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Sermon Starters

Proverbs: How to Make Wise Decisions

by Jeff Jones
written by Jeff Jones

Many people tell me that they want wisdom for decisions, as a lot of people are making really big decisions in life. We’ve all heard of the great resignation, as people are quitting careers and jobs and starting new ones—which involves big decisions. It seems like in all areas of life, coming out of the pandemic is causing us to rethink our lives, and people are making decisions that will affect the trajectory of the rest of their lives. So, people want some help in getting those decisions and other decisions right, which is smart—because our lives are determined largely by the decisions we make. When I was in high school, this grumpy guy in our church used to say this statement when people said they wanted to do something, and he felt like they wouldn’t actually follow through. He’d say, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” That’s pretty grumpy, going all the way to going to hell. But he is right that good intentions will never get us to the destination we want. It’s way more about the path we are on and the decisions we make. Wouldn’t it be great to have a guide to make sure we make are on path and making good decisions?

 

A couple of years ago some wonderful person treated me and Patrick, a pastor friend from Houston to go fly-fishing in Montana. I had never done that, so I was excited about learning how. Patrick and I were in this little boat with a guide whose job it was to know what kinds of flies that would work on the particular day to catch fish, to teach us how to cast and catch a fish, to untangle all of our tangles and so on. We were with him for two days, and I felt so bad for him. Patrick is even more ADD than I am, so he had trouble concentrating on the little float. You would cast and then watch the float for a while and then cast again. He got distracted and stopped watching the float. When he looked up, he didn’t see it, so he shouted to the guide, “Hey! Somebody stole my float!” The guide was like, “It’s a fish! Pull up!” My challenge was different. I grew up bass fishing, where you jerk back really hard when you get a bite, and where you cast with a lot of speed. Flyfishing is much more Zen than that, everything smooth and slow. It took me all that first day to figure that out, as he would tell me to relax and be rhythmic instead of whipping it around so hard. That first day I sunk the fly with the hook into my back nine times, and in my hat two more times. Each time the guide had to get his little pliers and pull it out of my back or hat. At the end of the day, I asked him, “So, nine times, plus the two in my hat…how does that compare to other first timers? Is that above average or below average.” His response, “Let’s just call it record-setting.” So, there you go, I set a record on my very first day!

 

I did enjoy it, but I would not want to flyfish again without a guide. Imagine having a guide for all of life like that, who was there to walk with us in life, to get us out of tangles, to lend wisdom for every significant decision. The great news is that we all have a guide available. Proverbs 3:6 tells us:

 

SLIDE__________________) Proverbs 3:6

“Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

 

 

That is a wonderful promise, and God is committed to guiding our lives when we are open and seeking.

 

However, what you see in the Bible and experience in life is that he does not always guide us the way we want to be guided. What I mean by that is that he doesn’t generally make the decision for us, just part the skies and reveal to us the specific answer to our guidance questions. That’s often what we want, and occasionally that happens, but typically he guides our process of decision making, which is why the Bible gives us wisdom on how to make decisions.

 

Why doesn’t he just push us out of the way and make decisions for us? I’m sure at times he wants to, just like my fishing guide had to roll his eyes quite a bit watching me struggle. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if he just took the fly rod and said, “Hey, can I just catch some fish for you so you can stop sinking hooks in your back?” If he did, I would never have learned how to cast and catch—which I did learn. The next day was way better, because I was actually catching fish and not just catching me. God wants us to grow in wisdom. Occasionally in my life I have sensed God leading toward a specific direction in a very strong way but usually he allows us to make decisions as he ultimately guides the process and grows us.

 

So, if God guides our process of making wise decisions, then how to we make wise decisions? God has provided a lot of help in his revealed will, the Bible, to let us know how to make good choices. All of us have a significant choice or two looming, so get that in mind as we talk about how to make wise decisions.

 

SLIDE_____________________)

Get on a Biblical Path.

 

Andy Stanley wrote a helpful book called The Principle of the Path, which simply is that wherever you end up depends on the path you take, not the intentions you have. You will never end up at the right place if you are on the wrong path. If you are on a good path, you will have some options and choices, but as long as they are part of the path you know you are going to end up where you want to end up.

 

Psalm 119:105 says,

 

SLIDE__________________) Psalm 119:105

“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

 

 

God has revealed his general will in the Bible, and those principles form the boundaries, the guard rails, for every decision we make. God’s Word lays out the path.

 

Let’s talk about choosing whom you are going to date or marry. The Bible is not going to give you names of girls or guys to consider, but it does give boundaries to that choice. 1 Corinthians for example tells us that we should as Christ followers marry only someone who shares that commitment. Listen to how he says it for widows:

 

SLIDE______________________) 1 Corinthians 7:39

“A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but only if he loves the Lord.”

 

 

Note, she is free to marry whom? “Anyone she wishes.” That’s not as romantic as the thought that God has just one person for us, and we’ve got to find that one person. That maybe sounds better but think about it. If we had to find our one person and there was only one person for us, then all it takes is for one bozo to pick the wrong one, and guess what? The ripple effect of that means it is ruined for everybody. Now, God is ultimately in control, and on his end, there probably is just the right person for us, but on our end, we would never be able to figure that out. So, on our end, we marry whomever we want. But he does give a guard rail: “but only if he loves the Lord.” If you love the Lord, then you are free to marry anyone who also loves the Lord. So, if you are considering marrying someone who does not yet have Christ in his or her life and you do, then you really don’t need to pray about that choice. God’s Word is clear. The answer is no, at least not until that person gets on the same page spiritually.

 

Or let’s say you are contemplating a major purchase, like a car. You kind of like the Bentley convertible (show pic), which could be fine.

 

 

SLIDE_______________________) Special Sermon Slide

Picture of Bentley Convertible

 

 

But let’s talk about a biblical financial path. It starts with choosing to live on less than you make, and to build your budget around generosity rather than consumption. If you’ve been around Chase Oaks, you’ve heard Give, Save, Live. Meaning choose a percentage to give, to save, and then live on the rest, which is just a summary of biblical teaching. How much? You decide. The starting point we talk about is 10/10/80, but you choose. The Bible also talks a lot about debt, how to be wise with that and not end up becoming a servant to your debtor or your car. Does the Bentley fit? It might, but if it doesn’t, don’t get off path to get the Bentley. You might end up with a Kia, but you are going to end up at a better financial destination if you stay on path.

 

I find that when people come and talk to me about major decisions, that at least 50 to 60% of them are already laid out in the Bible. Those become easy decisions because they are a no brainer. Should I spend a bunch of money on lottery tickets? Should I move in with my boyfriend? What does the Bible say? Should I fudge on my taxes? What does the Bible say? The Bible gives us guidelines, and within those we are free to make decisions. The guidelines themselves will reveal God’s will for about 50-60% of the decisions we make, but what about when you are deciding between options within those boundaries, in areas where the Bible is not clear? God has given us help here, too. Let’s keep talking about how to make wise decisions.

 

 

SLIDE______________________)

Pray for Wisdom.

 

James 1:5 gives this wonderful promise: 

 

 

SLIDE__________________) James 1:5

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

 

The God who has all wisdom will share it generously if we ask. When we have a big decision to make, we can ask God for wisdom in the process of making that decision. That’s different than making the decision for us. Part of every big decision should be prayer where we, with confidence, ask God for wisdom and then move forward in confidence that God will guide the process of making that decision. Jesus modeled this, where you see him before big decisions, like choosing the twelve disciples, go out and pray for an extended time. He also occasionally chose to fast, a spiritual discipline where you choose to not eat for a period of time as you focus on prayer as it heightens your sense of dependence on God. Jesus is God, but he wanted to do the will of the Father, so he fasts and prays. If you have a big decision, why not try what Jesus modeled? Fast and pray, asking God for wisdom. If it’s a smaller decision, still ask God for wisdom. This should give us a lot of boldness to make decisions and move forward, because God promises to give us the wisdom, we need to make tough decisions.

 

 

SLIDE___________________)

Seek Out Advice from Wise People.

 

 

Listen to these few Proverbs about how to become wise and make good decisions:

 

SLIDE_________________) Proverbs 1:5

“A wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wisdom.”

 

 

 

 

SLIDE________________) Proverbs 19:20

“Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.”

 

 

SLIDE____________________) Proverbs 15:22

“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”

 

 

SLIDE__________________) Proverbs 12:15

“The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.”

 

Pretty clear. We need other people’s perspective to make wise decisions. That is so important because often in big decisions we can easily lose objectivity about our own lives. We get emotionally connected and lose perspective. Like the Bentley you want. You may know you can’t really afford it, but it is so easy to rationalize. You can picture yourself in the Bentley. You feel like you could really serve God better if you had the Bentley, ride poor people around in it and stuff. You rationalize. If you can’t really afford it, you need otherwise people to knock you on the head and say, “How about the Kia?” Or you are a Jesus follower and meet someone who is not, and they are really pretty or really handsome. Sure, they have some character challenges, but you start to talk yourself into how you can change them over time. You need someone who loves you enough to say, “Really? You think you are going to change someone?”

 

This is why it is so important to surround ourselves with people who are on the path of following God with us. As Solomon says in Proverbs 13:20:

 

 

SLIDE_________________) Proverbs 13:20

“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”

 

 

In the Bible, a fool is not someone with a low IQ. They might be a genius. A fool is a person who goes down an alternative path from the path of wisdom God has laid out for us. If you want to make godly decisions and wise decisions, make sure you have people around you who are godly and wise, people who are on the path with you. If we don’t do this, what the Bible is saying is that we will eventually make some really bad decisions that will lead to regret. And the best way to become wise is to hang out with those who already are.

 

I had dinner with a friend from my life group last week, and he is a wise and generous person. He was passing on wisdom for me that I really appreciated. Then the conversation moved to generosity, where he said, “Jeff, how can we help people move to greater generosity, because if they don’t, they miss out.” The biblical answer is all about who you hang out with. If you want to become wise, which includes generosity, then hang out with people who are wise. Get in a group with people who want to help each other down a biblical pathway.

 

The biggest gift you can give yourself is the gift of teachability around wise people. Some people just want to be right, and seen as right, and they don’t really listen to others. Better than being right and seen as the one who is always right is to make the right decision by being teachable. I like to move fast, I really do. But I have learned the hard way that it is almost always worth slowing down to get advice from wise people. I can learn a hard lesson listening to myself or save myself a lot of pain by listening to others who are on the path and who are wise.

 

SLIDE___________________)

Consider your Purpose and Priorities.

 

Don’t make a decision in a vacuum, but ask yourself, “Which decision best furthers God’s purposes in this world and the priorities I have committed myself to?” I talked with a young adult a few weeks ago with a highly responsible job title and a young family. He was feeling tremendous pressure from his CEO to cheat his family to win more at work. He got that occasionally in a season you might have to do that, but he could see this was no season. It’s just the expectation, and he let his boss know that he would work really hard within appropriate boundaries but not at the expense of his family priorities. That’s tough to do, but wise if his family really his big priority.

 

In addition to priorities, consider your purpose. One of my concerns with the great resignation is people thinking about their comfort over their purpose. Here’s what I mean. In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul talks to various groups of Jesus followers in uncomfortable situations who assumed the best decision was to get out of the uncomfortable situation, but Paul says, “Not so fast.” Here is his principle:

 

 

SLIDE____________________) 1 Corinthians 7:17

“Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you.” 

 

 

The key word is “placed,” that where you are is not random but an assignment. God has placed you there for a reason, to be light in an otherwise dark place, and if you leave too early you leave that place in the dark. The 1 Corinthians 7 placements were more binding than being in a job—he’s talking about Christians married to non-Christians and slaves bound to serve a household, but he also applies the principle to single believers who are considering getting married. It’s okay to get married, but have you fulfilled your single assignment. It’s okay to take another job or pursue another career but ask the purpose question first. Have you fulfilled your assignment where God has placed you, because where he placed you is not random. You may say, “Yep! I’ve fulfilled it,” and then cool—go do something else. But at least consider the question. We are not here to be comfortable but missional. And sometimes when things get hard, it is an opportunity to persevere, to toughen us up. Other times, we are free to go. But tap the brakes first and ask the purpose question.

 

 

SLIDE___________________)

Get on a Biblical Path.

Pray for Wisdom.

Seek Out Advice from Wise People.

Consider your Purpose and Priorities.

