Author: Victor Scott

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, husband, father, and author. I am an avid Cubs fan and a lover of Chicago-style Deep Dish pizza.

“Own Your Learning” by Samuel Suresh

This video was so inspirational.

I love good storytellers, and this is a great story.

The difference between learning and studying can feel like not very much. But there is a difference.

One we should consider more carefully.

Don’t just be a student. Become a learner. I’ve realized these are not the same things.

OWN YOUR LEARNING (ft. iPad Pro Note Taking - GoodNotes)

Easter Sunday 2022 | “Go!”

Never forget the price that Jesus paid and the cost God incurred in order to bring about our salvation.

Happy Easter!

For the last 40 days we have been preparing to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The day has finally come.

I encourage you to do a couple things today. First, I encourage you to celebrate the goodness of God in making a way for our reconciliation with him. Never forget the price that Jesus paid and the cost God incurred in order to bring about our salvation. We can rejoice in all of this because God is good.

Second, I would encourage you to make an intentional effort in the coming week to share with someone why Easter matters. Not only that it matters to you as a follower of Jesus Christ, as important as that is. But how it matters to the one with whom you share the good news of the gospel.

One of the primary obligations we have as Christians is to tell the story of Jesus. I think what we often get wrong is we tell the story in a way that keeps us out of it. I believe that is a mistake.

If you have been saved by the precious blood of the Lamb of God then the story you tell IS your story as well. It is not your story because you did anything worthy of salvation. It is not your story because you have somehow impressed God with your newfound righteousness. It is your story because the one that Jesus saved was you!

So today enjoy the celebrations and the time of reflection. But tomorrow I invite you to go.

Go tell someone how grateful you are God has restored you to fellowship with him and with those whom you share fellowship with in your church.

Maybe that’s not something you’re comfortable doing. The truth is I’m not sure how many are. But if you are even a little bit thankful for God’s grace it is a discomfort worth enduring so someone else might also come to know what you know.

I am not saying be pushy or rude. Don’t try to “save” anyone. Just talk about this moment, this even, this reality that has impacted your life.

So go. Do not allow fear or doubt or uncertainty to keep you from going.

Lent 2022 | Day 40: Death

The Saturday before Easter is an interesting day in the liturgical calendar of the Christian churches.

The Saturday before Easter is an interesting day in the liturgical calendar of the Christian churches. It has been referred to by a variety of names depending on the liturgical tradition of the church one is considering. In some, it is known as Great and Holy Saturday, Great Sabbath, Saturday of the Gloria, and Black Saturday. [Source]

A couple of the customs practiced in some form throughout the various liturgical traditions is the use of black linens to cover whatever might adorn the table or altar at the front of the church. There is also the practice of stripping the sanctuary of any and all items that might usually be present during a regular service.

In those churches where these practices are not performed, the significance may be lost. But on that first Saturday after Jesus’s crucifixion, it had to have been a day of deep morning for the disciples. It was essentially a funeral day. One that could not be properly finished because it occurred on the Jewish Sabbath.

So the act of removing all signs and symbols of the faith from the sanctuary of the church or covering it with black linen is to represent both the despair and the questioning that must’ve happened to the disciples. We have the benefit of knowing what happened on Sunday morning. But for them, there was no guarantee of resurrection.

For the entire history of the human journey upon the earth, death has marked the transition from life into the unknown. Our inability to know what exists on the other side of death’s door can cause many to fear. And rightfully so. There is no greater uncertainty than what happens next after this life is over.

This is why Jesus’s promise is so revolutionary. It gives us hope that if he was able to travel through that door and return then we too will be able to do the same if we go with him.

As we commemorate the waiting the disciples did on that first Saturday before Easter, I would invite you to consider the void they must’ve felt at the thought and reality of the death of Jesus. Like all who have lost people they love, the disciples must’ve felt quite lost and filled with despair as they mourned. But while they waited with not much certainty of what would happen just a few hours later, we can rejoice in the fact that Sunday morning is just around the corner.

But today, on this Holy Saturday, we wait.

We wait and we remember how death threatened to destroy the hope of the disciples. And we consider how death could destroy our hope if it had not been defeated by the resurrection of Jesus.

