Nothing Is Never Happening

An interesting situation unfolds when one reads 2 Kings 6. The Syrian king is preparing to attack Israel. Secretly (so he thinks) he plots and plans with his trusted leaders, but no one can keep secrets from God. God lets Elisha in on the plans and Elisha tells the King of Israel. The Syrian king questions his advisors to find out if one of them is the traitor, and they are quick to point out that God’s prophet Elisha knew even the most intimate of Syria’s plans. They tell him that Elisha can even tell Israel’s king what the Syrian king speaks in his bedroom! Funny stuff!

As you might imagine, the Syrian king sets out to “silence” Elisha. When the Syrian army surrounds Elisha’s home, his servant gets quite nervous. Yet Elisha encourages him to not be afraid and asks God to give the servant a glimpse of what is going on “behind the scenes.” What the servant sees is God’s heavenly army on chariots of fire surrounding the Syrian army. Just a glimpse into the spiritual realm emboldened the servant. He realized that they were not alone and that God was fighting this battle for them. Read the story. The ending is incredibly funny, at least to me it is, the way God allowed Elisha to embarrass the Syrian army.

But, friend, take courage in the fact that God has not left you alone to face your battles either. Something is always going on behind the scenes in your life. I like to say it this way NOTHING is never happening. If you could only see what God is doing in the spiritual realm of your life you would never be afraid. God, who is for you, is fighting for you, and HE IS UNDEFEATED!

Take courage when facing the obstacles you CAN see by remembering the forces of heaven that you CAN’T see are already deployed on your behalf. As Elisha said to his servant, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.” Trust and obey God. Don’t abandon Him, He has not abandoned you.

My prayer for you is the same prayer Elisha prayed for his friend: “Lord, open their eyes and let them see.”

Some Thoughts on Worship Music

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I’ve read a couple of articles lately about worship.  In church circles, that is quite the hot topic these days.  The first article is one by LifeWay President Thom Rainer concerning what attracts the Millennial Generation (those born 1980-2000) to worship.  You can read it here.  The second article, written by Christian layman David Murrow, ponders the reasons most men do not sing during worship times in church.  You can read that article here.

Both articles were very insightful and both challenged me and encouraged me.  As a pastor, I want to see my congregation genuinely worship God in a way that pleases Him primarily and edifies us additionally.  The problem with most worship discussions, I believe, is that we focus on how to please the wrong audience.  We discuss what music appeals most to a certain generation, demographic, or other affinity group.

We debate whether we should sing hymns, contemporary songs, or both sung from hymnals or projected on screens, while played by bands or organ and piano.  The deciding factor in those determinations is usually the preference of the majority of people in the church or the perceived attraction of a target group. The truth, however, is that our worship needs to focus on an audience of ONE – God himself who alone is worthy of our praises.  Instead of considering the preferences of our majorities or target groups, we should be asking ourselves if our worship pleases God.  Does our selection of songs communicate genuine and substantive praise TO GOD?  Is the effort with which we engage singing worthy of the ONE to whom we sing?

The key is not hymns, contemporary songs, books, screens, bands, or organs, but about singing upbeat celebratory songs that are easy to sing, knowable or learnable, and that have rich theological meaning, not fluff or gimmicky.  That is the kind of music that reverberates through the corridors of heaven and exalts our Lord.  It’s about HIM not me.

Worship leaders and Pastors; ask yourselves some questions as you prepare the worship service.  Do the songs we will sing make sense?  Do they really say the things God wants to hear?  Can the average person sing this song? Are we celebrating the glory of God or singing for the beauty of the song? Is the song keyed properly? Are the words simple to sing but substantial in meaning? Is God basking in the attention He is getting from my worship?

Worshippers, connect with God this Sunday when you worship.  Don’t just stand there, sing…sing to God.

Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise!
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
All the earth worships you
and sings praises to you;
they sing praises to your name.”  – Psalm 66:1-4

When God Delays

At some point, I would like to calculate over the course of several months how much time I spend waiting during an average day.  Traffic lights, on hold on the telephone, in line at the store, in the drive-through at a fast food joint, and a seemingly million other ways I am forced to wait.  I am not a patient waiter.

I have to admit, that in weak moments, I even get impatient with God. I expect God to immediately grant all my requests in the manner I asked Him to grant them, and when He doesn’t do so, I am tested. Recently I have some issues for which I have been praying and have yet to see God move.  As I prayed complained to God one recent morning, He reminded me of a truth I needed to remember.

I say that I believe in that God is all-knowing and that He knows best.  I say that I believe that God is all-powerful and is able to do ALL that He deems good and best.  I say that I believe in God’s providence and that He has planned my life for His glory and my good.  I say I believe those truths, but when I get impatient with God I act as though I don’t believe them.

