What Can We Do to Help the Hurting?

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The news that Robin Williams took his own life has once again brought heaviness to my heart. Over the last year I have heard of five colleagues, fellow pastors, who have taken their own lives and three children of pastors who have also ended their own lives. The last year has also seen a number of celebrities give in to despair and end it all as well.

Depression is the darkest of all human emotions because its cloud totally obscures all hope. How much weight must a person carry to feel the only solution is to die? The causes of depression are myriad and often not attributed to a single cause. In come cases, the cause is spiritual, the effects of harboring sin. In other cases the cause is emotional, the inability to handle the volume of stress at a given time. In still other cases the cause is physiological, an imbalance of chemicals that usually serve to regulate our nervous system. Many other causes can bring on either a temporary bout with depression or leave on seemingly in its endless grip.

The glaring truth is that you and I never know what kind of load another person is carrying at any given moment. I am not sure we consciously think of that often enough in our interpersonal dealing. We may not be able to pull someone out of depression, but we can be instrumental in either plunging him deeper or helping to lift him out. Let me share some random thoughts that have occupied my mind today as I have once again processed such sad news. Hopefully these suggestions can help us lift the load of someone who is suffering silently with depression. Sonce we don’t know what may be going on in the lives of those around us, we can apply these suggestions to everyone we encounter each day.

  1. Recognize your role in promoting peace. (Romans 12:18)
  1. Choose words that build up instead of tear down. (Ephesians 4:29)
  1. Rather than just complain, seek to be part of a solution. (Galatians 6:2)
  1. Passionately pursue peacemaking. (Hebrews 12:14)
  1. Seek to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit while dealing with others. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Leave a reply below and share your ideas of ways we can be lifters.

Not More of God… More of ME

Like most pastors, I have several hundreds of dollars invested in exegetical tools that help me translate, interpret, understand, and (hopefully) communicate biblical truth. Most of the tools I use now are part of two or three programs available on my computer. I have ample storage on my bookshelves lining the walls of my office, but RAM storage on my Mac can be a challenge at times.

One of the unique facets of this software is the presence of many tools that are on the disk but not available to me until I pay an “unlock” fee. The tools are present, but I cannot access them until I pay for them. Some followers of Jesus discover and similar experience with their walk with the Lord.

Let me begin with one very important contrast, however: we pay NOTHING for salvation; it is a free gift of grace. I do not have to pay for any “unlocks” in my walk with the Lord, He makes them all available as I yield to Him. Yet, I hear believers from time to time speak of wanting “more of God,” and even praying that God would give them more of Himself. The good news is when you surrender your life to Jesus you have access to all of God. All of God is found in Jesus. (Colossians 1:19; 2:9)

What we need is not for us to get more of God – we have all of Him that is available. We need to GIVE GOD more of US. As we surrender more of our thoughts, desires, and will to God, He inturn reveals more of Himself to us. He allows us to experience more fully the fellowship He intends to have with us through our relationship with Jesus (Luke 9:23, Galatians 2:20, Philippians 1:21 as a few examples).

Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all of our heart (Matthew 22:37). Notice the word “all.” To give Jesus part is to shortchange Him. The greatest expression of our love for Him is our unbridled surrender to Him. Notice also the words heart, soul, mind. Those three facets represent the totality of our being. We demonstrate our love to God by surrendering to Him all of every part of our lives – placing Jesus in the center of all that we do.

In surrender, we experience the full fellowship of God and the joy that fellowship affords. Jesus came that we might have an abundant life (John 10:10). All of God’s fullness is experienced in Jesus. We experience more of God when we surrender all to Christ.

Take some time today to inventory your surrender. Are their parts of your life you still try to control? Have you surrendered to Him your words, thoughts, emotions, and actions? Has your will been absorbed into His will? It’s not about you getting more of Him, it’s about Him getting more of you.

The Value in Hurts and Disappointments

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One of the things I have noticed as I have grown older is that my body tends to ache and pain more than it used to. Just little stuff here and there – muscle spasms, joint pains, bone aches. Just a reminder that God created our bodies to be temporary.

But I have also noticed another pain as I have grown older, a “soul pain.” I think I have become more sensitive to the things that hurt me spiritually, and I am more aware of soul pain in others. I would gladly choose any physical pain over the ache that I sometimes have in my spirit.

Various things cause these soul pains – people have hurt me, circumstances have disappointed me, my own sins have beset me. Negativity has a painful effect on me these days too, and of course, the stress of everyday life can weigh on anyone.

