Hope can be very fragile and many are desperate to cling to it. If I were to tell you God had a time and tested formula for hope you would want to know it. What you may like is the process to get to that hope. God's formula for hope is not the path we would choose. There is a time tested path to hope and many have walked it before us. Are you willing to take this same journey?
Read it for yourself. "And not only that, we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character and proven character produces hope." [Rom 5:3-4]
Right off the bat we have difficulty with the phrase "we also rejoice in our afflictions." Who does that? How many people do you know going through adversity and afflictions who really rejoice in them? Don't we normally whine and complain because of the discomfort. Don't we normally seek to avoid affliction at all cost. You could substitute the words tribulation and pressure for the word affliction. It all means the same thing. Do we really rejoice when the pressure is on?
Most of my Christian life I have been trying to get out afflictions rather than to rejoice in them or be glad in them. I don't like the pain and the hardship. I don't like the pressure. When I look back objectively over the past twenty-nine years of my life I can see how God has used the pressure of affliction in my life. I have learned more about God during these experiences that all my triumphs. The afflictions produced endurance.
What is endurance? Endurance is patience, steadfastness and constancy all mixed together. Are we patient when the afflictions come. Do we remain steadfast in our love and devotion for God and our resolve to serve Him constantly when life gets hard? These are legitimate questions. It is easier to quit. The path of least resistance means throwing in the towel but this is not what God wants. Whether we finish the race of our lives in a full sprint or limping battered and bruised across the finish line; God wills us to finish! Quitting is a habit and so is finishing. We must endure through our afflictions. We must wait on God patiently. I know this is easier said than done.
Patience does not come easy for me. It never has and yet this seems to be the one lesson God has been teaching me most of my journey with Him. Some afflictions come and go quickly like a twenty-four hour virus. Others linger longer like cancer, financial trials, sorrows and grief. Like the marathon runner training for the race, the affliction or pressure of the work outs actually produce stamina and endurance.
Wise are the ones who come to realize that affliction is actually a useful tool in the hands of God for His followers. Through adverse circumstances God has strengthened us and built a steadfast resolve to not buckle under the pressure. Our progress may seem slow. Like C.H. Spurgeon once said, "By perseverance even the snail entered the ark." Day in and day out we keep running or walking. We have learned from past afflictions with God's help we can endure. Day after day and year after year we endure. We make slow progress but at least we are progressing. We remain steadfast and we patiently wait on God. In these times God is at work. It may not seem like it. From our vantage point it may seem like God is absent. He is working endurance in us.
All this endurance is not wasted for it produces proven character. This means God produces experience in us. When I look back at all God has taught me and produced in me through affliction and endurance, I have come to know Him better through these first hand experiences with Him. I saw how God worked in my life when my mother suffered a massive heart attack resulting in severe brain damage back in 1998. For the last three months of her life she lived in and out of hospitals and rehab centers. I actually had to spoon feed her. Most of the time she was incoherent. God gave me the endurance to preach her funeral when she died.
I also saw the power of God through my wife when she stood up and spoke at her father's funeral in 2011. She testified of Jesus Christ and His power to save. She talked about a man most in attendance at that funeral had never known. Her dad had strayed from the Lord in the last years of his life. Brenda's step sister talked about dad sneaking her alcohol and others shared stories of partying with him. Brenda talked about her dad singing "Jesus Loves Me" and driving a church bus each Sunday to pick children up for church. She talked about going out with her dad on Saturdays house to house to invite children to come to church. She talked about a man who prayed and loved to serve God. Few in attendance would have recognized that man. God strengthened my wife to testify for Him that day because she is a shy behind the scenes kind of person. Getting up to speak publicly is definitely out of her comfort zone. I have seen God strengthen my wife in the days since.
In those two experiences with God Brenda and I better know how to minister to those grieving the death of a loved one. We know how God comforts, strengthens and produces hope as well as joy even against the back drop of death and grief.
Over and over again God allows us to experience Him trying and giving our character worth as we press on through the tough times. It is in these moments God reveals Himself. We come to really know Him in these experiences.
Through all of this the end result is hope. It is the confident expectation that God will come through. It is the joyful expectation that better days are coming. It is the joyful and confident expectation that no matter how tough it gets in this life, for the follower of Jesus it will be better in eternity. With God there is always hope. This hope is forged on the anvil of affliction and endurance. Our worth is being forged with blow after blow from the hammer of affliction. Our character is tried when we keep trusting God and we pressing on when we feel like giving up.
God's formula for hope is proven. He used it in the lives of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Elijah and Paul. Others have learned hope this way as well such as Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow. Missionaries such as William Carey, Adoniram Judson, Hudson Taylor and John Paton learned this same lesson while walking down this same path. God's formula for hope will lead all of us through the classrooms of afflictions and endurance. When we take this into consideration we can learn hope. Not easy lessons to learn but the end result is well worth it.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Get Your Mind Right
Get your mind right is a phrase often used by coaches when an athlete is about to face a difficult challenge. I heard this phrase used over and over again while watching the NFL Combine. I find this thought to be helpful when facing the challenges of life as well. It is amazing how powerful the mind and our thoughts are.
