I just love the Andy Griffith Show. They don’t make quality family TV like that anymore. The show was well cast, well written, and well performed. No wonder it was a hit for many years. And of course one of the most beloved characters was Barney Fife – a classic case of “Little Man Syndrome.” Barney was a lot like a Chihuahua – a lot of bark but not much bite. In his own eyes he was a giant of a law man; in the eyes of the town folks he was a cute little nuisance that humored them.
One of the funniest things about Barney though was that he was only allowed one bullet) since having more would only cause damage and get him into trouble) and that bullet was not loaded in his gun but kept in his shirt pocket. Whenever Andy would say, “OK, Barney, get your bullet,” we knew silliness was about to break out. Imagine that, a deputy having to take the time to load his weapon when he needed it most.
But, as you and I do spiritual battle, how often are we like Barney? Follow me here. In Matthew 4, we read about Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. Every time satan came at Jesus with a temptation, Jesus shot back by quoting the Bible. Now while the Bible doesn’t specifically mention it, I don’t see Jesus taking the time to pull some scrolls out of his robe, unrolling the scroll marked “concordance,” looking up the word “tempt” then unrolling scroll after scroll until coming to Deuteronomy 6. He had it memorized. Now, to be honest, Jesus had an advantage over us – several advantages actually – but most notably, He is the author. But nonetheless, He quoted memorize Bible verses and turned back satan’s attack.
Let me ask you this . . . in times of attack, are you ready with memorized Bible verses or is your bullet still in your pocket? Do you have to take the time to find your Bible, scan the concordance, then decide which verse it is that you need at the time? Believe it or not, anyone can – and everyone should – memorize Bible verses. Psalm 119:11 says. “I have treasured your word in my heart so I may not sin against you.” Valuing God’s word as a treasure and storing it away for safe keeping in our memory equips us to face the devil’s attacks the same way Jesus did.
To help us all out, here is what I am going to do. Every Monday on The Hot Seat, I am going to post a memory verse for us all to learn during that week. We can work through this as a team, encouraging and helping each other. I will make a few comments about the memory verse to help drive home its importance in our lives and then we will add a verse a week to our arsenal. Our guns will be loaded and we will not have to fumble around to dig a bullet out of our pocket when we need a quick word from the Lord.
Since I have already made the above comments we will memorize together this week Psalm 119:9, 11:
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping Your word. I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You.”
Now let’s load up!
Monday, July 31, 2006
Saturday, July 29, 2006
What Is It?
I love Krispy Kreme® doughnuts. To me they are like Lays® Potato Chips . . . I CANNOT eat just one. One dozen maybe, but not one. With a glass of cold milk there is not better treat. As much as I love the doughnuts, I could not live on a diet that consisted of nothing but Krispy Kreme® three times a day, 365 days a year, for 40 years. My heart would clog up and eventually explode right through my sternum and leave an ugly mess for the coroner to clean up.
Yet, God provided the same food for the Hebrews wandering through the wilderness on their way to Canaan – for 40 years. We read about it primarily in Exodus 16. Even the name of the food itself reveals God’s sense of humor. The food was called “manna” which in Hebrew means, “What is it?” No doubt it got its name from the first person’s encounter with the food. The answer to the question posed by its name is not very precise since there was no other food like it in that region of the world during that era. Manna was a small white substance that slightly resembled a coriander seed, only it was white in color. Manna was ground into a powder, boiled, then made into a cake. Numbers 11:8 describes its taste as something like, guess what . . . a Krispy Kreme® doughnut, “It tasted like a pastry cooked with the finest oil.” Sounds like KK to me!
Every morning when the Hebrews awoke, the ground was covered with Manna. Imagine what that must have been like to wake up every morning with visible evidence of the provision of God all around your feet. What an awesome reminder. But of course, as one would imagine, the Hebrews took God’s provision for granted and eventually even began to complain about it. But every day they had a fresh, new reminder that God was taking care of them.