Lent 2022 | Day 39: Friend

In Jesus’s final gathering with his disciples, he offered them a word of encouragement I believe we too can participate in. Jesus told the disciples that he no longer considered them servants.

We are now days away from celebrating the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. This single event defines the fullness of our faith. Without the resurrection, we are left with no hope for what lies beyond the grave. But in the resurrection, we find a reason to endure the trials of this life and look forward to the promise to be fulfilled.

In Jesus’s final gathering with his disciples, he offered them a word of encouragement I believe we too can participate in. Jesus told the disciples that he no longer considered them servants. After all of their time together he had shared with them and talked with them about all that the Father had given to him. Now, as a result, they were ready to transition from those who were receiving to those who could give to others.

How do we know this is true? Jesus tells them he no longer called them servants but that he now considered them to be friends.

There is a big difference between a servant and a friend. The biggest of the differences is a servant does not have the same kind of access that a friend does. Servants cannot call upon their master and seek the same kind of comfort that a friend offers to a friend.

The reality this is describing is that at the end of our journey with Jesus we should be able to consider him our friend. In this case, what I mean by the journey is the journey of discipleship. That time where there is intentional and specific training, instruction, and encouragement to live out what is being learned. But there comes a moment we stop being students and we must begin to live for ourselves. Not ignoring what we have learned but according to what we have learned.

It has become my practice whenever I enter into a discipleship relationship to tell them from the beginning, “At the end of this discipleship process, however long the Lord gives us, if we are not better friends I will have failed to have discipled you properly.”

This mindset comes from what Jesus told his disciples. At the beginning, there was a great deal of transfer of information and correction from Jesus to the disciples. But as they matured they became more than just receptors of information and truth. Whether or not the disciples truly understood this does not change the fact that Jesus said this was his desire and his intention.

Whether or not we have ever felt like this about those who have discipled us in the past does not matter for how we should move forward. When we realize what Jesus was trying to do in and through us we become accountable for that.

And so as we prepare ourselves to celebrate the fulfillment of God’s great promise of salvation we should give thanks to Jesus Christ who is that friend that sticks closer to us than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). Jesus is the greatest friend we will ever have. Let us learn from him and be good friends with those whom we journey within this life. Even if it is only for a short time.

Lent 2022 | Day 38: Betrayal

During the night of the Last Supper, at the conclusion of the meal, Jesus tells the disciples that one among them would betray him.

As we approach the end of the season of Lent this year, we enter into the events that occurred prior to Jesus’s execution on the cross of Calvary. There are many things that occurred during that final week. Some of them encouraging and serving as reminders of God’s grace toward us as followers of Jesus. But some other events can remind us of how dark life can get when we lose our way.

The one event that comes to mind in this final week of Jesus’s life was the decision made by Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus into the hands of the high priest and his followers. During the night of the Last Supper, at the conclusion of the meal, Jesus tells the disciples that one among them would betray him. All of them looked around unsure as to who it could be. And while we are given no indication that anyone suspected Judas of being the betrayer, the biblical record indicates that Judas knew Jesus was talking about him.

It is so hard to describe or adequately articulate the feelings associated with an act of betrayal. The feelings and thoughts that emerge when that breach of trust is finally exposed can leave very deep emotional and spiritual wounds.

We can only imagine how Jesus felt knowing who would be the catalyst for the events that would lead to his death. And then for the other disciples to learn who among them had cast aside all they had seen in and through Jesus for 30 pieces of silver must’ve been a great shock.

While we would like to think we are not capable of such an act, the truth is not only are we capable in the right circumstances but we let ourselves off the hook for the small betrayals we commit against our own consciences and integrity. I do not mean to malign anyone or to falsely accuse anyone without cause. My intention is to reveal how easy it can be to judge the motives of another while giving a lenient interpretation of our own motives.

This entire topic is so difficult because it requires an omniscient mind in order to understand the multitude of contours that go into the decision. It can be overly simplistic to think that people commit a betrayal in a moment. The truth is the final act of betrayal is the culmination of a journey away from what one believed to be true at some point in the past.