One day I can be riding my bike up a steep hill and when my mind is right I rise to the challenge pressing to the top. On other days, when my mind is not right, all I see is the steep hill and the difficult challenge. This only serves to make the hill more difficult to climb. I see this same thing when I am lifting weights. If I know a particular exercise is difficult and my mind is not right I find myself dreading it. When my mind is right I tackle the exercise attacking the repetitions. It is a battle of the mind. When I dwell on feeling weak and tired my body seems to correspond accordingly.
This is true of the challenges of life. We all have our own challenges. When we allow our minds to drift away from scripture and the promises of God, our faith becomes weak and we easily lose hope. When we live this way day in and day out we live with a sense of dread and despair that defeats us. Life is not easy. There are seasons when we sail through life on smooth seas. There are others seasons when the seas of life become tumultuous tossing us about. What do you during those seasons?
This morning I read about Abraham and his hope against hope that God would keep His promise making Abraham the father of many nations when he and and Sarah had no children. Abraham waited for over two decades to see this promise come true. He was one hundred years old. Sarah was way past prime child bearing years. In fact, the scripture tells us Sarah's womb was dead. Talk about a situation looking hopeless. Go ahead and travel down to the local Senior Adult Rehab facilities and Care Centers and I assure you will not find any of the residents pregnant in their seventies, eighties, and nineties.
Abraham kept his mind right. He saw the reality that with each passing year he and Sarah were getting older. He did not allow that reality make him weak in his faith. Don't we often do just the opposite. The greater the challenge we face and the longer God delays don't we grow weaker in our faith rather than stronger? "He did not waver in unbelief at God's promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God." [Rom 4:20] Our eyes can deceive us. How do we approach life? Do we look through our physical eyes taking note of every problem, trial and challenge? Do we look through the lenses of faith and God's promises? We must get our minds right to view life through the eyes of faith.
Abraham did not waver between faith and doubt. I know I cannot say that. I have often wavered because I filled my mind with lies from the enemy rather than the truth of God and His word. What does God have to say about your situation? Fill your mind with that. Dwell on that. Build and strengthen your faith on that.
Abraham was fully convinced that what God had promised him, God would perform. [Rom 4:21] Think about this. Abraham kept believing this not for a month or a year but for two and a half decades! He kept his mind on the promise of God and built his faith on that, not what he could see with his physical eyes. You know it was not easy. Everyday he awoke with hope but went to bed without the promise being fulfilled. We face the same thing. Some reading this are tired, frustrated and maybe angry. What do you see right now? I see challenges and mountains I have been up against for months and some others for years. You see real needs, real crisis and real challenges you need God's help to overcome. If our minds are right we wait and live in faith.
When I get my mind right, like this morning by reading scripture, hope floats and my faith is strengthened. My challenges are not really challenges at all. God is able to accomplish, no He is more than able to accomplish, all that concerns me. I am not saying keeping your mind dwelling on the promises of God is easy. On any given day or at any given moment your mind can be lead astray. Keeping our minds right is a chore. There are no short cuts. Keeping your mind right requires the daily discipline of focusing on God's word.
This is why regular devotions are vital for your life and mine. Each day we dig into the scriptures we are reorienting our thoughts, attitudes, convictions, and hope. If we choose to neglect regular devotions, our mind not only begins to stray from God but also away from hope. Our adversary is all too quick to fill negative, defeated and despairing thoughts in our minds.
We must get our minds right. We must do this by continually inputting God's Word. We must feast on His truth trusting God to strengthen our faith to face the challenges before us. We may not be able to move our mountains in our own strength but with God all things are possible. Yes, even having a child as senior adults, facing life alone, getting back up from failure, waiting on God without wavering in unbelief and trusting that God keeps His promises no matter how long the delay. Get your mind right today and attack your challenges in faith.
One day I can be riding my bike up a steep hill and when my mind is right I rise to the challenge pressing to the top. On other days, when my mind is not right, all I see is the steep hill and the difficult challenge. This only serves to make the hill more difficult to climb. I see this same thing when I am lifting weights. If I know a particular exercise is difficult and my mind is not right I find myself dreading it. When my mind is right I tackle the exercise attacking the repetitions. It is a battle of the mind. When I dwell on feeling weak and tired my body seems to correspond accordingly.
This is true of the challenges of life. We all have our own challenges. When we allow our minds to drift away from scripture and the promises of God, our faith becomes weak and we easily lose hope. When we live this way day in and day out we live with a sense of dread and despair that defeats us. Life is not easy. There are seasons when we sail through life on smooth seas. There are others seasons when the seas of life become tumultuous tossing us about. What do you during those seasons?
