Let There Be Light

I found an internet cafe tonight here in Jinja and had a few extra minutes, so I thought I'd give a quick update. Ministry is going really well. The Lord is blessing in an amazing way already. We've had 3 days of village ministry, and already our medical team has treated over 2100 people ranging from cases of malaria all the way up to limbs that need amputated or weird abnormalities and growths. Many of those we have to send away with little hope for their physical ailments, but, praise God, we have the Living Water of Christ to offer them. Several hundred people have made decisions to follow Christ through one-on-one counseling in the medical clinics. Thank You, Jesus.

I am loving the opportunity to teach these awesome Ugandan pastors. They soak it up like sponges. They are eager to learn more and more of the Word of God. Most of them have had absolutely no formal Bible training, so they eat it up. It's humbling, to say the least, to have this opportunity. I have learned far more from them and their example of faithfulness to God in the midst of great trials, than they have learned from me, for sure.

Please continue to pray for our team as we minister here. We have 3 more full days of ministry in the villages, and then we'll be heading home. There is so much darkness here, but the light of Christ is penetrating. One of my interpreters told me yesterday some disturbing news. He said that human sacrifices are on the rise here in Uganda. Children are going missing. Village people will pay up to 300 thousand shillings to a witch doctor to make a human sacrifice. It's a superstition rooted in the occult and has its nasty hold on much of this culture. They believe that prosperity will not come to their village or their home unless blood is shed. He told me of a recent case here in Jinja of a rich man who was building a large house. He took a young girl and lowered her down into a large hole under the foundation of the house and then buried her in cement. This is happening in 2009. So please pray that the light of Christ will penetrate this dark area. These are people who need the hope of Christ. May we share it boldly.

18-Year Old

When I talked to Josh this afternoon he was exhausted from the work today, but it was a VERY fruitful day!  He was able to lead an 18-year old to the Lord.  He told Josh he was in a dilemma because if he chose to accept Jesus Christ in his life he was choosing Christ over his family.  He knew he would be disowned by his parents and they would no longer pay for his schooling.  But Praise the Lord for the choice he made.  Pray for him as he starts this new life and for his family to see Christ in him!

The kids and I have had a GREAT relaxing last couple of days with our friends in the Raleigh/Durham area.  Thank you again for all your encouraging e-mails and calls.  They mean the world to us=)

Quick Update

I just talked to Josh on the phone for a few minutes and he is doing well.  They just finished their first day of ministry and will be back in the same village tomorrow.  They saw about 700 people in the clinic on this first day alone and Joy, his sister, has been leading up the school ministry.

Josh said he has really found his niche working with/teaching/mentoring those Ugandan pastors.  He said that they just soak up everything he tells them and that they are SO eager to learn.

Thank you everyone who has called to check on me and the kids and for all of the prayers for Josh and the team as well!  We couldn't do this without you all!

Uganda '09 Here We Go

Heading off to Uganda this afternoon. I'll catch up with the rest of the team in D.C. tonight and then we'll be on our way. Pray for us. Pray for my family. Pray that the Lord will give us a harvest of souls and that these young village churches will raise up an army for the kingdom of God. Why should the devil have all the armies? Why should he be allowed to take young children in the North and turn them into indoctrinated, blood-thirsty soldiers and completely rob them of their childhood? Pray that the domain of darkness that controls Uganda and Sudan and neighboring countries will be utterly broken and that the light of Christ will radically transform East Africa.

Check back here often for updates. Even if I can't post on the field, I'll try to have Tasha making some updates for me.

Laying Aside Skepticism ... just for a moment

Skeptics thrive on the miraculous! They get their conversation pieces from the magic shows. I know that's true in my own heart. I think because we see so much superficial garbage portrayed through the likes of the toupee-wearing, teeth-sparkling charlatans proclaiming a different sort of Gospel altogether. And so it's no wonder that for those of us trying to keep a level head and hold to Gospel-centered orthodoxy, we shutter at these insults. So, yes, there is wisdom in skepticism, especially of this sort. But, I also feel that there is wisdom to be had in leaning, at times, away from what might be our natural tendency toward skepticism and to embrace what God might be doing in front of our eyes, though it might be "out-of-the-box." Now, before you decide to impale me on a stake and burn me as a heretic, listen to this example from Acts 9 that I picked up on today, and see if it makes sense. It probably won't sound as big of a deal as I'm making it. So here we go:

Acts 9 - Saul's Conversion

Upon the Lord making known to Ananias that Saul of Tarsus, the great persecutor of the church, had just experienced the risen Savior and had his life completely transformed, Ananias did what most of us would have done ... he became skeptical.

