Devotion: Gird Up Your Loins

“Gird up your loins like a man; I will question you and you declare to me.  Will you even put me in the wrong?  Will you condemn me that you may be justified?”  Job 40:7-8.

 

One of my favorite lines of Scripture is when God tells Job to “gird up his loins” as the Lord begins to speak to Job.  I have this image of a frail Job covered in ashes with clothes that no longer fit from the months of anguish and depression he has battled, when suddenly God appears in a windstorm telling Job to pull up his britches and hold on…

            God’s pastoral care from the whirldwind seems more like a drill sergeant than grandmotherly comfort.  He calls Job to attention and then blasts him with the Truth.  God is in control of our lives.  He has been active in the beginning, he is active still and he will continue to be active in our lives forever; so, we better hold onto our pants because it is going to be bumpy ride.

            I believe we misunderstand Job’s story if we imagine Job happily praising God after the tragedy that befell him and the response from the whirlwind.  The end of Job never mentions Job’s reverence or worship of God like the opening does.  Job’s life was radically altered by God; their relationship was forever changed.  For the remaining years, Job had to have carried the scars of a failed marriage, the untimely death of his children, the loss of his fortune, and his own physical abnormalities.

            But what changed for Job?  Job saw God; he realized that God was with him through all the pain.  Job sees that God is not always in the business of removing our pain, but is in the business of walking alongside us through it. 

It says in Deuteronomy 31:6  Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Have we domesticated God too much that we forget to gird up our loins when we come before him?  How can we see God in the midst of our own pain?  Who is someone that you might walk alongside to support, encourage and pray for?

Matthew 19:13

Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray.

Devotion: Offering

Last week I received a letter informing me that a charity I support would be increasing its monthly sponsorship by $6.  Immediately I got on the Internet to research this charities financial ratings and reviews, wondering if something fishy was going on.  Then it hit me, due to the recent front page articles about the United Way and David Cerullo’s ministry in South Carolina, is it not harder to trust that our giving is being effectively used?

Tithing and giving to the church, while similar to charitable support, is also radically different.  Tithing is not just about providing financial support to the institution of the church, but it is also a spiritual discipline of letting go of a prized possession we work so hard to earn and to trust that it be used for God’s mission.

One of biggest complaints for young adults regarding the Church is its emphasis upon money.  Yet I strongly believe that if we looked at our bank statements and our day planners we can see where our priorities lay, and therefore the church has a responsibility to talk about money.  We will only give our time and our money to things that we trust will provide a strong return on investment for us. 

But as Paul says in Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy—present your entire selves as living sacrifices, pure and holy.  This is your spiritual act of worship.”  It is through the offering of our whole selves—our work, finances, dreams, desires, hurts, friends, family, everything—to God that we worship Him.

What is it about the church’s mention of “money” that may irritate so many young adults?  What prized possessions do we not want to trust God with?

 

Getting too Personal...

Things I have learned that people do not want to see their pastor doing...

1)  Playing poker,

2)  Smoking a cigar,

3)  Exercising in tri-shorts.

and now...

4)  mowing the yard topless

(for those who don't know me, I am male...for those who don't know me well, I tend to sweat alot).

Scripture Memorization

One of the things I found annoying as a Young Life Church Partner was having to memorize short pieces of scripture, because they were often proof texts to a contrived evangelical message.

Today, I was reminded of the power of God's word that becomes imbedded into our hearts, not by our forced memorization but by God's constant speaking to us.

I just received one of the most difficult phone calls of my ministry of someone in crisis, and I felt as though I failed mesirably. Seeking God in prayer afterwards; hoping that God could clean up the bigger mess I just made a simple verse came to mind: "Father forgive us, for we do not know what we are doing." Not only a prayer for this person, but more importantly a prayer for myself. Reassurance that as some Reverend Pastor guy, I am still forgiven for my ineptitude.

This small piece of scripture coming to life gave has given me the biggest sense of peace.

And it recalled another time where scripture came alive. Having just learned about my cancer the verse of the leper resonated on my heart: "Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean."

Neither of these verses were part of the Topical Memory System implemented by YL. Neither had I exegeted or heard a profound sermon exposit it's merit. Rather these scriptures emerged deep from within; These experiences help me understand what we talk about God's ability to have the Spirit move through our situations to place God's word upon our hearts.

Devotion: Time Manager

So on the seventh day He rested from all his work ~Genesis 2:2

In the 1960s, the Senate created a Time Management commission because they feared that our technological advances would radically decrease our work hours over the next 20 years, and people would be forced to retire too young.  40 years later, though, the opposite has happened; we live an overscheduled lives with little downtime. 

God had not imagined this lifestyle for his creation.  While certainly He calls us to work hard on his behalf, he also exemplified the necessity of downtime.  Do you ever wonder why Genesis mentions that God rested on the 7^th day; why not skip over that detail?  In our 24/7 worldview, it would seem like a character flaw for the God of the universe to take a break and enjoy His creation.   Yet, perhaps it is because God understood our proclivity to taking our work and ourselves too seriously.

