All The Toys For The Ultimate Vacation

For a period of time, I rented a room from a retired Thai couple that also lived on the property. To keep oil from splattering everywhere when the wife did her deep-fried Eastern cooking, the wall next to the stove had been meticulously plastered with pages from a cruise magazine. Since we shared the kitchen, any time I was preparing food my eyes would be drawn to the colorful images showing carefree couples on pristine beaches and luxury cruise ships roaming the seas.
          “All the toys for the ultimate vacation,” read one of the headlines. The article featured a photo of a family playing watersports in an exotic location, far away from the daily grind and hustle.  
          As I stood there cooking, I’d often ponder the lifestyle depicted in the articles. I’d think about how our flesh desires relaxation and recreation; how we want life to be comfortable and convenient. In fact, the more comfort and convenience we have, the more freedom we believe we’ll be able to experience.
          It makes sense that unbelievers would think this way. But as Christians we walk to the beat of a different drum. While there’s nothing wrong about wanting to enjoy the blessings God has given us, we must be wise about how we spend our time and money. Our life is no longer to be characterized by the pursuit of pleasure the way it was before we knew the Lord, but by love and service. And freedom, the Bible teaches, isn’t found in comfort and convenience, but in sacrifice.  
          As followers of Jesus, we’re called to live lives of self-denial. As Christ put it, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25).
          Jesus is saying here that when we give up our own self-serving desires and instead seek to live for Him, we find true life. We discover the purpose for which we were created; what it means to live the abundant life He came to give us (John 10:10). This is the great paradox of the Christian faith: gaining is found through losing.
          To follow Christ we have to abandon our old way of thinking and completely change our course. We must put our hand to the plow and not look back (Luke 9:62). We must be prepared to give up everything for the sake of the Gospel. If we aren’t willing to make the necessary sacrifices, Jesus said, we cannot be His disciple (14:26). Not that we shouldn’t be – we cannot be.
          The concepts of “denying yourself”, “picking up your cross”, and “dying to self” are found throughout the pages of the New Testament. They describe the truest essence of what it means to serve the Lord, and they stand in stark contrast to what the world says about how to be happy. The world tells us that life is enriched primarily through pleasurable experiences. The Bible, on the other hand, teaches that joy, fulfillment, and purpose are found in the process of being molded more and more into the likeness of the Son of God. And Christ, as we know, lived a life of perfect selflessness.
          The process of spiritual growth is hard. It often involves inconvenience, discomfort, delayed gratification, and even pain. It takes dedication and commitment every single day. It involves walking in continuous self-awareness, praying and thinking things through, patiently waiting on God, and surrendering our will to His. Simply put, it means being willing to do the difficult inner work required to grow in holiness.
          It also means that, like Jesus, we seek to set aside our self-serving desires and put God’s Kingdom first; that we’re more concerned about doing the right thing than about looking good. It means that, above all, we seek to honor our Lord.  
          In terms of lifestyle, living out Christ’s principles of self-denial strongly indicates that we don’t live beyond our means. We don’t rack up credit card debt by purchasing things we can’t afford just so we can keep up with the Joneses.
          Even if we have the money, there will be times when we choose not to give in to our heart’s desires. We don’t necessarily buy the latest phone on the market just because we can (when our current one is just fine), or fill our closet with new clothes or shoes when we already have more than we need.
          It’s good to practice small acts of self-denial like these because it helps us to not become self-indulgent. It helps free up our mind to focus on spiritual realities. It keeps us from becoming possessed by our possessions; from cluttering our life with things that distract us in our service of God.  
          Money is one thing; how we choose to invest our time also speaks volumes about the state of our heart. If we spend more time pursuing the perfect physique than we do holiness, something is clearly off with our priorities. The same can be said if watching TV or planning our next getaway or shopping for new furniture is a bigger part of our life than serving at church or reading God’s Word or evangelizing the lost.
          Unfortunately, many of us have gotten things backward. As far as our externals, we always want more – more stuff and more experiences – but when it comes to spiritual things, we settle for so little. Very often, what drives us (yes, even us Christians) is not a pursuit of holiness but a pursuit of worldly goals. And, sadly, in the process of striving after the things of the world, we miss out on a lot of great work that God wants to do in us and through us.
          Is what we are living for worth Christ dying for? This is the question we should be regularly asking ourselves. And only when we can answer in the affirmative, can we be said to be fully yielded to the Holy Spirit. Only then are we truly picking up our cross. And, mind you, the Lord requires nothing less of us. As one pastor put it, “Jesus never called for a superficial makeover but a total takeover.”
          May God help us be less conformed to our culture. May He help us better embrace the essence of the Christian life and make a difference with the short time we have left. Following Jesus is about sacrifice, not ease or self-indulgence. It’s about living not for immediate gratification, but with an eternal perspective. It’s about giving up and laying down. It’s about storing up treasures in heaven, where they’ll last forever (Matthew 6:19-20).
          It’s not about the toys or the vacations. In fact, probably nothing is farther from the Christian’s calling than that. Because it’s not about us, you see. It’s not about what we can get out of life. It’s about Jesus. May we always keep Him where He belongs: at the center of all our desires and pursuits.

