Preventing Build-Up

ZECHARIAH 7:11 - 14

11 But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. 12 They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of hosts. 13 As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the LORD of hosts, 14 “and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate.”

Hard hearts, soft hearts. I like how this is stated in verse 12: They made their hearts diamond-hard. The people made their hearts as hard as diamonds--impenetrable. Nothing got through. God called to them, encouraged them, wooed them, but they would not listen.

I'll admit...I find listening for God a difficult part of the call. Listening is difficult in any relationship. How often do I tune out my husband because I'm sure he's telling me something I already know. How often do I break into someone's conversation to add my opinion...because after all, I do have something valuable to add--something they need to hear.

Listening is difficult. With evangelism as our topic for this month's sermons, we'll learn that listening is a key part of our interactions w/people. How can we know that the time is right to share our faith if we aren't listening for cues that a person is ready to hear what we have to say?

But it all begins with listening to God. And that is even more difficult because we aren't face-to-face. We have to trust that what comes into the heart is from God. That means I have to know God...I have to know His character. I have to know that whatever I believe comes from Him is true to His character. And then knowing that He is patient, kind, loving...I can trust any direction that calls me to take to be the same.

I also have to recognize that sometimes I "decide" that something has come from God, when I know it is my own will. I have to be honest with myself because I do know my own character. I need to sort my own selfish will from the will of God. I need to make the difficult choice of putting aside my wants and needs (usually the need to be right). Each time I choose my own way and not God's, my heart will callous, toughen, turn diamond-hard. Because I allow the buil-up, it becomes more difficult for God's word to enter and transform me.

Father God, I want the soft heart that listens for and accepts your word of counsel and correction. Please keep me from hardening this heart against you. Keep me honest with myself, judging my own motives and actions against your righteousness. Thank you, Father. Amen.

 

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Enough to Live On

LUKE 12:16 -21 (ESV)

16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.

Is this parable strictly about material wealth? What about our obligation and commitment to grow the Kingdom? Isn't there a bountiful harvest there that we might be tempted to store away thinking we've done enough...thinking that our time has come to live off that abundance?

It's interesting that within the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13), Jesus gave an explanation for why He taught in parables. He said to the disciples concerning the religious elite:

 

To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. (Matthew 13:11 - 13)

 

Jesus was saying that a spiritual blindness exists that keeps people from seeing the Kingdom of God; a spiritual deafness exists that keeps them from hearing the word of God. Those who those who have (in His day, the Jews who were certain that they were "right with God" because of their heritage) actually have-not. And what they think they have will be taken away and given to others. There are others who may appear to not have much, but in reality they do. And to what they have, even more is added.

The parable of the sower speaks of one who has. He goes out and spreads the seed. What he has, he casts plentifully. The farmer has been given an abundance of seed. He goes out to the fields and sows it with abandon. It doesn't take root everywhere, but that does not concern the farmer. He knows somewhere in the field there will be a crop. And sure enough, some of the seed yields a crop...an abundant crop. And here is where I paste the Luke parable. This farmer who had much, now has even more. What will he do with it? Will he store the harvest for himself so that he can sit back and take life easy? Or does he continue to work with the crop, preparing it for the next planting season?

If what the farmer has been given is "faith," and he has a great amount, he goes out to the fields and plants it. He shares his faith, telling his story and the work God has done in his life. He puts his faith to action by serving the needs of others--because of what the Lord has done for him. Not everyone who hears his story will accept it. Not everyone who sees him helping others will see that he does it out of love for God. But somewhere in that field, that seed will take root and the farmer will have a harvest. Someone will hear his story, will see his work, and that person will be moved to let Jesus into their life. The faith of that seedling-person will grow and flourish. The farmer will work with that one, disciple him/her, and preparing him/her to go out to the fields themselves. And that farmer will have a greater crop.

If I am one who "has," Jesus says more will be given to me. If I am one who has faith, even more will be given to me. What will I do with my abundance? Will I store it away to bring out and admire once in a while? Or will I go out and share it, knowing that it will not be received by everyone who hears or sees? That's a risk. Can I take it?

 

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Pleasant Discipline

 

There is a TV reality show that I often catch at lunchtime. It's my distraction from church business as I eat lunch. This program has helped me understand a concept that stirs up rebellion; a concept I will normally push aside because it gets in my way. It's the concept of discipline.

