Judas Iscariot and Joseph of Arimathea

Approximately 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ walked this earth. He was God's Son, and what He accomplished during his brief 33 years is and always will be the most significant events in history. He impacted every life with whom He came in contact, and time itself was divided by His birth. He spread love, healing and deliverance to everyone He met. His words and actions to people are still studied, discussed and respected by Christians and non-Christians alike. However, the purpose of this post is not to talk about what Jesus did, but rather, it is to talk about how He was treated by two people who played very different roles in His earthly life.

One of these people is very well known. His name has become synonymous with betrayal and scandal. Judas Iscariot was one of Jesus' closest followers. He accompanied Jesus throughout His earthly ministry. He was there when Jesus fed five thousand men, along with their wives and children. He witnessed Jesus heal and deliver an epileptic boy and watched as Jesus called Lazarus from his grave. Judas heard the Sermon on the Mount, and he was present when Jesus privately explained the parable of the sower. He saw Jesus walk on water and joined Him for His last meal. For three and a half years, he traveled with Jesus all over the nation of Israel, but in the end, He chose to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Judas' time with Jesus, although there were probably some great moments, will forever be remembered for his selfishness and greed in the end. 

Joseph of Arimathea is not as well known as Judas. The Bible does not even record a single conversation that he and Jesus had. We don't know if He ever witnessed a single miracle or how many times, if any, he heard Jesus preach. He may have never heard Jesus rebuke the Pharisees or see Him bless the children. For all we know, he may have only heard about Jesus or seen Him from a distance, but in the end, he gave up his own personal burial tomb and allowed Jesus' body to be placed there. Joseph of Arimathea's time with Jesus, as brief and fleeting as it might have been, may be a detail that many pass over as they read the story of Jesus life, but it was significant enough that it was foretold more than six hundred years before it happened. 

The prophet Isaiah prophesied about Joseph of Arimathea and what he would do many generations before he was born. In what is unquestionably one of the most beautiful and precious Old Testament prophecies about Jesus as the Messiah, Isaiah said:

   He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But He was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man's grave (Isaiah 53:9 NLT, emphasis mine).

Joseph of Arimathea was this rich man, and the body of Jesus was laid to rest in his grave.

Judas had such little esteem for Jesus that he was willing to betray Him to His death, even after spending so much time with Him. Joseph, on the other hand, so highly esteemed even the bruised and beaten body of Jesus that He offered His own grave to a man he probably barely knew. 

Now, let us fast forward about two thousand years. Jesus has ascended back to the Father, Judas took his own life and Joseph has also passed away. The natural body of Jesus is no longer present on this earth, but His people make up His body now. We are his representatives to a world that is dying and needs His healing touch. However, we are far from perfect. We all have shortcomings and weaknesses. None of us is a perfect representation of Jesus on an individual level, and collectively, we have made some serious mistakes that have been some of the worst travesties in history. Nonetheless, we are the body of Christ today. 

The man sitting beside you at church is a part of Jesus' body. You may be aware of sin in his life, but he is still a part of Jesus' body. The pregnant teen who is afraid to come back to church is also a part of His body. The single father and the homeless man who sits in the back are both a part of His body. The family who left the church upset and the church across town that just split because they couldn't agree on the volume of the music are a part of His body. Indeed, His body is still broken and bruised, but who will we be, Judas Iscariot, or Joseph of Arimathea? 

Will we betray one another, or will we sacrifice for one another? Will we pass judgement on the body of Christ today, or will we embrace His body, in spite of the damage that may seem to be beyond repair? Will we sit in the pew with our jaw clinched in disdain, or will we roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty? Will we criticize, or will we walk with our neighbors through the messes and ugly sides of their lives? Will we choose to look down on them, or will we commit to pray for them every step of their journey? Will we betray those around us, or will we lay our own lives down for them?

Who will we be, Judas Iscariot, or Joseph of Arimathea?

  

America and the Sin of Sodom

There are probably few people today who are not familiar with the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Just the mention of these names brings to mind images of fire and brimstone and Lot’s wife being turned into a pillar of salt (see Genesis 19:26). Believers and non-believers alike know at least some of what took place and that the evil in those cities became so great that the Lord was finally forced to destroy them. Although many are familiar with Sodom and Gomorrah, most probably misunderstand their primary sin.

We all know that perversion had become very rampant in Sodom. Undoubtedly, it was some of the worst the world has ever seen. The people there had become so depraved that they even desired to have a sexual encounter with two angels (see Genesis 19:1-5). However, this horrible perversion was just one of a handful of sins that led to Sodom’s ultimate destruction.

More than a thousand years after the demise of Sodom, the Lord spoke through the prophet Ezekiel and shed light on the reality of what went on there. In Ezekiel 16:49-50, the Lord said:

Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door.

She was proud and committed detestable sins, so I wiped her out, as you have seen (NLT).

Along with the obvious detestable sins, the Lord also listed pride, gluttony, laziness and a disregard for the poor and needy as the sins that led Him to destroy Sodom. He was just as offended by Sodom’s pride, idle misuse of their abundance and lack of care for the poor as He was their depravity.

A Startling Comparison

We do not have to consider these sins very long to recognize that they are also common in present day America. By God’s grace and mercy, America’s best days can be ahead of us, but we need to make some major changes. Right now politicians are laying out their plans for our nation and changes they plan to implement. However, we need to understand that far more important are the changes that need to be made in the hearts and lives of America’s citizens. We need to understand the sins that grieved the Lord’s heart in Sodom and determine to rid our own hearts and nation of them.

Pride  

The Bible has much to say about pride. Let us consider just a few of the scriptures that deal with this common sin:

… for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PORUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE (I Peter 5:5b).

When pride comes, then comes dishonor . . . (Proverbs 11:2a)

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling (Proverbs 16:18).