This morning I read about Abraham and his hope against hope that God would keep His promise making Abraham the father of many nations when he and and Sarah had no children. Abraham waited for over two decades to see this promise come true. He was one hundred years old. Sarah was way past prime child bearing years. In fact, the scripture tells us Sarah's womb was dead. Talk about a situation looking hopeless. Go ahead and travel down to the local Senior Adult Rehab facilities and Care Centers and I assure you will not find any of the residents pregnant in their seventies, eighties, and nineties.
Abraham kept his mind right. He saw the reality that with each passing year he and Sarah were getting older. He did not allow that reality make him weak in his faith. Don't we often do just the opposite. The greater the challenge we face and the longer God delays don't we grow weaker in our faith rather than stronger? "He did not waver in unbelief at God's promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God." [Rom 4:20] Our eyes can deceive us. How do we approach life? Do we look through our physical eyes taking note of every problem, trial and challenge? Do we look through the lenses of faith and God's promises? We must get our minds right to view life through the eyes of faith.
Abraham did not waver between faith and doubt. I know I cannot say that. I have often wavered because I filled my mind with lies from the enemy rather than the truth of God and His word. What does God have to say about your situation? Fill your mind with that. Dwell on that. Build and strengthen your faith on that.
Abraham was fully convinced that what God had promised him, God would perform. [Rom 4:21] Think about this. Abraham kept believing this not for a month or a year but for two and a half decades! He kept his mind on the promise of God and built his faith on that, not what he could see with his physical eyes. You know it was not easy. Everyday he awoke with hope but went to bed without the promise being fulfilled. We face the same thing. Some reading this are tired, frustrated and maybe angry. What do you see right now? I see challenges and mountains I have been up against for months and some others for years. You see real needs, real crisis and real challenges you need God's help to overcome. If our minds are right we wait and live in faith.
When I get my mind right, like this morning by reading scripture, hope floats and my faith is strengthened. My challenges are not really challenges at all. God is able to accomplish, no He is more than able to accomplish, all that concerns me. I am not saying keeping your mind dwelling on the promises of God is easy. On any given day or at any given moment your mind can be lead astray. Keeping our minds right is a chore. There are no short cuts. Keeping your mind right requires the daily discipline of focusing on God's word.
This is why regular devotions are vital for your life and mine. Each day we dig into the scriptures we are reorienting our thoughts, attitudes, convictions, and hope. If we choose to neglect regular devotions, our mind not only begins to stray from God but also away from hope. Our adversary is all too quick to fill negative, defeated and despairing thoughts in our minds.
We must get our minds right. We must do this by continually inputting God's Word. We must feast on His truth trusting God to strengthen our faith to face the challenges before us. We may not be able to move our mountains in our own strength but with God all things are possible. Yes, even having a child as senior adults, facing life alone, getting back up from failure, waiting on God without wavering in unbelief and trusting that God keeps His promises no matter how long the delay. Get your mind right today and attack your challenges in faith.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Spring Break
Looking out the living room window this morning I am thrilled knowing the boys are on Spring Break. We do not have to hurry off to early morning practices. We do not have to fill our days with hurried activities. Though Brenda still has to work, the boys and I get to enjoy some time together.
Turner wants to go inside a Barnes and Noble bookstore and a Half Price Books. The boys want to go to the Frank Buck Zoo in Gainesville. They also want to go to the two dollar movie in Denton. I just want to enjoy some time with them before I go out of town for a preaching trip at the end of the week.
One day far too soon there will be no more Spring Breaks in our home. The boys will be grown and out of the house. Brenda and I will left here alone. I will not look down and see Turner's shoes left in the living room from the night before. I will not find wrappers and glasses left on the table from the boys snacking. I have loved and enjoyed our four boys. I have sought to give them my life and that means also giving them my time.
I always have projects that need my attention. I have a church to plant. Books to write. People to win to Christ. Activities to plan. Money to raise. This week all that gets pushed on the back burner as I devote my energies and time to the boys. One day they will not be here. I want to take full advantage of the time I have with them over Spring Break.
These are precious days for me. Taylor is sixteen and looking more like a man every day. Tanner is fourteen and extremely witty. Tucker is twelve but is driven like a person twice that age. Turner is about to be nine and still loves to sit in my lap and hold my hand when we walk somewhere. The memories I have built with them in the past and will build this week are priceless. I do not take any of my sons for granted. I have been counseled by countless other parents to enjoy them while I can. This week I heed their advice.
So on this Spring Break I am making time with them a priority. I want to give them my undivided attention. Each day I want to enjoy time with them and to build memories that will last for a lifetime. I want them to look back on these days with fondness. As they grow and discover God's plan for their lives I want them to look forward to coming back home for visits and not to dread them like many children do.
I want them to anticipate with great excitement coming home with their spouses and children. I want them to walk into our home and relive countless memories bringing laughter. So while I have the chance and still have them at home, I plan to take full advantage of Spring Break. I will start this morning by cooking them breakfast. As long as I am together with the boys it does not matter much what we do. God, thank you for Spring Break.
