Tag: Obedience

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Being a Pencil in the Hand of God

I started to think about the significance of being a pencil in the hand of God. It started with this quote from Mother Teresa.

“I am a little pencil in God’s hands. He does the thinking. He does the writing. He does everything, and sometimes it is really hard because it is a broken pencil and He has to sharpen it a little more.” ― Mother Teresa, The Joy in Loving: A Guide to Daily Living

Once we start to understand that we are the pencil in the hand of God, we start to understand our position in life. Christ is the author of all stories, the writer, producer, financial backer, and hero of every story. We are His instrument. When we start to understand we are a pencil in the hand of God, we start to appreciate all that we can be.

Psalm 115:1, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us. But to Your name give glory Because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth.”

Authoring Your Story

Many of us go through life thinking that we write the story of our lives. We are the hero who saves the day. On the other hand, some of us see ourselves as the victim tossed by the waves of life. In either case, we are the central character that the story encircles. We assume the role of the one in control when we are actually an instrument of the creator.

Psalm 37:23-24, “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him, though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”

When we get to Heaven, if we get to Heaven, what will be God’s response? Will God look at His assortment of writing utensils and say I’ve never written anything with you? Will he see you and say that He remembers a story, but it was a short story once, or twice?

Will God beam with joy, grab you up and hold you close, remembering all the incredible adventures of your life? Will He laugh and cry with every turn of a phrase embodying a triumph or tragedy from your relationship? Will He weep because there will be no more new stories to delight Himself?

Jeremiah 10:23, “Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.”

Wasting Your Time

You are wasting your life if you are not an instrument of God’s story. There is no kinder way to say it; any good deed, or honorable act, that the Spirit does not drive is a wasted effort. All who flit from activity to activity in busy, misdirected lives are not building a legacy; you are passing the time. Forty or eighty years after our passing, others will faintly remember us, no matter our skill, intelligence, or accomplishment. But, there will be no eternal implication echoing through time, no great stories to be relived.

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Even the great statesmen, who emboss their names in history, are just that, a name. We don’t know them; we might know of them. They are a name, a face, and a place, real only within the context of a subject. It is in Heaven that relationships last forever. It is in Heaven that angles relived, rejoiced, and regaled over God’s stories

Luke 15:10, “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Refocus Your Storytelling

We spend too much time making our mark here, where time erases because another will supersede every earthly accomplishment. Our wealth will be left behind. The great stories about adventure, tragedy, victory, and love not written by God will fade away like a mist in the morning sun. Yet, those stories driven by the Holy Spirit will prevail. They ripple for generations as angles rejoice at their retelling.

“Seeking to perpetuate one’s name on earth is like writing on the sand by the seashore; to be perpetual, it must be written on eternal shores.” D.L. Moody

Don’t waste your life by doing good for the sake of doing good, thinking the story you write has merit. Anyone can do good and be kind; it’s called being human. Being Godly is to let God write your stories and guide your path. Remember, live your life so that when you meet Christ face-to-face, He will cry. He will cry joyfully at your meeting and sorrowfully that He will not write any new stories with you.

“The mere fact itself that God’s will is irresistible and irreversible fills me with fear, but once I realize that God wills only that which is good, my heart is made to rejoice.” – A. W. Pink

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Living a life Worth Living

Are you living a life worth living? Does your existence consist of going through the motion, or does it echo with impact? Have you ever asked yourself why you exist? Were you created out of passion, or was there a purpose? Are you living a life worth living?

Ephesians 5:15-16, “So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of your time because the days are evil.”

The First Tragedy That is Not Ours

Today I was reading about two separate tragedies. The first was Duangpetch Promthep,  Dom to his friends.  He was the most talented of the Thai cave survivors. He had just won a football scholarship in London. The second was in the biographies of the Michigan State University students that died in the shooting last week; three college students were killed senselessly. My heart cries out for the children I don’t know, whose lives were cut short.  I think of the legacy that will never be realized and the wasted raw potential.

Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Years ago, had I not been saved in the Emergency Room, what impact would that have had on the world? Afterward, would my name even be mentioned, except for dear, compassionate, loving friends who would have noticed, six days, six months, or six years afterward? These children and all of us face the same fate. What is our impact? Do we leave a legacy worth remembering?

At the time of my heart failure, I had not thought about who I was or what I was accomplishing. I was headlong into living life, focused on an abstract future created by others around me. I was competing for a prize that was foggy at best and undefined at worse. Yet, I had to have it, whatever it was, because that is what you do. Not for a single moment did I think this could be my last day.

