A Word About Prayer
“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name . . .” Matthew 6:7-9 NIV
Have you ever been in a church service or in the presence of someone who is praying and hear them use a bunch of words to address God, before they even get to anything substantive? Maybe they start calling out the various names of God in their prayers: “Lord God Jehovah, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Maker of Heaven and Earth, Ruler of Nations, Lord of All . . .” On and on and on. All of this before they even get to the very thing they are praying about. I wonder if they know that it’s not necessary?
Jesus tells his disciples not to pray like this. In that day, the “pagans” as the bible calls them, used to heap all kinds of titles and praise words on their god in order to win their affection so that they could get what they wanted. They would introduce their prayers with things to “butter up” their God, hoping to get their god’s attention. But those who walked with Jesus were instructed not to pray this way. Jesus told his disciples to pray from a position of intimacy with their God. Not from a position of begging for “stuff”.
He tells his disciples to address God as “Father”. That describes a relationship. You don’t go to someone you are in relationship with heaping on a bunch of names before you ask for something from them. If you do, they usually know something is up. You want something from them that they will probably say no to. So you feel the need to butter them up first before you ask. Jesus says that God already knows what you are going to ask for, so there is no need for all of the babbling beforehand.
When I call my Dad, I don’t hit him with all of his titles before I get to the gist of what I’m calling for. If I called and said, “Father of Shayna, Erica and Rick; Husband of Donna; Son of Jannette and Herbert; Teacher of students; Resident of Mt. Airy; Owner of a White Car; Former Changer of My Diaper . . .” he would think I’d lost my mind. That’s not how you address someone with whom you have a relationship with. I just leave it at “Hey Dad”. And then proceed with the conversation.
For those who are in relationship with God as our Heavenly Father, there is no need to go on and on and on before you come before Him in prayer. Jesus has already made it possible for you to simply say, “Hey Dad”. There is nothing wrong with praising God for who He is, but it is not necessary for talking to Him on the regular. Don’t think that you are out of order for simply talking to your father. Those who feel disconnected may think they need to start off their prayer with the babbling, but know that it is not necessary. As a matter of fact, I think God would like it very much if you just say, “Hey Dad”. Especially if you have not spoken to God in a while. That doesn’t change the fact that you are still His child. You don’t have to work your way back up to get in good with God again. He already knows what you want to talk about. He just wants you to know that you can talk to Him. No mater how far away you feel you are. Don’t pray like someone who has no relationship with God. You already do. Just say, “Hey Dad”. I am sure He will answer.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Jehova Jireh? My Provider
Jehova Jireh? My Provider.
“I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:18-19 NIV
One of the hardest parts of living by faith in your finances is getting used to the reshaping of your mindset. If you are, like me, used to living in a condition of surplus, then living according to your needs being met is a real challenge. It’s not even that I had a whole bunch of money before, but it was certainly more than I have now. I don’t even think I recognized how much surplus I had until I didn’t have it anymore. I was used to working on a budget, putting some money away for savings and investing, giving, traveling, going out with friends, giving gifts, all with my paycheck. But now, I have no regular paycheck. I get money at random times for various clients that come through at the times when I need it. And usually it has nothing to do with me doing any advertising for them. They just come. Now, if I didn’t know where I was spiritually at this point in my life, I would probably quit school, focus exclusively on my business and get back to the place where I was more comfortable. And believe me, it’s tempting. But God does show me where He has me at this moment, so I continuously fight the temptation. And I also know that this is just a season.
Paul was speaking to the Philippian church about his own financial condition in the above passage. He was living off of the money he made from making tents and whatever else he needed from the support for the churches he started in various towns or cities. He never really put the burden of supporting him on the people, but the Philippians gave out of their hearts for taking care of Paul and his needs. Paul said in the previous verses that he had learned to get along with means and also to get along without them, and one thing he had come to realize is that he can do all things through Christ who strengthened him. That’s what that scripture means. Whether Paul had a lot or a little, he could survive and be content with where he was at the moment. God was his true source, and God touched the hearts of people to help Paul when he needed it. And for that, Paul prayed that God would give them all they needed. Their concern for him was genuine and even though they were not the richest church that Paul helped to start, their kindness and generosity was unmatched. And the people who gave touched Paul’s heart.
