#blessed

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." (Psalm 1, ESV)

We have a CD that we often keep on repeat in our car that has Scripture set to music for kids. One of the tracks is simply children quoting Psalm 1, which naturally gets into your head after a while. But as God has used that in my heart, I have grown to love this psalm even more as my go-to due to its simplicity and how it compares righteousness and wickedness.

The word "blessed" carries more than an eternal thought; it certainly has that but it also affects one's daily disposition. Like in Matthew 5 when Jesus preaches the Sermon on the Mount, His beatitudes imply an eternal benefit no doubt, but, for example, when He says, "Blessed are the meek," He teaches that pride goes before a fall and that humility and servanthood are the way to go. If you want to avoid destruction by your own doing, be meek. And that's obviously better for you. So in Psalm 1, when David writes that God-delighters are "blessed," he is using that word in an eternal sense but also that a pursuit of God and a rejection of wickedness will benefit you in this life as well—"in all that he does, he prospers."

You also think of a healthy tree with deep roots due to its constant water source. When "the wind" comes against it, "its leaf does not wither." On the other hand, for a person who has not planted himself by the stream of God but instead by the poison of the wicked sinners and scoffers, "the wind drives [him] away" and he "will perish."

What simple thoughts here. You are either planting your life by Jesus' stream of living water or you are immersing yourself in the way of the wicked. There appears no middle ground here. You may just be a sapling in the course of growth, but your leaf is at least budding. A perished tree has no life and is not producing the fruit of righteousness.

So, which one would characterize your life? Which tree would you rather have? Then, how can you better plant your life by the living water of Jesus in His Word this year? Get a plan and ask the Lord to empower you to delight in Him and His Word more fully every day. For His glory and your good.

Making the Best Use of the Time

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Ephesians 5:15-16 says this: “Look carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” In this lesson there will be a component of specific use of minutes and hours, yes, but also I want to look at it from the angle of how we are using the time we are in. What does God want in me, in our family, in our church as a result of this time?

Because this has been a clear left turn for all of us, hasn’t it? Many have extra time, new rhythms in life and in family (no sports!), some have lost jobs. This whole thing, as painful as it is, has forced us to reexamine priorities. But that’s what I think God is wanting to do in us through this time!

One of C.S. Lewis’s most famous quotes is from The Problem of Pain: “Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Maybe God was wanting to get our attention in all of this—that we had gotten too busy, that we had not been making the best use of the time for His glory

How often in your life have you asked a friend how they were, and their response was “Man, I’m busy!” We wore it almost like a badge of honor. If we couldn’t say busy, it felt almost wrong. And here’s the funny thing: probably most of the things we were involved in weren’t bad things—kids’ sports, PTO meetings at school, going out to eat. We even might have been spending multiple nights a week at church events and meetings. But maybe what we have come to learn is that we were too busy. Like the frog in the kettle, unaware that they were slowly turning up the heat on him, life creep happened and we just all of a sudden realized that more had been piled on our lives.

I’m not minimizing the pain that people are feeling in all of this. It is real and daunting. But one of the best parts of this whole thing for my family is that we are eating dinner together every night. Honest confession of a pastor: we were eating together maybe two nights a week before this. But what happens at that dinner table is we ask our kids their high and low for the day. It gives them a chance to be honest, sparks conversations. So one of the things that we’ve seen is that that is something we want to continue as much as possible. I’m sure you’ve seen other things in your life like that: going on walks, working out more, reading more good books—those are all great things!

Now, as we continue to meditate on Ephesians 5:15-16, I want you to think back to before all of this shutdown happened. Did you have the time to do all of that stuff you thought of before this crisis hit? For some of you, your first reaction is this: “No! I didn’t have time to read, etc.” But I want to flip the script on you for a second. There’s a short pamphlet that’s one of the most piercing things you will ever read. It’s called The Tyranny of the Urgent by Charles Hummel. And here’s what he says in this, something I’ve never forgotten. He says it’s not that you don’t have time to do what you want to do or what you know you need to do, it’s that you haven’t made it a priority. The urgent things are crowding out the best things. Lysa TerKeurst calls it your “best yes.”

So, let me give you a couple examples, thinking back to before this crisis. You said, “I don’t have time to read.” Actually, you prioritized binging that Netflix show or spending time scrolling through Facebook or Instagram. Add up your time spent on that stuff, you could have read ten books. Or your knee hurts, and you say, “I don’t have time to go to the doctor.” Actually, what you’re saying is “My health is not a priority right now.” Because as soon as that knee begins crippling you and you can’t walk on it, you’ll make time to get to the doctor, right?! It’s priorities.

So here’s what I’m saying: you make time for what’s important to you, for your priorities. And what God is doing in this season is He’s giving you a reset button! Remember, you don’t find God’s will for you while living in sinful ways; you find what He wants by submitting to His Spirit, seeking it with wisdom.

