Maybe you've heard about some of the professional football players (i.e. Chad Johnson, Antwan Boldin, Steven Jackson) who haven't been happy with their contracts this off-season. Implicit in their demands for higher paying contracts is the sentiment, “I'd be happy if the team would only pay me what I'm worth”. Or maybe there's a player on your favorite sports team who says they want a bigger role. Maybe it is one of your colleagues at work saying “if only I were in charge of things” or one of your friends saying how things would be great if that “one thing” in their life would get fixed...it sounds so simple, right?
God is clear that we are not all dealt the same hand of cards in this game of life (Matthew 25:14-30, Luke 19:12-28). If you would like to have more responsibility, be faithful with God has given you...then He will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come share in your master's happiness!”. If you want God to be unpleased with you, bemoan your circumstances and just try to hold on to the little bit you've been given. We are also warned that the stakes go up when we are given more by God, as we also inherit more responsibility (Luke 12:48). So let's be faithful with what we have been given and God will be faithful in granting us additional opportunities for us to show off His glory.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Following the Playbook
Have you ever not done something that you know you should do? Maybe it is because you have too much on your mind and you forgot or it is something you just didn't place enough importance on or you thought someone else would take care of it. Regardless of the reason, it was something you should have done and you didn't do it. I know that I have overcommitted myself before and not been able to fulfill all of my commitments. Maybe it is as simple as not paying attention to a friend saying they need someone to hang out with or talk to.
Jesus told us that when we mistreat others though our lack of action, that we treat Him the same way (Matthew 26:41-45). We are taught to provide simple, honest answers (James 5:12)...and that God wants us to show others mercy (Hosea 6:6). Jesus is a great example of how using the playbook and video room (the Bible) and continual communication with the Father makes the knowing and doing the right thing so natural. It is kind of like someone who has never seen a football playbook can't understand much of the information inside...but it makes more and more sense when the person spends more time in it and talks to the writer/creator of the playbook...of course, seeing the playbook executed is helpful as well. God will continually prepare us for His use if we will let Him...unlike football, helping meet people's needs and pointing them towards Him isn't a one day a week game...it's an on-call 24/7 thing.
Jesus told us that when we mistreat others though our lack of action, that we treat Him the same way (Matthew 26:41-45). We are taught to provide simple, honest answers (James 5:12)...and that God wants us to show others mercy (Hosea 6:6). Jesus is a great example of how using the playbook and video room (the Bible) and continual communication with the Father makes the knowing and doing the right thing so natural. It is kind of like someone who has never seen a football playbook can't understand much of the information inside...but it makes more and more sense when the person spends more time in it and talks to the writer/creator of the playbook...of course, seeing the playbook executed is helpful as well. God will continually prepare us for His use if we will let Him...unlike football, helping meet people's needs and pointing them towards Him isn't a one day a week game...it's an on-call 24/7 thing.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Mice and Men
Have you ever wanted something so bad that I drove your focus in all areas of life? I know I have. I thought I was leaving St. Louis for only one year after pharmacy school to get a view of the "outside world" and then return to St. Louis for my specialty residency and faculty position. Little did I know that God had much different plans for me that would take me to San Antonio for a year and then to Dallas. I wondered why roadblocks were keeping me away from St. Louis while applying for these positions…what I didn't realize is that I was about to find a great group church, fantastic group of friends, and wonderful career in Dallas. It turns out that the best laid plans of mice and men don't come close to stacking up to God's plans for us.
You might say, "Well, that's your opinion" or "you still didn't get what you asked for". True...but let me share a few examples with you to show God's consistency in His word. Jonah was quite unhappy with God for asking him to go to Nineveh and tried to run opposite of God's will (Jonah 1:1-3). God used this experience to teach Jonah about His compassion and for people (Jonah 4:1-11). David was not happy about being chased endlessly by his enemies, but God used his circumstances to teach David about God's unfailing love (Psalm 13:1-6)…David goes on in the next chapter to say how only the fool denies God. So, let us remember that God is with us not only on the mountaintop, but also in the valley...and He is worthy of our love, worship, and obedience in both places.