Pride separates us from God and brings dishonor and destruction to our lives. The Lord is not able to tolerate pride, and to whatever degree an individual or a nation is prideful, they are separated from the Lord. Sodom’s pride separated them from the Lord and eventually helped lead to their destruction.

The dangers of this sin are clear, but what is pride exactly? Most people tend to equate pride with arrogance. We think of someone as proud if they think they are better than others and boast about their appearance, social status, possessions, etc. We might think about the cocky star athlete in high school who wouldn’t give most of us a second look in the hallway. Maybe we remember the lady who drove by in her Mercedes with a smirk when our car was being towed. These are some of the more obvious examples of pride, but this sin also manifests itself in far more subtle ways. It has been said that pride is not only thinking more of ourselves than we should, but it is also thinking of ourselves more than we should. It is easy to understand pride in the context of a person bragging about their jobs or flaunting their fancy cars, but another aspect of pride is simply when we think about ourselves too often. It is when we are the first people that come to mind. This kind of pride doesn’t allow us to see past ourselves to see anyone else.

This type of pride was rampant in Sodom, and it fostered their other sins, as well. Unfortunately, it is hard to deny that this pride has also become very common in America. Many Americans have very little, if any, understanding of how much of the rest of the world lives. Now, some may have no context for the way of life in a developing nation because they have simply never been told. In this case, their lack of understanding is rooted in ignorance. However, there are some that choose not to think about people being hungry just a few blocks away because of indifference.

Many Americans know more about the dysfunctional lives of popular “reality television” stars than they do the genocide that has taken place over the past several years in Congo and the Sudan, or the civil war that is claiming the lives of thousands in Syria at the time of this writing. This deliberate indifference is rooted in a base from of pride. It drives us to focus on ourselves all the while we ignore the suffering of others. This kind of pride has become normal for many Americans, and if it is allowed to continue, it will separate us from the Lord.

Gluttony

The second sin the Lord listed that helped lead to Sodom’s demise was the sin of gluttony. This particular sin is not mentioned very often in America’s pulpits, but the Bible has much more to say about this commonly overlooked sin. Proverbs 23:21 says:

For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe one with rags.

Proverbs 28:7 tells us that:

He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but He who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his father.

These scriptures reveal not only the dangers of gluttony, but they also show us the different mentality that people in the Bible times had toward this sin. Even Jesus was accused of being a glutton:

“The Son of Man has come eating and drinking; and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man, and a drunkard, a friend of tax-gathers and sinners!’ (Luke 7:34)

Although these accusations leveled against Jesus were false, considering that gluttony was listed among being a drunkard and a friend of tax collectors and sinners, it is clear that it was once considered to be a big deal. I wonder what someone from this time in history would think if they took a stroll through many of our restaurants today. It is not uncommon for some of us to consume more food at one meal than a person from another part of the world consumes in an entire day! This is not only because much of the world is in poverty – it is also because many of us have swung too far the other way and regularly misuse our abundance! Of the seven billion people alive today, one billion of them live on less than a dollar a day. By these standards, even some of the poorest Americans eat a feast on a daily basis.

Laziness

Like its next of kin, gluttony, laziness is not always addressed in our pulpits, but it is mentioned frequently in the Bible. Proverbs 15:19a says:

The way of the lazy is a hedge of thorns . . .

Proverbs 19:15 tells us that:

Laziness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle man will suffer hunger.

Similarly, the apostle Paul exhorted the Thessalonians that if anyone will not work, neither let him eat (see II Thessalonians 3:10). I understand that due to unemployment or legitimate disabilities, there are some who truly cannot work, and we must keep that in perspective. I am thankful for the assistance that is available for people in those circumstances, but many in America have figured out that they can lazily live off of everyone else’s hard work and not have to contribute to society.

Even prior to the fall of man, God intended that we work. After God created Adam, he gave him a job to do. Genesis 2:15 tells us:

Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.

Work was originally a part of God’s plan for us, and that has not changed. He wants us to work, and He considers laziness a sin.

What Was The Result?

As the sins of pride, gluttony and laziness ran rampant in Sodom, her citizens indulged themselves while the poor and needy suffered outside her door (see Ezekiel 16:49b). The people of Sodom became so complacent and comfortable that they were unable to recognize the poor and needy who were in their midst. I am afraid that this has become the same for many in America.

Now, I want to be clear that there is nothing wrong with having an abundance, and in many cases, the abundances we enjoy are gifts from God. However, the problem develops when we allow our blessings and comforts to cause us to be self-centered, proud and self-indulgent. When our eyes are focused on ourselves, we cannot see those around us that God wants to use us to bless. Instead of properly stewarding our abundant resources to reach out to the poor and needy, many of us have succumb to a culture of waste.

These sins grieved God’s heart and eventually led to His judgment being released and Sodom being destroyed. We cannot afford to deceive ourselves into believing that the same cannot happen to us. The names Sodom and Gomorrah have become synonymous with judgment and destruction, but that is really not appropriate. Jesus lived in Capernaum, and let us consider His words to that city:

“And to you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You shall descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which have occurred in you, it would have remained to this day.

Nevertheless I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you” Matthew 11:23-24).

These verses show us that the Lord’s judgment is not solely determined by the sin, but by how much of His light a person or nation has rejected. Sodom had become depraved, but Capernaum rejected the very Son of God. Capernaum received a far greater light than Sodom, so Capernaum’s judgment will be more severe. How much light has America received? Look at all God has given us, and then look at how we so often waste it. He has put unprecedented resources at our disposal and has given us the ability to reach our beyond ourselves and make a difference. How are we choosing to use those resources?

Where Do We Go From Here?

Sadly, for Sodom and Gomorrah, it is too late. However, it is not too late for America. God told Abraham that he would spare Sodom if He could just find ten righteous men there (see Genesis 18:32). Unfortunately, He could not find even ten. How many righteous men and women are in America today? There are many more than ten! I do not believe that it’s God’s will that America fails. The Lord has richly blessed us and there is a reason He has done so.