The most fascinating instruction about the manna, however, was that they were only to gather what they needed for that day. They could not store it up for later use. In fact on the second day the manna spoiled and got wormy. There was one notable exception. On Friday they could gather two days worth, since the next day was the Sabbath and they were to do no manna gathering on the Sabbath. God miraculously preserved the Friday crop so it would still be good on Saturday. But on Sunday it was time to resume the daily routine of gathering fresh manna. Key point here: they were not to try and live on yesterday’s manna.
Let me make a quick spiritual application here. How many of us are content living our lives reminiscing about how God worked in our lives yesterday, or last year, or at some point in the past? How often do we wake up EACH DAY and look for God to move in our lives THAT day because we are not satisfied with yesterday’s manna?
Here is my challenge to you: every morning when you wake up, will you dare to ask God to make His presence known to you fresh for that day? Every day, God has a fresh batch of manna ready for us. Lamentations 3:22-23 reads, “Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning. Great is Your Faithfulness!”
Every day God has new blessing for us to experience, yet all to often they go unclaimed. Why? Because we are satisfied and complacent with the past; we are reluctant to step out of our comfort zone and to develop some new wineskins for God’s new wine. God DID for us, we are thankful, and we are satisfied with that. But God still wants to DO for us . . . present tense. If we are brave enough and if we will open up our lives to Him, God will stir our hearts and affect our lives in new, sometimes scary, but always rewarding ways. Fresh manna. Fresh adventures where we look up at God and say, “What is it?”
Then, to celebrate, look for the Hot Light and grab a couple of Krispy Kreme® glazed!
Yet, God provided the same food for the Hebrews wandering through the wilderness on their way to Canaan – for 40 years. We read about it primarily in Exodus 16. Even the name of the food itself reveals God’s sense of humor. The food was called “manna” which in Hebrew means, “What is it?” No doubt it got its name from the first person’s encounter with the food. The answer to the question posed by its name is not very precise since there was no other food like it in that region of the world during that era. Manna was a small white substance that slightly resembled a coriander seed, only it was white in color. Manna was ground into a powder, boiled, then made into a cake. Numbers 11:8 describes its taste as something like, guess what . . . a Krispy Kreme® doughnut, “It tasted like a pastry cooked with the finest oil.” Sounds like KK to me!
Every morning when the Hebrews awoke, the ground was covered with Manna. Imagine what that must have been like to wake up every morning with visible evidence of the provision of God all around your feet. What an awesome reminder. But of course, as one would imagine, the Hebrews took God’s provision for granted and eventually even began to complain about it. But every day they had a fresh, new reminder that God was taking care of them.
The most fascinating instruction about the manna, however, was that they were only to gather what they needed for that day. They could not store it up for later use. In fact on the second day the manna spoiled and got wormy. There was one notable exception. On Friday they could gather two days worth, since the next day was the Sabbath and they were to do no manna gathering on the Sabbath. God miraculously preserved the Friday crop so it would still be good on Saturday. But on Sunday it was time to resume the daily routine of gathering fresh manna. Key point here: they were not to try and live on yesterday’s manna.
Let me make a quick spiritual application here. How many of us are content living our lives reminiscing about how God worked in our lives yesterday, or last year, or at some point in the past? How often do we wake up EACH DAY and look for God to move in our lives THAT day because we are not satisfied with yesterday’s manna?
Here is my challenge to you: every morning when you wake up, will you dare to ask God to make His presence known to you fresh for that day? Every day, God has a fresh batch of manna ready for us. Lamentations 3:22-23 reads, “Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning. Great is Your Faithfulness!”
Every day God has new blessing for us to experience, yet all to often they go unclaimed. Why? Because we are satisfied and complacent with the past; we are reluctant to step out of our comfort zone and to develop some new wineskins for God’s new wine. God DID for us, we are thankful, and we are satisfied with that. But God still wants to DO for us . . . present tense. If we are brave enough and if we will open up our lives to Him, God will stir our hearts and affect our lives in new, sometimes scary, but always rewarding ways. Fresh manna. Fresh adventures where we look up at God and say, “What is it?”