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God Is Speaking – But Are You Listening? (It Starts With Gratitude)

When was the last time you heard from God in a fresh way? Do you seek Him throughout the day, longing to hear from Him, and do you feel like He is giving you clear direction? Or has your relationship with Him become stale, your Bible reading unexciting, and your prayer life rather dry?
           If your walk with God isn’t vibrant and you’ve stopped sensing His presence, maybe it’s because you’ve stopped listening to Him (or maybe you never really started listening in the first place). “But I read my Bible,” you say. “He speaks to us through His Word, doesn’t He?” Absolutely. In fact, it’s the primary way in which He speaks to us. But it’s still very possible to read the Scriptures and not experience the depth of what God desires to communicate to us.
           Don’t despair – there are ways to hear God better. But first, let me explain what I mean when I say we can miss God’s voice… And let me share with you some changes I made in my own personal life which have completely transformed the way I relate to my Heavenly Father. These changes took my relationship with Him from lukewarm to a place where I literally can’t wait to spend time with Him each day. Having been a believer for over 20 years, I think I understand for the first time what it means to be truly in love with Jesus! And it’s all because I finally started hearing His voice. Mind you, it’s not that He was quiet before – God was speaking all along – it was me that wasn’t listening.
           Before, what I used to do, was that I’d dutifully say a short prayer and do my Bible reading in the morning – not so much because I longed to hear from God but more as a way of clearing my conscience. When prayer and a quick time in the Word were off my mental check list, I felt, I suppose, like I was being a good Christian. Naturally, I didn’t experience much spiritual growth during that time, and I felt as if God was very distant.
           But over a period of weeks and months, as I was going through some trials in my personal life and became desperate for direction, God showed me a new way of seeking Him. Most importantly, He showed me how to listen. He showed me how to come before Him in Spirit-filled prayer, with a humble heart, not asking for anything, not rushing before His throne with a long list of requests, wants, and perceived needs, but with wide open ears, just ready to listen… Listen to whatever He wanted to say to me.
           My living room sofa at night, about an hour or so before bedtime, became my private little sanctuary. It became the sacred time and place where I’d seek God every day. (I still do!) And oh how I look forward to this time with Him! It is just so incredibly sweet, so filled with peace and joy… I dim the lights, lie down, close my eyes, and quietly enter His presence. I always start by thanking Him. I look back on my day and thank God for every little blessing, anything I can think of, big or small… The more I count my blessings, the more of them I discover, and sometimes I don’t even get beyond giving thanks as I fall asleep with a smile on my face, relishing in the goodness of my Savior.
           Even if I fall asleep like this, I’ve done something very important: I’ve taken a posture of humility before my Father and opened myself to receive instruction from Him. And His instruction may come at any time during the day or night. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, hearing God speak loudly to me in my conscience. Other times, when I get up the next morning after spending an extended period of time in prayer the night before, some spiritual truth will all of a sudden hit me… It’s not for me to say when or where God is to speak to me, but speak He does!
           But, again, it always starts – at least for me – with thanksgiving. You see, when I come before Him with a heart filled with gratitude, what I do is I acknowledge who I am in relation to Him – merely a creature; an undeserving sinner. He, on the other hand, is beautiful, gracious, faithful, just, loving, and holy – the all-knowing, all-good, all-wise Creator of heaven and earth. Everything He does is good, and although I deserve nothing, He has given me so, so much. By humbling myself this way, agreeing to see myself the way He sees me, I open myself up to receive instruction from Him – because “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5).
           If I come with pride in my heart, I’m never going to recognize my spiritual need. I’m not going to be receptive to God’s guidance, correction, or rebuke. If I approach Him with an attitude of humility, on the other hand, I’ll be teachable. And if I’m teachable, He’ll speak to me, and when He does, I won’t reject His voice.
           Of course, God does not speak in a random, confusing, or mystical manner. Nothing He ever says to our hearts through the Holy Spirit will contradict what He has said in the Bible. Our minds need to be properly informed by His infallible Word if we are to know whether it’s really God who is prompting us. That being said, when you are in the Word, the Word will be in you… You’ll know the truth instinctively when facing various situations in life, and you’ll often find yourself mind-blown at how God will speak to you at the most unexpected times – often as clearly as if He were standing right next to you.
           More on that later…
           

