Have We Been Missing ‘The Main Thing’ All Along?

Many important issues are competing for our attention these days. There’s the never-ending battle against poverty. Many believe abortion is a crucial concern. We have the ongoing culture war that’s trying to turn morality on its head. Then we have the economy, politics, global health crises, debate over causes and effects of climate change, and many others.

Followers of Jesus Christ are often understandably torn over which matters should receive the bulk of our energy and resources. Some people seek to dispel this confusion by asking the famous question, “What would Jesus do?” WWJD bracelets are no longer the rage, but it remains a valid question.

 

For the answer, some seem inclined to turn to the books of 1 and 2 Opinions. These aren’t in the Bible, but people talk and act as if they are. It’s kind of like saying, “Well, if I were Jesus….” We’d be wise to stop right there because, well, we’re not Jesus. 

 

The best way to find out what Jesus Christ would do – and what He would want of us – is to consult the Scriptures, because that’s where the Lord is revealed most definitively. The four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John give us the clearest picture of Him. 

 

They reveal a lot about how Jesus lived and what He taught, but don’t give a complete, 24/7 accounting for everything Jesus did and said over His 33 years on earth. The gospel of John even acknowledges this by stating, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25).

 

Nevertheless, I believe the gospels and the remainder of the Bible give us everything we need to know about Jesus for seeking to live as He desires of us. We don’t need to know more than that – we have enough difficulty trying to understand and apply what has been recorded.

 

Jesus’ life and teachings were wide-ranging, but what He said moments before His ascension seems particularly significant. After declaring, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me,” Jesus gave His last instructions to His followers: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).

 

Of all the last words He could have said, Jesus told His disciples to make other disciples. He could have addressed any of the issues listed above, or others, but making disciples was the final thought – the main thing Jesus wanted to leave with them. And us.

 

A disciple, by definition, is a learner, a follower, one who influences and teaches others so that they too become disciples. It’s noteworthy that the concept of making disciples isn’t mentioned at all in the Bible until…the first chapter of Genesis. After the declaration, “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27), the very next verse says, “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number [multiply]; fill the earth and subdue it….’”

 

Connecting this first of God’s many biblical commands with what we commonly regard as Jesus’ Great Commission, we discover discipling others – making more people in His image – is central to His will and purpose for humankind.

 

When we hear the oft-asked question, “What’s wrong with the Church today?”, I suspect a major factor is the failure to follow through on the last thing Jesus said before being taken up to Heaven. He commanded His followers to “make disciples,” not just converts but people who are growing, maturing and reproducing themselves spiritually.

 

We see a description of this in one of the apostle Paul’s writings to his protégé, Timothy. Paul directed the younger man, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2).

 

In this single verse we find four generations of believers – Paul, Timothy, “reliable men,” and “others” whom they would teach. Just as Paul had invested much of his life into Timothy, he wanted Timothy to do the same with reliable (faithful) men, who would in turn do the same with other people.

How many churches are doing this today? We hear moving sermons and uplifting music during times of worship; we have programs designed for nearly every target audience; we devise slick marketing campaigns to attract people. But how many of our churches are intentionally and aggressively striving to do the main thing Jesus said we’re to do – go and make disciples? 

Unforgiveness – Sentence to Self-Imprisonment

“I just can’t forgive.” Have you ever heard someone say this? Maybe you’ve said it yourself – or at least thought those words? If so, you’re not alone. In one way or another, we’ve all suffered pain inflicted by others that seems beyond our capacity to forgive.

 

There are wrongs that have been committed on a grand scale, things such as slavery, not only here in the United States but also in many parts of the world. There’s the Holocaust, in which the Nazis killed millions of Jews all in the name of an insane ideology. Many of us will never forget the heinous terrorist acts on Sept. 11, 2001, which took the lives of more than 3,000 people and destroyed the iconic Twin Towers at New York City’s World Trade Center. Who could forgive such atrocities?

 

On a more individual level, each of us has experienced mental, emotional or physical injury, often inflicted by people we loved. Sometimes the wrongdoing was cumulative, occurring over a span of time. Or it might have resulted in a single moment of betrayal, anger, recklessness or abuse. Either way, haunted by experiences of being deeply hurt, it’s understandable for someone to adamantly insist, “I just can’t forgive.”

