In 1803 Thomas Jefferson purchased a huge portion of North America for $2,500. Interestingly enough, no one really knew what he had actually bought because, at the time, the Louisiana Purchase was largely uncharted territory. In 1804 Lewis and Clark, along with the little team they named “the corps of discovery”, were given the task of exploring and documenting basically all things West of St. Louis. Their journals reveal that they were repeatedly shocked and amazed by their discovery of landscapes, species, and peoples previously unknown to the culture from which they had come.
In much the same way, there seems to be a growing sense among many Christians that there is a lot more “out there” than we’ve had the opportunity to experience as of yet. We know the land has been bought and that we really need to explore and enjoy all that this new frontier holds for us. And yet, each time we step out on our journey into the unknown, we encounter certain difficulty and resistance at nearly every turn. Somehow, we have to stop being surprised and shocked when this happens. This is the lifestyle of a pioneer. The next reformation is calling.
For the most part, the way we “do church” has not deviated from the model set forth several hundred years ago. Though hymns may give way to choruses, pews might be replaced with chairs, and the altar is now called “the stage”, the basic Sunday morning format has really not changed in any significant way in all that time. As a result, there seems to be an attitude growing among the faithful church going masses of “been there, done that, bought the T-shirt… big yawn”. At least from my perspective, it seems painfully obvious that it’s time to go farther up the river and see what else there is to see. Though many pine for the restoration of the early church depicted in the New Testament, I would propose that going backward is not God’s desire for us. True, for the most part the first century church was clearly at a better place than we are currently, and we can certainly learn from our history. But the scriptures indicate that there’s much more territory available to us than that which we’ve previously experienced or even read about. Because His Spirit lives in us, there is literally unlimited potential in every Christian, and so there is no place that’s unreachable or goal unattainable for us.
Why is it then that we’re apparently afraid to move past the three songs, three points, and a poem mode that we’ve been stuck in for so long? Is it because we just can’t seem to come up with anything better? Are we afraid that we might disturb or disrupt something truly sacred? Granted, the lifestyle of a pioneering explorer may not be for everyone, but the restless discontent that many of us are feeling may actually be there by design and thus may also prove more compelling than we first thought. It’s time for the typical local church paradigm to change. We are no less in need of a reformation than the church was when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg. Uncontested boredom has grown into apathy, and as a result we have somehow accepted our sorry state as being normative. The church has been lulled to sleep and thus has become fundamentally immobilized. God help us, the next reformation is calling.
For some of us, the discontent may run even deeper. When I was a teenager, I decided to take the course required to get a scuba diving license. Shortly after being certified, I went on a ten day diving trip to the Cayman Islands. It’s hard to explain if you’ve never experienced it, but these islands provide some of the best scuba diving on the planet. The water is so clear that you can swim on the surface and see everything a hundred feet below you as if you were flying. Hour after hour I was able to explore countless coral reefs, an unlimited variety of vibrantly painted sea life, and even some fascinating ship wrecks. This was truly a dream come true for a novice diver like myself. Sadly, for the next twenty some years, the only scuba diving I was able to do was in the muck ridden, muddy watered lakes of the mid-west. Here, everything is brown and green and the only hope of any excitement is seeing an unusually large bass or maybe a sunken pick up truck or something. Even when I got back to the relatively clear water of the Florida Keys, I found myself having to come up with ways to amuse myself. I tried floating upside down, chasing big barracudas to see if they’d turn on me… I even grabbed the tail of an eight foot shark just to see what would happen. It was like enough just wasn’t enough anymore. This is exactly the way many believers currently feel about their local church experience. At some point they’ve tasted of the Lord’s awesome nature and they want more of it. Just one powerful encounter will leave us hungry and unfulfilled by anything less than the spectacular. It only takes a tiny taste of His supernatural love and acceptance, power or authority, and we’re ruined for life… spoiled by that which can only be found in a personal, first hand experience with God himself. There’s just simply nothing comparable.
Lewis and Clark spent well over a year gathering supplies, recruiting, and training before their boat even hit the river. The members of the corps of discovery were hand picked for their particular expertise and trained for the specific task required of their expedition. These men were not just along for the ride. They were in the boat with a well defined purpose and intent. In much the same way, our focus as church leaders may need to shift from, “let’s see how many people we can get in the boat” to “let’s really get to know each other so we can utilize that which each of us has to contribute to the effort”. The spectator mentality has run its course. We weren’t created to sit on the sidelines and watch the professionals do their thing. It’s no wonder so many of us have bounced around from church to church. It’s like we’re channel surfing in hopes of finding a program that will hold our interest. Now… there’s a lot more than “57 channels”, but it seems like there’s still “nothin on”.
By the grace of God, we’ve been able to be a part of several local church plants (start ups) over the years. Somehow, we’re still driven by the belief that there’s much more out there than what we’ve been able to fully explore or experience thus far. We’ve also become increasingly aware that we will not get very far, let alone survive the journey, without having the right crew along with us. Exploring the untapped potential of the local church requires a ridiculous amount of intestinal fortitude and a unique brand of internal resolve. In other words, “you gotta want it” cause the river will be treacherous and the opposition fierce. But the dissatisfaction level among believers seems to be increasing exponentially as the years go by and the law of supply and demand will eventually take effect. People are looking for a new place to live. A place that will provide them with opportunities to explore who they really are and encourage them to utilize the specific abilities they possess for the sake of the expedition. Most of us want to know and be known in a community marked by the genuineness and transparency of its people. We long for a place where we can pursue deep, sustained relationship with God and others… a functioning local church that is identified by the uncharacteristic affection that its members have for one another. We’re searching for something. New wineskins that will be able to stretch enough to contain and dispense whatever the Lord wants to pour out on us…. Alas, I wax poetic.