The Danger of Distractions (A Parable)

There was a mountainous coastline that was known to be very dangerous. Many large ships were wrecked on the rocks due to frequent violent storms. So the king of the land had a lighthouse built to warn the ships away from the coast, and he placed people there to work at the lighthouse to keep it in good repair. Amazingly, many ships were saved by that simple, non-impressive looking little lighthouse.
           As the lighthouse was maintained, the keepers decided to make some improvements. They added a kitchen so they would have hot meals and a furnace so the place would be warm. But as the years went by, some other, less fortunate, changes were made. News got out how the little lighthouse had helped save a great number of ships from crashing onto the rocks, and as a result, more and more visitors came to see the place for themselves. Many of these visitors were so impressed with what they saw that they wanted to work there, if only the working conditions were not so harsh. So, to cater to their wishes, the lighthouse keepers enlarged the facilities and installed wall-to-wall carpets. They also added brand new, comfy leather recliners, central air conditioning, a fitness club, a fancy big-screen TV, and a number of other features.
           Increasingly more people came to see the new and improved facilities. Now, of course, there are only so many jobs to go around at a lighthouse, so the keepers wondered what to do with all the other visitors. That’s when they came up with the idea of a lighthouse theme park! So, over a period of time, many rides and other attractions were built, several restaurants and a shopping mall were added, even an 18-hole golf course and a state-of-the-art country club.
           All the amenities were perfectly maintained and always got a fresh coat of paint every year, but the light itself had burned out a long time ago, and the ships were wrecked on the rocks regularly, just as before. The worst thing was that the lighthouse keepers weren’t even noticing anymore… They had become so focused on building, expanding, and improving things that they had become completely distracted from their chief mission – namely to save others from crashing and drowning.
           This little parable, which I heard years ago and has attempted to retell here as best I recall it, perfectly illustrates the danger of distractions. Satan, of course, loves it when we take our eyes off of Christ, and one of the ways he makes that happen is by giving our eyes something else to focus on. He has been studying human conduct for thousands of years and knows how to distract us away from God’s will. I’m convinced that when it comes to ministry, his goal is to divert our attention away from our primary mission and on to secondary, much less effective, man-made goals and methods. The result is that an alarming number of churches today have become “seeker friendly”, attempting to bring people to the house of God through clever gimmicks rather than through the faithful preaching of the Word. In the process, sermons have become watered down and the Christian message has become compromised.
           The commission Jesus gave the Church is very simple: Go out into all the world and proclaim the Gospel, make disciples, baptize them, and teach them what He has commanded. Our task is merely to take the good news of the Gospel into the world, not to labor to try to increase church attendance. All we should be focusing on is the simple commission that the Lord gave us. When we do, we can trust that God will do His part and add to our numbers as He sees fit. Amen?
           
           
           

Right Now Counts Forever

I recently heard a talk where a Christian speaker asked the following question: “What if you learned you were part of an experiment where the next 24 hours would determine the quality of the rest of your life? Everything from the job you hold to the neighborhood and house you live in will be tied to how you navigate a single day. How would you approach those 24 hours? Would you be intentional, or would you leave things to chance and hope for the best?”
          His point was that if you knew your entire life was going to be affected, for good or for bad, by the actions you took between right now and this time tomorrow, you would obviously consider every word you spoke and every move you made with painstaking caution. In fact, all you’d be thinking about for the next 24 hours would be that you were making wise choices – no matter the cost – so you could spend the rest of your earthly life reaping the benefits. It’s a no-brainer. Say you’re 35 right now and you expect to live until the average death age in the US, which is 78.8 years, that means you’ve got 383 688 hours left of your life. And who wouldn’t be willing to work hard, make sacrifices, face challenges, take risks, or do whatever else is required of them for the next 24 hours in order to make the remaining 383 653 hours of their life magnificent?
          It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see it. When you put a 24-hour time period against the backdrop of the rest of our life, those 24 hours are minuscule in comparison.

