A Christmas Message for my Friends
What is your favorite Christmas song?
Asking that question will lead to all sorts of answers such as a Mariah Carey song, to a Michael Bublé hit, to the classic Randy Brooks track… Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. Those are all great. And I love all of Bublé’s songs, most of Carey’s Christmas music, and I still sing the lyrics when Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer when it comes on the radio.
But one of my all-time favorite songs is O Holy Night. I heard it again, this time produced by Tomme Profitt and performed by Tauren Wells and SVRCINA. It was AMAZING. Actually, the whole The Birth of a King production was crazy amazing. (You can find it on YouTube or Spotify.) In any case, there are a few lyrics within this song that hit me as I look at, not only my life, but the world in general…
“A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices.”
As I sit and think about this verse, it was written about a time and people when Jesus was born… When God Himself came to earth… I wonder if today is any different. We look out from our little window at a world that seems weary. And as we reflect on the year, weariness might be the word that describes and depicts the status of our lives and maybe even our own soul. We feel it deep inside our being.
And in the middle of the world’s weariness… In the middle of the weariness that we are surrounded by, that we might be experiencing ourselves… Here is the message to receive…
“‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior— yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” [Luke 2:10-11]
The song goes on to tell us exactly why we can experience joy in the middle of the weariness…
“The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger”
God Himself, Jesus, came to this world not to rule over us as a worldly king would. Jesus was born to rescue us from ourselves. To be a divine friend in the middle of our trials. He knows all our needs and experienced all our weaknesses. In other words, the King… The Savior understands. And in that and in Him we can find joy.
In the middle of our weariness we can rejoice because our joy is found in Jesus, the One who also experienced weariness and overcame. God wants each one of us to experience and know the real joy, the lasting joy that won’t grow dim even in the middle of weariness and what’s going on around or to us. This joy isn’t found in things, it’s found in Jesus and knowing Him, it’s the gospel of joy.
This time of year, I pray you come to know the One who truly knows you, who’s experienced all our weaknesses and trials and still overcame… It's Jesus.
Are We There Yet
I love New Years. I love the start of things. With it can bring new vision. New beginnings. New focus.
There have been years when I’ve made New Years resolutions. There have been years where I’ve kept resolutions all year long. And then, there have been years where I’ve broken my New Years resolution within the first couple of weeks. And then there have been years where I haven’t made any resolutions. My resolution was to not make any resolutions.
Whatever the case may be for you this year, one thing is true about resolutions… They typically are all about ourselves. And while that’s not a terrible thing, we as a Granger Students and Young Adults staff want to challenge you to possibly think a bit differently this year… What if we, instead of only making or asking ourselves what our own New Years resolutions are, what if we asked God to give us His resolutions… What if we made…
God resolutions
One of the many things that is clear when we look at the life of Jesus, is that Jesus was all about listening to and obeying God. Jesus, with His whole life, His whole being, wanted to do what His Father wanted Him to do. The Son of God, wanted to do His Father’s will. And over the next four weeks, we’re going to take a look at a few God resolutions… Looking at what God had for the life of Jesus to see what might God have for our lives as well.
God is up to something.
I love wondering about things. Wonder is a gift that God has given me. It’s not on the list of spiritual gifts, but it’s definitely a gift from God in my life. I wonder about all kinds of things. When we were in Charleston, SC, I walked around that city and wondered what it was like when George Washington walked those streets. As a kid, when we went to the Baseball Hall of Fame, I wondered what it was like when Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and the rest of the greats walked those streets.
I’ve wondered what it was like to be Walt Disney just before he built Disney World. I’ve wondered what it must be like to be the president of the United States. I wonder about all sorts of things. If you see me walking around this place, it’s almost certain that I am in wonder mode. It comes natural to me. It’s how ONE came to life. And when I read Scripture, I often wonder what it was like to be in the situation i’m reading about.
As I thought about this message tonight, it hit me. As much as I wonder, I’ve never really wondered about the start of Jesus’ ministry. If I’m honest, I’ve never given it much thought. Maybe you’re like me. I kinda skip right past it. Not because I want to. But because it’s easy to. It’s easy to jump to the miracles He performs.
Turning water into wine is more exciting. Walking on water is more eye catching. Raising the dead is more breathtaking. It’s so easy to gloss over the beginning. But the beginning of anything is too important to miss. Because…
God is up to something
So, in this new year… in all of our new beginnings, let’s look at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry on earth…
Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?” But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him. After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” – Matthew 3:13-17
You see, the start to Jesus’ ministry on earth is quite different than how I would start. I’d walk up like, “I’m here! Holla at ya boy! Let’s get this party started!” But Jesus’ first act of His public ministry wasn’t an announcement of His presence… it was an act of obedience to God.
Because God was up to something.
When Jesus came to John to be baptized, John was like, “What? Why you coming to me?” Look at Jesus’ response:
“…it should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires…”
Jesus’ primary concern was being obedient to God’s will. At the beginning the heart of Jesus was obedience to God because Jesus knew that...
God was up to something.
Jesus didn’t pull up to a party and turn water into wine. He didn’t show up healing people. He knew and understood the God resolution for humanity and He simply obeyed His Father.
And God’s response? “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” We need to see this statement. We need to remember this statement because of what comes next. We might think that after Jesus is baptized and God makes this statement about Jesus that Jesus would then start ministering to people, right? I mean, isn’t that why He came… to heal people spiritually? To restore humanity back to right relationship with God?
The answer is yes to each of those questions. But Jesus didn’t jump straight into ministry from this mountain-top experience. There was one more thing Jesus had to go through before He started his public ministry. Check this out…
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, satan! For it is written: ‘worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. – Matthew 4:1-11
In Mark’s Gospel, it says...
The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, where he was tempted by satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him. – Mark 1:12-13
For some of us, we might see this as a detour. I mean, we’ve got work to do. We’ve got things to do. Why go through something this hard!?
As our kids were growing up, we’d take roadtrips to different locations. Shoot, just a couple of years ago when we flew to Phoenix and then drove to the Grand Canyon, our kids would ask multiple times, “Are we there yet?” I did it as a kid. Our kids, and even I at times, just want to get to our destination so bad that we miss what we could see on the way. We miss out on the relationships we could be building during the ride.
And as I read and look at these passages of Scripture, I wonder how many of us look at this and think, why? Why did He have to go through something so hard? And then we look at what we’re currently going through, or what we’ve gone through, and we say to God, “Ok! Enough! Are we there yet?” And we want to rush through the hard things we’re facing or have faced and we miss what God is trying to teach us… We miss out on the relationships that God wants us to build.
And so, when we look at these passages, we might be tempted to think the same thing… but Jesus is on mission and knows that what He’s going through has purpose because He knows...
