Resolutions Not Wishes

"Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty.

Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air"

(I Corinthians 9:26)

I go to the gym to give my body a workout...not to seek wisdom. Yet to my surprise the other day, I got some sound wisdom from a poster meant to get people to sign up for a personal trainer. The poster read:

A goal without a plan is just a wish.  The Lord used that poster to bring conviction and remind me about some goals He had put on my heart. Because of the poster, my time of mindless sweating turned into a time of prayer, soul searching and resolve.

I wonder how many thousands of well-intentioned resolutions will be made by people this next week. I also wonder how many people will actually follow through on the resolutions they make. I heard that most resolutions last less than two weeks. If we were to apply the logic of the poster from the gym to these annual resolutions, they shouldn't be called "New Years Resolutions", but "New Years Wishes"....a goal without a plan is just a wish!

I hope you have made some spiritual goals for this next year, and if you did, make sure you also set up a plan as to how you might achieve that goal.

The apostle Paul knew that following after the Lord in this world is not an easy task. He uses the analogy of being in a race or in a fight. Paul wasn't just running around with no direction, he had a clear course and purpose, and he wasn't shadow boxing wasting energy striking at the air, he had Godly aim that he might land blows on the enemy's chin.

I pray we can all seek the Lord for some realistic goals for this new year. As you seek the Lord for His goals in your life, He will give you wisdom to set a plan, and the strength and discipline needed to follow through. Happy New Year!

Make Haste!

 

And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in the manger."

(Luke 2:16)

When our children were young, I don't recall a single Christmas where I had to wake them up. I never had to set an alarm clock in their rooms to awaken them, they got up fine all on their own, and usually too early. Because they weren't allowed to open presents without mom and dad, they made haste and were very zealous to awaken us too.

When the angel announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, the angel never commanded the shepherds to go and find the Baby, it was pretty much assumed that they would just go. The angel told them "you will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." They were given no command, no directions, no explanation as to what to do when they found the Babe, just "you will find."

I love these wonderful shepherds because of how they responded to the angel's good news. As soon as the heavenly choir had finished their chorus of praise, like children who don't need to be awakened on Christmas morning, they made haste and found Jesus. They didn't hesitate or discuss or debate, they just went. Think of how busy their minds had to have been with fear, awe, wonder, and questions, yet they made haste. The word "found" gives the idea of giving diligent search, so they weren't casual in their pursuit of Jesus, they knew they were on an important mission.

We ought not have to be commanded to find Jesus this Christmas. No alarm clock is needed nor angel to announce. He is the gift, He is the joy, He is the song we sing, make haste you will find Him, and you will have a very Merry Christmas indeed!

Peter Moments

 

Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke him saying,

"far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to you!"

Matthew 16:22

Peter is one of the men of the Bible that so many of us can relate to.  There are times when he shows great wisdom and courage, and other times where he fumbles and falls on his face.  He gets things so right and then turns around and gets it so wrong.  We look at ourselves and say 'that's so me'!

The above verse is one of the times that Peter stumbled and bumbled and fell on his face.  I cringe as I read that Peter actually rebuked Jesus and then in the midst of the rebuke calls him Lord. The wonder of our Lord is that as many times as Peter failed, Jesus restored and continued to use him.

We live under such amazing grace.  The Lord knows our frailty and faults and bears with us. He never wrote Peter off or fired him, but kept drawing him back and giving him more chances and more grace. 

We all have our 'Peter' moments that require the Lord's rebuke and correction.  You will no doubt get discouraged, but don't remain there.  Jesus extends to you the same grace he did Peter.  Let His grace humble and mature us into men and women of great use for His kingdom.

Let's See

 

Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, 'Come let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few'"

I Samuel 14:6.

I just love Jonathan's "let's see" attitude. He knows that God is on the side of Israel, he has faith that God will be mighty on behalf of Israel no matter how few in number they may be. And though it was only Jonathan and his armor bearer, he was bold enough in trusting the Lord that his heart said, "let's see" what God might do!

I have a friend who has the same heart as Jonathan. He just steps out to see what God might accomplish. While doing missionary work in Nairobi, Kenya, he would listen to the Christian radio station. He felt the Bible teaching on the station needed some help so in faith he brought his collection of teachings from Pastor Chuck Smith to the station. The station manager put the teachings on the air and there was a great response. Because of the great response, the station called my friend and asked him if might go live on air after Pastor Chuck's teaching to answer Bible questions. Little did he know that taking one small step of faith would lead to him being the Bible answer man of Nairobi! He had not planned on getting his own radio show, he just had a heart that said "let's see" what God might do.

This same friend is now in Samoa trusting the Lord in the same way. His latest step of faith is trying to reach students by opening a shave ice shop across the street from a local college. His simple attitude of faith is always an encouragement and challenge to me.

