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Tag: Heath Taws

  • Living Debt Free

    by Heath Taws

     
    paidThe USA is currently 18 Trillion dollars in debt. The average American owes 15k in credit card debt, 48k in student loans, 168k in mortgages, and 27k in auto loans. This doesn’t include debts we owe to friends and family, our debt to society, favors, promises made, back taxes, and things we have borrowed and have yet to return. (It also doesn’t include the astronomical spiritual debt that all of us owe the second we come into this world.)
    And the crazy thing about debt, is that it really just creeps up on you. There are all sorts of hidden fees, and unexpected expenses, and by the time you realize what has happened, it’s too late; you are in over your head, and drowning in debt.
    And yet, we are sort of in love with being in debt, aren’t we?
    You will say, “That’s absurd! Nobody loves debt?”
    And I think on the surface that is absolutely true.[ene_ptp] But I am talking about the very core of who we are as sinful humans with sin-sick souls.
    Our sinful natures tell us that slavery, submission, and debt, are our only options in life.
    Our sinful natures love being in debt, because the thought of true freedom terrifies us.
    Think about “repeat offenders,” or, “career criminals.” Why do they choose a lifestyle that always ends in jail time, submission, and oppression? For many of these men and women, jail is the only life they have ever known. They get released, and immediately commit a crime in order to get put back into jail.
    And this is sort of all of us, isn’t it? We don’t really learn from our past mistakes, so we keep making war, keep getting into debt, and we keep touching all those things that our parents told us not to touch.
    Being in debt or owing something is comfortable because it gives us something to work for. It gives us a reason to wake up in the morning, to try and save, a purpose in life; a goal if you will. People who find themselves “free” also quickly find themselves panicking at the lack of structure and goal oriented living. They don’t have to work because they no longer have debt to pay, and they really don’t have to even get out of bed if they don’t want to. They are free to do as they please, and for many people that is absolutely the scariest thing they could ever imagine.
    My cousin once told me that he was, “Scared to death of Heaven.” When I asked him why, he responded, “Because I have no clue what I am going to do for eternity.”
    In Heaven, we will be truly free. No schedules, no meetings, just 24hr recess, and that freaked him out. (It’s interesting to note that 24hr recess sounds like heaven to a kid, and hell to a “productive” adult. It’s no wonder that Jesus says we must come as little children.)
    And that is why freedom is so scary. If I am left to my own devices, no structure, no debt to pay, nothing to work for, who knows what I would do. I could try and accomplish something great, but if my resources were virtually limitless, I would probably end up in rehab from excessive living like so many “free” people in our society do.
    Think about those who win the lottery. Did you know that 70% of them eventually go bankrupt?
    It’s because our sinful natures don’t know what to do with freedom. It freaks us out.
    Even when our sin seems to tell us the opposite, and encourages us to crave power and wealth, we soon learn from those who have it all that power and wealth can many times be a form of debt in itself.
    Consider the wealthiest people alive today. Having vast amounts of wealth doesn’t necessarily mean you are debt free, and it certainly doesn’t make you truly happy.
    Every year we read reports of famous rich people, both Christian and non-Christians, committing crimes, suffering from addictions, going bankrupt, having affairs, owing millions in taxes, and being found dead from suicide.
    And every time we read these reports we tend to have three responses:

    1. We are flabbergasted because we thought they had it all worked out, and yet somehow they are/were unhappy.
    2. We are flabbergasted because we thought the mask they wore was actually who they truly were inside.
    3. We are flabbergasted because they should have known better and it’s ultimately all their fault/hollywood’s fault/the Church’s fault/their parents fault/Obama’s fault.