I have received so much from people during this time in my life. And it always comes when I need it. Whether it is a service I provided through financial planning or just a person choosing to give me a gift, I am truly grateful. And I have learned how to get along with means and how to get along without. And I, too, know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I pray a special blessing over those who have helped me in any way during this time. Those who have chosen to bless me as I bless others, and those who God has laid on my heart to bless, even when I think I am so broke. I have still been able to give to others. I have not missed a thing. As a matter of fact, I have done even more now then I did when I had a paycheck. So hopefully this encourages others to truly learn to trust God in their financial situation, whatever it may be. If you have means, don’t put your life in it, but learn to share freely. If you don’t have means, learn to see the provision of God in this place, and you will be able to handle it even if He chooses to take you out of that place into a season of abundance. But Christ gives you the strength to do it all. And if you don’t have it then maybe you don’t actually need it the way you think you do. That is something else I’m learning. Just because I want to take care of it financially right now doesn’t mean that I need to. God is still in charge.
“I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:18-19 NIV
One of the hardest parts of living by faith in your finances is getting used to the reshaping of your mindset. If you are, like me, used to living in a condition of surplus, then living according to your needs being met is a real challenge. It’s not even that I had a whole bunch of money before, but it was certainly more than I have now. I don’t even think I recognized how much surplus I had until I didn’t have it anymore. I was used to working on a budget, putting some money away for savings and investing, giving, traveling, going out with friends, giving gifts, all with my paycheck. But now, I have no regular paycheck. I get money at random times for various clients that come through at the times when I need it. And usually it has nothing to do with me doing any advertising for them. They just come. Now, if I didn’t know where I was spiritually at this point in my life, I would probably quit school, focus exclusively on my business and get back to the place where I was more comfortable. And believe me, it’s tempting. But God does show me where He has me at this moment, so I continuously fight the temptation. And I also know that this is just a season.
Paul was speaking to the Philippian church about his own financial condition in the above passage. He was living off of the money he made from making tents and whatever else he needed from the support for the churches he started in various towns or cities. He never really put the burden of supporting him on the people, but the Philippians gave out of their hearts for taking care of Paul and his needs. Paul said in the previous verses that he had learned to get along with means and also to get along without them, and one thing he had come to realize is that he can do all things through Christ who strengthened him. That’s what that scripture means. Whether Paul had a lot or a little, he could survive and be content with where he was at the moment. God was his true source, and God touched the hearts of people to help Paul when he needed it. And for that, Paul prayed that God would give them all they needed. Their concern for him was genuine and even though they were not the richest church that Paul helped to start, their kindness and generosity was unmatched. And the people who gave touched Paul’s heart.
I have received so much from people during this time in my life. And it always comes when I need it. Whether it is a service I provided through financial planning or just a person choosing to give me a gift, I am truly grateful. And I have learned how to get along with means and how to get along without. And I, too, know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I pray a special blessing over those who have helped me in any way during this time. Those who have chosen to bless me as I bless others, and those who God has laid on my heart to bless, even when I think I am so broke. I have still been able to give to others. I have not missed a thing. As a matter of fact, I have done even more now then I did when I had a paycheck. So hopefully this encourages others to truly learn to trust God in their financial situation, whatever it may be. If you have means, don’t put your life in it, but learn to share freely. If you don’t have means, learn to see the provision of God in this place, and you will be able to handle it even if He chooses to take you out of that place into a season of abundance. But Christ gives you the strength to do it all. And if you don’t have it then maybe you don’t actually need it the way you think you do. That is something else I’m learning. Just because I want to take care of it financially right now doesn’t mean that I need to. God is still in charge.
Monday, September 12, 2011
You Have a Song
You Have a Song
“Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.” Psalm 96:1 NIV
Last winter, when we had our crazy blizzard conditions, I was outside shoveling the snow. I had my iPod on and was listening to a great song I love by Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir called, “Wonderful to Me”. The song is just a simple song of adoration and worship to God, but it is extremely soothing. You can feel the love that the singer has towards God. It invites you into their intimacy and calls you to embrace your own intimacy with God. A good worship song is supposed to do that for you. To take you into a deeper place with God. A place where all is well.