Well meaning people console us in our times of waiting by reminding us that “God’s delays” are not necessarily His denials, but there are no such things as God’s delays – His timing is always perfect.  He is an on-time God.  What seem like delays – those times which tempt me to grow impatient – are only delays from my vantage point, not God’s.  He is purposefully working out His plan, His way, on His time, positioning my life and my circumstances for His glory.

I can relax, live in the moment and trust my future to an all-wise, all-powerful, on-time God.  He has my life on track.  You can trust Him too.  Wait. Rest. Trust. Believe. 

My times are in your hand… Psalm 31:15

Accountability or Legalism?

SS Attendence cardA recent conversation with a friend brought back a childhood church memory that I had all but forgotten – the Sunday school attendance card.  Each Sunday, we recorded how “faithful” we had been during the week in such matters as daily Bible reading, lesson study, giving an offering, and church worship attendance. Individuals and classes received grades related to the accomplishment of those activities.

My guess is the demise is due to at least two somewhat opposite conditions.  On the one hand, such a practice could lead to a legalistic and empty pride.  One might simply go through the motions of “accomplishing” all the activities indicated on the card and feel good about themselves for merely doing them, all the while receiving no real lasting spiritual benefit from them at all. On the other hand the practice may have disappeared due to our great aversion to accountability.  We didn’t want to read our Bible daily, bring an offering, stay for church, or study our Sunday school lesson, and we didn’t want anyone else to KNOW we didn’t do it, so we removed the evidence.

While those activities may have become someone’s legalistic benchmark, they were at least initially deemed to be disciplines of spiritual value.  Studying one’s lesson, reading one’s Bible, contributing financially, and attending church are all ways that God uses to help us become more Christlike.  I am not advocating a return to the Sunday school attendance card, but I do think we need to discipline ourselves to godliness (1 Timothy 4:7).  When we removed the accountability, we stopped developing disciples.  When we stopped developing disciples, we fell sorely behind in impacting our world for Jesus.

I strongly encourage you to find an accountability partner or group who will spur you on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24-25) and challenge you to INTENTIONALLY engage those activities that will help you grow to be more like Jesus.

FBF: Stewed or Nuked

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.  These will be my Flashback Friday (FBF) posts.

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The microwave and the slow cooker are two of the best inventions in a long time. Both have become staples in most kitchens. But the two methods of cooking cannot be more opposite. The microwave is fast. You can thaw, cook, or reheat all in a matter of a few scant minutes. The slow cooker, however, cooks just as its name implies . . . slow. If you are in a hurry, use the microwave. If you want to instill pungent flavor and create tender texture, use the slow cooker. The microwave is great for popcorn, bacon, and leftovers; but the slow cooker produces a tender, juicy roast.

But more often than not, we use the microwave. Think about it. When was the last time you used your slow cooker? Do you even know where it is? We have grown accustomed to instant results. We can get or news immediately online without having to wait for the “film at eleven.” We can go through the drive-thru at McDonald’s and take dinner home in just a few minutes. We can exchange information via several emails over the course of just a few minutes rather than waiting to swap individual letters via traditional mail. We live in a microwave world and we are spoiled.

But God does not always act in a microwave manner. Sure, sometimes God moves quickly and we are amazed at the speed and ease with which He brings about His purposes. But most of the time, God goes slow. You see, God is more interested in our development than in our destination. He is more concerned with our character than with our comfort. God knows that the best way to cook a successful life is to let it slowly simmer and absorb all the richness of life around it. In His perfect knowledge God surrounds us with circumstances that add flavor and texture to our lives.

Consider our Biblical example Naaman. You can read about him in 2 Kings 5. Naaman was a brave captain of the Syrian army. He had won a lot of battles, had made quite a name for himself, and had done well for himself and his family materially. Yet there was one enemy he could not defeat. It was the incurable and fatal disease of bible times called leprosy. Leprosy was highly contagious and outwardly obvious. In spite of all his military victories and exploits, this dreaded disease still cast a pall over Naaman’s life. And undoubtedly over the course of several years he had tried the remedies of hundreds of would be doctors and healers who made great promises to him. But they had all failed.

Yet one young girl among the captive he brought back from a recent raid in Israel assured him that God’s prophet in Samaria could cure him. Naaman went with high hopes and what seems to be a slight attitude of arrogance and entitlement. He expected Elisha to do some grand and glorious public act to once and for all cure him. In stead, the prophet sent word to him by a servant to go to the Jordan River and wash himself not once, twice, or three times, but seven times and he would be cured. At first, Naaman’s pride prevented him from going, but at the encouragement of his servant he did and he was healed.