I find it hard to believe that when Judas was called by Jesus he intended to betray him three years later. But at some point in his time walking and talking with Jesus he became discouraged with how Jesus was doing his ministry in the world. And that seed of doubt continued to grow until it bore the fruit of betrayal against Jesus.

We must all be careful what we allowed to grow in the soil of our heart. Because we do not know when that seed of doubt will bring forth its fruit in our lives. Again, my intention is not to scare anyone but to encourage an intentional awareness of those things that could take root in our minds and hearts.

While the season of Lent is coming to an end and we turn our attention to rejoicing in God’s faithful salvation through Jesus, it is a stark reminder of how fragile we all can be. Judas’s act of betrayal must serve as an example of what can happen when we allow ourselves to stand in judgment over how God chooses to act in the world.

Lent 2022 | Day 37: Search

The season of Lent is an opportunity for searching once again. It is a reminder to set aside those things that would keep us from deepening our commitment and relationship to God.

The prophet Jeremiah records a letter he sent to the exiles while they were in Babylon. The purpose of the letter was to remind them that God had not forgotten them nor abandon them there. It can be difficult to imagine how the Israelite people must’ve felt to receive that letter. They had been in captivity for many years, struggling to make sense of how God would deliver them out of the hand of their captors.

In one section of the letter Jeremiah offers to them these words:

12 “then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 you will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations in all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will ring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.”

Jeremiah 29:12-14 ESV

Throughout the Scriptures, there are instances where God encourages his people to seek him. The idea of searching is an encouragement to be actively engaged in the process of understanding what God is calling his people to. When we remain passive in our understanding of the faith we miss out on an important element of what it means to be followers of God. That element, stated simply, is the idea of journeying with God. We have been called to leave familiar places and to search for God where he has called us to go.

One of the beautiful aspects of what Jeremiah tells the people of God is seen in verse 13. He says to the people, “you will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

There are two important points made here that we must be diligent in recognizing. The first point has to do with the manner in which we seek God. This is seen in the second half of the verse. We must seek God with our whole heart. What that is describing is a complete commitment to the task of searching. It is not enough to pay lip service to this.

If we are not truly and honestly seeking after God then we will never really find them. Not because God is trying to stay hidden. We will not find God because we never really sought him. This is an important precondition to our journey of faith. It is not designed to restrict us. It is quite the opposite. By making it known that only a genuine search for God will lead us to where God is, God has made clear how we can assess whether or not we will ever find God.

The second point, found in the first half of the verse, is the promise built into the act of searching. The promise that God offers to his people is that if we seek him according to the manner he described then he will be found. This is a promise of certainty. This is a promise God has obligated himself to fulfill. Not because he owes us, but because he has stated the conditions and the results he will relate to us with.

The season of Lent is an opportunity for searching once again. It is a reminder to set aside those things that would keep us from deepening our commitment and relationship to God. It is a time where we can challenge and even oppose the forces at work against our faith through dedicated focus. But most importantly it is a persistent reminder every year that God has called us to seek him.

As we celebrate Easter this year may we remember that God is still calling us to seek him. I pray that I might recommit myself to seek him with my whole heart. I pray that you will do the same.

Lent 2022 | Day 36: Tears

One of the most remarkable moments in Jesus’s ministry is when he arrives in Bethany to see about his friend Lazarus.

One of the most remarkable moments in Jesus’s ministry is when he arrives in Bethany to see about his friend Lazarus. It is remarkable because it is the only time where Jesus is recorded to have wept about anything or anyone. This is not mean that it may not have happened at another time. However, because this is the only instance recorded in the Gospels it serves to highlight Jesus’s response to the loss of a close friend.

There are many reasons for which we might find ourselves shedding tears. And what makes the act of crying so interesting is that it may be the result of great joy or deep sadness. The fact that tears may be caused by such a varied range of emotions makes it an interesting phenomenon in the human experience.

In the case of Jesus’s weeping over the death of Lazarus, we can see that the instance was that of deep sorrow. We see in the story how both Mary and Martha knew that Jesus could have prevented Lazarus’s death. But Jesus remained where he was for a day longer. We know now Jesus did in fact raise Lazarus from the grave. But at the time there was a lot of uncertainty in the minds and hearts of all those involved.