The show features a British nanny who comes to rescue discipline-less American homes. Children in these highlighted families run wild, are destructive, and dangerous to themselves and their siblings. Nanny comes in and immediately puts a stop to the unruly behavior. She begins by training the parents to retrain their children. She teaches mom and dad to lower their voices to a firm tone. They look the child in the eyes and explain that he/she will be punished. When the bad behavior continues, the parents follow through with the promised punishment--a "time out." Once the required time elapses, Nanny instructs the parents to approach the child in a more gentle voice, explaining again why they were punished, asking the little one for an apology, and then concluding the discipline with a hug and love. The transformations in these families is amazing. And it all begins with training and correction of the parents. The parents are disciplined to instill discipline. And peace comes to their households.

The writer of Hebrews affirms this principle: For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11 ESV). There is pain in being disciplined because it is a restraint. It restricts us from doing what we want to do, and therefore our wills fight--they rebel--against the discipline.

But it is discipline that trains us to resist the things that get us in trouble. Like the children on the nanny show who draw on the walls of their homes, who wallop on their brothers and sisters, who throw dramatic temper tantrums and hold their breath, we also suffer the shock of having our self-centered actions come to an abrupt end when our Heavenly Father places us in "time-out."

How blessed I am to have a Father who loves me enough to reign me in before I run wild. But to be honest, giving thanks is not my first response to His discipline. What comes first is resentment. I cry out to Him with whining and complaining. I carry on about the injustice done to me...about how I don't deserve the troubles I have to endure.

Yet even in my temper tantrums of recent times, God has been speaking messages about perseverance, about sticking with things to the end (the end of my time-out), about not giving up. The discipline has come not because I needed punishment for some wrong-doing; it has come to correct me, to train me in better practices. Discipline has come so that I would examine the tough issues, and my role in them.

It has been painful at times, but I will stick with it. I will trust that God is working good in this discipline. He is working to perfect me, to grow and mature me so that I will bear fruits of righteousness. How can I NOT respect Him for that?

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PIONEER COLUMN (Aug '09): Take a Leap

A few years ago I helped transport my husband’s granddaughters to and from Vacation Bible School. Each afternoon I picked them up, dropped them at the church, then returned a few hours later to collect the girls and all their trinkets (pens and pencils, key chains, balloons, and bookmarks are synonymous with VBS) and delivered them to their mother.

Now every family has at least one child who needs to be reminded of what to do once she leaves the car. In this case, the youngest granddaughter needed explicit directions for what belonged in her house (sweatshirt, shoes, goodie bag, craft project) and what belonged in my car (nothing). She pulled on her shoes, tossed her sweatshirt into her goodie bag and ran toward the house.

"Hey,” I called after her. “Don’t forget your craft.”

“You can bring it,” she replied.

“No. You carried it to the car; you can get it to the house.”

“You can have it,” she called, pulling the screen door behind her.

Being rather stubborn myself, the craft remained in my car. She’ll miss it, I thought. I’ll return it when she asks for it.

Well, that was three years ago. Today that craft project hangs on the bulletin board next to my desk. One-and-a-half paper plates inverted, glued together and painted green, two eyes fixed to the top and four legs attached to the bottom. Daily, it serves to prompt my only true function for the day.

It’s my reminder to F-R-O-G—to Fully Rely On God.

This cute paper frog came into my life at a time I really needed his prompting. I had been struggling with God’s call on my life—a call to pastoral ministry. Was it really something I could do?

I felt pretty confident of the preaching and teaching roles. And the pastoral care—visiting and counseling—that was something that particularly suited me.

But my call seemed to speak specifically to outreach—gathering people to the safety and nurture of the church. Could I risk rejection to become an inviter?

And the administration...meetings and paperwork and keeping a budget in line. Could I handle the managerial aspects of running a church?

Solomon faced a similar dilemma when, at age 20, he was anointed to serve as king of Israel. Having received little mentoring or instruction from his faithful father David, Solomon earnestly sought help from God. He led the military officials and judges and heads of families to the place of worship. A thousand offerings were placed one after another on the holy bronze altar. Solomon waited in the quiet of the night. God appeared and asked what he wanted.

Solomon’s simple request was for wisdom to lead the tumultuous nation. He understood that he lacked experience. He acknowledged that he didn’t know how to lead. He recognized that his own natural inclinations were insufficient to guide the nation. With sincere humility, Solomon asked God for the understanding heart to judge, to discern between good and evil (1 Kings 3:9). Solomon Fully Relied on God to supply the wisdom to rule God’s people.

The frog on my bulletin board reminds me that I don’t have to rely on my training, experience, or even natural talent in order to do the work God has called me to do. There are many things I can’t do on my own. The frog reminds me that I’m not expected to do them on my own. I am, however, expected to F-R-O-G, to trust that He will supply what is needed…for me…and for the church He’s given me to lead.

PIONEER COLUMN (July '09) - Letting go

A few years ago my pastor preached a sermon on unabashed, uninhibited, totally abandoned worship. The kind of worship that displays devotion to God with no regard for pride or embarrassment. The kind of worship that’s a heartfelt expression, setting aside all concern for keeping up appearances.