 

The truth is, however, it’s not that we can’t forgive. It’s that we don’t want to forgive. We could offer a variety of reasons for this: Memories of the pain inflicted are too vivid. We refuse to let the offending person (or persons) off the hook and act as if what they did never happened. We insist on justice being exacted for the wrongs we’ve suffered. 

 

Each of those reasons – and others – seems justifiable. How can we forgive and move forward as if everything’s okay when it’s not? 

 

And yet in reality, failure or refusal to forgive many times results in more and prolonged pain for the one unwilling to forgive. We hold onto the grudge, grinding the axe of persistent pain. Sadly, that’s tantamount to pouring out poison for the other person and then drinking it ourselves.

 

That’s not to discount or minimize the consequences we’ve endured from someone else’s wrongdoing. It’s just that after a while, unforgiveness affects us more than the object of our bitterness. Sometimes the offenders are unaware of the pain they’ve caused, don’t realize it still lingers, or just don’t care. I’ve heard of folks refusing to forgive people who have passed from this life. What’s their unforgiveness accomplishing then, other than sentencing themselves to an emotional prison?

 

In the Scriptures we find the subject of forgiveness discussed a lot. When Jesus introduced what we know as “the Lord’s prayer,” He included these words: “Forgive us our debts [trespasses] as we also have forgiven our debtors [those who trespass against us]” (Matthew 6:12). Then He added, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15).

 

These are hard words to hear – and to apply – but the Lord is saying that if we as broken, fallible human beings aren’t willing to forgive the wrongdoings of others, why should we expect the perfect, infallible God to forgive us?

 

While meeting with His closest disciples, Jesus presented His guidelines for confronting a believing brother or sister who had sinned against them. Pursuing the subject further, Peter challenged Jesus: “‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times’”(Matthew 18:15-22). Some translations say, “seventy times seven.”

 

Jesus wasn’t instructing His followers to keep an exact count – “Aha! You’ve sinned against me 78 times – no more forgiveness for you!” He was asserting that just as we expect God in His grace to offer unlimited, unconditional forgiveness for our own sins, how can we not extend the same grace to those who sin against us?

 

“But that’s so hard!” we complain. And it is. “A price must be paid!” we want to argue. We desire retribution. Apart from Christ, such forgiveness may indeed be impossible. However, think of the example of Jesus Himself on the cross when He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Especially since the Roman soldiers and Jewish leaders thought they knew exactly what they were doing.

 

Writing to believers in ancient Colossae, the apostle Paul admonished them, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13).

 

This doesn’t mean offering forgiveness for grievous sins is easy for us to do. But nowhere in the Bible does it say the Christian life is supposed to be easy. In fact, struggle and suffering for Christ followers are presented as more the norm than the exception. 

All we can do is cling to the assurance Paul offered in Philippians 4:13, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” – including forgiving the seeming unforgiveable. 

Considering the Uniqueness of Our Calling

One of our granddaughters recently graduated from firefighter school. We’re proud of her, knowing the important services she will provide for people in emergency situations. We see the work of first responders in the news, and numerous TV shows reflect some of the intensity of their jobs, but I wonder how many of us fully appreciate the wonderful – and dangerous – work they do.

 

Frankly, I can’t imagine following that career path myself, even if I were younger and a career change were an option. But that’s the wonderful thing about our differences as individuals: We each possess unique gifts, skills and passions. It’s truly a blessing when we have opportunities to pursue them and put them into use in the form of a vocation.

 

The word “vocation” actually comes from the Latin verb “voco/vocare,” which means “to call.” From this we have the term “calling,” which typically refers to the unique, special work one feels called to devote their lives to doing. We’ve all heard of musicians, composers and artists who demonstrated unusual talents at early ages. They had little choice in the matter – it’s what they were born to do.

 

In my case, I grew up being a prolific reader and from that developed a strong desire to write. I remember assigning myself writing projects, just for fun, even in my pre-teen years. The encouragement from my English teachers and then the training I gained in journalism school fanned this into a passion and before long, my calling was clear.

 

Often people have said to me, “I don’t know how you can write.” To which I’ve responded, depending on who I was talking with, “Well, I don’t know how you can fix a leaky faucet/repair a car/perform surgery/teach middle school students/fly an airplane.”