History has shown us in the example of Sodom what can happen to a nation bound in the sins of pride, gluttony, laziness and disregard for the poor. Let us learn this lesson now and determine that our fate will not be the same! Ours is a land of destiny and purpose. Let us stand firm until the tide has turned and America has become all that God intends for us to be. This starts as we humble ourselves and receive His grace to live differently. Let us pray for His perspective and for His leading as we seek to become a different kind of people! It starts in our hearts as individuals, but it can spread from there until it consumes churches, neighborhoods and finally our nation. Let us determine that this will happen in our day and that history will reflect that America rightly stewarded all our blessings and embraced the God from Whom they came!

The New Perfect

We all know the old saying "nobody's perfect." Most of us have said it to console someone (or ourselves) when they made a mistake. We all seem to understand that we're only human, and humans aren't perfect, but I am amazed at how often we strive to be perfect and stress ourselves out when we fall short.

Now, there are certainly cases when wanting everything to be "perfect" is understandable. Nobody faults the bride who insists that everything is just right on her wedding day, when she has dreamed of it for years. Then there is the young man who carefully planned his proposal to her a year earlier - he wanted that to be perfect. In a couple of years they will host his parents for Thanksgiving, and of course, they will want the meal to be a success.  All these examples make sense, and there is definitely nothing wrong with trying our best and giving everything our best shot. However, if we take an honest look around us, even at our own lives, we can see the pressure that many feel to be flawless, or at least put up a perfect facade that goes further than just trying our best.

This pressure to never fall short can come from many places. Some parents expect perfection from their children, so as they grow, many of them can never really break free from this unrealistic expectation. This is not intended as any criticism of the parents - many of them probably felt a similar pressure to be perfect. However, as the children reach adulthood, they are driven in every aspect of their lives to be perfect, and they will likely be parents that require the same of their children.

There are many young people who see perfection portrayed in the media, and that becomes the goal they strive to attain. The young girl sees "perfection" in all the television shows, Facebook ads and magazine articles, so that image, however unattainable, shapes her perception of what is normal. After all, the cutest guys go for the thinnest girls with the clearest skin, right? To become one of these girls, they will often do whatever it takes, including starving themselves or working out tirelessly.

It is the same for young boys. They grow up with the action figure who has six-pack abs and bulging biceps, so they feel that they must have the same. The hottest girls go for the guys with the fastest cars, the slickest suits and the best hairlines, right? They begin to believe this and that pressure helps shape their lives, as well.

Because we all have to deal with the pressure to be perfect, it is important that we understand the Lord's perspective on perfection. In Revelation 2, Jesus sent a letter to church in Thyatira, and what He told them can help us understand how he feels about this:

   "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
   ... I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first ... (Revelation 2:18a, 19).

Jesus' words to the people of Thyatira were very encouraging. He knew they weren't perfect, but He knew they were improving all the time. He saw their good works, and He saw that they were doing a better job now than when they first started. This is a very comforting look into the heart of God and into how he sees us. He understands that we are not perfect, but He is pleased when we are constantly improving.

On a side note, we need to bear in mind that this does not pertain to salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us:

   For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
   not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Salvation is a free gift of God - it is not anything we can obtain by working. In regard to salvation, Jesus makes us perfect, but in every other area of life, He is pleased by our improvement. What matters is that we are moving forward!

He sees that we are doing better today than we were yesterday. Maybe yesterday we struggled with doubt, but today we have learned to trust Him more. Maybe last year we had a foul mouth, but this year, by His grace, we haven't spoken a profane word in six months. Perhaps our credit card statements reflect a past of financial mismanagement, but now we have determined to start being responsible with our money. If today we are not happy with our physical condition, let us make plans to make changes going forward, or perhaps learn to think differently about ourselves going forward. Last year our communication with our spouses may have left much to be desired, but this year we are scheduling time each week to be alone and talk about our lives. All of this is improvement! Our deeds of late are greater than at first.

By the grace of God we have been saved. We are not perfect, but also by His grace we are improving, and improvement is the new perfect!

Jeremiah 29:11 and America, 2012

One of the most popular verses in the western world these days is Jeremiah 29:11. It is on many t-shirts, bumper stickers, refrigerators and is probably highlighted in most of our Bibles. Many of us can say it from memory, and we remind ourselves of it whenever the future seems uncertain. It has become a major source of comfort for many believers, and rightfully so, as it contains very encouraging words directly from the Lord's mouth:

   "For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope" (NASB.)

This verse is definitely a great reminder of the Lord's goodness, and I think it is worth a closer look. To gain the best understanding of any verse of Scripture, it is important to understand its context. Researching the context can give us a much better appreciation of what a verse truly says. As many are aware, there was a time in Judah's history when the Lord's people were taken captive by Babylon. They spent seventy years in captivity, and this period has become known as the "Babylonian Exile."

When the Lord spoke through Jeremiah and told His people that He had good plans for them, Jerusalem had just been besieged and they had been taken into exile. He was reminding them of His goodness and that the plans He had for them were good plans, but from their perspective, they still had 70 years to go! Many of the people who were hearing this promise from the Lord would die in exile and never even see their children and grandchildren return to their homeland.

What happened to those "good plans?" They were about to spend 7 decades in captivity under a Babylonian ruler who required people to bow down to a golden statue of himself. He also threatened to kill his advisors if they couldn't tell him what he dreamed and what that dream meant! Before the people were allowed to return to Jerusalem, this leader, Nebuchadnezzar, would pass from the scene, his successor would be lose the kingdom and Babylon would be divided and ruled by the Medes and the Persians. As I mentioned, many would die while in captivity, and the ones who lived to return to Jerusalem would return to rebuild a city that lay in ruins. I think most people would tend to wonder about those "good plans."

