Blown Calls and God's Grace

The Seattle Seahawks beat the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football last week.  Well…I need to be clear.  The Seahawks kind of beat the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football last week. 

In front of a national audience, on the last play of the game, the referees made an incorrect call.  That incorrect call awarded the Seahawks six points they didn’t deserve.  As a result, the Seahawks won.

The following morning, news outlets of all shapes and sizes reported the blown call.  They replayed footage of the play over and over and over again, underscored by negative commentary.  News anchors, analysts, talk show hosts, and their long lost relatives complained, criticized, and bemoaned the officiating. The American media was on the attack.

I am glad that the American media isn’t interested in my mistakes.  I would hate it if they broadcast the replay of my worst moments over and over again.  Analysts would find a lot to complain about, criticize, and bemoan.  It would be embarrassing and heartbreaking to listen to.

The Apostle Paul encouraged early Christians to avoid such commentary with other Christians.  He says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”  Paul encourages early Christians to use the grace God extends to us in Jesus as an example of how to extend grace to others.  Because we have been forgiven much, we forgive much.

As you go through the coming week, look for simple ways to extend grace when people make mistakes.  If a waiter messes up your order, be kind and tip anyway.  Tell them Jesus loves them.  If a co-worker is late filing an important report, point out an area of their work that has benefited you in the past.  Thank them for it.  In a world that loves to complain and criticize and bemoan mistakes, forgive and move on.  If you do, you’ll look back at the replay and find that you made the right call.

Hope in Future Success

Teachers are changing their tune about education.  For years, educators assumed that cognitive abilities are the greatest indicator of future success.  If a child could understand and use information, they were thought to be more likely to succeed.  Those who had difficulty grasping the same information were thought to be less likely to succeed.

According to a New York Times article, researchers are finding that those assumptions are false.  As it turns out, perseverance, determination, and character are far better indicators of success.  Those who exhibit the ability to overcome adversity have a greater likelihood of achieving desired ends in the future.

Christians have their own take on this.  The Apostle Paul wrote the church in Rome and insisted that suffering produces perseverance and perseverance produces character and character produces hope.  Overcoming adversity can be an indicator of success.  It just isn’t an indicator of our future success as much as it is God’s. 

As Christians experience adversity, we learn to trust in God.  As we trust in God, we recognize His provision.  As we recognize His provision through life's many challenges, we get a glimpse of the big picture.  We start to sense that a day is coming when every adverse situation will be overcome – a day when Jesus returns and sets the entire world straight.  In this way thinking, overcoming adversity is a huge road sign pointing to Christ’s future success in His second coming.

You may be faced with some hardship this morning.  You may be tempted to throw your hands in the air and give up.  Don’t.  Keep on keeping on for Jesus.  God may not have created your hardship, but He can use your hardship to create a good work in you.  That good work points to a day when Jesus will set every hardship right once and for all.  That is future success is something all of God’s people can bank on.

Sabotaging Blessings

A few weeks ago, a fifteen-year-old boy from Columbus, Ohio collapsed from dehydration and exhaustion.  His fatigue wasn’t due to what you might think.  He hadn’t been working excessive overtime at his summer job.  He hadn’t been irresponsible at a friend’s back to school party.  The boy had been playing video games on an Xbox for over four days straight.  Fearing for his health, the boy’s mother took him to the hospital and confiscated the Xbox.

Most of us would agree that there is nothing wrong with video games or an Xbox.  Games can be a fun way to relax and spend time with friends.  We can also agree that playing video games to the point of dehydration and exhaustion is unhealthy.  It is an abuse of what should be a blessing.

We all share that boy’s proclivity to sabotage things that are meant as blessings.  God has given us wonderful things like food, homes, jobs, relationships, and on, and on.  We twist and abuse those good things to the point that they hurt us.  We don’t just enjoy food, but overeat until we have health problems.  We don’t appreciate homes as a place we live, but obsess about the status our address gives us.  We don’t enjoy our work as an opportunity for creativity, but sell excessive amounts of our time to the highest bidder.  Humans often twist and abuse blessings to the point that they are dangerous.

The Apostle Paul understood this about humans.  He encouraged early Christians to avoid the abuse of blessings and, as an alternative, enjoy them as God intended.  Paul wrote, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.”  Paul suggests that the freedom to enjoy God’s blessings should not lead to sin, but love.

As you go through the coming week, see how you might enjoy good things for God’s glory.  Look for activities you enjoy and see how they might be freed from abuse.  Honor God with the good things He has given.  That way, you can take pleasure in the blessings of life including the XBox. 

Every Week, Every Month, Every Year

When I was in college, I went on a mission trip to Mexico during Spring Break.  A group of us visited an impoverished suburb of Tijuana and helped build a small home for a family.  It was a life-changing week.

I hadn’t experienced that type of poverty before.  I can remember sitting on top of the house we were working on, overlooking miles of scrap metal, plastic, and cardboard homes.  I was struck by the challenges of life there.  I remember thinking, “I’m here for Spring Break.  These folks live here every week, every month, every year.”