God was up to something.
And as we look at these passages, there are things we can learn because in our lives, the temptations we face from satan, can a lot of times be masked by what we think are hard times.
First, our hard time or temptation we face, will come after what might be viewed as a mountain-top experience. Check this out:
The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, where he was tempted by satan for forty days. Mark 1:12-13
You see, Jesus had just come from what could be viewed as a mountain-top experience. He was fulfilling scripture when John baptized Him and His Father announce who Jesus was and how He loved Jesus and the joy Jesus brought Him.
I cannot begin to tell you how many times I’ve experienced a hardship or a temptation after experiencing a mountain-top experience. When I was offered this job and accepted this position, a huge mountain-top experience, the next few months was filled with what I would consider satan, the enemy, whispering lies to cause me to question my calling.
Many times, I wanted to just get past what was going on. I just wanted to rush through it. But in rushing through it, I would have missed what God wanted to teach me… That ultimately, the only thing that matters is that I’m listening and obeying Him. And that, as I stay in the Scripture, to trust in the vision He’s giving me.
Secondly, our temptation we face oftentimes comes when we are exhausted or hungry... When we are worn down. We see it in these passages with Jesus…
Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry. - Luke 4:1-2
It’s in the times when we are the most tired that the devil knows we are at the most susceptible in the temptations and hardships he throws at us.
As I look back over the times when I’ve been most susceptible to hardships and/or temptations, it’s when I’ve been tired… When I haven’t gotten enough sleep or when I’ve just had a long run of busyness. It’s when the devil came at Jesus at the start of His ministry. And it’s when the devil came at Jesus towards the end of His ministry.
I believe this is one of the biggest reasons why it’s so important to rest. It’s one of the biggest reasons why God designed a rhythm of work six days and rest one. It’s one of the biggest reasons why God designed a sabbath. So we could rest and… and this is a big and… and focus our attention on Him.
So your hardships or temptations will come one, after a mountain-top experience. Two, when you’re exhausted and run down. And three, our hardship or temptation oftentimes come within our greatest desire.
Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “i will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” - Matthew 4:8-9
Many times, our temptations we face come at the point of our greatest desire at the time. But here’s the thing, the enemy doesn’t have the power or authority to give the thing that will fill that desire. Sure, there are temporary things that we can chase. But ultimately, the enemy, the devil doesn’t have what we need to fill that desire. Only God himself is able to fill that need. Jesus knew that. And Jesus was able to overcome His hardship… His temptation.
Jesus stayed on mission. Jesus knew what the God resolutions were. And He was able to stay on mission and not rush past His hardship or fall to the temptations of the devil because Jesus combatted the battle of His mind with Scripture.
Time after time we see Jesus respond to the devil…
When the devil tempted Jesus to turn a stone into a loaf of bread, Jesus’ response was: ... But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’” - Matthew 4:4
When the devil told Jesus that he would give Him all the kingdoms of the world, Jesus responded: “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” - Matthew 4:10
And when the devil took Jesus up to the highest point of the temple to throw Himself off to see if God would send angels to catch Him, Jesus replied back: “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” - Matthew 4:7
And after all of that, after 40 days and 40 nights of temptation and hardship, the Bible says that...
When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came. - Matthew 4:11
You see, when Jesus faced this hardship… When Jesus was tempted… The greatest weapon to get Him through was God’s Word…
And it’s the same for us. As we face our hardships… The temptations we face… Our greatest weapon to get us through is the Bible… God’s Word. The point of the hardship isn’t that we rush through to get to the other side… To ask, “Are we there yet God!?” The point of the hardship is that we lean on Scripture to learn what God wants to teach us. For me, when I’ve gone through a hardship or temptation, especially in this last year, it’s to learn that I can depend on and trust God more with my life.
It’s to learn that, as i read God’s Word, He’s there to comfort me and lead me even more. But that only comes as I read His Word. That’s my challenge for you all as you’re in your hardship or your temptation… Or maybe before you’re in next hardship or temptation, dive into god’s Word so that as you’re in it, God can use it to battle the enemy’s attack on your mind… And so you can say… I wonder what God is up to.
Hope Has A Name
Christmas is a special time for me and my family. I. Love. Christmas. For those of you who know me, you know that i put up our Christmas lights right after halloween… and i turn them on! Come on now. Why put them up if you ain’t gonna turn them on!?
Does anyone else love Christmas and have Christmas traditions!?
We’ve got a few Christmas traditions. One tradition is our yearly Ruth Family Christmas Card. Here’s a couple we’ve done over the years…
One of the other traditions is our Ruth Family Christmas Tree Hunt. That’s right, we cut down a real tree. It's the only time a year i use a saw because I love my fingers more! In fact, this is a tradition that was started all the way back to when I was a kid. We’d look forward to this day every year. Each year as a kid, we’d travel about 40 minutes away to go to this very specific Christmas tree farm. We loved it. It was a special day. And each year, we’d go and cut down our tree… except for one year.
You see, I have two younger brothers. We all three grew up playing baseball. Which means… we loved throwing things. If we were out and saw something we could throw, we’d throw it. Does anyone know what Christmas trees have on them? Pine cones. And since we all three played baseball, we couldn’t resist taking the pine cones and throwing them to see who could throw the farthest. I mean, we’re out in the middle of a Christmas tree farm. What could go wrong?
Well, while we were out in the middle of a field looking for a tree, there were also a dozen or so other families doing the same thing. And as we were throwing pine cone after pine cone to see who could throw them the farthest, we heard a "thud" and then… we heard crying. And then… we hid. Unfortunately for us, we were the only family in our area. So when the dad came over to see who was throwing the pine cones, it was clear who it was.
My parents were mortified. We were embarrassed. We apologized to their family. And then we promptly left without cutting down a Christmas tree. It was one of the worst starts in memory to the traditional Christmas season.
You see, growing up, that’s what Christmas was for me… a tradition. I mean, don’t get me wrong… I’d heard about Jesus being born. I’d sung the Christmas songs the one of two days a year we went to church…
“Away in a manger, no crib for a bed. The little lord jesus laid down his sweet head.” [In a singing voice]
But that’s all Jesus was… a traditional song I’d sing once a year. To tell the truth, it was all about the presents. Each Christmas would be about another gift me and my brothers would hope we’d get. We’d get out our toy store Christmas time magazine because you know… we didn’t have the internet back then… we couldn’t go online and make an Amazon wish list. We had to get out a thick magazine… grab a pen or highlighter… and then circle the gifts we hoped we’d get.
