Beholding is a way of becoming

          Beholding is a way of becoming.  We all take on the likeness of that which we admire.  This is the doctrine of sanctification in a nutshell.  If our gaze is preoccupied with our idols we will become like them.  "Those who make them (idols) will be like them, and so will all who trust in them." ( Psa. 115:8)  The Bible teaches that idols are unreal, they are nothingness.  If we are consumed by idols, we become like them, we become immersed in nothingness.  We become empty vessels.  

          But, those who are consumed with Christ are focusing on what is real.  After experiencing the reality of Christ who would want to return to the emptiness of illusionary idolatry?  What is your obsession?  Imagine what we might be were we obsessed with Christ?  The more we behold him the more we become like him.  

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

God as Psycho-therapist

             We fail to perceive the true glory of God because our perception of God is diluted. We no longer approach God in fear and trembling, overwhelmed by his incomprehensible power and purity. We now approach God as if he were the grand psycho-therapist who sits behind a booth like the Peanuts character, Lucy, waiting to give advice for 5 cents worth of penance.

                 We try to fit God into our mold of practicality. We believe His true glory is too far 'out there' for discovery. We abandon our search for his glory because we fail to see how it might be practically applied to our lives? We have replaced the spiritual with the sensual. We deceive ourselves into thinking that a good meal or good sex will satisfy us in ways that knowledge of his true glory never could. Thus, we have replaced spiritual depth with sensate shallowness. Might we pray, along with Moses, "Lord, I beseech thee, show me thy glory." (Ex. 33:18) What greater thing might a creature do than attempt to know who God is?

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

The Glory of God

Isaiah was completely undone when he got just a glimpse of the glory of God. “I am ruined,” he said (Isa. 6:5) 

Nietzsche once said that when things move away from God they become “carved out”, less real. The dilemma of man is the lightness of his own reality, we seem to be barely here, constantly on the verge of being snuffed out like the flickering flame of a candle. 

The glory of God is found in the weightiness of his reality, the impossibility of his non-existence. We are nearly crushed when we are brushed by the heaviness of his glory. God dwells in a place where we cannot go. He is "holy, holy, holy" and chooses to remain transcendent, hidden from us, less we be crushed by his holiness. "…who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see." - 1 Tim. 6:16

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall.....

Mirror, mirror, on the wall….

     Mirror, mirror, on the wall….

      Narcissus’ total obsession with himself was the eventual cause of his self-destruction.  This self-absorption is the primary characteristic of the prevailing worldview in the western world.  The intense focus on self causes us to lose touch with the actual reality around us.  Instead of looking for the truth behind observable reality, we look for truth within ourselves.  It’s like trying to fix a blemish on our face by applying the solution to the image we are seeing in the mirror. 

The world around us, the external reality, becomes a reflection instead of a reality.  We use reality in an attempt to define who we are.  Reality’s profound truth is diminished to a self-serving tool to help us discover ourselves.  Clothing no longer is used to keep us warm or to provide us with covering so much as it is used to define who we are.  We become what we wear.  The car we drive is no longer simply a means of transportation, it defines us.  Our relationships are no longer about others. Rather, they are all about us, about me.  We define ourselves by living through the one we are dating or are married to.  Thus, the real becomes an image to gives us back reflections of ourselves.

When truth and substance are no longer elements of reality, reality becomes simply a mirror and we pervert it to try to force it to tell us we are “fairer than them all”.

In these modern times, our ‘self’ is totally dependent upon our circumstances.  We look to others and to stuff to reflect back to us an image of who we are.  But, were we not all born in the image of God?  Our only hope of actually knowing self is to look to Christ for an accurate reflection of who we are.  When we see the reality of our sinfulness against his holiness it is most sobering and causes many to seek repentance from the sin that has caused such darkness to take abode in the deeper parts of the soul.  

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

Our Problem With Narcissm

We cannot understand ourselves by looking at our own reflection.  This obsession with self leads to destruction. (Read the story of Narcissus)  We can only understand ourselves and our purpose in life by recognizing that we are but a reflection of Him in whose image we were created.  The reflection itself is non-existent.  The person looking at you from the mirror every morning isn't really in the mirror.  