The Second Tragedy That is Ours

These children do not get to achieve their potential. Dom will never get to go on to win a world football championship. Arielle Anderson will never perform pediatric surgery. Did any of these children give a moment’s thought to their eternity? Did any of them think this would be the day they would find out? That may be the biggest tragedy of all.

Matthew 16:26, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”

With a heavy emphasis on We, we need to reassess what and who we are. I am concerned about two specific aspects of my life;  the first is who I am and what impact I am achieving, and the second is what I am doing for the young people around me to ensure their impact is both long-lasting and positive.  

I am not concerned about people remembering my name or my deeds, I am concerned that my actions are not creating a future beyond my years. Does my life echo over time? We owe this both to ourselves and to the God that created us. It is through His grace that we breathe. Everything we have to offer is a gift from Him to be shared.

1 Timothy 6:17-19, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

The Final Tragedy That We Control

I don’t want any of you to wake up one morning to find out that someone dear to you lost their chance to achieve their potential. Some time ago, a friend of mine had a son, Ryan, who passed while in college. At the Celebration of Life service, a parade of young people spoke of Ryan’s impact on their lives. Many of the young people my friend had never met. My friend had mentored his son well. Today Ryan’s presence echoes, some twenty years later, through an organization called Christ in the Rockies.

Ryan left this quote behind:

And if I go, while you’re still here, know that I live on, vibrating to a different song. Behind a thin veil, you cannot see through. You will not see me, so you must have faith. I wait for the time when we can soar together again, both aware of each other. Until then, live your life to the fullest, and when you need me, just whisper my name in your heart; I will be there.

Colleen Corah Hitchcock

We have to learn to live our lives with urgency. In the end, we will realize we can do no more. What we have done is all there is. There will be no more chances for a kind word or compassionate gesture. That day may signify our end or someone close to us that we hold dear. On that day, will you rejoice? Were you living a life worth living?

Romans 14:8, “for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”
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Faith with Absolute Assurance

Faith is the assurance of things we hope for but have not received. Our faith in Christ is grounded in His promise to us through Abraham. We believe because we can see the impact on our lives today that encourages us about our future. It does not mean today is puppy dogs and unicorns, but it does mean that today is leading to a better tomorrow.

John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Whenever I face a critical issue, I return to a simple truth; “Do I believe what I say I believe?”. Everything is condensed down to this one critical question. When I distill an issue down to the root cause, it always boils down to this; do I trust that Christ is who I say He is, and do I believe He cares the way He says He does?

RELIGIOSITY

Let me give you a real-life example from several years ago. I knew someone who owed me money. They asked me to do some work for them, I did it, they acknowledged that I did it, and their client was satisfied with the work. I asked several times over the next year about getting paid without a resolution. He is a professing Christian. He has plenty of money, so he shouldn’t be concerned. Now I am a huge commitment type of guy. I believe you say what you will do, then you do it. It’s not the money; it is the principle of the matter.

My first thought goes right to righteous indignation:
Proverbs 3:27, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to act.”

I am owed; you, as a Christian, have an obligation to pay me. So, I start to build my argument. I start remembering bible verses that condemn him and justify me. I pray for the right (passive-aggressive) approach to make him feel guilty if he does not pay. It stopped being about money some time ago. It is now religiosity. I own the high ground. God is on my side.

There are a few things I should think about first:
Proverbs 16:2, “All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.”
Proverbs 20:22, “Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you.”
Proverbs 27:19, “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.”

What started as a quest to right a wrong has turned into a vendetta. My motivation turned selfish. It is not about getting my wages but proving my religious superiority. It has turned to punish him for not being as good as me. I stopped trying to let God work through this and started dictating the terms.

FAITHFULNESS

Living by faith requires a different approach. When we decide to follow Christ, we commit to allowing Him to lead. This commitment requires a certain level of trust. I believe Christ does not want us to suffer needlessly or without kingdom impact. Therefore, if we must suffer, there is a purpose in the suffering, and that purpose will positively impact His kingdom here on earth.

The next question that comes to mind is, at what cost? Who wins and who loses, and by how much? Does evil prosper? The ultimate answer to those questions is in Revelations.

Revelation 20:10, “And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

And who does this apply to?

1 John 3:8, “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

There is an actual price to be paid by those who reject Christ. We must be assured that God will do what He said He would do.