So, what are we to make of this? Was the Lord mistaken? What He lying about His plans? We know that, unlike us, God is not capable of lying, so that wasn't the case (see Numbers 23:19). We also know that the Lord's ways are perfect, so He didn't make a mistake (see Psalm 18:30). Even though what transpired in the lives of the Lord's people during the Babylonian exile may not have seemed good at the time, the Lord worked everything together for their good. The Bible tells us that He will do the same for us (see Romans 8:28).

So, as we consider this common verse in light of its historical context, I believe we can draw from it some encouragement for America today. Thankfully, we have not been taken captive by a foreign leader who has burned our cities and put many of us under sentence of death for not bowing to his image - so, it could be worse. However, we have seen our great nation take some very big steps away from the Lord and from what He intends for us. Our nation was founded by God fearing men and women who acknowledged Him at every turn. Now, our children are not allowed to pray in school or, in some recent cases, even thank Jesus in their valedictorian acceptance speeches. Some of our leaders have announced to the world that America is no longer a Christian nation. Many of the freedoms that have been fundamentally interwoven in the fabric of our nation are now being compromised.

Our challenges may be different from those of the Jewish people who were held captive in Babylon more than 2,500 years ago,  but the battle we face, I believe, may be equally as important to our survival and prosperity in the days that lie ahead. The Jewish people have a special purpose in the plans of God. This has always been the case, and He was careful to watch over His word during their time of captivity. While they were in Babylon, the Lord anointed and raised up Godly, uncompromising men like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men helped alter the course of history, not just for the Jewish people, but also for the entire world! These men shined as lights in the midst of a great darkness.

I believe the Lord also has a special plan for America, but we are currently witnessing a great darkness growing in our nation. Where are our Daniels? Where are the men and women who will be trusted to influence secular leaders? Where are the men and women who will refuse to compromise and, thus, alter the course of history? Those people can be found in our mirrors! We are the ones who must rise up and fight the battles that are right now facing our generation. Daniel never asked for the battles he faced. Neither did Joseph, Esther or Deborah. You and I may have not asked for the battles that are being waged all around us now, but just as the heros that have gone before us, we must stand and fight!

America's best days can still be yet to come. Our future can be greater than our past, and I believe the Lord intends for this to be the case. I also believe that it is up to us. Our victory in the Kingdom is guaranteed, but our victory as Americans may be up for grabs. We are in a moment when we cannot afford to compromise or give up any ground. We need to heed the battle call and fight. We must shine as lights in this darkness and lay hold of the good plans and bright future that can still be ours. Now is not the time to retreat, but it is the time to dig in our heels and be the victorious generation God has called us to be. The Lord knows the plans He has for us, and by His grace, we will live to see those plans become reality.    

   

Jesus Was There

I found myself wandering down a dimly lit street. Other footprints covered my path, for many had been in search of what I longed to find. I did not know for sure where this road would lead, or whom I might meet along the way. I passed by houses, churches, schools, train stations and airports.

Further along I traveled until I came upon a hospital room. The room was dark except for the flicker of the television that was mounted in one corner. In the bed was a man who was left alone with his labored breaths. As he counted his last days, he thought back over his life and wondered why no one was there. He was alone, but by his bed, Jesus was there.

I journeyed further down the road and found myself standing before the window of a small apartment. The walls were plain and the space was scarcely filled. On an old, stained couch sat a mother cradling her young son. His trusting eyes couldn’t conceive what her sad eyes sought to conceal. Through birth she had passed to him a virus that would claim both their lives. Who infected her, she did not know. Most that passed her door looked away in scorn, but in her cold home, Jesus was there.

I continued my walk and stumbled upon a courtroom. I stepped in just in time to hear the gavel strike and attorneys close their brief cases. On opposite sides of the aisle stood a man and woman. Only a short while ago, they vowed to remain together until death did them part, but now they were preparing to leave the court in separate directions. They are both angry and hurt, and they refuse to look at the other. He blames her, she blames him and they both blame themselves. Watching them pass through the door, and wanting to hold them both, Jesus was there.

The road before me stretched on and in the distance the sound of laughter filled my ears. I followed the sound and was delighted to discover that it came from children playing in a schoolyard. They laughed and ran, swung and climbed. Each one had a friend, except for one. Sitting alone under the slide was a boy who couldn’t seem to make any friends. He loved to play, but he couldn’t understand the other children’s games. He needed special attention, but his parents could not afford a special teacher for him. So, he was in school with the other children. Each day he sat alone, but not alone. Deep in his heart, Jesus was there.

I stayed on my path until it led me to a little girl. Her skin was fair and her hair dark. Her forehead bore a mark on its center that identified her race and nationality. She seemed to be about eight years old, but her face carried burdens of one much older. She had been born to parents that could not afford to care for her, so they betrothed her to a man from a neighboring village. He took her and married her in the night. Now, she sits alone facing a life she does not understand. She was far from her mother and father, but Jesus was there.

I pressed on and found myself having come seemingly full circle, as I stood once again in a hospital. This time I stood in a room without a television. Lying alone on a bed was a young woman who was riddled with regret for the decision she had just made. When she awoke that morning, there was a life inside her. Now, that life has been taken. She cried out for someone to take the pain away, but her cries went unanswered. Except for the receptionist who collected her payment, there was no one around, but Jesus was there.

As I continued to travel, my mind replayed all that I had seen. I passed by many more people, and I witnessed many more things. Time would fail me to share them all, but in each place, Jesus was there. I know there is a place for me, a place where I can do what I have been destined to do. If I keep pressing on, I will find that place . . . or wait! Perhaps, I have already found it . . . Jesus was there!

Touching Eternity Today

     ... fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith ... (Hebrews 12:2a)

As Christians, we have the awesome privilege of being able to walk with the Creator of the universe and experience His supernatural power in our lives on a daily basis. In his book, The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis wrote, “The present is the point at which time touches eternity.” It is as we touch eternity that we begin to walk in the fullness of God, and we touch eternity as we fix our eyes on Jesus.     

