Posts

Higher Education

2.5.13-College-Graduation-Students-600x426So, Peter and his crew have been fishing all night. They know what they’re doing. They do this for a living. But despite their best efforts, they haven’t caught anything and you can imagine the way their wheels are spinning. They’ve got bills to pay and mouths to feed. This isn’t bragging rights they’re pursuing, this is their livelihood.

They’re wrapping things up. It’s morning and they’re already rehearsing what they’re going to be telling their wives, I’m sure. “Sorry, baby…we didn’t catch anything.”

They’re washing their nets, when here comes Jesus. He’s got His typical crowd following Him and He asks Peter if he would be willing to let Him get into one of his boats and speak from a position just off shore. “Sure,” says Peter. It’s not like they’ve got anything pressing going on now, in light of last night’s epic fail. Read more

3:00 Today

clockLast nite was nuts! A collection of ridiculous trials had been quickly put together for the sole purpose of making a case so Pilate would be obligated to hear it and, with any luck, they could extract from him the death penalty that they couldn’t legally administer on their own (John 18:31).

He looked rough by the time Pilate took Him aside. He wanted to figure out a way to out- maneuver the irrational types outside – He wanted to set this guy free. Pilate had had Him flogged and this was after the beatings He had already received (John 19:1-3). Surely the sight of a man that ravaged would be enough to pacify these Jews, but they were insistent. Pilate was between a rock and a hard place once it became apparent that this Christ was setting Himself over Caesar (John 19:15-16). So at 6:00 that morning, the verdict the Jewish religious authorities had been hoping for was a reality and by noon Jesus was on the cross (Luke 23:44). Read more

Move. Become. Now.

Norman battle swordI’ve always been inspired by Caleb.

You meet him for the first time in Numbers 13. He was a standout from the tribe of Judah and was selected as one of 12 men to go out and explore Canaan. Their report was positive in terms of the land itself, but the inhabitants represented an overwhelming obstacle and all but two of twelve were convinced that God had led them into a no win situation.

Caleb was 40 at the time. While he and Joshua were confident that God could do as He promised, they would both have to endure the years of wandering that were part of Israel’s sentence for their contemptuous treatment of God’s Character.

Israel’s opportunity to claim what could’ve been theirs 40 years prior takes place in the first part of the book of Joshua with the conquest of Jericho. In chapters 10-13, you see a list of victories that Israel accomplished as part of her campaign to conquer the Promised Land. In every one of these undertakings, Caleb is suiting up. According to today’s view of guys in their sixties and seventies, he should be reminiscing about his exploits rather than spearheading new ones. But he’s out there nevertheless and in chapter 14, he says in verse 10: “So here I am today, eight-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.” Read more

The Tyranny of the Urgent

urgentThe Dictionary defines “tyranny” as “cruel and oppressive power.” When you consider the context of the title of this post, it makes sense.

Here’s the situation: You’ve got several plates spinning. Among them there are some legitimate deadlines, but you also have some things that, while they need to get done, don’t have the same sense of professional urgency attached to them.  And while that might be plain when you step back and really evaluate your to-do list, it isn’t always obvious when you’re just in your “zone,” trying to get things done.

But in order for your day to be truly productive, you have to step back and collect your thoughts enough to ensure that your efforts are being deployed in the wisest manner possible. Otherwise, the “tyranny of the urgent” takes over and those things that are authentic priorities are usurped by what poses as “urgent.”

And I’ve come to discover that it’s not always obvious… Read more

The God Gap

 

god_gap_smallThe Traveler’s Gift

“The Final Summit” is a book by Andy Andrews. He’s an author that has a fascinating testimony of how he went from being homeless, living under a pier in the Gulf Shores area, to a best-selling author.

His first book, “The Traveler’s Gift,” chronicles the story of a man named David Ponder who has recently taken several hits. He’s lost his job, his daughter has been recently diagnosed with a medical problem that requires a trip to the hospital that he can’t afford – he feels surrounded by an ocean of disasters and obligations that he cannot rise above.

Feeling desperate, he puts his foot on the gas and navigates his vehicle in a way that sends him into a tailspin. As he’s careening out of control, his last thought it that perhaps his life insurance will fill in the financial gaps that he can’t address. He slips into unconsciousness and wakes up…

…in the presence of Harry Truman. Read more

Muscular Christianity Billboard

What Would Your Billboard Say? (Part II)

Muscular Christianity BillboardLast time we talked about “Billboard Christianity,” we talked about one possible tag line being “It’s All Good” meaning that, as a believer, you have access to a perpetual Source of optimism because you

  •  know Who’s in charge
  • your sense of fulfillment isn’t based on goalposts that never stop moving

This week we’re looking at another tag line. This one is “Pray Big.”

I) Pray Big

Above you see a license plate that belongs to a friend of mine.

“Pray Big” is consistent with the message communicated in several Scriptures.