APPLICATION

When we have been wronged, what should we do? The first thing we should all do when faced with a dilemma is to pray for guidance. It is through prayer that we gain assurance that our faith is rewarded. There are too many permutations of grievances to suggest a one-size-fits-all solution. But, the starting point is always the same. Prayer

It is also essential to determine where our ego is during this time. Is the grievance material or emotional? Is the wrong subjective or objective? Do I believe God has my best interest in mind, even if I don’t get what I want? Am I advancing my kingdom or His? What do I believe about Christ’s dominion over the world? These are the critical questions, not our perception of right and wrong. God will handle right and wrong.

LAST POINT

The last point is that there are times when we must take advantage of the authority God has established over man to help with worldly issues that broken man can not adequately address. We have laws and governing authorities for that purpose. These are tools for Him to use to help us. They are not tools he has created so that we can punish those we dislike or disagree with.

Romans 13:1-2, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”

Trials will come. That is part of being human in a fallen world. How we face those trials will determine our impact on His kingdom for Him. Our assurance of victory comes through our faith in the victor. We can win the battle but lose the war.

James 5:11, “As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”
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Impact

Does your life have the impact that you want it to have? Of course, everyone has an impact, but is yours what you expect?

According to the ancient Greeks, there are three components to a lasting impact. They are 1) logos; what you say; 2) Pathos; how you make the other person feel; and 3) ethos; the way you live. If we are going to have a positive impact on the world, we need to do it with a sense of completeness. We can not approach change with duplicity. We can not want others to be what we are not prepared to be. To impact the world for Christ, we must present a total package. The latest social issue, media sensations, or worldly crises cannot influence us.

That is a big ask. We live in a post-modern world where sensation and bias rule. The next shiny object influences us. Trendsetters and newsmakers surround us. Truth is subjective. Honesty is overrated. Much of the ground we stand on is quicksand, ever-moving, ever-changing, and ever-morphing into a new reality. Values etched in stone a few years ago seem outdated and anti-social today.

Ephesians 4:14, “So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

How can we be light in a dark world? Follow the Greeks.

Logos

Ephesians 4:25 “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.”

Remember that each of us is a part of something bigger than all of us. Like wavelets expanding out across the pond, what each of us does influences others. This is true not only of our actions but the actions of those around us. We are all on the same blue orb spinning through space. The more people are driven to please Christ, the better we all are.

That is the short-term incentive to speak the truth. If nothing else, we make this place more livable. The eternal impact is far greater, but for non-believers, hard to imagine. We can not shy away from the truth because it dramatically impacts us, individually and corporately.

The credibility in our words is demonstrated through consistency. We can not speak the Gospel in some aspects of our lives while retreating from the Gospel in other aspects. We can not only demonstrate the truth of our words by applying them to others, especially in situations in which we will not find ourselves. At the same time, we ignore the application of the Gospel to our shortcomings. Hypocrisy is contagious.  

2 Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

Courage is an act of overcoming, not overpowering.

Pathos

Ephesians 4:15 “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.”

Compassion, what a powerful word and act. The ability to show compassion starts with confidence in who we are. We are children of God. And being such, we have overcome the world. We know it is not us who overcame the world, but Christ in us. We can afford compassion. Compassion is not from us but through us. The same God that showed compassion in us would use us to show compassion to others if we let Him.

One of my favorite quotes:

“At the end of the day, people won’t remember what you said or did; they will remember how you made them feel.” ― Maya Angelou

I remind myself of this often. I can have the best intentions in the world but deliver them with arrogance or disparagement, and I have lost. My message will be buried in ill feelings and resentment. I have to reflect the love of Christ to present the love of Christ.

Ethos

1 John 3:18 “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

Living out the Word in your daily life is the most challenging and effective evangelism you will engage in. Living your life according to Scripture adds credibility to your words and impacts people you will never talk with. If you proclaim to be a Christian, people will watch how you live your life to see if it is different. They will want to know if that difference produces positive results.

The pinnacle of sarcasm when parenting is telling your child, “Do as I say, not as I do.” Your friend, co-workers, and family are not children and shouldn’t be treated as children. Don’t hide behind the Christian badge of forgiveness unless you are prepared to extend it to others. Follow the adage – be the change you want to see.

1 Peter 3:10, “For Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.”

Impact

You must add ingredients, stir them thoroughly, and bake them when making a cake. It doesn’t matter what type of cake; the steps are the same. The same is true for sharing the Gospel. It doesn’t make any difference whom you will engage with or their condition; the steps are the same. So, study the Bible, pray for direction, and persevere. In all of this, walk the talk with compassion.