 

Recognizing one’s calling, fueled by passion, can lead to a successful, enjoyable career. In fact, someone has said – I’ve forgotten the source but it’s too good not to share – “Passion tops talent. Throw your heart over the fence and your body will follow.”

 

This may be one reason that sometimes folks who graduated at the top of their class might not be nearly as accomplished as people who didn’t earn as high grades. Their passion for what they do has carried them to greater heights.

 

Sometimes one’s work doesn’t align with their passion. Ideally work and passion can align, but that’s often not the case. I knew a CPA who was very good at his job, but his passion was music. He knew he could never earn as much as a musician as he did producing spreadsheets and crunching numbers. So, he plied his trade as a corporate accountant during the week, then performed in a band on the weekend. For him, it was win-win.

 

But there’s an even more important way that passion can guide us to our calling and make it even more fulfilling. It’s by recognizing that the gifts, talents, abilities and opportunities we have were given to us by God. It’s appropriate, then, to dedicate what we do to the Lord. In this way, we not only enjoy what we’re doing, but we also bring honor and glory to Him in the process.

 

The Bible has much to say about this. Here is just a sampling of passages that relate to our work and calling:

 

Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Then, just a few verses later, the apostle Paul reaffirms, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24).

 

The story is told of the stonemason centuries ago who was busily laying bricks for a new church. Someone asked what he was doing, to which he proudly replied, “I’m building a cathedral!” If only more people took such delight in their work today. We read these words of agreement in 1 Corinthians 3:9, “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”

 

Then we have the admonition Paul gave to his protégé Timothy – and to us: “[God] who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace…” (2 Timothy 1:9). The Lord first called us to be His children, and then gave to each us a unique calling in which we can serve Him and others.

Like the stonemason, our calling – fueled by passion and the power of the Holy Spirit – can enable us to build a cathedral! 

Key Ingredients for Marriages That Last and Last

On those rare but delightful times when we hear of a couple who have been married for a really long time, like 60 or even 70 years, what comes to your mind? Besides the phrase, “No way!”?

 

What would you suppose is their secret to marital longevity, their “special sauce” that has kept them from divorcing, or even murdering one another, all those years?

 

We could start with the obvious: To be married for a very long time, you have to live for a very long time. Duh! But there’s got to be more to being able to keep a marriage alive – and thriving – than just continuing to breathe. 

 

Suppose someone were to ask you to identify the keys or “ingredients” for a long marriage. How would you respond? Especially in our times when terms like “’til death do us part” and “for better or for worse” are increasingly being omitted from marriage vows. These days it’s more like, ‘Hey, we’ll give this a shot and see how it works out. We can always bail if things aren’t going to our liking.’

 

What qualities do you think would contribute to keeping a marriage strong and enduring, defining that as one that has lasted at least several decades? We could probably suggest dozens of qualities that can help keep a marriage healthy, things such as love; communication; common or at least complementary interests; understanding; mutual support; patience, and forgiveness. 

 

For marriages that have thrived for decades, many of those qualities have probably contributed to their success. But I’d suggest two other factors that in my experience have made the difference, keeping a marriage off the casualty list. They are: perseverance and faith.

 

Perseverance, as I would define it, is the determination to press on when quitting might sound like a good idea. This means more than enduring, because endurance can simply involve trying to wait out a storm until it passes. Perseverance also means taking action, addressing the crisis and striving to work toward a workable resolution. 

 

We’ve all heard the old saying “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Applied to marriage, this doesn’t mean leaving. It means hanging in there – persevering to do the work necessary to keep the U.S.S. Marriage afloat and sailing forward. Because once the illusions of the wedding day give way to the daily realities of living together, it takes a lot more than sex and warm, gushy feelings of love to stay the course.

 

Two Bible passages speak directly to this, although the context isn’t limited just to the institution of marriage. In Romans 5:3-5, the apostle Paul speaks to how we cope with adversity: “…we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” 

 

God can use the inevitable hard times of life – our sufferings – to produce perseverance, which builds character, and then hope. Paul definitely was one well-acquainted with sufferings and adversity in many forms. For him, hope wasn’t just wishful thinking or a “hope-so,” but a confident assurance that with God’s enabling power he could persevere through the struggle.

