How Does God Define Success?

It's Sunday Morning.

God chose Saturday night, of all nights, to bring snow. Doesn't He realize these people don't have a snow removal contract? Doesn't He realize all they have is Joe and his old, rusted-out F250 with a snow blade and no heater to clear the parking lot? Doesn't He know that the pastor had to toil late into the night Saturday to prepare his message, because his 5 day, 40 hour work-week is really 6 and 60? Doesn't He know that same pastor will have to get up two hours earlier to clear the sidewalks and make sure the furnace fires up?

Doesn't God know snow means half the small congregation won't show up? Doesn't He know they're struggling, barely making ends meet? Doesn't He know the pastor is nearly killing himself working his day job and trying to care for the flock when he can? Doesn't He know this man wants, more than anything, to serve Him? Doesn't God know this man, this pastor, wants to see this small church not only live, but thrive?

How are they supposed to do that? How can they? They don't have much. The church is old, and needs a roof. Their small fellowship hall in the basement is dark and sadly outdated. The pews are old, hard, and well worn. The carpet is fraying. The windows are drafty. The utility bill goes up every year. Money isn't tight. It's inadequate. They can't pay a pastor what he needs, what he earns, what he deserves.

Snow means a small attendance. Look close. You can see three cars. Is that all that will show? Maybe more will come. Maybe not. The offering plates will be all too empty. Those there may kick in a little extra, if they can. The pastor will probably have to cover the electric bill--again. That means working a little more during the week, pushing for another sale, another contract. That means another missed dinner with the family.

Is this God's blessing? Is this success?

In town, things are different.

The city plows clear all the streets. A team of shiny new trucks all too gladly show up bright and early to clear the new concrete parking lot, contract pre-paid. The pastor wakes from his parsonage, thankful to leave the car in the garage, and walks to his pulpit. He's thankful for the hours he has been able to devote to the flock God entrusted him with. He's thankful for the children's program, the food pantry ministry, the weekly meal they serve to the needy. It's hard work, but it's worth it. God has blessed them.

What does success look like?


If we were to judge from the outside, which we all too often do, the answer is obvious. But what if a man--failing his marriage, his kids, himself--wakes this frigid morning and realizes he's as cold and dead inside as the snow blowing past his window? What if the only church he knows is that little old country church his grandma took him to as a child. What if this was the day he decided he needed something, and didn't know what it was, but knew where to look? What if today was the day?

What if that country pastor, tired and worn out, had listened to God, and without 20 hours to spend preparing a message through the week trusted the Holy Spirit and prepared a message on John 3:16. What if he preached Romans 3:23, followed with Romans 6:23, and closed with an invitation. What if that man, that lost soul, answered God's call to salvation? What if he found eternal life that cold, snowy day in that little old drafty church and became a new creation. What if everything changed for him, his wife, his kids. If he was the only one for the week, the month, even the year, would that be a success? 

Maybe that church in town welcomed 50 to saving faith in Jesus Christ last year. Would God even notice one?

Yes, He would.  

I believe Heaven would explode with joy.

Angels would sing hallelujah. The cherubim and seraphim, the 24 elders, the entire heavenly host around God's throne would bow their heads in amazement and sing, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty! Another one is saved--Glory be to God!

One eternal soul. Who can put a price on that? How many hours of work, dedication, prayer, sacrifice, and everything else is one soul worth? What could be, should be given up for the sake of one life gaining eternity with Christ? If you are called to serve, what should you be willing to do to answer?  As a pastor. As a Sunday School teacher. As an usher, a greeter, to serve on the worship team, to go on a mission trip, to visit someone, to be in small group . . . To serve God.

Can God really sustain us? Do we really trust Him? Can God give us the strength to work 60 hours a week and serve Him? Can God maintain our health, our wealth, our families when the world says it's impossible? Do we really believe that we can do all things through Him who strengthens us?

Can we dare to work less for the world--to give up the world--for the sake of God's work? Is it worth it to downsize, restructure, to need in order to serve Him if that's what He calls us to do? Can we really afford to give up earthly comfort and security for the sake of faith and obedience? Are we willing to be called crazy, irresponsible, fanatic? Are we willing to face the world's scorn, displeasure, ridicule? Is pleasing God more important to us than pleasing the world?  Is succeeding in God's work worth failing our own worldly expectations?