 

 

So, let’s put all of this together. The most important thing you can do in life is pursue a biblical path—to live a life within the wise guard rails of God’s revealed wisdom. If you get on that path, whatever specifics you choose, you are going to end up at a good place. However, on that path, you will have some choices to make. He occasionally will make a direction more obvious, but generally, he gives us the freedom to make a choice, going through the process of wise decision-making. You may go through that whole process of considering what the Bible says, asking God for wisdom, seeking godly counsel, considering your mission and purpose, and it’s still a tough call. If that’s your situation, then at some point you’ve got to do what every other godly person has had to do through the centuries. You make the best decision you can by faith, trusting that what God says is true, that if you really commit your ways to him and make decisions the wisest way possible, he will indeed direct your path and superintend the whole process. You make the best decision you can, and you leave the rest to God.

So, all that’s left to do then is to pray, to commit these decisions to God, and ask him to give us wisdom in the process. Do you have a decision looming? Let’s take it to God right now. And some of you may be off path, and you know it. That’s okay but be wise enough to get on path. Wherever you are right now, no matter how far off, there is a way to get on God’s pathway. I always appreciate that with GPS apps like Google Maps. My google GPS person never says, “You big dummy. Why are you here if you want to go there?” He just helps me get on a path from wherever I am that leads to where I want to go. God is not here to shame you but to guide you, so let’s get on path and ask him for wisdom with the choices we have.

 

Let’s pray.

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Articles

The Question of Free Will

by Mark Marikos
written by Mark Marikos

 

Why would a perfect God create us with free-will?  Surely He would have known we would turn our wills against Him.  Wouldn’t it have been easier to make us to be obedient and unquestioning?  And in Genesis 1:31, how could God say (about the creation of man) that it was not just “good” like he said on the other five days of creation, but “very good”, knowing how that free-will would manifest itself throughout history?

 

When my wife and I were expecting our daughter, we actually prayed that God would give us a strong-willed child.  Man, did He ever answer that prayer!  That sounds insane, because strong-willed children challenge everything, from an early age. Early on, we concluded she would grow up to become a hostage negotiator! 

 

But we prayed that prayer for a reason.  We knew it would be a challenge to raise a strong-willed child.  But we also knew that if we, by God’s grace, could get her pointed in the right direction, we would not have to worry about her.  If she went in a particular direction, it would be her choice, her commitment, her conviction.  She would not have to depend upon ours.

 

The point is, that free-will is absolutely necessary for commitment and conviction, and even more so, for love, grace, and mercy.  In fact all of the spiritual fruit listed in Galatians 5, are acts of free-will, a free-will that has willfully submitted itself to God’s will, and is intentionally living out the imago dei.  Without the freedom to reject God, you could not truly love Him any more than your lawn mower can love you.  Love is an act of free-will! 

 

He created us for a relationship with Himself, an intimate, loving relationship in which we freely choose to love Him, because He first loved us.  Not out of compulsion, guilt or manipulation, but out of gratitude for the love He sheds into our lives continually.

 

So free-will was an absolute necessity, despite its messiness and risks.  It was the only way to achieve what God was after.  He knew the risks, nay the inevitability, and He was prepared to deal with it before time began.

 

One might assume that it was maybe through some weakness in God that He was unable to make me obedient, that God is not as all-powerful as He claims to be.  But let’s think about it.  Yes, it would take a mighty God to create “perfect” humans that never did anything wrong.  Even with all of our technology and science we cannot create perfect machines that never fail, much less “autonomous” ones that make decisions for themselves.  Surely that would be an impressive feat of power and might!  That would surely be worthy of glory – at least from our perspective.

 

But God had something far more glorious in mind.  He wants us to choose to love Him, not out of compulsion, but because we feel that is in our own best interest.  Does it not take far more strength for God to woo me back to Himself than it would to force me to be obedient in the first place?  The way He made me requires that He, at some point, convince me that living for Him is in my best interest.  Then, and only then, is it my decision, not His or anyone else’s.  Every believing parent looks for the day when they know their child is living in her own faith, not that of her parents.  Does it not take an amazingly awesome God to win me back through loving mercy and grace rather than by means of intimidation?

 

Free-will is also a pre-requisite for creativity, another part of the imago dei.  Without free-will, our repertoire of possible solutions to challenges would be limited to that which was pre-programmed into us from the beginning.  And our response to any challenges would be mechanical and instinctive.

 

But how is free-will consistent with God’s sovereignty?  In his book, “Chosen by God”, R.C. Sproule addresses the apparent conflict between mankind’s free-will and God’s sovereignty.  He concludes that the two are compatible, because of God’s eternal nature and His ability to arrange the circumstances of our lives in a way that convinces us that a particular course of action would be in our own best interest.  While some may look at this as a form of divine manipulation, I prefer to see it differently.  God loves me so much, that He will move Heaven and Earth to help me see my need for Him and His love for me!  He so wants me to “not perish” that He goes to great lengths to convince me. 

 

One word that Sproule uses as he talks about how we make decisions is interesting.  He doesn’t say we make decisions based upon what we think to be in our own best interest at the time.  He says we make decisions based upon what we feel to be in our own best interest at the time.  There is an important difference. 

 

If we made decisions based upon what we think, probably not many people would ever smoke, over-eat, speed, etc.  We have so much information available to us that none of these choices should really make any sense.  Statistically, they all put us in danger and are shown to decrease the quality (and quantity) of life.  The data are very clear, so it is not really logical to choose doing any of these things.  So why do we do them anyway? 

 

Research has clearly demonstrated that no matter how much we know about potential consequences and risks, when it come down to making decisions of all types, it comes down to what is emotionally appealing to us at the moment.  Somehow that over-rides any logical conclusions we have come to previously.  If we perceive some temporal emotional gratification from a particular choice, we will ultimately find some rationalization to make that choice. 

 

Rationalization is one of mankind’s strongest faculties, right up there with denial.  And they both are useful because it allows us to set aside the cold, hard facts and make the choice that gives us the most immediate sense of gratification.  It takes great discipline and intentionality to overcome that tendency, and a willingness to delay gratification for some future greater good.  It takes conviction!  And conviction is the result of your values, what you really believe in your deepest being, that determines who you are.

 

True, many of us have personal or corporate value statements that are pretty lofty.  But if you really want to know what you or someone else really believes deep down, who we, or they, really are, look at the actions.  Jesus says it this way.

 

Matthew 7:15-20 – 15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”

 

So the issue becomes how do I make my “personal values” match my “public values” so that the choices I make reflect what I really want to become?  The Apostle Paul speaks of this struggle.

 

Romans 7:14-25 – 14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. u For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

 

This ties into the story of Adam and Eve.  They both knew what was the “right” thing to do, but a thought was planted in their minds that just maybe they were missing something really good.  As they continued to ponder the thought (or meditate on it) it grew bigger in their minds and hearts until they were able to rationalize deviating from the proper course in hope of gaining that so-called “greater good”. 

 

And that is why it’s so important to be careful what I let into my head, but become intentionally disciplined about how I think about things.  I need to not dwell on things that may look good or feel good for a moment, but have negative consequences.  Instead I need to diligently fill my mind with truth, and meditate on that, so that it sinks down into the deepest parts of me and becomes part of my true values.  And that is how I build conviction.  It’s all about building an accurate world-view!  I believe that is why Paul admonishes us to be intentionally and proactively mindful of our thoughts.

 

Philippians 4:8 – Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

 

Free-will is also part of the imago dei.  God is the ultimate in free-will.  No one does, or ever could control His thoughts and actions.  God does what God wills!  While we are the imago dei, we only imperfectly reflect that attribute.  There is probably no one on earth or in history, except Christ, who perfectly exercises free will.  And even Christ said He only did what the Father willed.   In most cases, what we call free-will is choosing the lesser of two perceived evils, especially when free-will is only practiced in reaction to our circumstances.  We approach perfect free-will more closely when we are intentional and proactive in our lives.  But even then, our choices are strongly influenced by perceived immediate threats and opportunities.

 

So when God created us with free will, He determined that He would not force His will upon us in regard to His relationship with us.  He knew that would not allow us to love Him as He desires.  Instead, He allows us adequate room to express that love in our own way, and in our own time.  He lovingly draws us to Himself.

 

Jeremiah 31:3 – The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.

 

The old adage that “you can draw more flies with honey than with vinegar” also applies in our case.  God knew we would more likely respond out of gratitude than out of fear, and that the response would be to enter into deeper relationship.  Fear never deepens a relationship; it builds walls that hinder relationship. 

 

His loving kindness includes mercy (not getting what we deserve) and grace (getting what we could never deserve).  If all He had done was to die on the cross so our sins could be forgiven, that mercy would have been more than enough.  But He goes far beyond and pours grace into our lives continually through the power of His Holy Spirit.  He fills our lives with good things that we in no way could deserve as a way to show His delight in us and as an invitation into deeper fellowship with Him.

 

He delights to give good gifts to His children, just as any good father would (Matthew 7:11, Luke 11:13).  He desires that we, in gratitude, would enter into the delight with which those gifts are given.  They are an invitation into deeper relationship.  When we, of our own free-will respond in gratitude, we are blessed because our greatest relational need is being fulfilled.  As we draw nearer to Him, we see that His motivation is love, and we are changed.  We learn how to love others with the same unconditional love that He showers upon us.  Then we begin to understand a bit of the blessing He receives as well.  And our free-will seeks to follow His will.

 

God’s mercy and grace are not limited to those who are obedient.

 

Matthew 5:45b – … For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. (NASB)

 

1 Peter 3:18 – For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; (KJV)

 

If it were limited to the obedient, we would all be without hope. 

 

Our free-will, more often than not, results in bad decisions, decisions made from wrong motivations. 

 

James 1:14-15 – But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.  Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

 

Such decisions almost always have negative consequences, not just for us, but for others as well.  In spite of Hs mercy and grace, God generally lets us experience the negative consequences of bad decisions, not because He can’t prevent them, but because He, like any good parent, realizes that we learn more from what we experience than what we are told.  Like a loving parent, He sometimes mitigates the severity of those consequences, when the consequence would prove too severe.  But rarely does He eliminate them altogether.  And when He does mitigate the circumstances, He often does so at a dear cost to Himself, the ultimate example being His death on the cross.

 

But despite our bad decisions, God never withdraws His love.  He never rescinds His invitation into deeper relationship.  In fact, many times He uses the consequences to hem us in, so we are more likely to see Him waiting for us at the mouth of the box canyon into which we have fallen.  We are still free to practice self-sufficiency, trying to climb out on our own, or making the box canyon our new home.  He stands at the mouth of the canyon waiting for us to tire of our way and take Him up on His invitation to join Him on the hike to higher ground.

 

God continually places growth opportunities in our paths.  He knows that growth only comes when we are stretched beyond that to which we have become accustomed.  Many of the “challenges” of life are opportunities to climb out of our box and flex muscles we have used little or not at all.  It is when facing such challenges that we must decide whether we indeed climb out of the box, or just pull the lid down and hide. 

 

Even when we climb from the box, we still face decisions about how we will respond to the challenge.  There are fundamentally two categories of choices we face that start with the decision to either move towards God, or to move away from Him.  There are generally a limited number of responses that will result in growth towards godliness, but many more that compromise what ground we have already gained.  Fortunately, He does not leave us to ourselves to figure out which is which.  His word is rich in wisdom, and for those that yield to Him, he sends His Holy Spirit to live inside of their spirits to teach not just their minds, but also their hearts.

 

God’s unconditional and unwavering love for us frees us from many self-defeating choices.  If we accept His unwavering love and acceptance, we escape the self-condemnation that so often defeats us on our journey to becoming what He created us to be.  If I recognize that nothing I do will make Him love me any less, there will be no reason to beat up on myself when I do fail because I will recognize that He already knew I was going to, but He still chose to love and accept me.  He sends conviction my way, but never condemnation.

 

Romans 8:1 – Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…

 

Before Christ climbed upon the cross, He knew every horrible thing I was going to think, say, or do.  But He still chose to die for me.  His free-will is so strong that not even I, or anyone else can convince Him to quit loving me.  He cannot be disappointed in me, because disappointment implies that He expected me to do something different than I did.  But He already knew what I was going to do, and He took that to the cross along with all my other sins – so it’s covered! 

 

Self-condemnation keeps me focused on the sin.  Accepting His unconditional love keeps me focused on His loving mercy and grace, and deepens my relationship with Him.  I am free to chose which path I take!  And as my relationship with Him grows, it changes me; I want to draw even closer.  And because it is my “want” that ultimately drives my decisions, my decisions will naturally grow to be more in line with His will, what He wants for me.

 

 

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Devotionals

You Have a Choice

by Jana Tuttle
written by Jana Tuttle

I always love how the Holy Spirit gently nudges when He has something to share… Upon returning home from the magnificent Southern Rocky Mountains, there was something that resonated deep within my spirit… something I pondered and settled deep within my heart, and stood firm in… and I wanted to share what I learned with you…

You Have A Choice.

