Category: Motivation

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Do you have a Dual Personality?

I am caught up in the dilemma of dualism. What fuels this dilemma is the way I separate worldly issues from religious issues. I somehow can’t connect some of the problems I find facing me daily to my religious beliefs. Some things are just stuff. First, I believe God created ALL of the science, ALL reason and ALL of the Gospel for His glory. If we find a discrepancy, it is because we do not understand something.  Furthermore, God created everything, and the fall influenced everything. Natural disasters are just as much a manifestation of the fall as human sin.

Colossians 1:16, “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.”

DUALISM

Dualism is the separation of facts and values. Dualism is a philosophical theory that is centuries old. It postulates that all of creation is divided into two realms or stories. Facts and observations objectively bound the first story. The second story is bounded by emotions, arbitrary decisions, religious beliefs, and the unexplained. The value story of dualism exists only because, to the naturalist, science can’t explain everything. Thus, there is this maddening occurrence of arbitrary decision-making and unexplained feelings.

A naturalist would love to have the entire spectrum of our existence defined by rules and laws. They like the nice clean line of logic over emotion. God is a crutch for things unexplained.

The worldview is that almost everything we do is controlled by the first story; facts and rules. Very few things require the involvement of the second story. Matter of fact, anything that involves emotions or beliefs is irrational. Living life based on the ebb and tide of morals, ethics, religious beliefs and emotions is counter-intuitive. We should define all of our personal interaction by contractual agreements (rules) designed to allow us to behave as we wish.

I’m going to throw this in at this point as it is significant moving forward.

Definition of a Theory (Merrian- Webster)

  • a plausible or scientifically acceptable general principle or body of principles offered to explain phenomena
  • an ideal or hypothetical set of facts, principles, or circumstances
  • a hypothesis assumed for the sake of argument or investigation
  • an unproven assumption

Can a theory be disproved? No, once disproved, it ceases to be a theory. Can a theory be proven? No, once verified, it becomes a fact. To argue something that can neither be proven nor disproven is a waste of time. Your life should be a witness to the glorification of Christ. You are the one expert on the face of the earth that can unequivocally testify to the validity of what God has done through you.

THE CHALLENGE

We cannot separate our Sunday mornings from our Monday mornings. We can not separate the quest for spiritual meaning and our everyday interactions. We can not seek sanctification while at the same time living within the pressures of worldly constraints. As I said, it is a dilemma.

How do I connect the need to create an accurate marketing analysis due tomorrow with the sermon preached last Sunday? How do I live as if there is only one story; the story of creation, the fall, and redemption? Can I connect that one story to everything I experience?

CAVEATS

First of all, stop treating theory as if it was facts. Second, stop believing that current science has all the answers. Third, start believing that all things work for the good of those who believe in Christ.

Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

FIRST ISSUE

The first issue is theory verse facts. Many of the scientific facts we hear today are really scientific theories. That is, they are an extrapolation of current knowledge to create previous knowledge. It is a mathematical or logical interpretation of current events. There is a lot of good stuff in science; after all, God created the rules that govern the universe. Most science is not bad. I love science, I read about it all the time. Each new discovery is another step in understanding the God of the universe. It is the science that is theoretical that causes concern. Much of the academic science is postulated primarily to disprove a Divine God. It is an effort to bring order and meaning to a world devoid of a Creator. Take the time to know the difference between natural science and theoretical science. Take theoretical science for what it is; theory.

1 Corinthians 2:14, a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them.”

SECOND ISSUE

The second issue is the permanence of scientific facts. At one point, the most educated people on the planet thought the world was flat. They also believed that the Sun revolved around the earth and was the center of the universe. Scientific facts change over time as we learn new things. God only reveals what He wants us to know. When the Big Bang Theory was introduced, it was the Darwinism of the universe. But as they started validating the theory, they began to see cracks in it. The most prominent gap was “How was the initial matter created and what was the catalyst that started the Big Bang?” Some people treat the concept that the universe was created randomly from the Big Bang as a proven scientific fact. It is simply a plausible (not confirmed) assumption based on extrapolating current information, nothing more.

Psychology is science of mental processes and behavior. Treat it with the same skepticism as physical science. Distinguish between theoretical and natural science. Most science passed off as natural is really theoretical.