¹³"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name."

That's exactly what I would have done. But the Lord is patient.

¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, "Go! For this man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before Gentiles, kings, and the sons of Israel. ^N)">¹⁶ I will certainly show him how much he must suffer for My name!"

I love that. Chosen instrument.

¹⁷ So Ananias left and entered the house ...

Wow. There's more to that verse, but I don't want to skip over this important phrase. He entered the house. He obeyed. He went--in spite of all that he had heard about Saul--in spite of the fact that there was a good chance that Saul could have slit his throat. He obeyed. Ananias laid aside his skeptic's glasses long enough to see through the lens that God was trying to place in front of him-- a lens that involved the primary mass-murderer and persecutor of Christians in the known world at that time coming to faith in Jesus Christ.

But the skepticism doesn't end there. Luke tells us later on in chapter nine that when Saul tried to have fellowship with the believers in Jerusalem, they shunned him. No one would even talk to him. They were freaked out that he might kill on their bodies or something. That he might go kamikaze with the wine glass in the middle of communion or something. I'm not sure. But they were skeptical, that's for certain, until ... Barnabas, yes, good ole Barnaby (whose name meant "Hello, Dolly!" ... No, it wasn't that ... it was something else ... Oh, yea, the "son of encouragement!") came over and extended the right hand of fellowship to Saul and put the hearts of the others at rest.

(Get to the point). I know. It takes me awhile sometimes. Especially once the kids go to bed and I can think clearly again and my fingers and mind come together in a beautiful wedding of thought as they simply can't get enough of the soothing, hypnotic clacking of the keys. Anyway, the point is this:

Skepticism, though a good thing in guarding solid, biblical orthodoxy, can at times block us from seeing the bigger picture of what God is up to in the world.

The tricky part is discernment. That's where we need to ask God to give us His eyes and His perspective on what's going on around us so that we might be able to discern if it is, in fact, His hand at work. Thank God that Ananias laid aside his initial skepticism. Thank God that Barnaby laid aside Horace's wallet (oh, there I go again) so that he could see with God's eyes what was actually going on in the circumstances surrounding Saul. And who knows what might have happened had they not looked past their own tendency toward skepticism. That's all I'm saying.

Flashback Friday: Pogo Ball

Remember the pogo ball? ... yeah, I do ... the WORST toy ever conceived in the cruel mind of a man!!! I don't know what was worse, the humiliation of having all my onlooking friends mock my incompetence and inability to maintain balance on said piece of trash for more than 1.5 seconds, or the fact that I truly felt like a sorry excuse for a kid growing up in the 80s in suburbia USA, because what kid couldn't do the pogo ball??!!! Right?!! GARBAGE!!! That's what I say! But, I'm not bitter.

Short-Cuts

Acts 8

18When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money
19and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
20Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!
21You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.

Observation:
Simon was seeking a short-cut to intimacy with God. But there are no shortcuts. There are no quick formulas for getting certain things from God--no microwavable blessing waiting in a package. Spiritual maturity is a long, slow process, but one that is absolutely necessary for obtaining closeness with God.

What short-cuts am I trying to take in my Christian life? How about you?

Godisnowhere

Lately I've been reading a book by my good buddy Wes McMurray. Wes is one of those friends from seminary days that I made an immediate connection with. I spotted Wes in the back of Dr. Heimbach's Intro to Ethics class. He wasn't hard to miss in our straight-laced Baptist school looking unapologetically emo in his tight band-t over his pencil-thin frame. I knew we'd be friends from day one. We sat next to each other everyday and talked about Brandtson and Postal Service and drew super heroes in our class notes using words with double-o's as a starting point for the eyes (i.e. "look" "book" "1200" etc.) Or maybe that last part was just me. I don't know. Anyway, one thing I immediately picked up on about Wes, was that he was, and still is, an incredibly bright student. Sharp as a tack. And he loved Jesus. That much was obvious. So, when he told me about a year ago that he was working on a book, I knew it was going to be phenomenal. And it is.