But as I continued to listen to the song, I started thinking about my own words and what I actually want to say to God when I’m in that place with Him. I started thinking about my own song. I have an intimate relationship with God. I have things that I can sing about. (Not necessarily sing them well, but it is heartfelt). It’s nice to listen to the words of other people and their relationship with God, but we have our own words. You have a song that you can sing to God that reflects who He is to you. And it’s a song that no one else can sing like you.
When we think of intimate relationships, we know that those relationships are precious. People that we are intimate with know things about us that no one else knows. We share things with them in a way that is special. We might have private jokes, or sayings that only the other person understands. We might have nick-names for each other that no one else quite gets and you don’t want everybody calling you that name. It’s reserved for those special people in your life with whom you share intimate details of yourself. It’s the beauty of having intimacy. To know that there is another person on this earth that is so close to you that they know a lot of what you know about you, and sometimes more. And this is the relationship we have with God, if we go there.
Maybe some of us don’t want to go there with God because we feel unworthy to be invited into that type of intimacy. Maybe we have done things that we are ashamed of and don’t want to be exposed. But the beauty of having that relationship with God is that none of it matters. He already forgave you, before you even knew you needed to be forgiven. He forgave you so that you could be intimate with Him. Anybody you are intimate with probably has had to forgive you or you forgive them at some point. It’s one of the prices of intimacy. You know too much. You can be your full self, the good, bad and ugly. But this intimacy is energizing. And it can make you want to sing!
When I finished my shoveling that day, I wrote a song to God. I’m not going to write it out here. It was just for Him, unless He tells me to share it with others. It’s not the first time I’ve written a song or a poem to God. But it was a reminder that I can get all enamored with someone else’s song, but I do have one of my own as well. I wrote another one about a month ago and actually put that one to music. Maybe I’ll share that one day or give it to a musician to turn into something, but I was happy just to have my own song. And I’m sure you do too. I’m sure you can think of something to praise God for today. You have a song. Just the fact that He calls someone like you to be in intimate relationship with Him is worthy of something! You don’t have to be a songwriter to do this. You just have to be in relationship. If you have ever been in love before, you probably did something that seemed stupid to express it; a poem, a song, a rap. We have all probably come out of ourselves for love at some point. The same is true in our relationship with God. How about you show God just how you feel about Him today. Even if it starts out with anger or hurt or frustration. At least it’s honest. And it’s how you feel. Not someone else. And that is what God wants. An honest relationship. Can you write God a song today?
“Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.” Psalm 96:1 NIV
Last winter, when we had our crazy blizzard conditions, I was outside shoveling the snow. I had my iPod on and was listening to a great song I love by Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir called, “Wonderful to Me”. The song is just a simple song of adoration and worship to God, but it is extremely soothing. You can feel the love that the singer has towards God. It invites you into their intimacy and calls you to embrace your own intimacy with God. A good worship song is supposed to do that for you. To take you into a deeper place with God. A place where all is well.
But as I continued to listen to the song, I started thinking about my own words and what I actually want to say to God when I’m in that place with Him. I started thinking about my own song. I have an intimate relationship with God. I have things that I can sing about. (Not necessarily sing them well, but it is heartfelt). It’s nice to listen to the words of other people and their relationship with God, but we have our own words. You have a song that you can sing to God that reflects who He is to you. And it’s a song that no one else can sing like you.
When we think of intimate relationships, we know that those relationships are precious. People that we are intimate with know things about us that no one else knows. We share things with them in a way that is special. We might have private jokes, or sayings that only the other person understands. We might have nick-names for each other that no one else quite gets and you don’t want everybody calling you that name. It’s reserved for those special people in your life with whom you share intimate details of yourself. It’s the beauty of having intimacy. To know that there is another person on this earth that is so close to you that they know a lot of what you know about you, and sometimes more. And this is the relationship we have with God, if we go there.
Maybe some of us don’t want to go there with God because we feel unworthy to be invited into that type of intimacy. Maybe we have done things that we are ashamed of and don’t want to be exposed. But the beauty of having that relationship with God is that none of it matters. He already forgave you, before you even knew you needed to be forgiven. He forgave you so that you could be intimate with Him. Anybody you are intimate with probably has had to forgive you or you forgive them at some point. It’s one of the prices of intimacy. You know too much. You can be your full self, the good, bad and ugly. But this intimacy is energizing. And it can make you want to sing!