We Have Been Destined for Eternity

We have been created as eternal beings, and although we are currently living in time, the Lord has destined us for eternity. John 3:16 says:

     For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

One common misconception about eternal life is that it begins once our lives on earth have ended. Another misunderstanding is that eternity is merely time with no end. To better understand this, let us briefly distinguish time from eternity. Eternity is a completely different dimension than time. Eternity existed before time began; it will exist even after time has ended, and it exists completely independent of time. God dwells in the dimension of eternity, and although we are currently living in time, He has called us to walk with Him and experience Him now. Ephesians 2:6 says that God has

     ... raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in heavenly places.

These heavenly places exist in eternity. For us to be able to walk with the Lord and experience the fullness of all that He has for us, we must be able to live beyond time and touch eternity.

In another verse, John 10:10, Jesus says,

     The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.

The original Greek word used for “abundantly” in this verse is “perissos,” which means “beyond, exceedingly above, or excessive.” This is the kind of life that Jesus came to give us. In Him we have life which is beyond, above, and in excess of what is natural. This is supernatural life, and we access it when we touch eternity. Eternal life does not start when we die – it starts now.

The thief in this verse is obviously the devil, and he has set out to rob us of our supernatural life. Peter further warned us about this thief:

     Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. I Peter 5:8

The devil’s primary goal is to cause a separation between the Lord and us. He knows that if he can divert our focus from the Lord, then he can stifle our supernatural life. One of the ways he does this is by trying to distract us with an unhealthy perspective on either the past or the future. The Lord dwells in eternity, and the only time when we can truly walk with Him is the present. If the enemy can distract us from the present, then he can hinder our relationship with the Lord.

Dangers of Living in the Past

            One of the devil’s common schemes to distract us from the present is to divert our focus to the past. Let us examine a little more closely some of his means of accomplishing this:

In Revelation 12:10, the devil is called the “accuser of our brethren,” and accusation is one of his primary tools to enslave us to the past. He constantly reminds us of our sins and mistakes. There are many people who can never pray or worship the Lord without being attacked by feelings of guilt or unworthiness. We need to understand that deliberate sin can hinder the Lord from moving in our lives the way He desires, but once we have confessed the sin and turned back to the Lord, He forgives and forgets the sin. I John 1:9 says,

     If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Once the Lord has forgiven us of our sins, they are gone. He will never bring them up to us again. King David wrote about this in Psalm 103:12:

     As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

David used a very important analogy in this scripture. There is no way to measure the distance between the east and the west. It does not matter how far a person travels east, unless he turns around, he will never be going west. That is not true of north and south, however. If a person begins to travel south, he will eventually begin to head north without ever turning around. Just as there is no way to measure how far the east is from the west, there is no way to measure how far our confessed sins are from the Lord. The Bible actually tells us that He will forgive our iniquity and our sins He will remember no more. (See Jeremiah 31:34). Since the Lord has forgotten our confessed sins, if we are ever reminded of them, we can be assured that it is an accusation from the devil.

Past Offenses

Not only can memories of past sins hinder us in our lives today, but memories of past offenses can as well. These offenses can range from someone simply saying something harsh to us, to somebody cheating us out of a large sum of money, or to something even worse. We might have been completely innocent and still fallen prey to someone else’s cruel and wicked acts. Whatever the case, we have been guaranteed that offenses are going to come. In Luke 17:1, Jesus said,

     It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they come!

We know that we are going encounter offenses, and both the Lord and the enemy have plans for them. The Lord’s plan is to use them to mature us and draw us closer to Him, but the enemy’s plan is use them to cause us pain and turmoil for years to come. Many of us spend countless hours reliving situations that happened in the past, and thinking of how we would handle things differently if we could be there again. If we are continually dwelling on past situations, the enemy has us in bondage to the past.

 Probably most of us have played the game where a group of people sits in a circle and the first person whispers something in the ear of the person next to him. That person in turn whispers what he believes to be the same thing in the ear of the person next to him. Everyone in the circle takes their turn repeating what was just said to them, and by the time the words have been whispered in the ear of the last person, they rarely even resemble the words originally spoken. This is a good illustration of what happens when we continually dwell on past situations. Little by little the situation changes until we believe things happened differently than they really did. We almost never remember things exactly the way they actually happened, especially if it involves our being offended. If we dwell on past offenses, we are keeping the situation alive and harboring an open wound, but if we release the offense to the Lord, He will take it and turn it into a blessing.

The Past Can Never Be Changed

The past is completely frozen in time. Nothing in the past can be changed. Not even the Lord can change the past, but if we respond to it correctly, He will use it for our good. Romans 8:28 says,

     And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Jeremiah 29:11 says,

     ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

Good Memories of the Past

Not only can the devil rob of us of our life in the present by reminding us of how bad our past has been, but he can also accomplish this by reminding us of how great our past has been. This is probably one of our adversary’s most subtle schemes. On their journey to the Promised Land, the children of Israel were required to gather the manna every day. Any manna that was saved from one day to the next would spoil. The very thing the Lord provided to nourish them on Monday was harmful to them on Tuesday. This was because He desired to provide them with a fresh impartation of Himself everyday. The enemy’s intention is for us to be spiritually malnourished today because our focus is on how the Lord fed us so well yesterday. How strong would a marriage be if the couple did not continually communicate with each other, but only relished in the fact that they had a nice wedding? The Lord wants the couple to grow in their love for each other and in their ability to communicate with each other every day, and this can only happen as they focus on where they are presently. In the same way, the Lord wants to constantly move in our lives in fresh, new ways, but the devil wants us to settle for the great things that have already happened so that we miss the great things that the Lord is doing now.

There is certainly nothing wrong with being mindful of the great things the Lord has done for us, but if that memory is not strengthening our faith today, then it is not accomplishing the Lord’s will for us. In Psalm 103:2-5, David said,

     Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; 

     Who pardons all your iniquities; Who heals all your diseases; 

     Who redeems your life from the pit; Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;                 

     Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.    

