An Ordinary Pen

The Urge to Pray

2011-07-27T14:01:00.000-04:00

The intelligent folks over at Desiring God have posted an excerpt from "Preaching and Preachers", by Martin Lloyd-Jones about the "impulse to pray" and what we should do with it. I couldn't help but repost because I found it so fascinating.

Have you ever had that little buzz in your head that said "you should pray" and you just couldn't get it out of your mind? I've had them and I've argued them away with thoughts about my work at hand, the people around me, or how busy I am.

My attempts to pray continuously are met with resistance, despite how rewarding those prayers can be. So instead of fighting the urge, my goal is to accept it and give to God what he deserves anyway: my time.

Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave

2011-07-26T10:57:00.002-04:00

I mentioned this book in a previous post, but "Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave", by Ed Welch, is definitely worth mentioning again. It's a bit medically focused (targeting alcoholism, for example), but this only lends itself well to practical application.

As the lead pastor of my church often says, while this book is about addictions, it is really broadly applicable as a book about Godly living and discipleship. It takes a long look at the root cause of addiction in our lives, our sinful selves, and gives practical advice about confronting sin, finding help, and focusing on God first (not just getting better).

I'd recommend this book to everyone, as we all struggle with addictions to ourselves and our own pleasures. It's a good read.

Walk the Walk, Then I'll Pray

2011-07-22T09:13:00.001-04:00

I hear a great deal of complaining about life's struggles. People complain about how their wife/husband acts and how frustrating it can be. They complain about how often they fight with their spouse. They complain about their work situation (or lack thereof). They complain about their financial situation or mounting debt. They complain about how busy they are and how taxing it can be on their family.

Then they ask me to pray.

But I want them to take the next step. I want them to take action to rectify these struggles.

Choose to serve and love your spouse, not react with more conflict. Work hard in your job, or in your job search, so that your efforts may reflect the Lord. Sacrifice financially... give up eating out, expensive gifts, self-indulgence, and buy the cheap brands. Say no to some activities or projects to make time for your family.

This is not intended to be a passive-aggressive response to any particular situation. I'm just reflecting on how conversations often develop with other Christians. I'm constantly asked to pray for people in their situation, but the same prayer request comes up again, and again, and again... but we never discuss that next step. We never discuss what action we can take now.

And I know that I carry some of the blame. I haven't taken opportunities to challenge others in their walk. I haven't rebuked them for choices that have placed them where they are and helped them figure out how to make the right choices. And I am hardly perfect, I struggle in these areas as well, but I haven't taken the time to relate my own experiences for others as well... to show them how I've grown.

Choose to do the right thing. That's my final plea.

The easiest example is in relationships with your spouse. I hear about a fair number of conflicts in marriages. The discussion always becomes about what the other person has done. But I'd love to see these discussions make a complete turn-around and become about what we can do for our spouse. There is fault on both sides in most conflicts, but we rarely admit to our part and own up to our sin (whether it's visible or simply internal).

Putting God First, Again and Again

2011-07-19T15:39:00.001-04:00

I'm currently reading through "Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave" for a class on biblical influence at my local church. It's the fifth piece we've had to read so far, and I think an (obvious) theme is coming out of these texts. Put God first.

In the discussion of addictions, relationships, and life struggles... we are more concerned about ourselves than anything else. But all of these books, sound biblical teaching, and even scripture itself, consistently emphasizes CHOOSING to put ourselves last. Instead of choosing to return conflict with conflict, choose the patient, rational, loving response. Instead of giving in to anger and self-satisfaction, choose the needs of others first. Instead of resorting to discouraging words or selfish actions, choose to give encouragement and sacrifice. In doing these, we are choosing to live for God first.

I emphasize choice in this because, while I've heard it many times before, I'm really starting to come to terms with the idea that we must choose to love. Love as a response to how someone treats you or how someone makes you feel (as in "falling in love") is far from ideal. Sure, it feels good, but it centers on what we can get, not what we can give.

Put God first each time and every time. That was His plan all along. Give first and get last!

Life As A Narnian

2011-07-14T10:20:00.001-04:00

Joe Rigney, of the Desiring God blog, recently posted a series of comments on fairy tales and how we can grow spiritually from our exposure to C.S. Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia."

He begins with a note about Learning to Breathe Narnian Air. Lewis is best known for his work in the Chronicles, but somewhere along the way the deeper spiritual truths evident in his work have been lost and these wonderful books have become stories for children. While accessible to children, they are far from exclusively for children. In fact, Lewis is well-known for challenging the assumption the modern idea that the term "fairy tale" is synonymous with "nursery rhyme" or a child's storybook.

Taking this one step further, next is Are Fairy Tales Just for Children? which looks at Lewis' love for fairy tales as a means to create an image that one enjoys more with age, rather than less (like one would with a children's book). The books are loaded with real truth, deeply woven into a beautiful story that captures the attention and brings excitement (as good fantasy should).

Three Objections to Fairy Tales takes fairy tales to a new level by quoting Lewis on the subject and addressing concerns about escapism and false views of the world.

