I am what I am...

As a kid one of my favorite cartoons was Popeye the Sailor. His self-evaluation was “I am what I am and that’s all that I am”.

  I’m thinking today is that a good guiding principle for life?  I am what I am, and that’s it?  Am I stuck with my flaws and my sins?  Thankfully not.  Jesus spoke in Matthew 18 about the necessity and possibility for personal change.  In yesterday’s post I wrote about the first of His list of demands to be great in His Kingdom.  I’ve dubbed them the “Anti-Qualities of greatness. Today I’ll wrap it up by looking at the last two.

When I strive to be great a prominent  flaw that crops up in me is self-centeredness.  I naturally push to the front of the line, attempt to get noticed and work for the approval of people around me.  Yet Jesus instructed that I shift my attention from myself to others.  Regarding the little children around Him he said: See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. Matthew 18:10.  Engaging in comparisons is a surefire sign that I’m thinking about me first.  We do this when we build ourselves up by tearing people down. Perhaps we’re not saying anything to them, but we may berate them to others, all to feel better about ourselves. That’s the way of the world, the old nature, but not for a follower of Jesus.

To wrap up the teaching Jesus brings up the issue of forgiving others. He tells the story of the servant who had been forgiven a huge, un-payable debt (in the millions of dollars).  The lender sent him on his way totally forgiven of the debt.  You would think from that point forward this fortunate soul would extend the same grace he had received to others.  But as you probably know he had the gall to demand full payment from a neighbor of just a few dollars.  Because the hapless man could not pay he had the him thrown into debtor’s prison. Those who observed this were rightfully shocked and reported it to the lender who rescinded his offer of forgiveness and had the unmerciful guy thrown into prison where he would be tortured until he could pay his debt.  Jesus ends with this warning: This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart. Matthew 18:35

What!  I am to forgive others, and do it from my heart!? I can see forgiving others with my mouth, but from my heart is another matter. These two commands, two qualities that are demanded of me before I could begin to say “I’m great in God’s Kingdom” are simply too much for me.  I cannot by an act of my will change my self-centeredness.  Nor by just putting my mind to it can I forgive people who hurt me.  I’m afraid that “I am what I am and that’s all that I am”.  When Jesus called me to change He didn’t lob me a softball.  He called me to basic character transformation, an overwhelming task.  It takes a miracle only He can accomplish this in my life.  Only He can change me from what I am to what he envisions me to be.

Paul said, Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (Contemporary English Version) I know that the new creation Jesus offers covers not only my past sin, but my current character flaws.  He sets the bar high because only with His power can we ever achieve it.  Then He gets the credit and the glory, not me. With Christ’s transforming life working in me I can truly change!

I’d like to hear from you today.  We are not stuck with who we are.  Jesus changes us. How is Jesus changing you?  What’s the challenge for change that He’s laid out for you today?

The Anti-Qualities of Greatness

I watched the National Football League college draft the other day with interest.  A top pick was interviewed and asked what he would be bringing to the team.  His response was that he would add to the team through his strength, speed, athleticism and his great personality.  His plan is to make a name for himself and his team.  I’m sure he was overwhelmed with the moment but to me it still came off as prideful.

Reading yesterday in Mathew 18 I found the disciples in much the same situation.  They were riding the crest of Jesus’ popularity and being a part of all that He was doing.  The events of the recent past had made them feel it was all going their way; Peter had walked on water, they had been on the mountaintop with Jesus where they heard God’s voice, and Peter even had his taxes paid by means of a miracle. They felt something truly great was on the horizon so they came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”  They wanted to position themselves for the summit of what was ahead. The rest of the chapter is given to Jesus teaching them what I’ll call the “anti-qualities of greatness”.  These are attributes that God holds as essential and our basic nature eschews.

He begins by demanding a transformation. He said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become…Matthew 18:3.  “Change” and  “become”.  Change:  A command for me to leave negative things behind.  Become: God has a new way for me to think and act.  If I want to be great I must yield to this transformation of leaving old ways and adopting new ones.