So what are we to make of the tears Jesus wept over a friend he had the power to resurrect? It could be tempting to make more of it than is warranted. We do not know what was going through Jesus’s mind at the time. But I think if we consider that Jesus’s love for Mary, Martha, and Lazarus was genuine then we must grant that Jesus’s tears were as much for the loss the sisters endured as it was for Lazarus’s death.

Anyone who has experienced the physical death and loss of a loved one will know the pain which I am speaking of. There is an emptiness felt because of the finality of the person’s absence. And while we hope in the coming time of the resurrection when Jesus returns, few of us will ever know the joy of having someone who has passed being brought back to life.

Mary and Martha had to face one of the darkest moments of their life and then had the opportunity to see their brother returned to them. And in those days and events, they experienced both the deep tears of sorrow and the excited tears of unexpected joy.

The human experience that we all must journey through will afford us the opportunity to experience both of these extremes. The question is will we be able to hold on to our faith regardless of where or why we might find ourselves weeping.

As we prepare to celebrate the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ in just a few short days, may we not fear the tears of sadness or anticipate those of joy that this moment elicits in us. Regardless of the reason, may the tears of sorrow and of joy serve as a cleansing expression of the oftentimes unutterable realities we encounter in life.

Lent 2022 | Day 35: Truth

The question asked by Pontius Pilate at Jesus’s trial is one of the most important questions ever asked of God. The question reminds us the truth is not merely some abstract or undefinable reality with no consequences.

38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

John 18:38a ESV

The question asked by Pontius Pilate at Jesus’s trial is one of the most important questions ever asked of God. The question reminds us the Truth is not merely some abstract or undefinable reality with no consequences. Truth is something that can be known. It is something that must be known. And within the context of the Christian faith, it is someONE we must build a relationship with!

Each and every day millions if not hundreds of millions of people wake up to repeat what they have done over and over again. This continuous and seemingly endless cycle can become monotonous. But for too many this process is a mindless repetition empty of any purpose. It is this feeling of senselessness that causes many to question whether there is anything beyond the present experience of life.

We cannot go into an in-depth defense of the Truth here. Much wiser individuals than myself have offered better answers to the question. However, what can be said in this limited space is that without the truth nothing else can maintain its integrity. The denial of truth is a self-defeating proposition.

The Truth serves as a binding agent to the experience we call life. Without the Truth, we can trust nothing we claim to know. Without the Truth, we can have no confidence that what we have learned can be of any benefit to us or anyone else. And without the Truth, we resign ourselves to a life of doubt and confusion.

It does not matter how far we try to run and hide from the Truth, the greater our descent into fear and chaos. We may think we can avoid this. We may even convince ourselves that we can escape the effects of living without the Truth to sustain us. But, eventually, that lie will catch up to us. We may never admit it to anyone else. What we will not be able to do is deny it to ourselves.

Those who claim that the Truth is relative undermine the very proposition they make with the declaration. There is no person who has ever lived who has ever been able to operate their lives according to the principle when they know something is a lie.

We can have philosophical arguments as to the nature of truth. We can have theological arguments about the reliability of truth claims. We can even have ethical arguments as to whether or not the truth can be employed indiscriminately. But what we cannot do, and at least maintain any semblance of sanity, is to deny that we all operate from the perspective that at least what we believe and what we claim is true.

It is this approach to life that reminds us that without the Truth we all are subject to the whims of others. We do not have to have delusions of grandeur or be seekers of power to understand the need for truth in our lives. But to reject truth as a form of escape from the difficult realities of life or the pains we have endured because of others is no reason to reject that the Truth exists.

As we continue our time of reflection and prepare for Easter morning we too must ask the question that Pontius Pilate asked: What is truth?

But rather than leaving the question hanging and not waiting for an answer, we should look to Jesus and see what he says on the matter. As we consider the importance of the question, and if we were to give it its proper weight, we would realize that without truth we all are truly lost. Not because we did not have lives we could enjoy but because we could have no confidence in anything that we attempted to do with our lives.

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