One year, i hoped beyond hope that I’d get a bb gun. I got it… and yes, I really did almost shoot my eye out from the bb ricocheting back just above my eye. Another year I hoped beyond hope that I would get a Sega Genesis video game system. My hope was placed on getting the present I wanted. During this time of year growing up, the source of my hope was whether or not I’d get the gift I wanted. But how many of you know that those gifts didn’t really give me what hope is supposed to give me? They weren't the true source. Check this out:
"I pray that god, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the holy spirit." Romans 15:13
I want you to notice a word we take for granted at times… it’s a four letter word… “will.”
The Scripture says… “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely…” “…then you will overflow…”
“Will”
It’s a simple word… but in this context… it’s a powerful word. You see, what’s being said here isn’t a possibility. It’s not even a probability. It’s a promise fulfilled. It’s going to happen… because you trust in God… you will overflow with confident hope… it’s not a question.
But how many of you know, that when I hoped for the gift I wanted, it wasn’t a sure thing that I’d get the gift. There was questioning going on. I was nervous that I wouldn’t get the gift. Essentially, I had given hope a name.
You see, hope has a name!
And that name was mom and dad when I was growing up.
And that’s a problem because mom and dad can disappoint me. Mom and dad aren’t perfect. Mom and dad can let me down. Mom and dad can argue and fight which can cause me to lose… hope.
Hope has a name.
There’s a time when we all give hope a name. For some of us, it’s mom or dad. For others of us it’s the name of a boyfriend or a girlfriend. For others, hope’s name is popularity. Hope’s name is the college you want to get into. For others, hope is the name of the friend or friends you want to be accepted or included by.
Hope has a name!
And the problem… the problem when we give hope these names… it’s that all these things can let us down. These names can make us question what’s going on. These names can make us nervous and uneasy. They can take away peace instead of filling us with peace.
Because none of those names or things were ever designed to give us what we’re truly looking for. None of those names or things were ever designed to fill us with what we really desire to be filled with.
Hope has a name.
I don’t know what name you’ve given hope.
Some of us, we’ve given hope a different name at different times and moments of our lives. For some of us, we’re holding out for hope… we’re waiting for hope.
It’s almost like the Israelites back just before the birth of Jesus. You see, they had been waiting on God to speak for four hundred years. For four hundred years God was silent. And then…
God spoke through the angel Gabriel to Zechariah…
"But the angel said, “don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him john." Luke 1:13
Notice that four letter word again… “will."
You see, Elizabeth was barren. She couldn't have children. But then God intervened and made a promise. "Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son..."
And then God spoke again through the angel Gabriel, this time to Mary…
"You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus." Luke 1:31
And then…
God spoke… He actually spoke. God himself. God in the flesh. God spoke… not in actual words… but in a cry from the baby named Jesus… the Son of God… God Himself.
God’s first words after being silent for four hundred years wasn’t actual words… it was a cry… a cry for humanity… a cry for you and I.
"And because Joseph was a descendant of king David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.
And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them." Luke 2:4-7
A promise fulfilled. God the Son, the promise of Romans 15:13… Jesus is the promise fulfilled from all the way back to the Old Testament… in the book of Micah… in the exact town that was promised.
"But you, o Bethlehem, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf. The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies until the woman in labor gives birth. Then at last his fellow countrymen will return from exile to their own land. And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. Then his people will live there undisturbed, for he will be highly honored around the world. And He will be the source of peace." Micah 5:2-5a
The wait was over. Their holding out for hope had been delivered… had been born… and the name was given to him on the eighth day… Jesus.
You see… hope has a name! And that name is Jesus! The One who will never disappoint. The One who will hold us up. The One who will give us strength. The One who will fill us with joy and peace.
"You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, o god our savior.
You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas." Psalm 65:5
Hope has a name! And his name is Jesus!
May you put your trust in the name of Jesus.
Bigger Than We Could Ever Know
I don’t know about you, but when I was growing up I had a number of fears. Some of those fears would come alive at night, after mom put me to bed. There’s just something about nighttime, the dark, that would open and consume my mind with fear. Once the lights went out, fear would creep into my mind and I’d start to wonder what horrible person was under my bed. And then I’d look across my room and notice my closet door was open. So, as slowly and as quietly as I could, I’d pull back my sheets, silently stand on my bed and jump as far as I could toward my bedroom door landing as quietly as I could. Then I’d run for my life downstairs to where my parents were and tell them I was afraid of who was under my bed and in my closet.
During the daytime, I had no fear of who was under my bed or in my closet. But once the night came, it was a different story. I know now that it was an irrational fear. But as a little boy, that fear overcame me on multiple nights causing me to run for my life.
You know, there’s someone in the Bible who was overcome with fear and ran for his life as well. Check this out, it’s found in 1 Kings 19, verse 3:
“Elijah was afraid and ran for his life…” 1 Kings 19:3a
If you’re like me and this is all you read or all you hear, you’re saying to yourself, “Why did he run for his life? Why was he afraid?” Surely he was being chased by some wild animal. Or maybe he was fleeing hundreds of troops from an army out to kill him. But it wasn’t for either of those reasons. Check this out… He was running because of a threat from a woman! Check this out:
“Now Ahab (the king) told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” 1 Kings 19:1, 2
And so Elijah, upon hearing this, became overwhelmed with fear and ran for his life. But it’s interesting to me that, one chapter before in chapter 18, we see the courage of Elijah. In chapter 18 he wasn’t afraid of Jezebel. He knew that Jezebel, who happened to be the king’s wife, was killing off the Lord’s prophets… people like Elijah. And what did he do in response? He summoned the king, Ahab, and confronted him.
“When he (king Ahab) saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” 1 Kings 18:17-19
You see, the very prophets of Baal that Elijah was calling out, were Jezebel’s very prophets. She installed the very prophets whom Elijah was calling out. And so the king sent word throughout all of Israel and assembled the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. And through his faith in the Lord, Elijah called out to the people saying if the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him. And then, Elijah set the challenge…
It was a simple challenge. He told the prophets of Baal to choose a bull, cut it into pieces and put it on wood but don’t set fire to it. Then Elijah would take the other bull and do the same. Once each bull was prepared, cut into pieces and placed on wood, Elijah told the Baals to call on the name of their god and then Elijah would call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by sending fire is the true God.
The prophets of Baal called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “O Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response. No answer. No fire. And they began to dance around the alter they made. At noon, Elijah began to taunt them… all 450 prophets of Baal. “Shout louder he said. Surely he’s just deep in thought, busy or traveling.” The prophets of Baal kept shouting and even began to cut themselves. They did this until evening.