So, in what ways is He calling me to change and become?

The first is found in verses 3 and 4: And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3-4

Jesus calls me to change from my pride and become like a little child. Pride is thinking more of myself than I really am. Pride is the sin that led to the fall. Pride is living for myself rather than living for others. Wherever there is pride there will be conflict and division.

Jesus’ solution to pride is humility.  Humility is knowing myself, accepting who I am and being myself.   It avoids two extremes: thinking too little of myself and thinking too much of myself. To be truly humble is to not deny the gifts and abilities God has given me, but use them for His glory, not mine.

This is one of the anti-qualities I was speaking of. The world says I need to self-assert,  Jesus says He values self-abasement.  Not every child is a pleasant, humble child.  Some are not humble and fun to be around.  But most are. So, what are the qualities of a unspoiled child?

The children I see that fit this are:

• ·         Trusting
• ·         Desire to make others happy
• ·         Avoid boasting and bragging
• ·         Play well with others

Therefore, my goal today will be to become more childlike.  To be more trusting of God; to make my goal to please others, not myself, to avoid bragging about what I know or do; and play well with others . That will mean being watchful for areas that I need to change.  What about you today?  How can you join me in being more childlike?

PS: Tomorrow I’ll wrap this up with two more areas Christ calls me to change.

How much can I expect from me?

Fulfilling the many expectations of life weighs a person down.  I’m pulled in multiple directions... I’m a husband, father, grandfather, pastor, homeowner, business person and much more.

It is the same for you. You balance career, education, physical exercise, ministry, family, and friendships,  all of which demand huge chunks of your attention and effort.  The problem is you just can’t do it all.  After divvying up your life in all of these ways there’s just not enough of you to go around.  You can’t give more than 100%!  You end up feeling burdened and guilt ridden with a heavy load and expectations you simply cannot fulfill.

So I read today in Matthew 11:28-30 "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." (New International Version)

Jesus says “If you are weary and burdened just say so.”  I’d raise my hand but I’m too tired.  What’s His answer?

Take on His yoke.  At first that sounds like He’s adding more, not making it better.  But please understand what He’s saying.  A yoke was custom made for each individual animal. The yoke made for one would not fit another.  So Jesus is telling us that the yoke He places on you specially fitted for you. We get burdened when we take on other’s yokes, trying to measure up to or exceed their work. You are not responsible to carry the same load or pull the same weight as others around you.  His expectation is that you do just what He creates for you…not more and not less.  He points out that when you aim to fulfill His vision and plan for your life you will find His yoke is “easy”.  Here “easy” means “kind” and “useful”, not “effortless”. God is not promising a life without labor or effort.  Instead He designs a life plan that gives focus, purpose and value. 

Real effort, yes, but in work that is right for you. So the expectations that Jesus has for you fits your abilities and personality. Furthermore His plan is kind and leads us to a useful outcome. 

Jesus does not burden us with impossibilities.  Instead He gently leads us to an unburdened life.  The result is great.  You can end the day, and eventually end your life with satisfaction.  Rested through assurance you have lived your life on His terms for you.

How are you doing?  Are you over or under challenged in your work?  Are you taking on His yoke?  I'd like to hear from you!

Pastor Todd

The Edge

Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh are locked in a battle for making the US Olympic team for the 100 meters. I watched with amazement the women’s 100 meter final at the Olympic trials this week as these two athletes finished tied for third place. The top three finishers will go to the Olympic games, so whoever prevails goes to London, the loser goes home. At first it was assumed that there was a 1000^th of a second difference between the two, but the official photo finish taken at 3,000 frames a second shows both of the women’s torsos crossing the line at the same instant. This weekend there will be a runoff race between them.

This race had to be reset due to a false start because one racer’s finger had crossed the line prior to the starter’s gun being fired. At first that didn’t seem significant, it was only a little finger! But when you view it in terms of the tie these two women ended in one can see that an advantage of any kind can make the difference.