 

The second passage, written by the apostle James, conveys a similar idea: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

 

For followers of Christ, as much as we might not like it, our faith grows best during seasons of trial. Just as the rings of a tree that have grown during adverse conditions produce the strongest wood, trials that test our faith can result in the strongest marriage, career, or any other worthwhile pursuit.

 

Today my wife and I celebrate 49 years of marriage, almost five decades of marital bliss. Just kidding – there have been many times that weren’t anything close to blissful. But together we’ve persevered. We’ve gone through major job changes, financial struggles, severe health problems and family challenges. But God has seen us through them all, and we know He’ll do the same with issues we confront in the future.

 

Much of the credit goes to my wife who in some respects had to sacrifice more than I have. Including simply putting up with me! But the lion’s share of the credit must go to the Lord Jesus, who has been the foundation for our marriage and our family, as well as the glue keeping us together when circumstances could have torn us apart.

Together we have experienced the reality of His promise, “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3). As in all things, to quote the old hymn, “to God be the glory – great things He has done!” 

Taking Steps to Conquer Temptation

It’s been repeated many times since, but it was probably Irish poet and dramatist Oscar Wilde who first declared, “I can resist everything except temptation.” Kind of like stating, “I’m not tempted to eat anything except food.”

 

This witticism carries with it a ring of truth. We’re not inclined to do or say something we know we shouldn’t, except when the opportunity to do so presents itself. For instance, if we’re among the many who are frequently tempted to give someone a piece of their mind they can’t afford to lose, the only time they risk doing exactly that is when they’re around other people. Or perhaps, responding to someone’s post on social media.

 

Temptation is a universal problem. There’s no one that’s never had to deal with temptation. Even Jesus, the Bible informs us, confronted it at times. Hebrews 4:15 candidly states, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”

 

As I’ve met with men in mentoring relationships, one important understanding I’ve emphasized is the distinction between temptation and sin. As I’ve explained, temptation is encountering or being presented the opportunity to sin – sin is when we act upon it, deciding it seems like a good idea.

 

James 1:14-15 affirms this: “but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” Clearly, yielding to temptation – in whatever form it takes – ignites a destructive, potentially fatal process.

 

What steps, then, can we take to conquer or overcome temptation before it transforms into sinful behavior? Recently I learned of an acronym that could help us, especially in times of weakness. The acronym is HALT: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, and Tired.

 

Think of it – each of those states can weaken our resolve as we focus on satisfying immediate needs. Feeling hungry can make us irritable and impatient. Anger can provoke verbal or physical responses we would later regret. Loneliness can prompt us, as the old country song warned, to go “looking for love in all the wrong places.” And tiredness and fatigue could cause us to do any of the above.

 

Even with safeguards we erect and the best of intentions, temptation can still sneak up when we’re least expecting it. Perhaps this was why the apostle Paul conceded, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:15). If even Paul struggled with temptation, what chance do we have of conquering it?

 

Thankfully he responded to this question in another of his letters, the first that he wrote to followers of Jesus in ancient Corinth. He asserted, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

 

When confronted with temptation, whatever it might be, there are times when good intentions aren’t enough. Instead, we need to face it through the power of Christ, made available to us through His Spirit. “The way out,” or as another translation expresses it, “the way of escape,” is to turn away from the sinful “opportunity” and look instead to the Lord, trusting Him to empower us to overcome whatever is threatening to take us down.

 

In another epistle, Paul summed it up this way: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

 

Trying to overcome temptation on my own, I might experience failure – as has been the case in times past. But through Christ and His power, each of us can enjoy victory instead.

Finding Strength in Our Inadequacy

Do you remember the TV commercial of years ago in which a businessman was sitting behind a desk, phone to his ear, telling his boss, “I can do that! I can do that!...” But as he hung up the phone, he asked himself, “How am I going to do that?!”

 

I think we’ve all been there at one time or another, either piled up with too much work and too little time in which to do it, or confronted with a challenge that seems beyond our capabilities. It makes us want to ask the same question: ‘How am I going to do that?’ In a society in which “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” has been a dominant mantra, we like to feel competent at what’s in front of us, at least adequate for the task. It’s unsettling feeling to realize that what is confronting us might be more than we can handle.