False Teachers And Vain Pursuits

          The speaker then asked another question: How long is eternity? Well, it’s a lot longer than 383 653 hours! Eternity is, well, eternity. It’s forever. And the Bible tells us that the quality of our eternal lives will be based on how we spent our earthly lives – our earthly lives, which we’d do well to remember, could be ripped away from us at any moment.
          Over and over, Scripture tells us to focus on the things above, not on the things of this earth, to store up our treasures in Heaven, to press on toward the finish line, to keep our eyes on the prize… Heaven is our home, it’s where we belong, and it’s where we have our true citizenship.
          And yet, in churches around America prosperity preachers continue to tickle the ears of their congregations, falsely teaching that God wants you to be healthy, wealthy, and problem-free. People come flocking from near and far to hear them speak while the pews of solid, Bible-preaching churches stay empty.
          We Christians know this world is not our final destination. Why then, do we invest so much of our time, effort, and money in it? Why are we for the most part chasing after the same things as unbelievers? Why aren’t we more zealous for personal holiness, more consumed by a passion to do the will of God, more on fire to reach the lost with the Gospel? Why are the teachings from our pulpits wishy-washy, compromising and non-confrontational?
          Why do we waste so much of our time on TV and movies and video games and computers and iphones? Why do we spend so little time thinking about, investing in, and longing for, our real home – Heaven? If we’re completely honest with ourselves, can we truly say with the Apostle Paul, “I’d rather be with Christ”?

When All Is Said And Done

          My purpose with this post is not to try to guilt you out but to make you ponder the brevity of your earthly existence. I want to encourage you to evaluate how you spend your time. Fact is, most of us go about living our lives as if we have all the time in the world. “Life always offers you a second chance. It’s called tomorrow,” says a popular adage. A cute, feel-good quote, but the truth of the matter is that one day you’re going to be out of tomorrows, and if you lived your life by the mantra that you’ll always get a second chance, you’re going to be looking back at a life of some pretty serious regrets.
          Deathbed regrets are a very real thing. Google the term and you’ll find several different lists that researchers have compiled from interviews with elderly and/or terminally ill people: “I wish I hadn’t been so afraid to take risks.” “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.” “I wish I’d stayed in touch with family and friends.” “I wish I’d traveled more.” “I wish I’d taken better care of my health.” “I wish I hadn’t held so many grudges.” “I wish I’d known how to live in the moment.” I wish, I wish, I wish…
          It’s heartbreaking to read, but it’s reality: Way too many of us arrive at the end of our earthly journey only to realize we pursued the wrong things and didn’t take time for what was truly important.
          Now, if you were to conduct this type of survey among Christians exclusively, I suspect the number one answer you would get would go something like this: “I wish I’d lived more for Jesus.” Can you imagine anything more tragic than that – coming to the end of your life and recognizing that you never did much for Christ? That you never really used your gifts for the Kingdom, didn’t touch lives for eternity, didn’t do what you were created, and saved, for? Instead, you merely focused on being comfortable and having fun and accumulating stuff and trying to fit in…

Finding True Fulfillment

          I can think of only two things that we do in this life that have any eternal value: Proclaiming the Gospel to the lost through our words and good deeds, and help equipping fellow believers so they can grow spiritually. Only that which is done out of genuine love for God and for people is going to outlast this world.
          I hope this has given you something to reflect on. As I get ready to step down from my soap box here, I want to leave you with some final thoughts: It seems to me most Christians in America today want a big helping of the world’s goodies with a little bit of Jesus on the side. At the same time they want to experience joy, inner peace, and lasting fulfillment.
          Problem is that as long as we pursue success the world’s way, true satisfaction will forever elude us. Because it isn’t found in what the world has to offer! Everything the world has to offer is merely pseudo… A fake, an imitation, a mirage… True fulfillment is only found in a deep, intimate, heart-felt, ever-growing relationship with Christ and by living out His purpose for your life. The only way to achieve real satisfaction, then, is to make your life more about Jesus and less about the world.
          Friend, the clock is ticking. As a mere sojourner here on earth, please, please be mindful of the choices you make, the voices you listen to, and the direction in which you’re going with the rest of your life.
          You have one precious life. Live as if right now counts for all eternity. Because it DOES.