If you only changed one life this week, would it be worth it? Would God call that success?

Yes. I believe He would.

When Life Gets Hard

Have you ever struggled?

I mean really, truly struggled? Fought the kind of battle that encompasses your heart and soul, your spirit and your will? Have you ever been so tired of fighting, struggling, losing that you want to just give up? Have you been to that place where the best option seems to cut your losses and run? To leave the battle and live to fight another day?

Me too. I've been there. It isn't easy.

Here's where the Bible comes in.

Here's where I bring up the stories of David, or Joseph, or Paul or Peter or John. Esther. Daniel. Stories of people who had tremendous struggles and responded with tremendous faith. They overcame, not in and of themselves, but with and by God.

But I'm no king. God didn't give me a dream of the future to hold on to. Christ has not spoken to me directly, blinded me and then returned my sight. Jesus did not say that I would be the rock for His church, nor give me a vision of things to come. I am not royalty. I cannot interpret dreams and visions.

I am just me. What does the Bible say about that?

It says that what they had, I have.

Not the authority of a king, but the power of the one who sets kings in place and brings them down. Not a dream of the future, but the unbreakable promise of glory to come. Not temporary blindness, but eternal sight and light. Not a position as a rock, but a role as a pillar. Not a vision of what is to come, but peace for when it does. Not earthly royalty, but heavenly adoption. Not an ability to interpret dreams, but a faith to believe them.

The Bible says that what they had was the power of God. I, too, am offered that. They, through their faith, accepted it. Their faith in God is what gave them power, perseverance, strength, stamina, and victory. Every one of them died, but every one of them lives today. Through God. With God.

What they had, so do I.

The old cliche . . .

No one said it would be easy. Actually, a lot of people do say and have said it would be easy, it will be easy, it should be easy. They're wrong. They're wrong, or they're liars. It's not easy. None of it. Life. Church. Faith. Family. Work. Whatever. In all things is struggle, unless you take the easy path of sin. And that path leads to further struggle still.

I feel like that old writer of Ecclesiastes who said, "this, too, is a chasing after the wind."

But even Solomon, in his darkest of days, realized this:

Now all has been heard;
  here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
  for this is the whole duty of man. 

When life gets hard . . .

Keep going.  Fear God, and keep His commandments.  I'm not telling you it's going to be easy or even easier, but it is right. And that's what matters.  

The Wonder of Growth

Growth.

So simple, and yet, so complicated. We grow from infant, to child, to adolescent, to adult. A tree transforms from seed, to sapling, to towering oak. We witness it every day, so much so that the wonder of growth is often lost.

The growth of a living thing is, however, a wondrous process. Whatever it is, nutrients have to be absorbed from its environment, incorporated into itself, and added to what is already present. It's extraordinary, really. So many things have to fall in place at just the right time in just the right order.

It's almost miraculous, really.

It goes beyond physical growth.

We grow in other ways as well. We grow in our understanding of our surroundings, our place in our environment, our abilities, our limitations. We learn how to care for ourselves, others, and the very environment in which we live. We learn how to solve problems (and create a few!), consider the future, and apply lessons from the past.

We also grow spiritually. As we experience God through His Word, prayer, fellowship with other believers, and God's working in our lives we grow in our knowledge and understanding of Him. Our faith increases as we mature and realize how truly dependent on Him we really are, and our desire to serve Him expands as we see Him for who He truly is.

Growth is not spontaneous.

Without the proper nutrients, nothing will grow. Withhold water, and that small sapling will wither and die. Denied food, a child's growth will be stunted. Without the Sun, plants become sickly and weak.

So it is with our spiritual growth. Unless properly nurtured and maintained, our spiritual selves will never reach maturity. If we fail to invest, we shall never hope to harvest. Or, if you prefer, we shall indeed reap what we sow.

Grow every day.

To everything, there is a season. Each crop grows in its time, becomes mature, and is harvested for its bounty. Seeds from that harvest are set aside to be planted in their time, and so the wondrous cycle begins anew.

