Christ Following, life, ministry
I was at the doctor’s office recently and we had a conversation about the Swine Flu. I’m not a huge fan of vaccines and my question was, “What’s the worst case scenario if a guy like me decides not to take the shot?” His answer? “You’ll be laid up for a few days until your body builds up the antibodies and fights it off.” Interesting. When we get sick, our bodies build up the strength to overcome it.
I find it extremely interesting that heavier weights (also called resistance) increase muscle strength, unfamiliar subjects fortify our minds, and difficult circumstances cause us to grow in wisdom, patience, and faith.
Pain, resistance, difficulty, adversity. These things toughen us. We’d turn to mush without them. In fact I’m sure I know people who have turned to mush because they go into denial, dodge pain, or give up and wallow in self-pity. After all, it’s far easier to quit, blame, or feel sorry for ourselves than go through the ringer one more time. “Who wants more patience?” “I have enough, thanks.”
I once heard Sam Chand say that our capacity to grow is directly proportional to our capacity to endure pain. How true! Once we decide that we’ve had enough, we stop growing. I love Tylenol’s recent marketing slogan, “Push through the pain.” When we want to give up, when we can’t find the answer, when it all seems too hard, PUSH THROUGH! I’ve found that simply NOT throwing in the towel has tremendous value. Most of the time, breakthrough happens just the other side of wanting to give up.
One of these days I’ll probably tell my story on this site, but let’s just say it’s not a pretty one. I’ve had to endure some pretty great pressure and, even though I wouldn’t want to repeat all the obstacles, I treasure the work God has done in me through them. I’ve gained wisdom, insight, endurance, and compassion for others. Those things have prepared me for the work He has called me to and I thank Him for all of it.
Romans 5:3 & 4 says, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.”
If you’re feeling pressure, resistance, or stress stay the course! Your muscles are growing, your mind is sharpening, your emotions are getting stronger. Growing is more important than the false peace found in giving up. When it’s all said and done, you’re gonna be a butt kicker. Just wait and see!
Christ Following, life, ministry
“I give up. I’m done. I quit. It’s over. I surrender. I’m not doing this anymore!” These are some of the most powerful words in the Christian vocabulary. Unfortunately, they’re seldom spoken accept in reference to an assignment. The idea of a life absolutely surrendered to God is foreign to us in our culture of achievement, prosperity, and recognition. We attach so much of our self worth to “making it” that we can’t conceive that God might have a better plan for us.
Here’s what I mean. We find out that there is a God who’s crazy about us. We ask Jesus to be our savior. We then put Him in our pocket with the rest of our possessions and let Him be a part of our lives as long as He doesn’t interrupt our lifestyle or standard of living. Sure He’s important to us, even vital, but he’s still just a part of the picture. He’s not the whole thing. Instead of stuffing Him into our pocket, we should be asking Him to stuff us into His.
I’ve had the honor of knowing people who have found the freedom of a life of absolute surrender. They completely wrap their lives around God, regardless of the cost. And you know what? I’ve noticed a few things.
1. They seem to be an effortless blessing to others. It’s never a strain or a struggle to bless people. All they have already belongs to God so when He asks them to give it, there’s no debate.
2. They have nothing to prove. They don’t have to keep up with the Joneses. Status is unimportant. “Standard of living” isn’t even in their vocabulary. They’re bond servants and they’re OK with that because one day they’ll hear “well done.”
3. There is a joy and peace that seems to radiate from them. Think about it, if you’ve surrendered it all, then there’s nothing to lose. If Christ owns it all, then He can worry about it. If you’ve given your dreams to Him, then he’ll help fulfill them, or give you an even better one. That’s the kind of peace I want!
4. There’s a simplicity about them that makes you want what they have. In a world of hurry-sickness and spread-too-thin-itis, simplicity is good medicine.
In Matthew chapter 16 Jesus says, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?“
A life of absolute surrender is life abundant. It’s life the way God meant for you to live it. It requires laying down what we want from time to time. It requires giving at an (initially) uncomfortable level. It requires giving God permission to mess up your plans and change you. It’s not easy and it’s a challenging process. However, if we’re going to be used by God to make a difference in the world, we have to go there.