When A Star Dies… (A Somewhat Different Perspective On The Passing of George Michael)

Pop singer George Michael and Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher join a large number of famous people who died this year… Whenever I hear of a celebrity passing I’m reminded of the profound statement Jesus made in Mark 8:35-37: “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and for the Gospel will save it. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
          Jesus is saying here that you can win the world’s accolades and accumulate great amounts of earthly riches, but if your heart isn’t right with God, nothing you have achieved is going to help you when your life comes to an end and you stand before His holy throne. You can’t take your fame, your worldly goods, or even your charitable deeds, with you.

Who Can Forget Wham!?

          Like so many others, I owned several Wham! cassette tapes back in the 80s and enjoyed dancing to the beats of “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and “Last Christmas” at youth clubs. And who can forget slow-dancing with your latest crush to the tunes of “Careless Whisper”?
          In the Wham! posters on our teenage bedroom walls fresh-faced George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley sported the latest 80s fashion while gazing at us, flirtatiously, from under fluffy, highlighted locks. How handsome they were! Especially Michael… With his leather jacket and beard stubble he was the epiphany of masculinity and melted thousands upon thousands of teenage girl hearts.
          Great was our surprise when Michael came out publicly in the late 90s and announced he was gay after having spent years “in the closet”. He was involved in several short and long-term gay relationships, and it was his most recent boyfriend who found the 53-year old Michael lifeless in his bed Christmas morning.
          Michael was a prominent gay rights advocate and raised a lot of money for AIDS research (one of his earlier boyfriends died of complications from AIDS in 1993). However, in recent years, the once dashingly handsome pop star was rarely seen in the public eye. In the wake of his death, neighbors have reported that he was a bloated version of himself and didn’t look like George Michael anymore. They saw Christmas deliveries arriving at his home, but no guests. He was also absent from the midnight service at his local church, which he had attended last year. The last time Michael was seen, he was watching the torchlight procession on Christmas Eve from his window, all by himself.

A Troubled Soul

          Michael is thought to have battled heroin addiction as well as an addiction to crack cocaine although this has not been verified. It’s interesting to note, however, that cardiac arrest – the cause of death according to Michael’s manager – is common among those who have used heroin. Either way, one thing we can say for certain, looking at the way Michael chose to live his life and at statements he made in candid interviews with the press over the years, is that he was a troubled soul.
          But to his fans he was the defining pop idol of their generation, to his admirers he had one of the most beautiful voices in British pop. His chart-topping hits earned him more than £100 million over the course of his career, first as part of Wham! and later as a solo artist. The day after his death, it was reported that Spotify streams of his solo music shot up more than 3,000%.
          Scores of George Michael fans went to pay respects to the late singer by leaving mementos, candles, albums, flowers and balloons outside his London residence as well as his riverside home in Oxfordshire, which is where he died unexpectedly earlier this week.
          A large number of celebrities took to social media platforms to express their sorrow. Super model Naomi Campbell, for one, spoke about Michael’s indelible impact on fans and, in particular, members of the LGBT (Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender) community. “You will never know how many lives you touched with your soulful voice and your fight for LGBT rights,” she wrote. “Stand tall, George, the angels are awaiting you!!! May you rest in peace.” Former 1980s teen idol Rob Lowe tweeted, “Voice of an angel. Now he can sing for them,” while Boy George from the 80’s band Culture Club had this to say: “I hope the Buddha will hold him in his arms.”
          Not surprisingly, the sentiment was, across the entertainment industry, that George Michael – because he was talented, inspiring, and generous with his money – has joined the angels in heaven and is now in the presence of God (or the Buddha…take your pick).
          Michael achieved super stardom in life, and in the wake of his death he is being praised and worshiped perhaps like never before, by fans and fellow entertainers alike. Nothing new there… We saw the exact same thing when Michael Jackson died, at the passing of Whitney Houston, of Prince, David Bowie, Princess Diana, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe…the list goes on and on. It’s to be expected. When a star dies, the world stops for a moment. It grieves, it remembers their talent, their contribution, and their charitable deeds.
          But then the world goes on. Everything returns to normal. The memory of the star lives on for a while – the bigger they were, the longer they are remembered – but eventually, even the memory of them fades. Truth be told, a couple decades from now hardly anyone will remember who George Michael was.

