“Knowing” and “Doing”

One of my most favorite quotes of all time…

“I’m educated far beyond my level of obedience.”

I don’t know who wrote it, but this statement was seared into me the moment I read it.  This statement is a different perspective of James 2:14-26.  I’ve read more books, more scripture, listened to more sermons, gone to more conferences than I have ever actually applied to real life.  I’ve realized that it’s so easy to have a “know” kind of faith but a completely different story when it comes to “doing”.  I’ve been a professed believer now for over 18 years and I’m sometimes ashamed at how little I’ve allowed God to use me over this time.  Think about it this way…if your not gonna use it, then why take the time to learn it? 

Obedience is something I understand more of these days.  The hard part is this…obedience requires action, a choice.  Obedience is probably the most difficult part of being a christian.  Obedience sometimes requires perseverance.  Obedience requires you to make choices that may not be in your best for your schedule or finances, but its a prerequisite to operating within God’s will.

Jesus, the pinnacle of obedience, is our example.  So ask yourself…

• Do I worship God like Jesus?
• Do I love others like Jesus?
• Do I serve like Jesus?
• Do I pray like Jesus?
• Do I resist temptation like Jesus?
• Am I humble like Jesus?

If you answer yes to all these, then totally disregard this post.  You must be Jesus!  If not, I encourage you to focus on obedience and think about these six questions as often as possible.  It’s sobering.  I’m afraid many of our churches and their believers are more about “knowing” and less about “doing” these days.

If you “know”, then go and “do”.

Shorten the Pause

There was much to celebrate in the conclusion of the yesterday’s service.  However, I’m left with this lodged in my memory from Joe’s message…

Incredible opportunities require immediate obedience.

This statement could easily have so many different meanings to all of us.  Yesterday, it was directed mainly toward the process/decision of baptism.  However, this statement is much deeper than a single event.  If you reflect on God’s plan for you as an individual in connection with the above statement, a whole new series of doors open up.

I think about my life and relationship with Christ and what disappoints me most is the opportunities I’ve missed/passed on for reasons rooted mainly in pride, selfishness, doubt, immaturity, etc.  So when I compare myself to many shown in the bible, I’m inspired to not only strive for a constant attitude of obedience, but to also respond quickly with that attitude. 

When God calls us to do something outside of our realm of comfort, we typically pause.  That pause occurs between the time that God is finished and when you decide to commit.  The pause does not occur prior to our response, it is our response.  I think a direct correlation can be made between the length of that pause and the greatness of our faith.

So today I challenge you to strive to increase your faith in God.  Shorten the pause.  With Christ, obedience isn’t just a decision, it’s a mindset…a way of life.

Exploited Freedom

This year, like many before it, most of us will briefly reflect on our freedom as citizens of this great country.  This freedom has been the origin for opportunity and possibility divided equally among us.  There is no doubt that we are blessed.

However, I’m pretty much a loser when it comes to appreciating the above.  The word EXPLOIT comes to mind.  I pretty much exploit my freedom as a US citizen.  I take it from the system and I use it.  I don’t add as much as I take.  I have never served in the military.  I don’t always vote when the opportunity presents itself.  I don’t always get engaged in the political scene to voice my opinion.  I’m not as appreciative as I should be.  You get the picture.  To some degree, I feel like I have exploited my freedom.

In the same manner, many Christ followers do the very same thing.  We as believers take from the system that we believe in and use it, but we don’t add anything to it.  We exploit God and His system.  We hijack it and use it for our own selfish purposes whether we realize it or not.  We take our grace and our freedom and squander it on ourselves.

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary says the following:

exploit (verb) - to take unfair advantage of, to control or take advantage of by artful, unfair, or insidious means

I totally buy into the idea that everyone has potential.  I totally buy into the idea that the potential I’m speaking of has a purpose.  It simply bugs me to no end to watch people waste it.  In my opinion, the church today is not living up to its potential and it has sufficiently exploited God and the system it was solely created for.  Were not reaching out enough.  Were not meeting the needs of our respective communities.  We need do something with the time we spend between sermons (10,030 minutes to be exact).  Sunday is not the only day of the week that the church is open for business.  We need to wake up and change our perspective on our freedoms and quit exploiting them.  We need to use them for God’s advantage, not our own.

RECIPROCATE

Watched the Spelling Bee (on ESPN of all places) the other evening and was inspired to post a personally meaningful word.  So without delay, the word for the day is…

RECIPROCATE

No, not the type of saw or the inverted fraction from fifth grade, but the intransitive verb.

re·cip·ro·cate -  to make a return for something

When you love God, you reciprocate.  For all of the love He gives us, we give some back.  We return to Him some of the everlasting, eternal love that He has gifted us with.