In short, I think most of us are tired of all the hype and event oriented nonsense we’ve come to accept as normal church life. Haven’t we been to enough rock concerts, lectures, and musical theater performances by now? God knows I’ve been responsible for promoting and facilitating my fair share of them. But these days you’re not going to rock me hard enough or amuse me sufficiently to get my juices flowing. I’m searching for more. The local church can be more. The time has come to man up and head into the wilderness with each other… to start doing real life together. St. Louis has become blasé. Let’s go find our L.A.! The next reformation is calling.
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. (Luke 18:10-14)
It’s interesting that the Lord seemed to be in such direct conflict with the Pharisees. On several occasions strong indictments were verbally thrown back and forth between Jesus and what was arguably the largest and most influential religious- political party of the New Testament era. In the book of Matthew alone, we have three different accounts of the Lord becoming angry enough to resort to calling them a “brood of vipers.” Throughout the gospels we find the Pharisees accusing Jesus of being lackadaisical in his adherence to the law and critical of his association with those deemed simply as “sinners.” Clearly he was no less adamant in his scathing criticisms of their synthetic form of religion and egocentrically driven interpretation of godliness. The scriptures seem to indicate that Jesus was consistently at odds with those he viewed as being “confident in their own righteousness.”
In contrast, we see many examples of the Lord demonstrating what could be interpreted as some kind of reverse favoritism to those deemed socially unacceptable by the “good” people of his culture. So much so that he was given the label “a friend of sinners.” The cheating tax collectors, the drunkards, the prostitutes… these were the types of characters he was most often found hanging out with. But why? Was it really that the Pharisees and other religious leaders were so evil? These men had given their entire lives to uphold and enforce the very commands laid down by his Father. The level of moralistic purity required by their sect would put most of us to shame. Is it possible we’ve given the Pharisees more of a bad rap than they deserve? Remember, they were just doing what they knew to do. Accepting Christ as the fulfillment of the law and adopting the new covenant would require a major paradigm shift and a complete 180 in some deeply ingrained thought patterns.
In truth, we all struggle with an inborn desire to be right. Righteousness, in essence, is about being right. We want to believe that our right thinking, right words, and right behaviors somehow earn us the ability to judge ourselves and others accurately. But what’s even more concerning is that, at least on a subconscious level, we’re still prone to think that our relative level of “goodness” is what makes us right before God. It will always make more sense to us to have clear cut rules and guidelines to follow. The lifestyle of being Spirit led is not nearly as well defined or consistent as living by the law. But this is precisely why Paul spent so many verses trying to enlighten the early church on the practice of applying lots of grace to ourselves and others. This is also why Jesus gave us so many object lessons and practical examples of God’s unconditional love and acceptance during his short public tour.
When accused of associating with the riff raff in attendance at his tax collector buddy’s party, Jesus retorts, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Does this mean Jesus is somehow more interested in “bad” people? No, it means he just can’t do much with us when we can’t see our need for him. He was offended by the Pharisees because their rejection of him negated the very purpose of his coming to earth. Because of their overly generous assessment of their own righteousness they couldn’t see their Messiah when he was standing right in front of them. We are no less guilty. If we’re not careful with our judgments, or if we continue to allow the subjectivity of our own opinions to cloud our thinking, we can become just as deceived as the man in the above parable. “Oh they’re just operating in a religious spirit” we say. “Thank you God that I’m not like those religious types, Pharisees, hypocrites, tele-evangelists… you can fill in your own soapbox issues and pet peeves here.
My wife and I have always seemed to gravitate toward real people. More accurately, we like to be in relationship with people who allow us to be real. The older we get, and the more years we spend trying to serve as leaders in the local church, the more we’ve come to appreciate qualities like genuineness, sincerity, and transparency. I really enjoy the friendships I have with the crusty bunch of construction workers I spend a lot of my time with during the week. Most of these guys aren’t the church goin type. But the low level of pretense and their relatively high level of humility makes them very easy to be with. For the most part, they’re also very aware of their need for forgiveness and have proven more than willing to talk about a God who accepts them as they are.
Like many of us, the pain we’ve experienced in ministry has often come at the hands of people who needed to be “right” about some issue or situation. We call this the gunslinger mentality. When faced with disagreement, we sometimes think it necessary to step out into the street and make sure one of us goes home in a box. “I’m right, you’re wrong and that’s the end of it.” BANG! The biblical reality is that we all “see in part” and that apart from the grace of God we’re all up that proverbial creek without a paddle. Francis Schaffer calls this coming to God with “the empty hands of faith.” In other words, we have nothing to bring to our salvation or redemption. The Lord alone is our righteousness.
Put simply, the Lord is drawn to brokenness, contrition, and humility. Any form of spiritual pride or self righteous comparison propels us into opposition with an omnipotent being. Think about it, who would ever want to be God’s opponent? As soon as we began to lean on our own understanding or our goodness we dramatically lessen the positive effects that he wants to release into our lives. But when we’re vulnerable and in touch with our need for him, he is right there for us, ready to step in and do whatever he can to help. I for one would rather be real than be right. It usually takes a lot less effort to be real anyway.