Pastor was teaching the story of David bringing the Ark of the Covenant to rest in Jerusalem. 2 Samuel describes a festive occasion—cheering crowds, the sounding of the trumpets, and dancing in the streets. In fact, King David himself danced before the Lord, “with all his might” (2 Samuel 6:14). David left his regal demeanor and attire behind. He danced with zealous excitement that gave homage—respect, reverence—to God.

Respect? Reverence? A king and mighty warrior dressed in a simple tunic, an under garment, dancing through the streets as an act of reverence?

The passage moved our pastor to one of those humbling comparison points: would I be able to cast aside my inhibitions to worship God so freely? He admitted he wasn’t sure he could. Far from being a reserved man, the prospect of being so transparent as to dance in his underwear—even before the Lord—struck him as difficult.

Most people don’t remember this self-admission. It’s the outrageousness that sticks in their memories. Years later people still remark, “You’re not going to dance in your underwear, are you Pastor?” Because dancing for God with all your might, dressed only in your underwear is not reverent. It’s just ridiculous.

And that’s how David’s wife, Michal, saw things. Her sarcastic quip, “How the king distinguished himself today!” (2 Samuel 6:20) revealed that her husband’s display was simply low-class.

We tend to look at homage to God—reverence—as a somber experience. It calls for quiet, stillness, our most reserved self. Yet this reverence at times holds us back, keeps us from giving God the best we have. We control the behavior instead of letting our spirits speak to God.

David’s dance speaks of joy and thankfulness for the return of the ark—the container holding the Ten Commandments, and to the ancient Israelites, the representation of the very presence of God. David’s attire speaks of humility, perhaps even penitence. See, the first venture to bring the ark to Jerusalem was anything but reverent.

Somewhere in the history of God’s people the sacred and mysterious instructions for transporting the holy objects were lost. God had detailed the proper procedure for traveling with the ark. Two gold-plated poles were inserted into four gold rings attached at each side of the box. The poles were lifted, and the ark rose above the shoulders of the carriers. The traveling Israelites processed behind at a distance of about half a mile. Though the ark was out of their sight lines, the people stepped out. By day or night, God remained with them as a pillar of cloud or fire, showing the way.

The first attempt to move the ark was little more than corporate relocation. The moving company pulled up, hoisted the ark to a cart, hitched the cart to a team of oxen, and hit the road with two men leading the way. It was an efficient and expedient operation, but it wasn’t reverent. God was not honored and He canceled the move.

In time, David tried again…with four priests serving as ark bearers. And when they had taken only six steps, the procession came to a halt and the company offered sacrifice to the Lord. They had it right—they were giving God the honor He deserved. And it was cause for unrestrained, jubilant worship all the way to the city of Jerusalem.

Reverence is the response to the sanctity and mystery of God. Sometimes that response is quiet humility. Sometimes it is singing. Or fasting. Or feeding the hungry and visiting the sick. Or reflecting on His word. Or dancing—even dancing before Him in your underwear.

PIONEER COLUMN (June 09) - Everyone Act Medium

The children gathered inside their rough shelter. Though slapped together with scrap lumber and plywood, their clubhouse was a tight and sturdy structure. And comfortable, too, thanks to the carpet remnants covering the dirt floor. The clubhouse served them well as the site for games, sharing secrets, and just plain hiding out.

It was during a time of quiet hiding that the idea of official rules was proposed. They were a club, after all. An organization with a purpose. Rules were expected. So after short deliberation, the club established three comprehensive rules:
1) Nobody act big.
2) Nobody act small.
3) Everybody act medium.

Everybody act medium. Isn’t that great? Big. Small. Medium. Isn’t that just like kids? Wisdom we could all adopt for our “clubs.”

Because we know people who act big—people who focus the attention on themselves. They brag. They correct. They cop an attitude. They want to win you over. Most often, people who use bravado are convinced you will like them—will want to be with them, and be like them—once you understand how smart or strong or talented they are.

But the sad fact is, these are the people you want to see fail.

God knows this is our human reaction. So He warns, Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth—a stranger, not your own lips (Proverbs 27:2 NLT). That’s acting medium…letting someone else praise you.

Acting small—thinking you’re not good enough—should also be banned in our clubs. Small act-ers make excuses that keep them from becoming the people God intended them to be. They say, “But I’m not pretty enough/smart enough/talented enough” or “I don’t have the right name in this town.” They stay small with their excuses.

And sometimes misinterpretation of Scripture leads people to act small. Jesus often warned about the dangers of self-promotion. In Luke 14:11 He said, All who make themselves great will be made humble, but all who make themselves humble will be made great.