Turner wants to go inside a Barnes and Noble bookstore and a Half Price Books. The boys want to go to the Frank Buck Zoo in Gainesville. They also want to go to the two dollar movie in Denton. I just want to enjoy some time with them before I go out of town for a preaching trip at the end of the week.
One day far too soon there will be no more Spring Breaks in our home. The boys will be grown and out of the house. Brenda and I will left here alone. I will not look down and see Turner's shoes left in the living room from the night before. I will not find wrappers and glasses left on the table from the boys snacking. I have loved and enjoyed our four boys. I have sought to give them my life and that means also giving them my time.
I always have projects that need my attention. I have a church to plant. Books to write. People to win to Christ. Activities to plan. Money to raise. This week all that gets pushed on the back burner as I devote my energies and time to the boys. One day they will not be here. I want to take full advantage of the time I have with them over Spring Break.
These are precious days for me. Taylor is sixteen and looking more like a man every day. Tanner is fourteen and extremely witty. Tucker is twelve but is driven like a person twice that age. Turner is about to be nine and still loves to sit in my lap and hold my hand when we walk somewhere. The memories I have built with them in the past and will build this week are priceless. I do not take any of my sons for granted. I have been counseled by countless other parents to enjoy them while I can. This week I heed their advice.
So on this Spring Break I am making time with them a priority. I want to give them my undivided attention. Each day I want to enjoy time with them and to build memories that will last for a lifetime. I want them to look back on these days with fondness. As they grow and discover God's plan for their lives I want them to look forward to coming back home for visits and not to dread them like many children do.
I want them to anticipate with great excitement coming home with their spouses and children. I want them to walk into our home and relive countless memories bringing laughter. So while I have the chance and still have them at home, I plan to take full advantage of Spring Break. I will start this morning by cooking them breakfast. As long as I am together with the boys it does not matter much what we do. God, thank you for Spring Break.
Not Ashmed
I am not ashamed of Jesus or the gospel message. Twenty-nine and a half years ago my life was suddenly changed when a man introduced me to Jesus Christ. I have never been the same. I have struggled with sin. I have had some doubts along the way as well. I have questioned the ways of God in my life. I have not been perfect but I am not ashamed.
As a teenager I witnessed to my friends wanting them to experience the new life I found in Christ. I did not know anything about religion. All I knew is a man named Eli introduced me to Jesus and Jesus not only forgave my sin but transformed my life as well. We shared Christ with our friends in our youth group going out on Friday and Saturday nights in local parking lots. Many of my teammates on the football team questioned my zeal for the Lord. Some thought I gone off my rocker including some in my own family. I never dreamed Jesus would set me apart to preach for Him yet He did on July 4, 1985.
As a young preacher all I knew to preach was Jesus. I showed no shame in those early sermons. They were simple and saturated with the gospel message. They were not deep but they were gospel sermons. I lived in depression if someone did not get saved each time I preached. It bothered me then and still bothers me today when the gospel is preached or shared and people do not respond. Nearly three decades later I may have more understanding of the Bible but the gospel message is still declared. Once again this past Wednesday night God used that message to save a sophomore football player.
My entire life changed one October Thursday night back in 1983. He who began a good work is completing that work in me until the day of Christ Jesus. [Phil 1:6] And to this day I am not ashamed of the gospel message for it is the power of God unto salvation to the Jew first and also to the Greek. [Rom 1:16]
The pressure to tone down this message or to hide our faith from a world in defiance against God is relentless. Many Christians live their faith undercover. They work hard at blending in and would never share their views or the gospel for fear it might offend someone. Many preachers have turned away from preaching the pure gospel message in favor of practical talks on issues more relevant to everyday life.
Are we ashamed? I am a sinner. The truth is I was born into sin and have been sinning for the past forty-six years. I needed a rescuer. My deliverance did not come from my performance. My deliverance did not come from trying to do better for I failed again every time. My deliverance came through faith in the message that Jesus came to earth and lived sinlessly. He lived perfectly on planet earth. His perfection made Him the only acceptable sacrifice to atone for my sin and the sins of the world. Perfection died for imperfection. Holiness died on the cross for filth. The Righteous One died for the unrighteous. The spotless Lamb of God died for the defiled and defamed. Jesus died for you and me.
The story did not stop there. Death could not hold Him. The grave could not keep Him down. The soldiers could not put an end to Him. The tomb could not conceal Him. The authorities could not get rid of Him. The sting of death could not exterminate Him. He is raised from the dead conquering the power of sin. He is alive and I am not ashamed. Hallelujah!
It is my privilege to speak for Him. It is my joy to serve Him. It is my honor to proclaim the gospel from behind the pulpit as well as out in the highways and byways of life. It is my duty and delight to love Him. It is my task to write of Him. I am not ashamed! I hope you are not ashamed either. The world desperately needs to hear this truth though they often turn a deaf ear to it.
As a teenager I witnessed to my friends wanting them to experience the new life I found in Christ. I did not know anything about religion. All I knew is a man named Eli introduced me to Jesus and Jesus not only forgave my sin but transformed my life as well. We shared Christ with our friends in our youth group going out on Friday and Saturday nights in local parking lots. Many of my teammates on the football team questioned my zeal for the Lord. Some thought I gone off my rocker including some in my own family. I never dreamed Jesus would set me apart to preach for Him yet He did on July 4, 1985.