Lord, please forgive us for the harsh judgments we’ve made against others. Help us get a deeper revelation about the work of the cross and how to apply it. We receive your grace. We choose to freely extend it to those who need it the most in our circle of relationships. Thanks for your patience with us. We love you.
In the early church, there was a lot of rejection and relational conflict going on as believers began to transition into the newly forming sub-culture we now know as Christianity. Ethnic and familiar allegiances were taking second place to a new found devotion to the person of Christ and to the local church. This was especially true of the church in Rome. At that time, the climate in the Roman community of believers was often marked by discord and strife and therefore proved to be a fertile breeding ground for the delving out of many overly harsh judgments. Those who not so long ago were considered friends and family, now were viewed as opposing factions. In the midst of all the mud slinging, Paul challenges the young church to “Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God” (Rom 11:22)
If we’re honest, most of us are much more in touch with God’s sternness (some translations “severity”) than we are his kindness. Of course there are many reasons why we might have this kind of imbalanced perspective, but none more suspect than the abundance of legalistic doctrine that has been allowed to freely flow from so many of our pulpits. And to make matters worse, we’ve unknowingly heaped condemnation on ourselves and others for not adhering to all the dogmatic BS we’ve been subjected to. As a result, many of us have been led to believe that God is somehow fundamentally disappointed in us. This is just plain sad. What we believe about the nature of our Heavenly Father will drastically affect the quality of our life. If we believe that God is usually mad at us, or that our performance is always falling short of what’s expected, then it will be tough for us to enjoy even the best parts of our life. On the other hand, when we are hanging on to the revelation that God’s unconditional love and acceptance is based solely on our relationship to his Son, then even our difficulties can be seen to have redeeming eternal purpose.
Receiving and relying on the grace of God is both simple and profoundly necessary. Considering the kindness of God begins with a decision to believe that he is gracious and kind by nature, and not the divine drill sargent that we’ve been led to believe. Of course, like any good father he has to be stern with his children at times. He will never wink at our disobedience as if it were cute. But this is precisely why we must “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (Heb 12:15) Can you see the principle here? If we somehow “miss” God’s grace, then we will become bitter… toward him, others, and even ourselves. Have you ever felt that God was just waiting for you to fail so that he could smack you back into line? Trust me on this my friend, maybe your earthly father gave you that impression, or maybe some other authority figure in your life operated that way, but that is not the way God is! Malice is just not a part of his make-up.
When we struggle with bitterness, it is because we need a deeper revelation of God’s love for us. If we receive his grace, then we have it to give to ourselves and others. If we often feel like he’s angry at us, or disappointed in us, then we’ll just as readily pass that negative emotion on to those around us. If we allow a “bitter root to grow up” within us, it will invariably “cause trouble” for us and in turn “defile many.” Again, we’re only able to give what we’ve already received. But that blade cuts both ways. When we begin to truly rely on the kindness and grace of the Lord, then we’ll have an abundance of it to give away.
Let’s face it, our flesh is always going to be prone to weakness. “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.” (Ro 7:18) But keep in mind that all that human frailty is there by design. If you’re spending much time wrestling with feelings of anger, or you know someone who can’t seem to get over their bitterness, it’s time to apply some grace. Receive the Father’s forgiveness and then release that forgiveness in every possible direction. Whether we’re feeling the shame of someone else’s unrighteous judgment, or we’re the one passing it out, the application of this truth is the same. “See to it that no one misses the grace of God.” Why? Because we all need it desperately. No exceptions. “Mercy triumphs over judgment!” (Jas 2:13)
Lord, you know we need help with this one. Please grant us a deeper revelation of how much you love us. Forgive us for our harsh judgments toward ourselves and others. Forgive us for believing that you’re mad and disappointed with us. You are a loving Heavenly Father and want nothing more than to bless us and to grant us favor in all that we do. You are good and kind and so faithful to us. Thank you for being such a great Dad. We love you.
Christian blogs and Christian articles are rapidly becoming the preferred source of spiritual sustenance for many modern believers. With the advent of the internet, our information gathering habits have changed dramatically. The dependency we once had on our local family bookstore has diminished as we have learned to surf the waves of the web for various forms of heart and mind nourishment. Rather than buying a hard cover book for twenty five bucks that we only read once and then end up using as a shelf decoration, we now can visit any number of Christian blogs and find quality Christian articles with the tap of a touch pad.
Although many of us still find some kind of visceral pleasure in feeling the texture of the paper as we turn the page, I’m not convinced that this kind of biblio-nostalgia will have a significant impact on the rate at which we are converting to the splendors of the e-universe. I for one am seriously considering getting rid of at least some of the hundreds of books we’ve acquired over the years. My friends all cringe when they find out we’re moving again. They know the pain of schlepping Uncle Bumpy’s countless book boxes from point A to point B. My seminary texts alone are cause for a hernia blow out. Like me, you may be an old dog that often has trouble learning new technology, not to worry. If I can figure out how to create a word press post, you can learn to track down your favorite speaker or author’s private cache of Christian blogs and Christian articles.
However, we must never forget that we were created to function as a vital part of a much larger organism. The internet is not a viable substitute for genuine, face to face, relationship. Though many churches still closely adhere to the “talking head standing in front of a room full of heads” paradigm, there is a notable resurgence of relationship oriented gatherings. Many believers have wearied of the spectator mentality and have opted for the deeper level of personal interaction provided by more intimate venues. House churches and ministries with the core value of community building are making a come back. Personal manna gleaning is one thing, being “rightly joined and fitted together” (Eph 4:16) is another.