When I finished my shoveling that day, I wrote a song to God. I’m not going to write it out here. It was just for Him, unless He tells me to share it with others. It’s not the first time I’ve written a song or a poem to God. But it was a reminder that I can get all enamored with someone else’s song, but I do have one of my own as well. I wrote another one about a month ago and actually put that one to music. Maybe I’ll share that one day or give it to a musician to turn into something, but I was happy just to have my own song. And I’m sure you do too. I’m sure you can think of something to praise God for today. You have a song. Just the fact that He calls someone like you to be in intimate relationship with Him is worthy of something! You don’t have to be a songwriter to do this. You just have to be in relationship. If you have ever been in love before, you probably did something that seemed stupid to express it; a poem, a song, a rap. We have all probably come out of ourselves for love at some point. The same is true in our relationship with God. How about you show God just how you feel about Him today. Even if it starts out with anger or hurt or frustration. At least it’s honest. And it’s how you feel. Not someone else. And that is what God wants. An honest relationship. Can you write God a song today?
Friday, September 2, 2011
For the Love of Money
For The Love of Money
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” - Matthew 6:24 NIV
Today, I went back to school since being off for the summer. It’s been quite an eventful year for me. I went to Rome for a month, Canada for a weekend, New York for dinner, went to an Eagles game out of state, ate out at some pretty nice restaurants, started a real estate business, finished my final edits on my book and all of this happening while I am in the worst financial condition of my adult life. It is the most ironic thing in the world to me. I have never felt so rich and so poor at the same time. I love it and I hate it. I love it when I see God do something for me that only He could do. And I hate it when I want to do something that I don’t have the money for and have no real prospects of getting it.
I would have never advised a client to do the things that I am doing financially right now. Never in a million years would I have ever thought that the choices that I am making would be a good idea. Ever. I still wouldn’t advise anybody to do what I’ve done: Leave a well-paying, lucrative career in a top financial firm to go back to school to study how to help empower urban neighborhoods economically and spiritually; all after buying a house that was twice the size and expense of your perfectly good house; starting a business that helps anybody with their finances regardless of asset level or income; conduct workshops for people who can’t pay you; Write a book that will hopefully sell enough copies for you to make a few dollars. . . I could go on. I feel like an idiot most days when I actually think about it. And today, after talking to a company I owe money to about when they might get the money they are owed, I went from being in a really good place to being in a really down place. Just in a matter of two minutes.
I got some really great news about my book, better news about my real estate business opportunities and had a really good day in class discussing strategies to help empower the urban poor. And in one conversation, I was brought low. And it was driving home after that conversation that I got a revelation about the place that I am in right now financially and why it is necessary. I am breaking up with money. And breaking up is hard to do.
I’m a capitalist. My favorite game as a kid was Monopoly. I had my first business at 10 years old. I work for commission because I hate working for a salary. I loved money. I loved what it could do. I loved the feeling of having it. I loved the thrill of making it. I love the security I thought it provided me. I loved the joy it gave me when I had it. I loved helping other people make it. I loved giving it. I loved investing it. I loved saving it. I loved using it. I loved money. And if God is going to use me to build His kingdom, I can’t love money. I have to love Him more.
When you love money, even with good intentions, you can hurt people. And since God is in the people business, he won’t let you love money but for so long and keep hurting people. Eventually you are going to have to choose. And if money is winning in your life, then he might just let you go along until money shows itself to be what it truly is: A selfish lover. Money doesn’t love you. Money only loves itself. And since in intimate relationships, you become one with your lover, you too, will become selfish. Eventually you take on the character of money and it controls you and everything you do. It becomes the filter for everything you desire. It can overpower your will and make you it’s slave. Just like an abusive lover. It will use you for its own pleasure and then drop you when you can’t give it what it needs to thrive: power. As long as money has power over you and your life, you will always be it’s slave. As long as you consult your money before you consult your God, you will know who your master really is.
I have been breaking up with money for a while. We both knew that the relationship was going bad, but I didn’t have the courage to do anything about it. I knew that I had given money far too much power in my life and it was ruining my relationship with God. So God stepped in and gave me the courage to walk away. But every now and then I am reminded that I still have feelings for money. Like an old lover who calls you out of the blue. You moved on with your life, started to live again without them. Thought you were over them, until they called you. And that phone call sent you into an emotional spin that you didn’t even know was possible. You still have feelings for them. And you are not as strong as you thought. So you can’t just say that you are over them. You are still in process.