It's called Beyond All Measure. I'm just about done with it. It's a quick read, but I tend to think quick reads are overrated. Well, not quick reads themselves, only reading quick. I prefer dragging them out as much as ridiculously possible. And that's what I've done. And today, I'm especially glad I've been reading slow. Because I needed this. In his chapter regarding God and the problem of evil, Wes recounts an event in one of his classes that had an enormous impact on his understanding of this great paradox. He writes:

"I sat in a class one day as a professor came in and silently wrote on the chalkboard: Godisnowhere. He turned around and asked for someone to raise his hand and tell the class what he saw. Someone spoke up and said, "God is nowhere." The professor then asked if anybody else saw something different. A hand went up and a student replied, "I thought it said, "God is now here." It's interesting how people can look at the same situation and come away with such different explanations. For many people, the world's tragedies produce these two responses. Some feel that God is nowhere, while others experience His presence and can say, "God is now here." (p. 131)

Such a simple illustration, but it drives home the point.

I don't know where you're at in you're life today, but I know that difficult times are all around us. If they haven't hit you recently, they will. Tasha and I were at a church this past Sunday where almost the entire worship team spoke up during our pre-service prayer time to ask for prayer in the midst of great difficulty. It's all around us.

A good friend of mine lost his 24-year-old brother to drugs about 4 weeks ago. Another good friend is having to give his 2-year-old son a hormone shot every night before bed until he's 18 so he'll grow.

On and on I could go. Loss of a job. Death of a loved one. Terminal illness. Wayward children. Slander. Abuse. Misunderstandings. You name it. But in the midst of your situation, I pray that out of this: Godisnowhere, you would see this: God is now here! He is here, my friend. But do you recognize His hand at work in the midst of tragedy? That's the question.

Getting From God

"If we then try to make prayer a means of getting from [God] something we want more than we want Him, we are like a wife who asks her husband for money to visit another lover." - John Piper, A Godward Life, p. 356

Oasis Pics

Here are some pics from Oasis Camp '09. We got to hang with the guys from Tenth Avenue North for a little while on Saturday evening. They're great guys who really love Jesus and have some pretty great music as well.

Oasis Camp '09 Recap

The sporadically inconsistent blogger is back. We just arrived back into Charlotte last night after an extended weekend youth camp in Myrtle Beach, SC. And oh, how we've been suffering for the Lord! Right!

Anyway, it was an awesome weekend. We took the whole band, Andy Cherry, Tim Morrison, and Nate Proczak, and led worship for the student ministry of Ingleside Baptist Church. Andy, Tim, and Nate are some of my best friends, and I always love getting to partner with them.

This was the first time Ingleside has done their own camp, and they knocked it out of the park. It rivaled any Student Life camp I've ever been to. Fred and Scooter, the student pastors, put together a solid week for their 180 + students.

Bill Stanley, from Coco Beach, Florida brought the Word every session and did a great job connecting with students. Tasha and I enjoyed getting to know him and his wife for what will certainly not be the last time we do ministry together.

As we were leaving camp yesterday, the students surrounded our van for last minute pics and high-fives. And as we stood there with these students whom we had built a relationship with over the past 4 days, I just watched them. I watched them interact with my buddies in the band. I watched them hang on every word that the guys would say. I observed these young, impressionable students as they observed us, watched us, studied us. And as a result, I've been reminded of the incredible responsibility we have as older believers, as teachers, as worship leaders, as parents and mentors, to model our sincere faith in front of them--to live consistently what we believe in front of them, because they are watching us. Yes, a lost world is watching us, but so is the younger generation of Christ-followers. They want a model to follow. And they are looking for it in us. How incredibly humbling a truth that is. It reminds me of the words Paul encouraged Timothy with:

I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. (2 Tim. 1:5).

Let's live that sincere faith, because they're watching.

Check back for some pics from the weekend coming soon.

Die With Us!

This morning I was reminded of this story, and it shook me to the core ... again.