The most recent post goes back to the heart of the topic, namely seeing Narnia as a place to explore theology and experience God more deeply (Narnia Helps Us Live Better Here). The Chronicles are not allegories. Aslan wasn't slain as a substitute for Edmund in "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" to parallel Christ's death in our world. This was a completely different world, and that's how Christ manifested in that world. It's not an allegory, but instead supposes God's role in another world that exists alongside our own, not as a reflection of ours.

This is exciting stuff. I look forward to digging back into these stories soon on my own and then again with our little one whenever he/she arrives!

Mountaintop Experiences

2011-07-13T09:21:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, I finished my third year as a camp dean at Jumonville for the Mega-Adventure camp. It's a great experience and something I really cherish. Middle schoolers show up expecting a week of excitement and adventure: rock climbing (both indoor and on cliffs), caving, biking, rafting, and hiking. But my hope is that they come away challenged spiritually as well.

Growing up, I attended a number of camps... including swim camps, canoe camps, and rustic adventure camps. Jumonville was one of the many camps I attended and I believe very firmly that it had a major impact on my decision to follow Christ. When I was 15, I started volunteering as a counselor for a week each summer, then joined staff for the first three summers after high school.

My goal is simple... to help the kids that attend find that "mountaintop experience" that I always found at camp. Jumonville is located in southwestern Pennsylvania, atop a beautiful mountain overlooking Uniontown. The mountaintop experience describes the spiritual high you can get when you are surrounded by believers for a week, with constant exposure to God's Word. That emotional high can be a catalyst for dramatic life decisions concerning Christ.

My deepest hope is that kids will carry that experience with them long after the mountain becomes a distant memory. I remember the excitement I had for Jesus during my high school years when I returned from camp... but that excitement would slowly drift away. The emphasis needs to be on the spiritual disciplines that help us remember, retain and return again and again to God (prayer, reading, fellowship, accountability).

My favorite part of the week is the last night. I intentionally request the best campfire site (where these beautiful sunset pictures were taken). I give the kids my "last night of camp" talk, where I share with them how hard it was for me growing up to keep my faith longer than a few weeks after camp. I plead with them to get involved with youth group, read their Bibles, pray, and ask friends and family for help in living out their faith.

I hope I have an impact. I hope they walk away with something. God has really blessed me with great friends who come and share their gifts and time to serve these kids as counselors. I often refer to them as my "dream team" when I talk to my wife, because every year we have mature Christians with a great combination of gifts to make it easy to work with these kids (some are energetic and involved, others are nurturing and reserved, some are great at leading, while others are great encouragers...)

I'm blown away and humbled each year to be a part of this ministry

Very Ordinary People

2011-07-12T09:00:00.002-04:00

This is beginning to sound like a broken record. God constantly and consistently uses ordinary people to accomplish his extraordinary purpose.

During Christ's ministry, he interacted again and again with ordinary people. They came to him with their problems. They came to him with questions. They came to argue. They came with pain and suffering.

There were struggles with doubt (Mark 9:24).
There were struggles with pride, ego and selfishness (Mark 9:34).
There were brash moments... moments of recklessness (Luke 9:54).
And as always, there were struggles with faith (Mark 4:40).

The list goes on and on. I don't mean to minimize their problems, but they were ordinary problems. These moments of weakness gave Christ opportunities to challenge. These moments gave God a moment to show His glory. Compared to the power and glory of God, these were trivial problems.

He didn't rebuke doubt, but demonstrated grace and the miraculous.
He demonstrated and preached a servant's heart.
He challenged and transformed self-seeking, reckless hearts.
He gave us faith in an all-sufficient savior.

We are very ordinary. We may have gifts, talents and callings that are clearly God-given. But at our cores, we are weak and driven by our own ambitions and desires. God wants to do something incredible in and through us... something extraordinary!

Unschooled Disciples

2010-04-11T09:00:00.003-04:00

"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." ~Acts 4:13

To me, this verse seems to be one of most empowering in scripture. Peter and John, through the spirit, stood before the Sanhedrin and declared the resurrection of Jesus. But they were hardly qualified and the crowd knew this.

Despite their lack of qualification, God did something amazing and it transformed lives!

The disciples (apostles at this point in Acts) were God's chosen team. He shared with them so much and they would eventually form the foundation for the future church. However, they were the last people we would have expected to be the chosen ones of Jesus' inner circle.

Your Calling - Godly Counsel

2010-01-17T14:00:00.000-05:00

Even if you spend hours doing a thorough self-analysis, you may not accurately discover your spiritual gifts. Tests and quizzes can help you understand gifts, but ultimately won't provide the final answer. The only way to truly discover your gifts is through revelation and experience. However, it is often very helpful to actively seek outside advice in order to find and affirm your gifts and calling.

As you grow involved in the body of believers and serve the Lord in your daily life, you will come across situations and circumstances that both test you and encourage you. The complete collection of these experiences form the body of your understanding of your role in this world. But we are biased when we explore ourselves. Often we desire certain gifts and push our experiences to try to fit into those molds.