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Struggle

I struggle with a great many things when it comes to following Christ. I struggle with my ability to obey, my competence to do God’s will, and my sin. This morning it is my sin. Not a specific sin, just the abundance of sin in my life. The little nagging failures to demonstrate God to others.

Romans 3:10, “As it is written, “Not even one person is righteous.”

Odd things wake me in the middle of the night. Why is it that I struggle with the same things over and over? It started me wondering about the characters in the Bible of their daily struggles. God doesn’t tell us much about that. We know that Moses was a murderer and David dealt with lust, but we don’t know about their daily struggles.

1 John 1:8, “If we say that we do not have any sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and we’re not being truthful to ourselves.”

SIN IS NOT PROGRESSIVE

James 2:10, “And the person who keeps every law of God but makes one little slip is just as guilty as the person who has broken every law there is.”

The place I gravitate to is that sin is not progressive; it doesn’t get better or worse; it just is or isn’t. There is no sliding scale. God doesn’t try to provide a standard other than Himself. We all fall short. Did Solomon write Proverbs because he was constantly irritated at the folly of those around him? Did he feel superior to them at times? Were Proverbs his passive-aggressive vent? Did Moses struggle with the leadership responsibilities and the Israelites’ constant whining? Was He short-tempered and impatient? David loved his son, but did his son also cause him grief? Was he impatient with his demands? It is easy to read between the lines that Paul was not an easy guy to get along with. He saw life as black and white. Although God gave him the gift of compassion, I don’t think he received the gift of patience.

Romans 7:19-20, “When I want to do good, I don’t; and when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. Now, if I am doing what I don’t want to, it is plain where the trouble is: sin still has me in its evil grasp.”

I have no reason to believe that the characters in the Bible didn’t struggle the same as us. So why didn’t God provide us with these examples so that we could feel better about our struggles? I would guess it is because we should never stop struggling; we shouldn’t feel better. There is only one standard, and we all fall short.

SALVATION IS NOT WHITEWASH

When we accept Christ as our savior, do we see it as our get-out-of-jail-free card? The analogy that came to my head was citizenship. Some people study hard for citizenship so they can pass the test. But, once they pass the test and take the oath, do they see citizenship the same way? Do they treasure it, or do they start to feel entitled? Once salvation is ours, does it become a right? Our sins are forgiven yesterday, today, and tomorrow. We are made white as snow. Should that not give us a level of comfort?

My guess is no, it should not. On the contrary, I believe it makes us struggle more because we now know that our sin is unacceptable to God. We now know that things normalized in the world are unacceptable to God. This is a good thing.  Even with our salvation, we will stand before the Judgement Throne of Christ to account for how we lived our lives once we accepted Christ as our savior. God will want an accounting for the rants on social media, our discussion concerning politics, and our impatience with others who think differently than ourselves. This is about something other than being right; it is about doing right.

Lamentations 3:22, “his compassion never ends. It is only the Lord’s mercies that have kept us from complete destruction.”

REDEMPTION IS REAL

I would suspect that the day you stop struggling with sin is that day you need to start worrying. Sin is always with us; it never takes a holiday. No matter how hard we try, there will be something. That nagging sin is a constant reminder that we need Christ. It is a portal to God’s love, compassion, and understanding of our condition. So, as we fight sin, we cling to Christ.

Romans 8:1, “So there is now no condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus.”

I want comfort and to know it is all right, but it isn’t. That is good news. The more I struggle with my shortcomings, the more I talk to God. The more I am disgusted with my behavior, the more I demonstrate that I care. The only standard is God Himself, and we will not achieve that this side of Heaven. To struggle is to gain.

I remember that the God of the universe that has forgiven all my sins is the same God that reminds me of His love through the ultimate sacrifice of His son. A God that would do that for a man as undeserving as myself is a God of infinite compassion.

Isaiah 30:18, “Yet the Lord still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love; he will conquer you to bless you, just as he said, for the Lord is faithful to his promises. Blessed are all those who wait for him to help them.”

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Enter the New Year

Enter the New Year. It is the Chinese year of the rabbit, which is appropriate. As we enter the new year, time is fleeting. We must make the most of this new year before it’s gone.

So, as we enter this new year, I wanted to tell you a story that might help you set your objectives. It’s my story. Like David, Moses, and many other characters in the Bible, my life has had its bumps and bruises. But also it has a lesson. It starts with the first question I had to answer; “who am I?”. That was a tough question for me to answer. A lot of clichés’ came to mind. I also gravitated toward things that sounded grandiose but weren’t true. My true mission in life wasn’t admirable, but finding it and articulating it opened my eyes to what has happened. Writing this is cathartic.