The Only Thing That Matters

          When all is said and done, it won’t make an iota of a difference whether the whole world knows your name or only God knows it. It will be of no significance whether you were sought after and admired while here on earth or you lived your life in obscurity. The only thing that’s going to matter is whether you have received forgiveness for your sins through Jesus Christ and that you used your life to serve Him. The first saves you from hell and allows you to enter heaven, the latter determines your heavenly rewards.
          As someone rightly stated, “No matter how big your house is, how recent your car is, or how big your bank account is, our graves will always be the same size.” Indeed. Life is a vapor and then comes eternity. Let’s remember that. Let’s remember that God’s definition of success is radically different than that of the world. And let’s be careful not to read news accounts about the death of stars through rose colored glasses, or pay attention to the spiritual musings of celebrities who have no knowledge of biblical truth.
          No…it profits a man nothing to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul. Whether you’re George Michael or John Doe, ALL that matters when God looks at you – be it in this life or in eternity – is that He sees you clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Though Michael’s lifestyle may suggest otherwise, I hope that somehow – by the lavish, extraordinary, amazing grace of God – he repented and left this earthly life not covered in his own sin but in the holiness of the Lord Jesus… I hope that with all my heart.

Are You Looking For God In All The Wrong Places?

Most of us know the parable of the Prodigal Son that Jesus told in Luke chapter 11. The forgiving father symbolizes God, the younger son is a picture of the person who lives in open rebellion toward God, and the elder brother is a symbol of the self-righteous, in particular the Pharisees and teachers of the law of that day.

Originating from this parable, the term prodigal has in our culture come to characterize anyone who has ever acted out, be it through addiction, rebellion, or any number of other destructive behaviors, and who has surrendered ownership of his or her life to an external, controlling influence. And by the way, more of us fall into this category than are willing to realize it.

That being said, at a recent conference I attended here in Southern California, Christian counselor Chris Williams had a rather unique and interesting take on this familiar parable that I’d like to share with you in this post. “Like the prodigal, we all have a distant country we go to,” Williams said, “one where we seek life and love apart from the Giver of life and love.”

Williams talked about how we humans – even Christians – so often go searching for happiness outside of God’s presence, in places where it can’t be found. We look for it in drugs or alcohol, in love or sex addictions, gambling, materialism, or the wrong type of relationships. Or we turn to people pleasing, compulsive overeating, excessive television viewing, and a host of other unhealthy behaviors. But it is not until we, like the Prodigal Son, come to our senses and return back home to our Father where we belong, that we’re going to find true love and joy.

“The prodigal,” Williams continued, “returned to his father empty-hearted and empty-handed. This took honesty, trust and humility.” He took the right actions, and when he did, he was restored back to the fullness of life.

Williams then talked about the older brother… He, too, could have received love from his father, but he blocked that love with resentment. He thought the way to get his father to love him was to earn it. Unlike his brother, he had been responsible and dutiful, and he expected to be rewarded accordingly. Now he was upset that his younger sibling was the recipient of such undeserved favor.

Truth is, the older brother was living in bondage to his own pride and sense of entitlement. He didn’t understand or know the heart of his father. And because he wasn’t willing to humble himself and receive his father’s love as a free gift, he missed out.

“We all have both the younger and the older brother in us,” said Williams. We have parts of the rebel in us but also parts of the do-gooder who tries to earn brownie points with God. Of course, we know we didn’t earn our salvation, and mentally we also know there is nothing we can do to make God love us any more or any less. But in our hearts…that’s a different matter. We often act as if we believe God’s acceptance of us hinges of how well we perform in our Christian lives.

What is your distant country? Is it career? Achievement? Travel? Sports? Entertainment? Social media? You may not be struggling with an addiction or pursuing something that is sinful in itself, but any time you go looking for fulfillment outside of God’s presence, giving someone or something else precedence over Him in your life, I can promise you this: You are on the wrong path.