Then, to celebrate, look for the Hot Light and grab a couple of Krispy Kreme® glazed!
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Lessons from Charlie
I don’t know how many ministers read this blog regularly, but I want to say some things that my colleagues need to hear desperately. If you read this and you are not a minister, PLEASE pass the link on to your pastor and to your friends asking them to pass it on to their pastors.
I am very sad today. I received news this afternoon that a very dear friend and fellow pastor suffered a sever stroke last week. Charlie Johnson epitomizes what it means to be a man of God. Charlie has devoted his life to pastoring in some of the most challenging situations demographically, spiritually, and financially. As a man of integrity, when others around him have adapted their message to draw a crowd or produce a big offering, Charlie has remained true to the Word of God and to the Lord who called him to the ministry.
Charlie has endured rejection, spite, back-biting, lying, mean-spirited attacks, hypocrisy – and not from unbelievers but from BELIEVERS! Yet, his spirit always remained strong since he always trusts that God’s fulfillment of His promise to him was always just around the corner. I got to know Charlie when the church he was pastoring began meeting with the church I was pastoring. Our church was a predominately Anglo church in a mostly African-American context. Oh, did I mention Charlie is black? I didn’t yet because it doesn’t really matter. He is a man of God and a hero of mine. God was leading me to move aside and allow Charlie to assume leadership of the church I was pastoring and to merge his own congregation into ours. Unfortunately, the devil got into the process and it never happened. This was just another in a long line of let downs and disappointments for Charlie.
Two or three other doors closed for him shortly after that and Charlie was about ready to give in. Finally, the Lord opened a door for him to take the pastorate of a church in the same area where once he and I believed God wanted to use him. This past Sunday was to be his first day as pastor their. But last Thursday, Charlie suffered a severe stroke. The stress of all that has happened to Charlie has finally taken its toll. He is currently in the hospital unable to speak or use the right side of his body. Unfortunately, because Charlie has devoted his life to ministering to people who could not provide him the elaborate salary and amenities many of his colleagues enjoy, Charlie and his family are struggling financially during this crisis. But I believe in Charlie. More importantly, I believe in mine and Charlie’s Lord. When Charlie preaches his next sermon, I plan to be there!
Charlie’s situation had been on my mind all day. I have come to some conclusions for my own life and I want to challenge my brothers in ministry along these same lines. Please take to heart what I share.
First, brothers, take care of your body. These are the only bodies we have and the longer they last and remain in good shape the longer we can be effective in God’s service. It is no accident that Paul encouraged Timothy: take care of yourself and your ministry. Watch what you eat, get some exercise, and most importantly take a SELAH every now and then. We do not have the luxury of having Sunday as a day of rest, but guys WE MUST shut it down for a day every week. The physical demands of ministry creep up on us and before we know it we are exhausted. So join me in my recommitment to eating right, drinking lots of water, getting some exercise, and practicing the weekly shut down.
Also, take care of your emotions. Our ministry is an emotional one. We weep with those who weep and we rejoice with those who rejoice. Some days are like a rollercoaster ride. I cannot count the number of weeks I have experienced the birth of a baby in the congregation, a wedding, and a funeral all in just a matter of 3 or 4 days. All of those emotion we share with others on top of our own set of emotions brought about by our home life, professional trials AND victories, and just the course of everyday life. We cannot stretch our emotions as though they are elastic without consequences and repercussions. Remember that Elijah after a tremendous spiritual victory on Mt. Carmel fled to a cave in fear of Jezebel and in deep depression – so deep he asked God to kill him. Find a pastor in whom you can confide. Lean on each other. I am blessed by God to have three such friends – Michael, Ricky, and Chris. I can (and often do) unload on them at anytime. We are not competitors we are brothers. Find someone like that in your life who will without judgement listen to, pray for, and encourage you. Also find an outlet. Take up a hobby – a physical one would be beneficial since it will help you in that area as well.