When our season is through, what will our harvest be? What fruit will we have produced? Will we have multiplied threefold, tenfold, a hundredfold? Will our Master's basket be overflowing from the fruit of our labors?

Only if we continue to grow. Only if we take what He gives us, eat what He sets before us, absorb our portion of Him into ourselves, adding to what He has already given us, and continue to grow. Each and every day.  

A Plague of Apathy

What is a plague?

By definition, a plague is a cause of continual trouble or distress. It is something awful, terrible, that just won't go away. It is not short lived, nor easily gotten rid of. It is ongoing. Catastrophic. Deadly.

Pharaoh faced a series of plagues in the book of Exodus. The Nile River turning to blood. Frogs invading his palaces, even into his bedrooms. Lice. Flies. Dead livestock. Festering sores. Devastating hailstorm. Ravenous locusts. Complete darkness. Death of all the firstborn sons of Egypt. Those were plagues of Biblical proportions.

Apathy is a lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern. It means you really don't give a rip. It's not your problem. It's not worth your most valuable time.

We are in a plague of apathy.

 We, as a world and a nation, just don't seem to care. Oh, we might get temporarily worked up about one event or issue or the other, but lasting concern and interest? Only until the next thing comes along. Until the next Tweet, Facebook post, newscast, or rumor comes our way. Then that once-so-important issue fades in the distance.

If it doesn't matter still, then it never really mattered to us. That's apathy.

Consider the world. Lost souls. Starvation. Human trafficking. Abortion. Sexual immorality. Destruction of the Biblical picture of family. The fading of the Church. The rise of false gods. Idolatry. Hatred. Sin.

Did your blood pressure go up reading those?

If not, that's apathy.

These are also plagues of Biblical proportions.

Nothing is so desperate as the thought of a single lost soul, and there are billions out there. Many of those same billions are starving, being sold into slavery. Millions of unborn children are being murdered, and many of those the result of sexual immorality. God's plan for human interactions is being demonized. The Church is, largely, being pushed into the sunset. False gods are placed on Christ's throne and worshiped, breeding hate and sin.

Are those not plagues? Are those not causes of continual trouble or distress? And they are just the beginning. The list goes on and on. Surely Jesus is weeping.

Are we?

Are we on our knees in prayer, in desperation, crying out to our holy God? Are we wrestling with the destructive forces around us, or shrugging our shoulders? Are we readying ourselves for battle, or turning or backs?

The plague is here. Apathy is rampant.

God broke Pharaoh.

It took the loss of everything, but God finally broke the king of Egypt. I don't want us to be like that. I don't want us to suffer the loss of everything we have been giving before we understand submission to the One who gives all things. I don't want our sons to suffer for our sins.

I want us to be broken. I want us to break ourselves, to throw ourselves before Holy God and confess. I want us to break ourselves so that God doesn't have to.

Apathy is a plague, but there is a cure.

It is faith. It is zeal. It is the love of God, for God, with God.

We may be infected, but God has the cure.

Are you willing to take it?

God Is Bigger

How big is God?

I have been studying the 10 plagues in Exodus chapters 7-11 and one conclusion I have come to is that Pharaoh had no idea how big God is. He seemed to think he could hold on to his slaves because God wasn't big enough to take them away. Man, was he wrong!

So just how big is God? It depends, I guess, on what you mean by "big." In terms of physical size . . . God cannot be defined in such terms. God is spirit. Asking how big God is physically is like asking how big our soul is. It just doesn't work that way. The spiritual cannot be measured by physical means.

So what are some other definitions of "big" we could use.

How about influence?

How big is God's influence? Well, for starters, God is the creator of all things. Nothing is that He did not create (Colossians 1:16). That's influence. All things on earth and in heaven, seen and unseen, physical or otherwise were created by Him and for Him. That's influence.

He controls the times and the seasons, sets kings in place and removes them as He sees fit, and distributes wisdom and knowledge to whom He chooses (Daniel 2:21). Basically, He controls what happens, when. That's influence.

How about knowledge?

God knows everything. He is omniscient. Nothing is known, has ever been known, or ever will be known that He does not know. Nothing is hidden from His sight. Nothing is unsearchable for Him. Nothing is unknown by Him or to Him. That's knowledge. That's big.