Whatever it is that has lured us away from the comfort of God’s embrace, the remedy is always the same: To realize that our Father still loves us; that He wants us to come home and stay home. “The addict who relapses,” said Williams, “needs to just keep coming home, over and over, as many times as it takes, until he stays there. This is what recovery is: You just keep coming home.”

The Prodigal Son expected judgement from his father but was met with nothing but compassion. It’s the same way with our heavenly Father: There is no shaming, blaming, or even explaining to be done. Our Father is always waiting, watching and hoping for us to come to our senses and come back home. In fact, just like the father in the parable, God isn’t just waiting, He is moving toward us, wanting to embrace us and celebrate our return.

The happiness we crave so much is not “out there” somewhere. No, it is right here, right now, right where we’re at. To lay hold of it, we simply need to open our hands and receive it. There is nothing our heavenly Father wants more than to show us how to live an abundant life at home, in His loving presence.

How To Discover Your Calling

Very few of us ever think of pushing the ‘pause button’ on the treadmill of life and ask God whether we’re truly living our calling. Rather, it seems most of us simply expect Him to put His stamp of approval on whatever it is we’ve already decided to pursue.

Now, you may not have thought about it this way before… Leaving God out of our plans isn’t something that most of us do consciously. Nevertheless, if we go chasing after dreams that haven’t been surrendered to God, that is precisely what we’re doing.

I suspect that if you asked any given number of Christians how God led them into their current career, they would react with surprise because it’s something they’ve simply never considered. Instead of being led by the Lord, they were led by the prospects of wealth, recognition, self-realization, comfort, or security.

As Christians, we face the very real temptation of using our talents to serve ourselves and make ourselves look important rather than God. The child of God who’s artistically gifted is going to be tempted to use their talents to try to achieve fame and fortune instead of using them for God’s glory. The person with leadership skills faces the temptation of using their gifts to get applause from the world rather than to build God’s Kingdom. The Christian who’s a talented communicator will be tempted to use their skills to promote themselves and their own agenda instead of the purposes of God.

Tragically, when we fail to employ our gifts the way the Lord intended, we miss the entire purpose for which we were saved. Then, we are no different than the lost people of the world. Like them, we fail to honor the gift-Giver – even if it isn’t intentional.

So, how then, can you know you are actually hearing from God about His calling on your life? How can you know that it’s not just your ego talking?

Well, we need a clear spiritual vision in order to discern whether our dreams and goals truly are from God. Church once a week and a hurried quiet time in the morning isn’t going to do it. We’re not going to discover God’s will unless we go deep with Him.

You see, God doesn’t hide His will from those who truly want to know it. It’s not that He doesn’t speak to us – He speaks to us all the time. And He doesn’t speak with a forked tongue. His voice is never confusing or misleading. Problem is that everywhere we turn we are bombarded with competing messages about what’s important in life and what’s worth pursuing, and God’s voice is completely drowned out amidst all the noise. That’s why we don’t hear Him – or we think we hear Him when it’s really our flesh talking.

If we want to know His will, our minds need to be tuned in to the frequency of His voice. What I’m saying is that if we want to discover God’s calling on our life or some other specific of His will for us, we need to consciously place ourselves in settings where we’re going to be exposed to His Truth. 

Most of us don’t spend near enough time plugging into the channels through which God’s power flows – such as praying, meditating on Scripture, reading solid Christian books, listening to worship music, taking communion, sharing our faith, discipling new believers, serving in our churches and communities, and fellowshipping with others in the family of God. At the same time, we spend a disproportionate amount of our time entertaining ourselves with the things of the world – not necessarily sinful things, but things that have no impact on eternity…

And yet we wonder why our vision isn’t clear, why our plans are falling through, and how come we can’t seem to discover God’s will for our life.

In Romans 12:2 we are instructed to “not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The verse continues, “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.” What this verse is telling us is that when we stop trying to fit into the world’s mold and instead let God use His Truth to change us on the inside, we will, as a result, be able to discern His will for us. When we are deliberate and consistent about tuning in to His voice this way, we are going to be able to hear Him loudly and clearly, and we’ll be a lot less likely to mistake the lies of the world and the flesh for the real thing.