…I have loved you with an everlasting love… - Jeremiah 31:3

By reciprocating, you’re essentially acknowledging that you’re not the source of love.  We are not capable of being the source of love.  If you or I were a source, then it wouldn’t be reciprocation, rather a donation.

…There is no one righteous, not even one… - Romans 3:10

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. - 1 John 4:16 

Further more, as the source of love, only the Lord can increase our love.  We can’t multiply it on our own.

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. - 1 Thessalonians 3:12

So as in both the New and Old Testament command us, reciprocate that love.

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. - Deuteronomy 6:5

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. - Mark 12:30

Now that you have officially increased your comprehension of reciprocation, may it experience proliferation.  (Sorry couldn’t resist).

So come on people, you’re not the source so reciprocate!

Who Would Have Guessed?

Read this story today about Vince Young.

Have you ever felt like quitting too?  Despite the fame, the fortune, and perceived success, this guy was ready to give it all up. 

So what happened?  He stuck it out.  How?

Vince said, “My teammates helped lift me out of it. I prayed really hard. And I began to focus on God’s calling for me. Play football. Be a role model.”

Could zeroing in on God and his purpose for you help you keep from throwing in the towel? 

Absolutely.

Don’t Over Complicate It

Above is a picture of the terminal block from my oven at home.  I replaced it last night after we heard sizzling, popping, and humming last week.  After a little investigating, I found it in the shown condition.  Improper installation caused the left side to melt and potentially start a fire.

My analysis of the situation is this.  Whoever installed the wiring upon installation decided to crimp ring connectors on the pigtail.  This requires a little extra work on the part of the installer and the end result is something that appears very professional.  However, the terminal block was not designed for ring connectors.  Bare wire tightened into the terminals of each leg is sufficient and in this case is more efficient than ring connectors.

So what’s to be learned here? 

Don’t over complicate something if it will have no additional desired affect.

In my life, I’m trying to reverse and/or eliminate complication to be more effective…effective as a husband, father, employee, friend, and  Christ follower.  At thirty two years of age, I have mastered none of these and don’t think I ever will.  But striving to be better at each requires work.  You know the old saying “work smarter, not harder”.  That’s my goal, reducing the “toil” in my life.

Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil
       and chasing after the wind. - Ecclesiastes 4:6

and…

If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened,
       more strength is needed but skill will bring success. - Ecclesiastes 10:10

Friends

What kind of friends do you really have?

What kind of friend are you really to others?

This is the kind I want and want to be.  It’s the story of a woman, Nita Andrews, being a REAL friend.  She sacrificed her time, comfort, and energy to carry and birth her friends baby.  Could you do something like this for someone?  It’s a great story.  This is their picture.

This is reinforcement to the great discussions that took place last night at our connect group.  Developing authentic, Christ like community requires a lot of you as an individual.  It’s not so easy to be a great friend with a true friendship.  It takes genuine love, sacrifice, loyalty, selflessness, trust, and dedication to be a great friend.

God didn’t create us to be alone (Genesis 2:18).  We were designed to walk through life together and help, encourage, and lean on each other (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).  We need each other.

So are you a good friend or a great friend?  What are you willing to do for others?

One on One with God (Part 2)

So I study the bible.  Duh.  Right?  Yeah, but this about HOW I go about doing it and what works for me.  Many people have different ways of studying the bible.  There may be no wrong way of course as long as you are seeking God in it.  However I personally think some ways may be better than others…hence what I’m about to share.  I basically do these…

• Read
• Write
• Learn
• Apply

I’m not hung up on translation, but I use a New International Version study bible.

READ - I personally like to read one book at a time.  I’ll focus on a chapter or a portion of a chapter at a time sometimes reading the same verses several days in a row.  What prompts me to go from one book to the next after I’m done may be something very simple.  It may be an excerpt from a sermon.  Or it may be scripture or a story from someones blog.  It may be from a book that I’m currently reading (typically this one).

WRITE - During this process I will take notes.  (You will interpret scripture differently in a couple of years or even months.  Looking back on those notes when re-reading is sometimes enlightening and fun.  Life experience will change the way you interpret most things including scripture.)  Plus writing helps me to remember what I’ve learned.  So take notes or simply keep a journal.

LEARN - Whatever the case, I always expect to learn something when I study.  It may be something I’m already familiar with, but repetition of the Word won’t hurt anyone.  Don’t be surprised if what you study is eerily congruent with what is going on your life, a friends life, what’s being taught at church, etc.  Listen up because God is probably trying to tell you something.  If the same scripture keeps popping up through multiple, unconnected sources of your life, PAY ATTENTION!!  Trust me on this one.

APPLY - Next, there’s application.  Today in my study of  Hebrews 11:1-6, I reminded about the importance of faith.  Faith pleases God.  God commends those for their faith in Him.  So I ask myself how and where do I need to apply this, what I’ve learned?  In my life as a father, husband, as a church leader, etc.?  All of them?  In the end, does what you learn really serve a purpose if you don’t apply it?  You get the gist.