Haim and his family
Cambodia
1970s

All during the night, the members of Haim's family comforted each other. They knew they only had a few more hours to live on this earth. The Cambodian Communist soldiers had tied them all together and forced them to lie down on the grass.

Earlier that day, Haim's whole family had been rounded up for execution. Because they were all Christians, the Communists considered them "bad blood" and "enemies of the glorious revolution." In the morning, they were made to dig their own graves.

The killers were generous. They allowed their victims a moment of prayer to prepare themselves for death. Parents and children held hands and knelt together near the open grave. After his family finished their prayers, Haim exhorted the Communists and all those looking on to repent and to receive Jesus as Savior.

Suddenly, one of Haim's young sons leapt to his feet, bolted to the nearby forest and disappeared. Haim was amazingly calm as he persuaded the soldiers not to chase the boy but to allow him to call the boy back. While the family knelt, the father pleaded with his son to return and die with his family.

"Think my son," he shouted, "Can stealing a few more days of life, as a fugitive in that forest, compare to soon joining your family forever free in paradise?" Weeping, the boy walked back to his father, as his father comfortably wrapped him in his arms and walked him back to their waiting family.

Haim said to the executioners, "Now we are ready to go." But none of the soldiers would kill them. Finally, an officer who had not witnessed the scene came and shot the Christians.

(Taken from Jesus Freaks, by the Voice of the Martyrs)

Muslim Demographics

I found this video through James Emery White's blog serioustimes.com.  It's circulating pretty quickly so maybe you've seen it. Dr. White, a local pastor here in Charlotte of a tiny little church you've probably never heard of called Mecklenburg Community Church (feel the sarcasm), gives some great commentary to it.  If you're prone to overreacting and freaking out easily, you might want to read his comments here first.  You'll see why.  This video is meant to create a little buzz in the Christian world, and probably rightly so.  Dr. White closes his thoughts with this statement, and I think he's right on.

Yes, the world is changing. Islam is growing while Christianity, in many quarters, is waning. The best response is to neither demonize Muslims nor deny the differences between Christianity and Islam. The best response is to know what we believe, why we believe it, and then carry that message to the world. And maybe have some more babies.

Ways to Pray

Back in Charlotte. Great trip to Orlando. And pumped about a few things coming up. Here are a few ways you can be praying for us in the next few weeks:

1. Uganda '09 - As of last week, I had decided to postpone my trip until October for financial reasons. But just in the past couple of days, the Lord has graciously provided a great influx of funds through the support of generous friends and supporting churches. So, now I'll be able to be a part of the June trip as originally planned. I'm really excited. Thanks to all of you who have generously given to this trip. Pray that the Lord will be honored through this endeavor as I seek to be used for His glory wherever the greatest need is, whether it be one-on-one evangelism, preaching/teaching and training pastors, leading worship, helping in the medical clinics, etc.
2. Camp Oasis - Pray for us and for the students of Ingleside Baptist Church to whom we'll be ministering next weekend at Myrtle Beach. Pray for Bill Stanley, as he brings the Word of God--that he'll be in tune with the Spirit's leading. Pray for the student pastors, Fred Broome and Scooter (with a name like that could he have been anything other than a youth pastor?). Pray for the leaders. And pray that we'll have wisdom each session as we lead in worship, that the spectator mentality that is prevalent in so much of the modern worship movement will be gloriously absent from our midst.
3. All That Glitters - This is a CD project that my dad and I and a few of my good friends and local musicians here in Charlotte will be working on beginning in July. It will be 30-minute Gospel presentation on CD that will incorporate spoken word and song. The hope is that it will be a simple, yet effective tool to get the Gospel into the hands of friends, relatives, co-workers, etc.--a simple and non-threatening approach to proclaim the most important message known to man. Pray for us as we spearhead this in July.
   
4. Pray for my wife - She's an amazing mother of almost three. She's feeling very-much pregnant right now and in need of some semblance of normalcy. As I drag her here and there and everywhere, pray that the Lord will sustain her according to His grace. And especially pray for her sanity raising our children as I'm away in Uganda for a few weeks.

Thanks so much to all of you who pray for and support our ministry. We are incredibly grateful.

In His Sovereign Hands,
Josh Via

Simple? Yes. Easy? No Way!

