” Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
Some of you may have seen the movie Overcomer, for those of you who have not, let me declare a spoiler alert here – but no worries; even after reading my comments on the movie in this post, I’m confident that when you see it for yourself you’ll be blessed.
The movie is about a girl named Hannah, a loner really who has no sense of who she is or if she even matters to anyone at all. The girl’s father left her and her mother right after she had been born and it was her understanding that he had since passed away.
Hannah did not know her father’s love for her until one day when the man, presumed dead re-entered her life. His life was a mess when she was born but in the 15 years that followed, he had come to believe in Jesus Christ and his prayer was to one day be reunited with his daughter.
Later, Hannah learned that her heavenly Father and Maker loved her too and that He demonstrated His love for her by sending His Son to redeem her. She also believed the gospel concerning Jesus and her connection with Him changed her completely.
Hannah was a cross country runner as her dad had been but because of an ongoing illness she struggled in every race. In the Overcomer allegory….the girls dad, bedridden and unable to be present with her for her final race led her to victory by coaching her through every mile of her race via a prerecorded message.
My friends as believers, we are all like Hannah. We are all in a race. We all struggle with things that hinder us in the race but our heavenly Father speaks tenderly to us. He has left us a “pre-recorded” message as well. Through those words, by His Spirit as well as other believers He encourages us, He informs us, He directs us and if we will listen and do what He says He will lead us to overcome every challenge and finish our race well!
Whatever you’re facing today and no matter what hurdles stand in your way, know that you are NEVER alone. God goes with you – trust Him for EVERY step!
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
“Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save (sozo, deliver from bondage) both yourself and those who hear you.” (1 Timothy 4:16)
I recently heard an Irish folk tale that goes something like this: Two lumberjacks – one older and proven; the other, young and with something to prove were taking their lunch break one day when the younger stepped up to the older and challenged him to a contest. The younger proposed that they compete to see which of them could fell more trees in a single day. The older lumberjack accepted the challenge.
The next morning at the sound of a whistle the two began hacking away…the younger relentlessly going at tree after tree; the older lumberjack on the other hand took a fifteen minute break after every tree he felled. At the end of the day the trees were tallied and the older woodcutter won. The younger, astonished at his defeat turned to his opponent and asked, “How did you knock down more trees than I did? I know that you took a break between each tree and I did not.” The older and wiser woodcutter responded, “What you don’t know is that during each break I spent the time sharpening my axe.”
In Christian ministry as in other works where our focus and priority is on those around us it often happens that we neglect ourselves. The Christian minister is often so concerned with discipling others that he neglects to take the time to prepare himself. Just as a dull axe won’t cut wood well, a Christian minister, missionary or witness will have little impact in the lives of others if he fails to take time to work on or sharpen himself.
My friends, let us take the time, everyday to prepare ourselves BEFORE we set out to teach, preach or reach out to others in Jesus name.
Several months ago I read a book by Jared Wilson titled, “The story of Everything.” One of the things that stuck with me from the second chapter is that in essence all of us are narcissists at heart, meaning that everyone of us considers ourselves to be the most important person in our own lives.
What do you think? is that a fair and accurate statement?
As you ponder the question I’d like you to consider how you respond when someone arriving after you gets served before you at a restaurant, at an automotive service department, at the deli counter or at the doctors office. In addition, how do you respond when you’re cut off in traffic, at an exit, or in a parking lot or garage when someone takes the parking space you’ve been waiting for?
Now consider these words from (Philippians 2:3-4):
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
Recently, I suffered a traumatic head injury and was in need of urgent treatment. Life Flight was grounded because of the weather and I ended up being transported by ambulance the 140 miles or so to University hospital in San Antonio where the trauma team there took great care of me and takes great care of EVERY patient brought to them – they put me on the road to recovery.
A few days ago I had to return again by ambulance for what I thought was nothing but what doctors thought might have been a stroke. Thankfully, it was not. But on that occasion I became angry and frustrated because I was still there and was no being so urgently tended to; to be honest I became inconvenienced. Then it dawned on me that the team, which weeks earlier had been doing everything to get me on the road to recovery was doing the same for others who were like I had been and worse and in urgent need of help.
They were helping others and I began to deeply regret my attitude.
In reality, that team of interns, doctors, surgeons and nurses were doing what every believer is called to do – they were esteeming others as greater or more important than themselves.
Jesus, our great Physician did that too!
In (Luke 5:31-32) we read that Jesus said: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Were the Pharisees – is anyone righteous? No, but some people in their sin and self righteousness don’t know how urgent their need is of our great Physician. I bring the passage up however because of the lengths that Jesus went to in order to make sin sick souls well: Jesus laid His life down for the sake of sinners and enemies of God – for our sake (see John 10:11) and in obedience to His Father’s will (see Luke 22:42, John 4:34). In a sense, Jesus esteemed us better than Himself (see Philippians 2:5-11); His Father was the most important person in Jesus’ life and fulfilling His Father’s mission was all that mattered to Him.