No excuses.  You and I have no excuse not to read the bible these days due to websites like www.biblegateway.com (I use it a lot) coupled with a cell phone that has web access.  It’s almost impossible not to have access to God’s word anymore.  Again, you can’t possibly be too busy.  Being too busy for God is pretty much the equivalent of demoting Him from where He should rank in your life.

Just like life itself is a marathon or a long journey, treat your study time that way.  It’s more about quality and not quantity.  You will not become Billy Graham, Perry Noble, or T.D. Jakes overnight.  Don’t expect anything close to that.  Pace yourself and learn.  It’s taken those guys years and years to get the wisdom and understanding that they have.  On top of that, leaders of that caliber are still growing, too.

This process is not rocket science.  Don’t over complicate it.  Look at studying as your opportunity, not an obligation, to connect with God.

Final side bar:  If you ‘hear’ from God a whole lot, but don’t ever crack open your bible, I have my doubts.  Sorry.  If you think you’ve ’heard’ something from God, make sure it wasn’t just the semi-spoiled cole slaw you had a couple of hours ago and read your bible just to confirm.  It’s a fail-safe.  It ain’t ever gonna change and it’s always gonna be His words. 

Next…prayer in part 3.

One on One with God (Part 1)

Let’s discuss the importance of our time with the Lord.  The “quiet time” if you will.

First, let me just say that I believe that a person will grow closer to God if there are two elements present in his/her life.  They are 1) the desire and 2) time to invest with God.

Church services, small groups, accountability partners, etc. are all great, supplemental tools for growth.  However, these alone are not substitutes for your one on one time with God.  You are directly responsible for just how close you become with Christ.  Your pastor, wife, best friend, or whoever cannot get you there by themselves.  Example: reading the bible without trying to connect to God through it doesn’t do you much good.  At that point, it’s just reading.  Praying to God out of obligation is pretty much meaningless, too.

So then, a couple of facts.

Fact:  I know there are Christians lacking the desire.  They feel as if they know enough already or have achieved a certain level of spiritual understanding and therefore the overall desire is subdued.  Or the case might be that they are under the illusion that they can’t get any closer to God.  The list goes on.  There are many more scenarios that I could describe, but I want to keep this post short.

Fact:  I know there are Christians lacking the time to invest.  Today’s society is fast paced.  We are constantly finding ways to cram more and more into our schedules.  But when our schedule gets too tight, what is the first thing to usually go?  That’s right, our time for God.  John Ortberg once said that in our time today ‘hurry’ is the enemy of spiritual growth.  I totally agree with that.  MAKE TIME!  If you don’t make time for God, you will not grow.

How do I know these two facts are true?  Because I have been an example of each one at one point in my life or another.  I’ve been a Christ follower for almost twenty years now and I’m just now at a point in my life where I am sure of my calling and truly attempting to answer that call.  My desire to be faithful to God is still growing and I’m finding more and more ways to invest in the ministry of Christ.  In the next post, I’ll share with you what I’ve found to be most successful so far for me in how I spend my time with God.

Let me leave you with these two thoughts. 

• You will never get too close to God.  Don’t ever be complacent with where you are.
• Your responsibility is your responsibility.  Others can lead you, but you have to make the decision and commitment to go to the next level.

 

Message In A Golf Ball

Do you ever feel God remind you of Himself through daily activities?  Just trying to get your attention?  I do all the time.  It’s kinda crazy.  Or as my pastor’s wife, Pam, always says…”IT’S INSANE!”

Anyway, yesterday evening, I was outside cutting the grass, trimming weeds, and cleaning off the patio behind the house.  Jacob came outside with a little putter and a ball to play golf.  The putter is his and the ball was mine.  He proceeded to hit the ball around the aggregate concrete “green” of our patio.

He was having fun, but two things bothered me.  1)  He was severely scratching the bottom of his new putter and 2) I knew my good golf ball was going to get marked up and rendered unusable.  I really wanted to go inside and get him an old crappy ball to hit around so that mine would be okay.  It was a selfish thought I know.  It’s just a golf ball, right?

Then it hit me…the God moment that is.

By allowing Jacob to play with and potentially damage one of my “expensive” Titleist golf balls, he was simply having a little fun.  My small sacrifice was giving my son some joy, even if only for a few moments.  I was instantaneously reminded of God and His sacrifice of Christ for us.  The sacrifice of Jesus was enough to allow us to have eternal joy with God in heaven.

It was just a golf ball, but a great reminder.  I never get tired of God ministering to my heart even if it’s in the smallest, most insignificant moments of life.  Thank you Lord for all of the those moments!

And yes, I let Jacob continue to play uninterrupted.