I get the feeling I am not alone in feeling soul pain. Can you feel my pain?

So where do we turn for healing? God has drawn my attention quite a bit lately to Psalm 42. In a refreshing display of transparency, one of the songwriting sons of Korah penned these words:

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. – Psalm 42:5-7

Downcast. Disturbed. Describe you? Does me, sometimes, I am sorry to say. But look at the remedy: put your hope in God. In the Bible “hope” is not the subjunctive wish or desire that it is in our contemporary English language. When we say “hope so” we are expressing a desire but not a confidence that something will happen. When the Bible uses the word “hope” however, it speaks to a confident and quieting assurance that the object of our hope – in this case, God – is a sure thing.

We can claim the promise of verse 5: I WILL YET PRAISE HIM. Things may not look like it right now, I may not feel like it right now, circumstances may seem to indicate otherwise, but the fact (not feeling) of the matter is that God will come through and I will break out into a praising hissy fit eventually. In those moments of despair, the songwriter said he “remembered” God; he reminded himself of God’s past faithfulness and used that memory to give him the strength to take things one day (or one hour even) at a time.

Hang in there, friend. Stick it out. And in the meantime know that God will bring us through. He has great things in store for us and we will yet praise Him.

Living On Purpose

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Word for the day: INTENTIONALITY.

I am afraid most of us go through the moments of our days without stopping to realize the opportunities placed before us. We endure our jobs merely for the paycheck we receive. We attend school for the education we receive. We live in a neighborhood because of the benefits we receive from living there. We associate with certain friends because of the camaraderie we receive from their company.

What would happen, however, if we began to view the moments of our days in terms of what we can give rather than receive? What if we began to live out what we read in the writings of Paul?

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. –1 Corinthians 10:31

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. – Colossians 3:17

What if we lived in such a way that others could say about us what was written of Hezekiah?

Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered. – 2 Chronicles 31:20-21

How would it change our lives if we lived to make Paul’s admonition in Colossians 1:18 a reality?

And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent.

  • Would it change what matters in our church preferences if we really sought the preeminence of Christ?
  • Would it change our approach to our jobs if we realized Christ strategically placed us there so He could use us for HIS purposes?
  • How different would our parenting be if we recognized that Jesus blessed us with our children so HE could use us to shape the next generation of godly leaders?
  • What of our behavior at the shopping venues and the ballpark?
  • Would we behave differently toward our neighbors if we understood God placed us in our home to be salt and light to those around us?

Will you take the challenge to change your life paradigm from an accidental and coincidental life to a life of INTENTIONALITY? Ask yourself – why does God have me here and how can God use me here?

Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. – Ephesians 5:15-16

A Heart Condition

The condition of our heart determines our behavior. Just as your heart contains four chambers that work together to pump blood throughout your body, let me suggest four spiritual chambers that work together to comprise what the Bible refers to as our “heart.”

ATTITUDES. Our attitude is what we think about others, our circumstances, and ourselves. Our presuppositions, expectations, and agendas determine who we are. Proverbs 23:7 – As a man thinks in his heart so he is.

ASPIRATIONS. What do you want out of life? What do you passionately pursue? What do you value? We are told to first and foremost seek Christ’s kingdom and righteousness, but don’t we often find other things to pursue? Like leisure, fame, possessions, relationships, security? The list could go on forever. But what we treasure is a clear indication of where our heart is. At least, that’s what Jesus said.

AFFECTIONS.  We often exclusively correlate the heart to the emotions. God is emotional, we read about Him loving, hating, grieving, laughing, and crying. We are created in His image and share the capacity to feel. The question arises . . . WHAT moves us? What makes us laugh or cry, rejoice or grieve? What we long for is an indicator of the condition of our heart. If we have made Him our delight, then He gives us the desires of our heart.

ACTIONS. Who ascends the hill of the Lord? He who has clean hands and a pure heart. (Psalm 24:3-4) There is the connection between the purity of our hearts and the appropriateness of our actions (clean hands).

These four spiritual chambers reflect the condition of our heart.

If God were to do a spiritual heart catheterization on you today, what would He find?

How can we be more “heart healthy”? Guard what goes in and stays in these four chambers. Check our attitude, submit our aspirations to God’s agenda, long for Christ preeminently in our lives, take care how we live.