You and I are locked in a battle of greater significance, it is the warfare for our salvation. There is an edge that is available to us that we must take advantage of, and it will determine the winners and losers:

Evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:13-17 (New International Version)

Let’s look carefully at these verses. Evil people and imposters are spiraling down (going from bad to worse and being deceived) while righteous people are rising up. What are the distinguishing characteristics between the two?

Evil people are deceived. They wrongly assume the way they have taken in life is correct and they lead others down their perverse path. But let’s focus on what righteous people do to win…

First, they continue in what they have learned. Continue is the Greek word “menō” . It means to abide. It is a state of relationship. It is the same word that Jesus used in John 15 when He commanded us to abide in Him. So, Paul says our edge is to continue (abide) in what we have learned and been convinced of.

Convinced. It seems some people are not completely convinced of the things they believe, starting up their walk with God and then pulling back, dropping out of the race. So what keeps a person convinced?

Paul gives two keys. The first is to follow the godly example of others. Paul told Timothy that he knew those who he had learned from. You will follow the influential people around you. Choose wisely who holds sway in your life. You will mirror their values and practices. If you select godly people as your influencers you will imitate their ethics and ideals, their faith. If you unwisely choose ungodly people (the deceived ones going from bad to worse) you will follow their path, being deceived.

The second key is the scriptures. Sure, this may seem cliché-ish, you hear it all the time…”read your Bible and meditate on it”. Let me urge you not to take this for granted. Paul says here that the scriptures are “useful” for training in righteous living. “Useful” means “to give the advantage”. So what is being said is that the scriptures in your life gives you the edge in living by teaching, rebuking, correcting and training.

The end result is that you will be completely equipped, ready to do every good work that God has in mind for you. That’s finishing the race strong.

So, we have the edge in life. Are you living on the downward spiral or the upward edge?

Who’s influencing you? Do you need to make a change in this area?

Are you being fed daily on the scriptures, or are you anemically trying to run life’s race?

What needs to change now to get the advantage in your favor? Doing so makes the difference between winning and losing, going forward to not.

Going for the un-catchable

I like driving my cat crazy with my laser pointer. She chases that little red dot across the room and up the wall. I let her get close, then zip it away in a different direction. We love poking fun at her because she simply doesn’t get it…she’ll never catch that little dot. She’s running in circles chasing an illusion. Finally she gets mad and stalks off angry. Not long after I entice her to do the whole pointless exercise again.

I read today in Ecclesiastes 1-3. In 2:11 Solomon says: “when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” Solomon’s like my cat!

This is the cry of one very frustrated guy. He opens his book by saying "Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." (Ecclesiastes 1:2) When he says everything, believe me, he tried everything. Read chapters 1-3 to see that he dove headfirst into life. Everything he did he put 100% into it, whether it was good or bad.

Here’s a partial list of his endeavors: He achieved the highest level of education and learning, he pursued every form of pleasure imaginable, he abused alcohol, he completed massive personal and public building projects, he became a billionaire (the richest man in the world), he bought a zoo, he had complete political power, and he had unlimited sexual partners. Here’s how he described it: “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.” (Ecclesiastes 2:10a) You would think that would be great but in verse 17 he sums it up: “So I hated life”.

What!? He hated life after all that? You see, Solomon had been chasing an illusion. After all of the striving he came to the conclusion that he was going the wrong way: “God has set eternity in the hearts of men.” and “I know that everything God does will endure forever.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11,14) He realized had forsaken eternal things in favor of empty temporal pleasures.

Like my cat, we chase from one thing to another thinking we can grab that illusive prize, only to find it was out of reach or meaningless. What will it take for us to finally stop running and set our hearts on eternity?

Jesus said “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) He is saying the key is to change what we pursue.

Are you are frustrated with life, are you are chasing and not catching lasting meaning? None of us will be satisfied until we alter the object of our pursuit. God has set eternity in our hearts, the kingdom. That is the objective, not the elusive goals of this life. If we would narrow our focus to seek Christ’s kingdom Jesus promises to fill in everything else we need in life.