Then take care of your family. Do not neglect the greatest treasure and the most important ministry God has given you – your wife and kids. It is hard for us to separate job from life, I will admit. Pastoring is not something you do, it is someone you are. However, there is life outside of church. Life at home means more in the eternal scheme of things than any committee meeting, board meeting, visit, call, or office time you will ever spend. Your wife is your greatest ally and to your kids you are a hero. To the people at church you are the hired hand, the holy man who is there to cater to them. At home, you are the beloved, the daddy. They cherish you for who you ARE not for what you DO for them. Mind your home guys. You will find more love, acceptance, and validation there than anywhere else.
Also, take care of your finances. You know what? Your church will NOT take care of you. I am not trying to be mean to any church – especially mine. I am paid far beyond what I am worth. But from the average pew sitters vantage point salary is a bottom line figure that we pay our staff for services rendered. They will not – and should not be expected to – see salary in terms of groceries, utilities, braces for kids, clothes, retirement nest egg, car repairs, etc. If your church cannot provide adequately for your family – find another church. I know that doesn’t sound very spiritual but it is Biblical. For instance (thank you, Michael for this perspective), imagine there is a man in your church who has loyally worked a job for years, yet his family has struggled to make ends meet because his pay has not kept up with the cost of living. His family has to do without things, and even sometimes do without him as he works a second job or some overtime to get a little more pay. He is a good man, honest and hard working. He is skilled and certainly worth more that his company pays him, yet his meager salary has created tension at home. How would you counsel him? You would tell him to get a better job, go somewhere that his skills were appreciated and where he was fairly compensated. AFTER ALL THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT A MAN WHO DOES NOT TAKE CARE OF HIS FAMILY IS WORSE THAN AN INFIDEL. So . . . when are you going to heed your own counsel?
Finally (this is my longest blog ever), and above all take care of your spirit. Stay close to God. In Him and Him alone is our refuge. Talk to God daily – several times a day – and let Him talk to you. Beware the habit of only studying the Bible to feed others. Make sure you get a healthy portion for yourself regularly. Listen to tapes of good preachers. Let your brothers in ministry feed you. And when you listen – DON’T OUTLINE. You’ll only be tempted to listen so you can preach it to someone else. Let God feed you. Do not isolate yourself. God told Joshua who was about to take over for Moses: “This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night, so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then (my emphasis) you will prosper and succeed in every thing you do.”
Charlie has taught me a lot as we have known each other. But Charlie has taught me I think my greatest lessons today. Charlie, I love you, brother. I cannot wait to hear you preach again.
I am very sad today. I received news this afternoon that a very dear friend and fellow pastor suffered a sever stroke last week. Charlie Johnson epitomizes what it means to be a man of God. Charlie has devoted his life to pastoring in some of the most challenging situations demographically, spiritually, and financially. As a man of integrity, when others around him have adapted their message to draw a crowd or produce a big offering, Charlie has remained true to the Word of God and to the Lord who called him to the ministry.
Charlie has endured rejection, spite, back-biting, lying, mean-spirited attacks, hypocrisy – and not from unbelievers but from BELIEVERS! Yet, his spirit always remained strong since he always trusts that God’s fulfillment of His promise to him was always just around the corner. I got to know Charlie when the church he was pastoring began meeting with the church I was pastoring. Our church was a predominately Anglo church in a mostly African-American context. Oh, did I mention Charlie is black? I didn’t yet because it doesn’t really matter. He is a man of God and a hero of mine. God was leading me to move aside and allow Charlie to assume leadership of the church I was pastoring and to merge his own congregation into ours. Unfortunately, the devil got into the process and it never happened. This was just another in a long line of let downs and disappointments for Charlie.
