We were not made to walk alone

 

Our Christian walk is not one we are supposed to make alone. Even Paul realized that he needed the mutual encouragement of other believers.  In Romans 1:11 he says that he wants to see the believers in Rome so that he can impart to them a spiritual gift to make them strong. Then, as though thinking as he is writing, he clarifies that he wishes that giving to go both ways--from himself to the Romans and from the Romans back to him.

God did not design us to serve Him in isolation. His design, mentioned over and over in Scripture, is for us to be a family, unified parts of one functioning body.  We are together greater than the sum of our parts.

And that is my thought for the day!

Whatever You Do . . .

I took my son on his first road ride Sunday.

Our church had a Summer Picnic Sunday. It was at a church camp about 20 miles from our home. Last year I rode my bicycle out there with a friend. This year my son wanted to try it. I was a little reluctant, as he has never ridden anywhere near that distance in the past, does not have a road bike, and it was about 90 degrees. For an experienced rider, a twenty mile ride is no big deal. For a 14 year old kid who has never done anything like that before, on an unfamiliar bike . . . I wasn't sure. It could be dangerous. It could be frustrating. He would almost certainly slow me down. But, he wanted to go. So . . . I borrowed a buddy's bike, adjusted my bike to fit my son, and off we went.

Everything was going pretty well until the bike I was on blew a tire at mile 8. Not really a big deal, as I had a spare tube. We replaced the tube, aired it up, took off, and had another blowout at mile 8.1. More like mile 8.05. It was hot. I was frustrated. I wanted to just call in the cavalry and have someone come pick us up. But then a verse from the Bible came to my mind. 
     
I Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Could a bike ride glorify God?

Did it really matter if we rode our bikes to the church picnic? No. Did it matter how I responded to adversity, and how my son saw me react? Oh most certainly yes, it did. I wanted to rant and rave, throw things, give up. I wanted air conditioning and a seat bigger than my shoe under my out of shape butt. I did not want to change another tire just to have it go flat also. I wanted . . .

But that verse . . . Whatever you do. Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. I don't know if God cared if I got back on that bike or not, but I do believe God cared how I responded to adversity. Giving up when life gets hard does not glorify God. Teaching my son to just take the easy way out was not going to glorify God. Certainly throwing a tantrum along the roadside was not going to bring glory to the Almighty. For me, at that moment, glorifying God meant working through the trials and continuing on. So we prayed. We fixed the tire and started riding again. 12 miles later, we arrived at our destination.

Was God glorified? I think so. Not because I took a bike ride, but because we persevered. Not because of me, but because His Spirit brought that verse to my mind. Whatever you do . . .

We will have adversity.

On a bike adversity means hills and headwinds, traffic and loose gravel, flat tires and equipment failure. A good ride when everything goes well is hard work. A bad ride when things go wrong takes more than physical conditioning. You have to be willing to work through the trials. You have to persevere and do whatever it takes to reach your destination. You have to want it, and not let anything stop you from achieving your goal.

In our Christian walk adversity may mean financial trouble, family problems, a difficult work environment, or any number of hills, headwinds, and flat tires. If we are going to do whatever we do for the glory of God, we cannot let those difficulties stop us. If your marriage is rocky you can give up, or you can glorify God, fix your flat tires, and ride on. If you are struggling with habitual sin you can either just throw your walk with Jesus off to the side of the road and jump in the air conditioned ride of debauchery or you can stay in the saddle and hammer away at the pedals. It is up to you. But remember: Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Whatever you do . . .

Whether it be work, marriage, parenting--whatever you do this week, do it for the glory of God. Be willing to work harder when the ride gets rough. I sum up James 1:2-4 this way: Pain builds character. A few verses later, in verse 12, James says this: Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

When we love God, we want to give Him glory. Glorify God with your life this week not only when your ride is smooth, but especially when it is not. There is a crown of life awaiting us at the end of the road.  

More Cowbell

Did you just date yourself?

If you recognize the title of this blog, you may have just dated yourself. It has been 15 years since that skit aired on SNL. After that, the term More Cowbell invaded television, movies, and everyday conversation. A silly spoof of an old song rang true with culture not only in America, but around the world. Why?