1 Timothy 6:20, “Keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called.”

FINALLY

Finally, start believing that all things work for the good of those who believe in Christ. We live in a fallen world. The implications to all of creation are enormous. Things don’t always work out as we planned. But God never gives us more than we can handle. God never deserts us.

2 Timothy 2:7, “Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”

Every interaction we have has eternal implications. Nothing is left to chance; God is not into randomness. But God has given us free will. He has given us a choice to use what He provides for His glory or treat it as a worldly event. So, you can go through life thinking that Sunday morning and Monday morning are two different worlds, or you can see the eternal implications to all that God puts in front of you.

Do not create inter-personal contractional agreement, implied or otherwise, just to “go along to get along”. Don’t shrink from what you know to be true for what the world wants to be true.

To be the person God made you requires that you work at it twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. There is no dualism. Question the eternal implications of every assignment and interaction.

Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”

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Word of the Year – Post Truth

In 2016 the Oxford Word of the Year was “post truth”. Post truth is defined as ‘relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief’.

IRONY

This really struck me as ironic. Ironic in the sense that 2016 we hadn’t come close to the dystopia currently on display today as it concerns post truth. In 2016 we were infants to this concept. After feeding on it for five years we have become raging pre-pubescent adolescents. The future of truth is bleak at best, and may fall out of our consciousness at worst.

This subject, this concept, this “ideology” is evident all around us every day. I was having dinner with a group of good Christian friends and the obligatory anti/for-mask/vaccine debate broke out. Everyone at the table was convinced (in a compassionate loving way) that they knew the truth. They each had their respectable sources and facts. They each had their gospel references. But yet they were on two sides of the same argument. Apparently God is both adamantly for and against all things related to COVID. These disagreements are creating wedges in the truth of the Gospel. The Gospel isn’t a reference tool to win a temporal argument.

James 1:26, “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.”

Rod Dreher wrote an interesting book entitled “Live not by Lies, A Manual for Christian Dissidents”. In it he spends the first half of the book relating the histories of all of the “isms”; Authoritarianism, Totalitarianism, Communism, Socialism, Marxism, Progressivism, Capitalism etc. He writes about how people gravitate to these ideologies based on the existence of an ideal state where everyone is cooperative. He goes on to say that the reality is that we live in a fallen world and the ideal state does not exist here on earth. Ideologies come and go, they all have a shelf life. They are all flawed by the human existence.

There is only one eternal Kingdom, that is the Kingdom established through Christ.

Romans 12:2, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

SHOW AND TELL

As Christians do we tell but not show? Do we live based on emotions and worldly beliefs, while telling people of the power of God’s redeeming grace? Do we live in fear that the other side is going to win, all the while professing faith that God is in control? Or do we speak of the reforming grace of God’s word, while living it?

Most, not all, emotional bias have a foundation in fear. We fear that something will happen that will harm us or our loved ones. This fear grows into a belief that there is only one true protection from our fear. That protection, be it a person, place, or thing, becomes what we desire most. That desire starts to overshadow reality. We now have a fear that what we believe is in our best interest might not be in our best interest. This implicit bias drives us to sources that confirm or reaffirm our pre-existing position. We want to feel safe.

So ask yourself, is your fear based on worldly temporal issues or divine issues? Do you live your life avoiding contemporary fears created by current events or do you fear the eternal implication of your convictions? A health fear of the Lord is a fear worth having, all others will pass away.

GOSSIP

Proverbs 16:28, “A perverse man spreads strife, and a slanderer separates intimate friends.”

Are your conversations based on the steadfast word of God or the latest emotion driven opinions? Temporal politics and cultural attitudes will pass away, but God’s word will survive forever. People DO live what they believe. Look at someone’s life and you will see their convictions. People do not live a lie, they live the truth as they see it. What does your life show about you?

Patrik Bendas, son of the Czechoslovakian anti-communist Christian dissident Vaclav Bendas, states “When we look at what is happening in America today, we see that you are building walls and creating gaps between people, for us, we are always willing to speak, to talk with the other side to avoid building walls between people. You know, it is much easier to indoctrinate someone who is enclosed within a set of walls.” When we become hardened and opinionated we are actually fertilizing the ground that will eventually grow division.

Philippians 4:8, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

We should approach every conversation with grace and compassion designed to build someone up, not create a new fear.