I know that a lot has changed and a lot of things will look different in the next few months—and really for the rest of our lives. But instead of viewing that as a disappointment, that you can’t do what you wanted to do, view it instead as a gift, as an opportunity. You can now deliberately change things and the way you spend your time. You can set your own course. Instead of letting your calendar control you (like it used to), you can now control your calendar. Maybe you don’t need to get as involved in as many things, but instead you need to lay your lives before the Lord, submit it to Him, ask for His wisdom. Leave nothing off the table, and ask Him to fill your calendar back in with the most important pieces, with the big buckets like church and school. Don’t waste what God wanted to do in you as individual, as family through this. Our financial administrator at church shared with the staff that on Monday someone had included a note in the envelope with their offering that said this: “God has us pause our lives for our good and His glory.” Such a wise perspective on this whole crisis in our lives.

Now, one important thing that we often talk about in dealing with our money is the importance of a spending plan—that’s where you tell your money where to go. But I wonder this: why don’t we do that with our time? Which is another limited resource. Did you know that you have an expiration date? James 4:14 says your life is like a vapor, a mist—you are here today and gone so quickly. Your minutes are numbered, and God has a plan for each one of those. So since the evil world around us wants to tempt us to abuse those, we need to redeem the time and make the best use of it for God’s glory.

And just like how you spend your money communicates where your heart is (it’s all about more or nicer or bigger or better…or it show you have good stewardship), just like that, how you spend your time communicates something to your kids, to your neighbors. Again, it reveals what’s most important to you, because you slot things in order in your life according to what you are prioritizing. So say you never eat dinner together as a family, you’re telling your kids that conversations and time together are not really that important (and listen, you can’t make up for that with a Disney vacation). Or say that you never spend time at church consistently or never spend time with Christian brothers and sisters because of practices and activities. You’re telling your kids and your neighbors that your relationship with the Lord is secondary to all this other stuff.

And I know that is harsh, but we are commanded to make the best use of the time. That means we should ask the question: what will last for 10,000 years? When you think about investing money, you want to make a wise investment. You research what will give you the best return. Jesus is pretty clear on what that is. Matthew 6:19-24 says in part, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also…No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” The word for money there is actually “mammon,” which is a stand-in term for money, possessions, really anything else.

So we could interpret this to be anything that takes lordship in your life, anything that you let become the master of your life—sports, reputation, sexual fulfillment, the next high, money, career, your kids’ success. John Owen said this in light of Matthew 6: “Every disaster teaches us the uncertainty and instability of earthly enjoyments and how foolish we are to set our hearts too much on them.” So instead of setting your heart on those things now or even future things (like vacation/job/spouse), set your heart on God!

What will last into eternity? What is the treasure that will last? Is it money here? Is it success? Is it a college scholarship? Is it pleasure? Again, those things are not bad in and of themselves, but when a good thing becomes a god thing, then it becomes a bad thing. So invest your life in the things that matter the most, the things that will matter 10,000 years from now, invest in treasure in heaven. I love how Randy Alcorn put it: “You can’t take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.” That’s investing in eternity—with your time, with your money, with your life. People all around you are watching you to see how you respond—your kids, your spouse, your neighbors, your coworkers—and they will imitate what they see.

So as we take an honest look at where we are in all of this, how do we wisely move forward? I trust that you want to make the best use of the time for God’s glory, so how? And listen, I’m doing this in my life, my family is doing this right now. We don’t always get a second chance at this stuff, so we should all take advantage of this reset. Even in our church, we are doing this right now as elders, examining what God wants to do in a new way in us to advance His mission even more effectively—looking at how we’ve spent our time, our money, our resources, and we are submitting it all to the Lord and asking Him what He wants us to do now.

So here’s a good framework to think about as you work through this—for yourself, your family, our church: 1. What will we keep? 2. What will we tweak? 3. What will we stop?

1.      What will we keep? – This is referring to things from before the crisis, what should you bring back as soon as possible. But this is also referring to the things that you have started now since the crisis. What do you see that is best and you want to keep doing until Jesus returns? See, this crisis forced us to become very simple, focus on just a few very important things. Maybe that revealed what is most important

2.      What will we tweak? – This is referring to things from before the crisis, what should you bring back but adapt into a new format, or adjust a little because now you see it was a little off.

3.      What will we stop? – What things were you doing before this hit that you see you don’t need to bring back, things that are suddenly less important or less on mission. This is a little bit harder thing to do, yes. But listen: you’ve done without it for nearly two months now, so maybe you’re fine to not bring it back! All because God has something even better for you.