At this point, Elijah was like, “Enough,” and called everyone over to him. He repaired the alter of the Lord that was in ruins, chose twelve stones and built an alter with them. He arranged the wood and placed the bull on the alter. Then, he instructed the people to fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and wood. They did this three times! How many of you know that if something is soaked with water that it’s pretty impossible to light it on fire!? And then Elijah prayed to the Lord and the fire from Heaven fell and burned up the sacrifice, to wood, the stones, the soil and sucked up all of the water that was in the trench! Then when the people saw this, they fell on their faces and cried, “The Lord - He is God!” And then Elijah instructed the people to seize the prophets of Baal, and had them brought down to the valley and killed there.
450 prophets of Baal. The prophets that Jezebel herself had picked. He stood up to them. Made them look like fools. And then had the enemies of God killed. All without flinching. In one moment, he stood tall… strong… courageously. And in the next instant, we find Elijah running for his life in the desert praying that he might die. Check this out:
“…while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.” 1 Kings 19:4, 5
Four words. “I have had enough.” He wanted to give up so bad that he wanted to just die. Emotionally tired. Physically drained. He preferred to give up and die. Just a short time ago he was facing down 450 prophets of Baal. And now, for whatever reason, he was running in fear, wanting to give up and die. Maybe you can relate. Maybe that’s you right now. You’re tired. Exhausted. And you’re saying to God, “I have had enough!” But God had a different plan for Elijah, and God has a different plan for you.
And so, the Angel of the Lord woke Elijah up twice to eat and drink. And after the second time, Elijah traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. Once he reached Horeb, he went inside a cave where he spent the night.
It’s on the road of misery where God often meets us. In the middle of our fear and running… there God is right in front of us asking us this question like He asks Elijah in verse nine:
“And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:9
God didn’t have to hear Elijah to know the answer. Just like when God asked Adam and Eve where they were in the garden. He knew where they were. And He knew why Elijah was spending the night in a cave. The question wasn’t for God. The question was for Elijah. It was so that Elijah could hear his answer out loud to himself. Sometimes God asks us questions that He knows the answers to so that we can gain His perspective on the answers we give when we hear them out loud.
And then Elijah replied in verse 10,
“I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 1 Kings 19:10
All alone and on the run, Elijah thought he was the only prophet of the Lord left. And just like Elijah, in our trouble, in our despair, in our thoughts, we can often feel like we’re all alone… That there’s no one left to walk with us through our fears and path were on. But check out God’s response.
“The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-13
You see, God wasn’t in the great and powerful wind. God wasn’t in the earthquake. God wasn’t even in the fire. It was in the gentle whisper that God chose to be in. I would have expected God to be in the mighty things. The powerful things. But God wasn’t in any of those things. He was in the unexpected. He was in something Elijah had to be quiet enough to hear… a gentle whisper… something unexpected. Many times when we’re going through pain and fear and we feel all alone, God shows up in the unexpected moments. Moments where we need to be quiet enough to hear or see Him. What’s true in Elijah’s life, is true in our life as well.
And then God asked the question again… “What are you doing here?” Elijah had the same response. And then we come to verses 15 through 18 where God says something unexpected. Check this out:
“The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.” 1 Kings 19:15-18
Go back the way you came!? What!? No, no, no. I can’t go back the way I came. Don’t you understand… pain and fear and despair are back that way. Hurt and conflict and uncertainty are back that way. I can’t go back that way God! But God says, “I know.” “But if you go back the way you came, I’ve got a different plan for you.” You see, for Elijah, God was up to something bigger than Elijah could ever have imagined. And what’s true for Elijah, is true for us…
God is always up to something bigger than we could ever know.
You see, God had a plan for Elijah. God told Elijah to anoint Hazael king over Aram. He told Elijah to anoint Jehu king over Israel. And he told Elijah to anoint Elisha to succeed him as prophet. Then, as a result, these three men would see to it that anyone who seeks to harm Elijah. And God had one more thing for Elijah… He was like, “Remember when you told me you are all alone? Ya, you’re not. You’ve got seven thousand friends in Israel who haven’t bowed down to the false god, Baal.”
God is always up to something bigger than we could ever know. And in God’s timing, He will reveal His plan to us. You see, when you’re on the run… running for your life… running from your pain and despair… you can’t fulfill the calling and mission God has on your life. You’re running for your life when instead you’re meant to live your life. So instead of running for or from your life, run to God because He is always up to something bigger than we could ever imagine. We just have to quiet ourselves enough to be able to hear and see God’s plan.
Unicycle Living
Unicycles. As a little kid, I was fascinated by these things. I mean, learning to ride a bike with two wheels was hard enough. But one wheel!? Come on! Whether I saw someone ride one at a fair or at a parade, as a kid I knew that one day I would have to try to ride one. As I grew up, I eventually forgot about wanting to ride a unicycle.
Until I was in college.
College is a place for a lot of different things. It’s a place to learn. It’s a place to make life-long friends. And it’s a place where college students do some really dumb things… like trying to ride a unicycle. I don’t remember who had the unicycle or where it came from, but there it lay before me… calling for me to try to ride it. Ok, maybe it wasn’t the unicycle calling out to me to ride it. Maybe it was my friends. Regardless of who was calling out to me, this was my chance to try to ride a unicycle.
I thought getting on would be the hardest thing about riding the unicycle. It wasn’t. That was by far the easiest. After adjusting the seat, I raised the unicycle up. Placed the tire on the ground. Placed one foot on one pedal. And simultaneously pushed down on that pedal and raised my other foot to place it on the second pedal. And just like that, I was riding a unicycle!
I was surprised that I was able to keep the unicycle up after just a couple of tries. And, I was equally surprised at how unstable it all felt. But I kept going. I kept pedaling. Around and around and around in a circle in a parking lot on our campus. I wanted to stop… for a couple of reasons. One, I was getting closer to cars that were parked in that lot. And two, the raised sidewalk was getting closer with each circle I made. But just like getting on the unicycle was the easiest part, getting off the unicycle for me was the hardest part.
So I just kept pedaling.
I wanted to stop riding the unicycle, but I just couldn’t figure out the best way to stop. So I kept pedaling. It was like my feet were stuck on those pedals. Around. And Around. And around. I kept pedaling. The cars and the curb getting closer each time. All the while my friends were simultaneously cheering me on not knowing that I was mentally unable to get off of this one-wheeled ride I was on. And then… I rode the unicycle straight into the curb. Not on purpose. I was out of control. And when that wheel hit the curb and suddenly stopped, it threw me off the seat and onto the sidewalk where I was able to tuck and roll making it look like it was all done on purpose.
Tired and a little scraped up, that was the last time I rode a unicycle. I gave it up. I’m letting the pros handle it and I laugh to myself each time I see someone ride a unicycle at a parade we’re at.