That’s where I am with my relationship with money. God is helping me to put Him in the place where money used to rule my heart. And I don’t know if that battle will ever fully be won in this lifetime, but I can do my part to make sure that I stay out of positions to give money that power over me again. When I look at what God has done for me without money, I am amazed that what I thought money would do, God did. He is showing me how to put money in it’s place as my servant, not my master. I am learning how to tell money what to do for me and not be ruled by what it wants me to do for it. And as long as I don’t forget that my God loves me and my money doesn’t, I will be in good shape. It’s remembering that in times of need that is the hard part. Y’all pray for me. . . As a matter of fact let’s pray together. I think we might all need help in this area.
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” - Matthew 6:24 NIV
Today, I went back to school since being off for the summer. It’s been quite an eventful year for me. I went to Rome for a month, Canada for a weekend, New York for dinner, went to an Eagles game out of state, ate out at some pretty nice restaurants, started a real estate business, finished my final edits on my book and all of this happening while I am in the worst financial condition of my adult life. It is the most ironic thing in the world to me. I have never felt so rich and so poor at the same time. I love it and I hate it. I love it when I see God do something for me that only He could do. And I hate it when I want to do something that I don’t have the money for and have no real prospects of getting it.
I would have never advised a client to do the things that I am doing financially right now. Never in a million years would I have ever thought that the choices that I am making would be a good idea. Ever. I still wouldn’t advise anybody to do what I’ve done: Leave a well-paying, lucrative career in a top financial firm to go back to school to study how to help empower urban neighborhoods economically and spiritually; all after buying a house that was twice the size and expense of your perfectly good house; starting a business that helps anybody with their finances regardless of asset level or income; conduct workshops for people who can’t pay you; Write a book that will hopefully sell enough copies for you to make a few dollars. . . I could go on. I feel like an idiot most days when I actually think about it. And today, after talking to a company I owe money to about when they might get the money they are owed, I went from being in a really good place to being in a really down place. Just in a matter of two minutes.
I got some really great news about my book, better news about my real estate business opportunities and had a really good day in class discussing strategies to help empower the urban poor. And in one conversation, I was brought low. And it was driving home after that conversation that I got a revelation about the place that I am in right now financially and why it is necessary. I am breaking up with money. And breaking up is hard to do.
I’m a capitalist. My favorite game as a kid was Monopoly. I had my first business at 10 years old. I work for commission because I hate working for a salary. I loved money. I loved what it could do. I loved the feeling of having it. I loved the thrill of making it. I love the security I thought it provided me. I loved the joy it gave me when I had it. I loved helping other people make it. I loved giving it. I loved investing it. I loved saving it. I loved using it. I loved money. And if God is going to use me to build His kingdom, I can’t love money. I have to love Him more.
When you love money, even with good intentions, you can hurt people. And since God is in the people business, he won’t let you love money but for so long and keep hurting people. Eventually you are going to have to choose. And if money is winning in your life, then he might just let you go along until money shows itself to be what it truly is: A selfish lover. Money doesn’t love you. Money only loves itself. And since in intimate relationships, you become one with your lover, you too, will become selfish. Eventually you take on the character of money and it controls you and everything you do. It becomes the filter for everything you desire. It can overpower your will and make you it’s slave. Just like an abusive lover. It will use you for its own pleasure and then drop you when you can’t give it what it needs to thrive: power. As long as money has power over you and your life, you will always be it’s slave. As long as you consult your money before you consult your God, you will know who your master really is.
I have been breaking up with money for a while. We both knew that the relationship was going bad, but I didn’t have the courage to do anything about it. I knew that I had given money far too much power in my life and it was ruining my relationship with God. So God stepped in and gave me the courage to walk away. But every now and then I am reminded that I still have feelings for money. Like an old lover who calls you out of the blue. You moved on with your life, started to live again without them. Thought you were over them, until they called you. And that phone call sent you into an emotional spin that you didn’t even know was possible. You still have feelings for them. And you are not as strong as you thought. So you can’t just say that you are over them. You are still in process.
