Stop and Think

I was lining up bricks last week to create an edging for our gravel driveway, and I found that the faster I worked, the more crooked and unsightly my row of bricks became. I finally decided to place a brick and then back up to check my line. This was more tedious work, and I think I did more evaluating than brick-laying, but it was the only way I could get a straight row of bricks. 

Paul exhorted the Ephesian believers to approach their lives in the same manner. “Be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools… Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do” (Eph 5:15,17).  Rather than plowing ahead carelessly, we're called to think about how we live. Tozer once said, “The chief difference between man and beast is that man reflects and the beast does not.”  No horse stops to think about where it’s going; without the guidance of a farmer, the ox will plow crooked rows.  A year ago, I built a chain link fence with a 135 ft straight stretch of fence, and the only way I could get it straight was by backing up often, checking my line, and making numerous adjustments.  In construction, being off by only a centimeter can result in a dangerous, unstable structure. 

I spend a lot of time trying to accomplish broad, sweeping tasks - loving my wife, following Jesus - but these are like 1,000 foot stretches of fence. The only way I can succeed is by concentrating on every little fence post, every connection, every footing.  We often get caught up in the romantic idea of “living our lives for Jesus,” but we should be living our moments for Jesus, for what we make of our moments will determine what we make of our lives.   

Life can be like driving through a snowstorm.  We lose perspective when trudging through the snow and can easily end up in the ditch. It’s only when we pull over that we can regain our bearings.  The book of Haggai is only two chapters, but in those two chapters God tells the people five times to consider their ways.  I like that: Consider. Evaluate. Stop and think. Make modifications. Are the decisions you’re currently making, the books you’re currently reading, the people you’re currently associating with, the movies currently you’re watching… are these building you a solid foundation, constructing you a straight fence, or are they just taking you on a winding, haphazard journey through life?  You say you want to be with God, but is your current lifestyle going to get you there?  If not, then perhaps it’s time for some adjustments.

For Our Good

“God loves us the way we are, but he loves us too much to leave us that way.”  Leighton Ford

You would never know just by looking at my dad that he used to be a smoker.  He has a great singing voice and is married to a woman who is fanatical about health issues, but when he was my age, he smoked cigarettes.  In fact, when he went to enroll at Bob Jones University in South Carolina, one of the questions they asked him was, “Have you smoked in the past six months?”  My dad told the truth - and rather than being awarded the Bob Jones Medal for Honesty, he was given a probation period whereby he was confined to campus for the first six months of his enrollment.

When my dad first told me this story, I got angry.  I saw it as a legalistic requirement placed upon my dad, but my dad had another perspective.  He said, “It was one of the best things that ever happened to me.” He claimed that if he had not been confined to campus for that semester, he would still be a smoker to this day (and he certainly would not have such a lovely singing voice).

Psalm 94:12-13 says “Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law, to give him rest from days of trouble.”  Truly happy is the man who undergoes discipline! Really??  Isn’t it ironic that the very things we think are intended for our hurt are actually giving us knowledge ("you teach out of your law") happiness ("blessed is the man") and rest from all our troubles.

Would God be more loving if he said to us, “You’re sinful and destitute, but whenever I try to work on you, you get frustrated, so I’m going to stop working on you.”  Would we want that?  You see, the so-called “punishment” my dad received was not really punishment at all, but rather, it was a redemptive and restorative measure.  So it is with God toward his children, and even more so than we can imagine.

Fuel Up

I toil, struggling with all [Christ's] energy that he powerfully works within me. (Colossians 1:29)

            I turned 31 last week, and if there's anything that seems to wane as the years (and children) are added to my life, it's energy.  Paul wasn't a lazy man, for we read that he "toiled," but we should not assume that Paul's toil led to frustration or burn-out, for we read that he had Christ's Divine energy powerfully working in him. 

            Where is your energy level these days?  Are you tired? Discouraged? First, find out what Christ wants you to do (for nothing else will give you life). Then, implore him to fill you with his energy. A branch doesn't need to exert itself in order to bear fruit.  No, a branch bears fruit merely because of its connection to the vine. Jesus is telling you today, "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." Without a close walk with Jesus, you will be out of energy before you even start.

            My family and I visited my parents recently and stayed in their new camper. It was a very nice camper, but it sure got cold at night! I'm usually pretty handy with mechanical things, but no amount of tinkering could make the heat turn on. I checked the pilot light. I read the manual and searched the trouble shooting section intensively.  I called the RV company who sold my parents the camper. I searched the internet for how to start the heat and read numerous forums on the topic. I checked the gas lines, inspected the oven, restarted the thermostat, and even turned the propane tanks off and on again. But no matter what I did, I couldn't get the heat to turn on.  Finally, after I had all but given up, I disconnected the propane tank, all to discover that it was empty!!  That's right, I had spent hours racking my brain and tapping every bit of mechanical knowledge I had trying to get the heat to turn on, and all the while, all I needed was a little fuel.

            Sometimes I think we do this with God. We drag our feet, drained and discouraged, low on energy and motivation. So we read self-help books, try a new diet, search the internet to find some solution that will lead us to that elusive spiritual high for which we long.  But all the while, Christ is waiting patiently at the door of our hearts, eager and willing to enter in and fill us with his energy. Ezekiel 7:26 says of the Israelites, "They seek a vision from the prophet, while the law perishes..."  You see, we want some magic fix for our problems, but the only real solutions - God's Word and presence - are there with us whenever we need them. 

            Have you been cold lately? Have you been lacking heat and warmth in your heart?  Perhaps you need to check your spiritual tank and make sure you have fuel.