The beauty of being a Kingdom person,  is you have been given the Freedom of Choice.When you chose to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, your life forever changed… and changed for the good! Youwere given the Holy Spirit (Who resides on the inside of you) to be your Comforter, yourStrengthener, your Intercessor, your Helper… the One who comes alongside you to help. He also empowers you to be a witness… to share the Gospel message boldly and fearlessly, and helps aid in your sanctification process… the things you use to do, you no longer desire to do. He helps bring these things to your attention, and leads you into righteousness.

Upon your salvation, you were also given the precious and powerful Word of God (The Sword of the Spirit) as a Divine Guide to help you navigate successfully through life with righteousness, clarity, peace, abundance, fruitfulness, direction and knowledge. The Word of God is living and active and full of power making it operative, energizing, and effective. It is your Life Manual, that is ready and made available for you to read daily and apply… so that you can flourish in this life.

You Have A Choice.

In life, there will always be “opportunities” for you to step out of peace, but you must purpose in your heart each and every day that nothing is going to take your joy nor your peace. For the joy of the Lord is your strength, and we as Kingdom Ladies are to seek peace and pursue it.

Something I have learned through the years… we cannot control everything that is happening around us… what others might say or do, or how others may behave, or what may come our way whether it be expected or unexpected, but what we can control is our response to it.

You Have A Choice.

When in the mountains, I predetermined in my heart to choose (with the Holy Spirit’s help) to remain in peace and rest. I knew this time away was divinely designed as a time or refreshing, renewal and restoration. A time away from everyday responsibilities… a time of unplugging from the phone and all it’s apps. I chose to remain in peace, enjoy the beauty of His creation and just downright enjoy my time in the mountains, and I thoroughly did! I Made the Choice.

You Have a Choice. 

Life will bring you to a place of decision. A place where you have to choose your response… choosing peace over worry… faith over fear… forgiveness over unforgiveness… letting it go over rehashing it over and over… enjoying the moment over squandering it away… knee jerk reacting over just being still and allowing God to work it out in His time and in His way.

You (under the yielding of the Holy Spirit, and obedience to God’s Word) can change how you respond to anything. You can renew your mind by the Word of God. And Honey let me sweetly remind you again… you have been given the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. You have been well equipped to navigate through anything, and come out victorious while holding your peace… and perhaps your tongue. 😉

Daily, and in every situation, You Get to Choose…

…life instead of death in the words you speak about yourself and others (Prov. 18:21) …building up your household instead of tearing it down (Prov. 14:1)… walking as the “NEW” creation He designed you to be through salvation (2 Cor. 5:17)… to be happy or not, to be at peace or not, to walk in joy or not, to enjoy the moment or not… the Choice is Yours.

You Have A Choice.

I love you and pray you have a blessed week. When opportunity arises for you to step out of peace or out of joy, remember You Get to Choose. You Have A Choice. I choose peace. I choose joy. For the kingdom of God is righteousness, PEACE and JOY in the Holy Spirit! (Rom. 14:17)

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Sermons

Decide to Take Back Your Life

by Craig Groeschel
written by Craig Groeschel
Do you ever wish you knew how to make decisions that would help you reach your goals? What if becoming the person you want to be starts before you make a decision? Before you click “buy,” or before you take one more bite. Can the decisions you make today help you live the life you want tomorrow? Let’s learn in our new series, Pre-Decide. 
www.lifechurch.tv/open.
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Articles

Making Decisions in a Post-COVID World

by Randy Carlson
written by Randy Carlson

People are really struggling during this global pandemic. Many are not even aware how much the stress of what is going on in the world is impacting them. I’m feeling it, and so I certainly believe others must, as well.

We live in a very chaotic world. As believers we pray for peace on the streets of America, wisdom for our leaders and for godly men and women to rise in leadership. The times we live in call for these things to weigh on our minds, and so we pray, as we should. We pray for justice in our country, for peace between people. A future exists post-COVID. God has plans and intentions for us.

The Circle of Control

In making decisions about how we choose to live, I want to represent decision making in two circles. Within the first circle – the circle of control – encompasses the things in our lives that we have no control over.

Things you have control over include:

  • Your attitude.
  • Your thinking. In fact, the scripture tells us to take captive every thought out of obedience to Christ. Philippians 4:8: Whatever is right and pure and admirable, praiseworthy think on such things. So clearly God has given us control over what we choose to think.
  • What comes out of your mouth – what you choose to say.
  • How you interact with others.
  • How you choose to handle your finances.
  • How you choose to handle your health.

We have this opportunity to make decisions about how we are going to choose to live as we go into this post-COVID world. “Figure out what pleases Christ and then do it” (Ephesians 5:10 MSG). We are to do those things that bring Him glory, and benefit our family, our community and ourselves.

We can decide and choose how we are going to do these five essential areas of our lives, building our faith, interacting with our family, handling our finances, taking care of our health and how we approach our work. These are five areas, and there are others that we do have control over.

Circle of Concern

The second circle, the circle of concern, are things that worry us.

  • What’s going to happen with COVID?
  • When is it going to end?
  • Is there going to be a vaccine?
  • What’s going to happen in the economy?
  • Who is going to be elected the next President and the next Senate and House?
  • What about my kids?

We have many concerns that we have no control over. Our circle of concern has grown in our world. It seems almost chaotic with all the things going. When we watch the news, go online or interact with people, the circle of concern weighs on us. We have to give everything within the circle of concern to God.

In my article about 3 Things you Need in a COVID world, I also recommend you consider this:

  1. Decide how you intend to live.

Making a decision gives you direction. The times we live in right now are filled with a great deal of fear and uncertainty. Some of you probably are experiencing it pretty significantly and maybe haven’t shared with others what you are feeling. Whenever there’s fear and uncertainty, it drives us to make decisions in our lives. We will witness people coming through this pandemic making decisions for their marriage, for their finances, for their work and it’s going to be reactionary, done out of fear and uncertainty.

It is important for those of us who are followers of Christ to decide how we intend to live in a post-COVID world.

Proverbs 16:33 says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but every decision is from the Lord.” In ancient times, they cast lots. At the crucifixion they cast lots for the robe of Jesus. People took a small stone with their name or mark on it, and then they would throw the stones. Today we would throw dice or draw a card. Your lot was cast. You got what you got by chance. But the wisdom of Solomon in the rest of our verse says: “but every decision is from the Lord.”

We don’t live in a world of chance, even though it feels like it at times. Some of you have faced difficult things in your life, and you feel like it came out of left field. But God is not a God of chance. Ultimately, while we make decisions, the outcome is in God’s hands.

  1. Declare how you intend to live.

Setting a goal, declaring your intentions increases your commitment. Declaring whatever we’ve decided really reinforces it. There is nothing magical that happens when we say it, but something seems to happen inside of us when we declare it.

In our culture, we require people taking an oath of office to declare it out loud. When people get married, they declare their vows out loud. We stand together sometimes and give a pledge of allegiance to our country. Paul said “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10 NIV).

When we make a declaration of our intention for Christ, it’s not for his benefit; it’s for our benefit. It’s with the heart that we believe, but with the mouth that our confession is made. We say, “I love you,” to those we care about. Something occurs in our spirits when we make a declaration like that.

  1. Do the next right one thing!

Doing one thing daily to manage how you intend to live will result in progress, peace and purpose in your life.

In the Book of James, he reminds us to be doers of the Word. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do” (James 1:22-25 NIV).

So, those are the three things needed for our post-COVID world: decide, declare and do! Making a decision will give us direction. Declaring increases our commitment. Doing one thing daily to manage how you intend to live will result in progress, peace, and purpose in your life.

We live in a very chaotic world. As believers we pray for peace on the streets of America, wisdom for our leaders and for godly men and women to rise in leadership. The times we live in call for these things to weigh on our minds, and so we pray, as we should. We pray for justice in our country, for peace between people. A future exists post-COVID. God has plans and intentions for us.

There are some decisions you have to make. Consider this:

We have a feature online called The Intentionals,  where I take a top ten list on a certain topic and list those tens things out. A few years ago, I created one that included the top ten questions that we need to ask ourselves when we are considering making an important decision, but I’ll note a couple of them in the list that are important as we make decisions about what our lives will be like in the future. (Get the complete list here.)

  1. VISION: Will the decisions I’m making for my life move me closer to a life goal or towards solving a problem in my life? Philippians 3:14 says, “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (NLT). The decisions you make can move you in the right direction, the big picture of how you want to end.
  2. INTEGRITY: Will this decision affect any commitments or vows that I have made in life?
  3. GOD’s WORD: Does the Bible speak to decisions? As I’m trying to make decisions about my life and relationships and culture and what have you, what does God’s Word have to say about it?
  4. TIMING: Is this the best time to make a decision? I suspect there’s going to be a lot of people making decisions in the midst of this COVID-19 that they will later regret. We see some of the things going on in the streets of America that probably wouldn’t have happened six months ago.

Most of us are in the process of making decisions, so I hope you find it helpful to consider the circles of control, the circles of concern and then the process you go through to make a decision, because decision-making is important.

www.theintentionallife.com. Used by permission of the author.

 

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Ask Roger

Christian Hypocrites…or NOT? Alcohol and Other Disputable Matters

by Roger Barrier
written by Roger Barrier

Dear Roger,

 

I always understood that the Bible tells us to not be drunk, but it doesn’t explicitly say not to drink or that drinking alcohol is a sin, is that right? Can you help me speak clearly if the statement “Christians are such hypocrites when they drink” comes up?

 

Brett

 

Dear Brett,

 

The short answer is, you’re right!

 

There are numerous instances of people drinking alcohol in Scripture. Wine was consumed at meals as a normal part of daily life. Therefore, Christians who drink alcohol are not hypocrites.

 

However, there is specific instruction for Christians in Ephesians 5:18, which states, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.” Throughout Scripture, many passages describe drunkenness that leads to sin, destruction, and broken lives.

 

Simply, “Don’t get drunk” makes sense because we as followers of Christ need control over our minds and bodies to honor Him.

 

However, there is a much larger issue behind your question. Christians are constantly criticized for being “hypocrites,” or saying one thing and doing another. In other words, as followers of Christ, do we have to give up all of our rights because someone might think what we are doing is a sin?

 

Let’s go back to the beginning.

 

Christian relationships were in upheaval in first-century pagan culture. The Roman Christians were having difficulty deciding which activities were acceptable and which were not. Remember, they didn’t have the full canon of Scripture at that time.

 

Eating meat that had been offered to idols was a problem. First-century Christians had been saved out of both paganism and idol worship, and some wanted to avoid all contact with that old life. They deeply struggled with the idea of any contact with idolatry.

 

In Romans 14, the Apostle Paul’s advice was that since they were free in Christ, it was all right to go ahead and eat! Sadly, many who struggled with Paul’s solution were being hurt by those who were eating freely.

 

Others were arguing about whether or not Gentiles had to be circumcised before they could become Christians!

 

Unfortunately, “disputable” issues like these still divide Christians.

 

Here are a just a few examples:

 

Drinking Alcohol; Smoking; Dancing; Swimming Attire; Modesty; Movies; Music; Video Games; Holidays; Tattoos; Body Piercings; Bodily augmentations or upgrades; Worshiping Styles; Homeschooling; Halloween; Easter Bunnies; Hymns or Worship Songs … I could go on and on.

 

It’s time to stop arguing over things that don’t really matter. The only results are broken relationships and division in the Body of Christ.

 

Fortunately, Paul continues his advice to the Romans, giving us clear-cut guidelines on how to handle disputable matters so that we maintain fellowship in love and harmony with each other. He declared,

 

I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. (Romans 14:14-17)

 

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. (Romans 15:1)

 

How Do We Decide What to Do In Disputable Areas?

 

There are two extremes.

 

Legalism makes a list of rules. Don’t drink; don’t play cards, don’t dance, don’t go to movies, don’t wear shorts, don’t celebrate Halloween; read the Bible at least 30 minutes a day; and on and on. Legalism expects everyone to live up to their list.

 

Don’t miss this: legalists are ministers of condemnation.

 

I recall a story about a man in Georgia who wanted to get a liquor license for his restaurant. He was making his case to the county commissioners, by carefully pointing out that Jesus drank wine when He was here on earth.

 

One of the commissioners, a Baptist deacon, answered in an angry voice, “I know Jesus did, and that still embarrasses me.”

 

Legalists have never internalized their Christianity; it’s only on the outside, governing what they say and do. They don’t know what it’s like to walk in the Spirit, because they aren’t living a Spirit-filled life.