As a young preacher all I knew to preach was Jesus. I showed no shame in those early sermons. They were simple and saturated with the gospel message. They were not deep but they were gospel sermons. I lived in depression if someone did not get saved each time I preached. It bothered me then and still bothers me today when the gospel is preached or shared and people do not respond. Nearly three decades later I may have more understanding of the Bible but the gospel message is still declared. Once again this past Wednesday night God used that message to save a sophomore football player.
My entire life changed one October Thursday night back in 1983. He who began a good work is completing that work in me until the day of Christ Jesus. [Phil 1:6] And to this day I am not ashamed of the gospel message for it is the power of God unto salvation to the Jew first and also to the Greek. [Rom 1:16]
The pressure to tone down this message or to hide our faith from a world in defiance against God is relentless. Many Christians live their faith undercover. They work hard at blending in and would never share their views or the gospel for fear it might offend someone. Many preachers have turned away from preaching the pure gospel message in favor of practical talks on issues more relevant to everyday life.
Are we ashamed? I am a sinner. The truth is I was born into sin and have been sinning for the past forty-six years. I needed a rescuer. My deliverance did not come from my performance. My deliverance did not come from trying to do better for I failed again every time. My deliverance came through faith in the message that Jesus came to earth and lived sinlessly. He lived perfectly on planet earth. His perfection made Him the only acceptable sacrifice to atone for my sin and the sins of the world. Perfection died for imperfection. Holiness died on the cross for filth. The Righteous One died for the unrighteous. The spotless Lamb of God died for the defiled and defamed. Jesus died for you and me.
The story did not stop there. Death could not hold Him. The grave could not keep Him down. The soldiers could not put an end to Him. The tomb could not conceal Him. The authorities could not get rid of Him. The sting of death could not exterminate Him. He is raised from the dead conquering the power of sin. He is alive and I am not ashamed. Hallelujah!
It is my privilege to speak for Him. It is my joy to serve Him. It is my honor to proclaim the gospel from behind the pulpit as well as out in the highways and byways of life. It is my duty and delight to love Him. It is my task to write of Him. I am not ashamed! I hope you are not ashamed either. The world desperately needs to hear this truth though they often turn a deaf ear to it.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
For the Sake of the Call
This past Monday night I drove home alone from Nocona, TX where our Jr. High students ran in a track meet. I met my great friend Eric for dinner and he loaned me a cd to listen to on the drive home. One song ministered to my heart and served as the catalyst for the message I preached this morning from [Matt 4:18-21].
The song is sung by Steven Curtis Chapman called "For the Sake of the Call." Here are the words. "Nobody stood and applauded them - so they knew from the start this road would not lead to fame. All they really knew for sure was Jesus called to them - He said, 'Come follow Me,' and they came with reckless abandon they came. Empty nets at the water's edge told a story few could believe and none could explain. How some crazy fishermen agreed to go where Jesus lead with no thought of what they would gain for Jesus called them by name."
Those words bore into my soul so much I listened to that song over and over on my drive home. It made me think back to when I first met Jesus and started following Him as a high school student back in 1983. For twenty-nine years I have been following. I followed Him to Howard Payne University where I met Brenda. I followed Him to Weatherford, TX where I served a great group of students for two years. I followed Him to east Texas where I served as a pastor first and then vocational evangelist for a decade.
I continued to follow the Lord to Paradise where we gave four years of our lives to the wonderful flock of First Baptist Church. We followed Jesus to Seminole, TX where we met and served some of the greatest people on the face of the earth. While there experienced close to one month of real revival; the kind you read about in history books.
While listening to that song over and over again in my truck driving home the words continue to hit home. It all felt eerily similar to how the Lord called my family to leave the comfort and secure life in Seminole for the grand adventure of starting Faith Community Church. Nobody applauded. We new we would not get famous. All we knew is for months Jesus called us to follow Him. Our starting this church came only in response to call of Jesus to follow Him. Though not an easy road it has already been a road filled with adventure.
I preached this morning recounting Jesus' declaration He would make His followers fishers of men. As I looked out over the congregation in the high school cafeteria I locked eyes with two men who trusted Christ and several teenagers that have been saved since Faith Community Church began. That is what this is all about. It is about praying, loving, sharing, witnessing, and celebrating when Jesus saves someone and calls them to follow Him.
I don't know many people who follow Jesus with reckless abandon. We like our safety nets and following Jesus often defies logic. We love to read the success stories of the athlete, author, business owner who becomes both famous and wealthy. This would not be the case for Simon, Andrew, James or John. Following Jesus proved to be very costly.
Simon, later named Peter, died crucified upside down in Rome. Andrew is reported to have been crucified and preached from his cross to his last breath to those watching. A tyrant had James beheaded in Jerusalem. People cast John into a caldron of boiling oil. Miraculously he survived. He lived out his last days banished on the island of Patmos.