For instance, we often respect pastors and other leaders with gifts for teaching. As a result, some find themselves desperately seeking opportunities to lead discussions or teach topics they are not qualified to teach. Just because you have an expertise in a topic does not qualify you as the most appropriate person to teach that topic to others.

That's just one very specific example to demonstrate my point: we need outside experience and insight to find out the most important facts about ourselves. This sounds fairly counterintuitive, especially in a society that fights desperately for personal validation and expression. But when you get right down to the heart of it, God has a purpose for our lives that plays perfectly into our abilities and gifts, and we should be proud to be defined by our creator.

Seek those individuals with the experience and understanding to help you find your path. They can often confirm and affirm the gifts you have and help you find new ways to use those gifts. But remember to do the same for others. Provide words of encouragement to believers you interact with, giving them reassurance of their gifts or providing insight into the gifts and callings you see in them.

Your Calling - Blessings and Giftings

2010-01-10T14:00:00.001-05:00

You've probably read or hear portions of 1 Corinthians 12 many times in the context of understanding your role in the church. It is a powerful passage that really brings home a few key points.

1) Our purpose in life is a gift to us from the Spirit.

When Paul talks of spiritual gifts and how we can use our gifts in the Church, he frequently the phrase "given through the Spirit". We call them gifts, but we don't often think through the what this word means and what it should bring to mind. As gifts, they should be treasured and honored to have received them. We should be thankful and full of praise for receiving them. And just like the gift of our salvation, we have not earned them but are given them freely (just as gifts should be).

2) Our giftings are unique, specific, and necessary for the completeness of the body of Christ.

God intends each person for a very specific purpose. While we are given our gifts by the same Spirit and serve in the name of the same Lord, our gifts our given according to the Spirit and our purpose in life.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. ~1 Cor 12:7-11

They are unique giftings and the body of Christ functions at its best when every part is in place and serving where it belongs.

The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. ~1 Cor 12:21-26

3) Our gifts are blessings.

We don't always appreciate the places we serve in the body or elsewhere. Sometimes we serve in positions because of a lack of laborers, not because of any great desire to serve in that way. We may have been given a gift, but we long for some other gift which we think is "better" or brings more glory to God.

But as we can see in the previous passage in 1 Corinthians, we should treat every part of the body of Christ with dignity, respect and honor. In fact, Paul goes so far as to say that the "unpresentable" parts should be shown an even greater amount of respect.

We give great honor to pastors, teachers and leaders in our midst. But we should be showing just as great an appreciation for the laborers who do the less visible work within the body and we should be proud to serve in those ways if we are called.

Your Calling - Trust

2010-01-03T09:00:00.006-05:00

The most important thing we can do when searching for our calling is to trust in God's provision. Pure and simple. Learning to trust in God to provide a vision and purpose for your life is no different than learning to trust in Him for any other provision.

We must be willing to give up all of our desires to God and to wait for Him to make our purpose clear.

I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him.
~Lamentations 3:24-25

Oswald Chambers said it best when he said, "Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading."

Choose to set aside some time and ask for God's guidance. Pray and read from scripture. Commit to loving the Lord and then wait expectantly for Him. Remember that God intends to work for your good, as you have been called for a special purpose.

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. ~Romans 8:28

But while I am on the topic of waiting on the Lord, I must make another comment. Waiting does not mean removing yourself from responsibility. Life doesn't become a lazy river that you can just relax upon while you wait for God to make your purpose clear. Quite the opposite, actually. God expects to do everything in our power, but to have faith in His work alone. (More on this in later entries)

Your Calling - Our Main Purpose

2009-12-27T09:00:00.020-05:00

Last week, as an introduction to this series, I briefly mentioned that our main purpose in life is to give ourselves entirely to our Lord. Our first call is to a fellowship with Christ.

In his introduction to the Corinthians, Paul explicitly declares that believers are called into fellowship with Jesus Christ. This introductory theme of referring to believers as the "called" continues in Romans,

God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. ~1 Corinthians 1:9

And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. ~Romans 1:6

That calling gives us a freedom from sin that lets us live the life for which God has set us apart.

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. ~Galatians 5:13

Your first purpose is to give yourself to God. Finding your purpose on this Earth is only a means to giving yourself even more fully to the Lord. Seeking a role for your life should never get in the way of your primary role, a follower of Jesus Christ. If it gets in the way, it's likely a clear indication that you aren't on the right track to finding that specific role for your life.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. ~Romans 12:1-2

Our purpose is to please God! And we do this by giving up ourselves as sacrifices and by seeking to do God's will. But don't get me wrong. We are not set apart just to follow a set of rules and guidelines that will bring favor and grace from God. His grace and salvation is given freely through a faith in Christ, but with that saving faith comes a transformation or "renewing of the mind". This transformation leads us to a desire to love God and please Him in all we do.