In the skit, Will Ferrell (playing a fictional member of the band Blue Oyster Cult) goes crazy on a cowbell as they perform the song Don't Fear the Reaper. Despite the rest of the band's objections, the producer (Christopher Walken portraying Bruce Dickinson, who in fact did not produce the song in real life for you trivia buffs) demands more cowbell. In true form, chaos erupts.

In reality, B.O.C. did indeed use a cowbell in the song. But of course, hardly anyone knew this until the skit came to be. After that, just about everybody knew that subtle beat originated from a simple cowbell. And every since, when that song is heard, people all over the world think the same thing--more cowbell.

 More is the anthem of our world.

If some is good, more is better, right? More money, more house, more fame, more power, more, more, more! More cowbell until the guitars, drums, and vocals are drowned out in a cacophony of useless noise.

The world would have us believe that more is always the answer. Do you have too much to do? Do more! Do you have too much stuff? Get more! Too much debt? Borrow more! Your relationship not working out? Get another one! Too much? More is the answer. Or so says the world.

Get enough More and you win!

 Again, so says the world. He who has the most toys at the end, wins. If you have enough more you don't have to fear the reaper. Your more is all you need to sustain you. The world would have you believe that  you really can take it with you.

More has become an addiction. There has been a recent fascination with the real and sad plight of those who have an illness which leads them to hoard their belongings. Television shows and casual jokes attest to the fact that hoarding has become part of our culture. But you know what? I think we'd all be hoarders (if we're not already) if the world had its way. Hoarders find security in being surrounded by more. Are you (or I) any different?

The truth.

 The truth is, more is rarely the answer. What we all need is a good dose of less. Less obligations. Less complications. Less stuff. Let's face it--a little cowbell goes a long way. Any more would just be a distraction. Kind of sounds like our world, doesn't it?

The Harvest is Plentiful but the Workers are Few

Read Matthew 9:35-38.

Go ahead. Get your Bible. Or pull it up on your phone or tablet, or Google it. Really. Go ahead. Read it. I'll wait.

What did you see?

Jesus is going through the towns and villages teaching, preaching, and healing the sick. He is working, and as He works, He sees the needs of the people and has compassion on them. Now, He has two choices: He can ignore them, or He can meet their needs. Of course, since He has compassion on them, He is going to meet their needs. What is important here is how He is going to do that. He turns to His disciples and tells them, the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 

Could Jesus have met the needs of all the people Himself? Yes! But He chooses another way. Instead, He tells His disciples it is their responsibility to pray to God to send out the needed workers.

Now, read some more.

Continue reading the first 5 verses of chapter 10.

OK?

Now read the first verse of chapter 11.

Here is what happened.

Jesus saw the many needs of the people, God's harvest field. What they really needed was Him, and He knew that. The way He showed Himself to them was through miraculous signs and irrefutable teachings. In order to multiply His message, He equipped His twelve disciples to go out and spread the word. He equipped them, sent them out, and then continued His own teaching and preaching, thus multiplying even further His reach.

The model of Jesus' ministry is one of multiplication. The same is true of Paul, who followed Jesus' example. Both reached many people personally, but they both reached many more through the multiplication process of making disciples. Jesus knew His disciples would mature in their faith as they equipped others, who would mature in their faith and equip others, and on and on. One person may reach a crowd or even a whole town. A dozen can reach a whole region. Hundreds can reach an entire nation, and eventually the entire world. That's what Jesus did.

What about us?

Jesus told His disciples to pray for workers. The very next verse He calls His disciples to Himself, equips them, and sends them out. They were not only to hit their knees and pray. Yes, they were to do that, certainly. But He did not want them to stop there. He sent them out, He commanded them to go out and teach others, show others, what He had taught and shown them.

He commands us to do the same.

One more reading.

Matthew 28:18-20.

Some of you no doubt are familiar with that passage. It is referred to as the Great Commission. After His resurrection, Jesus told His disciples their work was not done. It was just beginning.

Where is your harvest field?