Two or three other doors closed for him shortly after that and Charlie was about ready to give in. Finally, the Lord opened a door for him to take the pastorate of a church in the same area where once he and I believed God wanted to use him. This past Sunday was to be his first day as pastor their. But last Thursday, Charlie suffered a severe stroke. The stress of all that has happened to Charlie has finally taken its toll. He is currently in the hospital unable to speak or use the right side of his body. Unfortunately, because Charlie has devoted his life to ministering to people who could not provide him the elaborate salary and amenities many of his colleagues enjoy, Charlie and his family are struggling financially during this crisis. But I believe in Charlie. More importantly, I believe in mine and Charlie’s Lord. When Charlie preaches his next sermon, I plan to be there!
Charlie’s situation had been on my mind all day. I have come to some conclusions for my own life and I want to challenge my brothers in ministry along these same lines. Please take to heart what I share.
First, brothers, take care of your body. These are the only bodies we have and the longer they last and remain in good shape the longer we can be effective in God’s service. It is no accident that Paul encouraged Timothy: take care of yourself and your ministry. Watch what you eat, get some exercise, and most importantly take a SELAH every now and then. We do not have the luxury of having Sunday as a day of rest, but guys WE MUST shut it down for a day every week. The physical demands of ministry creep up on us and before we know it we are exhausted. So join me in my recommitment to eating right, drinking lots of water, getting some exercise, and practicing the weekly shut down.
Also, take care of your emotions. Our ministry is an emotional one. We weep with those who weep and we rejoice with those who rejoice. Some days are like a rollercoaster ride. I cannot count the number of weeks I have experienced the birth of a baby in the congregation, a wedding, and a funeral all in just a matter of 3 or 4 days. All of those emotion we share with others on top of our own set of emotions brought about by our home life, professional trials AND victories, and just the course of everyday life. We cannot stretch our emotions as though they are elastic without consequences and repercussions. Remember that Elijah after a tremendous spiritual victory on Mt. Carmel fled to a cave in fear of Jezebel and in deep depression – so deep he asked God to kill him. Find a pastor in whom you can confide. Lean on each other. I am blessed by God to have three such friends – Michael, Ricky, and Chris. I can (and often do) unload on them at anytime. We are not competitors we are brothers. Find someone like that in your life who will without judgement listen to, pray for, and encourage you. Also find an outlet. Take up a hobby – a physical one would be beneficial since it will help you in that area as well.
Then take care of your family. Do not neglect the greatest treasure and the most important ministry God has given you – your wife and kids. It is hard for us to separate job from life, I will admit. Pastoring is not something you do, it is someone you are. However, there is life outside of church. Life at home means more in the eternal scheme of things than any committee meeting, board meeting, visit, call, or office time you will ever spend. Your wife is your greatest ally and to your kids you are a hero. To the people at church you are the hired hand, the holy man who is there to cater to them. At home, you are the beloved, the daddy. They cherish you for who you ARE not for what you DO for them. Mind your home guys. You will find more love, acceptance, and validation there than anywhere else.
Also, take care of your finances. You know what? Your church will NOT take care of you. I am not trying to be mean to any church – especially mine. I am paid far beyond what I am worth. But from the average pew sitters vantage point salary is a bottom line figure that we pay our staff for services rendered. They will not – and should not be expected to – see salary in terms of groceries, utilities, braces for kids, clothes, retirement nest egg, car repairs, etc. If your church cannot provide adequately for your family – find another church. I know that doesn’t sound very spiritual but it is Biblical. For instance (thank you, Michael for this perspective), imagine there is a man in your church who has loyally worked a job for years, yet his family has struggled to make ends meet because his pay has not kept up with the cost of living. His family has to do without things, and even sometimes do without him as he works a second job or some overtime to get a little more pay. He is a good man, honest and hard working. He is skilled and certainly worth more that his company pays him, yet his meager salary has created tension at home. How would you counsel him? You would tell him to get a better job, go somewhere that his skills were appreciated and where he was fairly compensated. AFTER ALL THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT A MAN WHO DOES NOT TAKE CARE OF HIS FAMILY IS WORSE THAN AN INFIDEL. So . . . when are you going to heed your own counsel?