A Savior For The Ordinary

2009-12-25T09:00:00.044-05:00

In my attempts to find examples of God using ordinary people for a great purpose, no story can match the main story of scripture: the life of Christ. While He was divine, He encountered temptation and pain, symptoms of the human experience. In that way, He was just like us.

But the story of Christmas is especially interesting in the context of this blog. It sheds an incredible light on God's saving grace, that was given for all mankind. Even ordinary people could find hope in the coming of the Messiah; a baby from Bethlehem.

Think about it. The Jews were expecting a "king", but not just a spiritual king. They were expecting a ruler that would save their people and bring justice to the oppressed. Christ would do just that, but not in a political way. His death and resurrection would tear down the barrier between man and God, paving a way for the salvation of all who believe.

But Jesus was hardly born into royalty. He was forced to sleep in a manger, or feeding trough. While he was visited by some fairly important figures (Matthew 2), he was also visited by some lowly shepherds from the fields. In a lot of ways, the whole situation was God showing the world that He intended the Messiah for everyone, not just the righteous.

I bet the shepherds were incredibly excited to see Jesus in a manger wrapped in cloth. That is hardly royalty! The joy and hope it brought must have been incredible.

This Christmas, praise the God who provided a way to Him. He gave His only son to be born as a human, that He might later die to bring us salvation. Christmas is a great day to be reminded of God's gift and how He saved us, despite our ordinary lives with all of our sin and selfishness.

The Christmas Story From Luke:

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. ~Luke 2:1-20

Your Calling

2009-12-20T09:00:00.008-05:00

What will make me happy?

That is the question that most frequently guides how we discern our place in society and this world. But there are far better questions we should be asking.

What is my purpose?
For what am I designed?
What role can I play in this world?

For a few months now, I have been writing about finding an extraordinary purpose despite our ordinary lives. I've described biblical figures and stories that highlight the truth about God's desire to see His people grow and change the world for His glory.

Recognizing that God wants us to do great things is only half of the equation. We can know that we are meant for the extraordinary, but the hard part is figuring out what that purpose is.

For the next few weeks I will talk about the "calling", that surreal and ethereal thing that hovers off in the distance that defines what we should be doing. It makes us feel guilty for doing what we do now. It makes us unsatisfied where we work and play, because we are unsure whether where we are is where we are meant to be.

But the calling shouldn't be something that pains our hearts and drives us to guilt. Instead, we should find great joy in seeking that purpose and even greater joy in serving when that purpose is found.

"I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things." ~Philippians 3:8

Paul saw that the greatest joy in life is in knowing Christ and giving up everything for Him. With that in mind, the search for your calling is simply one more step toward giving your whole self to God.

With all of that in mind, it is important to recognize that before we can really seek our specific purpose or role in this world, we must uncover that greater, and certainly more vague, purpose that God has set forth for all of his people. We can take a hint from Christ.

"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." ~John 4:34

Jesus had a very specific purpose: to bring good news of God's plan to rescue a broken world. He was to die on a cross to save those set apart in faith. But he made it clear in John 4 that the very thing that sustains Him is doing the will of God and finishing the Earthly work set forth for Him. He refers to it as "food", as if without it he would die.

So as we explore God's purpose for your life, remember that before all else, we seek to know our role so that we can do what God desires of us. It is for His glory first, not so we can gather praise from others or so we can find success. The praise and success should always come back to the Father!

Designed For Ministry

2009-12-13T09:00:00.010-05:00

God wants us to find our calling and serve in His great ministry to humanity. But this isn't based on the off chance that we have some kind of gifts and we happen to fall into the right situation. Rather, we were designed for ministry. God's designed us for ministry and good works that glorify Him.

In the Epistle to the Ephesians, we can find a powerful expression of this. We are reminded of the gift of grace given to us and how our natural response should be service and gratitude.

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. ~Ephesians 2:1-10 (NIV)

Before we ever came to Christ, God prepared good works for us. When we discover grace and are made new, we set out to find our purpose and do these good works. We are God's workmanship and were created through Jesus to serve in something far greater and far bigger than ourselves.

How do you define yourself?

Student. Teacher. Citizen. Voter. Republican. Democrat. Independent. Liberal. Conservative. Libertarian. Creationist. Evolutionist. Christian. Father. Mother. Brother. Sister. Son. Daughter. Scientist. Engineer. Doctor. Nurse. Chef. Server. Waitress. Waiter. Mechanic. Plumber. Clerk. Salesman. Young. Old. Middle-aged. Boss. Employee. Temp. Writer. Reader. Gamer. Nerd. Geek. Techie. Old-fashioned. Modern. Hip. Retro. Postmodern. Reactionary. Radical. New age. Organic. Cheap. Traditional....

The list is neverending. We could define ourselves by many, many titles and adjectives. At some point, when we have described ourselves thoroughly enough, we are totally unique and different than any other person on the planet.

However, there is one title all believers must begin to embrace.

Minister.

We have been designed for good works. We have been set apart to serve. And as we can see in 1 Peter 2, we are also a royal priesthood that serves God through Jesus Christ.