Take a look:

A) He Knows You (better than you know yourself)

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jer 29:11 [see also Josh 1:8])

No one knows you like God knows you (see 1 Sam16:7;  Jer 17:10; Matt 10:30). He had a plan in mind for you before you ever entered this world (Ps 139:16). That plan is tailored expressly for you (Eph 2:10). Because He wired you in a way that results in your having both the ability and a passion for doing what He created you to do, rest assured that the greatest amount of fulfillment you’re ever going to experience in your life is doing the things you were created to do.

That being the case, anytime you’re intentional about seeking God’s direction, you’re doing yourself a favor because He’s going to steer you in the direction that results in the greatest good for your life.
Praybig-300x225

B) Ask!

If you could ask God for anything, what would it be? Do you think you would get it? Why or why not?

Take a look at what God told David in the aftermath of his affair with Bathsheba. At this point, David’s busted. He’s getting chewed out by God through the prophet Nathan and he deserves it. He committed adultery and then he turned around and used his authority as king to orchestrate the death of one of his bodyguards in order to cover his tracks. He knows what he has coming and he’s not putting up any kind of argument.

In the midst of God’s rebuke, the Lord says something that’s significant. Take a look:

I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. (2 Sam 12:8)

God’s listing every beautiful woman that David had access to along with the throne. And then He says if that hadn’t been enough, He would’ve given David even more. Think about what God is saying, here. David had noticed a woman that was not his to pursue. The fact that he had a desire for female companionship was not the deal-breaker. Rather, it was the object of his desire and the way in which he went about pursuing that which was forbidden by violating two commands that carried the death penalty.

Look at what it says in Luke:

 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13)

Now consider what Jesus says in Matthew:

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened. (Matt 7:7-8)

…and then in James:

You do not have, because you do not ask God. (Jas 4:2)

God is not stingy. When you ask, He hears and He stands ready to answer your prayer.

Consider this: Anything you ask for is going to pale in comparison to what He already gave in terms of the sacrifice of His Son:

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Rom 8:32)

So, with that in mind, ask! Go for the brass ring. Pray big!

Think about this:

 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Eph 3:20-21)

You can’t out-imagine God. Pray for big things and do so confidently knowing that He hears and He’s more than willing to answer.

Now, He doesn’t always answer the way we like and this is where the worship component of all this needs to kick in.

C) Worship

Go back to that passage in Luke:

Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? (Luke 11:11-12)

Fact is, sometimes we ask for the equivalent to a snake or a scorpion. We don’t see it that way, but God can see things that we can’t so He says “No.”

Other times we might be asking for something that is absolutely noble and God either says “No” or “Wait.” Either response can be exasperating but only if you neglect to keep the first part of the Lord’s Prayer center stage in your approach.

Father, hallowed be your name…(Luke 11:2)

The word “hallowed” means to “establish as holy.” In other words, before you launch into your petition, you begin by honoring God as being holy. In other words, you start by reminding yourself of Who it is you’re talking to.

God is not your personal vending machine. He’s not your gofer. And should He respond to your prayer by saying either “No” or “Wait” – processing that response from a position that acknowledges God for Who He is far easier than if you try to do that while maintaining God as subordinate to your authority. That’s when you can become indignant and worse.

II) Conclusion

It is not so much true that “prayer changes things” as that prayer changes me and I change things. God has so constituted things that prayer on the basis of Redemption alters the way in which a man looks at things. Prayer is not a question of altering things externally, but of working wonder in a man’s disposition. (“My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers, August 28th reading)

God often works miracles through very common means. He uses people to accomplish His agenda and it’s not uncommon for an answer to your prayer to be delivered via something seemingly natural (see Luke 17:14). But because it’s God Who did it, it is therefore supernatural and you want to be able to appreciate it as such.

When you pray and you do so reverently, you change. God sweeps up the distractive dust balls that are scattered on your spiritual floor and you’re given a chance to see things from a different perspective. That is the true miracle of prayer. Sure, the material answer to your request is important, but it’s the change that He exacts in you that is truly amazing.

So pray big! Consider Who You’re talking to:

  • The Creator of the Universe (Col 1:16)
  • The One Who loves you and knows you perfectly (Ps 139:16; Matt 10:30; 1 Jn 3:1)
  • The One Who gave His Son for you (Rom 8:32)
  • The One from Whom all good things originate (Jas 1:17)

His answer is assured and whatever that answer is, in terms of the material result you’re requesting, rest assured that His answer is exactly what it needs to be in order for your welfare to be accomplished. And in the interim, you have been changed because your perspective is being aligned with the Greatness and the Goodness of God which produces a more optimistic and a healthier disposition.

Believe and trust (Jas 1:5-8). Move forward knowing that God is aware, able and active as far as your request is concerned. Don’t settle for an existence that’s limited to the physical possibilities as dictated by a cynical, human mindset. Pray big and know that God is exactly Who He claims to be, no request is too big and no appeal goes unanswered.

For some final thoughts about your, “billboard,” click here