It is a privilege to be counted among the "stars"!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
90 Day thru the Bible
Day 2: What a dramatic promise God made to Abraham. "look up at the heavens and count the stars-if indeed you can count them....so shall your offspring be". Abraham could count his sons and daughters just as surely as I can count mine. It was not the bloodline of Abraham that God promised to expand throughout the generations, but the spiritual bloodline. The blood not of Abraham but of the one who he trusted would come.... The Messiah. Yes, Abraham has a rich lineage but it is held together by faith alone in Christ alone. If we are heirs with Christ then we are children of Abraham. Oh to be connected to such a rich and wonderful family... Isaac, Joseph, Jeremiah, And many others.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
One Passion
"I have but one passion - it is He. It is He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ." Count Zinzendorf of Moravia, 16th Century Missionary.
To view our country is that place on earth that we can be most used for the sake of the gospel is counter to our American mindset. It's a radical view of our lives and our calling.
To view our country is that place on earth that we can be most used for the sake of the gospel is counter to our American mindset. It's a radical view of our lives and our calling.
Mystery of Marriage
(This article will appear in the June issue of the Wacoan. It is their annual Bridal issue)
I remember like it was yesterday. As I stood with my groomsmen awaiting Lydia’s entrance I was full of joy and great expectation of our life together. We were crazy in love and ready for marriage! But as a 22-year-old college Senior how much could I really know about marriage? What kind of husband would I be? Where will we live? What about money, kids, and the million other great unknowns of marriage? Like a heart-pounding mystery novel that you can’t put down, marriage takes hold of two people’s lives and carries them on a journey to places they’ve never known.
God’s Word says that marriage is a “profound mystery” (Ephesians 5:32) and like a great mystery novel it must be unraveled before it is understood. The mystery of a marriage is not found in the laws that govern it or the traditions we inherit from family, for these can be changed according to cultural norms. In California a witch doctor can unite same-sex couples in marriage and they are granted the same legal benefits as any other couple. So to understand the mystery we must look to one who designed marriage, for His plans are unchangeable and everlasting. In the beginning God ordained marriage with these simple words; “…a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24).
The first clue to the mystery is to understand the idea of two people becoming one flesh. This unusual term is referring to the act of consummation, which is intended to take place after the wedding, not while dating! (Shocking to many… but true!) There is a created order to love and it begins with vows not with sex. So, the first clue in the mystery of marriage is that God creates physical oneness to testify to the spiritual oneness created by the vows.
The second clue to the mystery is found in the connection between marriage and our relationship to Jesus Christ. “This mystery (of marriage) is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.” (Ephesians 5:32) When we place our trust in Jesus Christ we become one with Him and share in His eternal inheritance. Like marriage, conversion to Jesus Christ is a covenant relationship - a solemn, binding agreement. In Biblical terms we are the Bride and Jesus is the Groom. So, the second clue to the mystery is that our union in marriage is meant to reflect Christ’s union with all those who follow Him. Imagine the freedom a marriage has when husband and wife strive to love each other the way Christ and His church love each other.
To better understand the depths of the mystery of marriage we have to recognize the painful and destructive effects of ending the marriage. If marriage is the uniting of man and woman physically and spiritually, then divorce is both a physical and spiritual separation. We have all consoled a friend whose spouse had an affair, and grieved with them as they spoke about the intense pain of rejection and the dramatic effect it is having on the whole family. When the covenant vows are violated the offended spouse feels like their heart and flesh are being ripped apart. The pain is deep, hurtful, and while forgiveness can come, there are lasting consequences. Like Bethany Hamilton whose arm was violently ripped off by a shark and now lives with the consequences of that tragic event, divorce leaves a scar in the heart and effects future generations.
The mystery of marriage is that two people are united as one flesh for the purpose of reflecting the love between Christ and His church. When God is glorified in marriage love endures in the midst of trials, generations are blessed, and joy is found in each other. May we all unite with Christ so that we can fully unite with one we love and share in this great mystery together.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Baby sonogram
The wonder of sonogram technology has become commonplace for my generation, but prior generations were unable to see the miracle of new life taking place in the womb. What a blessing for expectant mothers, whether the pregnancy is planned or unplanned, to hear the heartbeat, observe the movement of the child and to know whether it's girl or boy! No doubt, the news of pregnancy strikes fear in the hearts of many young, unmarried women, especially if the father is unwilling to accept responsibility. However, before a decision for abortion is made and a life is taken, that expectant mother deserves the right to see, and hear, the child within her. Fortunately, there is a new bill before the Texas House requiring a sonogram before an abortion is performed. Doctors, pregnancy center counselors, and abortion providers, should be required to provide the full disclosure that sonograms offer and do all they can to guide expectant mothers to choose life for their baby. It is not only rationale to assume that a live birth is a better than an abortion, but it is loving, humane and the right choice for the baby and mother. Sonograms reveal the overwhelming truth, which cannot be denied, that a baby is alive in the womb. We should urge our representatives to pass this bill as it empowers women to choose what is best for their baby and their future.