 

This has been the case throughout the history of mankind. Technology and other advances may have made it easier to be productive, but we still find times when the work seems bigger than the worker. Back in the early 1900s, for example, the Wright brothers were armed with mechanical skills and a vision for creating a flying machine. They dreamed of building a contraption capable of overcoming the pull of gravity, but I suspect there were times when they wondered, ‘What in the world are we doing?’ Thankfully, the “can’t do” impulse was negated by “can do” determination.

 

Can you imagine how Jesus’ disciples felt when first He called them to follow Him, and then gradually entrusted them with more responsibility? These weren’t individuals holding the equivalent of PH.D.’s and MBAs in their day. They weren’t even learned religious leaders. They were lowly fishermen, a despised tax collector and other men situated on the lower end of the social totem pole.

 

How do you think they felt when Jesus looked directly in their eyes and declared, “Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19)? Or when, as Mark 6:7 tells us, "He began to send them out two by two and gave them power over unclean spirits”?

 

I enjoyed the scene in the third season of “The Chosen” when Jesus, portrayed by Jonathan Roumie, announced His plan to send His disciples out for their first missionary foray. As the scene accurately depicts, I believe, they stared at Jesus with unbelief, even questioning what they had heard. In today’s vernacular they were asking a collective, “Say what?!”

 

Recently I enjoyed meeting with a longtime friend over coffee, reminiscing over the time we worked together on staff with the marketplace ministry Christian Business Men’s Connection (CBMC). We agreed that when we were called to our respective roles, we had no idea what we were signing up for. The only thing that really “qualified” us for the work was our realization of how unqualified we actually were.

 

Whether we’re at work, in college, doing volunteer work or engaged in the never-ending role of parenting, we like to feel as if we’re in control, that we’ve got things handled. But sooner or later we encounter challenges or obstacles that seem beyond our capacity. As unsettling and unnerving as that may be, that’s actually a good thing.

 

When my late friend Dave was being mentored early in his Christian life by another man named Dave, he would pour own his frustrations and grumble about the problems he was facing. His mentor would simply smile and say, “Dave, you’re in a great position!” Hearing this would aggravate my friend, but eventually he realized Dave was right. His sense of inadequacy inevitably forced him to turn to the ultimate source of strength, Jesus Christ.

 

The apostle Paul, who as Saul the Pharisee seemed to believe he had the world by the tail, eventually came to the same realization. To wipe away Paul’s sense of self-sufficiency, God had given him “a thorn in the flesh,” an affliction of some sort that he never specified. Whatever it was, it kept him sufficiently humble and dependent on His Savior and Lord.

 

Paul wrote, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

 

“When I am weak, then I am strong”? Are you kidding me, we’re tempted to ask. Strength, not weakness, is what it’s all about we’re told, whether in sports, politics, the business world, or another field of endeavor. 

 

And yet Paul, who had strength, status and worldly “stuff” that few others had prior to his Damascus Road encounter with Christ, came to understand his inadequacy was the path to true strength: “I consider everything a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:10).

 

Are you feeling weak today? Inadequate? You’re in a great position!

Sometimes Hindsight Is the Best Sight

My wife and I have a bird feeder in our front yard and enjoy watching the variety of cardinals, wrens, robins, chickadees, doves and other feathered folks enjoying their free nibbles. I’ve noticed they’re very skittish – with eyes situated on the sides of their heads, when they notice movement in front, to the side or even behind them, they’re quick to flit away until the perceived peril is gone.

We’ve also had owls take up residence in our back yard. While they prefer to stay out of sight, occasionally we get a glimpse of them. Even though their eyes are in front, we’ve observed them turning their heads nearly 360 degrees. (Makes my neck hurt just thinking about it.)

 

In contrast to the biological construction of members of the fowl family, we humans have our eyes located in the front of our faces and are anatomically restricted in how far we can turn our heads. As a result, we tend to be forward-looking – focusing on what’s ahead of us. When driving, that’s why rear-view and side-view mirrors are so helpful. We can remain facing ahead and watching where we’re going, while still keeping tabs on what may be alongside or behind us. 

 

For the most part, that’s as it should be. Dwelling on the past, especially painful times, can be self-destructive and hinder our growth as individuals. There’s something to be said about concentrating on where we’re going in life rather than agonizing over where we’ve been. However, there are times when a right perspective on the past can enhance our present and future.