GRACE

Good news is that as a Christian you have been saved by Christ grace. You have nothing to fear. Most contemporary issues are just that, contemporary. Years from now we will see that we overstated their implications. If we hold true to God’s word and seek Him when in turmoil, we will be held safe in the palm of His hand. There will be hard times, and some of those hard times will change us, but God’s love will remain steadfast and sure.

Ephesians 4:29, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

Live a life worth living.

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My Last Day in Toknok

As I sit in my room on the last day of my trip to Kyrgyzstan, I have mixed emotions. These are incredible people. Materially their world is not horrible compared to places like central Africa, but it is not close to Europe or other developed countries. The biggest challenges they have are non-material, it is spiritual, emotional, and cultural.

I had dinner the other night with three incredible young ladies; two were college-educated, and the third was in college. All three of them were exactly the type of person you would want working for you. They were intelligent, positive, and driven to make something of their lives. Their challenge was that they lived in a world that did not value that. They lived in a post-Russian, Muslim, male-dominated society that did not value educated, independent women.

All three of them were faced with the prospects of either leaving their family and country to pursue their dream or staying where they were and living someone else’s. For them, life started with hard choices. For them, life started with a deep dive into the black pool of uncertainty. Even the prospect of meeting the right man and raising a family required moving away; there are not many Christian men their age. They are not the first nor the last to face this dilemma.

This is the discussion we had, and you can scold me for an older man advising young women.

I have never lived a day in their lives. I have never walked a mile in their shoes. I have never been raised in a culture that puts a constraint on what a person can be. The only experience I have is the Word of God that says He has a plan for us. It is a plan to prosper. He has made us unique creatures explicitly created to use all He gave us to glorify Him. If they compromise on that belief, they compromise on the joy, fulfillment, and impact for His Kingdom that he has written for them.

All this week, we have been teaching hard lessons. We have spent our time telling new business owners the hard truth of managing their businesses. These are Christian business people living in a predominately Muslim world. These are hard lessons because they do not conform to the rules of the world. These hard lessons teach us to do what is right, not what we have a right to do. They tell us that we should love those who hate us, serve those who despise us, and give to those in need that do not value us. Through this, we glorify the One who made all this possible. We do it not as a command but as a form of worship.

We have to apply this teaching to incredible young people with their whole lives in front of them. I am incredibly excited for them and, at the same time, worried and concerned. These young spirits full of energy and hope are the story of fairy tales. They are the forgotten maiden searching for their prince. They are the heroin of God’s story for humanity. Yet like all great stories, it has to start with hard choices.

The sadness is that when I come back, and I will, there can only be one sad ending or another. These young women will have chased God’s vision for their lives, and I may never see them again. Or they will not, and I will see a shell of the person they could have been. My selfish prayer is that God’s plan for them will be revealed in a way that brings us both joy.

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More Reading Suggestions During My Sabbatical

AN APOLOGY – One of the things I have become acutely aware of is that everything on the front page of the news today is temporary.

WE SERVE AN AWESOME GOD – Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

REDEMPTION OF NAOMI – Her testimony was, “And God painted a new picture of my life.”

Ephesians 3:16-17“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love.”

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More Reading Suggestions During My Sabbatical

LOVE AS THE WEAPON OF CHOICE – We know from practical experience that love is easy when the two parties are in synch; to love the person who loves you is a comfortable and warm place to be. Let’s move away from the romance novel into real life. Life is full of unlovable people. How do we live a life of peace?

LOVE – My life is not a story of condemnation, but a story of love. The very essence of my relationship with Christ is not my sin, but His love. It defines everything.

NEW YEARS – GOD SAID “IT WAS GOOD” – God does not waste time making second rate things or moments without meaning. God did not create a person or moment on this earth that He did not say, “it is very good…”.

1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

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More Reading Suggestions During My Sabbatical

JOY  – A common question, “If I have a foundation in Christ, why is it that I have trouble finding joy?”

CREATING OUR NEW NORMAL – God sometimes takes things away so we can either appreciate what we had or give us clarity to see what He wants us to have.

LET ME GET HOME BEFORE DARK – Joy and fulfillment come from being who God made you to be. It does not come from things you own, titles you achieve, political causes you support, children you raise, friends you have, or any worldly desire.

1 John 4:16, “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”

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Losing our Identity

John 8:32, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

One of the biggest struggles with most humans is identity. We are constantly bombarded with messages concerning what the world thinks of our image; intellectually, occupationally, physically, environmentally, or politically. Moreover, the advent of the internet and social media has caused this internal struggle to magnify. As a result, even the most secure among us have difficulty, at times, feeling uncomfortable in our own skin.