One thing I know for sure: people who give up what they want and surrender all they are and have to Jesus will have some incredible stories to tell. When their lives draw to an end and it’s time to reflect on it all, you’ll never hear them say, “I wish I would have…”
culture, Family, life
We decided to visit my parents for Thanksgiving this year. Something we haven’t done for years. It’s fun to have everyone pile into the folks house, raid the cupboards, lay around, and laugh about whatever. For some reason, it’s actually easy to forget about all stress and responsibility of ministry, bills, and business while I’m here.
This morning I woke up to the smell of a very large turkey in the oven and the mere smell of that bird cooking made me feel grateful. We’ve had a tradition of sharing what we’re thankful for around the table for so long that all it takes is the aroma to stir up a sense of gratitude in me. Take that Pavlov!
The thing about thankfulness is that it’s so good for you! When we’re really grateful, it’s hard to stay proud because it acknowledges that someone else has met your need. It’s hard to be bitter when we’re thanking Christ for His forgiveness. Thanksgiving really does refocus our perspective! It helps us to think positively and there are a lot of families out there that could benefit from less negativity in their homes! The more I think about it, the more I just love this holiday!
2nd Corinthians 4:15 tells us that thanksgiving brings glory to God. What more motivation do we need? My prayer for you and me is for a thankful heart EVERY DAY.
“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” – 2nd Corinthians 9:15
Christ Following, life
Ever feel like God is far away? You know, you pray but don’t feel his presence, ask for direction but don’t hear a thing, read and nothing jumps out at you. It feels like your life is a long walk down a desert road with no life on the horizon. I know, I know that sounds terribly depressing but we all go through it from time to time. I know I have! My prayer journal is filled with pages of complaints to God about his alleged silence.
One thing I’ve learned about these times is that they are always growth experiences. It’s difficult to say that because it feels so trite. “Growth experience” is such an overused expression and not every difficult circumstance is brought our way to help us grow. Sometime stuff just stinks. The thing is, I’ve never gone through a “dry time” and not been able to look back and see how God stretched me and caused me to mature.
I was reading in scripture today about a great king who experienced such a time. 2nd Chronicles 32:31 says, “However, when ambassadors arrived from Babylon to ask about the remarkable events that had taken place in the land, God withdrew from Hezekiah in order to test him and to see what was really in his heart.” It was a test. God was withdrawing from Hezekiah to see how he would testify about his circumstances when the feelings of God’s presence and blessing weren’t there. As my old friend used to say, “You can’t have a testimony without a test.”
One thing is for sure. Dry times, seemingly unfruitful times, even times of crisis will reveal what is truly in our hearts. Will we stay committed to pray when we don’t feel his presence? Will we continue to read His Word when we’re not getting revelation? Will we stay faithful to His calling when it seems like we’re not producing fruit? Will we obey and stay steady when we don’t know which direction He wants us to go? Will we praise Him and confess His goodness when He seems distant an indifferent? Will we humbly give Him the glory when we experience success?
The truth is God’s greatness, His love, and His goodness have absolutely nothing to do with how we feel. Whether we feel like he’s near or far, He has promised not to leave or forsake us. We can pass the test when we know beyond our emotions how truly, deeply in love He is with us. We can praise Him in good times and bad simply because He loves us and He is good, always, even when our perception of goodness clashes with His. When we hold that tightly, in the core of who we are, then we can say as Job did, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” (Job 13:15)
Christ Following, Jesus, life, Love
For a long time I’ve believed that the truly hard things in Life were the “big” things. You know, taking that missions trip, making that financial pledge, praying like crazy every day. Something really adventurous might be starting a ministry or learning a new skill. Lately I’ve come to realize that those things aren’t really that hard at all and that the things I once considered no brainers are actually quite soul-wrenching. Here are a few examples of what I mean…
Forgiving others. Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to truly forgive someone? We say the words but the pain is still there. Letting go of the bitterness, anger, and feelings of betrayal can feel exhausting at times. These things are like the neighborhood cat that won’t stay away from your house! You get rid of them, and you never hear them sneak back up on you.
Letting dreams go. Eventually, we have to just let some dreams die. The truth is, there is only so much room in our lives and, if we’re going to be faithful in the position God has placed us in, we have to let some things go. Let’s face it, can we really be a good father, husband, or whatever and still pursue all our “great ideas”. That’s not to say some dreams aren’t God given and He will give them back to us, but the right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing.
