Excuse Me, How Long Is The Wait?

I must confess, I am impatient.  It is one of thorns in my side.  I don’t like to wait in lines. I don’t like to wait for people to get stuff done. I’m always looking for the fastest, most efficient way to do everything.  I’m the guy that inches up every 2 seconds at a stop light until I’m just about in the middle of the intersection, anticipating the light change. I’m easily irritated, and tend to be a bit too task oriented. I’m not proud of it, and God has done a miraculous work in me on it, but I’ve still got a LONG way to go (why couldn’t I just get there now…).

As I talked about in one of my last posts, something that really sticks out to me in Lazarus’ story in John 11, is the fact that Jesus waited so long before He went to where Lazarus was. I’m sure that wait was just about unbearable for Mary, Martha, and their friends and family. However, as I said before, we know that Jesus’ waiting to respond was intentional and that He had a greater purpose than just to respond to their need.

Many places in the Bible we find the exhortation to “wait on the Lord”. Here are some things I’ve learned in having to wait on the Lord:

1. It cripples our self-dependency and self-reliance. When we wait on the Lord, it is an acknowledgement of dependence on Him.  We are a generation that loves to get things done — we love to rush ahead of everyone else, and if we can do something we do it and quick.  But having to wait on the Lord, even when we are “able” to do something, reminds us that we are not on the throne.
    
2. It helps to ensure that we are moving in God’s timing and not our own. I’m a pretty passionate guy. When I see things going on that shouldn’t be, my flesh always wants me to bust the doors down and get everything out into the light.  More often than I like, this does more damage than good.  However, when I remember that I’m not the judge, but that God is, and I wait for His instructions, it always leads to restoration and reconciliation.  When we blast forward in our own timing, we risk propelling ourselves right out of God’s will. 
    
3. It causes us to appreciate God’s blessings even more. Several months ago, I purchased a Nikon DSLR.  I had wanted a camera like that ever since I was a little boy, but never had the opportunity.  Then, before you know it, I was married and had little Judah.  I made a resolution that I was going to wait until I had saved up enough Best Buy gift cards to get one.  It took over 2 years of not spending any of the gift cards that I received, and eventually I had enough to get one while keeping with the normal expense budget my wife and I had.
   
   After such a long wait, boy do I love that camera. I worked hard and waited a long time to get it. There was no guilt with spending the money because I followed the plan!  I appreciate it so much more because I didn’t just buy it on an impulse, even though I could.  When we wait on the Lord, we see the blessings and results in a much different light when they finally arrive. We are more appreciative, more grateful, and more responsible with them because we knew they cost something (whether it be money or time). They are more valuable to us.

These are a few of the things I’ve learned in waiting.  What about you?

It Will Not End In Death

John 11

1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. 7 Then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

…11 …he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” 12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.”13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

The rest of the story goes something like this: Jesus goes to where Lazarus is. There He encounters His friends, Mary and Martha, as well as many that are grieving Lazarus’ death.  He witnesses a tremendous amount of grief, questions of why He didn’t come sooner, and even the doubt of some present as to whether He really could really have done anything about it.  Jesus, after grieving at the sight of the suffering they were enduring, then commands that the stone be removed and calls for Lazarus to come out from the tomb.  Lazarus walks out resurrected, and because of that many believe!

There are so many incredible things about this story — the display of power of God over death, the comparison to Jesus’ own death and resurrection, and so much more. I, however, would like to focus on the beginning of the story. As I was reading this, Jesus spoke a phrase that really stuck out to me. In verse 4 he says, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory…”  

Jesus knew full well, as we saw in verse 14, that Lazarus was going to die. Yet he tells His disciples, and as normal I don’t even think they really got it, that Lazarus’ sickness was not going to end in death, but rather that this seemingly terrible situation would result in a tremendous display of God’s glory! Literally, the word that is used in the passage means “to the advantage of; at, near, by; to, towards, with regard to.” Jesus was saying that though no hope was apparent, this situation would not end in death’s advantage. There would be more to the story!

I simply wanted to share a word of encouragement today from my heart on this passage.  There are season of life where things seem to be getting sick and dying — our marriages, our ministry, our relationships, our dreams, the seed of truth we’ve planted in the hearts of our children.  Some things may have already died. Life has left them, and they have been bound up and placed in a tomb for some time (Lazarus was in the tomb for four days before Jesus got there).

These are things that we love, things that Jesus loves, things that we believe He asked us to do. Yet, it seems death has begun waving it’s victory flag and the powers of hell are doing a touchdown dance. The word I feel in my heart is simply this:

Take courage. Even if death has arrived, things will not end there, nor will it end to death’s advantage. No, it is for God’s glory, that we may believe and so that Jesus may be glorified. There is more to the story!