    With the first response, we are tricked because in our eyes they were “debt free” and they didn’t seem to realize it.
    With the second response, we are surprised because they pretended to be “debt free” and yet secretly lived a life full of debt.
    And with the third response, we are delighted, because we love to watch famous rich people crash and burn, and then come up with reasons for their train wrecks.
    In all of this, our sinful nature is the true enemy.
    This is ultimately why the Gospel is foolishness to the world and to our sinful ears.
    The pastor stands at the pulpit and says, “I am here to tell you that Christ has paid your debt, and those who the Son sets free are free indeed.” And on the surface that all sounds great because we all hate debt, and nobody likes living in debt, and we all want freedom, right?
    But at the core of our sinful natures we are squirming in the pews every Sunday. We are repeat offenders, and all we have ever known is jail. The thought of being truly free terrifies us because that would mean we would have to finally live on the outside.
    And besides, we have all heard that nothing in life is truly free. Our sin makes us natural skeptics, and so the gospel message of freedom sounds too good to be true. There has to be a catch. What does Jesus really want from me? Doesn’t He actually just want to take away my freedom, and restrict my behavior?
    That sort of thinking has come from years of Christian legalism which has really harmed the Church as a whole. The problem with legalism is that all of its power got taken away right along with death’s 2000 some years ago at the cross. Legalism doesn’t change hearts, but the Gospel does.
    Wearing a “true love waits” ring is not a reasonable form of birth control. You could have one on every finger, and in 9 months that baby is still gonna be there. Instead of another lecture, that teenage girl and boy need grace, love, and good news. They need freedom, not more iron bars.
    Okay, so what about those who accept the gospel message of freedom? Do they actually feel free? Not really, at least not on their own, because their sin wants to stay in debt. They want to pay something, they want to work. Unless the Holy Spirit enters into that jail cell and says, “I can bust you out of here, but you have to trust me,” they will never leave.
    Christians sit at the dinner table with God, and when the check comes, they try to reach for it first.
    Christians wake up everyday and look in the mailbox for bills that will never come.
    Christians get on the treadmill of works, trying to burn off sin calories, even though the liposuction has already taken place.
    If I am being honest, I wake up everyday and I try and earn God’s affection. Not only that, but my own salvation. I know that Jesus has set me free, but I don’t feel that I deserve it (which I don’t) so I try to work to earn it (which I can’t) in order to relieve my guilt (which is always with me). I understand grace, but it can’t really be amazing grace if its free, can it? Nothing good in life is free. What you pay is what you get.
    And everyday as I am working to earn my salvation, I ultimately end up sinning all throughout the process, thus adding more sin calories to work off. It is a never ending cycle of work, and debt, and more work, and more debt, and at the end of the day I’m exhausted and I think, “Surely, God is disappointed in me. How much more grace can God afford to spend on sinful old Heath?”
    “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
    This never-ending cycle has to end, and for me, and for you, it only ends when we are reminded of the Gospel. It ends at the cross of Christ, where we throw ourselves down, sweaty, tired, and exhausted from all of our work, and we finally rest.
    Jesus has stacks on stacks of grace to give out, and when He enters the club, you better believe He makes it rain grace.
    I remember growing up and reading the verse about storing up treasure for yourself in heaven. I never understood that verse until I actually was old enough to have money, and also have debt of my own.
    You see, when you live in debt, there isn’t much saving or storing up that takes place. You can’t really save up money, because you are always paying off a loan, a credit card, or some other form of debt.
    But what Jesus is saying in that verse is this, “since you are now free and your debt has already been paid, you are now able to store up treasures in Heaven. You are finally free to work on that nest egg. You are finally free to enjoy living.”
    How much better does an expensive steak taste when you know you don’t have to pay for it? You can order anything on the menu, because the bill is covered.
    Before we knew Christ, we stored up wrath for ourselves, as we accumulated more and more debt. After Christ, we are set free and our debt is paid once and for all on the cross. We are now free to store up treasures in Heaven, and also to withdraw the good works that God has deposited for us in advance.
    The transition is from slave to son. It is from outcast to in-law. It is from living in debt, to living debt free.
    This is what an exhausted debt-drenched world needs to hear.
    My sinful nature will always be with me in this life, but the more I hear the gospel message, and the more I taste the freedom that only Jesus offers, the more I long for Heaven.
    Everyday the Holy Spirit coaxes me closer to that door, closer to my freedom, and closer to the ultimate freedom that Heaven will bring. In the meantime, I can experience tastes and glimpses of that freedom here and now. His graces and mercies are new every morning.
    If you want a religion that tells you to work harder, do more, and earn your way to Heaven, there are plenty of those out there.
    If you want a religion where God has already done all the work for you, and now tells you to rest, enjoy Him, and live in freedom, then have I got some good news for you.
    Stop living in debt, and be free. His yoke is easy, and His burden is light, and once He sets you free, you are free indeed.

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  • Good News for Chicken Little

