Excuse Me?

 

A recent survey revealed some of the most popular excuses for lateness: traffic delays (31%) lack of sleep (18%), bad weather (11%). However some of the more bizarre excuses included: "My cat had the hiccups” and “I thought I won the lottery” as well as “A fox stole my car keys.”

The first thing I teach our elders to say when people are seeking advice is, "What does the Bible say about this?" Without the Bible, there are only platitudes, philosophy, my subjective feelings and flawed EXCUSES. Which one of us hasn't tried to justify ourselves in some sin? 

Here are just a few of the excuses I've heard as a pastor:

• I know what the Bible says, but I have prayed and God has given me peace about this.
• Doesn't God want me to be happy? 
• We sinned sexually, so now I'm obligated to marry this man even though I'm not sure if he's a believer
• You don't know what it's like to suffer as long as I have. My situation is different.
• I know what the Bible says, but don't you think Jesus would understand? Surely, He wouldn't make such demands in this special case.

Here's what I know about myself and about human nature: once I've headed down this path in my thoughts, it's only a matter of time before I act on it. It is human to excuse ourselves and it's Satan's great trick to help us justify those excuses. It's the oldest play in the book: "Did God really say you must not from any tree in the Garden?" (Gen. 3.1) Yes, Satan was twisting what God said, but he was also playing to Eve's self-justification. 

Know the Book. Live the book. That is the way to stand when temptation or storms come. What did God say? That is the question. 

Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. (Luke 6:47-48 ESV)

Talk with God Everyday

Today I got one of those letters that made my day. The sum is this: "I had become lax in my time with God. The Bible was gathering dust. But being reminded that Jesus said, 'one thing is needful', I have recommitted to talking with God everyday--first thing in the morning. My life is back on track and I can feel the difference!"

Wow. That's what it means to grow as a follower of Christ--putting into practice what you're learning. 

For anyone who may have missed Sunday the 16th, I'll include some of the action points here on daily time with God in prayer:

TALK WITH GOD EVERYDAY

 A good place to start with personal prayer is on the pattern below. Remember each point of prayer with a different finger of your hand. Spend a few minutes on each one:

1)    Thumb – THANKFULNESS. Thank God for at least 10 things that happened yesterday and more.

2)    Forefinger – AUTHORITIES. Pray for leaders (government, pastors, employer and anyone who is an authority in your life.)

3)    Middle finger – WORLD. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122.6) and for missions around the world, especially those who are in relationship with Crosspoint.

4)    Ring finger – FAMILY. Pray for family and loved ones that they will know Jesus and those that don’t will repent.

5)    Little finger – YOU! Pray that God will root out the sin in your heart, make you the person you need to be who loves God’s Word, His people and His presence. Take time to ask God to speak to you. Wait and listen.

Happy Birthday Dr. King

One of my favorite quotes by the late Dr. King: "If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper...sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will have to pause and say, 'Here lived a great sweeper who did his job well."

This demonstrates that the equality Dr. King called for was not socialism. He understood that we have different callings, different roles, different stations in life that we occupy. But wherever we are placed, that we should do our job like heaven and earth is watching because they are.

Today, I joined many of our elders and deacons, along with our pastors in fasting and prayer. As we prayed, it shouldn't have surprised me that our prayers took a turn about an hour so into our time. We began to pray concerning our prejudice--even the kind that flies under the radar. The kind that you may feel when you enter a certain store and look at someone who is different than you. The prejudice may not be based on skin color but on style or lack thereof. It may be based on some profile that triggers a memory and suddenly we are feeling those memories like they happened yesterday.

There really is no room for racism, stereotypes and prejudice in a Christian's heart. Why? Because Jesus wasn't that way. He loved the lepers and the prostitutes. He loved those with hangups, habits and hurts.


Happy Birthday Dr. King!