Finally (this is my longest blog ever), and above all take care of your spirit. Stay close to God. In Him and Him alone is our refuge. Talk to God daily – several times a day – and let Him talk to you. Beware the habit of only studying the Bible to feed others. Make sure you get a healthy portion for yourself regularly. Listen to tapes of good preachers. Let your brothers in ministry feed you. And when you listen – DON’T OUTLINE. You’ll only be tempted to listen so you can preach it to someone else. Let God feed you. Do not isolate yourself. God told Joshua who was about to take over for Moses: “This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night, so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then (my emphasis) you will prosper and succeed in every thing you do.”
Charlie has taught me a lot as we have known each other. But Charlie has taught me I think my greatest lessons today. Charlie, I love you, brother. I cannot wait to hear you preach again.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Honey, I Shrunk . . . Myself
In the 1989 Disney movie Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Rick Moranis plays Wayne Szalinski, a nutty professor type who is working on a secret invention – a shrinking machine. The machine is a little overly powerful and rather than shrinking things, it actually causes them to explode. That is, until the neighbor’s baseball flies through the window and into the path of the shrinking machine.
Szalinski forgets to tell his kids about the invention and then one day, they and some friends sneak into his lab and inadvertently shrink each other. Not seeing them, Szlainski sweeps them out with the trash and they are left to fend for themselves in their own backyard – now a gigantic jungle to them. Finally he discovers what has happened and gets things put back to normal setting up a series of sequels.
I came across an old favorite Bible verse that reminded me of that movie, and of my need to stand in front of the shrinking machine. The context of the verse finds John the Baptist teaching on a hillside one day about the coming of Jesus – the One who sandals he was not worthy to unstrap. In John 3:30, he makes this statement about Jesus: “He must increase, I must decrease.” What powerful words!
Have you ever noticed how self-focused most of us are? We feel as though we are entitled to make sure our opinion gets heard, our needs get met. We go to great lengths to make sure we get vindicated and that we get things off our chest. We insist on our way, and our view of reality is the only acceptable one. We have managed to make sure that we are looking out for Numero Uno!
The trouble with that is that we are not supposed to be number one . . . Jesus is – that is if He is our Lord. John was on to something. It mattered not how he was treated, only that the message of Jesus went out. Paul stated it this way in Galatians 2:20:
“I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Then again in Galatians 6:14:
But as for me, I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.
If we are Christians, we have been crucified with Christ. HE lives through us, not us living through Him. We exist to serve Him in this world. Neither Christ nor this world exist to serve us and provide us a platform to promote ourselves and our own interests. Let’s put all of our “stuff” in the background of life and bring His agenda to the foreground.
Will you join me in front of the shrinking machine?
Szalinski forgets to tell his kids about the invention and then one day, they and some friends sneak into his lab and inadvertently shrink each other. Not seeing them, Szlainski sweeps them out with the trash and they are left to fend for themselves in their own backyard – now a gigantic jungle to them. Finally he discovers what has happened and gets things put back to normal setting up a series of sequels.
I came across an old favorite Bible verse that reminded me of that movie, and of my need to stand in front of the shrinking machine. The context of the verse finds John the Baptist teaching on a hillside one day about the coming of Jesus – the One who sandals he was not worthy to unstrap. In John 3:30, he makes this statement about Jesus: “He must increase, I must decrease.” What powerful words!
Have you ever noticed how self-focused most of us are? We feel as though we are entitled to make sure our opinion gets heard, our needs get met. We go to great lengths to make sure we get vindicated and that we get things off our chest. We insist on our way, and our view of reality is the only acceptable one. We have managed to make sure that we are looking out for Numero Uno!