Now is the time to master the many nuances of Google. The research tools available and the opportunities to disseminate Christian truth are truly astounding in their scope. A few months ago I had no clue what link building, keywords, or SEO had to do with anything. But with the help and patience of my techno-geek friends, bump on a blog was born. For the time being, Christian articles have become my primary means of seed sowing. My hope and prayer is that those with a heart to write Christian blogs and Christian articles would be encouraged to give it a try. The movie Julie and Julia was inspirational to me. Julie was a blogger, Julia Childs wrote the quintessential cookbook for the 1950s housewife. They lived in two very different worlds, very different times, and used their own unique means of communicating the same content. Great movie if you’re thinking about blogging. Lord bless our Christian blogs.
The older I get, the more I appreciate seclusion and solitude. So much so that I really don’t want to live anywhere near a big city anymore if I can help it. Even subdivisions make me feel like I have to fight to take in a deep breath. What happened to me? I used to love being right in the middle of things. For years we lived and worked in Chicago and all the hustle and bustle never seemed to phase me. In fact, at that time I felt like the more people and activity I could be around the better. For heaven’s sake, I was the consummate extravert for most of my life. How is it that I now live out in the country on the edge of a thousand acres of woods at the end of a quarter mile gravel driveway and absolutely love it? The short answer to that question is this; I’ve learned the value of guarding my eye gates and ear gates.
I find it interesting that there are over 300 references to gates in Scripture. In biblical times, the safety and security of any city of size was determined by the height and thickness of its walls and the strength of its gates. To hold or take a city it was said that you must “possess the gates.” In Judges 16:3 Samson mocked the might of the Philistines by tearing the main gate of their city off its hinges and carrying it away on his back. Gates were the primary access point for either good or evil to enter, so making sure that they were well guarded was accepted by all as a top priority. At one point, Nehemiah commissioned the Levites to guard the gates of Jerusalem. But this time the concern was not their foreign enemies, but rather the hoard of godless merchants who were trying to get the Israelites to buy goods from them on the Sabbath.
When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gates so that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day. Once or twice the merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem. But I warned them and said, “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you do this again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time on they no longer came on the Sabbath. Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. (Neh 13:19-22)
You can put a religious white wash on this account if you want to, but basically “I will lay hands on you” meant, “If you losers come back and try this again, I will personally come down there and kick your ass!” Apparently they took Nehemiah seriously because it says, “From that time on they no longer came on the Sabbath.”
In much the same way, if we don’t get a little aggressive about guarding our eye gates, ear gates, the gates of our mind, heart, and homes, we can lose our place of rest (Sabbath) and quickly become corrupted by the offerings of our increasingly godless environment.
Our eyes and ears are the primary gates to our inner man. But due to our constant over-exposure to evil, we have become numb and thus largely unaware of the assault that is raging against our ability to maintain a soul at rest. Because of the rapid advancement of our technology, and the pervasiveness of our media consuming devices, we have been subjected to witnessing far more evil and vile human behavior than we were created to handle. Now, only the most shocking and repulsive of images causes us to turn away in disgust. Over time, we have developed an unhealthy tolerance of what used to make us cringe.
Guarding the gates is about being intentionally mindful of what we allow ourselves to see, and hear. Jesus said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! (Mat 6:22-23) If we allow a free flowing stream of worldliness into our eye gate, then we must prepare ourselves for the inevitable. We will become like that which we behold. But this does not have to be our destiny. Like Nehemiah, we can choose to rise above our passivity and go on the offensive.
Guarding our eye gates simply means watching what we watch. Even a 30 second commercial can defile our mind and cause our thoughts to be misdirected. I believe it was Bill Gothard who said that “TV is the toleration of great evil in order to attain a little good.” At the very least, we can choose to screen that which streams into our homes. God help those of us who are parents to get serious about monitoring our kid’s access to the internet.
Being aware of what we allow in our ear gate is an equally needful discipline. One crucial strategy is to learn how to be comfortable with silence. More often than not, the Lord likes to use his still small voice. Hearing from the Lord will bring peace and rest to our souls quicker than anything else. If our surroundings are constantly filled with sounds (radio, noisy neighbors, a droning chorus of leaf blowers and lawn mowers) than our environmentally in-bread A.D.D. will often squash any chance of finding genuine rest for our soul. We are thoroughly over-stimulated and thus largely unfulfilled. Just getting somewhere truly quiet on a regular basis can radically alter the level at which we enjoy our lives. Again, I’ve learned to love things like deer hunting and taking a slow walk through the woods for this very reason. Inner peace truly is attainable, but it may require us to sacrifice some of the lifestyle choices we’ve grown accustomed to. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:7)
Lastly, we must remember that it is a short trip from our mouth to our ears. By watching what comes out of our mouth, we can guard our heart. Whatever we say will, in turn, reinforce what we’re already thinking, be it good or bad. If we’re prone to speak negatively about ourselves, our situation, or others, then it won’t be long before we reap what our mouth has sown. I used to laugh at the naivety of the “positive confession” camp until I realized that, for the most part, they we’re living better than I was. They were happier, healthier, wealthier… say what you will, the principle works! There is unfathomable power in the spoken word to build up or tear down. Like the head of a hammer, we choose which side to use. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. (Prov 4:23)
Our eye gate, ear gate, and mouth gate are the key access points to our minds and hearts. Our enemy understands this fact and therefore has mounted a relentless assault against them. We must decide to transcend our culture’s norms and learn to live above their corrupting influence. Our homes should be a place of rest and peace. Our very bodies are God’s dwelling place, and He never leaves the house. It is our responsibility to become vigilant in guarding the gates for ourselves and our families. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is … to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)
In Part 1 of The Good Life, I briefly shared about a couple of the lessons learned during a five year period of my life in which God seemed to be a million miles away. After functioning for many years with what I thought was a relatively significant sphere of influence, my faith journey suddenly took an abrupt turn down a treacherous road that led me to a very dry place on the backside of nowhere. Like most American males, my identity was closely tied to my job and my perceived status in the proverbial pecking order. I went from overseeing a gifted ministry staff and weekly having the attention and esteem of hundreds of people, to being the lowest man on the totem pole in a dead end job. Any inflated impressions I may have once had of my self quickly became little more than a distant memory. Now that I was no longer “The Pastor” I began to question my place in the world and what purpose my life might have apart from my calling and ministry abilities. More importantly, what value was I to the Lord if I could not even hold onto the position of “full-time” Christian servant? The answer to that question came as a result of an elongated wrestling match with God that I wouldn’t wish on anybody. But hopefully, by learning from my boneheaded stubbornness, you can fore go a few of the painful face plants and mat burns that accompany any form of confrontation with an omnipotent being.