Why is it that some of the simplest things in life are the most difficult to accomplish?  For example, the formula to lose weight is simple: Eat healthy and exercise.  But as you take a stroll through suburban America, you quickly realize that this is easier said than done.  Or what about this one? Living debt-free.  Every sane person wants to.  Simple right?  Don't spend more money than you have.  Yet, our current financial situation has exposed our collective love of money and our greed-motivated quest for more.  

The Bible is full of these too.  As I was reading Scripture this morning, one of these simple/difficult formulas popped out at me.  It's found in the 15th chapter of John's Gospel.  And it's one of Jesus' sayings.  Big surprise.  Jesus said a lot that was difficult.  Sometimes difficult to understand, but most of the time just difficult to put into practice the way that we ought.  And apart from the Spirit's power in our lives ... impossible.

Anyway, He says one of the simplest statements recorded in Scripture.  One that most kindergartners memorize in Sunday School.  I know because Rainy just memorized it a few months ago.  Here it is:

"This I command you, that you love one another." (John 15:17)

That's it.  Simple.  Yet incredibly hard to live out.  

And why is that?  Why do we find it so difficult to love people?  Isn't it because, by our very nature, we are bent toward sin and self-centeredness.  We are prone to love only ourselves.  And since every sin, at its core, is rooted in the sin of pride, the lack of love for one another fails to be the exception.  It's pride.  In truth, we don't love others, because we love ourselves too much.  

As I considered my own lack of love for people, I glanced back at the previous sixteen verses and came to another realization.  Since this whole pericope hinges on the concept of remaining in Christ, it dawned on me that love for others is contingent upon our remaining in Him. 

He says in verse 5: "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

Epiphany:  Could it be that I don't love others the way I ought because I don't love Jesus the way I ought?  Could it be because I'm not consistently remaining in Him?  Could there be a correlation between lack of fellowship with Christ and lack of love for people?  And could the reverse also be true?  When I am in fellowship with Christ, love for people comes as an overflow?  

Obviously the questions here are rhetorical, but I think they demand our attention.  They demand that we evaluate our love for people and our love for Christ.  And maybe, as we do that it will become an indicator and a barometer to help us gauge our relationship with Christ.  

Simple? Yes.  Easy?  No way!

Graduations, Splits and Suffering

We're in Orlando, Florida this weekend to support my brother-in-law, Andrew Litke, as he graduates from Reformed Theological Seminary. Consequently, my brother, Jared, also graduates from seminary (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) in Wake Forest, NC. I'm proud of these 2 guys. They're both men of God and they're seeking to follow His leadership for their family, ministry, and life. Way to go guys!

As is common in our family gatherings, conversations regarding theological ideas seem to rise to the surface frequently. This afternoon the issue was denominational schisms and points of division. Our conclusion? Most of them are superficial and completely non-essential. Though undoubtedly there have been theological issues such as the inerrancy of Scripture that have rightly divided us and have rightly warranted a separation, the majority are petty and superfluous.

With a tone of sarcasm and yet seriousness at the same time, one of Andrew's friends spoke up and said, "What we need in this country is a good dose of persecution!" And I think he's right. Our generation knows little, if not nothing of what it means to suffer for the cause of Christ. And without question, persecution among believers has been the great equalizer throughout generations and cultures, bridging ... no, eliminating the ridiculous barriers that we erect under the guise of faithfulness to the call. Again, sometimes faithful commitment to orthodoxy has been the case (i.e. the Protestant Reformation 500 years ago, or the Baptist resurgence 30 years ago). But most of the time, they've been merely a front for a misguided commitment to an apparent calling, but what is, in reality, one of the pinnacles of religious self-centeredness and pharisaism.

Ironically, this week I'm reading a compilation of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's sermons, letters and writings called Meditations on the Cross. One excerpt regarding suffering and persecution deserves to be quoted here for some much-needed food for thought. He says,

It is infinitely easier to suffer in obedience to a human order than in the freedom of one's own, personal, responsible deed. It is infinitely easier to suffer in company than alone. It is infinitely easier to suffer publicly and with honor than out of the public eye and in disgrace. It is infinitely easier to suffer through the engagement of one's physical being than through the Spirit. Christ suffered in freedom, alone, and out of the public eye and in disgrace, in body and soul, and likewise subsequently many Christians along with him.