 

It was American philosopher George Santayana who first declared, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” That’s why it’s troublesome when some advocate revising history or even erasing it. Even with its flaws and tragedies, an accurate knowledge of history can help us avoid repetition of grievous errors and heinous sins.

 

But there’s another reason for having a healthy appreciation of the past. Sometimes life’s present hardships and struggles can only be understood when viewed in reverse. Vernon Grounds, the late American theologian and educator, observed, “Like the Chinese philosopher riding backwards on a donkey, we only understand life looking back.”

 

Many times during my career as a writer and journalist, as well as being a husband, father and grandfather, things didn’t make much sense while I was experiencing them. But through the lens of hindsight, I can see how those times proved beneficial for me and my loved ones. 

 

As oft-quoted Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Sometimes we wonder, “Lord, how can You possibly use this for good?” His response might be, “Just wait and see.”

 

In his devotional book Grace Notes, author Philip Yancey states, “What is faith, after all, but believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse?” When we first come to Christ in saving faith, we might take a leap that defies reason. But as we advance in our faith journey, hindsight – being able to remember what God has done in our lives – enables our faith to grow stronger.

 

Numerous times in the Old Testament the ancient Israelites, an amazingly forgetful lot, were admonished to remember what God had done: freeing them after 400 years of slavery in Egypt; parting the Red Sea so they could escape the pursuing Egyptian army; being provided water, manna and quail to feed and sustain them during their wanderings in the wilderness; receiving God’s laws designed for successful living, and many other things. Whenever they forgot that hindsight can be the best sight, they fell back into their sinful ways.

 

Perhaps this is one reason I’ve come to embrace Proverbs 3:5-6 as my “life verse.” It says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” I’ve lost count of the times when I couldn’t understand the circumstances I was going through. But meditating on this passage has reminded of the importance of knowing that through His power and sovereignty, God can straighten even the most crooked path.

 

I may not have the capacity for spinning my head around like an owl to check out what’s behind me, but when I do pause to look back and ponder how the Lord has worked in my life, it gives me renewed hope and confidence in what the future holds.

The Insidious Snare of Success

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the late Welsh minister and medical doctor, was a well-known expository preacher and author of many books on the Bible and biblical truth. Sounds like he experienced more than his share of success. Given that, it’s interesting that he observed, “the worst thing that can happen to a man is to succeed before he is ready.”

 

Some of us might respond, “Why does he say that?” After all, we all want to succeed in whatever endeavors we choose. The sooner success arrives the better, right?

 

In reality, sudden success can prove to be a slippery slope. We don’t need to name names, but we can all think of pro athletes, entertainers, business leaders and politicians who became celebrated early in their careers only to wind up in a ditch somewhere. People once on the brink of promising, bright futures ending up on the human scrap heap.

There are a number of reasons for this insidious snare, but I think one primary cause is summarized by Proverbs 27:21, which says, “The furnace is for silver and the crucible for gold, but a man is tested by the praise he receives.” Receiving acclaim and fame before one is prepared to handle it properly can prove devastating.

 

But we don’t have to become household names to struggle with handling success. Rising quickly through the ranks at work, winning the lottery, receiving a substantial inheritance, or even gaining positions of influence in our church or community early in our adult lives can result in being “tested by the praise [we] receive.”

 

Readiness to experience success in appropriate ways requires maturity and experience. But you can’t teach experience – or maturity. Those come (hopefully) only with the slow passage of time, seasoned with ample doses of perseverance, struggle, humility – and failure. God can use all of those to shape our character, as we’re told in Romans 5:4.

 

Reading through the Scriptures we find one example after another of individuals who were used in extraordinary ways by the Lord, but only after they had been tried and tested. 

 

Among them was Joseph, who after being sold off by his jealous brothers, then wrongly accused and imprisoned for years, rose to righthand-man status to the pharaoh in Egypt. Moses, raised in the Egyptian pharaoh’s family, was forced into exile for 40 years before God singled him out to lead the Israelites out of Egypt after 400 years of slavery. 

 

Nehemiah was a lowly cupbearer for Persian king Artaxerxes, a responsibility he performed faithfully. Eventually the respect he earned from the king gave him authority to play a key role in the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Then there was Daniel, who had been handpicked to train for service to the king in Babylon. He clung to his faith and convictions, refusing to compromise, and over time was accorded a position of great influence.