Anne Askew suffered torture on the rack and died by being burned at a stake in 1545. At twenty-five her last words were mature beyond her age. She said, "I am not come hither to deny my Lord and Master."
John Huss believed in the infallible and authoritative scriptures. That belief cost him his life. Before he was killed he said, "What I taught from my lips I now seal with my blood."
People have done all sorts of things for the sake of the call of God on their lives. They have taught a Sunday morning Bible study though scared out of their wits. They have given away vast sums of money though it meant sacrifice, gotten passports to go on a mission trips though nervous and unsure, loved the most unlovely people though uncomfortable, moved to new communities though scared and unsure, believed God for impossible things though impossible, and have overcome every imaginable adversity all for the sake of the call.
I think of a high school football coach who trusted God for the money and took his whole family to Africa for two weeks for the sake of the call. I am thinking of a school administrator who has his whole family in Honduras on a mission trip at the time of this writing. I am thinking of a senior adult lady who still teaches a young boys and girls Sunday School class when others her age have surrendered this task to the younger generation. Then there is the farmer who gave $10,000 for a mission project though the he is not rich by any means. I recall the single mother who gave $1,000 to missions sacrificially after working two different jobs. There is the man who followed the Lord who serves the Lord through his computer skills updating his church website and serving in the audio/visual needs for the church as well as teaching students. All these serve for the sake of the call.
Nobody applauds them and they are not famous. They are normal men and women who follow Jesus where He leads for the sake of the call. I want to be counted in their number. Whether that means writing a new book or blog, serving as a church planter or pastor, or sharing Christ with some new man or woman, I want to keep following. All for the sake of the call.
The song is sung by Steven Curtis Chapman called "For the Sake of the Call." Here are the words. "Nobody stood and applauded them - so they knew from the start this road would not lead to fame. All they really knew for sure was Jesus called to them - He said, 'Come follow Me,' and they came with reckless abandon they came. Empty nets at the water's edge told a story few could believe and none could explain. How some crazy fishermen agreed to go where Jesus lead with no thought of what they would gain for Jesus called them by name."
Those words bore into my soul so much I listened to that song over and over on my drive home. It made me think back to when I first met Jesus and started following Him as a high school student back in 1983. For twenty-nine years I have been following. I followed Him to Howard Payne University where I met Brenda. I followed Him to Weatherford, TX where I served a great group of students for two years. I followed Him to east Texas where I served as a pastor first and then vocational evangelist for a decade.
I continued to follow the Lord to Paradise where we gave four years of our lives to the wonderful flock of First Baptist Church. We followed Jesus to Seminole, TX where we met and served some of the greatest people on the face of the earth. While there experienced close to one month of real revival; the kind you read about in history books.
While listening to that song over and over again in my truck driving home the words continue to hit home. It all felt eerily similar to how the Lord called my family to leave the comfort and secure life in Seminole for the grand adventure of starting Faith Community Church. Nobody applauded. We new we would not get famous. All we knew is for months Jesus called us to follow Him. Our starting this church came only in response to call of Jesus to follow Him. Though not an easy road it has already been a road filled with adventure.
I preached this morning recounting Jesus' declaration He would make His followers fishers of men. As I looked out over the congregation in the high school cafeteria I locked eyes with two men who trusted Christ and several teenagers that have been saved since Faith Community Church began. That is what this is all about. It is about praying, loving, sharing, witnessing, and celebrating when Jesus saves someone and calls them to follow Him.
I don't know many people who follow Jesus with reckless abandon. We like our safety nets and following Jesus often defies logic. We love to read the success stories of the athlete, author, business owner who becomes both famous and wealthy. This would not be the case for Simon, Andrew, James or John. Following Jesus proved to be very costly.
Simon, later named Peter, died crucified upside down in Rome. Andrew is reported to have been crucified and preached from his cross to his last breath to those watching. A tyrant had James beheaded in Jerusalem. People cast John into a caldron of boiling oil. Miraculously he survived. He lived out his last days banished on the island of Patmos.
Anne Askew suffered torture on the rack and died by being burned at a stake in 1545. At twenty-five her last words were mature beyond her age. She said, "I am not come hither to deny my Lord and Master."
John Huss believed in the infallible and authoritative scriptures. That belief cost him his life. Before he was killed he said, "What I taught from my lips I now seal with my blood."
People have done all sorts of things for the sake of the call of God on their lives. They have taught a Sunday morning Bible study though scared out of their wits. They have given away vast sums of money though it meant sacrifice, gotten passports to go on a mission trips though nervous and unsure, loved the most unlovely people though uncomfortable, moved to new communities though scared and unsure, believed God for impossible things though impossible, and have overcome every imaginable adversity all for the sake of the call.