The most important mission for the EMT’s neurologists, neurosurgeons, doctors and nurses at University hospital is saving the lives of others. Likewise, the most important people in our lives ought to be those in urgent need of forgiveness, grace and abundant life made available to them through our great Physician Jesus Christ; and our greatest mission is to care enough about them to point them to Him, to love them like He loves us John 13:34, 15:12) and to esteem them – to put them before ourselves.
Who and what is most important to you? Will you join me in moving self out of the way for the sake of others?
Lord, help us move from being focused on ourselves, our lives and our to-do lists that we might become focused on the needs of those around us instead.
New beginnings are a BIG deal to us and as the New Year dawns, we anticipate the opportunities and possibilities that may come along with it.
Paul’s words in Philippians 3:13-14 read as if they might have spoken on such an occasion as a New Year but they were not; there the Apostle of the Lord wrote:
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
As I said, people make a big deal out of New Years Eve and Day – they call it a fresh start, but in actuality we have a least as many as 365 ‘fresh starts’ per year (if the Lord will allow) – one a day and often many more than that and while with every day comes the fresh start, wouldn’t it be better if each day we built momentum in a specific and determined direction – just like a runner running a race to the finish line.?
As resolute Christians entering into a New Year or simply a new day our only resolution should be to surrender ourselves each day to the Lord’s will and to pursue an ever deepening relationship with Him. In the third chapter of his letter to the Philippians the Apostle Paul used his own life as an example to teach that important truth.
As a runner (once upon a time) I know that you don’t begin
your race on the track but in the daily discipline of training; in (v.13-14)
Paul used a runner’s metaphor to describe his life of faith. As I consider his
words I think of Jesus as the leader in our race – He is well out in front of
the rest of the runners and it will take everything Paul or anyone else has to
even keep Him in sight. This is the impression that I have of Paul – he is in
the race and on the track in pursuit of Jesus and he is committed to pushing
himself beyond yesterday’s accomplishments to reach the goal and finish his
race well.
Part of the “discipline of training” for a runner is removing things from his or her life that would hinder them from running well and focusing on others. In chapter three of his letter to the Philippian believers Paul points out some things that could hinder them from running well.
1. Beware of people, specifically false teachers who would turn or pull you away from running the race (Philippians 1:2-3).
Before I move from this point I want to stress that I am not saying you are not to associate with unbelievers. How can we get the gospel out if we don’t associate with those who have yet to believe it? But we are called to cease associating with believers who are living in open sin and we are called to avoid and beware of false teachers (or prophets) (see Matt. 7:15, Romans 16:17, Col.2:8) who twist the word of God to make it say what God did not intend it to say – beware of such as these who’s influence may pull you away from the Lord.
2. Beware of attitudes which would pull or keep you from running the race. Dwelling on past failures or successes can keep us from pressing on in our race for the goal. Even though Paul reflected on his accomplishments in (Philippians 3:3-6) he said that he counted them as loss, dung and rubbish (v.7-8) for Christ.
3. Beware of behaviors which would pull you or keep you from running the race. (Philippians 3:17-21). In (Ephesians 4:22-24) he reminded us to “put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
One last thing, and as we enter into this New Year I encourage you to do this as well: Focus on knowing Jesus better. I’m not talking about a knowledge about Him but rather about a deepening relationship with Him.
[v.8-11] “Yet indeed I also count all things loss
for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have
suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain
Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the
law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from
God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the
fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I
may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
This passage gives some people a hard time; with phrases
like: “that I may gain Christ and be found in Him;” or “that
I may know Him” and “if, by any means, I may attain to the
resurrection from the dead” they wonder what Paul meant – could he be
saying that he had yet to gain Christ; that he had yet to have the
righteousness of Christ or that something yet remained to be done in order for
him to qualify for the resurrection from the dead? No, Paul had already come to
faith, been made righteous and been qualified for the resurrection through
faith in Jesus Christ.
If anything Paul wanted to be more than “run of the mill believer;” he wanted to walk the same path as the Lord even up to suffering for Him as a martyr some would say. As I have already said, Paul wasn’t satisfied with his spiritual life – he wanted more; he wanted to know the Lord better in a practical and literal sense and he set his mind on deepening his connection with the Lord – I pray you will too.
One of the greatest and most whimsical stories of the season is the Dr. Seuss classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Who HASN’T heard the story about the grumpy green grouch living above the city of Whoville?