Jesus has power over death — spiritual, emotional, physical, or otherwise — and He has and IS the final word. He IS the resurrection and the life.  If we are centered in His perfect will for our lives, and we believe (just as Jesus tells Martha in verse 39), we WILL see the glory of God displayed! In Jesus Name!

Tomorrow I will talk about a few things that these seasons of life teach us and what we can learn from them!

2 Qualities of the Servant God Chooses & Uses (Pt. 2)

In the Bible, King David is known almost as much for His staggering defeats and failures as He is for his victories and triumphs. Yet in all of this, God described Him as a “man after My own heart.”  What was it about David? What are some of the qualities that he possessed that put Him in a position to be used by God?

In my previous post, we talked about the fact that David was a servant that shepherded God’s people with “integrity of heart”.  In this post, we’ll talk about a second quality found in Psalm 78:

70 [The Lord] chose David His servant and took him from the sheep pens; 71 from tending the sheep He brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. 

72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.

Quality #2: God is looking for servants that desire to serve and lead skillfully.

“With skillful hands he led them.” God is looking for servants that will lead with intentionality, wisdom, and grace. He is looking for those that literally have “intelligence, understanding, [and] insight”. Notice however, that He’s not necessarily impressed by nor concerned with formal education or training, though those are valuable resources. David didn’t develop his skills in the classroom, he learned them in the “sheep pens.”

The kind of skill God requires can only be obtained in the “sheep pens” of life — knowing and applying God’s Word in our daily walk and circumstances; learning valuable lessons from triumphs, but also from mistakes and failures; and engaging in serving and loving people! Without a “sheep pen” there can be no throne room! David’s experience with real sheep made him the perfect candidate to be a shepherd of God’s people!

Until we are willing to “get our hands dirty” when (we think) no one is watching, we will never be able to serve in area where everyone is watching! God wants skillful servants that serve with integrity of heart!

How do these two qualities apply to you? Think of some of the ways you can apply them in your home, ministry, or area of service!

2 Qualities of the Servant God Chooses & Uses (Pt. 1)

If asked the question, I believe we all would say that we want to be used by God to do great things for His kingdom.  There is a desire within us to be effective in our ministry, our leadership, our homes, our workplaces — and the list goes on.  If that is our desire, we also must understand that nothing happens by chance.  There are principles, based on His word, that God uses when searching for an “honorable vessel.” Today, I want to look at the one of two of those qualities.

Psalm 78

70 [The Lord] chose David His servant and took him from the sheep pens; 71 from tending the sheep He brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. 

72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.

The Bible says that the Lord himself chose David and decided to use him to be the shepherd of Israel.  The way it says David chose to lead shows us the qualities that he possessed, the qualities that God was looking for:

Quality #1: A servant that will shepherd (feed, care for, protect) people with “integrity of heart”. 

What does it mean to have “integrity of heart”?

“Integrity of heart” or an “upright heart” does not indicate the absence of sin, but rather the presence of:

• Humility
  We must recognize that without God we have nothing to offer, and understand that without His grace and power our best effort will be fruitless! Ask God to show you where you stand and be ready to hear what He has to say!
   
• Repentance
  Once we’ve humbled ourselves before the Lord and seen the damaged, dirty areas of our hearts, we must take the appropriate action to turn away from those things and turn to God, to draw closer to Him. Knowing is only half the battle!
   
• Sincerity
  We finally choose to lead, love, and live as an offering of sincere worship unto the Lord.
   

Leading with integrity of heart means that we are 100% invested in the work that has been assigned to our hands. It means that there are no hidden motives, agendas, or ambitions. Our goal is glorifying God and leading others to do the same. This kind of servant lives a life of integrity and is therefore able to lead the same way.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” - Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)

Be Generous.

2 Corinthians 9
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

One of the things that God has been working with me on is the concept of being generous. I’m a driven man. I’ve also been trained growing up to be a good businessman. I was always taught if you want something you work hard until you get it. These ideals have served me well in my life, but they have always accentuated what I’d consider an area of weakness in me. I wouldn’t consider myself as someone who “loves money”, but I am someone who likes to keep the money that he has.

Additional factors, besides my business sense, include a fear of uncertain times and a fear of not being able to support my family when they need me the most. This often results in things like freaking out over the $5 purchase when there was a $4.25 option or having to unexpectedly pay a babysitter. Those fears in particular were magnified when we had Judah, and we made the decision for Lauren to stop working full-time with a previous employer to be a full-time mother. This resulted in a lot of stress and tension.