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. ~1 Peter 2:4-5,9-10

So while you search for your specific role in God's plan, embrace the knowledge that you have one clear role. You are a minister of God. You have been designed for great things. And you have a direct connection to our God through the priesthood granted to us through Jesus Christ.

He Equips the Called: Gideon

2009-12-06T09:00:00.001-05:00

Another great example of God using the ordinary to do the extraordinary comes in the form of Gideon, a hero of the old testament. His story is told in chapters 6-8 of the book of Judges.

When we find Gideon, the nation of Israel had been suffering under the control of the Midianites for seven years. They had turned away from God and so He had let them fall into this situation. The people were crying out for God's help and so He set in motion a plan to save the nation again.

God sent an angel to call Gideon, the son of Joash the Abiezrite. He referred to him as a mighty warrior and insisted that he was to save Israel. Gideon questioned God and asked why they had been abandoned. God insisted that He had not totally abandoned them and that the calling of Gideon was God's choice to save them.

The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?"~Judges 6:14

So God had called Gideon, but who was Gideon to save Israel? He had no special powers. He wasn't important. He had nothing that set him apart to do such a great job. Gideon knew all of this and questioned God.

"But Lord," Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." ~Judges 6:15

But God responded by reminding him that he had God's favor. Sometimes the greatest equipping God provides is the reassurance that He is with us.

The LORD answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together." ~Judgest 6:16

Through Gideon, God fights against the worship of other Gods in Israel and challenges the Midianites. But again and again, Gideon challenges God's promises by asking for signs. It seems strange that Gideon would test God, but it provides a bit of useful insight for us to take away about doing God's will. Gideon never made a move until he was sure that what he was doing was God's will.

Gideon asks for clear signs. He converses with God. Similarly, when seeking God's will, we should constantly try to assess and reassess that what we are doing is what God would have us do. That's a tough thing to do, but by prayer and commitment I believe that we can truly discern our path in life. It won't always be clear immediately, but we can be assured that God is on the side of those with a heart after His.

Gideon was a nobody, but he answered God's call and did good in His sight. He was careful to be sure of God's will and eventually became a great warrior and leader of Israel.

He Equips the Called: Moses

2009-11-29T09:00:00.039-05:00

God often calls people long before He gives them the tools necessary to succeed. People might have "gifts", such as the ability to speak in public or the ability to teach. But those gifts don't necessarily prepare you for the specific circumstances you will find yourself in. Scripture has many powerful examples of God's calling and equipping of individuals for great purposes.

We have already explored David a bit, so I thought I'd take a moment and highlight Moses. Next week we'll take a look at Gideon as well.

Moses is one of the most well-known men in scripture, and certainly the most important to the Hebrews and Hebrew culture. He led the Israelites out of Egypt, brought down the Ten Commandments, and eventually led his people to the edge of the promised land. But he wasn't totally prepared for his ministry when God called him.

Take a look at Exodus 4 and you will see his weakness. God called him to go to the Egyptians and free God's people. But he definitely wasn't ready...

He didn't think Egypt would listen.
Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?" ~Exodus 4:1 (NIV)

He didn't have any ability to speak.
Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." ~Exodus 4:10 (NIV)

He was terrified and wasn't even willing to do it.
But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it." ~Exodus 4:13 (NIV)

So what did God do? God was angry, but he gave Moses the tools to succeed. Aaron, Moses' brother, could speak very well. God gave Moses reassurance that he could talk to Aaron and Aaron's words would move the Egyptians. He also showed Moses a set of miracles to prove His power.

Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it." ~Exodus 4:14-17 (NIV)

God will give you the tools. God will give you the means. God will equip you to serve in your calling. But you must answer the call!

So where was God when the plan went into action? Well let's walk through Exodus.

First God's miracles brought belief, confidence and faith to the Israelites.
Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, and Aaron told them everything the LORD had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people, and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped. ~Exodus 4:29-31 (NIV)

Moses and Aaron approach Pharaoh, but instead of freeing the Israelites, Pharaoh made their work even harder. Angered, Moses argues with God and is reminded of God's greatness. Then God sent Moses back to tell Pharaoh, but Moses reminded God of his inability to speak. God showed him his provision, by raising up Aaron to be his voice.
But Moses said to the LORD, "Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?"
Then the LORD said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country.~Exodus 6:30, 7:1-2 (NIV)

Moses and Aaron showed Pharaoh their great miracles.
So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. ~Exodus 7:10-12 (NIV)

Then followed the great plagues that brought disaster to Egypt. But God kept to his promise. He gave Moses a speaker in his brother Aaron. He gave him miracles through his staff and signs to challenge Pharaoh. His faith was shaky at times, but God proved faithful to His word.

He Equips The Called

2009-11-22T10:00:00.001-05:00

One of the most prevalent phrases in Christian circles, at least in the ones I have been a part of, is "God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called."

While one might argue that God often calls qualified people to step in and serve as well, the saying does have its purpose. It reminds us to act on behalf of God, not out of fear that we cannot do the job given to us, but out of faith that God will provide what is necessary.