Trust. Do we really trust God with everything? We’ve sang about trusting, declared our dependence, and spoken confidently about giving everything to Him. The truth is, we don’t mean it. When the rubber hits the road and a real life choice is before us, we chicken out, rationalize, or make excuses. We hold on to relationships we don’t belong in, we stay in jobs that aren’t right for us, and we hold on to our money because we’ve financially overextended ourselves.
Be loved. Why is allowing ourselves to simply be loved so difficult? Here we are the very center of Abba’s affection and we won’t just let him lavish His love on us. How do we do this? I’ll tell you how…
By forgiving others, we allow God to heal the pain they’ve caused us. We release them from judgment and His love just seems to settle on us like a tailored coat.
Letting go of our dreams allows God to lead us in new directions. He longs to take us by the hand and walk with us to new places.
Trust is the truest sign of love. As we trust God with everything, I mean really truly, holding nothing back everything, we experience God’s love in a whole new way. Trusting God is like saying, “I receive your love. Let’s do life together!”
The great thing about receiving God’s love is that it makes it so much easier to love other people. It’s unselfish love because it doesn’t have to be returned or reciprocated. It doesn’t have to be returned because no love, that any person gives us, can be compared to The Father’s love.
So choose to do the hard stuff. Forgive, let go, trust, and receive His love. The rest will seem like cake!
Christ Following, culture, life, Love, Missions, social justice, The Church
I was listening to a sermon my friend posted to his blog the other day. The preacher mentioned the firefighters and rescue workers who risked their lives running into the Twin Towers during the 9/11 attacks. I’m sure some of them knew they were going to die in there, but went willingly because a sense of duty drove them.
It was the words “sense of duty” that caught my attention. I realized that we as believers are sorely lacking a sense of duty. We seem to want to pick and choose spiritual disciplines, convictions, standards, and amounts we give and serve based on how we feel or claim to be “led”. I know some who won’t even pray at all unless they “feel led“.
I know what some of you are thinking, “Uh oh, he’s gone all legalistic on us. We should be motivated by our love for Christ, not a sense of duty!” You have a great point, however love is not, never has been, and never will be a warm fuzzy feeling that leads us to good deeds to put a smile on Jesus’ face.
I’ll give you an example. I’ve been married for seventeen years now. It comes as no surprise that we’re not always walking on cloud nine together. Sure we share some great moments and those romantic feelings are wonderful when they’re present. But when they’re not present, I still provide, protect, and care for my wife out of a sense of duty. I do what any good husband should do because I made a commitment to do it when I fell in love with her. Get it? We possess a sense of duty BECAUSE we love.
In Genesis chapter 4 God says that refusing to do what’s right (not what we’re “led” to do) is just a baby step away from sin gaining control over us. Jesus said in Mathew 25 that when we turn our backs on those in need, we turn our backs on Him. The absolute apathy of so many believers is downright frightening! To quote Keith Green, “Jesus came to your door, but you left Him out on the street.”
So my question is this: are you the type of person who would run into a burning building to save the lives of others, or would you rather enjoy the fresh air and safety while those inside burn? We’re guilty as hell if we do nothing. Think about that the next time you think sharing Jesus, helping the oppressed, and feeding the poor are for those who feel called.
It’s as if so many of us have succumbed to the Bystander Effect. The case of Kitty Genovese is the most well known example of this effect. Kitty was stabbed to death in 1964 by a serial rapist and murderer. According to newspaper accounts, the killing took place for at least a half an hour. The murderer attacked and stabbed her, but then fled the scene after attracting the attention of a neighbor. The killer then returned ten minutes later and finished the assault. Newspaper reports after Genovese’s death claimed that 38 witnesses watched the stabbings and failed to intervene. I’m sure all 38 of those people thought, “Someone will help her.” They were wrong.
Like the rescue workers of 9/11, we have got to develop a sense of duty, an URGENCY to fulfill the great commission and help the downtrodden. When I stand before God, I want to hear “well done”. I want to be the kind of person who runs toward danger to rescue the lost and oppressed. It takes commitment, it’s a sign of love (John 15:13), and it requires a sense of duty.
