A Person of Distinction

“Then one of the young men said, ‘Behold I have seen a son of Jesse, the Bethelhemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and the Lord is with him.” [I Sam 16:18]

Before David was a king he lived out his days as a lowly shepherd. How could he have ever known the Lord was using those days to prepare Him for a greater destiny? What looked like a common and ordinary job in reality proved to be God’s training ground for a future king.

As I was reading through this verse in preparation for a men’s Bible Study I teach, I was blown away by David having distinguished himself when he did not know anybody was watching him. Somebody observed David and in essence gave him a glowing reference to King Saul.

Let me give you a little background. Saul reigned as the King of Israel hand chosen by God. Saul rebelled against the Lord and God informed him the kingdom would be removed from him and given to a neighbor. Samuel is instructed by God to go to to Jesse in Bethlehem where God has chosen the next king. All of Jesse’s sons come but the Lord did not choose them. Samuel finally asks Jesse if he had any more children and almost as an afterthought he is reminded that the youngest son David is tending the sheep.

David is summoned and God chooses Him as the next king. That does not mean he became king right away. In the mean time an evil spirit terrorized King Saul. Some of his servants suggested that a skillful musician be sought who could play beautiful music to comfort and soothe Saul when the evil spirit tormented him.

It is at this point we pick up the story with an unknown servant who recommends David. David distinguished himself in this man’s eyes even though he probably was not aware of it. This really moves me. David is faithfully executing his duties as a shepherd day in and day out. Shepherds were considered low class citizens. David endured his days of small beginnings. While shepherding the sheep David became skillful at playing the harp and begins to write some songs. How could David have ever known how the Lord would use that harp and his skill to not only get him entrance into the palace and into relationship with the king of Israel, but also eventually to write divinely inspired scripture in the Psalms?

You may be enduring a day of small beginnings where you are. From your perspective it might appear life is passing you by and that God has forgotten and abandoned you. God often uses days of small beginnings to prepare us for days of larger assignments. Are you being diligent and faithful where you are? That is the real question.

My first preaching assignment took place at a small country church outside Lufkin, TX. There were at most two-dozen students present. I had been asked to give my testimony. My nerves nearly got the best of me. I thought I had plenty to say but I barely spoke over five minutes. If you would have been there that night you would not have labeled me a candidate who would preach all over the United States and in two foreign countries.

I recently heard the story from a coach who once worked for a seven time state champion coach whom often came early to the field house to clean the toilets. There were paid personnel who could have done that job but the head coach did it without any fanfare. This inspired both coaches and players to give their best regardless of how insignificant the tasks seemed. They learned to be faithful and attentive to the little things. Is it any wonder they were so successful. Do not despise the days of small beginnings because you do not know how the Lord is going to use those days in the future. There are no wasted years when you are serving the Lord.

My first church as a pastor started out with fifty people in attendance and ended with less than twenty on most Sundays five years later. Few predicted then I would ever serve as pastor to a church of hundreds. Yet it was in that small church I learned what it meant to be a pastor and not just a preacher. I learned to love people, minister to them in their trials, and to endure when things became difficult.

David became a skilled musician in an obscure profession. Somebody saw and heard David’s skill and God used that skill to open doors for His Sovereign plan to appoint a new King in Israel. God’s plan would not fully unfold for several more years but you can see how God used David’s skill.

This unknown observer of David also saw in David a mighty man of valor. In the Hebrew that could be translated as “powerful, one who excels, and champion.” This speaks volumes to me. David excelled at a time in his life when he was a nobody. He distinguished himself by how he lived and worked when he probably saw his role in life as rather insignificant. People are watching. Our kids watch. Friends watch. The community watches. Do they observe in us a person who excels and a champion who is willing to pay the price?

I have never been more aware of that than I am here at Seminole. Because we broadcast our services on television in four different communities, I know people are watching. I am not referring to them watching our services. They watch me in this community. I do not know who they are but many are aware of who I am. They are constantly watching and what I hope they see is consistency in my life both in and out of the pulpit. I want my kids to see I love God when I am in public and in my private life as well.

Do people see you excel and pay the price as a champion? Do they see you being faithful in the little things when you think nobody is watching? These things were observed in David and it made a difference. David did not know God was preparing him to be the next king. He simply attended sheep. Yet God used that season of his life to prepare him for the next season.