So what does scripture have to say? Hebrews 13 makes it clear that Christ's sacrifice set the stage for God's glorification. The covenant that secures us a spot in an eternity with God is the same covenant that brought Jesus back from the dead.

By this same covenant, God will equip each of us to do His will. Whatever the role we are to play in God's grand plan, He will equip us. There is no debate on the issue. Those of us who are secure in the eternal covenant will be equipped, however and with whatever we need to serve God in the way He chooses.

"May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." ~Hebrews 13:20-21

It's a powerful statement. There is no need to doubt or to have fear. We know that despite our inability to see the future and know what we are supposed to do, we can have faith that if we make Christ our greatest commitment, we will be given what we need to succeed!

Truth in Review

2009-11-15T09:00:00.055-05:00

It's been well over a month now and we have explored God's desire for the extraordinary in our lives. I think it's an appropriate time to review what we've seen so far.

Extraordinary Truth #1 - God uses the ordinary to accomplish the extraordinary.
Oct 1, 2009 - Read post here
First I shared my thoughts and insight on Isaiah 8:1, the verse that uses the phrase "an ordinary pen." God tells Isaiah to use an ordinary pen to write down some divine words. It seems unnecessary to use the word "ordinary" here, but I feel as though it's just one example of many where God chooses to do great things with the ordinary.

Extraordinary Truth #2 - Once upon a time, man was glorious because God set him apart. He failed and fell from grace. But God's mercy was great and His wrath was satisfied by Christ's sacrifice. Today we stand apart once again, to serve in extraordinary ways.
Oct 4, 2009 - Read post here
Next we explored the creation story and our original role in God's great plan. We were caretakers that lived in the midst of God. But man fell from grace and God is waiting for His people to step up and find their extraordinary role in God's plan.

Extraordinary Truth #3 - God consistently and constantly uses ordinary people for extraordinary purposes.
Oct 18, 2009 - Read post here
Hebrews 11 is a great starting place to find some of the bigger names in scripture. In this list we see a variety of people, but there are two main themes to be found. First, we see that God uses people regardless of their status, position or circumstances. In fact, it often appears that He uses the least among us to accomplish the greatest things.

Extraordinary Truth #4 - The first step towards the extraordinary involves faith in both God's promises and provision.
Oct 25, 2009 - Read post here
The second major theme in Hebrews 11 is the faith of those ordinary people. They accomplished great things, but God didn't give use them while they ignored God. Instead, they had faith that God would use them and He did!

Extraordinary Truth #5: The Lord has different criteria than man. While man looks at the appearance, the Lord looks at the heart.
Nov 1, 2009 - Read post here
Next we explored the story of King David. His humble beginnings give us great insight into how God chooses His servants. He looks at the heart, not at anything we can or have done. Instead, He sees potential and desire. Those are the starting points for accomplishing the extraordinary.

Extraordinary Truth #6: God is looking for those who have a heart after His. Their desire is the same as the Lord's: to see Him glorified.
Nov 8, 2009 - Read post here
We continued with David's story, looking further into these "desires of the heart" that God seeks. God wants people with a heart that brings Him the glory.

As we go from here, we'll take a slightly different approach to the weekly posts. These first few posts were really setting a groundwork for exploring scripture deeper.

We know that man has a place in God's plan, even though we have fallen from grace. We know that God uses the ordinary to accomplish the extraordinary and He has demonstrated this again and again. He searches for people who have a heart after His, for His criteria is different than man's. The first steps to finding your purpose is to have faith in God's provision and to develop that heart after the Lord.

With these basic truths in place we can do a number of things. We can look at more examples from scripture to support the idea that God will use the ordinary, if they are willing. We can find more details on how to develop that heart of God. We can discover all the ways God chooses to use people, and how He equipped them for success.

And these are exactly what we are going to do.

David - Part 2: Desires, Motives and Actions

2009-11-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

Motives and desires are the basis of God's search, but they don't end there. Taking action is a direct result of a desire. Someone who has a heart that truly longs after God will act on that desire and serve Him.

Throughout David's life and long after his death, his heart has been the standard for desire. Even before David was chosen, God knew what He wanted in a man. After Saul made some poor decisions, Samuel rebuked him and made it clear that those decisions would cost him the throne. The new king would be one with a heart after the Lord's, not one who would give in to his own selfish desires. (1 Samuel 13-14) Paul, when speaking in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch, told the people that God testified that David was a man after His own heart. (Acts 13:22)

""You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD's command."" ~ 1 Samuel 13-14 (NIV)

Extraordinary Truth #6: God is looking for those who have a heart after His. Their desire is the same as the Lord's: to see Him glorified.

So when we want to live that extraordinary life for God, we need to recognize that God's checking our hearts at the door. The Lord searches every thought and understands every motive (1 Chronicles 28:9), looking for those who have a heart after His. The most important thing you can do is to look at your own motives and desires, and assess where they are relative to God's.

But how do we do that? In no particular order, you must:

1) Read scripture
Spend real time studying God's word. Only with extensive time in the scriptures can you really begin to understand God's nature, His heart, and what a follower must do.