Jay Mathis
510 N. Valley Mills Dr.
Ste. 304
Waco, TX 76710
254-855-5401 cell
Monday, January 3, 2011
What is Required?
Our memory verse for this week is Deuteronomy 10:12-14. In this passage we are challenged to flow God according to His standards and requirements. As rebellious people we are continually seeking our own negotiated terms of relationship with Jesus Christ. We are all guilty to some degree of making the Bible "relevant" to our whims and desires and traditions. If God could simply bend to our notions of what should be required of us, then it would certainly make life easier! But that is not God's way. He has a form and structure to His religion and it is not to be tampered with. While His requirements are certainly challenging they are also doable.... Since all things are possible with God. So let's be clear on God's requirements as outlined in Duet. 10:12-14....
Fear Him
Walk in His ways
Love Him (heart, soul, mind, strength)
Serve him (with all your heart and soul)
Keep all His other statutes and commandments
Whew. Notice how He threw in that last line. It's like saying; "In case I didn't cover it here, keep any other commandments you come across in future readings."
Here's the good news! If you will abide with Christ and strive to do all that is commanded of you, He will abide with you and equip you for every good work. And... When you stumble and fall God will lift you up with His mighty right hand and grant you forgiveness and strength.
So, do not be discouraged by His commandments but be encouraged! Now is not the time for negotiating the terms of your relationship with Him, now is the time to obey Him Him with dogged determination and burning desire! Memorize this verse and let it become a delight to your soul. Peace out.
Fear Him
Walk in His ways
Love Him (heart, soul, mind, strength)
Serve him (with all your heart and soul)
Keep all His other statutes and commandments
Whew. Notice how He threw in that last line. It's like saying; "In case I didn't cover it here, keep any other commandments you come across in future readings."
Here's the good news! If you will abide with Christ and strive to do all that is commanded of you, He will abide with you and equip you for every good work. And... When you stumble and fall God will lift you up with His mighty right hand and grant you forgiveness and strength.
So, do not be discouraged by His commandments but be encouraged! Now is not the time for negotiating the terms of your relationship with Him, now is the time to obey Him Him with dogged determination and burning desire! Memorize this verse and let it become a delight to your soul. Peace out.
Requires of us!
Our memory verse for this week is Deuteronomy 10:12-14. In this passage we are challenged to flow God according to His standards and requirements. As rebellious people we are continually seeking our own negotiated terms of relationship with Jesus Christ. We are all guilty to some degree of making the Bible "relevant" to our whims and desires and traditions. If God could simply bend to our notions of what should be required of us, then it would certainly make life easier! But that is not God's way. He has a form and structure to His religion and it is not to be tampered with. While His requirements are certainly challenging they are also doable.... Since all things are possible with God. So let's be clear on God's requirements as outlined in Duet. 10:12-14....
Fear Him
Walk in His ways
Love Him (heart, soul, mind, strength)
Serve him (with all your heart and soul)
Keep all His other statutes and commandments
Whew. Notice how He threw in that last line. It's like saying; "In case I didn't cover it here, keep any other commandments you come across in future readings."
Here's the good news! If you will abide with Christ and strive to do all that is commanded of you, He will abide with you and equip you for every good work. And... When you stumble and fall God will lift you up with His mighty right hand and grant you forgiveness and strength.
So, do not be discouraged by His commandments but be encouraged! Now is not the time for negotiating the terms of your relationship with Him, now is the time to obey Him Him with dogged determination and burning desire! Memorize this verse and let it become a delight to your soul. Peace out.
Jay Mathis
254-855-5401
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Tent of Refuge
I remember the trip like it was yesterday. Our family packed up the tent in the station wagon, along with the Coleman lantern and stove, and headed out for Red River, New Mexico. I don’t know how my dad convinced my mom to travel 800 miles with four boys to spend a week in a tent by the river, but he always was a good salesman. We set up camp at the June Bug campground, and I will never forget jumping into the freezing cold river with my brothers, hiking to the top of the mountain that overlooked our campsite, and watching my dad set the kerosene lantern on fire! But more than anything, I remember the tent!
It was huge! It took two to carry, four to set it up and could sleep up to 12 adults. There must have been a thousand aluminum poles and dozens of flaps, zippers, awnings and ropes. Once it was finally erected it served as our home away from home for a few nights in August of 1974. Our tent was a place of refuge from the mountain creatures that foraged through campsites at night and a shelter from the cold rain and mountain sleet that pelted us in the afternoon. Our tent was a place of comfort and safety for the family as we slept in our warm sleeping bags. I love to reflect on the good times we had at June Bug campground, but today I find myself thinking more about another tent. A tent of refuge - not from the rain and sleet, but from the trials of this present age.