     (emphasis mine)

We should rejoice that the Lord has done those things for us in the past, but this passage tells us that the Lord has not stopped. Let us determine to never settle for just the great things we have seen in the past, but let us expect them everyday and experience God in new ways in the present. In Philippians 3, the apostle Paul talks about this. He begins in verse 4 talking about his past accomplishments, but goes on to say that he counts all those as loss. In verses 13-14 he says,

     Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 

     I press on toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

The apostle Paul could have easily rested in the things that he had already seen in God and stopped moving forward. However, he chose to forget what was behind him and to reach forward. He chose to forget the fact that he had been a murderer, the fact that he had been stoned, and the fact that he had raised the dead. He was determined not to let anything from the past hinder him in his pursuit of the Lord. Let us have this same resolve to press on to the fullness of all that God has for us.

A Healthy Perspective of the Future

Not only does the enemy use the past to attempt to distract us from our life in the Lord, but he also uses the future. Let us look at some of the ways he does this. We must start by understanding that a healthy perspective of the future is important, and it is something that we should cultivate. For example, it is wisdom to plan financially for the future, and it is crucial to set clear, specific goals for the future. However, we must understand that the first step to accomplishing those goals is made in the present. In the same chapter of The Screwtape Letters from which I quoted earlier, Lewis explains that the devil wants “a whole race perpetually in pursuit of the rainbow’s end, never honest, nor kind, nor happy now, but always using as mere fuel wherewith to heap the altar of the future every real gift which is offered to them in the present.” If our perspective of the future is not having a positive effect on our lives in the present, it can rob us of what the Lord has for us. 

Lies About the Future

Another of the enemy’s schemes is to lie to us about the future. His lies may be intended to inflict fear or even a deceptive discontentment .The devil knows that he can indefinitely paralyze us if he can convince us to sit back and wait for more desirable circumstances before we draw closer to the Lord or embrace His calling on our lives. He will use such lies as, “just as soon as I am married, then I will be happy,” “just as soon as I have a certain amount of money in the bank, then I will fully press in to the Lord, ” or “once I am in full time ministry, then I will be able to function in my calling.” Jesus offers us life in abundance right now, and He has given us all that we need to live that life. II Peter 1:3-4 says,

     seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 

     For by these He has granted to us precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (emphasis mine).

Fear of the Future

Another of the enemy’s common tactics is to keep us in fear of things that have not yet happened. This also produces an unhealthy perspective of the future. The fear of the future is one of the enemy’s most common tactics, and it has enslaved many people. Although we will never fully know the future, we can be confident in the love of God that will keep us through whatever we face. Not only will the Lord preserve us, but He has also called us to overcome and have victory through all that we face. Billy Graham once said, “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future.” The Lord is not the least bit concerned about what the future holds, and we should not be either. In John 16:33 Jesus said,

     

     These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.

Summary

As long as we are dwelling in time, we will only be able to walk with the Lord from our position in the present. We should be thankful for all that the Lord has done in the past, and we can certainly look forward to the great things that He will do in the future, but those things must only be used to build our faith and strengthen our relationship with the Lord. Let us determine not to be bound anymore by the past or by the future. Rather, let us commit them fully to the Lord and press on toward the high calling of God for our lives. Romans 8:37-39 says:

     But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 

     For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 

     nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Why is Israel So Important?

We are alive in a time when one of the primary focal points across the globe for nearly a century has been the nation of Israel. Everything from the nightly news to international politics is influenced by this one tiny nation. This nation that is roughly the size of the state of New Jersey occupies more attention across the world than other nations many times its size. Why is this? Why is Israel so important? Why have so many people throughout history wanted to destroy this nation? Why is understanding his or her foreign policy toward Israel so important when choosing a candidate for President here in America? Why is so much of the Bible written to and about the people of this nation?

These are questions that many have pondered and even debated, but many people still do not understand the current, historic and futuristic significance of Israel and the Jewish people. To best answer these questions, we need to start by going back in time about 4,000 years. The Jewish people descended directly from Abraham, and to truly understand Abraham, we need to consult the pages of the Bible. Abraham is first mentioned in Genesis 11, and he is continually discussed throughout much of Scripture. He was a citizen of the the land of Ur of the Chaldeans, and the Lord called him to leave that land and follow him to a land that would be for him and his descendants. Genesis 12:1-3 says:

     The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to a land that I will show you.
     I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.
     I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you." (NLT)


A few chapters later, in Genesis 15:5, the Lord told Abram (the Lord would later change his name to Abraham):

     "... Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That's how many descendants you will have!" (NLT)


The Lord promised Abraham a son who would be the first of these descendants, and in Genesis 21, this son, Isaac, was born. As time passed, Isaac grew and married Rebekah, and together they had two sons: Esau and Jacob. Esau became the father of a nation called the Edomites, and Jacob also became the father of a great nation. In Genesis 28 Isaac blesses Jacob and says to him:

     "May God Almighty bless you and give you many children. And may your descendants multiply and become many nations. May God pass on to you and your descendants the blessings He promised to Abraham. May you own this land where you are now living as a foreigner, for God gave this land to Abraham." (NLT)


Later in the same chapter, the Lord visited Jacob in a dream and confirmed the words of Isaac. Let us read verses 13-15. The Lord says:

     ..."I am the LORD, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. 
     Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions - to the west and east, to the north and south. And all the families of earth will be blessed through you and your descendants.
     What's more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I promised you." (NLT)


Later in his life, Jacob, like his grandfather, had an encounter with the Lord that resulted in his name being changed. In Genesis 35:10-12 the Lord visits Jacob and says to him:

     "Your name is Jacob, but you will not be called Jacob any longer. From now on your name will be Israel." So God renamed him Israel.
     Then God said "I am El-Shaddai - 'God Almighty." Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants! 
     And I will give you the land I once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and you descendants after you."