I think of a high school football coach who trusted God for the money and took his whole family to Africa for two weeks for the sake of the call. I am thinking of a school administrator who has his whole family in Honduras on a mission trip at the time of this writing. I am thinking of a senior adult lady who still teaches a young boys and girls Sunday School class when others her age have surrendered this task to the younger generation. Then there is the farmer who gave $10,000 for a mission project though the he is not rich by any means. I recall the single mother who gave $1,000 to missions sacrificially after working two different jobs. There is the man who followed the Lord who serves the Lord through his computer skills updating his church website and serving in the audio/visual needs for the church as well as teaching students. All these serve for the sake of the call.
Nobody applauds them and they are not famous. They are normal men and women who follow Jesus where He leads for the sake of the call. I want to be counted in their number. Whether that means writing a new book or blog, serving as a church planter or pastor, or sharing Christ with some new man or woman, I want to keep following. All for the sake of the call.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Soggy Saturday
It has rained all day. I am not talking about a gentle little mist. Since around 10:30 a.m. until now at 7:15 p.m. the rain has not stopped. We have had a real soaker. The rain has alternated between a heavy down pour and a steady drizzle all day long. This is the kind of day when you cannot do much. It would have been the perfect day to read a book.
Brenda and I attended the funeral of a beloved teacher in the community earlier this morning. Afterwards we went to lunch and enjoyed some one on one time. This is a blessing I do not want to take for granted. What the husband of that teacher would give to have just one more meal with his wife. I do not want to take these times with Brenda for granted. We gathered the boys later and went to a movie. Over dinner we told funny stories about one another and rolled in laughter. This has been one of the best weekends we have enjoyed together in a long long time.
On this soggy Saturday I know many have been disrupted from their normal routines. Baseball games had to be canceled. An outdoor auction left everyone soaked. Today has been the kind of day when you just wanted to stay home to keep warm and dry.
I am grateful for some great family time over the past couple of days. Having all the boys together with no athletic events to attend has been nice. We have laughed and made memories together. We have enjoyed time as a family and not had to rush about. It has been a nice relaxing weekend even though the rain has not stopped all day long.
I think about the coming of summer ushering in hotter temperatures and a dryer climate. The drought and heat wave of 2011 is not forgotten. I am grateful for this soaking rain to nourish the grass and crops, to replenish stock tanks and lakes, and to make the way for the coming of Spring. I am grateful for this soggy Saturday to slow down, to enjoy my family, and to bask in the bounty of God's faithfulness.
Inclement weather usually means low attendance at church. I thank God anyway for this soaking rain. I heard people complain about why the wet weather could not have coming during the week instead of on the weekend. I can only speak for one Edwards family. The rain caused this family to slow down and to enjoy one another. I would trade this soggy Saturday. I am not saying I would want every Saturday to be a soaker. I am just grateful for this day. Lord, thank you for showers of blessings.
Brenda and I attended the funeral of a beloved teacher in the community earlier this morning. Afterwards we went to lunch and enjoyed some one on one time. This is a blessing I do not want to take for granted. What the husband of that teacher would give to have just one more meal with his wife. I do not want to take these times with Brenda for granted. We gathered the boys later and went to a movie. Over dinner we told funny stories about one another and rolled in laughter. This has been one of the best weekends we have enjoyed together in a long long time.
On this soggy Saturday I know many have been disrupted from their normal routines. Baseball games had to be canceled. An outdoor auction left everyone soaked. Today has been the kind of day when you just wanted to stay home to keep warm and dry.
I am grateful for some great family time over the past couple of days. Having all the boys together with no athletic events to attend has been nice. We have laughed and made memories together. We have enjoyed time as a family and not had to rush about. It has been a nice relaxing weekend even though the rain has not stopped all day long.
I think about the coming of summer ushering in hotter temperatures and a dryer climate. The drought and heat wave of 2011 is not forgotten. I am grateful for this soaking rain to nourish the grass and crops, to replenish stock tanks and lakes, and to make the way for the coming of Spring. I am grateful for this soggy Saturday to slow down, to enjoy my family, and to bask in the bounty of God's faithfulness.
Inclement weather usually means low attendance at church. I thank God anyway for this soaking rain. I heard people complain about why the wet weather could not have coming during the week instead of on the weekend. I can only speak for one Edwards family. The rain caused this family to slow down and to enjoy one another. I would trade this soggy Saturday. I am not saying I would want every Saturday to be a soaker. I am just grateful for this day. Lord, thank you for showers of blessings.
New Mercies
Spring Break started a little differently than we expected yesterday. Taylor and I worked out after school. After cleaning up the whole family sat around laughing. I'm not sure what triggered it but all the boys said or did something funny. We kept laughing until we decided to go grab a bite to eat.
Taylor drove us to Decatur to the restaurant. After dinner the boys wanted to go to Blockbuster. This is never fun for me. Over the past few years I have found less and less movies I am interested in watching. Most of the time, while they are getting movies, I sit in the car. What happened next is both comical and real life Edwards drama.