    by Heath Taws

     
    [ene_ptp]I remember shortly after 9/11 asking my father if the world was ending.
    “Dad, is this the end? Is Jesus going to come back soon?”
    I’ll never forget his answer.
    “Son, every generation thinks theirs is the last. Believe me, when the world actually ends, you will know.”
    In my lifetime alone (a very short 27 years), there have been numerous “end of days” prophecies.
    I remember Y2K being a particularly popular one, and my own mother stocking up on food and water, preparing for the worst.
    Harold Camping predicted the end in 2011, and shortly thereafter I predicted that he would apologize in 2012, which he actually did. (Maybe I am a prophet!)
    Personally, I am still waiting for Obama to reveal himself as the Antichrist and declare marshal law! He better hurry up and do it as well, because with each passing day, his chances of subjecting the entire Earth under his oppressive world shattering new world order diminishes.
    And now, here we are in 2016 starting the entire process all over again.
    “The government wants to take away my guns!”
    “Syrian Refugees are coming and we better prepare for the worst once they get here!”
    “ISIS!”
    “I’M UPSET ABOUT SOMETHING BUT I CAN’T PINPOINT EXACTLY WHAT IT IS YET!”
    And these sort of reactions don’t really surprise me when they come from a world obsessed with being scared, being offended, and seeking the cure for death.
    What does surprise me, however, is when I increasingly see these sort of reactions coming from Christians.
    How can people who claim to have the Truth buy into the Chicken Little Theology of the world? You remember Chicken Little, right? Well Chicken Little Theology puts forth this idea that the sky is always falling, and the answer is to either buy more guns, or elect a certain person, or all become doomsday preppers.
    This is not the way in which Children of the King should respond to such things. We of all people should have steady, surgeon-like hands, when it comes to uncertainty.
    In the midst of fear, we aint skeered.
    In the midst of sorrow, we have unshakable hope.
    And in the face of death, we have the promise of resurrection.
    And yet so many of us day by day are buying into these lies. We can see this in the way that many of the Republican candidates talk about America, Isis, and the government. We can see this in the way that the Democratic candidates talk about global warming, the Republicans, and guns.
    On both sides there is fear and uncertainty, and both democrats and republicans are urging the voters to find the “Lion” and tell him about the Sky that is inevitably about to fall upon us all. The Lion, of course, is always their candidate. It is the person who will save us all with their heroic ability to…put forth law and have a bunch of people vote on it. Their dynamic agility and skill in overthrowing the powers of evil by…telling other people to press buttons that send robot drones to drop bombs and stuff. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention their herculean like strength with regards to…the way in which they use the veto pen.
    Folks, these people aren’t our saviors. They aren’t the Lion that Chicken Little is looking for, and they certainly aren’t our Aslan.
    And yet, we keep bathing in all of this doomsday hogwash.
    “Every generation thinks theirs is the last.”
    And so the question remains. Is our Republican Lion Trump, or Cruz, or Rubio? Is the Lion Hillary, or Sanders? Who will hear of the falling sky and be able to stop it in time before we are all consumed? Which one of these Lions will singlehandedly save us all from destruction!?!?
    Enter the gospel.
    Revelation 5 is one of my favorite passages in all of scripture. John is in the middle of his crazy vision adventure in heaven, when suddenly an angel comes forth talking about a scroll.
    “Anyone worthy to open this scroll?” He asks, as all of Heaven kind of looks around.
    “Nobody? Bueller? Bueller?”
    Silence. Nobody is worthy.
    “But wait! The Lion of the tribe of Judah is worthy!” He proclaims.
    Every head in heaven begins looking for the Lion, but what emerges instead, is a Lamb. And not some huge muscular genetically engineered Lamb with a sword in its hoof, but a Lamb that looks as if it had been slain.
    This Lamb, this slain Lamb, is worthy. He alone is able to open the scroll.
    You see, so many of us like Chicken Little are looking for the Lion to save us, when in reality, we should be looking toward the Lamb that already did.
    The Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the world. The Lamb that died in our place because He knew that if He didn’t, the sky would eventually fall and crush us all.
    This is good news for all the Chicken Littles of this world. For all the doubters, doomsday preppers, Y2K hoarders, conspiracy theorists, and yes, even your crazy uncle down on 43rd street with, “the end is nigh” written on cardboard strapped to his chest.
    Operation “skyfall,” was in play long before Daniel Craig came on the scene.
    We see a whisper of this plan from the very beginning of the Bible in Genesis 3:15, in which the great snake crusher is prophesied. The serpent will strike, the heel will crush, and it will be finished.
    We clearly see that plan carried out upon the cross, in which Jesus is simultaneously both the Lion of Judah and the Lamb that is slain. Jesus takes upon his shoulders the entire weight of the sky, and the mystery of operation “skyfall” is finally revealed.
    “It is finished.”
    Mission accomplished.
    The sky did indeed fall, and the Lamb took the crushing weight in our place.
    And now, because of Christ, we as believers stand under the umbrella of grace. A promise that on that final dreadful day, when the sky falls once more, none of us who stand under its shade will be crushed.
    Neither Trump, Hillary, Sanders, or Cruz will save us on that final day. Don’t follow the Foxy Loxy’s of this world. They will lead you to their den, and you will never ever come out again.
    Every generation thinks theirs is the final one. Believe me, when the end comes, you will know it.
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