Just as Isaac told Jacob, and the Lord later confirmed, Jacob became the father of many nations, and through his son, Judah, his descendants carried on the name "Israel." Through this bloodline King David was born, and through this bloodline, the Messiah, Jesus, was born. There is much in the nation of Israel's history that we obviously cannot cover in the post. However, let us fast forward to the year 1948. Prior to this, the people of Israel were scattered all over the world and there were numerous attempts to annihilate them. Not least of which was the horrendous attempt of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime to exterminate the Jewish people through the Holocaust. However, in 1948, Israel declared their sovereignty and settled in part of the land the Lord promised Abraham and Jacob about 4,000 years ago. In spite of the efforts to destroy the Jewish people, after thousands of years, they actually became a recognized nation. The Lord has kept His promise to protect and preserve the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Since that time, the nation of Israel has dominated much of the world's attention. As I have already mentioned, in terms of land size, Israel is relatively small, but their role in the world is immensely important. The promises the Lord made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are still true today. The Lord has promised to bless those that bless Israel and curse those who treat her with contempt. That applies to every nation of the world, including the United States, China and the powerful Arab nations that neighbor Israel. For the most part, the United States has treated Israel favorably, and history proves that America has experienced blessing because of it. If America begins to treat Israel unfavorably, the blessing that is tied to that favor will begin to diminish. Again, this is true of every nation of the world. That is how seriously the Lord takes the promise He made to a friend of his 4,000 years ago.

Along these same lines, the land that the Lord promised Israel will play a major part in the future of our world. The actual land that the current nation of Israel occupies in only a part of the land the Lord promised Abraham and Jacob. We read in Genesis 28:15:


     What's more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I promised you." (NLT)


We know that God is not a man that He should lie (see Numbers 23:19, I Samuel 15:29), and He is not slack about any of His promises (see II Peter 3:9), so He is still going to give the Jewish people everything He promised Abraham and Jacob. This includes the land that He originally promised them. Modern day Israel is bordered by Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. The land they were originally promised includes part of present day Egypt, Syria and Iraq, and it includes all of Jordan and Lebanon. This being the case, Israel will obviously play a major role on the future international political scene.

These are some of the reasons Israel is so important. The Lord made some clear promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and He is going to fulfill them. Although much of the world either isn't aware of them, or they may have lost sight of them, these promises are still a reality. Because of these promises, Israel occupies so much of the world's attention. Israel is extremely important to the Lord, but let me clarify what this does not mean. Even though the Lord made irrevocable promises to Abraham and his descendants, this does not give Israel a "free pass" in terms of salvation or international politics. In regard to salvation, Jesus is the only way to the Father. Salvation is totally tied to Jesus' death, burial and resurrection and whether or not we as individuals receive Him as our Lord and Savior. This is true for Jew and Gentile (see Galatians 3:28), and no one, whether Jew or Gentile comes to the Father unless they recognize that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (see John 14:6). In regard to international politics, the Lord requires justice, mercy and humility (see Micah 6:8). Whether Jew or Gentile, the Lord's standards are the same. The Lord does not grade on a curve, and His standard has always been Jesus. Again, there are no free passes, but Israel is very dear to the heart of the Lord because Abraham and his descendants are very dear to the heart of the Lord.

As we move closer to the end of this age, the intensity surrounding the nation of Israel will increase, and we need to understand the important role Israel will play as we move forward. Israel is important because of the promises the Lord made to His friends 4,000 years ago. The Lord will bless those who bless Israel, and He will curse those who treat her with contempt. The Lord made specific promises to Abraham and Jacob in regard to the Land He had reserved for them, and He will fulfill that promise. Israel holds a special place in God's heart, and that is why Israel is so important.

Cleaning Out the Garage

Today I found myself cleaning out our garage. This is something I have done probably once every couple of months on average. As I was moving some boxes and sweeping from behind some shelves, I realized that I am constantly moving the same stuff around each time, and my pile is never getting any smaller. It has actually been growing. Instead of saying that I have been cleaning out the garage, it would be more fitting to say that I have been reorganizing our stuff to make room for more stuff. I have really not been cleaning anything out, I have been preparing to accumulate further. Now, there's nothing wrong with having stuff, but much of what I have been moving around is stuff that I really don't need, probably will never use and wouldn't even miss it if it was gone. If you had come through my garage yesterday and threw much of it in the trash, I never would have known it was gone.

As this dawned on me today, I couldn't help but think about how this relates to so many of our lives. Instead of cleaning out and getting rid of stuff we don't need, many times we shuffle things around, buy more storage containers and make room for new stuff, all the while the old stuff is not benefiting us at all and is just collecting dust waiting for us to move it again. We all need to take an inventory from time to time, and then get rid of stuff that has just become a liability. In my garage, it's just stuff I don't need and will never use that is taking up space - no real harm done. However, in our lives, all too often it is habits or relationships that are harmful. As I look around my garage, I need to determine what I can throw in the trash or give to someone who can use it. In our lives, we need to determine what, or who, might need to go. Let's clean up!

A Lesson from our Founding Fathers

Recently I have been studying the lives of some of our founding fathers. Many people today are quick to quote one of these men, particularly when something they said conveniently seems to validate or invalidate something currently taking place in our government. Because so much is being said, I decided to study some of these men for myself to see straight from their lives what they believed. In my research I have discovered some really interesting things, and I want to share one of these in particular in this post. Nothing I am going to say today is at all political, nor is it intended to make any kind of political statement. This is simply a lesson that was learned the hard way by some of our founding fathers that I think is very relevant to our lives as Americans today.