 

 

When We Leave Jesus Out of the God Talk

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It is somewhat fashionable these days to talk about God. In many such conversations, God is viewed as a talisman, sugar-daddy, or teddy bear who only wants to make our lives successful, comfortable, prosperous, and without sickness or disease. Yes, it is fashionable to talk about God, as long as that talk is all positive and affirming.

Many dangers accompany such God-talk, not the least of which is a misrepresentation of the God of the Bible. Many today have broken the second commandment by verbally creating an image of God to worship that suits their tastes and perceived needs. The Maker of the universe, the Sovereign God does not stand ready to fulfill our commands.

Another subtle but even more dangerous element of this type of God-talk is that it leaves Jesus out of the conversation. I can understand why that is – this verbal golden calf God is nonthreatening, but Jesus is offensive. When we speak of Jesus, we are reminded of his cross and to the lost person that is offensive (1 Corinthians 1:18). That Jesus came reminds us that we are hopeless sinners who stand in need of God’s intervention.  We are not OK, we cannot look within ourselves for answers, we are desperately in need of a Savior.

The Bible makes it clear that Jesus is the central focus of any conversation about God, life, death, eternity, etc.

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. (Colossians 2:8-10)

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him,“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 16:13-17)

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

Listen (and read) carefully what others are saying about God. If they speak of God only in general feel-good terms and leave Jesus, the Cross, repentance, and obedience out of the conversation then avoid and ignore them. Let’s talk up Jesus. Let’s proclaim Him. Submitting to His Lordship is the ONLY solution to our culture’s ills and the only answer to the deeply seated issues we face in life today.

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…(Hebrews 1:1-3)

FBF: Chicken of the Sea

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I love my wife’s tuna salad so much that she has to use a whole can of tuna just for me; one can all for me and one split between her and Bekah. But really tuna salad goes a long way. That little boy, who brought five barley loaves and two fish, must have brought tuna. What other fish can you spread out among 5000 men and their families? (Read the story in John 6:1-14) 

***Denominational note: obviously this crowd was not Baptist. A Baptist crowd would not have gathered like this unless there was a pot-luck or covered dish meal already planned! ***

Can you imagine what it was like to be that little fellow? Maybe his lunch box originally contained more than the bread and fish. Maybe he didn’t care for them and they were just the leftovers. But whatever the case, he made his lunch box contents available and it was enough for Jesus to use. How must it have felt for the Master to take his leftovers and perform such an amazing miracle? Imagine what was going through his mind as he watched his lunch – only multiplied by the hand of God – pass through the crowd until everyone ate all they could hold and still leave 12 baskets of leftovers.

We can learn a valuable lesson from this kid about allowing God to use us. First we see the simplicity – he gave what he had. The boy could have rationalized that all he had was stinky fish and stale bread. He could have reasoned that no one in the crown that day would be interested in what he had; it just wasn’t as good as food at some of the other gatherings he attended. We may find it easy to compare ourselves to others and think we have little or nothing to offer, but all God asks is that we bring to Him the “us” He created. The only ability we need to have is availability.

But we also see the commitment – he gave all he had. He didn’t “share” his lunch, he handed it over, all of it. He could have held back a little for himself, but instead he placed it all in Jesus hands. And here is the amazing thing about that – Jesus didn’t need five loaves and two fish. Jesus could have performed the miracle without anything from the boy. The boy could have reserved a fish and piece of bread for himself, and Jesus still would have been able to feed the crowd with four loaves and one fish. But when the boy gave up all his lunch, in return he received a stomach full much bigger than he would have gotten had he eaten just the 2 fish and 5 loaves. When Jesus used what the boy brought, the boy received a blessing and became a blessing to others because of it.

If Jesus wants to make tuna salad out of you, the only ingredient he needs is YOU . . . ALL OF YOU.

Why Your Church May Be Out of Shape

scalesI must admit, I am not in very good shape these days. I can pinpoint two main reasons for my conditioning decline: I was not eating right and I was not getting sufficient any exercise. Recently I have taken steps to improve my conditioning. I am more discerning about what I eat, and I am trying to get more exercise and be more physically active. After a few days, things are looking some better, but I still have a long way to go.

I have observed that what plagued me physically, plagues many believers spiritually, especially the lack of “exercise.” An alarming trend has emerged in Church-life over the last several years. With more frequency, believers are looking for churches where they can “just go” and not be asked to do anything. Citing burnout, being taken for granted, or not being appreciated, they either move to another church where they can begin again under the radar and not be asked to serve, or they lapse into infrequent attendance and inactivity in the church which holds their membership.