OK, so you don’t feel like you’re fulfilling what you know the Lord has called you to do. Or maybe he’s made promises to you about your future that don’t seem to be getting any closer to being realized. Perhaps you’re currently experiencing an unprecedented level of situational difficulty. Money problems? Broken relationship? Shattered dreams? Poor health? For the overcoming Christian, it all eventually leads to the same outcome… an unconditional surrender of our will, followed by a decision to trust in the kind and gentle nature of our Heavenly Father. One of the most crucial truths I learned in the wilderness is this; never put your hope in an outcome, instead, put your hope in the Lord. We often hear the fist half of Proverbs 13:12 quoted; “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” But that’s not the end of the verse. It continues with “a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” If we find ourselves sick at heart, it might be because our hope has been misplaced. Real life begins, and our deepest longings are fulfilled when we can authentically breathe the ultimate prayer of surrender, “Not my will, but yours be done.”
Please trust me on this my friend, God will do what he wants, when he wants, however he wants to do it. In fact, if experience has taught me anything, the what, when, and how of God’s plan for us often ends up looking completely different from what we might have envisioned or hoped for at first. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa 55:9) If we can’t be happy unless God does what we want him to, or we somehow withhold our affection unless he does it the way we think he should, then we might as well prepare ourselves for an extended stay in the Heartbreak Hotel because we’re not going anywhere anytime soon. Simply put, man plans and God laughs. We might as well get used to it because that’s not gonna change. Lordship ultimately requires us to give even the good things he’s given us (words, promises, dreams, callings) back to him. God allows in his wisdom what he could easily prevent by his power.
Now here’s the good news. Those promises we have from the Lord don’t lose any of their potency or potential with the passing of time. I don’t care how long it’s been, he will do what he said he would do. He is completely faithful to his word and worthy of any amount of blind trust we can muster. Our job is to live in obedience one day at a time. Each day God will give us the grace to do what he asks us to do. If we ever find ourselves being anxious about our future, then in essence we’re trying to borrow from tomorrow’s grace. Learning to live by faith is a lot like collecting manna. If you try to get enough both for today and tomorrow you’ll end up with something rotten. “Tomorrow has enough worries of its own.”
After a long wander through the desert, I am slowly learning to enjoy my life in whatever form it takes. Many times this begins with little more than a quick acknowledgement of the Lord’s goodness. Sometimes it’s more of a conscious decision to be grateful. All in all, the quality of our life has everything to do with our demeanor toward God. If we stay mad at him, or question his goodness for too long, we’ll find our selves stuck in the dry places. When we choose to believe that he loves us and wants nothing more than to bless us, then the good things he has for us begin to flow again. Truth be known, my situation hasn’t changed all that much since I entered the wilderness. I’m still working the same job for the same pay. My sphere of influence and ministry remains small in comparison to what it used to be. I’m not really in a place where I can do some of the things I know I’ll eventually get to do for the kingdom, but for the first time in my life, I’m starting to find peace and fulfillment in a way I’ve never experienced. Little by little, I’ve been getting the revelation that I don’t really have to do or be anything to earn the Lord’s approval or affection. I’m his beloved son and he likes me just the way I am. I like to hunt, collect stuff, hang out with friends and eat really good food. That’s the way God made me… and that’s enough.
Lord please help us to submit to your will for our lives. Please forgive us for holding back our affection when things don’t turn out the way we want them to. You are so kind and patient with us. Help us to keep our eyes on you and on all the good things you have given us to enjoy. Forgive us for comparing ourselves to others and help us to accept who you have made us to be. You are good and your mercies endure forever. Amen
After 20 years of serving as a local church pastor, we needed a break. Vocational ministry tends to create a unique brand of difficulty, and somehow we must have signed up for the deluxe package. But little did I know that our decision to take a sabbatical would send me out of the frying pan and right into the fire. After handing over the leadership of our church to my associate pastor, we moved hundreds of miles away from everyone we knew and re-located in a part of the country that seemed more like another planet than another state. I took an entry level construction job which often required me to spend much of my day digging holes at sewage plants and county landfills. Within months of moving, a cantaloupe sized growth mysteriously showed up in my abdomen resulting in the need for major surgery and the removal of over half of my liver. But worst of all, for the first time in my adult life, going to church on a Sunday morning made me feel like I was merely another head in a sea of heads. I went from being a first string Quarter Back to just another spectator who apparently could only afford tickets in the nose-bleed section.