2) Pray
If prayer is a new discipline, take advantage of this opportunity to practice. Not only does prayer draw us into communion with God, it provides a sort of metric to measure whether our desires are aligned with God's (1 John 5:14-15).

3) Find Counsel
Even though David was a God's man, he still failed. But in his failures he had accountability. When he fell to the sin of adultery, the prophet Nathan was there to confront David and call him out on his sin. Find people you trust to help you walk the walk, and do the same for them.

4) Prioritize Your Life
Matthew 6:21 is fairly blunt about how to assess your true desires. In essence, the things that you treasure give an instant clue to what is most important in your life. Sounds obvious, but somehow we miss this constantly. What are the things you could not live without? These are your priorities, for better or worse. In Luke 14:33, Christ makes it clear that you must be willing to give up everything you have to follow Him. Are you willing to do that?

5) Make Active Changes
You can spend all day meditating, praying, reading, talking and thinking about your life. But it takes action to really see what your priorities are and to transform poor habits into Godly ones. David constantly had to remind himself that God was his greatest desire (Psalm 73:25,26). I'm sure this constant reminder helped to make those words become a real part of who he was. Find some of the more obvious roadblocks in your faith and make the necessary changes. The growth will begin as soon as you are willing to serve and take that first step.

God wants us to be extraordinary and to do great things for Him, but we must have a heart that truly desires Him...

David - Part 1: What the Lord Seeks

2009-11-01T09:00:00.005-05:00

David is an impressive character from scripture. He was the second king of Israel, the righteous follower that authored many of the Psalms, and the ancestor of the lineage that eventually led to Christ, the Messiah. He has an incredible place of renown in both Jewish culture and Christian history. His life served in many ways to foreshadow the future messiah, with his status as a shepherd and king, just as Christ was the Good Shepherd and the King of the Jews.

He came from a simple life of little purpose to become the greatest warrior of Israel and eventually the king. It's the classic ordinary-to-extraordinary story. But it's more than just an example of this. It also provides multiple truths about God's desire to draw the ordinary man to greatness.

God's prophet and the last of the judges of Israel, Samuel, was sent to find the man God had chosen to replace Saul as the king of Israel. He knew that the new king was the son of Jesse of Bethlehem. He traveled to Bethlehem and looked over each of Jesse's sons, waiting for God to tell him which was the chosen one.

"When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD." But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."" ~ 1 Samuel 16:6-7 (NIV)

So Eliab apparently looked the part of "future king", but he wasn't in God's plans for this purpose. God knew Samuel was looking for a certain stereotypical king, so He shared with him a deep spiritual truth.

Extraordinary Truth #5: The Lord has different criteria than man. While man looks at the appearance, the Lord looks at the heart.

The basis for God's search is the heart. He doesn't care about your status, abilities, strengths, weaknesses or gifts when He chooses to use you for something great. Those things might be important in how he uses you, but not why he uses you. God wants to use the willing to accomplish great things.

An Extraordinary Faith

2009-10-25T09:00:00.015-04:00

Let's revisit Hebrews 11. I mentioned before that it is the "all-star" list of the "Ordinary to Extraordinary Team". It lays out some of the biggest names in scripture and shows us the amazing things that became of them.

But what did they ALL have in common?

Faith.

Noah was told to build an ark. And he did. (Gen 6)
Abraham was told to pick up and leave. And he did. (Gen 12)
Abraham was told to offer his son. And he did. (Gen 22)
Moses was told to lead his people out of Egypt. And he did. (Exodus 4-14)
Joshua and the Israelites were told to march around Jericho. And they did. (Joshua 6)

None of it made sense at the time. They were regular people. But they had one thing in common.

Faith.

God delivered and their stories went from ordinary to extraordinary. It was all because they made a choice to serve God, having faith that He would fulfill his promises.

Extraordinary Truth #4 - The first step towards the extraordinary involves faith in both God's promises and provision.

As I explore this concept of the extraordinary, the key to all of it is faith. I want to encourage others to rise up and find their calling, depending on God to show them where they can serve and how we can change this world together with the transforming and renewing power of God's mercy and love.

Ordinary people with an extraordinary faith...

An Extraordinary Pattern

2009-10-18T09:00:00.008-04:00

Hebrews 11 is the perfect starting place for exploring God's constant use of ordinary people to accomplish his purposes. In a way, I'd consider it the all-star team of ordinary.

Noah was an ordinary father and husband, living the best he could in God's eyes. Through him God saved the human race from the destruction of the world.

Abraham was an ordinary, elderly man. Through him God made a promise for a chosen people and called him to a new land.

Sarah was an ordinary, elderly woman. To her God gave the child Isaac, another of the great patriarchs of the Hebrews, despite her age.

Moses was an ordinary man that lacked any public speaking ability. God raised him to lead the chosen people and save them from slavery and the hand of Pharoah.

Joshua, while well-known and important in Israel, was still an ordinary man. God gave him the power to conquer a powerful city in the Lord's name, with just the sound of a trumpet and marching men.