The trouble with that is that we are not supposed to be number one . . . Jesus is – that is if He is our Lord. John was on to something. It mattered not how he was treated, only that the message of Jesus went out. Paul stated it this way in Galatians 2:20:
“I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Then again in Galatians 6:14:
But as for me, I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.
If we are Christians, we have been crucified with Christ. HE lives through us, not us living through Him. We exist to serve Him in this world. Neither Christ nor this world exist to serve us and provide us a platform to promote ourselves and our own interests. Let’s put all of our “stuff” in the background of life and bring His agenda to the foreground.
Will you join me in front of the shrinking machine?
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Choices
Sometimes I think we give the devil too much credit. We blame him for things in our lives that he did not do. I hear people speak about rebuking the demon of this and the spirit of that. I can speak against the spirit of high blood pressure all I want, but if I keep eating salty, fried foods I am going to battle high blood pressure. I can speak against the demon of loneliness all I want, but if by my actions and attitudes I continue to alienate those who would be close to me, I am going to continue to be lonely. Contrary to the theology of Flip Wilson’s character Geraldine – the devil did NOT make me do it, I chose to!
Granted, there are times when we come under attack, there are times when God uses the circumstances of life to challenge us and shape us, there are times when thing happen to me which are totally unrelated to me, but MOST OF THE TIME my life is the sum of my choices. The attitude I have is my choice – even when people hurt me or disappoint me. When I sin, is a choice; no one holds a gun to my head and makes me disobey God. When fear paralyzes me, it is because I choose to give in to my fear rather than embrace my faith in God and step up. When I lash out at others, it is because I choose to react rather than allow the Holy Spirit in me to bear the fruit of peace.
You see, what I try and help people see on a regular basis is that if something is always “wrong” in our lives, then maybe we should look at the one common denominator – us; not our circumstances, not our environment, not other people, but US. One of the biggest obstacles I see that keeps many people from living a life of joy is this insistence that outside forces are responsible for how I feel and how I act. Check out these words from God found in Deuteronomy 20:19-20
This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life,
Did you catch that . . . CHOOSE LIFE. We choose to obey God and reap the benefits or to disobey God and suffer the consequences. When we love God, listen to Him, cling to Him that is when we know what living really is. We need not live by our emotions – they are merely a thermometer to measure what is going on in our lives, not a thermostat that controls the ups and downs of our behavior. We need not live merely reacting to the circumstances that happen to us. Our circumstances are the Petri dish in which God grows our faith and matures us.
Today, you can choose to cast off the pains of the past, the attitudes that cause you to wallow in misery, the behaviors that constantly keep you bound. God has set the way clearly before us. Let’s choose to walk with Him.
Granted, there are times when we come under attack, there are times when God uses the circumstances of life to challenge us and shape us, there are times when thing happen to me which are totally unrelated to me, but MOST OF THE TIME my life is the sum of my choices. The attitude I have is my choice – even when people hurt me or disappoint me. When I sin, is a choice; no one holds a gun to my head and makes me disobey God. When fear paralyzes me, it is because I choose to give in to my fear rather than embrace my faith in God and step up. When I lash out at others, it is because I choose to react rather than allow the Holy Spirit in me to bear the fruit of peace.
You see, what I try and help people see on a regular basis is that if something is always “wrong” in our lives, then maybe we should look at the one common denominator – us; not our circumstances, not our environment, not other people, but US. One of the biggest obstacles I see that keeps many people from living a life of joy is this insistence that outside forces are responsible for how I feel and how I act. Check out these words from God found in Deuteronomy 20:19-20
This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life,
Did you catch that . . . CHOOSE LIFE. We choose to obey God and reap the benefits or to disobey God and suffer the consequences. When we love God, listen to Him, cling to Him that is when we know what living really is. We need not live by our emotions – they are merely a thermometer to measure what is going on in our lives, not a thermostat that controls the ups and downs of our behavior. We need not live merely reacting to the circumstances that happen to us. Our circumstances are the Petri dish in which God grows our faith and matures us.