THERAPEUTIC IDENTITY

One of the significant outcomes is postmodern thinking; you have your truth, and I have mine. I gravitate to only the media that supports my point of view; I become more comfortable in my skin. Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist coined the term “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.” They defined it as “God exist and only wants us to be nice and to be happy.” Christians fall into this trap. Philip Rieff stated it this way in “The Triumph of Therapeutics,” man no longer sees himself as a pilgrim on a meaningful journey with others, but as a tourist who travels through life according to their own self-guided itinerary, with personal happiness the ultimate goal. Many people have become so overwhelmed by the caustic and bombastic environment we live in that all they want is harmony and peace, and they are willing to give up truth to get it.

John 16:13, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

A Therapeutic Culture makes it a great sin to stand in the way of the freedom of others to find happiness as they wish. This therapeutic culture is the author of ethical and gender identity politics. It demonizes dissidents by marginalizing them as people who do not care for the rights and freedoms of others. Dissidents that seek truth do not believe in a just society; they put their view of truth above the truths of others. Dissidents set themselves up to be judges.

1 John 4:6, “We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of falsehood.”

Happiness has the right identity. Happiness is being the right person, for the right person, in the right way. All of this is defined by the individual. The book of Judges ends with this statement “each man did what he considered right.” The good news is that we are not the first generation to deal with this problem.

TRUE IDENTITY

 Milosz, and others, define ketman as a false stance adopted by a person “in order to find himself at one with others, in order not to be alone.”. Many of us assume ketman as a survival tool in our increasingly divergent society. We feel that we cannot openly state our views because of the social backlash that might permanently impact our lives. Once we are “canceled” as a source of information, any truth we might speak becomes null and void. To stay away from that future, we employ ketman.

2 Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

Our identity is in Christ and Christ alone. This concept is a fundamental building block of who we are. Because of the current state of affairs, it is imperative we reinforce our identity through bible study, Christian community, and worship. We will never be able to defend the Gospel in and of ourselves; we need the power of the Holy Spirit. God made you according to His will that you might glorify Him. As a friend of mine reminds me, “God don’t make no Trash.” Through the Holy Spirit, you have all that you need to maintain your true identity. You have to stand firm in that resolve.

HOW DO WE PROCEED?

“A man convinced against his will is of the opinion still” – Dale Carnegie.

You cannot browbeat a person into permanent change. You can get them to acquest at the moment, but they will stray when your back is turned. We need to build relationships that create an environment of permanent change. We do this by listening. You cannot accurately address the concerns of others until you understand their problems from their point of view. I guess that you will find one of the most prevalent root causes is the lack of a positive identity. People have lost what it means to be created in God’s image.

Love conquers all. Even though we may have disagreements with others’ versions of the truth, we need to treat them with compassion and respect. We do not want them to remain in a state of sin, but they have free will. Patience is in order. They have moved to a position that their happiness is more important than truth. They need to understand that they can have both.

At a societal level, we need to combat the encroachment of postmodern therapeutics into our society. We need to be active at all levels attacking the issues, not the people; stay on topic. You will be demonized; it is part of the strategy; remember, “in your anger do not sin.” Please do not stoop to their level. Instead, engage the Holy Spirit at every turn. We are not the first to fight this battle and we will not be the last. In God’s economy it is about winning people to Christ, not overcoming worldly issues.

And always remember:

Romans 8: 38-39, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

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The Illusion of Prosperity

I have been thinking about this for some time. I’m trying to figure out what to say and how to say it. I have seen firsthand the plight of the 40% of the world’s population that lives on less than two dollars a day. I have looked into their eyes, I have seen how they live. My focus has been on these people called The Majority World (Africa, Asia, and Latin America). God has given me a skill set, knowledge, and experience that He wants me to use to help these people in any little way I can. Today I look in the opposite direction. I’m looking at one of the most prosperous nation in the world.

Lamentations 3:19-25, “Remember my suffering and my aimless wandering, the wormwood and poison. My soul continues to remember these things and is so discouraged. “The reason I can still find hope is that I keep this one thing in mind: the Lord’s mercy. We were not completely wiped out. His compassion is never limited. It is new every morning. His faithfulness is great. My soul can say, ‘The Lord is my lot in life. That is why I find hope in him.’ The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to anyone who seeks help from him.”