Like us, Naaman wanted Elisha to come up with a quick and easy “microwavable” solution to the problem.But God had another plan, God was cooking Naaman in the slow cooker. The passing of time presented a test of resolve and faith which finally resulted in a solution. The lessons learned in the journey made the destination all the more special.

Have you about given up because your answer hasn’t come by way of the microwave? Maybe God has you in the slow-cooker. You are being stewed rather than nuked because God is using the process to bring about an even greater work in your life. So let me encourage you to hang in there and enjoy the trip. Soak up the experience. Let the flavors of your circumstances permeate your life as God uses the delays in your life to teach you more about Him, His purposes and His ways in your life. Look around and see the hand of God, listen carefully to the voice of God, and lean on the goodness of God. He is cooking up a blessing just for you.

Constant Practice for Spiritual Maturity

I hate doing the same things the same way all the time.  To me, “routine” is just a “rut” with added letters to disguise it.  The older I get, however, the more value I find in repetition and consistency.

Sunday, as I watched the FSU Women’s softball team on TV, one of the commentators, Michele Smith, a former Olympic pitcher, mentioned how every time she practiced she did things the exact same way.  She extolled the virtues of a “routine.”  She mentioned that she did this so that in whatever situation she might be pitching, she would always feel comfortable.  Pitching was as natural to her as walking. Athletes develop routines so that their activity becomes so natural that they do not need to give it conscious thought. When pressure is on and fans are screaming and the game is on the line, they revert to what comes naturally and excel in those clutch situations.

We must beware of two caveats, however.  First, the athlete has to engage the routine, not just go through the motions.  Their “heart” has to be “in it.”  Secondly, the practice routine must involve doing the activity the proper way or else bad habits are programmed in place of the right way.

We succeed in whatever we choose to do when we INTENTIONALLY pursue the right goal in the right manner.  The writer of the book of Hebrews spends a good deal of the 5th chapter writing about spiritual maturity.  He identifies the spiritually mature person as one who has “their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:14

What is your constant practice?  How do you “train” for spiritual success?  Bible reading and study, prayer, worship, fellowship with other believers, all when done intentionally, consistently, properly, and with our whole hearts provide a good routine that will help us act not naturally, but Godly when the pressure is on.

 

FBF: My Cat Is Outgrowing Her Cradle

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.  These will be my Flashback Friday (FBF) posts.  This particular post was written almost to the day 5 years ago.  Then Bekah was finishing Kindergarten.  Today is her last day in elementary school, she will be a middle schooler now.  The truth of this blog is even more urgent for me now than it was May 21, 2009.

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High school graduation is this weekend in Tift County and many families will celebrate a significant milestone in the life of their children as they complete High School. Today also marks a milestone in the Duggan household – my little girl will no longer be a kindergartener. At least I guess not. We haven’t seen her report card yet. I get the feeling Ms Dean would not flunk her for fear she would have her in class again next year.

Today, we had the privilege of going to Bekah’s school and watching the kindergarten talent show. All the kids did so well (Bekah jumped rope), and we enjoyed watching them. I did fine except when they played that stupid “Cinderella” song by Steven Curtis Chapman. It is actually a beautiful song, I just don’t like to be reminded how quickly my daughter is growing up and how soon she will out on her own.

I am sure that other fathers and mothers will entertain the same thoughts and process the same emotions at Brodie Field Saturday morning (weather permitting) as they watch their child walk across the platform and receive their high school diploma. Do you remember those “life comes at you fast” commercials? It really does come at you fast and pass by quickly when you are a parent. We would do well to remember Paul’s reminder in Ephesians 5:16, “…making the most of every opportunity…”

In 1967, Charles Hummel wrote an essay about priorities entitled The Tyranny of the Urgent in which he stated a basic premise: all too often, we sacrifice the important on the altar of the urgent. No one feels the negative effect of such a sacrifice as our families. Our jobs, responsibilities, emergencies, and commitments scream loudly that they must be satisfied immediately, while we relegate to “spare time” the most important priorities – our relationships with God, family, and friends.

Parents, our children grow up fast and we cannot let the time pass thinking that we will “get around to” spending more time with them. The time to do that is now. Make the most of every opportunity . . . in fact MAKE OPPORTUNITIES. Take the time to make some good memories now with your spouse, your kids, and your close friends. Don’t let the urgent rob the important.

The Biggest Challenge for the Next Generation

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What are you passing on to the next generation spiritually? Eyes are always watching us, and we are constantly being scouted and imitated. We ALL influence somebody. Our children and other kids are watching what we do, hearing what we say, and noticing how we think.