This unidentified witness also testified of David being a warrior. We learn later on David killed a lion and a bear. He exhibited fearless courage in the midst of opposition. David showed bravery in the face of adversity. God is looking for warriors who not afraid of the battle. His kingdom will be advanced by force as men and women warriors fight on their knees and proclaim the gospel message that Jesus saves.

There is one other thing that struck me from this verse. David spoke with prudence. That means David distinguished himself in his speech and separated himself with the way he talked. How many Christians laugh at or pass on off-colored jokes? How many talk one way at church and use all manner of profanity outside of church? David distinguished himself in the way he talked. O how I wish that could be said of all of us.

I wish it could be said of all us that we were distinguished in the way we lived our lives. Regardless of how insignificant we see our roles in life we can still live with distinction. We do not know the final outcome. God may be using these years to train and prepare us for a greater assignment. May we be diligent and distinguished in the days of small beginnings trusting God for greater assignments.

Gentle Reproof

“Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so you too will not be tempted.” [Gal 6:1]

I had a visitor the other day in my office that needed to share something with me. I could tell they were nervous. I had prayed a good deal about our time together so I would be open to whatever the Lord had in mind. What He had in mind was a gentle reproof about a blind spot in my life.

I know it was not easy for that person to be obedient and the words they shared were not always easy to hear but they were truth motivated by a heart of love. I am ever so aware how easy it is for me to stray into sin and get out of balance. I cannot say the days after the revival have been easy. To be completely honest they have been difficult. Something was expended in me during those weeks that have not fully been recovered.

I know how easy it is for me to get out of balance. I know how easy it is for me to get my head and nose down to the grindstone so much that sin creeps in so subtly I am hardly aware of it. I am thankful for a true follower and servant of Christ to come to me with a heart of love but with a true message from the Lord.

Since that visit I have sat with the Lord to talk about this issue. I have repented and asked the Lord to change my heart on this issue. I will not mention the issue at hand. Some would disagree that it is not that big a deal and others would say I did not make it big enough. Suffice it to say the Lord used His servant to proclaim His truth.

What I am most grateful for is the spirit in which I was confronted. Love and grace abounded along with humbled boldness. Humility and boldness may not seem to go together. They did and they do. I knew from the outset the person talking to me was there only in obedience to God. God does not always call us to easy assignments. There are some assignments it would be easier to shirk.

I feel the Lord softening my heart. During the revival and throughout the summer months, as I prepared for the revival, I felt the prophetic anointing. Much of what took place during those days seems like an out of body experience personally. My days were consumed with prayer, message preparation, and writing blogs. In many ways I still feel I am recuperating.

This is where the Lord really opened my eyes. So much energy was expended during the revival that has never fully been recovered. When I took off the prophetic hat ministry called and I turned right around to put on the pastoral hat. The flock needed me. Since that time there has been numerous hospital visits, counseling sessions, and leadership decisions.

I gave myself permission to do something on Monday I have not done in a long time. I left the office early and went home to an empty house. Brenda was at work and the boys were still at school. I did not turn the television on or listen to any music. I sat in silence and read a book. During those moments I knew I needed to make some serious deposits into my soul. During that time the Lord revealed how depleted my soul was. There were great withdrawals made from my soul during the revival physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The things that replenish my soul are of course prayer and scripture reading. I have been faithful in these areas but not as intensely as during the month of August. I am also refreshed from reading books and writing. Those are two things I have either totally neglected or done very little of.

I have not written anything in these weeks. I mean not one thing. I forced myself to write a blog right after the revival and since then I have not taken up the pen. For those of you have been so faithful to support this blog I ask your forgiveness for neglecting this call on my life. I have had no desire to write in weeks. I have not felt inspired. This is a ministry God has called me to. It is just as important a calling as it is for me to be a pastor. I ask your forgiveness and plead for your prayers that I might take up my post behind this computer. I don’t know if the Lord uses these writings much. I usually do not get much feed back from them. I only know it is a ministry I compelled to complete. I hope to have regular posts in these next days.

I love books. I am passionate about reading and yet that is the one thing in my life I do not give myself permission to do. I busy myself with other things. I usually read a little every morning before coming to the office in addition to reading the Bible. That is usually it. I am too tired at night to read. I feel guilty for reading at the office thinking I should be doing something more productive with my time. I am beginning to realize that reading and renewing my soul through the printed page is extremely productive for myself, and the church. When my soul is renewed and revived then I am more effective for the Lord among the flock whether it be counseling, visiting in the hospital, or preaching.