So start with a clean slate, a blank canvas, and submit to the Lord and His wisdom in prayer and in His Word. Then start filling in your life as He wants you to. Are there hard decisions in that? Yes, but we are to look carefully how we walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time in these evil days. My prayer is that our hope is not in “getting back to normal,” but instead that we are looking forward to the new normal God has planned for us—one that maximizes our lives and our church for His mission in the world, living more than ever for His glory.

Pray 7-5-2

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A friend recently shared with me a reason he believes many people don't pray. He compared it to why many people don't go snow skiing. They know they are bad at it, so they don't even want to try.

Unfortunately, just because we think we are bad at something Jesus commanded, that's no excuse to avoid it. In Matthew 6, Jesus just assumes that His followers will be praying, and He gives instruction on correct motivations, right understanding, and even a model prayer. In light of this pattern, today our church kicked off what we are calling the Pray 7-5-2 campaign. We want to make it easier and more likely for prayer to become a part of your life and your family's life. With resources, challenges, and encouragement, we hope to build a pattern in our lives that becomes a lifestyle.

You can listen to the sermon online here. The Initial Assessment can be downloaded here, to see where you stand in your prayer life. And the Pray 7-5-2 Guide can be downloaded here, which is full of resources, ideas, and prompts.

We invite you to participate in this 90-day campaign with us, to better express our dependence on God to do what only He can do in our lives, our families, our churches, and our world. Let's dive in!

Let us know below if you are participating with us from afar! 

Extended Family

Photo Credit: Sarah Willard

Every July 4th weekend, my extended family gathers at a pond and cabin on family land outside of my hometown in Oklahoma. My grandfather has 3 brothers, and each family line makes every attempt to attend this sweet time. This summer we had around 60 people.

Now, I understand our family's experience may differ from many other families. But as I was reading Carey Nieuwhof's article on things that get harder in a church as it grows, this family gathering came to mind. He said this: "Human reality dictates we can only truly know about 5 people deeply and about 20 people well." So regardless if a church is 100 or 1,000, you will not know everyone well (thus the importance of smaller groups and serving teams).

In this illustration, then, those few I know well in the church are like my immediate family (parents, siblings, etc.). They become the ones with whom I primarily spend time and call first when I need something. I approximate the rest of the church, then, to my extended family (second cousins, great uncles, etc.). You probably don't see them as often, and you don't know the details of their lives as well, but you still have that family connection and still love and support one another and have a great time together. I would wear myself out trying to keep up with every member in an extended family of 60+, but I know and love my smaller circle very well.

Nieuwhof closes with this nugget: "The point of church is not for everyone to know everyone. The point is for everyone to be known." So as a church gets bigger, it must get smaller. Members can cling to the feel of a small, immediate-family-style church, hindering any potential growth, or they can embrace the change demanded by reaching more people for Jesus and they can intimately know a few as they live life together and serve together. The extended family is an incredible blessing that can do more as a whole than they can do apart, but to be truly known one must cultivate the immediate family within a local church.

How have you seen this illustration to be true in your own life? In your church experience?

Loving God's Word

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I cannot remember where I came across this true story, but it is an incredible illustration of what it looks like to have a passion for God's Word. Enjoy it, and imitate it.
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No one epitomizes a passion for God’s Word like Mary Jones, a little girl who lived around 1800. As an 8-year-old, Mary lived in a beautiful valley in Wales. Her parents were simple, godly people who took their little girl to church and taught her Bible stories from her earliest years. These stories had to be taught from memory since the family did not own a Bible in the Welsh language. Such Bibles were very scarce, and most people could not afford them. Yet Mary loved the Word of God and longed to read it for herself. When a school opened in her area, Mary enrolled so that she could learn to read. Then she began visiting a neighbor who owned a Bible in order to study the Bible for herself. She even memorized whole chapters of the Bible and shared them with her parents.

Next, Mary began saving money to purchase her own copy of the Bible. Over the next six years, she sold eggs, gathered wood, mended clothing, and cared for younger children. Finally, she had enough money to buy a Bible. The closest town where a Bible could be bought was Bala, more than 25 miles away. So very early on a spring day in 1800, Mary Jones began to walk, barefoot, to Bala. There she met Thomas Charles, a godly man who did a great deal of ministry throughout Wales. When Mr. Charles asked Mary about herself, her family, and her knowledge of the Bible, he was impressed. Moreover, he was amazed by her love for the Scriptures and her patient endurance in saving for a Bible of her own. But he sadly told the girl that all of the Welsh Bibles he had received from London in the past year had been sold months ago, except for a few that had been promised to friends who must not be disappointed. He also told her that the Bible Society in London had no plans to print more Welsh Bibles. At this news, Mary dropped into a nearby seat and began to sob. The little girl’s passion for the Word moved Mr. Charles. His own voice broken with emotion, he rose from his seat and placed a gentle hand on Mary’s head. “My dear child, I see you must have a Bible, as difficult as it is for me to spare you one. It is simply impossible to refuse you.” So Mary Jones walked the 25 miles back home with her own copy of the Bible.