Throughout the Old Testament we read of travelers crossing the deserts on wagons and atop camel’s backs. Each night tent cities would be set up to shelter the travelers from the desert sand blown by the wind. The tents were not only shelter for sleeping, but a place of worship. In the book of Exodus we read that “…Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting.” (Exodus 33:7)
Whether for shelter or spiritual worship the tents in the desert were a place of refuge for the Old Testament travelers, but an amazing thing happened when we turn from the pages of the Old Testament to the New Testament. Travelers still made their home in tents, but the tent that Moses and the Levitical priests set up as spiritual tabernacles were replaced by a new and better tent.
With the advent of Jesus Christ came a new place of refuge to escape the storms of life. A new tent that offered safety and comfort from the winds of despair, depravity and destruction that blows through our lives. A tent filled not with man’s riches, worldly sacrifices or earthly priests but with the power and presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Mankind destroyed the earthly tents of meeting, but no power on earth can destroy the ultimate tent of refuge for a world in need of a Savior. The new tent was not made with human hands, but was God incarnate, Jesus Christ.
Like the refugees that run to the tent cities of Haiti to find shelter, we must look to the tent city of Jesus Christ to find shelter from our sin and sorrow. The Word of God says that “…we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us and we have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf….” (Hebrews 7:19-20)
Are you in the midst of the storms of life? Have you been running to shelters that do not bring hope and true comfort to your heart and soul? Jesus Christ is the shelter that never fails as a place of refuge. He is the anchor of the soul for all who enter into His holy, eternal tent of refuge. Entrance is granted to all those who, by faith, repent of their sins and place their whole trust in Christ alone, for He is the only hope for this life and the life to come.
When I was a boy my dad taught me how to set up a tent to protect from the rain, wind and sleet that was sure to come in the mountains of New Mexico. Fortunately, he and my mom also taught me to run to the shelter of Jesus Christ who is my protector, deliverer and tent of hope for this life and life eternal. I invite you to run to the tent of Jesus Christ today and find your shelter and comfort in Him.
It was huge! It took two to carry, four to set it up and could sleep up to 12 adults. There must have been a thousand aluminum poles and dozens of flaps, zippers, awnings and ropes. Once it was finally erected it served as our home away from home for a few nights in August of 1974. Our tent was a place of refuge from the mountain creatures that foraged through campsites at night and a shelter from the cold rain and mountain sleet that pelted us in the afternoon. Our tent was a place of comfort and safety for the family as we slept in our warm sleeping bags. I love to reflect on the good times we had at June Bug campground, but today I find myself thinking more about another tent. A tent of refuge - not from the rain and sleet, but from the trials of this present age.
Throughout the Old Testament we read of travelers crossing the deserts on wagons and atop camel’s backs. Each night tent cities would be set up to shelter the travelers from the desert sand blown by the wind. The tents were not only shelter for sleeping, but a place of worship. In the book of Exodus we read that “…Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting.” (Exodus 33:7)
Whether for shelter or spiritual worship the tents in the desert were a place of refuge for the Old Testament travelers, but an amazing thing happened when we turn from the pages of the Old Testament to the New Testament. Travelers still made their home in tents, but the tent that Moses and the Levitical priests set up as spiritual tabernacles were replaced by a new and better tent.
With the advent of Jesus Christ came a new place of refuge to escape the storms of life. A new tent that offered safety and comfort from the winds of despair, depravity and destruction that blows through our lives. A tent filled not with man’s riches, worldly sacrifices or earthly priests but with the power and presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Mankind destroyed the earthly tents of meeting, but no power on earth can destroy the ultimate tent of refuge for a world in need of a Savior. The new tent was not made with human hands, but was God incarnate, Jesus Christ.
Like the refugees that run to the tent cities of Haiti to find shelter, we must look to the tent city of Jesus Christ to find shelter from our sin and sorrow. The Word of God says that “…we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us and we have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf….” (Hebrews 7:19-20)
Are you in the midst of the storms of life? Have you been running to shelters that do not bring hope and true comfort to your heart and soul? Jesus Christ is the shelter that never fails as a place of refuge. He is the anchor of the soul for all who enter into His holy, eternal tent of refuge. Entrance is granted to all those who, by faith, repent of their sins and place their whole trust in Christ alone, for He is the only hope for this life and the life to come.
When I was a boy my dad taught me how to set up a tent to protect from the rain, wind and sleet that was sure to come in the mountains of New Mexico. Fortunately, he and my mom also taught me to run to the shelter of Jesus Christ who is my protector, deliverer and tent of hope for this life and life eternal. I invite you to run to the tent of Jesus Christ today and find your shelter and comfort in Him.
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