The story I want to tell today is not about The Majority World, in a small way it is. I was raised in the Midwest in a small farm community. Even though I have spent most of my life away from my childhood home, I still identify it as my home. I have returned twice a year, almost every year for a half-century. I have a vision infused deep within my brain of idyllic small-town America. It fosters a feeling of fondness, wholesomeness, and community that comforts me. This year as I sat in the park, listening to a local rock band sponsored by the City for “Fun Days,” I suddenly realized I was wrong.

THE GROWTH OF A COMMUNITY

First, let me tell you a little history of my home town. My hometown was established in 1836. A gristmill was built because the nearby river had a 15-foot waterfall that provided hydropower. The Illinois and Michigan Canal was to be constructed nearby to provide transportation. Unfortunately, the depression of 1837 bankrupt the state government, and construction on the canal stopped until 1848. The railroad arrived about 1850, becoming the preferred mode of transportation. The great news for my hometown is that industry grew with the hydropower and advent of the railroad. By the 1880s, raceways were built to provide mechanical power to the growing industry sector. By 1911 the raceway helped provide electrical power to the City. My hometown was one of the first to have electric trollies. Growing up, I still remember the rail tracks embedded in the streets from the trolley. Unfortunately, the trolley system went out of service during the Great Depression.

By the early 1900s, an eight-story Carton Factory was built provided ample employment for the City. Today that brooding brick building still towers over Main Street. It became the lifeblood of the community. It operated until 1960. The Federal Government finished Interstate Highway 80 just ten miles north of town in 1967, forever changing the traffic pattern away from my hometown. The power plant that used to power the Carton Factory, and my hometown stopped producing in 1989.

I was fortunate that I grew up in the ’50s and ’60’s when my hometown was called the City of Churches. It was a small town but economically healthy. To this day franchise systems bypass my hometown. All the drug stores, grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, banks, hotels, news paper and even telephone company are local family-owned businesses. We were a community.

THE FALL OF MID AMERICA

I should have noticed it. I should have picked up on the clue when the city motto was changed to the City by the River. I should have seen it when the Carton Factory closed, then the power plant, then the High School, and finally two of the three grade schools. But I didn’t. It was still the small town I grew up in and loved.

I didn’t notice that 100% of the students were now on the free lunch program. I didn’t notice that the shops along Main Street were now bars and Slot Machine Outlets. I didn’t notice that the once vibrant three story hotel on Main Street was now a flophouse for the down and out. I didn’t live there, so I didn’t notice that unemployment was a way of life; Welfare, Unemployment, Food Stamps were lifelines. People didn’t have careers or professions; they had a series of disassociated jobs, mostly at minimum wage. They worked off the books because it wouldn’t reduce their benefits. Working at $5.00 an hour tax-free was better than minimum wage at a burger joint.

That night in the park, what I did notice was a lack of hope. A dark future permeated everyone in the park. Even those with steady jobs felt the pain of their friends and relatives. The City was surviving but on life support. Without government programs, the City would dry up and blow away. Instead, the residence now made life livable with alcohol and more potent stimulants.  I couldn’t help but think of the kids. What was their future? Would they slowly die from inside like the rest of the City?

The decay of small towns is happening all across America. Of the 19,000 incorporated cities in the United States, over 16,000 have a population under 10,000 people.

MY LAMENT

I guess what makes this story hard is that I have no answers. There are four levels of poverty; spiritual, being, relational, and material. Politicians and governments concentrate on material poverty because it is easy to see and measure. They throw money and programs at the result of poverty, not the source. The foundation to recovering from material poverty is to overcome spiritual poverty. In Christ, there is both a hope for the future and a prescription for achieving that hope. With faith in God’s promise through Christ we start to better understand our true worth. We also start to understand the importance of not only lifting ourselves, but those around us. Finally, we create a material environment that sustains our purpose. With Christ-centered hope, anything can be accomplished; people fall back on old habits without it. Generational, systematic, cultural poverty was not created in a generation and will not be overcome in a generation.  Without schools, there will be no jobs, and without jobs, there is no need for schooling. Without hope, no-one cares.

It is a lament. I have no answers; I can only pray and serve. The results belong to God.

