instagram and Snapchat, all of these outlets are tools for storytelling. Personally, there is no series of movies I love more than The Lord of the Rings. I’ve been rewatching them recently with my Dad and brother, and they still awake the kid inside of me and create an overwhelming desire to live an adventure.

In his book, Epic, John Eldredge argues that our love for stories is not a coincidence, as the way we experience life is through story. He goes on to say that each of us embraces certain stories in order to make sense of the world, and the stories we accept have a significant impact on the way we see ourselves and others.

There is a narrative (a story) that our culture forces upon us, and tells us to enter every day. It’s promoted through our shows, our music, our politicians. Often, it’s even spread through our churches. This story revolves around three primary themes: Fear, hustle, and survival. Over the next couple of weeks, I want to look together at the story that culture pushes us to swallow, versus the story Jesus is inviting us into. 


HUSTLE v DWELL

Work harder, achieve more, get richer, at all costs. In a podcast I heard recently, Dr. Vivek Murthy argues that our culture bows before three gods: power, reputation, and wealth. He says that these are what culture tells us to base our self-worth on, and I think he’s right. From grade school where we are categorized as “gifted” (or not) based on our grades, to business culture that adores those who amass great wealth (ignoring any other measure of success), the story we are told is: You are what you produce. So you better hustle . . . or you’re nothing. 

Throughout history, portions of the church have also embraced this story, preaching that people have to earn the love of God through grit, devotion, money, and more.


I have lived entire seasons of my life in this story. Driven by a desire to achieve at all costs, measuring my worth based on my grades, what others thought of me, or whether or not I could land a job at my dream company, I’ve lost total balance in my life at the expense of my health and relationships. I bought into the story that I am what I produce; that I need to figure things out on my own. What about you?

Into this cultural moment steps in Jesus, offering us a counternarrative (a different story) through the words of Psalm 91. 

1 “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” (NIV)

In a culture that coerces us to hustle, Jesus invites us to dwell in His shelter. 

Jesus tells a story of a God whose love is big enough to dwell in, rest in, abide in. He invites us to turn from trying to figure everything out on our own, or trying to save ourselves, to trusting that in Him we will be ok. It’s a shift of focus, turning our eyes from what we must do to survive, to the One who has promised to be our shelter even in the most difficult of times.


Matthew 6 NLT

31“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

I think through these words, Jesus is telling us today, “Just be with Me, walk with Me, dwell in Me, and You’ll be ok. Trust Me; I will provide for you.” 


HOW?

Merriam-Webster defines the word “dwell” as, “to live as a resident,” and to “exist.”

Staying informed is amazing, but what if on one morning this week you tried to “exist,” or “live as a resident” in God’s presence? Try this:

Stay off your phone (IG, the news, etc) for 30 minutes after you wake up. Instead, read Psalm 91, asking God three questions:

  1. What are You saying to me today?

  2. How does this intersect with my life?

  3. What’s the invitation (what step are You inviting me to take)?

FEAR v. FAITH

“A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!””

‭‭Mark‬ ‭4:37-41‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Why are you so afraid?”

This is a frustrating question from Jesus. I imagined myself being in this story, feeling the rocking of the boat, having water to my ankles, not being able to see the shoreline, and even using a little cup to try to pour water out. So it didn’t take me too long to come up with an almost breathless response to Jesus’ question:

“I’m afraid because I was in a rocking boat, in the middle of a lake with water coming in and land very far, and this is a storm! I’ll drown if I fall into the water!”

Why does Jesus ask these sort of things . . . ?

Then something came to my mind. A verse written long before Jesus calmed the storm, a promise that God had made to His people.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. . .”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:2‬a NIV‬‬

I fear a lot of things. The future (what the heck am I going to do with my career? Spouse? etc), the present (COVID, health, new challenges, passing classes), the past (regret, fear of falling back into old ways). And I honestly think that these are legitimate fears. I might not be about to drown like the disciples, but I often find my heart drowning . . . What about you?

But today, I think Jesus presented me with a choice:

Fear of circumstance or Faith in Jesus

“Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Here, Jesus presents fear and faith to be mutually exclusive (to clarify, when I mention fear, I don’t mean the emotion, but the choice to live out of that emotion). Either you fear the situation around you, or you have faith in the One with you. 

I have legitimate reason to fear (you probably do too, as did the disciples) . . . if God is NOT with me.

I think what Jesus was saying to His disciples, and what He’s saying to you and me today is this:

“Am I with you?

Then fear not. Follow Me.”

That’s it. If Jesus is your Teacher, your Master, your Friend . . . then you have His promise:

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. . .”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:2‬a NIV‬‬

Questions:

  1. What are you afraid of today?

  2. What is Jesus saying to you today?

  3. What is He inviting you into today?