Proverbs 1:8-9, “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.”

THE STORY

Who am I? I am the only son of a high-achieving “greatest generation” father. My mission in life was to be like him but better. I tried to achieve my mission by outworking everyone around me. My dad had one college degree; I have three. He worked full-time through college, and so did I, three times. I studied for every meeting and every engagement like it was a final exam. I had to be the smartest guy in the room. No one could be on my team if they didn’t have my work ethic.

THE JOURNEY

I tried to be this person by emulating my father. My father was a successful engineer; He was President of the City Council in my city and President of the School Board when I graduated from High School; his signature is on my High School Diploma.

He was well-liked, had a good sense of humor, and was a man of high character, brilliant and unassuming He could multiply two eight-digit numbers in his head to entertain my friends. I loved and idolized my father.

Romans 4:4, “Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due.”

I was driven to succeed in everything I tried. I was raised to believe that you didn’t appreciate anything you didn’t work for. This drive manifested itself in anger and frustration. I didn’t feel I ever measured up. My father seemed so natural at it, and it seemed so unnatural to me. I was constantly pressing. Although it did drive me to a high level of success, it didn’t provide any satisfaction in that success. It created relationship problems in almost every aspect of my life.  My life and ambition controlled me. I was a slave to whom I thought I must be. My ego and pride painted over all my insecurities.

“To love yourself is to know that your past does not change your worth.”

THE AWAKENING

I was divorced at a young age. I was running 10 miles every day to help deal with the stress. By the age of 30, I had to have a pacemaker. Caffeine and stress short-circuited my heart’s electrical system. Success was killing me; I knew I couldn’t keep this up; I either had to abandon my mission in life or find a better way.  

I couldn’t abandon who I thought I was, so I turned to the Bible for advice. I turned to the Bible because I remember it from my childhood days attending church. Going to church still wasn’t in the plan; I was a self-made man. The Bible proved to be an owner’s manual on how to live—changing my approach to working with people significantly reduced my stress. Knowing that I was part of a plan that could not fail gave me confidence, even when things didn’t go well. I started to relax but still lacked purpose.

Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

I decided I needed help from people who understood the Bible better than me, so I started attending church.

CLARITY OF PURPOSE

That was when I received my aha moment; it was the tangent point that changed the direction of my life. I was given a cassette tape of a one-person play called “The BEMA.” It was about what you have done for Christ since you met Him. I realized that life had never been about me. It had always been about others. My legacy was not in what I achieved to elevate myself in life but in what I was doing to help others elevate themselves. I found purpose with meaning.

The pressure was gone. The drive is still there, but it is focused on results that do not belong to me. Kingdom gain is the measure; material gain may or may not follow. My goal was to be obedient to Christ when He called.

I quit corporate America and started a couple of companies operating on Christian principles. I held Bible Study once a week in my business to show my commitment to Christ and hold myself accountable to my employees for living up to that commitment. In retirement, I now work with several Christian-based missions using the skills and resources developed in me by God through life experiences. Anger is long gone. I am at peace with the person God made me. And, I want for nothing materially that I do not have or can’t obtain. God is good.

THE LESSON

“Don’t let your past dictate who you are. Let it be the lesson that strengthens the person you will become.”

As we enter the New Year, answering the question of who you are, will open your eyes to what drives you. You might find that the wrong standard drives you. I didn’t realize my dad’s impact on my life until my sisters pointed it out. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen until I was over 60. I was driven by an aberration. I know my father would never have wanted that for me. But I didn’t know it was happening. Christ entered my life and fixed a problem I didn’t know I had. I could not have written my story this way ten years ago. Ten years ago, I still saw myself as Don Quixote saving the fair maiden. Like the fictional Don Quixote, I was tilting at windmills.

Psalm 103:13, “Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.”

God has made us incredible creatures capable of amazing things. But when we try to control who we are or want to be, the wheels come off. Sometimes this control is subconscious. Give it to God. Why? God is good all the time.

Psalm 20:4, “May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.”

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Another Christmas Story

Christmas Story
Isaiah 7:14

The Birth of Christ is the greatest of all stories. Within that Christmas story, there is another story that comes to mind. This story within a story is about obedience and the ramifications of that obedience.

“Christmas is about change. It’s a time we open our hearts before we open our presents.” -Toni Sorenson.

Obedience

Acts 1:14, “Mary, the mother of Jesus.”