And while I’ve never gotten back on a unicycle, there have been and are still times in my life where I have felt and feel like I’m riding around in a circle, with my feet stuck, pedaling and pedaling and pedaling… feeling like I’m stuck riding around on a one-wheeled bike. That feeling of a life that is crazy busy. Where we’re rushing from meeting to meeting. Appointment to appointment. Activity to activity. And instead of enjoying life, we’re rushing everywhere, living in a constant state of hurry. And we allow our emotions to be affected by the continual rush of the schedule.
Maybe you can relate.
Or maybe it’s not the schedule you can relate to. Maybe it’s the spinning of your mind. Maybe you’re in a waiting season. You’re waiting for an answer from a university you want to attend. You’re waiting for an answer to a job you’ve been going after. Maybe you’re waiting for an answer from that guy or girl you’ve been wanting to date. Or you’re been praying to God for what’s next in life… and you’re waiting for a clear answer. And instead of having peace in the waiting, your mind keeps racing as you constantly go over the “what-if’s.” And you just can’t get rest… You can’t get peace.
Regardless of whether your being controlled by your schedule or by your mind, God does have something to say about living in a constant state of hurry… in a constant state of restlessness. Check this out, it’s found in Matthew chapter 11, verses 28 through 30:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
God’s plan for your life… For my life… isn’t to live in a constant state of hurry, in a constant state of restlessness. God wants you to live in peace. He wants you to have rest. In fact, God calls each of us to come to Him. If you are tired. He wants you to come to Him. If you are carrying the heavy weight of worry… Whatever it is… financial worry, health worry, worry about a job, school or child or relationship… Jesus is calling out to each of us and He will give us rest. He will give us peace. Jesus came, walked this earth, suffered the horrible torture of the cross and overcame death so that He could give us rest for our souls.
I don’t know about you, but when I’m living in a constant state of worry or in a constant state of hurry, most of my worst moments are made. I’m usually not being loving, or living in joy. I’m usually not able to be kind or experience peace. Those things are not compatible with hurry, restlessness and worry. And when I find myself living within the restlessness, hurry and worry, it’s usually because my focus has drifted from the goodness of God in my life… It’s usually because my focus has shifted off of Jesus. You know, the average iPhone user touches his or her phone over 2,600 times a day. Whether you have an iPhone or an Android, our phones are almost always in front of our eyes.
What would our lives look like if God touched our hearts and minds as much as we touched our phones. Psalm 16:8 says,
I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:8
Imagine how much our lives might change if we would keep our eyes on Jesus. If you find you’re living in a constant state of hurry, or in a constant state of mental restlessness, Jesus is calling out to you today so that you can finally find rest and peace for your soul.
Pushed Into the Deep End
As I was growing up, I never really learned how to swim. Sure, our mom would take us places to “swim” like Potato Creek State Park. But my idea of “swimming” was me laying face first in the water, kicking my feet while I moved my body by walking my hands on the bottom of the lake. If you measured swimming by that method, I was an Olympian.
By the time I reached the end of the eighth grade, I still hadn’t learned how to swim. But that didn’t stop me from going to the eighth grade graduation pool party I was invited to. I wasn’t really nervous about going because I had planned on hanging out on the deck around the pool and chilling in the shallow end. After being dropped off, I walked around to the backyard saying hi to everyone with my towel draped over my neck and shoulders. As I was getting ready to take my shoes off and say hi to the next person, I noticed them flinch and back away from me quickly. And in the next instant, I found myself falling into the deep end of the pool.
I went straight to the bottom and then pushed myself up to the top and tried to yell for help. But before I could get the words out, I found myself back under water. I started to kick and reach up to the surface of the water and barely raised my face out to get a little bit more air before I went back under. As I went back under, I noticed another kid coming towards me and I frantically reached out for him, yelled, “help me” with a mouth full of water, grabbed his arm and brought my face out of the water. I don’t think about this that often, but there hasn’t been another time where I’ve been that close to death. Had that kid not been there for me to reach out to save me, I’m not sure how this story would have turned out.
The Bible is filled with stories of people being saved and/or healed. One of them that I want to talk about briefly is found in Matthew chapter 14, verse 30. Check it out:
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Matthew 14:30
You see, just before Peter got out of the boat to walk on water, Jesus had sent His disciples ahead of him to go across the lake. And while the disciples were on the water in the boat, Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. And when the disciples saw this, they were terrified. But Jesus said, “Hey, it’s Me! Don’t be afraid.” But Peter was like, “If it’s really you Jesus, then tell me to come out to You on the water.” And then Jesus was like, “Fine. Come.” So, Peter stepped out of the boat and started to walk on water towards Jesus. But as he was walking, he started to look at the wind picking up, took his eyes off of Jesus and started to sink.
And this is where we find Peter in Matthew 14, verse 30. Sinking in a huge lake, crying out to Jesus to save him. I wonder what it really looked like back then. I wonder if Peter started to flail his arms around. I wonder if when he yelled for Jesus to save him if he had a mouth full of water like I did. And like we find Peter here in Matthew 14, I wonder if this is the exact place you find yourself in too. You may not be on a literal lake, but you find yourself sinking in life… in the grave of your own sin. And you’ve heard of this Jesus who saves, but you’ve never reached out to Him yourself. Reach out to Him today and ask Him to save you from your sin… your doubt… from yourself. And He will be faithful to forgive you and save you. 1 John 1:9 says,
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
You see, Jesus asked Peter to come out to Him, not only that Peter might walk on water so that He would know the power of Jesus, but that Peter would also know his own weakness. God often lets His followers have our choice, to humble us and to show us the greatness of His power and grace. When we look away from Jesus and look at the greatness of our difficulties and circumstances, then we too will begin to sink in our despair. But when we call on Jesus, He will be faithful to stretch out His hand to hold us up. I don’t know what’s going on in your life today, believer. But I do know this, when we keep our eyes on Jesus, read His Word and pray to Him daily, His grace and peace and mercy will overflow within our life. That’s His promise to us who believe in Jesus and have been saved by Him.
Jesus is the great Savior. For those of us finding ourselves sinking in the deep end, if we cry out to Him to save us in our deep sense of need, He will be faithful to pull us up out of the deep to Him.
**If you prayed and accepted Jesus as your Savior today, or if you recommitted your life to Him, I’d love for you to shoot me an email or a direct message on one of my social channels to hear about your decision and to help walk you through your next steps.
Worship is Greater Than War
Paintball.
I remember the first time I played. Myself and a few of the guys I worked with got a group together and headed out to this massive outdoor paintball complex. Once there, we selected our guns, bought enough paint to last for a few hours and got our gear on. After meeting some other random guys that were there to play, it was time to go to war.
