Love…what is it…why do it…how???

Been a while…but here we go….

This morning in chapel the message was about Matthew 22: 36-40.  We also studied this verse as a team last week for baseball.  It is a passage that you hear about a good amount as a Christian, but sometimes things just stick out and start to make sense as a part of God’s timing and perfect, sovereign will.  Sometimes I will just read over stuff or not really think and meditate on a passage as I should as it says to in Joshua 1: 8.  That being said, this morning in chapel was a wake-up call in a few regards.  I was reminded what THE most important part of being a Christian truly is.  For, if we have not love then we most definitely have to take a look inward into our hearts and examine our eternal destination.  The part that stuck out to me the most, however, was verse 40.  That verse basically says why the commandment to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” is paramount to all other commandments.  The reason being because we can do all the other commandments in the Bible, but if we do not do them and abide in them with a loving heart then they mean nothing.  We, as Christians, are to keep the commandments out of an overflow of a loving heart that comes from the love we have for God because of the grace and mercy he extended to us through Jesus Christ on the cross.  We do not keep the commandments so that God will see us in a better light and that he may bless us for being “good.”  It is only out of a loving and gracious heart…no self-seeking motives.  Now, pertaining to verse 40, let me explain this a little more.  When the Bible says that all the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments (the 2nd commandment being to love your neighbor as yourself) means that it does not really matter if you obey the commandments if your heart is not in the right place.  That verse is essentially saying that it does not matter how good you think you are if you do not have the Love of God dwelling in the depths of your soul, and the only way to attain that Love is through the grace and mercy of God.  We cannot attain that Love by doing more and more “good” things or keeping the commandments any better.  Only through GRACE!!!!

Why do we do what we do?

Is motivation for what we do during the courses of our daily lives eternal or temporal?  Eternal meaning that we are motivated by the fact that we get to spend eternity with an AMAZING savior who has freely given every Christian life, and life abundantly, so we are motivated by that fact and we want others to see the joy of Christ in us so that they may be saved as well…Temporal meaning that we are motivated to do “good things” because of what God can give us today.  Example:  Me playing baseball- Do I want to play well and get a hit every time I step to the plate because I think God will like me more or see me in a better light if I dominate every game; or is it so I can be happy and others will think I am good?  Or do I play the game to the best of my ability with max effort and praise my God for giving me the chance to play the game that I love because He has called me to play for a much higher purpose than for the approval of men?  When I am struggling as a hitter, do I want to perform better so that I will feel better and be happy with myself, or because I know that Christ is my motivation and strength and He has a right to my best effort no matter how badly I am playing?

That is an easy example…very worldly.

Now, this has been eating at me all summer since Chris Beck (the GM of the team I play for)  first brought up this topic.  Why do I try to give God glory in the way I talk, in the way I react to situations, in the way I try to grow in my faith, etc.  Do I do these things for what God can give me on earth or because I want to be blessed on earth?  Or do I practice these attitudes because of what I am promised after I pass away?  If my reason for my actions is not set on eternal motivation then my thoughts and actions are off-line.  As I take a look at my life I realize that more often than not I would have to say that my motivation is temporal.  Tough thing to admit to, but it’s real.  As I take inventory of my life at this point, I am beginning to see everything that I have prayed God would reveal to me about my attitude among other areas.  My question for others…Eternal or Temporal???

Obituaries…

Kind of an odd topic right?  Yeah, I though so as well until the other day in our discipleship session when we had to write what we think our obituaries would look like at this point in our lives.  We were to write them from the viewpoint of one of our closest friends and what they would say about us.  It was intended to help us take an inventory of our lives in their current states.  It was humbling, it hurt, it was real, but it also left me with a feeling of God’s love.  Mine went a little something like this…

“Henry Parker Price died early this week of natural causes.  Parker was a man who was richly blessed all throughout his life.  He had an outstanding family, amazing friends, and some of the greatest experiences that anyone could ask for.  Early on in his life he found security and well-being in sports and friends.  He was constantly looking to meet new people.  He was not shy.  After his first year in college, Parker was found by his Gracious Savior, and his life was never the same.  Parker loved baseball, friends, traveling, but most importantly he loved God.  He was always working to advance the Kingdom, but he also struggled mightily while doing so.  He was caught up in many sins including pride, lust, selfishness, and more.  He was far from perfect, but never claimed to be.  He was a very transparent guy.  He tried to grow in faith daily as he struggled to battle for the glory of Christ.  He lived his life with two goals that were one in the same; to love man and honor God.  Parker will be dearly missed.