This time of year brings about introspection. It usually starts with me thinking about the Christmas story and Mary. It then progresses to my story, where I have been, and what I have done.

Mary was a teenager when Gabriel visited her with his alarming proclamation—alarming from the standpoint that Mary had no predisposition to believe that Gabriel would visit her. She certainly did not anticipate that he would turn her life upside down. I can’t imagine that a teenage girl would believe that the God of the Universe would choose her over members of the families of Sadducees and Pharisees, who certainly had to be more righteous. Gabriel dared to burden her with one of her culture’s biggest taboos while simultaneously stating that she would not be just an unwed mother with a child but a child who would change the world for all humanity. That had to be an overwhelming experience. Her response is priceless.

Luke 1:38, “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”

I wonder about the strength of her character, which flowed so easily into obedience. This thing that was asked of her was so foreign yet familiar. What is the biggest thing God has ever asked of you? That is one of the first questions I ask myself.  Not just what does He want now, but what has He always wanted from me? Do I flow so easily into obedience?

“Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection.” — Winston Churchill.

The Launch of Responsibility

Obedience requires action. No response is a response. Mary’s Christmas story only started with Gabriel. Although Mary did not initiate her new responsibility, she accepted and nourished it. Again, I picture the teenage girl looking at her newborn child, helpless and defenseless, yet knowing he is the Messiah. Did she understand the power and majesty of that little bundle? She was now tasked with raising the Son of God. She would feed him, change His diapers, and teach him to walk and talk. Yet he, at that moment, probably knew more about her than she did Him.

God has asked a lot less of me. But He does expect a response. Not because He needs me but because He wants me to be part of His plan. Mary had a physical representation of God’s will in her life. She could not and would not ignore the needs of her child. The fact that He was the Son of God made the task more urgent but not more necessary. Can I say that I respond the same way to that which He has put before me? Is it both necessary and urgent?

“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” –Calvin Coolidge

Dedication to the Goal

Luke 2:19, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

This Christmas story ended years later, but we will get to that another time. For now, let us enjoy the moment. Mary most likely knew the prophecy concerning her child. Also, like most people in her time, she might not have yet understood how the prophecy would be fulfilled. Her focus was on raising a healthy and happy child. She did not fully understand the significance of Jesus’ time on earth but knew it was world-changing. Mary spent over 10,000 days making meals, washing dirty clothes, and keeping Him safe before He revealed His ministry to the world. It was a long time of watching His every move and wondering. Thirty years is a long time to remember what Gabriel said. But, she trusted God. She never wavered.

Mark 6:3, “Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.”

How dedicated am I when God’s results don’t track with my expectations; am I to forge a new path, create a new shortcut, or drop what I believe is an unproductive approach? How quick am I to give up, thinking I misunderstood the message?

Tenacity is found in hope, and hope is found in purpose. Once we understand that our only purpose in life is to delight our creator, then hope becomes a natural extension of our being. Hope in a promise made thousands of years ago. Hope is the fuel that drives the engine of obedience.

“Optimism is a wish without warrant; Christian hope is a certainty, guaranteed by God himself. Optimism reflects ignorance as to whether good things will ever actually come. Christian hope expresses knowledge that every day of his life, and every moment beyond it, the believer can say with truth, on the basis of God’s own commitment, that the best is yet to come.” – J. I. Packer

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Transform Thanksgiving into Everyday

Now that the turkey has been stuffed and the family stories regaled, it is time to transform Thanksgiving into everyday life. How do we infuse our everyday living to become a daily Thanksgiving feast?

Romans 12:13, “Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

This is the time of the year when we become introspective. Thanksgiving allows us to think of all the things we are thankful for. Christmas is the backdrop for showing love and appreciation for all who have touched our lives and those we do not know but feel compassion for their plight. New Year’s follows Christmas, a time of renewal. We commit to being a better version of ourselves. We are thankful, appreciative, and fortunate — not all of us.

This story is about the importance of dwelling on the richness of our lives. It should remind us of how important it is to share that richness with others.

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.”

An Incredible Day

Atlanta has a spring art festival in Piedmont Park. It is a spectacular event both for its content and its setting. The Dogwood Art Festival is in the spring when the city is in full bloom. There are Dogwoods, Azaleas, and Bradford Pears in full bloom. Although the Dogwood Festival runs the entire weekend, I go down early Friday. I like that time; I can talk with the artist as they set up their booths before the crowds arrive. These folks are incredibly skilled. They have an absolute passion for what they do. You can see and hear their joy as they take the time to discuss their art. This passion is also reflected in the quality of their work and the prices they charge. The Dogwood Art Festival is not a mom-and-pop affair.