Billions Served

Once at a wedding in which I was officiating, I challenged the couple right before the service: "You'll enjoy this wedding a lot if you guys take the attitude, 'This isn't about me. I'm here to serve.'" Seems ironic doesn't it? Isn't the wedding all about the bride and maybe a little bit about the groom? Yes and no. Everyone there has something they want out of it: parents, friends, family--everyone has hopes. It may be the acknowledgment of a gift, a kiss from the bride, communication of affection, or even just a big piece of cake! But they all have expectations.

I know as Christians, we sometimes get flustered: "Christmas is all about Jesus. It's been hijacked by pop culture." I lament over the loss too. It's not fair to Jesus. But in a way, some of the hullabaloo reiterates the truth of Christmas: God came to serve, not be served. (See Mat. 20.28) We've even found a way to serve ourselves on His birthday! Oh, the selfishness of man!

But God is love and Jesus is still serving up joy and celebration to mankind on the day we mark as His birthday. What a Savior we have!

What would it take to get you to fight?

What would it take to get you to fight? I mean is there a line where you say, "No more?"

I know we all have a line, that with enough provocation, we will make some attempt at decking someone. But as a pastor it's heartbreaking to watch people roll over when it comes to life--especially, passive men. I've watched people give up on things worth fighting for:

• a man and wife won't spend the money for counseling because it "costs too much." (How much will divorce cost you?)
• a man won't go after a ministry dream because he's gotten use to a style of living and can't imagine downsizing
• a student won't finish his degree because she's intimidated by two classes on economics
• a guy gives up on his dream of marrying a girl because her Daddy said, "Not until you get a real job." 

Faith is something to fight for. Paul wrote to Timothy, "Fight the good fight of faith..." 1 Tim. 6:12. Last time I checked, a fight means that there's one who is facing opposition! That resistance may come from well-meaning family, church members, and the Enemy himself--the one who roars and intimidates you with lion noises (see 1 Peter 5:8).

What would it take to get you fired up enough to fight? Come on.

There's Gold in Those Pages

It's still reverberating in me...the importance of Scripture to a family foundation. Some questions I asked on Sunday:

• If Scriptures were gold, and your heart is a bank, how rich are you? (Lu 6:45; Ps 19:10) The Psalmist says that God's Word is "more precious than gold."
• Are you as diligent about training your children in the Bible as training as an athlete? (hours in study vs hours in practice)
• Which do you encourage more: cleaning their room or cleaning their mind?
• If someone asked your spouse or your children for a list of your most-read books, would the Bible be on the list?

No book compares to the Bible. The Scriptures are more precious than gold. How rich are you?

Here are some resources to consider for memorization:

1. Navigator's Topical Memory System - This resource helps you memorize 60 verses on important topics like discipleship, relying on God's resources, and growing in Christ. Great tool. Here's a more detailed description.

2. APP! Another cool tool is an app for your phone that helps you memorize. Check this out!

Don't forget to celebrate

Joey, my nephew, when he was four, got intrigued with dancing. “You play. I dance.” I call it dance but it was more like a combo of gymnastics and some kind of a seizure—gyrating, jumping, leaping, with a few brake dance moves thrown in. One thing it was though was a moment of abandoning himself to unconstrained, unhindered, free-style celebration. But after kindergarten, he decided he was too mature and grown-up for such behavior. Can’t get him to dance anymore. Now he’s entered that stage where everything is about competing with brothers and avoiding adults.

And there is something sad about it. Because he does what it seems we all do. We start out carefree, not worried about what people think about us, usually ready to celebrate—only to grow up, grow old, and quickly learn how to worry about what people think of us. We forget how to celebrate.

Seriousness has replaced celebration--introspection, emo...“I just wanna be real and how can I celebrate since there is so much suffering in the world?” Like one should cancel out the other completely. And there are some Christians who say, “Everyday is Thanksgiving so we shouldn’t celebrate a day.”

But why not take every opportunity to celebrate? I count at least 15x in the O.T. that God says, "You shall celebrate." This was in reference to special festivals His people celebrated. I think God knows our tendency about forgetting to celebrate.

You, who obey the other commandments, don't forget this one: "You shall celebrate."