That is what I think mine would read like at this time…what would yours say???

The Pen…

So our pitchers like to have a little fun during our games in the bullpen!  This is what they were doing in between innings the other day…they do not have a band name yet, but it is pretty legit.  They do other things as well; take family pictures, play pipe golf, and much more.

Family Portrait

Lately…

I have been in Alaska for right at three weeks now (or close to it), and it is rocking my world.  Baseball is as fun as always, and the guys on my team are absolute studs.  I’ve been learning a ton on and off the field.  Right now, I would like to get it out there that the stuff I am learning is hard and some of the most real stuff I have ever learned.  I am learning that my attitude needs a lot of work on the field and that I have to be patient and trust in the Lord no matter how big or how small the situation is.  On the field it is an epic battle for me right now to stay level headed and know that God has a plan for every game that I play in.  I do not think I have ever struggled this much in my life playing the game that I love.  I have also never learned as much as I am learning right now.  My brother, Reid, once said to me, “You don’t learn when you are on top of the game.  You learn when you struggle and celebrate when you are on top.”  He was right.  I am learning how to play thru it and praise God at the same time.  Off the field I am being impacted in a huge way as well.  I am almost finished reading Piper’s book called Don’t Waste Your Life, and it is drilling me.  As I learn these lessons on the field I am also learning how small the game of baseball is as I read this book.  I know that I am to play as hard as I can and glorify God with that, but I also see that there is much more to life than doing that (not to say that playing the game for God’s glory is not important).   In the book Piper reminds the reader that we are called to a much higher purpose than what this world tells us basically.  We are called to live our lives with one passion, “to love man and honor God.”

Hiking in Alaska…God is UNREAL Good

So, today I went hiking with a few teammates.  When I say hiking, I mean hiking up a ski mountain all the way to the top where there was a glacier.  It was unreal. At the beginning of the hike I did not think it would be nearly as challenging or nearly as rewarding as it was once I got to the top.  I totally underestimated the whole day.  The way that me and the guys took to get up this mountain was fairly unique I would say…we used some trails and we even blazed a few of our own trails when we saw the opportunity.  The things that I was able to see from various points during the hike were some of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen!  The higher we got the more amazing the views got.  The only thing that I could think of on the way up was how awesome the God I serve is.  He created this mountain, the bay that it overlooked, the trees on the mountain, me and the guys I was hiking with, and he even found time to bring us together so we could all experience His greatness together.  I say all that to say this; God is the most undeniable thing I have ever been a witness to in my life.  I do not see how people can see the things I saw today and sit back and think that it all just happened out of no where.  How could it all “just happen?”   

Alaska…

I have been in Alaska for about four days now, and it is one of the most unbelievable places I have ever seen.  I wake up every morning and look out my host families window and see huge mountains across the water from our house!  I see God everywhere I look out here.  Discipleship is really awesome.  We are learning about love, Biblical LOVE that is…not the world’s definition of love.  I feel like God is really doing work in my heart right now, both on the field and during our team Bible studies.  I am learning a lot about where I am right now in my walk with God by the way I play the game and how I feel during the games.  I can really see how God is working by the way I carry myself on the field and how my attitude is during the course of a game.  I feel like I am learning more and more each day about His sovereignty.  The guys that surround me on the daily basis are true studs, and I could not ask for better teammates.  Playing on this team makes me look forward to going to Master’s in the fall!!!