The poor often live in communities like that because they don’t have a choice.  Economic realities in developing nations insist that large numbers of people live on very little.  But, there are also people living there, every week, every month, every year who do have a choice.  They have the means to live in “better” neighborhoods, but choose to live in a slum, hosting groups like ours, building houses for the poor.

Those kind of folks are a rare breed and they aren’t only in Mexico.  Faithful people all over the world set aside lives of privilege in order to minister in some of the world’s toughest situations.  They go in the love of Christ to announce that Jesus is Lord.  We call them missionaries.

Missionaries aren’t only noble because they often set aside privilege for the sake of spreading the Gospel.  Missionaries are also noble because they remind all Christians that the call to missions can’t be relegated to Spring Break.  All of us are called to set aside comforts in order to advance God’s kingdom, wherever we are.  Jesus calls all of us to a life of service and evangelism.

As you go through the coming week, remember those missionaries who sacrifice much for the Gospel.  Pray for them.  Give money in support of their work.  Then, let their faithful service inspire you to be a missionary in your world – every week, every month, every year.

Because I Said So

When I was growing up, I asked all kinds of questions.  One of my favorite questions was this: “Why?”  Responding to my favorite question, my Dad had a favorite answer: “Because I said so.”

Early on, I accepted my Dad’s answer without question.  When my Dad answered, “Because I said so,” I obeyed.  I did what my Dad told me to do because I thought His will was good in and of itself.  I looked up to my Dad so much I thought the things he wanted were naturally right and good.  

Christians do all kinds of things in order to follow Jesus’ will.  We care about the poor, worship Jesus together, and pray in order to follow Jesus’ instruction.  When we are asked why, a great answer is this: “Because Jesus said so.”

Because the Son of God told us to do His will, we do it.  There is no other reason.  We don’t care for the poor for our own benefit.  We don’t worship for a feeling we get.  We do those things to honor Jesus.  We love Him and revere Him in such a way that His will seems naturally right and good.  We follow Jesus’ will for Jesus’ sake.

As you go through the coming week, follow Jesus’ will because He said so.  Let every aspect of your day be lived for Him.  We will find fulfillment and growth and joy in doing those things, but it isn’t why we do it.  We do His will because He is so good.  

Freedom From, Freedom For

Freedom is getting a lot of attention.  With the presidential election fast approaching, politicians are falling all over themselves trying to prove they can give Americans freedom. They tell us that freedom makes America great and they are the ones to protect it.  They insist their ticket is the only way to preserve our God given freedom.

The word freedom gets thrown around the political arena so much, in so many ways, I almost forget what it means.  A common definition of freedom is this: liberation from all constraint.  Another is this: the ability to be self-determining.  In short, freedom is a person’s ability to do whatever (s)he wants.

Jesus promises freedom too.  But, the freedom Jesus promises is a little different.  Jesus promises to set His people free for a purpose.  Jesus liberates Christians from the constraints of sin and death so they can fulfill His will.

In his first letter to the church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul writes,  “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.”  Paul suggests that Christ set Him free for a purpose larger than doing whatever he wants.  Jesus set Paul free from sin and death so that Paul could be free for preaching the gospel.

As you go through the coming week, ask yourself what you have been set free for.  If you have confessed your sin and called on Jesus for salvation, you are free.  The world will tell you to use that freedom to do whatever you want.  Christ insists we use our freedom for His cause.  So let me encourage you to freely seek Christ’s purposes for the coming week.  It may not win you an election, but it is the best way to truly enjoy your God given freedom.  

Kids and God's Kingdom

Faith Center hosted our annual Vacation Bible School at Willow Springs Apartments this past week.  It was great.  All kinds of kids from our church and neighborhood showed up to learn about Jesus.

On the second night, I watched as the event got started.  Kids who didn’t know each other shyly made their way to their seat.  They were reserved and reluctant to talk with other kids as they waited for VBS to begin.  But, when the program fired up and worship leaders encouraged them to sing songs to Jesus, the kids jumped right in.  They celebrated without hesitation, following fun hand motions.  It was neat to watch. 

I was struck by how quickly those kids responded.  That isn’t how we respond in Sunday morning services.  In adult worship services, we are a little more reserved.  I mean…our reputations are at stake.  We don’t want to be too enthusiastic about Jesus.  We might get labeled a religious nut.  We don’t want to respond too quickly.  We might appear desperate.  As a result, we button down the celebration. 

In the Gospel of Luke, people brought children to Jesus so that he could bless them.  Jesus’ disciples didn’t like it and reprimanded the Lord.  In response, Jesus invited the kids anyway, using them as an example of devotion to God.  Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

As you worship this morning, sing, shout, clap your hands, and stomp your feet for Jesus.  Do not hesitate to celebrate the Lord.  The smallest people in the building are giving us a great example and we should take it seriously.  Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.