The field you are called to may be in a far off nation. It may be in Sunday School, or Church leadership. Or perhaps your field is your family, your workplace, your Tuesday night basketball team or Girl's Night Out. If you reach only one person, and equip them to be a worker for Christ, you have doubled your reach. Then they reach one and you reach another. Then those two reach two more . . . The harvest is plentiful; there is no shortage of opportunity. It is the workers that are few.

Are you a worker?

  

Who Do You Trust?

Who would you trust to have your back as you charged into a burning building?

Your best friend? Mother, father, sister, brother? Your spouse? Who do you have in your life that you can count on when it really counts? Who do you trust?

This question matters. It matters because it reveals something about ourselves, and the people around us.

What is trust?

By definition, trust is the reliance on the strength, ability, integrity, surety, etc of a person or thing (Dictionary.com). Trust in a person means believing that person is reliable, accountable, responsible. They are there for you. And if you really trust them, they are there for you no matter what.

Trust comes about through a combination of experience, conversation, relationship, and plain-old gut feelings. I've met some people whom I trusted almost immediately, and others I wouldn't trust to take out the trash even after knowing them for years. A fickle thing, this idea of trust. As the saying goes, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Trust is perishable, even fragile. I've trusted, and been burnt. I've also not trusted, and suffered loss for it. Trust is subjective, personal.

Trust is hard.

The bigger the issue, the harder it is to trust. There are certain things in my life that I will only entrust to my closest circle of family and friends. The well being of my children, the keys to my home, my financial information, and so on. Even within that circle, there are only 3-4 with whom I share my daily fears, struggles, temptations. Those few have earned my trust, but it didn't come easily.

To trust we have to be vulnerable. We have to be willing to get hurt, or to suffer loss. That is not easy, nor natural. Our tendency, or at least mine, and the message of the world is that we are to be self-reliant and independent. The world says we don't need anybody, and even if we did, there isn't anybody we can trust. But I'm telling you, that just isn't true.

Trust is necessary.
 
We simply cannot walk through this life alone. Even Jesus, in whom we can confidently place our entire trust, had a close circle of friends around Him, and from among those He found three with whom He entrusted more than the rest. If you are not familiar with who they are, read Matthew 17:1-2, as well as Matthew 26:36-37. Those are the men Jesus wanted by His side when times were tough.

Jesus trusted God, His Father, entirely and completely. He leaned on God for all things. Even then, he desired the close companionship of men He could trust. And yes, I know--they failed Him, at least in the short term. But you know what? They came back. They did what He trusted them to do. His trust was not misplaced. He trusted them to carry on His work when He had left this world, and they did.

You have to trust.

Some burdens are simply too heavy to carry alone. Some situations are simply out of your hands. Sometimes you have to count on others, whether you want to or not. Yes, it can be frightening. Yes, they may fail. But without them, failure is inevitable. There are mountains which are simply too high to climb alone.

Who do you trust?

Do you have people in your life you would trust with anything and everything? Trust God first and foremost, of course, but remember that even Jesus had a close circle of friends He counted on. Find yours, then let them in. Trust them. You just may be amazed at how strong a strand of three cords can be. 

Distracted or Multi-tasking? You be the Judge.

My wife and I are very different.

Typically (or stereo-typically) men and women view the world and perform tasks very differently. Men tend to complete one task at a time from beginning to end, while women tend to do multiple tasks at once. My wife and I fit into those stereotypes perfectly. If I start something, the house could burn down around me and I might not notice. Not until I finish what I started. On the other hand, just tonight my wife was in the process of opening the door to let the dog in and thought of something else to do. She left the door partway open to go do something in the kitchen, then came back to the still partly-open door and let the somewhat bewildered dog in.

I call it distraction. She calls it multi-tasking. Who's right?

It's a busy world out there.

None of us are without plenty to do. How we go about doing (or at least trying to do) everything we have on our plates varies according to a plethora of factors. Not only do psychological factors come in to play, but physiological as well. Some studies have shown that women have more connections between the two halves of their brains than men do. They are actually hard-wired to multi-task more efficiently. For anyone who has had to be home with one or more small children for any amount of time while trying to accomplish anything, the purpose of this God-given gift is, excuse the pun, a no-brainer. We are fearfully and wonderfully made for the purposes God has for us.