David was an ordinary shepherd. God turned him into a mighty warrior and the king of Israel.

This theme is seen again and again through scripture, not just in Hebrews 11.

Isaiah 53, for instance, which prophesied the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, describes the Messiah as having "no beauty that we should desire him." Jesus, while fully God, still lived the life of an ordinary human. He lived the sinless life and paid the penalty for all of humankind. With that human life of humility and servanthood, he conquered death.

Starting to see the pattern?

Extraordinary Truth #3 - God consistently and constantly uses ordinary people for extraordinary purposes.

Glory of Man, for God

2009-10-11T09:00:00.014-04:00

God chooses to use the ordinary to do the extraordinary. But we don't live extraordinarily for our own benefit. Everything we do must reflect the glory of our savior, Jesus Christ.

God has great plans for all of creation. Since the fall of humankind, creation has been a slave to corruption. But God has every intention of setting it free, to be glorified once again. The scriptures compare that glory to the glory of the children of God (Romans 8:21).

God's glory is infinite, but nothing in creation will be more glorious than His children. The righteous are set apart, and they shine like the sun in God's kingdom (Matthew 14:43).

But to give ourselves the credit is missing the point. We cannot seek glory for our own self-righteousness. Our righteousness, the best we can do, is filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6). The only glory we can gain is that which we inherit from God.

Through Christ's death and resurrection, those who have faith in Christ are justified and glorified (Romans 8:30, 2 Thessalonians 2:14).

In the end, we shine with the glory of God so that He may be glorified. This isn't for our glory. It isn't so that we may gain. It's all so that God's saving grace might be known and that He alone would be praised. God's work is designed to come back to Him and glorify Him alone (Isaiah 60:21). We were created for God's glory (Isaiah 43:7)

In fact, God grows jealous when we hold back praise from Him, instead choosing to worship other things (Romans 1:21-25). His glory should be our greatest concern, but more often than not we choose other things before God.

My goal is to challenge you to step out of the ordinary and into God's extraordinary. His glory is great, and He intends for that glory to radiate from believers. However, we don't realize that when we sit around without a purpose, we are giving up on God's glory.

Who are we that we can decide, as believers, that God's glory isn't worth the effort?

Give up on the ordinary! The scriptures say again and again that we are His glory, and we should live as such.

That's a great deal of scripture in one post, but I need to make a point. Christ died for a reason. He died to save us, so that we can live in communion with the father here and in eternity. But with this salvation comes a renewing of the heart, where we begin to live our lives fully devoted to God. And in the end, it's all to glorify Him.

He is gracious. He is loving. He is caring. He saves. He renews. He heals. He alone glorifies. To God alone be the glory.

Once Upon A Time

2009-10-04T09:00:00.009-04:00

Chapters 2 and 3 of Genesis describe the creation of man, his role in the newly formed world, and humanity's eventual fall. It is a sad story in many regards: man is tempted and sin is introduced into the world. But I believe it has a very positive point to make as well. It speaks volumes about God's original intentions for man.

"The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." ~ Genesis 2:15 (NIV)

In the first half of Genesis 2, we see humankind's creation. The scriptures comment that the land was barren and that there was no man to work it, so God goes on to create Adam and place him into the Garden of Eden. He was given the responsibility to care for this magnificent garden.

"Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field." ~ Genesis 2:19-20 (NIV)

In verses 19 and 20, we see just how far the role of "caretaker" goes. God gives the responsibility for naming creation to the first man. Not only in this do we see man's responsibility, but we also see a much higher position for man amidst creation. Humans are different than the animals. They are above the animals, not to look down on them or abuse them, but to care for them and to be set apart.

"Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day..." ~ Genesis 3:8 (NIV)

So far we have seen that man was given the role of caring for creation and serving the creatures of the Earth. He was set apart from creation by God with a responsibility and a purpose. Finally, in Gen 3:8, we see the other great gift man had in the Garden.

He lived with God!

This was where God physically walked. Man could spend his time in the direct company of our Lord. Man lived with God, amidst God's creation, responsible for that creation. He was in community with God, living in the variety, complexity and beauty of the mind of the creator. Man was the greatest of the created, set apart to serve an extraordinary purpose.

Can you imagine a greater role than the caretaker of creation, all while living with God?

Man came from glory, set apart to do something extraordinary. We see this come up again with the redeeming power of Christ's sacrifice.

"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."" ~ 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

In that portion about using the foolish to shame the wise and the weak to shame the strong, I can almost hear it saying "And God uses the ordinary to accomplish the extraordinary." Christ's resurrection and the power of the Holy Spirit make us new creations, set apart once again as God's chosen, to accomplish great things for Him. We are the caretakers of the good news of Jesus Christ.

Extraordinary Truth #2 - Once upon a time, man was glorious because God set him apart. He failed and fell from grace. But God's mercy was great and His wrath was satisfied by Christ's sacrifice. Today we stand apart once again, to serve in extraordinary ways.