Even Jesus routinely stopped his “work” to enjoy a good party, have dinner with someone, to worship, to rest.  This is what upset Jesus’ contemporaries; he was enjoying life too much (Matt 11:19).  While we are probably more apt to picture Jesus preaching before a crowd then having a one-on-one meal with someone, those were more likely his daily interactions. 

It is in these moments that we slow down that clarity of life and faith come alive:  “For many of us the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith.  It is that we will become so distracted and rushed and preoccupied that we settle for a mediocre version of it.  We will just skim our lives instead of actually living them.”

If you could have two free hours this afternoon with no responsibilities, what would you do?  What things are distracting and making your life feel rushed right now?  What might God want you to take a rest from?

 

Doctrine & Life

Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you you do you will save both yourself and your hearers.

I had just finished listening to a powerful sermon by William Willimon regarding the person in preaching. He spoke about how too often we allow the person--the messenger--to get in the way of the message.
This idea stuck in the back of my head, made me hesitate as I read Paul's letter to Timothy. He is warning Timothy to watch his life and his doctrine.
It seems as though preachers and the church are really focused on making sure our lives remain in order. Focusing on life that they emphasize the self to such a degree that doctrine becomes neglible.
In Charlotte there is a loose evangelical gathering that meets Uptown. I am routinely asked why we don't participate in this gathering, and the truth of the matter is that when I attended and spoke with their coordinator I was greatly disturbed by his claim, "We are not about doctrine." Or as it was repeated in seminary, "Mission unites, Doctrine divides." This dismissal of what is being said about God--doctrine--as divisive or unnecessary elevates our lives over God.
Paul recognizes, however, doctrine is as important to consider as our life. What we say about God is as important as how we live. And I dare say, like Willimon, what we say about God is actually more important that how we live. Yet the pendulum cannot swing back in the other direction, because these two can never be fully divorced; the word became flesh.

Devotion: Testing

 "Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don't drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.  6 I hope the test won't show that we have failed. "  ~2 Corinthians 13:5

Paul ends his second letter to the church in Corinth by challenging them to test themselves; to take a moment of self-reflection to see if they are "in the faith."

            I have always hated tests because once the paper was returned I would immediately look at the questions I got wrong rather than the few that I did get right.  Tests, at least for me, always highlighted areas of improvement.  Likewise, Paul is telling the Corinthian church to consider what areas in their life still needs improvement; and for the Corinthian church that would have been numerous.

            In Paul's first letter to Corinth he addressed questionable behaviors that the Corinth church was undertaking such as sexual immorality, lawsuits against fellow congregants, disruptive worship, marital concerns, finances, and even getting drunk on the communion wine.  Therefore, the Church in Corinth was probably filled with individuals who would have failed a holiness test.  But Paul encourages them to continue striving for perfection without the allusion that achievement will be possible.  It is in the striving that faith becomes more real.  As we serve God, we discover that while incomplete, we have not failed the test because Christ is the one actually at work in and through us.

            We can set aside test anxiety that we have to be perfect to be in relation to God, because throughout scripture we see that God uses people with some pretty big character flaws, and is eager to use us.

Why do we avoid self-reflection?  What ways might God be wanting to use you?  Who can help you discern the direction and call God has for your life?

Trail Racing: ASC Greenway Half-Marathon

I completed one of my goals for the year...ran two races this year.  I figured I needed to go ahead and accomplish this one before the triplets arrive.

I had circled this half-marathon race as an option but could never find any publicity about it.  But at a Wednesday Worship service, I ended up talking with one of the race coordinators.  Turned out they had changed this into a "Recession Race."

$10 entry fee, no t-shirts, no prizes, no corporate sponsors.  

Ended up being abut 100 men and women meeting out on a rain soaked trail...and it was awesome.

At the 3/4 mile mark there was a rain swollen creek, and you had choice--walk across the swinging bridge or run through the 2 1/2 foot deep creek.  I chose the creek.

Around mile 2.5, my right toe located a hidden tree stump and I took my one and only fall...okay, okay, it as a little root.

From mile 3 through 8, we were on a single-track mountain biking trails, twisting and turning, rising and falling.  What is amazing about trail running is that I figured I was hauling and setting a PR pace...my watch later reflected that I was nearly a full minute off my road race pace.  I think the turns and the twists give you an illusion of speed, as you have to mentally slow down as not to trip over hidden tree stumps (see mile 2.5).

Mile 9 was mile 4 for the 8k race, and by the time we reached it the 8kers had turned this into a 100 yards of pure, shoe sucking mud.  Twice I nearly pulled out of my shoes the mud was so thick.

And the final stretch brought us around a nice scenic lake, which gave you the false impression that it would be flat and an easy finish.  Nope.  Around mile 11, I nearly puked and was holding onto a tree.  But I finished the race...

in 1:57:04.

Updated:  Turns out I finished 21st, and missed placing 3rd in my age group by 2 minutes and 20 seconds.  of course there were only 4 in my age group...but it all depends on how you look at it.