Before the Revolutionary War, people had settled here on this land, but they were not yet known as Americans, at least not in the same sense that we are today. They were under British rule, and the land that would become known as America was more or less a British colony. The story of how we gained our independence is fascinating, but I want to discuss something else in this post. Before we became a free nation, during the time of British rule, many of our founding fathers were land owners and businessmen. Thomas Jefferson was a prominent land owner. Benjamin Franklin was a very astute businessman and inventor whose insights and breakthroughs still greatly impact us today. These men and others like them formed the ideas that led to the birth of this nation. History has recorded the words and works of these men, but a littler known idea is one that was realized by George Washington. In addition to being a great war hero, Washington was a wealthy land owner who raised crops and traded with England and other nations as far away as the Caribbean. Over the course of his life, he would own thousands of acres in a few different states. He was among the most respected men in this land that would become America, but at the time, he was still very much dependent upon England.

Washington, and others like him, relied upon companies in England for supplies and equipment. These companies loved having these customers, and the way they chose to do business is still the pattern in many instances today. This was obviously before the days of wire transfers, Pay Pal and other means of electronic payment. Instead, these companies would extend a line of credit to men like George Washington, and they would work out a payment plan at a significant enough interest rate that their customers were never likely to really pay off their debt. They companies would keep their shipments on their way, and often would not collect payment for another year, or growing season. This enabled the customers to continue working even when they couldn't pay at the moment, but it also gave the supplier the upper hand in their business relationship, as the debt never really went away.

George Washington was among the first to recognize this pattern, and he realized that his wealth was steadily dwindling because of interest payments on items that had often already been consumed and were no longer producing an income. He knew at that rate he would never really be free of the bondage gladly imposed upon him by his creditors. To break this pattern, Washington began paying cash for all that he purchased, and if he couldn't afford it, he wouldn't buy it. This undoubtedly required an enormous amount of discipline, and I'd imagine there were times he didn't have the "latest and the greatest" that his contemporaries had, but unlike many of them, he was died a very wealthy man and was able to leave a prosperous estate to his benefactors. Many others, including Thomas Jefferson, died leaving behind mountains of debt. For these men, the cycle of debt continued long after they were out of the picture, and their estates were never really able to enjoy the freedom that comes with financial independence.  

This realization helped Washington gain a position of true wealth, and his lesson is a very timely one for us today. Well over 200 years have passed since George Washington learned this valuable lesson. His face now graces much of our currency, but most today have never come to the same realization he did. Many of us are trapped in patterns of debt that are much like the patterns our founding fathers faced. We are encouraged to take advantage of lines of credit to enable us to have pretty much whatever we want, even if we can't afford it. Because of compound interest, the payments continue long after the items have either been consumed or have depreciated to the point that they no longer have any value. If we continue to live this way, we will forever be behind the 8-ball. These patterns make it nearly impossible to ever get ahead financially, and over the course of time, whether it is a home, a car, electronics or clothing, we will have paid many more times what the item was originally worth if we purchase it this way. Unfortunately, these patterns are easy to get into and hard to escape. However, let us learn this lesson from our founding fathers and take steps to begin breaking these patterns.

I have no professional credentials that qualify me to offer financial advice, but many of the steps we must take are common sense. We have learned how to live well above our means, but we have to choose to conduct ourselves differently. We have to stop purchasing things we cannot afford. We need to get our priorities in order. We should all be regularly saving money for the future, not paying on the purchases of the past. There is an old saying that we can pay now and play later, or we can play now and pay later. We need to pay now so we can enjoy the freedom of financial independence later. There is much more to be said, and there are many quality resources available that can help us if we are serious about breaking these patterns. Dave Ramsey, Suze Orman, Larry Burkett and many others have great books and other helpful items available, and I would encourage you to take advantage of these proven financial strategies. If we are going to become the individuals and the nation we have the potential to be, we have to take the necessary steps to break these harmful patterns and learn the lesson George Washington learned a few centuries ago. Let's do it! 

The Kentucky Kause

If you have regularly followed my blog, you know I have typically encouraged us to become involved in our individual spheres of influence. We have discussed common reasons many of us haven't gotten involved and steps we can take to overcome these. We have talked about feeding the poor, visiting the lonely and others ways we can all reach out to make a difference. In this post, I want to share about a friend of mine who is reaching out and helping to meet needs in one of the poorest parts of the world.

We have all seen images of poor little children living in slums with little or no food or clothing. We have seen the effects of malnutrition and dehydration, and we have seen the faces that show no signs of hope that things will ever improve. We know these needs exist in far away places, like Ethiopia, Somalia and The Sudan, but many of us might not have been aware that poverty that is just as severe exists right here in the United States. One of the areas where this is the worst is in parts of Kentucky nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. 

Kentucky is a beautiful state with a rich heritage, but there are pockets of poverty so extreme that people actually freeze to death in the harsh winters because they don't even have a sweatshirt. Little children often don't eat regularly because of a lack of food, and families resort to living in tents, roughly constructed shacks or even old school buses because they cannot afford to live in a house. For some, this may come as no surprise, as there are many places that are dealing with this level of poverty. For others, however, it may be totally shocking to know that such conditions exist so close to home. 

I really believe that most people would gladly help the people living in these desperate situations, but many just don't know how or where to start. A friend of mine, Kevin Lepp, and his wife, Ashleigh, have taken this great need seriously, and they have set out to make a difference. They have determined to raise $50,000 to send to a reputable, established organization that is bringing true relief to many of the citizens of Kentucky who are enduring this terrible poverty. I could tell you more about it, but how about hear from Kevin himself. This video is less than 90 seconds long, and it gives a quick overview of his and Ashley's work, and tells us how we can get involved. Check out this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3huffd5W7I

If you missed the website address that Kevin shared at the end of his video, here it is:

www.thekentuckykause.com

I think what Kevin and Ashleigh are doing is so awesome, and they have made it so easy to join with them. If what you have read in this post or seen in Kevin's video has prompted you to help with this urgent need, I encourage you to take the next step. We can all make a difference, and this is a chance to partner with hundreds, or even thousands of others in making a lasting impact on some of our neighbors who need it the most. Let's get involved!