The impact of Mary’s life was much more far-reaching than her little village. In 1802, Mr. Charles visited London and, moved by his experience with the girl, told Mary’s story to the Religious Tract Society. From that meeting, the British and Foreign Bible Society was established to spread the Scriptures around the world.

Cat & Dog Theology

There’s a great book entitled Cat & Dog Theology: Rethinking Our Relationship with Our Master (find it on Amazon here). This book uses the common differences between cats and dogs to illustrate our views on God. See, a dog says, “You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me. You must be God." A cat, on the other hand, says, “You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me, I must be God."

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Now, we might never say that out loud, but that’s a temptation any time we speak of the blessings of God we receive as believers. Often when we see God bless us and promise us His presence and that He will take care of His children and so on, we can begin to think that all of this is about us (like a cat). But that’s not the way He designed it. Yes, He will bless us, but ultimately that blessing is not only for us; it’s in order to be a blessing to the nations and to take His presence and glory to those around us. Cats say, “You exist to serve me, God," while dogs say, “I exist to serve you, God." Cats see everything in the world (ncluding gifts they receive from God) as solely for their prosperity and comfort and pleasure, while dogs see everything in the world (including things they receive from God) as for their provision, yes, but mainly for His glory and service in the world.

I know that your cat is different, but most cats aren’t fiercely loyal. They seemingly could not care less whether you are there or not, unless it is to scratch their back or feed them. But I’m sure you’ve seen a dog wait by the front door all day for his master to get home, whining and yelping if they can see them but can’t get to them. Or sitting by your feet just hoping you would notice them and pat their head, wagging their tail the whole time just because they are with you. That’s what I want us to be, church. Like dogs with their masters, I want us to delight in the God who delights in us–not just so we can get more from some genie in a bottle granting us wishes, but so we can be so filled with love and joy and peace in Him that we overflow to those around us, using His blessings as ways to show off His glory to our neighbors and to the nations.

How have you seen yourself be cat-like in your theology and life?

Clarifying the 5th Commandment

I want to be the first to admit when I am wrong--especially when it involves a large number of people potentially influenced by my mistake. Today was one of those occasions, as I preached through Israel coming to Mount Sinai and the Holy God giving them what we know as the 10 Commandments. I was uncomfortable with what I said about the 5th commandment even as I was saying it, which was confirmed when a discerning listener explained their concerns with what I said as well. With their permission, I have adapted their thoughts below as I attempt to clarify what that commandment means.

The way I said it this morning is that this command was intended for families who were underneath this covenant of God--meaning, they would be parents worthy of honor because they were seeking to follow the rest of the commands as well. But in that statement I implied that if parents are wicked then they are not due any honor whatsoever. In other words, we can kind of pick and choose what commands we are to follow based on who will receive the act or how it will be received. Clearly that is not what the Bible teaches.

If we go forward to Ephesians 6:1-3, we see Paul reiterate this command and its resulting promise: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother' (this is the first commandment with a promise), 'that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.'" Here Paul summarizes Exodus 20:12, which is where we find the 5th commandment in question here. The key is not whether the parents are worthy of honor or not; we find the key in the resulting promise: "that it may go well with you." If one would logically take my teaching this morning in conjunction with these texts, essentially I was saying that if you do not have to obey this command because your parents are wicked then you are also not eligible for this promise of it "going well for you." I don't want that for anyone.

My concern this morning was to protect those who have been severely hurt by parents who were/are wicked, and I did not handle it correctly. I never want to give people an excuse not to obey certain commands of God simply because that other person is not "worthy" in some way. Will it be difficult? Yes. Will it give opportunities for the Holy Spirit to do His work on them and the offending party? Yes (see Romans 12:14-21 about "burning coals"). I grieve over the long-term pain that children go through because of sinful parents, but I also want it to "go well" for those children and this commandment gives us part of the conditions.

But the question remains, then: how do children "honor" wicked and sinful parents? Again, that is extremely difficult, and my prayer is that no parent forces their children into that corner. But here are some baby steps that hopefully open the door to God's blessing if you are a child with a wicked parent: praying for the parents; working toward healing from the hurts caused by the parents and succeeding in spite of the parents; breaking a familial cycle of sin and bondage; changing the trajectory of the family name; maintaining some type of communication with safe and healthy boundaries; offering forgiveness, etc. Again, it is unfortunate that as a result of sin in our world we must even have this discussion. But we cannot simply skate over these issues and follow God on our own terms rather than His terms.

I am grateful for people who are like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 and who are listening with an eye toward God's Word and making sure that what I am teaching lines up with it. I hope we all do that every day. I am one in process too, so I pray that God grows us more into His image every day, even using our mistakes to lead us further down that path. I love you, church, more than you know.