Life is simpler than we make it. The purpose is within reach and easier to grasp than we realize. If we would abandon chasing after the wind, which we will never catch, and take up seeking God’s kingdom, which is available to everyone, how happy and fulfilled we will be!

Here’s the challenge for today. Find one thing to let go of that lacks meaning and reinvest that time and effort into that which is eternal. Pursue the kingdom through getting closer to Jesus and ministering to others. You will be amazed at the difference.

What is your experience in this? Sharing what you’ve learned will help us all.

Drifting away

I think it’s in my nature to drift from God. Left to myself I have that “wandering sheep” tendency that Isaiah spoke of… “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6 English Standard Version)

I’m reading in Proverbs 28 and 29 today and Solomon had several statements about this.

He said that we have a inclination to hide our sins, harden our hearts, trust in ourselves, reject correction, give into our anger, speak without thinking and allow pride to rule our thinking. (Proverbs 28: 13,14,26; 29:1,11,23) Drifting from God is incremental, not a sudden catastrophic event. I take my own way when I don’t allow the Holy Spirit to correct me. Pride, uncontrolled speech and bursts of anger are simply the fruit of that. Little by little I’m not where I was or should be with Jesus.

I read of a man named Robert Robinson who over 125 years ago wrote the hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” as his spiritual autobiography. He later become an anointed Methodist preacher, but then drifted away from God. Years later and in a horrible state he shared a carriage with a young woman who was reading in a hymnal. He asked her to speak aloud what she was reading. She read the words to the hymn that he had penned during a much better time…

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above

In tears he responded “Madam, thank you for reading those words for me. I am the poor… unhappy soul… who wrote that text many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the same feelings I knew then.”

It’s a sobering thought to think that a man so consumed with God could wander so far from Him. So, what is the answer for you and I to keep our hearts close to Christ?

Solomon’s warnings are coupled with promises. In Proverbs 28:14 he warns against hardening one’s heart, and promised that one who fears the Lord will be blessed. In verse 13 he reminds us that those who confess and renounce sin finds mercy. And in verse 30 he adds that “He who walks in wisdom is kept safe”.

Here’s my takeaway: My nature is prone to wander, but God offers transforming power as I humble myself before Him. If I allow God to keep me tender, remain teachable, if I walk in the fear of God and freely confess my sins and weaknesses He will empower me to walk safely in His wisdom.

I’d like to hear from you. How has God helped you reign in the “wandering heart”? What advise can you give for others reading this? And, are there some out there who are far from where you want to be with God? Let’s start a conversation.

How deep are God's plans for me?

I've been going through my calendar this morning, looking at the future, planning stuff. I covered a lot of ground…ministry vision, personal goals, family events, future vacations and financial plans. Some of that is exciting, some is mundane, quite a bit of it is intimidating. Then in my reading of Romans 11:33-35 I read this:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. Romans 11:33-36 (New International Version)

So, the Holy Spirit spoke this to me.

• God is deeper than anything I can imagine. He is richer, wiser and more knowledgeable than any man.
• God is greater than I can understand. His judgments, paths, thinking and plans exceed my most clever, thoughtful ideas. He’s never need anyone’s advice, including mine.
• God is more generous than I can comprehend. Everything that I have in life or ever will receive in life will come from his hand.

So, as I consider my future I learn some valuable lessons. What will happen to me in the future will all happen according to God’s all-embracing plan. My calendar and planning is not in control, God is. His wisdom, judgment and resources will lead and provide for me as I move through life. I do not need to fear that in following Him I will suffer loss. Sure, there will be times I don’t know what to do, times I don’t know where the money’s coming from, times when I am hurting and times that I may be afraid. But, I’m planning now that when those times come that I’ll do my best to trust in Him. This scripture ends with this amazing thought…”For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.” Everything is about Him, not about me! “To Him be the glory forever!” God will do what’s best for me, it’s to His glory to do so. We can trust Him.

How about you? I’d like to hear from you about how life is going as you trust God’s wisdom, judgments and resources. Where’s your greatest challenges and victories coming as you trust God?