As I’ve asked for wisdom, God’s response has been simple, “You know, you’re right! You should hold onto the 90% you have left.” Okay…That’s not what He said, but that’s what I was hoping for. The real response was, “You need to be more generous with everything, not just your money.” At first that didn’t make sense to me, then it hit me. The more generosity I could infuse into life, the easier it would be to be generous. (Profound, I know.)

Here are a few of the areas I’m trying to be more generous in.

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A Father’s Responsibility

1 Samuel 3

11 And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle.12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end.13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible,and he failed to restrain them.

If you know anything about the story of Eli in 1 Samuel, you know that his sons served in the house of the Lord, and they did some pretty terrible things.  Eli confronted them but never really did anything when they didn’t listen.  This caused the Lord to judge Eli’s house and lead to the death of Eli and his sons. It ultimately resulted in his lineage being removed from the priesthood. God promised to “judge his family forever because of the sin he know about…”  The generations after him were cursed all because he didn’t take his responsibility as a father seriously.

As I’ve been studying this passage, I’ve realized that there is a very important spiritual principle for us fathers, one that is many times neglected. It is one that I have realized I must grasp now, while my firstborn son is still young.

Here are some things I’m realizing are vital to my responsibility as a father:

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Yes, I Did It.

Nothing is worse to me than a person who always has excuses.  If you make a mistake:

• Own up to it.
• Apologize for it.
• Explain what you learned from it and how you’ll prevent it from happening again.
• Move forward!

Leaders take responsibility for their actions — good or bad, right or wrong! Always trying to shift blame is an indicator of a lack of maturity and potentially a lack of integrity. Every time that I have made an excuse or wanted to make an excuse, it was a direct result of pride that was revealed to exist in my heart. It often leads us to say things that “aren’t quite the truth”. In other words, most times it is a lie.

It’s so easy for us to come up with reasons “why we couldn’t” or “why they didn’t”. Don’t fall into that.  It always leads to capped potential and decreased responsibility. People who own their actions, gaining the necessary wisdom and experience from the good and bad, are people who will go far!

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2

Real Faith

There has been something on my heart from sometime and I would like to share.  Let me start by saying I may write more about this in the future, so please don’t get tired of it. =)

There is a growing trend among churches that distorts what I’d consider a biblical view of faith. There is a craving for what I’d call “the instant”.  ”Heal me now.  Provide for me now.  You said You would so do it now, now, now! By the time I finish this prayer, it will be done.” Real faith is not about using God’s word and my prayers in an attempt to “twist God’s arm” to get Him to submit to my will or reasoning. I do believe that God’s promises are for us. There are times when He will move quickly on our behalf, and that is completely biblical. However, I also believe that God’s word is true when it says that He works all things together for my good — “all things” not just the good, easy things. I believe it when it says, “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).

The implication there is that we must not only face the trials but also that we must see them through. “Perseverance must finish it’s work…” We talked about it this weekend at church. There is spiritual treasure found in waiting on the Lord.  What good is it to me if with every hardship I face, God decides to miraculously and instantly deliver me?  I believe the opposite of what it says in this verse will be true — I will be weak, immature, and incomplete. That’s not the type of Christian I want to be. Maybe the trial I’m facing is for my good? Maybe there are things in me God needs to break? What if that sickness will result in a powerful testimony of God’s faithfulness that will encourage others who face a similar circumstance and lead them to the Lord?

Again, there is a time for instantaneous miracles. However, I often hear it said that most of the miracles God performs don’t take place overnight. They take place through our obedience, our discipline, and a sincere desire to walk things out uprightly before the Lord. I’ve personally seen God move in miraculous ways in a matter of hours, sometimes minutes. However, I’ve not seen my faith built up more than when I’ve experienced God walking me through some of the hardest situations of my life step-by-step or when I’ve seen Him do it in the lives of those I love. The fact that we made it through has been an absolute miracle to me. I’ve been amazed at God’s tender love for us and drawn so much closer to Him.

So now, I’ve changed the way I pray. My prayer is no longer just, “Save me! Deliver me! Rescue me!” Though it’s not easy, I now try to pray:

“God, whatever your will is in this season of my life, accomplish it. Whether the miracle you perform will be instant or long-term, keep my eyes on You.  Give me the strength, the trust, and the perseverance to make it through. I will not run to the quick fix, I will run to You.  I put my hope in You and in the promises of Your word that according to Your perfect wisdom and understanding You will work this for my good. Lord, may I be mature and complete in You. In Jesus Name, Amen. “