This was just the beginning of a five year period during which I experienced what some have called “the dark night of the soul.” During this time, my identity and self worth came under direct assault. More often than not, my days were marked by a deep depression and an underlying anger toward the Lord for allowing me to go through this kind of mental and emotional torment. “After all those years of serving your people… this is my reward? What is going on? What are you doing to me? This doesn’t make any sense! If this is all there is, just go ahead and take me out.” And so it continued, from anger to apathy, from sadness to despondence. At times my frustration became so intense that I felt I was literally losing my mind. Again, this went on for several years. I now understand that this season was a tailor made time of testing designed to dig up and root out certain mind-sets and thought patterns that I had developed over the course of my life. And though I’m probably only a year or so out beyond the edge of this desolate spiritual wilderness experience, I’m beginning to feel like maybe I can identify a few of the truths revealed to me over the course of that painful hands and knees crawl through the burning sand.
Somewhere in the midst of all my crying and yelling at the Lord, I began to realize that He’s not really swayed by our fit throwing. Though most of my overly dramatic cries for help came in the form of seemingly innocent prayer requests, many of them were actually my attempt to get the Lord to do what I thought he should do. More accurately, I wanted him to do them in the time frame that I thought he should. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that God really does have “all the time in the world” to accomplish his plans and purposes. What feels like an eternity to us is not even a click on the second hand of his watch. So for us to require the Lord to respond to our requests, or even to fulfill his promises in our time frame… well it just doesn’t work that way. Lordship is trusting not only that he’ll get it done, but that it will happen when he’s ready for it to and not a moment sooner, no matter how much we complain or beseech him to do otherwise.
Another key to navigating the wilderness was learning how to stay focused on the right things. Paul encouraged the early church to practice this principle. “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable– if anything is excellent or praiseworthy– think about such things.” (Phil 4:8) One of our enemy’s oldest tactics is to rob a believer’s enjoyment of life by simply reminding them of what’s not right. But if we spend our days dwelling on what’s not right about ourselves or our situation or that person at work who makes our skin crawl, then we are basically creating our very own self fulfilling prophecy. Magnifying the negatives and minimizing the positives of our past or present reality will inevitably leave us joyless and oppressed. We must learn to focus rightly because eventually we will become that which we behold.
This principle is particularly true when applied to our relationship with the Lord. If our prayers are focused on what he hasn’t done for us rather than what he has, then we’ll slowly be convinced that he really doesn’t love us the way we once thought he did. This is a powerful deception that literally can ruin our faith, and in turn, spoil our life. Over time, I have developed an inner resolve to focus on the goodness of God and what he has done and is doing for me. Listen up believer, we’re going to spend eternity in paradise with the Lord! We are saved, redeemed, justified, adopted, deeply loved, and accepted just as we are. We serve a GOOD GOD who wants nothing more than to bless us because we are his children. He is true, noble, right, lovely, admirable, excellent and worthy of our praise. If we choose to believe anything to the contrary, regardless of how dismal our situation may become, then we are walking in a profound foolishness and deception. We must not allow our flesh and our struggle with our own human weakness to skew the heavenly perspective we were created to maintain. Often, the discipline of focus begins with a decision to simply “think about“ the “right” things. We will stay rightly focused as we learn to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Cor 10:5)
Lord Jesus, help us to get this one. We know you are good. We know you love us. Forgive us for listening to lies about your nature. Forgive us for our impatience. You are a good Father and you want to bless us and surround our lives with your mercy and favor. You have provided for us, you have protected us, you brought us out of the darkness and into the light and we give you our praise. We worship you because you are worthy! Thank you Jesus, we love you. Help us to stay rightly focused today. Amen.
To be continued ….
From the time I was a youngster, I’ve been labeled as a “wheeler-dealer”. I can’t explain it, but I just love to buy and sell stuff. I was apparently too young to remember this transaction, but my Mom tells the story of me selling the ladder that went to my bunk bed to one of the neighbor kids. Why he wanted it I couldn’t say, but apparently I felt I didn’t need it anymore, so out the door it went in exchange for a cash settlement. In the early 70s, you could often find me collecting, trading, and bartering with Wacky Package stickers or beer cans as they were the hot commodity of the day. Even now, I take great joy when I find something at a flea market, or in a garage sale, or on Ebay that I think I can turn a profit on. I don’t really know why, It just makes me happy. In fact, my favorite TV shows are American Pickers, Pawn Stars, the Barrett Jackson auto auctions, and The Antiques Roadshow. Somehow I’ve slowly gravitated toward these kinds of programs because they are all based on the principle of worth. Which simply put is, something is worth only what someone is willing to pay for it. Over time, I have come to realize that this is especially true in the realm of the Spirit.
As a believer, we must understand that all things of great value come at a price. “But Salvation is free” you might retort. True, salvation is a free gift to you and I, but it came at the highest price ever paid for anything. You see, as a believer we can sometimes unknowingly underestimate the value of some of the “good gifts” (Matt 7:11) given to us by our Heavenly Father. Every parent understands that if we give our children everything they want at no cost to them, eventually they will develop an entitlement mentality. In other words, spoiled kids think they deserve everything and don’t have to work for anything. This is why my Dad tried to teach me and my siblings about what he called “the value of a dollar”. Though he was a very wealthy and generous man, he did not give any of us kids everything we wanted nor was he pressured by when we wanted it. In turn, we learned that some things we had to wait for, to earn, and eventually to pay for ourselves. Maybe you don’t want to hear this, but our Heavenly Father sometimes likes to apply this principle as well.