Taylor once again drove us to Blockbuster. After they had all gone into Blockbuster I decided to go in as well at the last minute. Big mistake! Typically I did not find anything that really grabbed my attention. I tried to find some classic movie section but did not find any. Bored I headed back out to the car. Here is where the drama began. I asked Taylor for the keys and he told me he left them in the car. Panic set in. I recalled locking the door when I exited the car.
Sure enough, the doors were locked when I pulled on the handle. It was around 6:30 p.m. and the temperature had dipped into the forties with a slight breeze. Brenda was still recovering from a virus the night before. Tanner had on shorts, a short sleeve tee shirt but no jacket. The other guys all had on warm clothing.
I tried to call a guy from the church who lives close to our house but did not get an answer. I called one of the other go to men in our church who lives ten minutes from our house. Mercy number one; he answered and was at home. I told him our dilemma and took a chance asking if he could go by our house to see if we happened to leave the door unlocked, the garage door open and find my keys. Mercy number 2; he was willing to help us.
I was not in a great frame of mind mad at myself for locking the doors while leaving the keys inside. Mercy number three; Brenda kept reassuring the whole ordeal would soon pass. It was nothing to get worked up over. Turner and I played a game of rock soccer and he used his imagination to make up some other adventures. Tanner did not have warm clothing so I gave him my jacket and thanked God I had on a long tee shirt.
Our rescuer called with good news a few minutes later. Mercy number four; we left the garage door open. I vividly recalled being the last one to walk out the door back home and thinking I did not need to lock the door because we would put the garage door down. Taylor forgot to push the button on the sun visor when we left for the garage door. Mercy number five; the garage door was not only up but the door left unlocked. Mercy number six; I left my keys on the table in plain sight.
Within fifteen minutes our friend pulled into Blockbuster with my keys to let us into Brenda's suburban. We were all cold. Mercy number seven; heat in the vehicle. Crisis over. Mercy number eight; we did not have to call a locksmith and spend extra money.
From your perspective these mercies may not have seemed like a big deal. I assure you they were not lost on me. We could have walked back into Blockbuster to stay warm but opted to stay outside so Brenda could sit down. In the end this will make another great memory for the Edwards family. For me once again God reminded me His mercies are new every morning. I am grateful for a true friend, an open garage door and unlocked door. I am thankful for a long sleeve tee shirt, an understanding wife and warm clothing to share with Tanner. I am grateful for keys and heat. All evidences of His mercy.
Taylor drove us to Decatur to the restaurant. After dinner the boys wanted to go to Blockbuster. This is never fun for me. Over the past few years I have found less and less movies I am interested in watching. Most of the time, while they are getting movies, I sit in the car. What happened next is both comical and real life Edwards drama.
Taylor once again drove us to Blockbuster. After they had all gone into Blockbuster I decided to go in as well at the last minute. Big mistake! Typically I did not find anything that really grabbed my attention. I tried to find some classic movie section but did not find any. Bored I headed back out to the car. Here is where the drama began. I asked Taylor for the keys and he told me he left them in the car. Panic set in. I recalled locking the door when I exited the car.
Sure enough, the doors were locked when I pulled on the handle. It was around 6:30 p.m. and the temperature had dipped into the forties with a slight breeze. Brenda was still recovering from a virus the night before. Tanner had on shorts, a short sleeve tee shirt but no jacket. The other guys all had on warm clothing.
I tried to call a guy from the church who lives close to our house but did not get an answer. I called one of the other go to men in our church who lives ten minutes from our house. Mercy number one; he answered and was at home. I told him our dilemma and took a chance asking if he could go by our house to see if we happened to leave the door unlocked, the garage door open and find my keys. Mercy number 2; he was willing to help us.
I was not in a great frame of mind mad at myself for locking the doors while leaving the keys inside. Mercy number three; Brenda kept reassuring the whole ordeal would soon pass. It was nothing to get worked up over. Turner and I played a game of rock soccer and he used his imagination to make up some other adventures. Tanner did not have warm clothing so I gave him my jacket and thanked God I had on a long tee shirt.
Our rescuer called with good news a few minutes later. Mercy number four; we left the garage door open. I vividly recalled being the last one to walk out the door back home and thinking I did not need to lock the door because we would put the garage door down. Taylor forgot to push the button on the sun visor when we left for the garage door. Mercy number five; the garage door was not only up but the door left unlocked. Mercy number six; I left my keys on the table in plain sight.
Within fifteen minutes our friend pulled into Blockbuster with my keys to let us into Brenda's suburban. We were all cold. Mercy number seven; heat in the vehicle. Crisis over. Mercy number eight; we did not have to call a locksmith and spend extra money.
From your perspective these mercies may not have seemed like a big deal. I assure you they were not lost on me. We could have walked back into Blockbuster to stay warm but opted to stay outside so Brenda could sit down. In the end this will make another great memory for the Edwards family. For me once again God reminded me His mercies are new every morning. I am grateful for a true friend, an open garage door and unlocked door. I am thankful for a long sleeve tee shirt, an understanding wife and warm clothing to share with Tanner. I am grateful for keys and heat. All evidences of His mercy.
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