God knows what we say, what we do, what we think, how we feel, and why. He knows the deepest secrets we have and the most fleeting of thoughts. He knows things about us we don't even know. He knows the name of every star. He numbers every hairs on our heads. He counts the grains of sand in every sea. Quantum computing has nothing on God.

How about power?

Besides creating all things, God sustains all things, holds it all together (Colossians 1:17). He holds the power of the stars in the palm of His hands. A supernova is controlled by His will. Black holes respond to His desires. The powers of the universe, those we understand and those we don't, are in Him and from Him and at His mercy. That's power.

God is big.

How big? Bigger. Bigger than anything we can compare Him to. Bigger than we could ever imagine. Even the angels don't understand everything about God, and they've been in His presence since creation.

God is big. God is bigger.

Remember that, whatever else you might come up against today.

The Adventure of Life

No one said it would be easy.

Should anything so great as the adventure of life be always easy? Would the rewards be so great, the accomplishments so satisfying, the friendships so meaningful if the challenges of life were simple? Without turmoil, would we recognize peace? Without sorrow, would we acknowledge joy? Without loss, would we know gain?

Life is an adventure. Great adventures have a taste of  uncertainty, a hint of danger, the exhilaration of the unknown. Adventure without challenge would be like summer without the Sun, or a beach without the ocean. It would be incomplete, unfulfilling.

No one said it would be easy, but great things rarely are.

The greatest adventures are shared.

My best adventures have been ones I have shared with my family and friends. I would not climb a mountain, explore the depths of the sea, or fly around the world by myself. I want someone there with me, to share the successes and failures, the joys and the sorrows, the burden and the glory.

I like, and in fact need, my alone time. But I would never want to do life alone. There was a period in my life when I thought that sounded great; not anymore. As I have aged and matured I realize that my greatest joys are shared, not isolated. My greatest accomplishments come as a team, not an individual. My greatest adventures are never lonely, nor would they be so great if they were.

You will need help on this adventure.

No one does life well alone. Yes, you can get through it, but you will never thrive, never succeed, never do and be all you can be on your own. To fully explore, experience, enjoy life you have to walk with God and your fellow man. God did not create us to be alone, islands in our own experiences. He created us for community with Him and each other.

Our relationships with God are described in the Bible as a marriage, as a friendship, as a family. Each of these relates to how we interact with each other as well. We cannot do life as God intended without engaging in relationships. Why? Because we need each other. We will face mountains we cannot climb alone. We will experience storms we cannot weather on our own. We will need a helping hand, not only from God who carries each step of our journey, but from those around us.

If no one is around, who will lift you out of the pits into which you fall?

Life is an adventure.

It can be hard, and it can be beautiful. It can be tortuous, and it can be exhilarating. While we know our destination, the path thereto remains in shadows, waiting to be discovered. Explore it. Enjoy it. Live life to its fullest.

Life truly is the adventure of a lifetime. You only get to do it once.

Do your best to make the most of it.

 

Snitches Get Stitches

What?

You read that right: Snitches get stitches. Maybe you've heard this expression before, maybe not. Depending on the circles you run in, it might mean something to you. If it does, you're probably wondering why I'm writing about it here. Keep reading.

For those who don't know, the phrase snitches get stitches basically means if you go shooting off your mouth about things you shouldn't (a snitch), you're going to get pounded (stitches). It's not meant to be uplifting. You're more likely to see it in graffiti (or a $10 T-shirt) than some motivational poster. It's ugly and obscene and a microcosm of the violence in our world.

It also holds a lot of truth.

The Bible says it a little differently.

Proverbs 21:23 says, He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps himself from calamity.  

Proverbs 13:3 says, He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.

It almost sounds like Solomon agrees with the word on the street. Of course, Solomon isn't talking about reporting an actual wrong or crime to the authorities. He's talking about not speaking rashly, not saying something you'll regret later, and not speaking those angry thoughts running through your mind. Right?

Sometimes, but not always.

Proverbs 25:23 says, The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

And Proverbs 18:6-7 reads, A fool's lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating. A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul. 

Here's my point.

The Bible is full of warnings about the danger of the tongue (read the book of James!). Words have the power of life and death (Solomon said that as well--Proverbs 18:21). What we say, who we say it to, and why we say it matter.