You might say, "Well, that's your opinion" or "you still didn't get what you asked for". True...but let me share a few examples with you to show God's consistency in His word. Jonah was quite unhappy with God for asking him to go to Nineveh and tried to run opposite of God's will (Jonah 1:1-3). God used this experience to teach Jonah about His compassion and for people (Jonah 4:1-11). David was not happy about being chased endlessly by his enemies, but God used his circumstances to teach David about God's unfailing love (Psalm 13:1-6)…David goes on in the next chapter to say how only the fool denies God. So, let us remember that God is with us not only on the mountaintop, but also in the valley...and He is worthy of our love, worship, and obedience in both places.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Mike Tyson and Focus
You may not think that Mike Tyson has anything to offer when it comes to being focused. You may think that someone who has had domestic violence issues and put a tattoo on his face has nothing to offer. However, one of his famous quotes, "Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth." offers some insights that we can utilize in our daily lives.
We usually think we have our plan in place to deal with temptation until it comes. Then we get hit in the mouth and think we have to rely on our own strength to overcome the temptation. James 4:8 says "Come near to God and He will come near to you". Psalm 23:5 tells us that the Lord prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies…so coming near to God doesn't mean that we no longer have enemies. Jesus provided us with the blueprint to overcome Satan's attacks: 1) be in consistent communication with the Father through prayer, 2) be familiar with His word, 3) remember that whose we are matters much more than who the world thinks we are (or thinks we should be). So, as the saying goes "practice makes perfect"…it is much easier to execute something in a game that a team has practiced over and over until it is second nature…so let's make our practice help our fight against temptation and not to work against us.
We usually think we have our plan in place to deal with temptation until it comes. Then we get hit in the mouth and think we have to rely on our own strength to overcome the temptation. James 4:8 says "Come near to God and He will come near to you". Psalm 23:5 tells us that the Lord prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies…so coming near to God doesn't mean that we no longer have enemies. Jesus provided us with the blueprint to overcome Satan's attacks: 1) be in consistent communication with the Father through prayer, 2) be familiar with His word, 3) remember that whose we are matters much more than who the world thinks we are (or thinks we should be). So, as the saying goes "practice makes perfect"…it is much easier to execute something in a game that a team has practiced over and over until it is second nature…so let's make our practice help our fight against temptation and not to work against us.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The Closer's Mentality
For those of you not as familiar with baseball, the closer is the pitcher who usually comes in the 9th (or last) inning to protect the lead. Perfection is the standard for pitchers chosen to serve as a closer for a team. However, no closer is perfect…they can often make fans nervous by giving up hits and home runs even when they are successful... they even sometimes lose the game all together. If you ask any successful closer what is the secret to being able to go after the next hitter or save the next game, you'll hear a strikingly similar refrain...you have to have a short memory and focus on the hitter that is at bat (or the game that is being played that day). In other words, it doesn't matter how bad (or good) things went the last time around…this time is what you can control right now.
Peter offers a great example of someone who had many captivating moments in his life (walking on water and then taking his eyes off Jesus in Matthew 14:28-30, denying Christ 3 times before His crucifixion in John 18:17-26, and speaking to the crowd the day 3,000 were saved in Acts 2:41...among others)…good and bad...that he could have gotten stuck on and not moved on to what he could control that moment. After all of this, Peter was able to preserve and have a short memory of his failings…this helped him to follow Christ all the way to dying on a cross himself (John 21:18). So, let's don't beat ourselves up over what happened 5 minutes, a day, a month, a year, or 5 years ago (Let me be clear here…I am not saying that we don't have to confess our sins to God)…but we need to be able to move on quickly in order to be effective in the only place we can take action…the present.