This particular year the weather was incredible—Azure blue skies and cumulus clouds that remind you of cotton candy. The gorgeous white and pink dogwoods are in full bloom. The temperature was almost non-existent, feeling neither cold nor warm, absolutely picturesque. The vendors were excited to show their creations. It was a joy to be alive.

A Chance Encounter

After walking around, I settled comfortably on a picnic bench not far from the vendor row to watch people. I like watching people. It fills me with curiosity. I was also growing hungry and deciding what cardiac-inducing meal to eat. Apparently, healthy food was taboo in the by-laws of art festival management.

A woman sat down on the bench across that table from me. She was in late middle age, conservatively dressed, and unremarkable in many ways, the kind of person you might see in a crowd without ever really seeing her, that perfect blend of human camouflage. She said, “I could live a year on the price of one of these things.” Without looking, I agreed.

Proverbs 19:17, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”

God has this incredible way of introducing me to the exact person He wants me to engage with. One thing led to another, and we started talking. I bought her lunch. She was living in a halfway house after being released from prison. Life had been long and hard and disappointing. That once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that could have taken her life in a different direction was always just outside her reach. The hurdle in her life was guys. They came into her life at the wrong time with mischievous intent.

There was determination and grit in her outlook. She had a vision but no plan to get there. It wasn’t a grand vision. It was a vision to become normal. You know, 40-hour workweek, home, friends, and maybe family. Everyone has a unicorn; this was hers. If anything, I am a guy with a plan. Our meeting wasn’t serendipity or coincidence; it was part of God’s plan for her.

Stepping out in Faith

We started talking about God’s plan for her life. God’s plan was for her to prosper. But she had to be willing to surrender her plan for His. He would be faithful in His promise if she would. The first step was to find a church that had good scripture-based teaching. Then she needed to join an accountability group within that church that she could trust. We talked for about 90 minutes. She was cheerful, engaged, and asked questions.

Hebrews 13:16, “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

The transformation I saw was that she sat more upright. Her face softened. Her eyes were brighter, more focused. She stated that she knew her plan didn’t work. She had heard the message of Christ in prison and she felt she needed to look into it further. But she always put it off. She knew of a church that had members she knew. They came by the halfway house. She liked them; they weren’t pushy.

Others plowed the field and planted the seeds in her life; I was fertilizer (be nice; it’s a metaphor). The harvest will come.

1 Corinthians 9:10 “Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.”

Did she find her unicorn? I don’t know. I do know that God wants me to be obedient for the sake of others and share the bounty of His love for me with them.

Hebrews 6:10, “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”

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Pay it Forward

Play it forward

Pay it forward was a trendy movement a couple of years ago. In 2014 a major coffee chain had 750 strangers pay it forward. Each stranger paid for the coffee of the customer behind them over two days. It was heralded as “It’s truly a testament to the goodwill of our customers.” What amazing arrogance would make these people believe they had performed an act of goodwill when the only thing that happened was the first person paid for the last person. The 748 people in between paid for their coffee at a random price.  This chain sold coffee for upwards of $7.00, while McDonald’s sold it for under $1.00. It was all about people with money making believe they were helping people with money.

Is that really what it means to pay it forward?

Galatians 6:9, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

PAY IT FORWARD, GREG SMITH STYLE

Over ten years ago, I was at the lowest point of my life. Because the situation involved another, I will spare the details. For my part, I was left without enough money to buy food or gas to get to work. The work was a new company I was starting that had no revenue.  I was desperate, desperate enough to give up my dream of forming this new company and going to work for someone else.

This led me to a friend of mine, Greg Smith. I went to him, hat in hand, asking for a job. Greg did something unexpected. He wrote me a check and told me to return to work at my new company. The extraordinary part of this gesture was not the money but the compassion and love. It was something I had never experienced in my life. It was utterly unconditional.

Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

I had been a Christian for some time. I had seen God move in amazing ways but never experienced it. It was life-changing. It immediately changed my view of my mission. I was now more committed than ever to being fruitful. Part of that commitment would lead me to join International Micro Enterprise Development.

ENMA STYLE

Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

I met Enma in Honduras. She and her husband have a business where they make custom furniture by hand in their home. Her husband, working as a janitor, learned furniture making by watching the artisans in a furniture-making business where he worked. COVID caused them to go out on their own. They needed help—enter International Micro Enterprise Development, a Christian-based ministry that helps the underserved by teaching and funding entrepreneurship. IMED gave them a small loan to improve their business. They bought a power saw, an upholstery stapler, and a sewing machine. Here is what they produced.