The first course we played was within a mini city made out of plywood. It. Was. Awesome. Well, it was awesome walking through and seeing how massive this place was. But once the whistle blew and the paint began to fly, the sound of how hard it was hitting the outside of the walls of my “second story” position made me rethink my decision of playing. And then it happened… My friend I was positioned with took three shots to the face region right in front of me. The first shot hit him on the region of his mask. But his mask had five slits in it over his mouth so that it wouldn’t fog up. That was great for his breathing. But when the paintball made impact, it splattered all over the inside of his mouth. As he tasted the paintball, it caused him to turn his head at which point the second and third shots hit him on his neck. As he grabbed his neck he yelled out, “I’m hit!” It was like a scene in a movie.
As this dude walked by me to leave the field of play, I could see two massive welts left by the impact of the paintballs on his neck. And as I climbed down the ladder to the first story, I grabbed my other friend who was with me, told him “Nick was gone” and it was just us, and let him know we had to get out of there. Now, as we were exiting where we were at, I made sure he was out in front of me as we moved from building to building… I mean, he was much larger than I was and a better shot. Eventually we were both overrun and taken out. In fact, our entire team of 16 year olds were systematically shot so quickly that I’m sure we were playing against a team who I’m sure could have gone pro. It didn’t matter what we did, who we decided to put out in front of us to try to stop them, each game we played against them they destroyed us as we tried to do battle. They ran straight through us each and every time.
War. It’s something we see talked about in the Bible as well. But the war we read about has much greater consequences than what I experienced in my small paintball war as a sixteen year old. Check this out:
Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. - 2 Chronicles 20:2
And then King Jehoshaphat said to God,
Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. And all of the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord. - 2 Chronicles 20:12-13
Can you imagine standing there? Your wife. Your children. Standing next to you. Knowing that an enormous army was on their way to destroy you and your family. And as they stood there, they waited for God to answer them. And as God answered them through Jahaziel who told them not to be afraid. In fact, he said that the battle wasn’t theirs, it was God’s. He told them that they wouldn’t even have to fight this battle…
‘“You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’” - 2 Chronicles 20:17
And so, early in the morning they left to head out to the battle field. And Jehoshaphat said, “Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” (2 Chronicles 20:20)
And after consulting with the people, Jehoshaphat developed a plan. And what was the grand battle plan? Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and praise Him for His holiness and he placed them at the head of their army as they went out to meet the enemy that was coming to destroy them! What!? I’m sure General Patton wouldn’t have approved! But that’s ok. Because King Jehoshaphat knew that…
Worship is greater than war.
Jehoshaphat knew that worship is a weapon that the Lord uses to fight for us. You see, Jehoshaphat was faced with what seemed like an impossible battle. And in the face of what seemed like complete destruction, we see him seek the Lord in prayer and confess his complete powerlessness to do anything. And God responded to him through Jahaziel telling him, “the battle is His, do not be afraid, stand firm, hold your position and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf.” And Jehoshaphat and the people responded by worshipping the Lord. And then drawing courage from the Lord, and in their trust and obedience to the Lord, they went out to battle with praise and worship on the front lines.
You and I may not fight the same type of war that Jehoshaphat faced. But we all will come face to face with our own battles. And the Lord wants each of us to know that worship is greater than war. Worship is greater than the battles we face. And it’s through our worship that God fights for us.
You see, it is not up to us to slay the giants, to move the mountains, or even to part the waters. It is not up to us to fight our battles alone and defeat the enemy by ourselves. We are called to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. And to worship Him alone. When we do this, He promises that He will be with us and fight our battles for us. Whether it is doubt or depression. Fear or failure. Whether it is rejection, frustration, anxiety or insecurity. In the waiting, the wondering, and even the reality, God wants to show us His power, His grace, His faithfulness, and His love throughout every season we face. And He wants us to know that worship is greater than the battles we face… He wants us to know that worship is a weapon that the Lord uses to fight for us.
And when we worship the Lord, a few things happen inside us. First, We remember who God is, what He has accomplished through Jesus. And when we are reminded who God is and what He has accomplished through Jesus, we’re comforted by the Spirit of God whom Jesus gave us when we trusted Him as our Savior. Second, What we know to be true in our minds flows into our hearts, and we’re able to engage the Lord with both our heads and our hearts. It’s not based on feelings, but coming into agreement with God at both a head and heart level. And third, “Spiritual power is released and we find peace and rest from oppression from the enemy.” - Matt Chandler
Worship is one of the greatest weapons against the battles we face. When we worship, God fights for us and prevents the enemy’s attempt to take over our hearts and minds. And we’re able to focus on our relationship with God and His love for us and deflect the attack of the enemy.
Worship is greater than war. It’s greater than the battles we face. And when we see people worshipping, especially in their time of need, we are physically seeing God fighting for them. And when we worship the Lord, we are worshipping the God who fights for us.
The Call to Obedience
Obedience.
Just reading or saying that word might make you feel some type of way. When I was a kid, I had to obey at home. I had to obey at school. And by the time I reached my teenage years, I just wanted to do what I wanted to do.
Now, as a parent, I expect and want obedience from my children. So many times Jami and I find ourselves saying, "I just want them to simply obey what we're asking of them. If they would just obey..." And most of our arguments in our house stem from their lack of obedience. If you're a parent, I'm sure you can relate.
Obedience.
Whether you're an adult or a student, it's a word that elicits a number of feelings. And it seems that whether you're a student or an adult, there are what seems to be countless people in our lives that expect obedience from us... including new expectations of obedience from our government. So, now when we hear or see the word obedience, it brings up negative feelings and/or feelings of rebellion.
Obedience can be tough. Especially when you don't respect the person asking for it, or you don't think they have your best interest in mind. And then there are some of us when we think of the word obedience we automatically go into the mindset of, "You're not the boss of me."
And so, when we hear that God wants our obedience... When we hear that we're supposed to obey God... We've already got all these negative associations with the word. And we think, "God's not the boss of me." But obedience doesn't have to be associated to a negative ball of emotions where we simply obey because we think we have to. I've come to the conclusion that when I struggle with obedience, it's because I have a problem with the people asking for my obedience. It's because I don't trust them.
And when I was first told that I'm supposed to obey God and His Word, I was skeptical. I thought, "He doesn't know me. He has no clue what I'm about." But what I've found as I've grown in my relationship with God is that I was skeptical because I didn't know who God was and is. I had no clue what He was and is about. As I read more and more of God's Word, to learn more about God is to learn more about being obedient to Him. And as we learn more about being obedient to Him, a few things naturally happen.
First, as we seek to be obedient to God, we have our eyes opened to the goodness of His Word.
Psalm 119:18 says,
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.
You see, if we're going to be obedient to God, we need to read His Word and pray that He will open our eyes to see all of the wonderful things in His Word. And as we read God's Word and ask Him to show us His love and wonderful things in His Word, our desire to be obedient to God will grow more and more.
Second, we will be blessed and be a blessing to others.