While the story seems to focus on the restoration of the main characters maniacally twisted, depraved and ever so tiny heart through the kindheartedness of a little girl named Cindy Lou Who, I think that most of us have missed the more subtle moral of the story.
Have you ever considered that Theodor Geisel aka Dr. Suess might have been railing on the flamboyant, over the top consumerism and materialism that seems to drive our own keeping of the season from before Halloween through our New Year celebrations?
What IS this season REALLY about?
As I see it, its about love.
It’s about the love of God who at just the right time, “sent forth His Son, made (born) of a woman, made (born) under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4) It’s also about WHY God the Father sent Him: “God so LOVED the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” (John 3:16) God loved the world – the kosmos in the Greek; He loved the world and especially its inhabitants. He loved you and me when we were green with envy, when we were grouchy and complaint filled; He loved us, the Bible says in (Romans 5:8) “while we were yet sinners.” He loved the sinner while hating their sin – a fact not written out in so many words in the pages of scripture and yet made evident by the actions He undertook on behalf of us all.
It’s also about the love of Jesus who died to reconcile us to God while we were still His enemies (Romans 5:10). Did He love God or each of us more, when He suffered unspeakable hate and torture and as He bore our sins on the cross and exchanged them for His own righteousness? The answer seems clear from the Bible that out of love and especially obedience toward His Father, Jesus endured all of those things (Luke 22:42, John 4:34,5:30, 6:38 ) nevertheless, love kept Jesus on the cross.
At His incarnation or birth into human flesh, the eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ was given as an expression of God’s love toward the world in order to make us what none of us ever could be on our own – right with God. By His crucifixion and resurrection Jesus Christ made His Father’s love a literal reality for every person who has believed or ever will.
Christmas isn’t about Jing Tinglers, Flu Floopers, Tar Tinkers or Who Hoovers no matter how wonderful the music played on these can be! It isn’t about finding and giving the most amazing (and amazingly expensive) gift from the list of someone we love. While love is the only debt the Bible says we ought to owe each other (Romans 13:8), expressing it shouldn’t put us in the poor house. Christmas IS about the greatest expression of love ever known among men – God’s love toward sinners.
So this Christmas, if all you have is time to give – give it; your time given to the one forgotten is a priceless loving gesture to them. By the way, love the unbearable grouch at the end of your block or next to you in your work place or couch – do for them what Jesus did for you; who knows if it won’t just change their lives too.
“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2)
Jesus Christ did not die on the cross and rise from the grave so that you could have victory SOME DAY. He did not reveal Himself so that people could have victory over the evil power and influences in their lives SOME DAY. He died to give people victory over sins power NOW! He died to transform lives NOW!
There is not merely a hope of victory and peace with God in the future. Jesus Christ didn’t die so that we’d be different when we arrive in Heaven. He did not die so that until the moment we are with Him in Heaven we’d be as we’ve been and then finally be changed in the kingdom.
He died so the we’d be different NOW!
Have victory NOW!
Be made new, NOW!!!
He didn’t merely give His life so that you’d have a place in Heaven SOMEDAY but so that Heaven would have a place in you…Today.
I have often used these words found in (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2) as I began a funeral service:
“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die…” and in the middle is the dash.
I always used those words to tell others about the life of the one who had passed – to celebrate him or her and in some way to offer the family some comfort with those memories but I never applied the point to the survivors. The fact is that our lives are like a vapor (James 4:14) – here today and gone tomorrow and in a world full of distractions its easy to waste every moment we’ve been given and fail to make the most of the dash – that mark of a lifetime between our earthly beginning and end.
There is a time to be born and a time to die but whats done in between makes all the difference.
Is a life only well lived if its full of risk and adrenaline? Is it a well lived life if you never ‘colored outside of the lines‘ of it? Is a well lived life one that is void of any bad choices or is a well lived life simply one that at the end of the day was lived without regrets? Is it about the hindsight analysis of those taking a look at your life after you’ve passed that determines whether or not your’s was a well lived life or is it simply a day by day determination by the one living it?
In the end, we will each give an answer for the contents of our “dash.” The Bible declares in (Hebrews 9:27) that “it is appointed for men once to die but after this the judgement.” God will ultimately be the judge of your life. Listen, His judgement is righteous but it comes down to one thing – belief in Jesus Christ – did you or didn’t you. Do you or don’t you. Apart from belief in Jesus every man will be judged and condemned by the contents of their dash.
In my mind, a life lived well is one that makes the most of Jesus. The apostle Paul learned to be content in his life (Philippians 4:11) simply because of who was in his life – have you? My friends, we all only go around in this life once; we only have one life – the space between the day of our birth and the day of our death, to make a choice that will shape our forever – to quote Mark Spence of Living Waters Ministries: “don’t waste your dash!”
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