Let’s take for example the kind of experiences that may be required of us in order to gain a greater level of spiritual authority. At one point, the Apostle Paul’s authority was brought into question by those who were jealous of the impact his ministry was making on the church of Corinth. His defense was both simple and profound. In essence, he claimed that he had earned his authority by consistently being willing to work hard and to suffer for the cause of Christ. “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.” (2 Cor 11:23) We must not be deceived about this, there will most certainly be some work and pain involved in the process of attaining genuine spiritual authority. True, some things will come as a free gift, but rest assured, others will have to be paid for. Much like our earthly parents, the Lord understands that we won’t appreciate anything of value that didn’t cost us something.
A friend of mine shared a story recently about attending the 90th birthday of one of his uncles. He said he had never really spent much time with the man, but he was confident that he must surely be wise after living all those years. He knew this might be his only opportunity to glean some of the wisdom gained over the course of a long and eventful life. So he cautiously approached and asked him to share just one “nugget of truth” that he had discovered. Much to his dismay, the old man flippantly replied, “just keep breathing.” At this, my friend walked away quite discouraged and offended at the man’s unwillingness to give up any of the goods. How dare he!
I’ve seen a similar dynamic take place at different church events. It’s not uncommon for a well meaning believer to approach someone who has just delivered a powerful message, or demonstrated some form of anointed public ministry. They will walk right up and ask, “could you please lay your hands on me so I can get what you have?” Unfortunately, that’s not usually the way it works. Most of the people who are walking in true spiritual authority or anointed ministry have paid a great price to be doing so. And if somehow they haven’t yet, believe me, they will. This principle can also apply to the gaining of what Paul called the fruit of the Spirit. Don’t believe me? Is your theology getting tweaked a bit? Just ask the Lord to “give” you patience and see what happens next. I can tell you from experience what will happen. NOTHING WILL HAPPEN… at least not any time in the foreseen future. You will have to wait like you’ve never waited before until you flesh screams out in frustration.
Again, please don’t be confused about what I am saying here. God does give us plenty of great things, spiritual and otherwise, free of charge. He is more gracious and abundantly generous than we will ever comprehend. As a believer we do share in an inheritance that is completely unmerited. But don’t be shocked if you have to pay dearly for some of the kingdom stuff you’ve yet to attain. There is purpose in our difficulty. The Lord will sometimes even allow our enemies to remain in order “to teach warfare” to those of us who don’t have enough “previous battle experience.” (Judges 3:1-2) That’s the principle of worth in action.
“He was despised and forsaken and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and pains… therefore I will divide him a portion with the great kings and he shall divide the spoil with the mighty, because he poured out his life unto death.” (Isa 53:3, 12)
I know for some it might be hard to believe that the Lord could speak through a classic rock song, but it happens to me all the time. In fact, I believe that there was a very powerful anointing that rested on many of the bands from the 60s and 70s. Even though most of the artists probably had no idea that the Lord was using them to speak truth, He often did just that with or without their intent or acknowledgment. Recently, while driving home after a long day of work, I decided to pick up my cell phone and call my friend about a business start up we were working on together. Knowing that we had both come from a very similar performance oriented background, we were encouraging one another with the truth that many times it’s not about us having to work harder or to strive to make something happen. Instead, the Lord was teaching us that our forward progress is usually more about being willing to trust in his goodness and sovereignty so that we can enter into His rest. The Lord was trying to help us get the revelation that when our soul is at rest, and the peace of Christ is ruling in our heart, then we can just sit back and enjoy the ride. As soon as I hung up the phone, I hit the radio button and the song “Free Ride” by Edgar Winter started up as if perfectly cued. Being the closet rock and roll devote that I am, I cranked it up as loud as it would go. A very powerful encounter with the Lord ensued.
In the formative stages of my spiritual development, I was internally driven by the belief that, “If it’s gonna be, than it’s up to me.” Oh sure I could quote any number of scriptures that were contrary to that mindset, but when it came down to how I was actually living… I was just as self motivated and clueless about the Lord’s leadings as I was before I became a believer. Although lordship starts with making a decision, that is most certainly not where it stops. In fact, learning how to truly depend on the Lord may involve a long and humiliating process. At least it has for me, and I’m fairly confident that I’m not the only one who’s had a little trouble practicing this principle. Most of us, and this is especially true of we American Christians, have been trained from a very early age to be self reliant and self oriented in thought and lifestyle. Think about it, the very formation of our country was due largely to our unwillingness to submit ourselves to a ruler. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a gun toting republican who thoroughly enjoys his freedoms. But learning how to be more lead and less driven has not been easy for me. I don’t know how many times over the course of my Christian journey, my soul has exclaimed, “Stand aside God and watch how much I can DO for you.