Meant For Me

It's a pretty amazing thing when after opening the Word to communicate to a group of twenty-somethings and wondering if you've connected with them at any level whatsoever, a young man approaches you and proceeds to tell you how everything you spoke on was meant for him--even the smallest of details--like you had been rummaging through his e-mails moments before you took the stage. Every bit of it--God-ordained for that young man. That's what happened to me Wednesday night at Two|Four, a weekly collegiate gathering of students in Raleigh, NC. As I had prayed and studied to hear a fresh Word from the Lord, I knew that I wanted to keep it short and sweet, since we had a whole night of worship planned. But I also knew that the Lord was directing me to hit on the subject of Brokenness, Purity and Surrender--all sort of gift-wrapped and bundled together. So, that's what I did.

Afterwards, that's when Brad approached me and said that everything I said was meant for him. I don't get that alot. Please don't hear me say that I'm some kind of spiritual superhero who hears the magnificent audible voice of the transcendent God of the angel armies on a routine basis. I definitely strive to hear His voice, but like most American Christians, I'm so bombarded with the noise of the world, with all of its vain gadgets and avenues without number leading to idleness and slothfulness, that I have a hard time doing so. So, when I do, it's one of those moments where I just have to stop and thank the Lord for allowing me another opportunity to hear His voice and wanting desperately to hear it again and again, and being mindful that I not presume that I will always hear it that clearly, but still always longing to.

So, long for it. Long for Him. Don't presume. But simply long. Study. Get alone with Him. Pray. Seek His face. And then get a fresh word from Him that you need and that someone around may need.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." - Matthew 5:6

A Long, Fruitful Week

Week Recap:

Sunday, 5-3 thru Wednesday, 5-6 - I joined my Dad for a 4-night revival meeting in Chatham, VA at Marion Baptist Church.  I love whenever I get to partner with my Dad.  He's my hero--always has been, always will be.  He has faithfully preached the infallible truths of God's Word with passion and unwavering conviction since before I was ever a glimmer in his eye! (I can't believe I said that) Anyway, the week started off a bit slow, but concluded with an emotionally-charged, Spirit-led encounter on Wednesday night.  A teenage girl, whom the entire church had been praying for many years to come to faith in Christ finally did just that--she accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior, and the place came unglued.  It was an incredible moment--one that I won't soon forget.

Friday, 5-8 - We took the band to Yadkinville, NC to Courtney Baptist Church to conclude their week-long revival services.  The Nate's (Nate Proczak and Nate Bryan) and Scott Spruill came along and did an amazing job as usual.  The Lord saved three young teenage boys that night. It was an awesome moment as we played "Amazing Grace/My Chains are Gone" and the chains that had once bound these young men were released. 

Sunday, 5-10 - We were back at Southbrook Church here in Charlotte for Mother's Day.  Michelle Singleton brought an encouraging word to mothers--a great way to finish up the week.  The four of us (no, ... five of us) came home and all took a 3-and-a-half hour nap.  Heavenly!  Praise the Lord for all that He did this week.

The Best Mommy

When Admiration Turns South

What happened between this verse,

When David came to Saul and entered his service, Saul admired him greatly, and David became his armor-bearer. (1 Samuel 16:21)

and this verse

So Saul watched David jealously from that day forward. (1 Samuel 18:9) ?

Early on in Saul's relationship with David, Scripture says that he admired David. So much so that David became his armor-bearer--his personal assistant--his closest ally. Perhaps he saw some traits in David that reminded him of who he once was, or what he wished he could be. Maybe he admired the things in David that were lacking in himself. But whatever it was, it didn't last long.

What began as love and admiration soon turned to hate and jealousy. David was better looking. David was perceived by the people as being more heroic. David had the people eating out of his hands. On and on the list went. And Saul began to see himself quickly losing his hold on the kingdom.

As I studied this story this week, I was challenged to guard against this type of attitude. Because I realize how easy it is to adopt--how simple and easy it is to fall into this trap. So, let's be careful to guard against admiration that leads to jealousy and hatred. Thank God for how He has gifted those around you--other believers--colleagues--family members. And don't let admiration turn to jealousy!