I can understand the reasoning; I have felt that way before, too. The problem with that line of thinking, however, is that it is fleshly and ignores that fact that God has uniquely gifted each believer to be a function part of a larger body. Two things happen when we decide to refrain from serving in the local body: the church suffers because she is forced to function handicapped, and the believer suffers because as a body part, they fall into atrophy.

…from whom [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. – Ephesians 4:16

Please don’t let the spiritual gift God has given you go to waste. If you are being tempted to shrink back from serving, please reconsider. Your church needs you and you need to serve. Don’t let the body get out of shape.

Are We Running the Wrong Way?

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In the 1929 Rose Bowl game between the University of California Bears and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Cal offensive lineman Roy Reigels made a historic play. He snatched up a ball on the first bounce that had been fumbled by Georgia Tech running back Stumpy Thomason (I love that name) and got spun around and proceeded to run 64 yards toward an apparent touchdown – only he was running the wrong way – toward his own team’s goal line. Speedy Cal running back Benny Lom chased him down, trying to convince him to stop. Reigels thought Lam was trying to get him to lateral the ball to him so he could get credit for the touchdown. He ignored the warnings until finally Lam caught him at the one yard line and got him to stop. But it was too late. Tech players tackled him at the one yard line.

Of course in 1929, offensive schemes were quite conservative, so Cal lined up (with Reigels at center) to punt. Tech’s Vance Maree broke through to block the punt and the ball rolled out of the end zone resulting in a safety and 2 points for Tech. That play provided the margin of victory as Tech won the Rose Bowl 8 – 7 capping off a perfect 10-0 season and a national championship.

What about our journey through life?  Could it be that we are scoring touchdowns in the wrong end zone? Is the success we chase going to matter in eternity? When we stand before Jesus will we impress Him with our toys and trophies? Are the things we are living for worth dying for? Is it time we reassess our priorities?

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?For what can a man give in return for his soul? Mark 8:36-37

Oh, by the way, in 1971 Roy Reigels and Benny Lom were granted honorary membership in the Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket Letterman’s Club. A step up, I would say, for a couple of Cal Bears.

FBF Post: What Are You Staring At?

Before I began this blog, I had another blog on a different site for several years.  That blog is now closed, but each Friday, at least for a while, I want to resurrect some of my favorite posts from the previous blog.  This one is from May 2009.

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“It’s not nice to stare.” That is what we are taught and that is what we teach our daughter. Nothing is creepier than feeling the cold stare of a total stranger.

But when it comes to our dreams and aspirations, we all stare at something or someone. Maybe our gaze is on a family member or a close friend, acquaintance, or even a celebrity. IF we could just be like them, then our lives would be so much better. So we think. Maybe our gaze is on a new job or yet acquired possession. If we just had that, then we could be happy. Such gazes are fantasy, and should we ever attain that at which we gaze, we would find it disappointingly empty and insufficient.

Yet another stare, is the gaze of observation. I have noticed Bekah watch me or someone else very closely only to soon imitate what she sees. She reads from her Bible and “preaches” with many of the same mannerisms I employ. She sings songs from the hymnal and “directs” the singing like those she sees in church. She stares that she may learn and imitate.

Such is the gaze you and I need.

But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. – James 1:25

God’s Word provides the perfect object of observation. But a casual glance, a cursory reading if you will, of that Word will not affect much in our lives. The word in the James passage that is translated “looks” literally means to stoop down or bend over to get a better focus on the object of one’s sight. When we take the time to examine God’s Word, to break it down into its various parts and seek to understand it contextual meaning and its contemporary application, then that Word can transform our lives.

When we gaze into the pages of Scripture we see God for who He really is, we see Christ crucified on our behalf and seated on His throne, we see ourselves and what we sadly are in reality, and we see the path of life God has mapped out for us to follow. To see all of that, one has to stare – a passing glance will not suffice.

How can we expect to grow more like Christ when we do not take the time and make the effort to stare at Him, study His movements and mannerisms, learn how He thinks, and observe how He acts? Is it no wonder we fail to reach our spiritual growth potential when we spend more time gazing at woefully insufficient models than gazing at the more than sufficient Master? Bible study is not optional for the disciple who wants to be like his Master.

If I can challenge you to ramp up one discipline in your lives, it would be this one. Spend much time in God’s Word, especially the New Testament, and most especially the Gospels. If we want to imitate Jesus then we need to stare at Him. See Him in action. Scrutinize His every step. Then and only then will our lives reflect Him.

So . . . who are you staring at today?