Peter offers a great example of someone who had many captivating moments in his life (walking on water and then taking his eyes off Jesus in Matthew 14:28-30, denying Christ 3 times before His crucifixion in John 18:17-26, and speaking to the crowd the day 3,000 were saved in Acts 2:41...among others)…good and bad...that he could have gotten stuck on and not moved on to what he could control that moment. After all of this, Peter was able to preserve and have a short memory of his failings…this helped him to follow Christ all the way to dying on a cross himself (John 21:18). So, let's don't beat ourselves up over what happened 5 minutes, a day, a month, a year, or 5 years ago (Let me be clear here…I am not saying that we don't have to confess our sins to God)…but we need to be able to move on quickly in order to be effective in the only place we can take action…the present.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Meatloaf and Manna
Have you ever been to a dinner table and heard the expression "Oh no…meatloaf again" (feel free to insert your own dish here)? The Israelites complained about eating manna every day and not having meat to eat (Numbers 11:6). They were so frustrated that they claimed they would be better off back in Egypt (Numbers 11:18). Obviously, the Israelites were so frustrated that they forgot that God delivered them from Egypt by parting the Red Sea and drowning the Egyptian army (Exodus 14:26-31) and the promised land still to be given to them (Exodus 4:16-17).
Before we say that we would never be like that, how often do we say how much better things would be if God would only give us this or that? What is it in your case…a raise, a promotion, a fancier car, a nicer place to live, more or better friends, a husband/wife, a child…something else? Have we forgotten what God has already done for us (John 3:16) and what He has promised to do for us (Jeremiah 29:11, John 14:1-4)?
The funny thing about thinking that anything other than God will complete our joy is that it will always leave us wanting more. Wyatt Earp asked in the movie Tombstone, "What makes a man like Ringo, Doc, makes him do the things he does?" To which Doc Holliday answers, "A man like Ringo got a has great empty hole running right through the middle of him...he can never kill enough, or steal enough, or inflict enough pain to ever fill it." Only God can make the joy of our salvation complete (Psalm 51:12) and our obedience to His commands allows us remain in His love (John 15:9-11).
Before we say that we would never be like that, how often do we say how much better things would be if God would only give us this or that? What is it in your case…a raise, a promotion, a fancier car, a nicer place to live, more or better friends, a husband/wife, a child…something else? Have we forgotten what God has already done for us (John 3:16) and what He has promised to do for us (Jeremiah 29:11, John 14:1-4)?
The funny thing about thinking that anything other than God will complete our joy is that it will always leave us wanting more. Wyatt Earp asked in the movie Tombstone, "What makes a man like Ringo, Doc, makes him do the things he does?" To which Doc Holliday answers, "A man like Ringo got a has great empty hole running right through the middle of him...he can never kill enough, or steal enough, or inflict enough pain to ever fill it." Only God can make the joy of our salvation complete (Psalm 51:12) and our obedience to His commands allows us remain in His love (John 15:9-11).
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Field Trip
You might have heard that all NFL rookies are visiting the pro football hall of fame this year. This field trip was sparked by a suggestion from former Dallas Cowboy Michael Irvin that young players might be less likely to get in trouble if they had the opportunity to see that the game is bigger than them. Other potential benefits of such a trip include gaining an appreciation for the history of the game and committing to put in the work that is required to be truly great.
Have you visited the hall of fame lately? I'm not talking about any sports hall of fame, but instead about faith's hall of fame (Hebrews 11). It is certainly a reminder that 1) God's plan is bigger than any one of us; 2) God rewards those who demonstrate their faith through works; and 3) allows us an opportunity to commit to being faithful to God and allowing Him to show us the great life (maybe not great by the world's standards) that only He can give. Of course, just visiting (or working/volunteering for) a hall of fame doesn't make you a member of it. We have to put into work what we learn from those who have come before us. Let's go take a visit to the hall and then go and try to live up to the great examples laid out before us.
Have you visited the hall of fame lately? I'm not talking about any sports hall of fame, but instead about faith's hall of fame (Hebrews 11). It is certainly a reminder that 1) God's plan is bigger than any one of us; 2) God rewards those who demonstrate their faith through works; and 3) allows us an opportunity to commit to being faithful to God and allowing Him to show us the great life (maybe not great by the world's standards) that only He can give. Of course, just visiting (or working/volunteering for) a hall of fame doesn't make you a member of it. We have to put into work what we learn from those who have come before us. Let's go take a visit to the hall and then go and try to live up to the great examples laid out before us.
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