I have heard it said that children do in excess what they see their parents do in moderation. Words, attitudes, and actions that to us may be incidental become building blocks for the personalities of children.

Unfortunately, I have seen parents who displayed a lack of respect for authority raise children who didn’t respect them. I have seen parents criticize people in the church and then wonder why their kids, when old enough to choose for themselves, wanted nothing to do with the church. I have seen parents who considered their commitment to things spiritual to be optional question how their kids could walk away from the things of God.

Part of living an intentional life is realizing at every moment we can make a conscious effort to build positive traits into the lives of people around us.

Be mindful of your own words, attitudes, and actions. Think about what you are saying and portraying.

Talk less. Laugh and smile more. You will be amazed at how something as simple as a positive outlook on life positively affects our children.

Be honest and authentic. Your kids see your faults. Admitting them and striving to overcome them sets an example for a generation of honesty and integrity.

Gladly take on the mantle of ROLE MODEL. You are whether you want to be or not. You are leading by example . . . good or bad.

Become the kind of person who can say with Paul:

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. – Philippians 4:9

The next generational will be “us plus.”

Do You Stink?

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I once heard of a prank perpetuated by some kids on their grandfather. He took daily naps on the sofa, naps that were so deep nothing would awaken him. During one nap they smeared some Limburger cheese on his mustache and waited for him to awaken. Soon he did, with a sniff, and declared, “This sofa stinks!” He then moved to the LazyBoy where again he declared, “This chair stinks!” He tried every room in the house only to find that they, too, stunk. Finally, he went outside to get some fresh air, and when he took a deep breath, he declared, “The whole world stinks!”

Unfortunately, that story repeats daily in the lives of some people, only figuratively. With bad attitudes, they declare that everything in the world stinks – their job, their circumstances, their church, their pastor. They view a situation or person as bad, yet others see it differently. All the while, the stink was actually right under their nose, following them everywhere they go. They ARE the stink.

Our attitudes determine how we view the world around us, and the good news is we control our attitude – it is a choice. Proverbs 23:7 tells us as a man “thinks within himself, so he is.” Our attitude actually BECOMES our reality. So, how can we change our attitude and thereby change our reality?

First, we need to change the contents of our thoughts. If somehow Limburger cheese is under our nose, we need to wash our face. Philippians 4:8 teaches us to fill our mind with the right kinds of thoughts and leave no room for the negative thoughts. We can change the way we view our reality by changing WHAT we think.

Additionally, we need to change our influencers. The people around us either lift us up or bring us down – and the direction we are going is often deceiving. Sometimes we think people are making us feel better by commiserating with us, but in the end, they are only helping us dig deeper into the pit of negativity. 1 Corinthians 15:33 teaches us that “bad company corrupts good character.” If your friends are negative, chances are you will be too. If your friends are positive, they will lift your spirit and help you attitude.

If we change what we think, and change who influences our thoughts, chances are we will begin to see our reality in a fresh new light. Things are not as bad as we think they are, nor nearly as bad as others try to tell us they are. So, wipe the stinky cheese off your face and face the world with a new attitude.

 

 

Little Things Are Big Things

squirrel on a lineOn September 11, 1995, a squirrel climbed on the Metro-North Railroad power lines near New York City. This set off an electrical surge, which weakened an overhead bracket. The loosened bracket allowed a wire to dangle toward the tracks, which tangled in a train. The train then tore down all the lines. As a result, 47,000 commuters were stuck in Manhattan for hours that evening.

If something as small as a squirrel can derail a major metropolitan transit system, what does that say about the “little things” in our lives? Some days, we face the temptation to cut corners and take shortcuts, thinking no one will notice, but in reality, the “little things” tend to define our lives. A brick wall consists of several small bricks. A crack or break in even one brick – usually undetected by the naked eye – can compromise the entire wall. So also, one little shortcut in our lives can undo years of good.

The “little things” of our lives include such activity as prayer, Bible study, church attendance, helping others – taking care of those important things we do that others may not see. If we skip over doing these little things, we may not detect immediate ramifications, but the long term damage shows up eventually.

When athletes take short cuts in practice, they pay for it in games. Preachers take short cuts in sermon preparation and the congregation pays for it on Sunday. Businessmen take short cuts with their business, and they eventually affect the “bottom line.”

Two Bible verses remind us of the need to take care of the little things in our lives:

“… be sure your sin will find you out.” – Numbers 32:23


“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” – Galatians 6:7-9

 

And one from the mouth of Jesus himself:

“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'” – Matthew 25:21

Let’s be sure to take care of all of those “little things” in our lives and watch the big things take care of themselves.