 

On the other hand, Libertinism says, “Since I’m free in Christ, I’m free to do whatever I want. I don’t have to worry about my behavior because God has promised to forgive all my sins. Thank God for grace.”

 

Libertines never internalized their Christianity either. They live by their own desires and never know what it’s really like to walk in the Spirit, because they aren’t living a Spirit-filled life.

 

These two viewpoints are extremes.

 

When we choose to trust Jesus Christ as our Savior and turn our lives over to Him, our Christianity becomes internal. We have the Holy Spirit, who serves often as our “conscience,” to help guide our decisions;

 

“But the holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26).

 

Where Do You Stand in the Dispute?

 

Because we live in a sinful, broken world, where our understanding of God and His truth is clouded, we will come across these disputable matters again and again. In Romans 14:1-6, Paul lays out four different categories that we fall into when we encounter a dispute:

 

Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not. The man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.

 

 

Category 1: I’m not free to do what you’re doing, and I am struggling that you think you can.

 

Early in my church ministry, we were concluding our successful building fundraiser with a huge churchwide banquet. The chairman and vice chairman and their wives arrived early. Julie and I came shortly thereafter to discover all four of them drinking cocktails.

 

I was scandalized! Some of our best church leaders and financial supporters were drinking alcohol!

 

Growing up, I was raised to believe that drinking alcohol was a sin, and it really upset me that they were “sinning” as our other parishioners were entering the banquet hall.

 

Later, I realized that that the Bible said it is okay for Christians to drink. They felt free to engage. I simply wasn’t free to drink, and boy, did I struggle when they did!

 

 

Category Two: I’m not free to do what you’re doing, but it’s okay with me if you are.

 

I grew up in a church with a pastor who sometimes preached his personal convictions as biblical truth. He made it quite clear that good Christians didn’t dance, drink alcohol, smoke, or ride “murdersickles.”

 

Julie’s pastor had no such qualms. She grew up dancing, while I sat on the sidelines.

 

I couldn’t dance. I wasn’t free. But Julie could, and she danced a lot!

 

One day, after about 25 years of marriage, I closed all the curtains and asked Julie to teach me to dance. That evening I realized just how much I’d  I had missed.

 

As far as dancing was concerned, I wish I’d had a different pastor.

 

 

Category Three: I’m free to do what you do, but it is a struggle for me.

 

A number of years ago, Julie and I were about to take communion at a Christian church in the Ukraine. We both had personal convictions never to drink alcohol – and we never had. Then as honored guests, Julie and I were offered the first drink.

 

I whispered to Julie, “What shall we do?”

 

“Drink it,” she said.

 

This was not how we did it in the local Baptist church where I grew up. At communion time everyone was given their own little individual cup, and we always used grape juice.

 

I had vowed never to let alcohol pass my lips. That was a personal conviction from childhood. But we couldn’t offend our hosts. So, I sipped the wine and passed the cup to Julie. I knew that I was free to drink, even though it was a struggle for me.

 

At least my first taste of wine came in church. By the way, it tasted awful.

 

 

Category Four: I’m free to do what you do, and I’m comfortable with you doing it.

 

I love my fireman son-in-law, Ricky. Ricky’s direct ancestors came to America from Italy. Wine was a staple at every meal. Ricky grew up on beer and pizza. A little alcohol was no big issue to him.

 

He and I spent a lot of time together playing golf.

 

One day, after we finished playing, I asked, “Ricky, would you like a beer with your pizza?” I had no problem consuming a little sip as we ate. I was finally free, and I had no problem with Ricky’s actions.

 

“Would you like one, Dad?”

 

“No,” I said, “I’ll just have a Coke.” I still think alcohol tastes awful.

 

 

Please notice that you may be in different categories in different areas. You may be a one about tattoos and a four when it comes to worship styles. I worked through all four categories when it comes to drinking alcohol. Part of that comes as you mature in your faith … our ultimate goal is to be free in Christ!

 

 

What Should You DO regarding the Dispute?

 

Paul’s teaching in Romans 14 also includes three key principles about how we should live and interact with others when it comes to disputable matters. Read this key passage one more time:

 

Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not. The man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. (14:1-6)

 

 

Principle One: I’m free to do what I want, but I won’t, because others might stumble.

 

Strong Christians eat the meat (tattoos, rock music, dance, piercings and “murdersickles”) without any pangs of conscience.

 

Weak Christians can’t do that. They’re not ready to walk in freedom yet;

 

Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. (1 Corinthians 8:9)

 

If some unbeliever invited to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever you put before you without raising questions of conscience. But if anyone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” do not eat it, both for the conscience of the man who told you and for the other man’s conscience. (1 Corinthians 10:27-30)

 

I remember Mrs. Green, who was a member of the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Penelope, Texas, where I pastored during college.

 

One Sunday morning, I wore a light green shirt with my new green suit. On the way out of church she said to me, “You know, preachers are supposed to wear white shirts.” So, I wore white shirts until colored shirts became fashionable.

 

Note this: Strong and weak are not necessarily indicators of spiritual growth.

 

Some very young Christians may be entering into great freedom while others further along in the journey are struggling in some or more of these sensitive areas. Sometimes that has to do with their upbringing and lessons they may have learned outside of Scripture. Other times, they’ve been through trauma, struggled with addiction, or something else.

 

That’s why a stumbling block is any disputable activity that hinders the spiritual growth of a weaker brother or sister.

 

Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way. (Romans 14:13)

 

It’s our responsibility to offer up our own freedoms in love when they might cause our weaker brother to stumble.

 

Principle Two: I’m free, and I’ll help others find freedom so they can be free, too.

 

We don’t want to cause our weaker brothers and sisters to struggle, but at the same time we don’t want them to stay weak forever.

 

So, how can we help a weaker Christian who can’t seem to understand our liberty or enjoy theirs?

 

The answer is simple, but not always easy: We restrict our freedom, and then we walk alongside them as they grow. It’s also important to let them know that we restricted our liberty in order to help them become strong in their own freedom.

 

When I was in college, racism was rampant in Texas. One afternoon, while we were visiting church members, Julie and I crested the hill to find something we’d never seen in Penelope before. In those days, it was called “colored town.” Of course, that is a hurtful, inflammatory term. Today, we would refer to the people who lived there as being “black” or “African-American”—it’s important to me that you understand the context of these terms and that time.

 

That evening, as Julie and I walked up the church steps, Mr. Green, our one deacon, pulled me aside and said, “I see you’ve been to ‘colored town’ today. Don’t go back there. Those people aren’t welcome here.”

 

I was shocked.

 

We didn’t return to “colored town” that night. I decided not to make a big deal out of the issue. Instead, I resolved to change that attitude gently over time through teaching God’s Word and much prayer.

 

The night of our summer Vacation Bible School graduation that year, our church was filled with children and parents from all over town—both black and white—and Mr. and Mrs. Green.

 

Principle Three: Rejoice if you have freedom in every disputable matter.

 

Paul finishes his teaching on the subject with a test of our own freedoms:

 

Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” (Romans 10:23-24)

 

 

However, if there is an area where you still struggle, then don’t take part in that area until you’re free. Otherwise, God considers it is sin.

 

“But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23)

 

The point is that we are never to violate our consciences. As we sort through disputable areas, we must recognize that sometimes what is a sin to one person may not be a sin to another.

 

Therefore, we must carefully keep our consciences clean because, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).

 

The Freedom Checklist

 

  1. Constantly review your conscience to see if it is limiting your freedom by improper teaching and knowledge.

 

  1. Carefully train your conscience according to Biblical knowledge and truth.

 

  1. Loosen up and enjoy your freedom in Christ.

 

  1. Join a church family which is more concerned with helping you enjoy the freedom of the Spirit-filled life than with burdening you down with all sorts of rules and regulations about disputable matters.

 

Well Brett,

 

I hope that I’ve answered your question and that you can use these principles as you sort out disputable areas with your friends and other Christians.

 

Love, Roger

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Articles

Why Do We Keep Making Bad Decisions?

by Caroline Leaf
written by Caroline Leaf

“Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you.” Proverbs 4:6

I am sure you have asked yourself many times why you keep making the same bad choice over and over again. I know I have! Recently, this happened to me; my schedule was so busy, and my husband and I had little time to rest. As a result, what was a very little issue on a phone call with someone we know turned into an explosive fight because of our bad assumptions and decisions. However, we eventually calmed down and analyzed the root causes of our choices, and how we could learn from the situation in order to avoid making the same wrong decisions over and over again.

In this week’s blog and podcast, I discuss the four main reasons we make bad decisions, how to stop making these decisions, how to become a proactive decision maker and how to re-train your brain to make better choices. There are two main parts to this process: first, understanding how to be a proactive decision-maker, and, second, recognizing the conditions under which bad decisions are generally made.

Let’s talk about being a proactive decision maker first:

We are thinking beings. As we think, we feel, and as we feel, we choose. We are literally doing this every 10 seconds in response to an incoming stream of signals from our environment. The signals are from people, discussions, social media, relationships, work, texts, calls emails, the news–life in general. This thinking, feeling and choosing response is our mind-in-action. It is filtered through the complexity of our own experiences—our stored memories. These memories move into the conscious mind in response to these signals of life, influencing our perceptions and worldview. They therefore need to be analyzed in a deliberate and intentional way to see if the perspective they provide is healthy or toxic.

We literally need to train ourselves to observe our thinking and feeling (in response to incoming information) and analyze them objectively before making a decision, otherwise we can fall prey to reactive and potentially harmful choices. This deliberate, intentional, self-regulative way of thinking is proactive, and the good news is that our brains will respond in a very healthy way if we practice doing this on a regular basis. In fact, when we do this we become smarter and wiser!

Part of this process is what I call “mental autopsy”: we examine our past bad decisions, deciding what our triggers were, what was wrong with how we reacted, what perspectives dominated our thinking, feeling and choosing, and how we can learn from these situations and react better in the future. Doing a mental-autopsy on past bad decisions will help prevent you from making the same mistakes again!

This kind of decision-making is very different to reactive decision-making, which is “shooting from the hip” and impulsive. You don’t analyze or learn from your mistakes, which can lead to a pattern of wrong decisions. This is what happened in my fight with my husband—we made assumptions because we did not take the time to examine our perceptions and our thinking, feeling and choosing. We let our emotions get the better of us, which made the situation worse! Indeed, making a decision on assumptions is one of the major reasons we make wrong decisions! It is always vital to ask yourself if what you are thinking is based on fact or based on your own assumptions, which are often mistaken.

So, how can you do this in your life? We have as humans the ability to stand back and observe our own thinking, feeling and choosing and existing upcoming memories, as well as the perspectives they provide, and weigh this all up and decide if it’s good for us—this is called our Multiple Perspective Advantage (MPA for short, which I discuss in my book Switch On Your Brain). As you do this, you become an objective observer, disassociating yourself from the situation you are in, almost as though you are helping someone else evaluate their thinking, feeling, choosing and perspective. In this way, you can analyze the pros and cons of how you are viewing a particular situation, and what the best next steps are.

Now, let’s review the conditions under which it is so easy to make a bad decision:

1. Making decisions when tired: the brain has limited energy and needs recharging. We do this through lifestyle choices like good nutrition and exercise, but, even more so, with good mind-management techniques. Our mind is infinite and tireless; our brains are finite and get tired. When tired, chemicals don’t flow like they should and the internal networks of the brain can get stuck or over-fire. This is akin to driving through a storm with broken wind screen wipers, which is what happened in the fight with my husband.

It is therefore so important that we take regular mental health breaks in the day in the form of “thinker moments”, where we daydream for a few moments to a few minutes – I recommend a minute or so every hour. These moments give your brain a rest and allow it to reboot and heal by letting your mind wander and daydream, which increases your clarity of thought and organizes the networks of your brain, rather than just letting toxic mindsets build up in the brain.

Also, make sure you take a decent break midday, control the number of hours you work in a day (as much as possible), take mental vacations by watching your favorite TV show or reading a good novel, and avoid burnout by listening to the emotional and physical warning signals your body send you.

2. Extreme emotions: emotions are physically represented in the brain as chemicals, which are often called “molecules of emotion”. They are attached to information that is vibrating in the protein tree-like memory structures of the brain. We create emotions as we think; if our thinking is chaotic, the thought trees in the brain are chaotic. These are like trees being blown in a bad storm, which can create brain damage and lead to bad choices because we won’t be thinking clearly.