But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. - James 1:25
When we read God's Word and actually put it into practice, God will bless our actions and our obedience. Not only will we experience God's blessing, but others will also experience God's blessing through us.
Third, it's in our obedience to God that we will find our greatness. Check this out:
Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:19
You see, I believe that God doesn't care about how great you are in as much as He cares about how obedient you are to His voice. Over the last year and a half, as I've read God's Word and have honestly prayed to Him, I've realized again what God is calling me to. It's a life changing, God-sized calling. It's a calling that is bigger than I could ever dream of. And a few months ago, as I was mowing my front yard, I was again praying and telling God that I simply want to be obedient to what He's asking me to do. And so, as I mowed, this was the discussion I had with God...
Me: "Lord, I just want to do what you want me to do."
God: "Ok. Then mow your neighbor's front yard."
Me: "What? That's not what I was talking about."
God: "I know. But it's what I want."
Me: "But God, I was talking about something else."
God: "I know. But it's what I'm talking about now."
Me: "But God. I mean I want to obey you in the big areas."
God: "Ya. And so do I. But I also want you to obey in the small areas too. The areas you think don't matter."
And as I finished mowing my front yard, I went over to my neighbor's house and asked if I could mow the front yard. And as I began speaking with her, she began to tell me how thankful she would be as she couldn't get her push mower to work. Had I not listened to God's prompting... Had I not been obedient in this seemingly small thing, my neighbor would have continued to struggle. You see, you can’t pray, "God may I be obedient to You" and then choose not to be obedient. He will always give you an opportunity to be obedient. But you might just miss the opportunity because you think it is too small.
Finally, being obedient to God also builds our character and faith. You see, obedience is easy when there's a clear path... a clear direction. But being obedient to God when there's absolutely no path that's visible to the human eye is character building... it's faith building... it's another level of relationship building between myself and Jami's relationship with Jesus. And it brings to life Psalm 130:5:
I will wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His Word I put my hope.
Craig Groeschel said, "A waiting season is never a wasted season." It's easy to look out and see no clear direction or movement to what God has called us to do and want to take things into our own hands and make it happen ourselves. But sometimes, maybe even oftentimes, God is calling you to wait... He is telling you to wait. And the waiting is what He wants you to be obedient to... Because even in the waiting God is moving.
If you're a parent now, or if you will be a parent in the future, one of the biggest blessings you can give your children is by following the call of God on your life... One of the biggest gifts you can give your kids is to be obedient to God.
Obedience.
All of us will be obedient to the voice in our life that has our attention. I pray that the biggest voice in all of our lives is God's voice.
Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. - Deuteronomy 8:6
No Going Back
A couple of spring breaks ago I finally did something I’ve been wanting to do for years… like 20 years. If I’m honest, I didn’t know if I’d ever have the chance or work up the courage to do it. The “something” I did? I went skydiving. That’s right. I willingly jumped out of a perfectly good airplane from 13,000 feet.
My friend Daryl and I had made plans to jump while we were on spring break out in Arizona. So, on the day we were to jump, we drove about an hour to the jump zone. Once there, we literally signed our life away and watched a quick video on how to successfully jump from an airplane, then walked out to get our harness strapped on.
After getting strapped up, we made our walk out to the bus that was going to take us to our plane. As we were driving out to where our plane was, we could see groups of people gliding down with their parachutes floating through the air. I couldn’t believe that that was going to be me in a matter of minutes. Once we got off the bus, we headed towards our plane. Each step I took, I kept telling myself that there was no turning back. My nerves were increasing more and more as I approached the plane.
Once inside the plane, myself and my jump instructor headed all the way back towards the pilot. At this point, my heart was beating a mile a minute. But I kept telling myself that there was no turning back… despite the pilot and plane looking like it had been used in multiple cocaine runs between Arizona and Columbia.
Prior to taking off, my jump instructor had me put on my seatbelt. Then, once we were about 500 feet off the ground, he strapped himself to me and instructed me to take my seatbelt off. I actually asked him why. His response, “Well, if the plane goes down, we’re jumping.” Ya, I guess that made sense.
Once we reached 13,000 feet, the skydivers ahead of me began to jump from the plane. Let me tell you, there’s no preparing for the sight of people throwing themselves out of a plane. I literally saw them jump from the door and watched from my window as they fell towards the earth. And then, it was my turn. The jump instructor told me to scoot closer to the door. And each butt scoot we took, I kept telling myself that I wasn’t going back.
And then… we stood up and crouched at the door of the plane. In my head I kept saying, “I’m not going back. I’m not going back. I’m not going back.” The jump instructor tapped me on my arm. And in one final, “I’m not going back,” I crossed my arms, tilted my head back… and we jumped.
It was the most terrifying, exciting thing I have ever done. I thought we were jumping straight out. But instead, when we jumped, the instructor spun us around backwards and I watched the plane as we fell. It. Was. Amazing.
Once we got back to the hotel, Morgan ran up to me and yelled, “You didn’t die!” as she tearfully gave me a hug.
No turning back. That was the theme of my skydiving trip. That’s what I kept telling myself. And that’s what Moses and the Lord told the Israelites as well.
Check this out:
...the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” Deuteronomy 17:16
You see, just prior to crossing over into the land that God promised to the Israelites, He gave them a prescription on how to live a life that would glorify the Lord. And years before the Israelites asked for a king, God laid out His qualities of a good one. One of the qualities the Lord states is that “The king must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them…”
Upon hearing this at first, you might think, “Horses? Who cares about horses. What does this have to do with being a good king?” You see, during this time in history, Egypt was THE place from where other nations bought their supplies of this animal. If you wanted a strong horse… If you wanted the best horse… You went to Egypt. There was one major problem… This was the place the Lord had just delivered them from slavery 40 years earlier. And, in looking out for His people, Moses tells the Israelites…
…’the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.”’
God knew that, if the Israelites went back to Egypt, they would go back to their slavery. He knew that, if the Israelites went back to the familiar, they would go back to a life they had cried out to be rescued from. He knew that, if the Israelites went back to their old way of living, they’d be forfeiting every promise that He had given to them. For the Israelites…
Egypt = Slavery
It’s not that Egypt was all bad. There were things in Egypt that were tempting to go back to. For a king, it would be the type and the style and the amount of horses. For others, it was the food. Still, for others it may have been the majesty of their buildings. None of these things in and of themselves are horrible. But in each of these things is the temptation to turn from the promises of God.
And the same is true for each one of us.
God has sent His Son Jesus to die for each one of us (John 3:16). And through the death and resurrection of Jesus, He has called us to a life outside the captivity and slavery of sin to a promised better life. And each of us has a history that we’re familiar with. A history, that if we return to it, would take us back into our captivity. And as we seek to follow Jesus, there are three areas where we will be tempted to return to our captivity of sin... to forfeit the promises of God.