 

We see how Jesus’ disciples – who after His death and resurrection became apostles taking the Gospel message to both Jews and Gentiles – were carefully prepared for their missional work. Paul didn’t become a fruitful missionary and major contributor to New Testament writings overnight either. After gaining elite status as a Pharisee and persecutor of Christians, he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. Even then, God didn’t give him a leadership role with Christ’s followers until nearly a dozen more years of spiritual “seasoning.”

 

This isn’t to say that younger people shouldn’t be entrusted with leadership positions. But the Bible warns of getting caught up in success too soon at any age. As we read in 1 Peter 5:5-6, “Young men, in the same way, be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothes yourselves with humility toward one another, because ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.”

 

Hard work, determination, initiative, talent and imagination are all ingredients for success. But they are best nurtured over time and utilized with humility, recognizing the gifts God bestows and opportunities He presents – in due time.

United States of America – More Untied Than United?

This beautiful image from Jacquie Lawson's e-cards
reflects the joy of celebrating our nation's birth.

Back in my newspaper days I once published a photo of someone’s tattered American flag, offering the editorial opinion that flying our star-spangled banner in such condition was disrespectful, and it should have been replaced by one not worn and torn. Fast forward to today – we might conclude that flag would be more reflective of the state of our nation.

With the 250^th anniversary of its founding just three years away, the United States of America appears in some ways more untied than united. I remember the 1960s, when our country endured great tensions over the Vietnam War. However, the schisms plaguing our country today seem even greater. The art of political compromise is often referred to as “reaching across the aisle,” but that aisle has become more like a chasm in many respects.

 

So, here we find ourselves with another Fourth of July/Independence Day celebration amid great societal and political disarray. How do we respond? How should we respond?

 

Since I was born on July 4^th, “a real live nephew of my Uncle Sam” as the song goes, for a long time I thought the fireworks and celebratory hoopla were intended for my benefit. Of course, that wasn’t the case, but I grew up proud to be an American, a patriot. Today the term “patriot” has been disparaged in some quarters. There are those who, despite enjoying the benefits of living in the ole U.S.A., express their disdain for it – our history, social customs and mores, even our form of government. 

Nevertheless, I remain – to borrow the words from the Lee Greenwood anthem – “proud to be an American.” And I hold out hope that perhaps our nation can again return to its glory days. However, that will require a lot of work, blood, sweat and tears, much like those invested by hardy citizens in decades past.

 

We might start by revisiting “the basics.” In our Declaration of Independence, ratified on July 4, 1776 by 13 colonies that became united states of America, it states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness….”

 

The focus these days seems to be on the words “equal” and “rights,” with considerable debate about what those mean. Rarely do we dwell on the significance of “endowed by their Creator,” or the assertion in the preceding paragraph about “the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them.” 

 

John Adams, the second President of the United States and one of its founding fathers, declared, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Many other founders expressed similar conclusions, that a religious foundation and reliance on God were essential for guiding the republic the Declaration and U.S. Constitution were establishing.

 

When I was going to grade school in the 1950s and early ‘60s, each day started with the Lord’s Prayer, a brief reading from the Bible – usually from the Psalms – and the Pledge of Allegiance, which included the phrase, “one nation under God.” In those days the greatest problems in the schools were throwing paper spitballs, running in hallways and chewing gum. In the early ‘60s, however, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled prayer and Bible reading in public schools were “unconstitutional.” Decades later, absent any intentional acknowledgement of God, our schools are filled with violence, drug abuse and other forms of mayhem. Might there be a correlation?

 

We seem to be seeing the warning of Proverbs 29:18 fulfilled on a daily basis: “Where there is no vision the people run wild.” Another translation expresses it, “Where there is no [prophetic] revelation, the people cast off restraint.” Can we deny this is happening?

 

It’s not a popular sentiment in our age when so many seem defiant in their belief that “who needs God?!” But I would contend there is but one answer to that question, both individually and as a nation: We all do! We have God’s promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

 

If only we, on this time of celebrating the anniversary of our nation’s independence, would indeed humble ourselves and pray and seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways. Perhaps then we would see God graciously bless America as He has in years past, bringing healing and restoring unity.