When you find yourself in this kind of situation, it is best to do some breathing exercises, which dissipates cortisol and calms down your nervous system. You should also acknowledge out loud how you feel; differentiate, label and write your emotions down. Additionally, you can do a very simple physical exercise like tapping your feet, standing up and walking around for a few seconds, rotating your head, stretching or yawn to shift your focus from your own chaotic thinking and help calm you down. It is also important to let people know when you are feeling extreme emotions and cannot mentally make a decision right now—don’t try hide or suppress how you feel, as this will make things worse!

3. Distractions: these can lead to cognitive multitasking, which affects the flow of quantum and electromagnetic energy throughout our brain circuitry. This, in turn, can reduce intelligence in the moment…just when you need it to make a good decision! We need to recognize that although we as humans can do busy well, we also need to learn how to compartmentalize our tasks.

This doesn’t mean you have to slow down. Rather, you just have to get organized by saying things to yourself like “I can’t finish this now but will as soon as I am done sorting this problem…” or “I will make a note of where I am in this document and what I was thinking, so I can pick up here later…”. You can also tell people who need your attention to give you the time to finish what you are doing—don’t just be a “yes man”! This will help you compartmentalize, keeping things tidy in your mind and helping you prioritize what needs attention and what can wait. It’s a choice you have to make to not allow distractions to interrupt your flow. Remember, you control the distractions, the distractions don’t control you!

4. Too many choices at once: these are like too many surges of energy all hitting the brain at once, and can make you feel overwhelmed and stressed out. In many cases, this can lead to decision-making paralysis, or impulse choices that you will later regret.

The solution: take the time to sort out your thinking and your choices. You can do this by breathing in and out deeply, imagining holding up a shield around your mind, and then slowly focusing on each choice (one at a time) by writing them down as you speak out loud. Next, prioritize the top 2-3 options and toss the rest; force yourself to not look back at the other options, reminding yourself that even if you made the wrong decision, you learned something! Finally, set a deadline for making a decision.

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How to Explain the Gospel in Three Words

by Russell Moore
written by Russell Moore

Dr. Russell Moore explains that sharing the Gospel is not complicated. In fact, he can clearly summarize it in three words:

“Can you explain the gospel in three words? Someone posted a challenge a couple of weeks ago on social media. “One can’t explain the whole gospel in only three words,” I mumbled to myself. “That’s why we have a canon of 66 books.” The more I thought about it, though, the more my mind changed, and I became open to taking up the challenge.

I think I could explain the gospel in three words, so long as I would have follow-up time to explain all three words. And those words would be “Lord Jesus Christ.”

1. Lord

The word “Lord” would mean pointing to the Godness of God, what it means to speak of God as sovereign king and as loving Father. This would entail a discussion of God as Creator, what it means for us to be his creatures. This would involve a discussion of what God has revealed to us about his lordship as Creator. That he designed all things by and for Jesus Christ (John 1:1–5; Col 1:16).

It would also include our human predicament as idol-makers, who consistently choose other lords and gods and Pharaohs and Caesars, thinking they will be better to us, all the while cutting ourselves off from our only source of life, God himself.

2. Jesus

The second word, “Jesus,” would entail a discussion of what the name means: “She will bear a son and you shall call his name ‘Jesus,’ for he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Who is this speaking? He is the Creator God, the covenant God of Israel. To whom is he speaking? He is speaking to Joseph, of the lineage of Abraham, of the house of David. This would communicate both the sending of salvation by God the Father through the Holy Spirit, and also the covenant history behind this. The story here is that of Israel, summed up now in this person, the seed of Abraham and son of David.

Then the word “Jesus” would necessitate the definition of “save” and of “sins.” Why do we need saving? What has happened to us? What does it mean that we are sinners before a holy God? This would mean unpacking something of the wrath of God against sin, the love of God in providing salvation, and the way the two come together in the cross of Christ (Rom. 1–3). This would mean a discussion of the curse that has come upon us for our sin, and how, through substitution and sacrifice, Jesus bore that curse for us (Gal. 3).

The name “Jesus” would also necessitate defining the words “his people.” Jesus is the Word, that which holds the universe together, become flesh. He has joined us in our humanity, fully one of us, except without sin. He is therefore able to be our priest, to mediate for us in the heavenly temple with his own blood, his own prayers, his own life. This would also entail defining what it means for God to say, over and over, “You will be my people, and I will be your God.”

We cannot say the word ‘Jesus’ without speaking of his church. . . . We are saved to be a people. 

In Jesus, all the promises of God find their “Yes” and “Amen” (2 Cor. 1:20). Jesus is the heir of God’s promises to Abraham, and if we are hidden in him, those promises become fully ours (Gal. 3:29). Those of us who were outsiders to God’s promises are now, in him, by the blood of his cross, “brought near” to God (Eph. 2:13). We are all now, in Jesus, “no longer strangers and aliens” but “fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Eph. 2:19).

That means we cannot say the word “Jesus” without speaking of his church, united to him by the Spirit as a head to a body. We are saved to be a people.

3. Christ

The final word is “Christ,” which I would explain is not Jesus’s last name but a title, meaning “Anointed One.” Anointed with what? The Spirit of God. Anointed by whom? The Father God. Anointed for what? Kingship. Jesus is the rightful covenant king, fulfilling the missions of the fallen kingships of Adam and David. The kingdom of God, then, is the present reality and future hope of God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven. This kingship is demonstrated in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, as the firstborn of an entire family freed from death and hell (Rom. 8:29). In the word “Christ” we look backward to our story as the people of Israel promised deliverance. We also look forward to our future as joint-heirs with Jesus, ruling over the entire created universe. In this way, Christ Jesus sums up all of God’s purposes for the universe (Eph. 1:10–11) and hands over a completed cosmic mission to his Father, so that God may be all in all (1 Cor. 15:28).

We groan as we see the wreckage of the fall all around us, but we also joyfully enter into it in the present as we are formed by the Spirit, and as we embody together in the church, the demonstration site of the coming kingdom. We love and forgive and serve one another, and live on mission toward the outside world, as ambassadors for the coming king.

There’s much more to be said, of course. That’s why we need 66 books of God-breathed Scripture. That’s why we need the Spirit of Christ to teach us how to hear from him in that Scripture. We need many words, and God has given us many words. But we can start the conversation, I think, with three: “Lord Jesus Christ.” And, if we do, it might train us for what all of us one day will confess, on bended knee, “Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:11).

www.the gospelcoalition.org. Read the original article here. 

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Decision-Making and the Will of God

by Tommy Nelson
written by Tommy Nelson

“How do you know the will of God?”  At every Campus Crusade Christmas Conference that was the title of the workshop that always drew standing room numbers.  Because every Christian has wondered in the midst of crucial decisions if they were deciding in keeping with God’s will.

So how do you know the will of God?  Before we answer the question we must discuss the question of the will of God.  There are three distinctives to the will of God.

  1. There is God’s decretive will:  It is also called the moral will of God.  It is the Bible. Those things that God expressly forbids or allows.  There is no decision on these things.  One merely reads and obeys.
  2. Then there is the providential will of God.  These are those things that God has allowed or caused to happen.  We don’t make decisions on these things either.  We only decide how we will respond to what has taken place.  We trust then do what we can.
  3.  And then there is what we shall call the non-moral will of God, or perhaps the right or left will of God as opposed to the right or wrong will.  Some have called it the neutral will of God.

This is the decision that we fret over.  It’s not moral.  It’s not biblical.  It’s a personal decision. There is no ordained sense of guidance.  Can I be wrong?  Culpable?

Should I take the job offer?  Marry that Christian man or woman whom I truly love?  Homeschool or private?  Private or public?  Buy this house? Have this surgery?

If there is revelatory guidance, how do I know it?

Am I responsible to find it?  Are feelings my guide?

At what point am I free to make my “own” decisions?  The restaurant I choose?  My car?

Does God allow choices?  Free ones?  Does He still guide me in my direction?

So how do you make a right and left decision?

  1. Don’t worry about finding “the dot.”  I’ll use the word “dot” as meaning “the specific revealed will of God.”  God doesn’t ask us to find it and besides – how would you find it?  Would you hear a voice or receive a sign or an angel appear or a dream?  Or (and be honest – we’ve all done this),  you would read your Bible and interpret whatever you read as leading you one way or the other.  How about opening the Bible and sticking your finger down at random?  Your Bible now becomes your tea leaves or runic stones or crystal ball.  Your means of divination.  Perhaps the biggest problem with trying to find “the dot” is that you’ll find it!  You will interpretsomething as the will of God and that can be dangerous.  All kinds of ignorance has been laundered this way. God certainly can speak audibly but that is what He can freely do, not what we are commanded to hear.
  2.  Know that it’s ok to choose.  Part of being Adam was that he acted freely as God gave him the freedom.  Whatever he named the animal that it was.  He was to subdue, cultivate, and rule as he saw fit.  God gave him direction and boundaries but within them Adam was free.  It’s ok.  You’re not proud in choosing or disobedient or self-willed.  You are a redeemed human, a mature son or daughter of God.  You’ve had your Bar-Mitzvah through Christ.  You can choose.  Robots do not glorify God, sons do.  NO one in scripture is ever punished for making a neutral or non-moral decision.  Halted or redirected maybe, but never judged.
  3. Check your motive:  “All a man’s ways are right in his sight but God weighs to motives.” (Proverbs).  Why do you want what you want?
  4. Check your heart:  The burden of the heart is a very real and good thing.  The Book of Nehemiah says that Nehemiah told no one what “God had laid upon my heart.”  Paul spoke of his longing to come to Rome and his desire to go to Spain.  God gives us “the desires of our hearts” as we trust Him.  He “wills and works” in us for His good pleasure.  He can produce a longing.

A point needs to be clarified here.Paul said, “All those led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

(Romans 8:14)  But the leading of God’s Spirit is toward morality and conduct not in an extra-biblical knowledge.  People often misapply this verse to support God’s special knowledge through the Spirit instead of His guiding in conduct.

  1. Ask around:  “Where there is an abundance of counselors there is victory. (Proverbs)  Others who have walked the paths of life have made many of the same decisions.  You may find your decision is a lot more black and white than you thought.
  2. Pray for the providence of God:  Though God lets us choose still He guides us.  We are given the privilege to choose but we are not at the mercy of our choices.  Paul longed to go to Rome but God prevented him because He had more immediate purposes. (Romans 15:20-22).  We perceive in the scripture God’s purposes and pleasure then we plan, long, act and choose as we prayerfully trust His headship.  He can say “yes, no or later.”
  3.  Make certain you are obeying God in the things He has revealed so you can be guided in what He has not:

“Being in the way the Lord led me.” (Psalms)

“Walk before Me and I will establish My covenant with you.” (Genesis 17)

Are you in church, walking in purity, honoring God financially, in subjection in the areas God calls you to submission?  God doesn’t steer parked cars.  Faithful folks will always be led.

The girl I dated for four years was a sweet girl but I had developed a new direction in the things of the Great Commission.  I felt, reasoned, and surmised from what I read and from the counsel of three older men that she was the right girl, but for another man.  I heard no voice from heaven but made a choice.  I met Teresa and made another decision.  (The fact that her father owned his own oil company meant nothing.)  I chose as wisely as I could and God directed me.

·        I chose to do evangelism living hand to mouth for one year.  God blessed the choice.

·        I chose to be a college director at a Methodist church.  God blessed the choice.

·       I felt the need for deeper knowledge so I chose to go to Dallas Theological Seminary.  They said no to the degree program I chose but I had reasons for doing the two year rather than the four.  I continued to press – they said yes.  God has blessed it.  No voices, just guidance.

·       The Methodist job shut down and I had three choices.  Methodist, Baptist or a young Bible Church meeting in the Optimist Gym.  I felt and surmised from my doctrinal position and the counsel of good men to go with Denton Bible.  I did.  God blessed it.

My wife and I have made decisions on birth control, home schooling, home buying, our son’s college direction, our son’s military desires, caring for parents and on and on.  I have never heard the voice of God nor have I sought for it.  God did not call me to be mystic or robotic but to be wise, well read, prayerful – and a man – assertive, of sanctified willfulness, initiating – and trusting His guidance without hesitation or apology.

So . . . relax.

Do right, be free, be strong, be wise . . . then trust.

www.dbc.org. Used by permission. 

 

 

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How to Say “No” Wisely

by Lysa TerKeurst
written by Lysa TerKeurst

Proverbs 2:11: “Discretion will watch over you, understanding and discernment will guard you.” Lysa Terkeurst gives ten simple guidelines to help you navigate your decisions wisely:

 

Personal

 

1. While my heart wants to say yes, yes, yes, the reality of my time makes this a no.

 

2. I am honored by your request but I’m in a season of refocusing my priorities and have committed not to add anything new right now.