We will be tempted to go back to what we were thinking. “It’s not that bad.” “It’s just one time.” “Nobody will find out.” “I’m better than them.” And we return to the slavery of our thoughts.
We will also be tempted to go back to what we were saying. The type of language we use. Gossiping about others. Tearing others down. Being discouraging with our words. Speaking out of anger instead of love. And we return to the slavery of our words.
And we will be tempted to go back to what we were doing. Going back to that relationship. Living our lives in our pride. Neglecting our families. Forgetting about God. And we return to the slavery of our actions.
But I want to remind you that God is telling us right now... “You are not to go back that way again.” Instead, God has a better way. Micah 6:8 says,
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Instead of going back to what we were doing, we are to act justly. Instead of going back to what we were saying, we are to love mercy. And instead of going back to how we were thinking, we are to walk humbly with our God.
This temptation to go back to our old ways is ultimately a temptation of the mind. And Paul knew this as he spoke to the church in Philippi. It’s true then and it’s true for each of us now. And this is our encouragement for today…
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9
The Goonies Life
What’s your favorite movie of all time? There’s a lot of great movies that have been made. If you would have asked my grandfather on my dad’s side of the family, he would have told you Gone With the Wind. For others, it might be one of the Marvel movies. Still others may love the Star Wars trilogy… “Luke, I’m your father.” “Nooooooooooo.” For me, there are a few greats. Iron Eagle. Top Gun. Karate Kid. But none of those compare to The Goonies.
The Goonies. My all-time favorite movie. It’s all about adventure. It’s hilarious. I mean who doesn’t love Chunk and Mikey and Data and Sloth. Not to mention the Truffle Shuffle. But the main reason this movie is my all-time favorite? The secret passages and treasure hunting. I would have given anything at age nine to go on an adventure like that to look for a giant pirate ship and One-Eyed Willy’s treasure. Coming up from under the water and looking to see One-Eyed Willy’s pirate ship would have been amazing. Finding a treasure like that would have been life changing.
There’s another moment regarding another found treasure that must have been life changing as well. Only this treasure was found hundreds of years before Jesus walked the earth. Check it out:
“While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the temple of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses. Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.” 2 Chronicles 34:14-15
Can you imagine the awe and utter excitement Hilkiah would have had!? This Book of the Law, God’s testimony through Moses, was lost for an amount of time we really don’t know. The priest, at the very least though, would have heard of stories past down through his Jewish culture about Moses and this Book of the Law. And for Hilkiah to accidentally find it would have been huge… Like finding One-Eyed Willy’s pirate ship and treasure.
Now, fast forward almost 200 years later during the time of Nehemiah. Now Nehemiah had made his way to a top position in the great Persian Empire, one of the greatest empires in the history of the world. And he asked the king if he could go back to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. And the king of the Persian empire gave him permission to go and rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. Now, after the wall was completed and after the Israelites had settled into their towns, all the people assembled in the square. And Ezra the priest, brought the Law before the people. He stood on a high, wooden platform and read it from daybreak until noon. And as the people listened to Ezra reading the Book of the Law, they bowed down and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. And then the Bible tells us:
“Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.” Nehemiah 8:9
Can you imagine, a large quiet crowd watching as Ezra steps up on a newly built platform in the town square. As Ezra opens the Book, the crowd stands up. They praise God with hands lifted high. Then, they bow down, faces in the dirt. Ezra begins to read and his helpers walk through the crowd to explain what God’s Word says. The people, listen giving their full attention to Ezra. And then, a sound begins to rise. It starts with one person. Then another. And as the people continue to listen to God’s Word being spoken, this sound continues to spread throughout the town square. It’s the sound of weeping.
The Book of the Law that Ezra was reading was super old… It was ancient. But that day marked something new. The Jewish people were becoming something that they had never been before… A people of the Book. They were, in essence, being rebuilt with material as strong as the stones used in their newly built city wall. You see, throughout their history, they had drawn their strength from two sources besides the Law. One was the temple, where they worshipped God. It was a beautiful building, magnificent even, in which they met God. The other was their leadership. First Moses, then Joshua, then the judges, and finally David and the other kings.
But these things couldn’t save them from disgrace. The temple? Even though it was a beautiful, crazy magnificent building, it had become a meaningless symbol to most Jewish people. They had even defiled it by putting idols in the temple. They disregarded it so badly that God had finally allowed the Babylonians to burn the temple down. Now, after the Jewish people returned from exile, they rebuilt the temple. But it was never again seen as a substitute for real devotion to God. What about their leaders? Not one king, over hundreds of years, had come close to matching God’s ideal or standard. Most kings, in fact, were people who didn’t worship or follow the God of Israel and were said to have “done evil in they eyes of the Lord.” And when the Israelites returned from exile, they had no king of their own. They instead were under the rule of a Persian king who wanted to keep all the power to himself.
So, with no king of their own and a temple where the God of Israel wouldn’t dwell, they turned to another source of power… The Word of God. This gathering that we see here is nothing like the jewels in the crowns of kings or the gold within the temple. It’s instead replaced by a single man standing on a simple wooden platform, reading words written on a simple scroll. But the words Ezra reads show their power in the way they affect the very people who hear them… Moved to praise God, to weep over their sins, to change their behavior and to make renewed promises to God. From this time on, the Jewish people were known as the people of the Book.
And I can’t help but draw similarities between our world, country, state, city and my life. As I look out from my small window at home, how many times do I give my strength over to our political leaders. For some of us, when Trump was in office, we looked to a new president for hope. Now that we have a new president, for some of us we can’t wait for the next election for our hope. For others, we draw our strength and hope based on our own abilities. If we’re honest, real power and strength comes from our work, where we live and our political views. And the Word of God becomes an after-thought, tucked away in the corner of our temples or forgotten about like One-eyed Willy’s pirate ship and treasure.
We focus on the pretty, shiny things of this world. The news makers. But the real earth shaking, life changing comes from what looks like an ordinary book, but in reality is an Extraordinary Word from God Himself. Just like the temple, the kings, and Moses, the worldly things we draw our energy and strength from can go away or be destroyed. In the end they can’t ultimately change us. Only the Word of God never changes. Only the Word of God is full of life. And when we become people of the Book, we become a people who find true joy and rejoicing, hope and direction for our lives (Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to walk by, and a light to illumine my path.).
You see, after the Israelites weeped over their sin and began a new devotion to God, Nehemiah told all the people, “This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
And just as the Israelites learned, when we become people of the Book, we learn too that the joy of the Lord is our strength. We find true joy, hope, direction for our lives and can rejoice fully in the love of Jesus. So, go now, and be people of the Book.