Telling the truth, reporting a crime, protecting the innocent and rightly incriminating the guilty are all certainly supported in the Bible. Doing such things doesn't make you a snitch. It makes you an honest, God-fearing man or woman who cares about the world around you.

The real snitches are those who speak not for the good of others, but for their downfall.

Some of the strongest warnings are to those who spread slander and gossip (both of which are hated by the Lord according to--again--Solomon in Proverbs 6:16-19). These are the kind of snitches who get stitches in God's book. Want to run and tell your friend what you heard about Joe? Better think twice--God is watching. Want to spread a rumor that you know to be false? Not wise, my friend. God frowns on such things.

If you've got some juicy morsel (guess who described gossip as just that in Proverbs 18:8) you're just dying to tell someone, remember this:

The word on the street is that snitches get stitches . . .

And Solomon seems to agree.

The Travails of Fatherhood

Travail: Painfully difficult work; toil

Fatherhood; both incredible gift and heavy burden. For all the pain and sacrifice, I would trade it not for the world. As with nearly all good things, it comes not easily, nor should it. Such a task is not to be taken lightly, nor forfeited for want of ease. 'Tis not for the soft, this joy of fatherhood. Each day I stand in an endless sea faced by a towering mountain.

In this sea of the world, the riptides of culture threaten to rip my children away, ebbing and flowing, swirling and unpredictable. Jagged rocks lurk just below the falsely pristine surface of the waters, neither eager nor reluctant to smash, break, cripple. Tides sneak in, insidious and seemingly innocuous, hidden in plain sight, to overwhelm the careless. Storms brew with gale-force winds. Vicious creatures roam the waters, hungry for prey, eager to slash and bite, tear and rend.

And beyond the sea, the mountain of tomorrow's future looms in front of me. Not my mountain, but theirs. How will they climb it, with it's hidden crevices and treacherous passes?  It's cold, hard cliffs, seamless and unscalable, armed with slides and falls poised to sweep away the unaware. Chilling winds blow hard, unfeeling and uncaring. The peak is impossibly high, the valleys incredibly deep.

And here I stand.

Holding on for all I'm worth, striving to not hold them back. Flailing against waves and wind, rock and stone. Battered and bloodied, cold and tired. Desperate in victory as I realize today's battle against the sea is over, while the mountain of tomorrow looms tall. Today a draw, tomorrow to be hard fought.

I'm not prepared for this.

I am neither seafarer nor Sherpa. I've survived the sea thus far, though not of my own accord. I've scaled many tomorrows, solely by the grace and strength of God. Neither makes me an expert. I've not sailed far enough nor climbed high enough to consider myself either guide nor captain. The journey is long, the way is hard, and ready or not, I am on it. Learning as I go. Through victory and defeat, success and failure, healing and injury.

My only hope is that I am not alone. There is One who sees across the sea, who looks down from atop the mountain. He has overcome the world. He is there in tomorrow, waiting to take my hand. To hold my head above the raging waters. To pluck me safely from slippery shale. My every breath He gives me. My every step He guides.

I am not prepared. But He is.

He has lead the generations before me and shown them the way.  It matters not if I be ill-equipped and poorly trained, for it is not I who shall be in the lead. He shall go before me, a pillar of fire by night, a pillar of smoke by day. Blessed children, follow Him, for He will mark your path. He will hold back the rushing waters, He will lift you up on wings of eagles. For Him the sea is neither wide nor deep, the mountain neither tall nor steep.

We will stand strong.

In His hands we rest. He is our comfort, our shelter, our refuge in the storm. As my fathers before me, from Him shall I gain my strength. Travail it may be, painfully difficult to be sure, but through Him I can do all things. The sea shall not take you. The mountain shall not stop you. I will not let go, for it is my Father's hand over mine in which yours rests. I shall turn my eyes from the perils and gaze upon the Son. For just as the Father guided His Son, so surely shall He guide me, and through me, you.

I fear not the sea. I dread not the mountain. I will be strong and courageous. I will follow the Lord. Together--you and I and He--shall stand. Though the sea may rage, the mountain may roar, we shall stand.

And tomorrow to fight again.