 

3. After living at an unhealthy breakneck pace for too long, I’m learning to realistically assess my capacity. Though I would love to say yes, the reality of my limitations means I must say no this time.

 

4. I so appreciate you asking me, but I must be brave and decline this opportunity. Saying no is hard for me but necessary in this season. Thank you for understanding.

 

Professional

 

5. I’ve promised my family not to add any new commitments to my schedule right now. Thank you for our friendship that allows me to be honest with my realities.

 

6. Thank you for thinking of me. Your project sounds wonderful. However, as much as I would love to be involved, I can’t give your project the attention it deserves right now.

 

 7. While I would love to connect about your new project, I’ve discovered this is one of those activities I must give up while trying to ____________________ (write my book, start my business, stick to my project, etc.) Saying yes would just enable my unhealthy habit of procrastination. Thank you for understanding and helping me push through to the finish line.

 

8. There is nothing I love more than helping others in my field get started. Unfortunately, I get so many requests for help that I’m no longer able to meet in person. So, I’ve created this attached document with my best advice.

 

9. While I don’t have time for a lunch appointment, I’d love to connect for a few minutes over the phone. I can talk from 8-8:30am.

 

10. Thank you so much for caring enough about me to want my involvement. Unfortunately, I’m not able to participate this time. But I’m certainly cheering for your continued success.

www.lysaterkeurst.com.

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Why Excuses Have Never Set Anyone Free

by Lisa Bevere
written by Lisa Bevere

Several years ago, I watched a documentary about a bull elephant—the type you can see at a circus—and I learned a valuable lesson that has stuck with me ever since. As I watched the program, I was amazed by the elephant’s formidable frame and intimidating tusks—whose presence causes would-be-offenders to back off—a similar response occurs when my husband struts the beach with his shirt off!

But what intrigued me the most about this bull elephant was the fact that it was limited by a ball and chain which was fastened on one of its rear legs. Whenever this massive elephant would walk a few feet, it would feel the tug of the chain, stop, and go no further. This occurred several times. The bull elephant would walk, feel the tug of the chain, then it would stop and go no further. Baffled, I wondered, “Doesn’t this elephant know that it has the strength to break out from its chain and go on a rampage?”

To my relief, the trainer explained the dilemma. When the bull elephant was young, circus trainers had placed a chain around its leg that was attached to a weighted ball buried in the ground. Initially, the young elephant would attempt to break free once it felt the tug of the chain, but because of its lack of strength, it failed. Sadly, as time passed and the elephant grew, it was conditioned to believe that the limitations placed upon it by the ball and chain were as far as it could ever go. Because the elephant failed to realize its strength and accepted defeat, it lived far below its potential.

Does this sound familiar to you?

Unknowingly, some of us can be like that bull elephant—conditioned by the limits placed on us by ourselves or others. Maybe you’ve grown up believing that you’ll never amount to much, or perhaps you’ve worn labels such as “failure”, “stupid”, “ugly” or “not good enough.” These are all lies from the enemy in an attempt to diminish you!

Have you tolerated defeat long enough that it has become a way of life? You may not be bound to a ball and chain, but you find yourself bound to other things that hold you back. Perhaps you’ve stepped out in obedience to God only to feel the tug of fear, insecurity, or inadequacy, and allowed them to stop you in your tracks?

If that’s you, then it’s time to stop making excuses for your captivity and loosen yourself from your chains. God did not save you to tame you! In Christ, you have all the strength you need to rise up, break free and live in victory. I love the advice Isaac gave his son Esau:

“But when you decide to break free, you will shake his yoke from your neck” (Genesis 27:40 NLT).

Notice Isaac did not say, “When God thinks it’s the right time for you to be free, He’ll take the yoke off you.” Nor did he say, “When God decides you have suffered enough, He will remove the yoke from you.” In fact, God is not even mentioned in this verse. Other translations say it this way, “But when you can’t take it anymore you’ll break loose and run free” (MSG); “But [the time shall come] when you will grow restive and break loose, and you shall tear his yoke from off your neck” (AMPC).

Paraphrased, this verse could read, “When you’ve had enough, you will throw off your bondage. When you’ve stopped blaming everyone else . . . when you stop feeling sorry for yourself . . . when you no longer look back . . . when you stop blaming God . . . when you are finally frustrated with the limitations of your yoke. . . when you are tired enough to get mad, then you’ll break free.”

Precious daughter, your freedom begins with a decision. A decision is not a wish, but a resolute commitment to a course of action. Understand that what you tolerate will never change. When you justify a behavior, you buy into that behavior. But you don’t have to live that way any longer—freedom and victory are within your grasp. Now, what are you going to do about it?

Excuses have never set anyone free!

If you’re tired of living below your potential and want to break free from self-imposed limitations, then it’s time to renew your mind and live in freedom! 

www.messengerinternational.org. Used by permission.

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Consider This Before Making a Decision

by Lysa TerKeurst
written by Lysa TerKeurst

Do you need to make a decision about something that seems so exciting, but you can’t seem to shake the hesitation in your heart?

We have a family friend named Wes who’s been fascinated with pilots and planes since he was a little boy. So he was absolutely thrilled when his dreams of becoming a flight-school instructor became a reality.

But a few years ago, it all became a bit more complicated. The owner of the flight school decided to offer Wes the opportunity to buy him out. It was an amazing opportunity. But a scary one. One that created a bit of hesitation for Wes.

Our family spent lots of time processing this decision with Wes. We helped him with assessing the costs of this endeavor: the cost to him personally, the cost to his young wife, and the cost of everyday pressures people who own their own businesses feel.

As we were talking with him one day, I shared a picture I keep in my mind when making decisions.

Imagine this opportunity as an amazingly attractive but fast-moving river. There’s so much that looks extremely appealing about this river that you’re going to be tempted to jump right in. But once in the river, you have diminished your ability to make decisions.

That river is moving so fast that it will take you where it is going. And if you haven’t carefully determined in advance whether you want to go all the places where the river flows, you’ll be in trouble.

“He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.” Isaiah 49:10b (NIV)

College students declaring their majors should trace the places that career will take them. If you think you want to major in chemistry but hate working in a lab or hospital, trace that river’s path before jumping in.

Moms thinking about a new business opportunity should trace out all the expenses of getting started, including upfront costs, childcare and inventory. If a mom’s desire is to stay at home with the kids, but this business will require her to be gone every night of the week, trace that river’s path before jumping in.

Before jumping into the river, you have the ability to walk up and down the banks of the river with ease.

You have the ability to stick your toes in and consider what this water will be like.

You can talk to other wise people who know things about this river. And sit quietly listening for God’s voice, reading His Word, looking for confirmation on what to do next.

But once you jump in, the current has a way of demanding your full attention. It’s not that you can’t make adjustments once you’re in the river; it’s just a lot harder to go a different direction once you’re in it.

Several verses describing God’s leading, directing and guiding beside the water have been great comfort to me:

• “He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water” (Isaiah 49:10b).

• “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:1-3, NKJV).

• “With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble, for I am a father to Israel” (Jeremiah 31:9a, ESV).

These are comforting to me … because stepping out in faith is talked about a lot in the Christian world — and I believe in that wholeheartedly.

I believe God clearly instructs some to jump right in.

But that doesn’t mean God calls everyone to jump right in. Sometimes the greater act of faith is to let God lead us, talk to us and instruct us beside the water.

With our friend Wes, after he traced the path and assessed where his choices would lead, he decided not to buy the flight school. It’s a choice he’s so glad he made then, now that he’s a full-time pilot and father.

Let’s slow down today, sweet friend. Because while God absolutely does have invitations where He wants us to say yes, we need to be sure the invitation in front of us is ours before we jump all of the way in.

Dear Lord, I want to really think about this river before jumping in. Reveal anything I might not be seeing right now. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY

Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” (ESV)

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Kicking the Can: Avoid Ignorance, Denial and Stupidity

by Craig Lounsbrough
written by Craig Lounsbrough

Face it, there are just some things that we don’t like to do.  We all have those irritating things that incessantly demand our attention.  Every one of us has a collection of loathsome demands that keep throwing themselves in front of us.  Our lives are chock full of repetitive tasks, missed agenda items, overdue obligations, lapsed deadlines, and overlooked commitments that constantly harass us.  We all have those irritating things that are irritating because we know that they need to be done, and we know that we should have gotten them done a long time ago, and we know that we’d feel a whole lot better if we had gotten them done.  But we don’t want to.  And so all of these various things have become something of a noxious stench emanating from the pages of our calendars.  And so we find ourselves attempting to pencil those things out and off of our calendars.  We all have things that we just don’t like to do, so we kick the can down the road.

 

Then there are the messes that we’ve made.  There’s the colossal blunders, the erroneous missteps, and the self-centered choices that have turned on us.  Then there’s the little messes that have grown into mammoth messes because we never took care of the little messes when we should have.  There were gambles that we took that were prompted more by a narcissistic headiness than a thoughtful deliberation.  There were risks that we embraced out of some childish cavalier notion rather than a measured wisdom.  We have some bad things that we caused that we just don’t like to deal with, so we kick them down the road as well.      

 

Versions of Kicking the Can

Yet, things don’t go away just because we want them to.  Problems don’t get solved just because we’re annoyed with them.  Life is not so enchanted that things simply just dissipate all by themselves, or mystically resolve themselves because life feels bad for us.  ‘Avoidance’ is not some sort of practiced slight-of-hand where the things that we’re avoiding magically vanish under the silken cloak of avoidance.  ‘Denial’ is not some ingenious, multi-purpose tool that fixes whatever problem is that we’re in denial of, somehow busily working away behind the scenes while we’re sitting in denial of the problem.  And whatever ‘ignoring’ is, it’s not powerful enough to somehow relegate the thing that we’re ignoring to the very oblivion that we hope our ignoring will relegate it to.  We all have things that we just don’t like to do, so we kick the can down the road.

 

Kicking the Can Implies Acceptance of the Can

In kicking the can, it’s not that we’re in denial of the issue, or the commitment, or the obligation, or the deadline that we’re working so hard to avoid, or the self-made mess that we want to forget about.  We’ve come to accept whatever it is that we’re kicking down the road, and we’ve embraced the fact that it’s a part of our lives and it’s likely here to stay as much as we hate that.  We’ve long given up hope that it’s going to go away, or supernaturally fix itself, or be fixed by someone else.  Kicking the can down the road implies that we’re accepted the galling reality that whatever it is that we’ve avoiding, it’s something that’s not going to go away; at least on its own.  So given that it’s not going to go away, we decide to push it away by kicking it down the road.

 

Kicking the Can Is an Action Based on a Decision

Kicking the can down the road is an action.  It represents the decision that we’ve made about whatever it is that we’re avoiding.  It’s the choice we’ve made to deal with this thing by not dealing with it.  It’s a conscious decision to placate responsibility, postpone the inevitable, deny our poor choices, pay a legitimate obligation forward yet again, and momentarily pretend that all is good so as to avoid any discomfort around that fact that all is not good.  There’s nothing inherently good or redeeming about kicking the can down the road.  In doing so, we’re doing nothing more than exhibiting cowardice and nothing less than throwing off responsibility.

 

Kicking the Can to Pawn It Off

Sometimes kicking the can down the road is done out of some pathetic hope that somebody else is going to pick it up and take care of it for us.  Maybe someone else will step in or step up and solve this. Maybe if we kick it down the road long enough and hard enough somebody else is going to get tired of watching us do it, or feel bad enough for us that they’ll take care of it.  Maybe we’re actually kicking the can in the direction of somebody as a means of baiting them a bit and hoping they’ll get rid of this for us.  Whatever the case, maybe someone will have mercy on us, walk up to the can, pick it up, and dispense of it for us. 

 

Kicking The Can is Often Blaming the Can on Someone Else

Sometimes kicking the can is designed to kick it so far away from us that we no longer look like we’re connected to the can.  If we can ignore the issue long enough and distance ourselves from it far enough, we can often make it look like we really have nothing to do with it at all.  But more than that, it’s often a way to distance the issue or the mistake or the blunder so far from us that it actually looks as if it belongs to someone else.  Maybe we can ignore the issue long enough and kick it so far away from us that it appears as if it’s closer to somebody else than it is to us.  If we can pull that off, we can actually make the issue look like it belongs to the person that we’ve kicked it over to.  And too often once we’ve done that, we not only make the claim that it’s theirs, but we go so far as to say that it was never ours in the first place.  Suddenly, kicking the can down the road becomes an act of kicking it over onto someone else’s road.