Isaiah 40:28-31, “Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard? The eternal God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn’t grow tired or become weary. His understanding is beyond reach. He gives strength to those who grow tired and increases the strength of those who are weak. Even young people grow tired and become weary, and young men will stumble and fall. Yet, the strength of those who wait with hope in the Lord will be renewed. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and won’t become weary. They will walk and won’t grow tired.”

There is a great book discussing the complexity of poverty entitled “When Helping Hurts.” By Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert.

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How do I Compare?

This one thing I know; God has created you as a unique person with a unique purpose. God makes it perfectly clear why you and I exist. We are created to glorify Him in all that we do. He doesn’t give us vague parables, lofty words, or hidden text. He states it outright.

Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Psalm 139:16, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them”

Ephesians 1:4, “Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love”

Galatians 1:15, “But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace,”

God created each of us to do the will of God for a specific purpose. We are each formed uniquely to serve a unique purpose that God created no one else to achieve. Every cell, nuance, and fiber of our being is specific. We might know people more intelligent than us, prettier, more outspoken, more discipline, more together, but they are not asked do what God has asked us to accomplish.

We are set apart to be holy and blameless and consecrated for His purpose. There is nothing God forgot to give us.

MEASURING PURPOSE

I was part of a panel of speakers that talked about purpose. As I listened to the other speakers, I was humbled and a little jealous of who God made them and what they had accomplished. Their lives were full of purpose, directed by God, to achieve great things. They had compassion, grace, and wisdom. I was last to speak; their testimony left me feeling shallow and lacking. But then there was this thought:

Ephesians 1:11, “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,”

For all of their greatness, for all of the things they have and will accomplish for Christ, they are not asked do what God has asked that I should do. I am not sitting in the second chair. I am not an extra on the movie set of life. I am not here to fill space until Christ returns. I am here to glorify God in a way that is unique to me.

I don’t want to go down a rabbit trail here, so I will say it once and move on. There is a complex interaction created by God that grants free will while still embracing predestination. The word commonly attributed to this seemingly impossible contradiction is Antinomy. To understand how God manages this contradictive construct is to know the mind of God. I don’t, so I accept that I don’t. There are a number of opinions on this issue and I am not the one to sort them out.

Proverbs 19:21, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”

God has predestined you and me to achieve great things, knowing our weaknesses and compensating accordingly. God is all knowing, he knows the decision we will make, of our own free will, before we do. Even if we chose not to be obedient, He knew and planned accordingly. Don’t let this distract you from your mission.

Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

COMPARING WITH OTHERS

2 Corinthians 10:12, “Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.”

When you look at the world around you, you can’t help but start to compare yourself with what you see and hear. You can’t help but let worldly standards erode the Godly standard under which He created you. You see the accomplishments of others and wonder how you will stack up. You are unique; they are unique—each of us with a specific purpose. We cannot compare ourselves to others and come away unblemished. There will always be someone better at something. Everything we accomplish will be superseded by those who follow.

Galatians 6:4, “But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.”

STAY STEADFAST

Each of us must understand that we are created precisely the way God intended; to serve Him, not man. With the fall in Garden of Eden we inherited a sin nature. When you feel inadequate, know that it is not your potential you should reevaluate but your direction. If you feel inferior to others, see that they have their purpose, and you have yours. You cannot be them; they cannot be you. You are not asked to reach the people that God has put before them, and they are not asked to reach the ones God has for you.

If everyone had the same path, we would all have the same attributes. But that is not how God works. He wants us to be individuals; God wants us to be different. God wants us to do our part, not be part of someone else’s. God has a great future planned for you, filled with hope and prosperity.

Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

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Influence and Purpose

When I was much younger, I marveled at the chance of my existence. I even calculated the probability of being born as a middle-class male living in a small town in the most prosperous country in the world. Incredibly, I am who I am. Every aspect of my existence is an attribute required by God to accomplish His will. Each of us has the same story with a slightly different twist. We are all uniquely qualified for what God has in store for us. None of our characteristics should be considered weaknesses because they are specific to the path God wants us to follow; each attribute a strength to be used to advance His Kingdom here on earth.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.”

It got me thinking about the influence God has given me in this world and how that influence interlocks with my purpose. I have a personal philosophy to have the most significant impact on God’s kingdom while here on this earth; I must stay on the path He has put before me. That path will not only enhance my salvation experience; it will also have the most significant impact on the sphere of influence I have in this world.

Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

The foundation is my personal spiritual growth. Without that, I can neither accept salvation nor influence others to seek redemption, which we can all agree on as paramount to any plan God has for us. Much like the safety video on an airplane, we have to put the oxygen mask on ourselves before helping others.

VIRAL SALVATION

With a sound foundation, how to take our salvation viral? How do we create the most significant impact for Christ in the short time we have? I believe God wants us to work exclusively within our circle of influence; I call it my social ecosystem. The people with which I have the most commonality start with my family and very close friends. The next circlet might be people in groups or organizations to which I belong, people with whom I interact regularly, but I would not consider close. Like ripples on a pond that expand outward, the further from the center, the less amplitude to the wave. In my case, at the far reaches, where the wave is almost flat, is national influence. I certainly do not feel I have any significant global influence. The work I do in third-world countries is focused on individuals, not nations or governments.

Psalm 119:73-74, “You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands. May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in your word.”

My national influence is exclusively through voting in elections. I do vote, and I should vote. But I do understand that my impact there is as one in about 130 million. I am not politically active. Even if I was the paper “Testing Theories of American Politics,” Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page concluded, “the preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.”

When I look at my responsibility in this world, I look at it through that lens. I look at it by saying the first obligation I have is the safety and nourishment of my soul, with the constant refocusing of my spiritual energy to be the person God wants me to be. The second role I have is expanding God’s Kingdom. I grow God’s Kingdom through my influence on others around me.

Matthew 5:16: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

In my world, I try to stay away from issues for which I have little influence. I can worry about the global economy, I can worry about the global pandemic, but my impact is limited. We know that because of God’s providence, He has control over everything. God has a direct influence on all things. God has chosen not to include me in many issues; I don’t have an active role outside my ecosystem. I can wander outside of my lane, but I do it at great risk.

OUR SOCIAL ECOSYSTEM

There are people in my life that I have immense compassion and love for that need me. There are real and everyday issues that create pain and suffering that never get media attention. Friends, family, and neighbors are on the cusp of abandoning God because they feel alone and alienated. The pandemic may have created a worldwide phenomenon, but it also amplified individual suffering. Most of the people we know grind through life, hiding their despair and guilt because they don’t think anyone cares. These are the people God has put before us. These are the people God has sent us to Shepard. Do we take the time to listen? Are we people of God who are willing to get down in the dirt with those we love? It is so much easier to debate politics or the latest downward spiral in society than open our hearts and homes to those we love that have complex, difficult questions that only God can answer.

Corinthians 7:16, “For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?”

All of this brings me to a question; as Christians, are we doing the right thing when we engage in conversations on subjects over which God has not given us influence? Do we dilute our impact when we use energy to chase issues that we, one, are not privy to the details and two, have little or no influence outside our opinion? We can have strong views on these subjects; these opinions may or may not have biblical grounding, but our opinion will not change the course God has established.

God has taken care of the more significant issues. He has put in power people who He has given the responsibility to govern. We may not understand or agree with His choices or direction, but that is not our prevue. He has not asked for our advice about His kingdom. What He has asked is that we join Him in serving those around us. Even those who are in positions of power still have an obligation to their immediate social ecosystem. Even they, with all their power and prestige, will be held responsible for the lives around them.

RESETTING OUR IMPACT

I would like to see myself get back to my primary purpose; that purpose is expanding God’s Kingdom with the people around me. Our social ecosystem is different for all of us. God has created a specific and vital role for each of us. We cannot neglect the people God has put in front of us by chasing issues beyond our control. Our focus needs to be on the lives God has put in front of us.

Psalm 139:16, “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”

This need is not a passive but active responsibility. These are the people God has asked you to Shepard. The people God has brought into your life He has done with purpose; it is not a random selection. When we overlook their needs for the needs of others, we neglect not only our loved ones but the very purpose God has placed you here in the first place. We were created solely for His purpose.  There are people in our social circle whose eternal existence might depend on us.

James 5:20, “let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

How do I reset; how do I get back to using my resources, skills, and passion for focusing on the issues on which God wants me to focus? How do I chase God’s desire for my life without disconnecting from worldly matters? Can I consume secular subjects without them taking residence? If I cannot, then is it profitable, within God’s providence, for me to allow that intrusion?

Remember Mordechai’s warning to Ester, “If you will not do it God will raise another to take your place.” If we spend too much time and effort coloring outside the lines that we neglect our primary mission, God will raise someone else in your place.

Isaiah 58:10: “If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.”

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