We serve a big God who desires to accomplish much through His people. I believe God would desire to stir in all of us the heart of Jonathan. May we all lift up our eyes and see people and circumstances around us and say "lets see" what God might do!

A Gentle Prod.....Be Thankful

 

"And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord: 

For He is good, for His mercy endures forever toward Israel. 

Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid"

(Ezra 3:11).

The Lord gave me an important reminder through one of the children at church. I had just handed him a snack and he turned to run off, he got a few steps when his mom stopped him and explained that he needed to say thank you. The little guy acknowledged his mom, started running again, and gave a quick and less than heartfelt thank you.

I wasn't bothered at all by his response, his mom did the right thing and he was just being a child, but the incident was like a mirror of how we too often thank the Lord.  I think when it comes to thanking the Lord we regularly act like this little guy. We have to be reminded to give thanks, and when we do, too often it's a quick and less than heartfelt thanks while running through our busy lives.

The above verse describes a day somewhat like our Thanksgiving, it was a day that all the people were called together to celebrate and give corporate thanks to God. The foundation of the second temple had been laid and the people knew it was accomplished only by God's power and grace.

The whole passage tells us that the people put a good deal of effort into giving thanks to the Lord. We are told that the Levites brought out trumpets and cymbals and the people were singing and shouting, giving thanks to the Lord. They were in the midst of an important work that was being accomplished by God's hand and they were thankful, so they let God and everyone else hear it! 

God has blessed us all so very abundantly, let's stop and reflect and be specific in our blessing the Lord. Let's put more effort into thanks than cooking and eating! It's not turkey day, it's Thanksgiving day, so let's give our hearts in thanking our wonderful gracious God loudly and boldly that all may hear.     

Fearing God

"....I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land" (Jonah 1:9).

These are the words of Jonah. In my Bible I added a few question marks by this verse because what he says strikes me as odd. You see, Jonah was fleeing from God, he did not obey the Lord, he was resisting God, and was actually going the complete opposite direction from where God had commanded him to go. What strikes me as odd is that in the midst of running from God he says, "and I fear the LORD". My question marks are my way of saying, are you kidding me! How can Jonah be saying that he fears the Lord when he is absolutely running from Him?

To fear the Lord is to reverence, respect, and obey Him. To fear the Lord is to seek to obey Him in all things at all times. We are not to pick and choose to obey when we agree with Him, or when it's convenient.

One Sunday a young couple that was visiting our church came up to talk to me. They said they loved our church, the worship and teaching were a blessing, and the people were warm and welcoming. I was pleased to hear that, and of course thanked them. The couple then began to ask me a variety of questions including salvation by Jesus alone, and the issues of abortion and gay marriage. I opened the Bible and answered them. I was curious as to why so many questions, and asked them. They told me they were Christians who love Jesus and they were looking for a church that taught the Bible in a way that agreed with their personal and progressive beliefs. I then understood what the personal beliefs were, so I again tried to gently show them what the Bible had to say. They were not rude or argumentative, but they haven't come back.

The couple was basically saying, we want God and we want Jesus, but on our terms, in a way that is comfortable with us, and what we want. That couple is not alone, in fact their attitude is very prevalent in these days. There are many who pull a Jonah who said....I know I'm a Hebrew, I believe in God, in fact I'm a prophet, I just don't like what He wants me to do, I'll be going another direction.

God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and always right. It is best for us to learn humble maturity and realize that our will many times may not line up with God's will. If we love and fear Him, we admit He is right and we set our feelings aside and obey.

No Camouflaged Christians

 "But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing form whom you have learned them" 

(2 Timothy 3:14).

I was walking on a trail in the hills and came across a rattle snake. I heard the snake before I saw it, and I was very grateful that the rattler started rattling or else I would have stepped way too close to my poisonous friend. The snake who was sharing the trail with me was about two feet in front of me.  The colors of this reptile blended perfectly with the dirt of the trail, and as I mentioned, I wouldn't even have seen it except for the rattle warning. The snake's camouflage worked ideally as he blended in with his surroundings.

The context of the above verse is Paul describing the world in the last days, and the prophetic picture he paints is not pretty at all. As Paul details the kind of things that will be going on, he three times says to Timothy, "but you". By the "but you", Paul is laying forth a contrast that should exist between Christians and the world. Followers of Jesus should look very different than the world especially in the days we are in.

Our tendency is to want to blend in, to fit in, and to not stick out. We like to be part of the crowd and not stand out too much. Like so many creatures of the animal kingdom we find security in camouflage, so we might mix in with our surroundings.

I like to fit in, I know this about myself, yet I also know Paul's "but you" applies to me. To walk in loving obedience to Christ provides a huge contrast to this world, and that can be a little scary and uncomfortable. We must realize there is no such thing as camouflaged Christians, by nature we stick out like sore thumbs, even as Jesus did. So let's give up on trying to fit in, and follow His calling to shine His light in this dark world!