All of this goes back to my gentle reproof. The bottom line is my life had grown out of balance and I was not even aware of it until someone pointed it out. I slowed down long enough to take a good look and make some crucial changes. My being out of balance had begun affecting every area of my life. It affected me physically. No matter how early I would go to bed I found myself barely able to keep my eyes open during the day at the office. I get up early during the week to work out but my energy level still waned. I would often feel my attitude drifting toward the negative. I found myself wanting to withdraw from people. All of these things were classic symptoms of a life out of balance.

It affected my desire to write and the way I preached. I forgot what a simple pleasure reading is to me and what a therapeutic outlet writing is for me. I have slowed down this week and allowed myself the privilege of reading. I have finished two books already and am half way through two more. Reading is one of the primary ways I am fed in order to stay nourished to keep feeding the sheep here.

I cannot tell you what a blessing that gentle reproof in my office has proven to be. I know it was not easy to do but God has used it for much good. So I want to encourage all of you whom the Lord is calling to do the same thing to follow through. God will help you say what needs to be said and the Holy Spirit will use those words to accomplish His purposes in the lives of those you are supposed to talk to.

I have been out of balance for a long while. I am glad the Lord has me set back on the right track. It feels good to be back behind this computer typing away on the keyboard. I belong here. It is my sweet spot. I ask you to pray for me as I continue to seek the Lord to restore balance to my life. Thank you God for the one you sent to me to give gentle reproof to get me back on the right track.

Life After The Revival

A little over two weeks have passed since the revival meetings ended. In that time I have been busy with the duties of a pastor: hospital visitation, preaching, counseling, calendar planning, funerals and giving leadership. There has not been a great deal of down time.

The first night after the revival though, I got on the floor with three of my boys, Tanner, Tucker, and Turner and wrestled with them. Taylor was too scared to get out of his chair. We laughed as we rolled around on the floor scrapping. I tickled them until they could not breathe. They repeatedly jumped on my back, rolled on my head, and squirmed their way out of my grasp. I enjoyed that time immensely. During the weeks of the revival the boys got very little of my attention. God blessed me with that time with them wrestling on the floor.

The Wednesday night after the meetings our adult Bible study tripled in attendance. The numbers have remained up into the second week. This is in addition to our normal children’s and student ministry activities on Wednesday nights.

We are looking forward to a great Fall of reaching out to our community. There is still so much work to be done. So many people carry burdens, so many walk in spiritual darkness, and Jesus continues to be the light of the world. There is little time for sitting on our laurels. The kingdom must still be advanced forcefully.

I am weary. The revival took a great deal out of me physically, spiritually, and emotionally but there is no time to sleep life away. The work goes on. That is the primary reason why there have been no blogs. I could not motivate myself to sit down and expend the energy to write one. I am sleeping a little later these days and enjoying breakfast alone often with the Lord. My pace is a slower and more measured. I know I have to pace myself in order to persevere into the busy Fall ministry schedule.

In the end I have come to a conclusion. Many of you know about a prophesy here in Seminole that a mighty revival would come to First Baptist. The three glorious weeks we spent with God were wonderful. After reflecting and praying over these past two weeks I am convinced we did not experience the fulfillment of that prophesy. In other words, God has much more He desires to do in this church and in this community. Now instead of doing the work of revival preaching behind the pulpit my role is to be an intercessor to plead with God to send more of His Spirit here in Gaines County. The preaching role was public. Now the Lord is hiding me behind the scenes to continue laboring for revival but now in the prayer closet.

I have plans to write a book about those three glorious weeks. At the end of the book I will include the 40 Days to Shake the City devotional. I am not replenished enough to start that project yet but hope to do so before the month of September ends. For those who prayed for me during the revival I need continued prayer to be replenished for the labor still ahead of me. Thank you for those who will continue to hold this preacher before the throne of grace.

I do not know what the Lord will do next but I do know He is not finished. So we labor on in Seminole. We continue to take our post as watchmen and watchwomen on the walls of Gaines County. We continue to invite people to come. We continue to witness. We continue to worship and get in the word. We continue to broadcast our services in the homes of people. There is life after the revival. It is good and God’s kingdom continues to expand.