 

Kicking the Can Will Kick Our Can

There are implications for kicking the can down the road.  Sometimes those implications are serious beyond whatever the issue was in the first place.  Sometimes they’re outright devastating.  The reality of life is such that avoiding most things means that those things will become worse in the avoiding, not better.  If we’re avoiding something in the first place it’s probably because it’s pretty bad to begin with, otherwise we wouldn’t be working so hard to avoid it.  And the worse something is, the worse it’s going to get if we avoid it.  We add to the problem each time with avoid the problem.  So kicking the proverbial can down the road only increases in the size of the can.  And when that happens there will come a time when it’s too big to kick any longer. 

 

What’s Your Can?

We all have our cans.  Some are small and some are anything but small.  But we all have them and it would be in our best interest to be honest about them.  It’s time to identify our cans, as grueling and distasteful as that might be.  Once we’ve done that, it’s time to quite the kicking and start the resolving.  The road to resolution might be a rough one that demands much of us, but it will not demand as much of us as it will if we keep on kicking the can.  It’s about being accountable.  It’s about being a person of integrity and intention.  It’s about stepping up to whatever our cans might be, purposefully reaching down, picking up the lot of them and ridding our lives of each one.  A life with no cans to kick is a life of un-littered roads that grant us unobstructed passage.  And it would seem that a litter free road would be a rather nice one to travel.  It might be wise to consider adopting a can free life and giving up a kicking career.

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Is Your Kid Running From God? Today’s Prodigal Son

by Kevin Leman
written by Kevin Leman

I continue to receive emails from parents asking about modern day prodigal children. Whether the prodigal is defying family rules, living an undesirable life style, or leaving to who-knows-where, it’s a heart wrenching experience for any parent.

Parents have poured so much energy, time and love into their son or daughters life. I was prompted to blog on this subject after receiving an email from a Mom who was complaining that her son was getting drunk, staying out late, waking up the family at all hours and smoking weed to boot!

Now get this, she is planning on sending him away to a private University next fall. Let me get this straight, you are going to spend 40K to send this kid to a private school and he is drunk and smoking weed all the time? What is wrong with this picture?

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go” 

That does not mean train up a child in the way YOU think he should go. It speaks specifically to what way God would have your kid go (according to his bent). Let’s face it. Some kids learn the hard-way.

Just like the true prodigal son in the Bible, he went to a far away land. Where no one would recognize him. After being gone for sometime he realized that his father’s farmhands were much better off than he.  He then returned to his home, and his father said,  ”Oh, look what the cat dragged in, did you learn your lesson out there, big boy?”

No.That’s not what it says.  It says,  ”The Father saw him from a far.  And ran towards him and  embraced him. He put a ring on his finger, and put a robe on him. And feasted on the fatten calf.”

I realize that the prodigal son story is one of salvation. It’s really not a study in family relationships. But it does prove a good point– and that is, some people have to hit bottom and be put on their own, to realize that a new direction or path must be taken.

Here are a few suggestions if you are dealing with a modern day prodigal:

  1. If he/she has left the family, make no attempt to contact them. No, not even a birthday card, and certainly not a birthday card with money  in it!  Let all contacts be initiated by your son or daughter.
  2. Exercise patience, you might have you wait a while!
  3. If you prodigal lives with you, you need to find of way of saying (if they are 18 or older) “This isn’t working. We as parents are holding you back. We are too old fashioned for you. You need to go live life the way you think it oughta be lived.”

What you are doing here is showing him/her the door with a smile on your face. I know you are saying to yourself right now, ”Leman, where is he/she going to get the money to live by himself?” Well, I don’t have the foggiest idea, but it would be a great experience for him to get out, live with his buddy and try to make it financially. Would I continue to pay insurance on a car that he owns? No.

I wouldn’t give him/her a dime. There are two approaches here. The slow leak theory is when you watch your kid spiral down week after week. The blow out theory is when you bring things to a head. Some kids grow up easy, and some with great difficulty. But becoming the enabler, and allowing your son/daughter to live under your roof, eat your food, then disrespect you repeatedly, doesn’t help your child and it certainly doesn’t help you.

If you are going through this heartache right now, know that you are not alone. Other parents have dealt effectively with their prodigal. Yes, continue to pray for your son or daughter. Remember that God sometimes puts us through trials to make us stronger. Realize that this tough time on you might be a necessary step in your child’s faith journey and coming to the truth of what life is all about.

As always your comments are welcome!  What say you?

http://www.birthorderguy.com Used by permission.

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What’s the State of Your Heart?

by Max Lucado
written by Max Lucado

I can still remember the first time I saw one. I had gone to work with my dad—a big thrill for a ten-year-old whose father worked in the oil fields. I sat in the cab of the pickup as tall as I could, stretching to see the endless West Texas plain. The countryside was flat and predictable, boasting nothing taller than pumpjacks and windmills. Maybe that is why the thing seemed so colossal. It stood out on the horizon like a science-fiction city

“What’s that?”

“It’s a refinery,” Dad answered.

A jungle of pipes and tanks and tubes and generators—heaters, pumps, pipes, filters, valves, hoses, conduits, switches, circuits. It looked like a giant Tinker-Toy® set.

The function of that maze of machinery is defined by its name: It refines. Gasoline, oil, chemicals—the refinery takes whatever comes in and purifies it so that it’s ready to go out.

The refinery does for petroleum and other products what your “heart” should do for you. It takes out the bad and utilizes the good. We tend to think of the heart as the seat of emotion.

We speak of “heartthrobs,” “heartaches,” and “broken hearts.”

But when Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart,” he was speaking in a different context. To Jesus’ listeners, the heart was the totality of the inner person—the control tower, the cockpit. The heart was thought of as the seat of the character—the origin of desires, affections, perceptions,
thoughts, reasoning, imagination, conscience, intentions, purpose, will, and faith.

Thus a proverb admonished, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

To the Hebrew mind, the heart is a freeway cloverleaf where all emotions and prejudices and wisdom converge. It is a switch house that receives freight cars loaded with moods, ideas, emotions, and convictions and puts them on the right track.

And just as a low-grade oil or alloyed gasoline would cause you to question the performance of a refinery, evil acts and impure thoughts cause us to question the condition of our hearts.

But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man “unclean.” For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.2

The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.3

These verses hammer home the same truth: The heart is the center of the spiritual life. If the fruit of a tree is bad, you don’t try to fix the fruit; you treat the roots. And if a person’s actions are evil, it’s not enough to change habits; you have to go deeper. You have to go to the heart of the problem, which is the problem of the heart.

That is why the state of the heart is so critical. What’s the state of yours?

When someone barks at you, do you bark back or bite your tongue? That depends on the state of your heart.

When your schedule is too tight or your to-do list too long, do you lose your cool or keep it? That depends on the state of your heart.

When you are offered a morsel of gossip marinated in slander, do you turn it down or pass it on? That depends on the state of your heart.

Do you see the bag lady on the street as a burden on society or as an opportunity for God? That, too, depends on the state of your heart.

The state of your heart dictates whether you harbor a grudge or give grace, seek self-pity or seek Christ, drink human misery or taste God’s mercy.

No wonder, then, the wise man begs, “Above all else, guard your heart.”

David’s prayer should be ours: “Create in me a pure heart, 0 God.”4

And Jesus’ statement rings true: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Note the order of this beatitude: first, purify the heart, then you will see God. Clean the refinery and the result will be a pure product.

We usually reverse the order. We try to change the inside by altering the outside.

The message of the beatitude is a clear one: You change your life by changing your heart.

How do you change your heart? Jesus gave the plan on the mountain. Back away from the beatitudes once more and view them in sequence.

The first step is an admission of poverty: “Blessed are the poor in spirit. . . .“ God’s gladness is not received by those who earn it, but by those who admit they don’t deserve it. The joy of Sarah, Peter, and Paul came when they surrendered, when they pleaded for a lifeguard instead of a swimming lesson, when they sought a savior instead of a system.

The second step is sorrow: “Blessed are those who mourn….” Joy comes to those who are sincerely sorry for their sin. We discover gladness when we leave the prison of pride and repent of our rebellion.

Sorrow is followed by meekness. The meek are those who are willing to be used by God. Amazed that God would save them, they are just as surprised that God could use them. They are a junior-high-school clarinet section playing with the Boston Pops. They don’t tell the maestro how to conduct; they’re just thrilled to be part of the concert.

The result of the first three steps? Hunger. Never have you seen anything like what is happening! You admit sin—you get saved. You confess weakness—you receive strength. You say you are sorry—you find forgiveness. It’s a zany, unpredictable path full of pleasant encounters. For once in your life you’re addicted to something positive—something that gives life instead of draining it. And you want more.

Then comes mercy. The more you receive, the more you give. You find it easier to give grace because you realize you have been given so much. What has been done to you is nothing compared to what you did to God.

For the first time in your life, you have found a permanent joy, a joy that is not dependent upon your whims and actions. It’s a joy from God, a joy no one can take away from you.

A sacred delight is placed in your heart.

It is sacred because only God can grant it.

It is a delight because you would never expect it.

And though your heart isn’t perfect, it isn’t rotten. And though you aren’t invincible, at least you’re plugged in. And you can bet that he who made you knows just how to purify you—from the inside out.

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Seedy Relatives?

by Julie Barrier
written by Julie Barrier

Genealogy.com is all the rage. In a society of people searching for significance, we long to know who we are and why we are here. So let me shake my family tree for you. I found some flavorful fruit, a few lemons and one really rotten apple.

The East Texas morning sun streamed through the windowpane of the neighborhood McDonald’s as I scarfed my Egg McMuffin and slurped my decaf McCoffee (two sugars). My Mom and Dad described the “fruit” that fell from my family tree in days gone by. They told of dirt farmers, gas jockeys, oil barons, rodeo cowboys, engineers and, oh yes, one bad seed. Every family has one. It’s the renegade relative who makes Aunt Prissy and Uncle Baptist blush. The black sheep. I’m sure every family closet has its share of skeletons, but the bag of bones from our “Tacker Tree” takes the cake.

We were always a colorful bunch. I discovered today that my great granny Evelina seldom wore underwear. It cramped her style. A farm wife and all-around tough cookie, Evelina skinned squirrels and wrung chicken necks before you could blink an eye. Blood and guts never phased her. She only saw the squirrel stew and fried chicken that would fill her table after the dirty work was done. My father, Ralph Jr., told me of the redneck wife of our rodeo wrangler who swilled beers and swore like a sailor. First Cousin Shirley was a sharp shooter. She could pick off a squirrel in mid-air with her twenty-two and shoot an unsuspecting bunny before the squirrel hit the ground. Nobody, but nobody, messed with Cousin Shirley.

One shady character from the Tacker tree stood out from the crowd. He was the name you mentioned in hushed tones-the page that was missing from the family Bible. Daddy’s fifth cousin (twice removed), Elderberry Waldo, was the talk of Thanksgiving dinners and Saturday night bridge games. Daddy told me that he possessed a treasured scrapbook of Tacker lore, but Elderberry was conspicuously missing. How could he speak of this cousin with such shock and awe? My daddy was no saint. When it came to mischief, Dad came in a close second. At three, he experimented with a nail and an electric socket and nearly blacked out the neighborhood. I think his preschool foray into electrocution caused him to lose his hair at an early age. At nine, Ralphie jumped off the garage roof assured that he could fly like Superman. He survived unscathed, except for a well-deserved whipping. At eleven, he carved a foot-long scar in his sister’s leg with a coat hanger, and at eighteen, he was arrested by the campus police for engaging in a rousing bout of fisticuffs.

Elderberry, however, took the cake. My Dad’s earliest memory of his errant cousin involved a slingshot and a wasp nest. Apparently wasp larvae were used as fishing bait, so Elderberry clipped the nest, full of wasps and all, and sent it hurdling to the ground. This was not a smart move. One particularly enraged wasp returned the “shot” with a sting between Elderberry’s eyes. Elderberry swelled up like a bowling ball. He couldn’t even see the nest, much less fish with the wasp eggs. Ralph’s cousin was either extremely brave or extremely stupid. As history would have it, he was both.

Elderberry soon morphed from mischievous to malicious. He tired of writing spelling words and being sent to the principal’s office for classroom crimes, so he burned down the Malone school. Now that’s what I call over-reacting! Once he tasted the adrenaline rush of being the town bad boy, there was no stopping him. My father rolled his eyes as he recounted the tale of Elderberry’s car chase with the Texas Highway Department. The evil cousin’s drab DeSoto couldn’t go above 40 mph, so he lit a dynamite stick and hurled it in the window of the pursuing cop car. From misdemeanor to mastermind, Elderberry’s robberies and scams finally succeeded in placing him upon the U.S. Most Wanted list along with Al Capone and John Dillinger. One drizzly Saturday afternoon, a patrolman pulled Daddy over for speeding. (Of course, he was only five mph over the speed limit!) When the cop saw Pop’s last name and mug shot on his driver’s license, he shook in his boots. Sheriff So-and-So, the brawny Texas lawman, thought he was face to face with the legendary Elderberry Tacker. Dad is not sure if Elderberry was placed behind bars for his many crimes, but he sure led a colorful life. Our family was tainted. Though we had our share of saints and sweethearts, we all knew about the cagey con man that tarnished the family name.