Simply put: Spend less time in front of the TV and scrolling your phone. Spend more time in the Word, on your knees, and in the company of God’s people. That’s certainly not all there is to discovering your calling, but it’s a great place to start:) Start by going deeper – much deeper – with God. 

For more on this topic, please visit Your Calling.

How To Guard Your Heart

Proverbs 4:23 instructs us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

In the Old Testament “heart” is used more than 800 times, which makes it one of the most commonly used words of the Bible.

Generally, when this term is used in Scripture, it refers to the thought life and the emotions – the things that motivate and mold us. God calls that the heart. So when the Bible talks about keeping or guarding the heart, it is instructing us to protect the inner core of our person – our thoughts, feelings, desires, will, and choices that make us who we are.

Just like our bodies can’t function properly unless our physical heart is healthy, so we can only bear fruit spiritually and function correctly in our relationship with God and others if the inner core of who we are is healthy.

In the New Testament Jesus affirms this principle when He teaches that it’s not what we eat or drink that make us unclean but rather the things that come out of our hearts: “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (Matt. 15:17-19).

All the issues of life – our actions, longings, goals, interests, etc. – all proceed from the heart. What we do in word and deed is first of all a product of what we are on the inside. And this is why we need to be diligent about guarding our hearts.

Want to know something really great? God made you so that you can’t think two things at the same time! So in order to keep from thinking what’s wrong, you simply need to think what’s right. Because if you’re thinking what’s right, you cannot be thinking what’s wrong. This is why the Psalmist says, “I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11).

Bottom line: Guarding our heart is not so much about living by a list of dos and don’ts as it is about feeding our soul. When our inner person is strong, we are able to resist the temptations that might otherwise cause us to stumble.

 

Let Us Not Labor In Vain

A scripture that has greatly impacted my life is Psalm 127; 1-2: “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand watch in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat – for He grants sleep to those He loves.”

Many, many times have those words convicted me of my tendency to rely on myself instead of God. The fact that I so often seem to forget God is really the one at work… Which really means I’m not trusting Him.

Now, of course it is God’s desire that we commit to excellence in everything we do; that we work not unto men but as unto the Lord. But at the same time, I am convinced, He wants us to have balance in our lives.

Because…think about it…if we lack balance, we are not healthy, and if we are not healthy – mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually – how can we be effective ambassadors of His kingdom?

If we are always overworked, tired, stressed, anxious, then how will others look at us and say, “I want what THEY have…”? Then we are no different than the rest of the world, chasing after money, possessions, and recognition, not trusting that God will supply all our needs if we just seek His kingdom first.

And another thing: If we attempt to do all the work ourselves, not giving God room to move, then WE are the ones getting all credit. Then God does not get the glory!

Which brings to mind another powerful Bible passage – the 7th chapter of Judges:

Gideon has been given the mandate by God to fight the Midianites to save Israel. But when Gideon gathers his troops to advance on the Midianite camp, God actually tells him to reduce his men (!), first by twenty-two thousand, and eventually to the point where Gideon is left with only 300 men…300 men that God uses to defeat the vast number of Midianite warriors – just as He promised.

Why did the Lord do this? He did it “in order that Israel may not boast against Me that her own strength has saved her…” (v. 2)

Oh Lord, may You help us, your children, not to become self-sufficient but to remember, always, that it is You working through us. May we not labor in vain! And if You see the need to reduce our numbers, may You do so as You see fit, so that when we are victorious, it isYou, not we, that get the glory…

Spiritual Fast Food? No, Thanks!

When it comes to spiritual discipline, I think we Christians are too easily content with doing the absolute minimum: Fifteen minutes of prayer and Bible reading in the morning, church once a week, and we’re “good” with God.

We offer very little of our time to the Lord, yet we wonder why we aren’t growing spiritually, why our relationships aren’t thriving, and why seem unable to discover God’s best plan for our lives.

There is no nourishment in spiritual fast food. If you want to experience a deep and meaningful walk with Christ, you need to pursue Him with passion. And the wonderful thing is that when you do – when you give Him your talents, your time, and your treasure – He will work out the rest of the details of your life. He will take care of you, provide for you, guide you, and give you everything He knows you need.

If you feel that your love for Him has grown lukewarm, ask Him right now to rekindle it. He loves you so much and there is nothing He wants more than for you to draw close to Him!