If mothers were not thusly made, our children would starve to death or wander off while us men checked off our lists of things to do, oblivious to the needy little darlings at our feet. One thing at a time, nice and steady, no distractions. That's my way, and I know I am not alone. Kids are hungry? What kids? They're number 8 on my list, and I'm working on number 4. The overflowing garbage? Number 12. And the dog? He doesn't even make the front page.

Men and women are not the only ones with different world views.

Yes, I am poking a little fun at both my wife and myself. A serious side of this does exist, however. Men and women view and interact with the world differently, no doubt. But another, and more profound divide exists between two other groups of people. Those who live their lives for God, and those who do not.

Man or woman, the individual who lives for God has to keep one goal clearly in focus--the will of God. What He wants from us. What He desires us to do. What His priorities are. To those who live for the world, this makes no sense at all. The world is out there. They can see it, touch it, know it. God, if they acknowledge Him at all, is a mystery, an enigma. They are focused on what they know. God is, at best, a distraction.

Christians struggle too.

For the laser-focused, we tend to get hung up on what is right in front of us. We can easily miss the subtle leading of God trying to draw us closer to Him and His plan as we doggedly pursue the end we seek. For the multi-taskers, distraction is everywhere. The world calls and beckons, drowning out the voice of the One who matters.

Focused to a fault or task-saturated, we all have our struggles.

As with all things, balance is key. The Bible says we are in the world, but not of the world. In another place, we are identified as aliens in a foreign land. Still somewhere else, God tells us we can serve the world, or serve Him. In other words, this world is where we are, but it is not what we are supposed to be about. There is work here that we are called to do, but it is the work of God and His kingdom, not this world of distractions.

How do you do it?

Do you go down your check-list one item at a time, or do everything at once? How does that affect your relationship with God? If you don't know, think about it. You might find something useful there.  

Remain Unbroken

The spirit within us is an amazing thing.

Last night I watched the movie Unbroken. It is, as it is supposed to be, an amazing retelling of an amazing life. Louie Zamperini, the main character, experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows. When others gave up, he kept fighting. When others quit, he dug deeper. If his story does not draw at your heart and inspire you . . . well, it will. It speaks to the spirit within us all, that which pushes us to accomplish what seems impossible.

Even Louie drew upon a greater Spirit.

Though somewhat subtle, there is woven within the fabric of the movie an element of faith. Looking a little deeper into Mr Zamperini's life, that element of faith was more than subtle. Later in his life, when he was fighting to survive the fact that he had survived, faith saved him in more ways than one. Louie drew upon the Spirit of God to give him strength to fight his greatest battle of all. And won.

Life is going to be hard.

May God grant us grace and mercy that none should have to endure what Mr Zamperini did. Even so, life is going to be hard. We may not be adrift at sea for 47 days fending off sharks, or held prisoner of war tortured and beaten for 2 years, but we will have our struggles. And let's face it: All things are a matter of perspective. My trials may not hold a candle to his, but they are what I know. And life can be hard.

Your airplane crash may be losing a job. Your time adrift at sea may be trouble in your marriage. Your prison may be addiction, abuse, anger, guilt, or any number of personal hells. Whatever they are, we all face them, and they are hard. The question is, will they break us?

Remain unbroken.

I did not research how the title of the movie came about, but it is appropriate. Unbroken. Through it all, Louie Zamperini never broke. And neither shall we. Whatever comes our way, no matter the trial or tribulation, we can chose to remain unbroken. The Good Book tells us that God will never put us through more than we can bear. It may seem like it at times, but you have to have faith. You have to trust. You have to believe. He has given us strength. It is up to us to use it.

Draw on that greater Spirit.

In the midst of a storm, Louie prayed. In the storms of his life after returning home, Louie prayed again, and God answered. God is there. He is listening. He is willing to grant us the strength we do not have within ourselves. It is upon Him that we must lean, for our strength will wane; His never will.

Whatever your trial, no matter your struggle, God is there. Trust in Him, and come what may, you will forever be unbroken.