It’s taken many years to even begin to comprehend how arrogant that thought pattern must be to the Lord. Whether we admit it or not, we often live as if our Heavenly Father’s interest in us and/or his approval of us is somehow affected by something we might do or not do “for” Him. Granted, we all have things we’re called, gifted, and anointed to do. But believe it or not, he really doesn’t need us to do anything. “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (Prov 19:21) Regardless of our theology, it is shamefully egocentric to deny the fact that His plans and purposes will prevail with or without our human efforts. This revelation is doubly needful for those of us who’ve committed ourselves to leading and serving in the church. As one who was once the textbook example of a Messiah Complex, I can tell you from experience that much of our need to “serve” may be improperly motivated. Remember, “the poor you will always have with you”. In other words, there’s always more that needs to be done. Our job is to do only what the Lord himself asks us to do. Anything beyond that is a yoke we need not wear. Obedience truly is better than sacrifice, that hasn’t changed. In fact, I’ve come to believe that one of God’s primary intentions for us is that we simply learn how to relax and enjoy the life He’s given us.
If you’re feeling the burden of a heavy yoke, maybe it’s time to inquire of the Lord about what you’re carrying that’s not really your responsibility. If you’re an intercessor, maybe you need to stop watching the news for a while. I’m pretty sure the oil spill in the gulf and that situation in the middle-east that you’re so concerned about will get solved without you losing any sleep over it. No offense, but sometimes we overestimate the significance of the role we play in the grand scheme of things. Go for a walk, enjoy a nap, eat a cheeseburger without feeling guilty for the love of God! It’s gonna be OK. He’ll keep the universe from imploding on itself. Our job is to cease from our striving and enter into his rest. The Lord God Jehovah is on the throne. He loves us and He’s got this whole thing figured out and under control. We need only to listen and obey, listen and obey, listen and obey. Let Him deal with the rest. Come on and take a free ride.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30)
The mountain is high The valley is low
and you’re confused on which way to go
so I’ve come here to give you a hand
and lead you into the promised land so…
come on and take a free ride
come on and sit here by my side
come on and take a free ride
all over the country I’ve seen it the same
nobody’s winning at this kind of game
we’ve got to do better it’s time to begin
you know all the answers must come from within so…
come on and take a free ride
come on and sit here by my side
come on and take a free ride.
You don’t have to follow the Lord for very long before you realize that he may sometimes lead you into places you really don’t want to go. In truth, most of our spiritual growth is the result of trial and error and is discovered in the context of difficulty. All parents will eventually figure out that in order for a child to mature, they must learn to endure and overcome tough situations. For example, you would not even be able to understand the content of this article had someone not required you to stick with the process we all go through in order to learn how to read. Put simply, all things of value come at a price and often after having to push forward when the going got rough. This is especially true in the realm of the spirit.
I remember when I was learning how to drive, my Dad would sometimes offer words of advice as he was riding along beside me in the front passenger seat. At one point, we found ourselves on the interstate in the middle of a violent thunderstorm. The rain was coming down so fast that you could barely see past the hood of the car and the water level on the road was rising rapidly. I noticed that several people had stopped on the side of the road and turned their emergency blinkers on. Being a new driver, and already being a little unsure of my ability to navigate in these kind of conditions, I decided that pulling off the road and waiting for the storm to pass was probably our best option. Just as I was about to slow down and veer onto the shoulder, sensing my uneasiness, my Dad very calmly suggested “you know ten miles and ten minutes can make a world of difference in the weather.” At that point I knew the decision was up to me and the adrenaline really began to flow. Do I play it safe and follow the lead of the curb huggers? Or do I press on wide eyed and white knuckled and hope for the best? In retrospect, I’m so glad I just kept rolling, because sure enough, in no time we drove right out of the storm and into the sunshine with miles and miles of dry pavement in front of us. You see, my Dad was a traveling salesman when I was a kid, and I knew he had pounded out hundreds of thousands of miles across the highways and byways of the mid-west. So that little nugget of driving wisdom carried a lot of weight with me.
So it is with the spiritual journey of the Christian. Time and time again we will find ourselves faced with that proverbial choice when dealing with a difficult situation. Do we keep moving forward, or do we pull off the road in a panic? I submit to you today that if we feel like we’re not making much progress in any area of our life or faith, it may be because we’ve simply ceased our forward momentum and declared that we’re in a state of emergency. In truth, I am appalled by how much time I have wasted as a believer wallowing in my own passivity and indecision. So many well meaning Christians seem to be paralyzed by the fear of making the wrong decision, or mishearing the Lord. What if I go the wrong way? What if that wasn’t really the Lord? Should I take this opportunity or wait for another? What if my motives are impure? What if, what if, what if … and the list perpetually goes on. Meanwhile, because of our limited vision and the fear of what may lie ahead, we sit there on the roadside letting the storm beat the tar out of us.
When we shrink back in fear thinking we might somehow miss the Lord, we are severely underestimating how BIG he really is. Trust me, he knows we’re going to make some dumb choices along the way, and his plan for us contains plenty of latitude for that kind of thing. In fact it is arrogant to think that we’re always going to do the right thing or make the right choice. God doesn’t get mad at us when we’re trying to go the right direction but get off at the wrong exit. Those off ramps turn into on ramps just as quickly. The goal is to keep going, keep driving, keep rolling. In fact, we may actually hydroplane at certain points along the way. Learn to have fun with it! Sometimes a little dangerous out of control driving lets you know you’re still alive. Besides, we can take comfort in knowing that Dad is right there with us and he’s not worried in the least. As our revelation of the loving sovereignty of our Heavenly Father deepens, we will find that if we just trust his leading and keep moving forward, the weather will surely change and we’ll end up where we’re supposed to be. In short, don’t be a fraidy chicken, you’re covered.
Isa 43:1-2 “Fear not… when you pass through the waters I will be with you.”