Eliaquim Honduras

The name of their company is Eliaquim. Eliaquim is derived from the Hebrew “‘Elyâqı̂ym,” meaning “God provides.” When a visitor to a house with their furniture asks where the host bought their furniture, the answer is “God Provides’.  

Changed Lives.

PAY IT FORWARD, HOMESTYLE

Philippians 2:13,”For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

Pay it forward is about changing lives. It is not about feeding your ego because you did something for someone. It’s not about doing good. It is about changing lives, taking small acts of kindness that don’t paint over the pain but change a person’s perspective of their life. It demonstrates to others that God does materially love them. That God is generous in ways that they never expected.

Most of us want to be the hero of our story. That is not what God intended. God is not only the hero of our story; He is the playwright, financial backer, and producer. Next time you want to pay it forward, ask yourself if you are changing a life or making yourself feel good about who you are.

Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

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Why Do Godly People Doubt God?

Why Do Godly People Doubt God?

Why do Godly people doubt God and want to ask for explanations and signs? Because God calls smart people; intelligent, wise people with their point of view of the situation that God is trying to change. Doubts and questions are not wrong; the failure is in giving in to the doubts and getting defeated by our lack of divine intervention.

 John 7:17, “Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.”

Who are some Godly people in the Bible that doubted God and required explanations and signs before proceeding? Moses is the first to come to mind. Moses looked at the totality of his existence and asked why me? He had a terrible past; he sinned, killed, lied, ran away, betrayed his family’s confidence, and suffered stage fright. On top of that, he was 80 years old when God commissioned him. Any reasonable man would ask why me? Job, Joseph, and Gideon all had moments when they asked God, Are you sure about this? It is not unusual for Godly people to doubt God.

Corinthians 2:16, “For, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”

Asking for confirmation is not only not sinful, but it is also prudent. How easily can we mistake the self-centered voice in our head for God? Because we want something to play out a certain way, we manufacture the dialog. God gives us resources that he expects us to use. The challenge is when we let those resources supersede guidance from God. We start to believe we know the answer when we don’t understand the question.

I look at four steps to overcome my doubt when God calls. They are prayer, scripture, counsel, and action.

OVERCOMING DOUBT WITH PRAYER

1 John 5:14-15, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

Everything starts with prayer. Prayer is the catalyst that ignites the power of the Holy Spirit within us. All great relationships have open communications; neither party holds back. Tell God exactly what you think, and He will respond. We can’t touch His knowledge, perspective, and power, so don’t expect to be right. Be honest concerning your doubts. You can not hide your inner thoughts, so why try?

Mark 11:24, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

OVERCOMING DOUBT WITH SCRIPTURE

2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

One of the things that always amazes me is that no matter what I am going through, the scriptures talk to me. I had a study Bible I used for many years where I read through the Bible in precisely the same order every year. Now my life didn’t roll out the same way every year, yet the passages I was reading that day met the needs of that day. The same verses can speak to us in many different ways depending on what God has to say at the time.

Cognitive or confirmation bias is when we consciously or subconsciously seek information that supports a previous position. Don’t use scripture to build your case. Don’t cherry-pick the passages or use them out of context to make yourself feel good about what you want. Let Him speak to you through His word if you doubt what God wants.

Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

OVERCOMING DOUBT WITH COUNSEL

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.”

Hearing God speak through others is essential. It can happen in many ways, through a sermon Sunday morning or through a Christian podcast or online video. It can be through a discussion at Bible study or over coffee with a friend. Seeking Godly counsel when in doubt has many flavors. Remember that, as a friend reminds me, God will not ambush you. If you receive counsel that seems out of left field, it might be that it is. The spiritual counsel you receive should support or refute a previously held position. If it sends you in a new direction, go back to step one and start over.

OVERCOMING DOUBT WITH ACTION

James 1:22, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

You can’t steer a stationary ship; movement is required. God is patient and understanding. If we truly want His will to be done, even if we misunderstand, He will course correct us. Doing nothing accomplishes nothing. God requires movement. Once you have done your due diligence, even if you still have some doubts, do something. Give God a chance to intervene.

Why do Godly people doubt God? Because He made us highly intelligent creatures with a desire to excel. He loves that about us and understands that we lack many of the resources He has. It is natural to want Him to validate what we believe to be true.

1 Peter 2:15, “For this is the will of God that by doing good, you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.”

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