A person might take to heart just a small part of the verse, make themselves humble, and put on a cover of wretchedness in order to be humble. But no one is unworthy to God. Taking an attitude of not being good enough dishonors our Creator.

The Scripture is also misinterpreted when it is manipulated. When a person claims all who make themselves humble will be made great as a promise for this world, humility is misused. This person is seeking the recognition of man. When you consider God has something far greater for us, that is acting pretty small. God wants to be the One who makes you great. That’s acting medium…letting God give your humble work recognition.

God calls us to be medium people: Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves (Philippians 2:3 – 4 NLT).

So, what does it take to be a medium person? Three things:
1) Be yourself. Be the person God made you to be (if you don’t know, ask Him). Be genuine; be sincere. Don’t be a phony. Be transparent and willing to take risks. Are you shy? Take a risk and introduce yourself to others. Do you cry easily? Let people see your tears. Are you having a hard time? Share it with someone. Let someone help you carry the burden.
2) Be willing to be less of yourself. If you have outstanding talent, step aside. Let someone else have the glory. And then be their greatest cheerleader.
3) Be willing to be more of yourself...in Christ. Let more of Jesus shine through you. What would that look like? It would be an aura of patience and kindness, but not jealousy or boasting or pride or rudeness. It would allow others to have their way. It would not be irritable and would not keep tally of wrongs. It would not celebrate injustice, but rejoice when truth triumphs. It would never give up, never lose faith, would always be hopeful. It would endure through every circumstance (1 Corinthians 13:4 – 7 paraphrase). Being more of yourself in Christ is letting the love of Jesus shine through.

PIONEER COLUMN (April 09) - A Story to Tell

It has all the elements of a top-rated soap opera: an extramarital affair, unplanned pregnancy, murder, remarriage. But this story doesn’t come from prime time television. This is the story of King David.

For months David lived with the secret of his affair with Bathsheba…months that cost him physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Unable to eat or keep food down, his body wasted away. Guilt can do that—it can steal the appetite or stir up the stomach. It left David with no energy. Keeping his secret took everything he had. Secrets require vigilance against betrayers. Trusting no one, suspicion drained David like the heaviness of summer heat.

But when confronted, David’s eyes opened. He recognized the affair as sin. David saw clearly that he had sinned against God. Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight -- Psalm 51:4. The affair affected many people—many had been hurt, some even died—but David’s sin was against God’s commands for holy living.

David mourned his transgressions. He was never away from them. He recognized the distance between him and God. He begged: Wash me, cleanse me, purify me, blot out my transgressions.

Then he asked for the one thing sorely missing in his life—joy. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation—Psalm 51:12. Until sin was made apparent, David hadn’t even realized the joy was AWOL.

Isn’t that the way it goes? There’s no joy in keeping a secret. We fear what could happen if it came out…we’d be ruined, abandoned, shamed. Yet living with the secret, protecting it, ever suspicious, watching our backs…there’s no joy or satisfaction in that kind of living.

With confession came forgiveness. And David rejoiced. He declared, Open my lips that my mouth may declare your praise. Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness (verses 14, 15). This was no time to be silent. It was time to speak up with praise and joyful singing. It was time to tell of the good things of God. It was time to share what God had done: David had been delivered, washed clean, the sin erased. He was able to start anew.

Oh, the world needed to know. And so David promised, God, when they hear my story, they’ll know just how awesome you are.

When Mary and the other women went to the tomb that Sunday morning, they found…joy. They had lived through three days of unbelievable sorrow. They had seen their beloved Jesus nailed to a cross, suffocating as His lungs collapsed. The women looked up at the cross and their eyes were opened. Jesus became sin—their sin.
The next day, they mourned. They cried out to God. They begged for another chance, a do-over. To be restored to Jesus. To be clean and renewed, ready to give it another try, a better try.

And on Sunday, they found the empty tomb. Jesus’ body was gone. They were confused…till the angel let them know that Jesus was not in the grave. Tombs are for dead people and Jesus was alive.
Jesus was alive.

The women ran to tell the others—JESUS IS ALIVE.

Do you think they had joy?

We are nearly to the end of the time of self-denial called Lent. This season culminates with the events remembered this weekend. Today, we recall Jesus on that cross…high and lifted up…He who had no sin made to be sin for us. Tomorrow is a day of reflecting, crying out, asking for God’s mercy.

And Sunday is our day of joy restored.

What do you do when you have joy restored?
You share the Good News. Let others know the marvelous things that God has done. Open your lips. Let your tongue joyfully sing. Open your mouths to declare your praise. JESUS IS ALIVE.