My father wondered if he could have rescued his childhood playmate from his wicked ways. He pondered long and hard about his cousin’s criminal bent and wished he could have seen the signs to save Elderberry from himself. Daddy’s last memory of his errant cousin was a telltale one. Elderberry shivered on his front porch and asked to borrow Ralph’s father’s overcoat. Texas winter winds were biting to the bone and Ralph Sr. worked outside pumping gas in the bitter cold. During those war years, nobody owned more than one coat, so my dad was sure Elderberry would return it right away. Elderberry smiled, winked, and sauntered down the lane. He was never to be seen or heard from again.

We all know an Elderberry or two. However, we also have a little of Elderberry in all of us to one degree or another.

My maternal grandmother, Dora Goodman Tacker (affectionately called “Moy”) wasn’t a bad seed, but she had a few weedy qualities. My Grandma was a ring-tailed tooter. She built airplanes in World War II, she pumped gas in the forties and she was a smooth-talking real estate saleswoman until she was ninety. Yep, those Tacker women were tough as nails. Though we adored her moxy, Grandma Tacker lacked tact. Whatever she was thinking promptly popped out of her piehole unedited and uncensored. Her wit was razor-sharp and her criticism was on the catty side. Such frankness proved effective when she collected the monthly rent from her tenants. And she collected the dinero herself until she was ninety-two! If you crossed Moy, there was hell to pay. Though my Granny was short in stature, she held onto a grudge like a bulldog with a bone. Years later, she’d pull out your scorecard and remind you of your many mistakes. 

That “steel trap” mind of Moy’s also remembered every birthday, every graduation and anniversary. She partied hearty and loved passionately. Dora knew our faults, but often gave us grace. Her tenacity translated into fierce loyalty. She loved God, her family and her Sunday School ladies. Moy taught the Bible with heavenly wisdom until her dying day. But she drove to church like she was headed for Hades.

Most of us are not miscreant ne’er-do-wells like Elderberry. We are a mixed bag of sweet and sour like Moy. Whether you see yourself as Elderberry or Dora, or someone in between, you can be different today. Jesus died for you, warts and all. When you accept God’s free gift of salvation paid for by Jesus’ painful death on the cross, you are born again with heavenly DNA. God trades your sinful seed for the seed of Christ. You are born again. He turns your tares to wheat, gives you a new family and a Heavenly Home.  

God said that the “bad seed” of sin with which we all were born will continue to take root and grow. Our only hope is to be born again, and to have the “seed of Christ” planted deep within our hearts. As we encounter the Elderberry’s in our lives, may we look with deep compassion upon them realizing that without a Savior we would walk in their shoes. We must never fail to share the promise of unconditional love, forgiveness and transformation that Jesus offers.

2 Corinthians 5:17-19 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.”

 

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Bigger Than You: Bigger Than Death

by Max Lucado
written by Max Lucado

“How was the night?” asked the nurse. The young man’s weary eyes answered the question before his lips could. It had been long and hard. Vigils always are. But even more so when they are with your own father.

“He didn’t wake up.”

The son sat by the bed and held the bony hand that had so often held his own. He was afraid to release it for fear that doing so might allow the man he so dearly loved to tumble over the brink. He had held it all night as the two stood on the canyon’s edge, aware of the final step that was only hours away.

With word’s painted black with confusion, he summarized the fears that had been his companions during the darkness. “I know it has to happen,” the son yearned, looking at his father’s ashen face; “I just don’t know why.”

The canyon of death.

It is a desolate canyon. The dry ground is cracked and lifeless. A blistering sun heats the wind that moans eerily and stings mercilessly. Tears bum and words come slowly as visitors to the canyon are forced to stare into the ravine. The bottom of the crevice is invisible, the other side unreachable. You can’t help but wonder what is hidden in the darkness. And you can’t help but long to leave.

Have you been there? Have you been called to stand at the thin line that separates the living from the dead? Have you lain awake at night listening to machines pumping air in and out of your lungs? Have you watched sickness corrode and atrophy the body of a friend? Have you lingered behind at the cemetery long after the others have left, gazing in disbelief at the metal casket that contains the body that contained the soul of the one you can’t believe is gone?

If so, then this canyon is not unfamiliar to you. You’ve heard the lonesome whistle of the winds. You’ve heard the painful questions Why? What for? ricochet answerless off the canyon walls. And you’ve kicked loose rocks off
the edge and listened for the sound of their crashing, which never comes.

The young father crushed the cigarette into the plastic ashtray He was alone in the hospital waiting room. How long will it take? It all had happened so quickly! First came the news from the hospital, then the frantic drive to the emergency room and then the explanation of the nurse. “Your son was hit by a car. He has some serious head wounds. He is in surgery The doctors are doing the best they can.”

Another cigarette. ‘My God. “ The words of the father were almost inaudible. “He’s only five years old.”

Standing on the edge of the canyon draws all of life into perspective. What matters and what doesn’t are easily distinguished. Above the canyon wall no one is concerned about salaries or positions. No one asks about the car you drive or what part of town you live in. As aging humans stand beside this ageless chasm, all the games and disguises of life seem sadly silly.

It happened in one fiery instant. “Where is the bird?” shouted a space engineer at Cape Canaveral.

“Oh, my God “cried a teacher from the viewing stands nearby. “Don’t let happen what I think just happened” Confusion and horror raced through the nation as we stood on the edge of the canyon watching seven of our best disintegrate before our eyes as the shuttle exploded into a white and orange fireball.

Once again we were reminded that even at our technological finest, we are still frighteningly frail.

It is possible that I’m addressing someone who is walking the canyon wall. Someone you love dearly has been called into the unknown and you are alone. Alone with your fears and alone with your doubts. If this is the case, please read the rest of this piece very carefully. Look carefully at the scene described in John 11. In this scene there are two people: Martha and Jesus. And for all practical purposes they are the only two people in the universe.

Her words were full of despair. “If you had been here. . .“ She stares into the Master’s face with confused eyes. She’d been strong long enough; now it hurt too badly. Lazarus was dead. Her brother was gone. And the one man who could have made a difference didn’t. He hadn’t even made it for the burial. Something about death makes us accuse God of betrayal. “If God were here there would be no death!” we claim.

You see, if God is God anywhere, he has to be God in the face of death. Pop psychology can deal with depression. Pep talks can deal with pessimism. Prosperity can handle hunger. But only God can deal with our ultimate dilemma—death. And only the God of the Bible has dared to stand on the canyon’s edge and offer an answer. He has to be God in the face of death. If not, he is not God anywhere.

Jesus wasn’t angry at Martha. Perhaps it was his patience that caused her to change her tone from frustration to earnestness. “Even now God will give you whatever you ask”

Jesus then made one of those claims that place him either on the throne or in the asylum: “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha misunderstood. (Who wouldn’t have?) “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

That wasn’t what Jesus meant. Don’t miss the context of the next words. Imagine the setting: Jesus has intruded on the enemy’s turf; he’s standing in Satan’s territory: Death Canyon. His stomach turns as he smells the sulfuric stench of the ex-angel, and he winces as he hears the oppressed wails of those trapped in the prison. Satan has been here. He has violated one of God’s creations.

With his foot planted on the serpent’s head, Jesus speaks loudly enough that his words echo off the canyon walls. “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25).

It is a hinge point in history. A chink has been found in death’s armor. The keys to the halls of hell have been claimed. The buzzards scatter and the scorpions scurry as Life confronts death—and wins! The wind stops. A cloud blocks the sun and a bird chirps in the distance while a humiliated snake slithers between the rocks and disappears into the ground.

The stage has been set for a confrontation at Calvary.

But Jesus isn’t through with Martha. With eyes locked on hers he asks the greatest question found in Scripture, a question meant as much for you and me as for Martha. “Do you believe this?”

Wham! There it is. The bottom line. The dimension that separates Jesus from a thousand gurus and prophets who have come down the pike. The question that drives any responsible listener to absolute obedience to or total rejection of the Christian faith.

“Do you believe this?”

Let the question sink into your heart for a minute. Do you believe that a young, penniless itinerant is larger than your death? Do you truly believe that death is nothing more than an entrance ramp to a new highway?

“Do you believe this?”

Jesus didn’t pose this query as a topic for discussion in Sunday schools. It was never intended to be dealt with while basking in the stained glass sunlight or while seated on padded pews.

No. This is a canyon question. A question which makes sense only during an all-night vigil or in the stillness of smoke-filled waiting rooms. A question that makes sense when all of our props, crutches, and costumes are taken away. For then we must face ourselves as we really are: rudderless humans tail-spinning toward disaster. And we are forced to see him for what he claims to be: our only hope.

As much out of desperation as inspiration, Martha said yes. As she studied the tan face of that Galilean carpenter, something told her she’d probably never get closer to the truth than she was right now. So she gave him her hand and let him lead her away from the canyon wall.

“I am the resurrection and the life. Do you believe this?”

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The Winds of Change Are Blowing!

by John Beeson
written by John Beeson

Do you like change?  Even those who are the most habit-driven and change averse people would welcome certain changes.  There are persistent habits we all desire to see changed in our lives, relationships we would love to have restored, and situations we wish were different.

One of the easiest yardsticks to measure change is our New Year’s resolutions.  Even in October there is no better way to gauge what changes our society values than considering what New Year’s resolutions we commit ourselves to.  One site on the internet did an informal survey and found that the following were the top ten resolutions made:

10. Reduce Stress at Work

9. Reduce Stress Overall

8. Quit Smoking

7. Get a Better Education

6. Drink Less Alcohol

5. Get Fit

4. Get a Better Job

3. Save Money

2. Manage Debt

1. Lose Weight

I imagine this list covers a lot of the types of things we would like to see changed in our lives.  Maybe we could add to that list some spiritual changes: perhaps reading the Bible daily, praying regularly, tithing, volunteering in your church.

As 2010 was ushered in, one friend’s Facebook status summed up the feelings of many: “My New Year’s resolutions for 2010 are going to look a lot like 2009’s.” 

One research study showed that while 52% of participants in a resolution study were confident of success with their goals, only 12% actually achieved their goals.[ii]  12%!  Yikes.  That’s worse than our current and former Presidents’ approval ratings.  Worse than Shaq’s free throw percentage.  Worse than my beloved Royals’s chance at winning another World Series before I die (alright, alright, you get the point!).  An 88% failure rate can be rather de-motivating, there’s no two ways about it.

Do we have a 12% chance to change?  It sure feels like that a lot of the time.  I’ve spoken with many for whom their High School or college days still remain those golden days of faith that they feel like they will never be able to return to.  They feel as though the daily, monthly, and yearly changes that have come about in their lives over decades have slowly pulled them further and further from God and the kind of life they wish they were living.

There’s a grain of truth to our pessimism: this side of heaven we will not experience the full sanctifying work of Christ.  And yet, Paul promises this in the first letter to the Corinthians: “Behold! I tell you a mystery.  We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”  Praise God that kind of change waits for us in the presence of God. 

But don’t believe the world’s lie that change is impossible this side of heaven, that we are who we are and that’s that.  The kingdom of God is populated with former alcoholics, liars, sexual deviants, misers, swindlers, and cheaters.  Just read the gospels.  There’s Matthew and Zacchaeus, there’s Mary Magdalene and Peter.  Read Paul’s story in Acts.  These were the world’s greedy, corrupt, devil-filled, sexually perverse, and murderous.  These were also the first proclaimers of the gospel of hope and power.

So what makes change possible?  What’s the magic pill?  We all know it’s not the turning of a new year, we all know it’s not the mere desire to change (although that’s a good start).  There is no magic pill, but there is a power for whom the world cannot account: the Holy Spirit indwelling the heart, giving new affections and new will to a person contrite in spirit and ready for the Spirit.

Change happens, but only when the winds of change are blowing and breathed out by the Spirit.  And when these winds blow, one can scarcely believe the changes that will follow.  Let’s pray that those winds would blow in our hearts, in our churches, and in our country.

[i] This title alludes to a quote by British Prime Minister George MacMillan in 1960 in Cape Town on the eve of the formation of the Republic of South Africa.  Read more about it here.

 

 

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