Narcissistic behavior is focusing on image, not reality.  Christ helps us solve our failure to connect with the reality in our lives by redirecting our focus from ourselves (the image) to Christ (the reality)  Our perception of reality is distorted by sin and this distortion becomes more and more twisted when we take our eyes off of the Source of reality.  When self-consciousness sinks into narcissism we lose touch with reality and live in a world we've created for ourselves.  This explains why so many in our culture have drifted so far from the truth of the living God.  When a Christian walks into a room of smiling people he thinks they are reflecting the joy of the Lord.  When a narcissist walks into a room of smiling people he thinks they are reflecting his own image, they are smiling for him.  In a sense, he is replacing God with himself.  It is self-worship.  It is pride, something God hates deeply.

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

Open Letter to Lance Armstrong

Open letter to Lance Armstrong

Lance, 

So many admired you for all your great cycling accomplishments and multitudes were disappointed to learn your achievements were tainted with cheating. But, Americans are a forgiving people and most will eagerly accept your apology.

We who are Christ-followers have all been where you are, Lance. We have all sinned and fallen short of the expectations of God. Running to Oprah to record a national apology is futile if your apology is meant to rebuild your lost reputation. True repentance must be accompanied by pure motives. Trying to cleanse yourself in Oprah's dirty pool of therapy will not bring peace to your soul. It’s like trying to clean our hearts with dirty water taken from our hearts.

Your rush for therapy is a microscopic revelation of what is really wrong with America. We have grown comfortable seeking therapy from humans who are just as fallen as we are. The greatest sin in America today is the idea that we can come to repentance without a Mediator, the belief that repentance has no personal cost or sacrifice and that we can be converted to Christianity without the shedding of blood.

Lance, true forgiveness that will bring closure to your sin of dishonesty and relief and comfort to your soul will come from Christ, not Oprah. Seek him while you still can.

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

Christian Quarterbacks in the NFL

Christian NFL Quarterbacks:

Josh Freeman - (Tampa Bay) Homeschooled in a devout Christian home.

Robert Griffin III - (Washington Redskins)  graduated in three years with a3.67 GPA at Baylor, "I was heavily influenced by my parents to learn discipline but my relationship with God was my most important influence."

Russell Wilson - (Seattle Seahawks)  Grandfather was president of Norfolk University, openly declares his faith.  After a recent loss he  tweeted, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6)

Cam Newton - (Carolina Panthers)  Pentecostal.  Father is a bishop in Georgia overseeing five churches.  "I thank God every single day.  I'm just his instrument and He's using me on a consistent, daily basis."

Colin Kaepernick - (San Francisco Giants)  Mother refused abortion and put him up for adoption in 1987.  Teresa and Rick adopted Colin, a bi-racial baby.  "I think it's something where god has really led me to where I'm at today.  He put me in a position to be successful throughout my life."

Other Christian Quarterbacks:

Tim Tebow - (New York Jets).  Always very open about his relationship with God.

Peyton (Denver Broncos) and Eli (New York Giants) Manning.  "I always felt it was very important to have a good relationship with the Lord.  He always has to be your number one priority.  

Aaron Rogers (Green Bay Packers) - "I like the saying from St. Francis of Assisi, 'Preach the gospel at all times, if necessary, use words.'  I grew up knowing what a stable relationship was by my parents' example and how it centered on Christ.

Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) - "I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart on my 17th birthday.  I remember my pastor talking about God 'looking for a few good men.'  All of a sudden the light bulb went (on) in my head and I was like, 'Hey, that's me;  I can be one of those few good men!"

Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers)- after a serious moral setback, Roethlisberger married and attributes his recent success to his coming back to Christianity.

Michael Vick (Philadelphia Eagles) - After serving time in prison, Vick returned to the NFL:  "I was so self-centered, I forgot about the Lord.  Pre-incarceration it was all about me.  When I go to prison, I realized I couldn't do it anymore.  The one thing I could rely on was my faith in God."  

Tony Dungy (Former Coach of the Indianapolis Colts - was instrumental in helping Vick return to Christianity.