Today, you can choose to cast off the pains of the past, the attitudes that cause you to wallow in misery, the behaviors that constantly keep you bound. God has set the way clearly before us. Let’s choose to walk with Him.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
It IS a Grand Ol' Flag
I had the honor Saturday to participate in our town’s dedication service for our new flagpole and flags. What a fitting time of year to have such a ceremony, as we celebrate our country’s 230th birthday. My participation involved making a few remarks and offering the dedicatory prayer. My inclusion in the event gave me the opportunity to research, reflect, and relate to the meaning of our country’s flag. I would like to use this space today to summarize my remarks.
A flagpole and flags are great things to have and to display, but what is the point, really, if we never notice them. A flag is meant to be a symbol, and a symbol only has meaning when we reflect on it and consider it’s meanings.
Most of us are aware that Betsy Ross sewed our first flag in May of 1776. But why the particular design and why the particular colors? We these the only materials she had available to her? Were they just her favorite colors? The colors bear significance, and I want to challenge you to join me in remembering some very three important things every time we pass this flag or any other
First, red reminds us of a price. Red is the color of blood and the red stripes remind us of the many men and women who have shed their blood to win, maintain, and spread this blessing that we call freedom. The price paid was expensive – no value can be assigned to a human life. But the worth of something is measure in the price paid on its behalf. So we remember that freedom – liberty – is of inestimable worth, because thousands of men and women have paid for it by their own lives. We must never take our freedoms for granted. Also, having tasted that freedom for ourselves we must not rest until people everywhere have the same opportunity to enjoy freedom’s benefits.
The white on our flag reminds us of principles. Our country was established on some very important moral principles. We have been blessed by God because we have chosen to walk His path. We enjoy today the benefits of a society firmly rooted and grounded in God’s principles of right, wrong, justice, and mercy. God said in Deuteronomy 30:19-20:
Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live! Choose to love the Lord your God, and to obey Him and to commit yourself to Him for He is your life.
As long as we uphold and live by God’s standards, His blessing will be upon us. But should we continue to choose to walk another path, live according to our own desires and understandings, the windows of heaven can and will be closed up.
Finally, the blue on the flag reminds us of the product of the paid price and the principles on which we have stood. The product is our affluence. God has indeed blessed this country unlike any other on the face of this earth. I think it is safe to say that even the poorest among us have a better life than many who live on the earth today. Many who fall beneath the poverty line in our country would be worse of to trade places with most people in third world countries. Our affluence carries with it two awesome responsibilities. First is the responsibility to be thankful – to recognize that God the source of all that we have. Unfortunately our affluence often turns our attention to ourselves. We seek to gain more or at least protect what we have. We get this silly notion that our hard work, ingenuity, skills, or even just plain “luck” have provided for us. Nothing could be further from the truth. “The earth is the Lord’s and all the fullness in it,” the psalmist tells us. We would do well to remember that and to be thankful.
But our affluence also carries the responsibility of sharing our blessings with others. God made Abraham three promises: He would bless him, He would make him a blessing to others, and He would bless those who blessed Abraham and curse those who didn’t. I think that promise comes from the central nature and character of God. He also has blessed us so that He can make us a blessing. He has invested in us so that we can be His tool to bless others. And I have also noticed that God has a way of protecting His investment.
We as individuals as well as collectively as a nation have the responsibility to use our affluence to reach down and lift those less fortunate. We lift them so that we can walk side by side shoulder to shoulder through this life. God has blessed us, we are thankful, and we should be proactively generous as well.
So, I challenge you. As you come to town to do business, dine at one of the fine eateries here on the square, or even ride by on the highway – as you see this flag or any other U.S. flag – remember the price that was paid for our freedom, recommit to the principles God has established for our good, and recognize our responsibility to share in the product of God’s blessing on our country.
May God continue to bless
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