That’s where I am with my relationship with money. God is helping me to put Him in the place where money used to rule my heart. And I don’t know if that battle will ever fully be won in this lifetime, but I can do my part to make sure that I stay out of positions to give money that power over me again. When I look at what God has done for me without money, I am amazed that what I thought money would do, God did. He is showing me how to put money in it’s place as my servant, not my master. I am learning how to tell money what to do for me and not be ruled by what it wants me to do for it. And as long as I don’t forget that my God loves me and my money doesn’t, I will be in good shape. It’s remembering that in times of need that is the hard part. Y’all pray for me. . . As a matter of fact let’s pray together. I think we might all need help in this area.
Monday, August 29, 2011
The Days of Our Lives
The Days of Our Lives
“For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” - Psalm 90:9-12 ESV
So far, I have lived for approximately 11,719 days give or take a few for leap years. I don’t know how many days I have left on this planet. No one does. Sometimes we think of our lives in terms of years, yet our lives are lived one day at a time. That gives us a day at a time to make this life worth something. Not looking out towards the distant future, but one day at a time. When we are little, everything seems like it is so far away. We can’t wait to hit double digits; then we can wait to be teenagers; then we can’t wait to start driving; then we can’t wait until we are18; then we can’t wait to drink; we can’t wait until our insurance goes down at 25; then we start to want to pump the breaks a little bit as we approach age 30; the we cross over the 30 mark and barrel down towards our mid thirties; then here comes 40; and so on and so on, if you are fortunate enough to keep going. But each of these milestones in life was a day. And there were a bunch of days before it that we had to live. But how we live those days is up to us.
In Psalm 90, Moses is actually teaching us how to be fruitful with whatever number of days God gives us. He says that we may get 70 or 80 years if we are lucky in this life and some of those days are spent in toil and trouble. But if we can learn to consider God during those days, then we can gain a heart of wisdom to use our time on this earth in an productive way. And I am not just talking about what we do for a living. I am talking about spending our time on what actually matters.
This past week, we experienced natural disasters that we don’t normally see in my area; an earthquake, tornados and a hurricane. For some, these event will just pass by as just another day. But for 9 people at least in the path of hurricane Irene, their lives were cut short. One of them was an 11 year old boy. He didn’t live to see 4,380 days. For those 9 people, their days on this earth ended. We always hear the saying about it’s not about the date you are born and the date you die, but what you do with the “dash” in between. But that’s usually saved for things like funerals when the people sometimes take a moment to actually reflect on their life and what they do with it. But I think that for us to do what we are called to do on this earth and live on purpose, we need to think, not in terms of years of our lives, but the ‘days” of our lives. And we need to do it often, not just at a funeral.
For some, the “Days” of their lives are drama (ha, ha - pun intended). Filled with useless arguments, wasted opportunities, unspoken words, deep regrets and painful memories. For others, each day is a new chance to make their lives a little better by living in it. Moses‘ prayer was to have God teach us to number our days in order that we get a heart of wisdom. There is wisdom in making every day of your life count for something. There is wisdom in not always putting things off for a future that may never come, but using the time you have wisely. There is wisdom in making the most of every day you are given and moving on from past hurts and disappointments and mistakes. If you learn to number your days, it may sound depressing, but you might find that you begin to live your life more purposeful. I have a lot of good memories in my 11,719 days lived on this planet. I have some bad memories in those same number of days. But if I look at it in terms of days, I feel better about the bad ones, because the good ones far outweigh the bad. And every day that God gives me is a day to make it a good one. Somehow, some way, I can make some good happen daily.
Living life one day at a time is wise. And Moses also said that it seemed like no one considered God’s power during their time on this earth. How many days do you consider how powerful God is? How many days of your life do you spend worried about how strong the enemy is, or has been in your life? How many days of your life will you spend lamenting over how much someone else hurt you? How long will you not consider how strong God is to bring you to another day, where you have the most powerful force in the universe on your side? How many days will you continue to waste on things that are beneath who you are in Christ?
The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. But that does not mean that you are afraid of God. It means that you know how powerful and strong He is, and you are grateful that He is on your side. Grateful that He has given you His spirit to be your guide. Grateful that He has promised to be with you all the days of your life. Grateful that every day, you are forgiven for not being perfect. Grateful that in Christ, you are perfected everyday. No matter how many or how few days you have. God is with you everyday. He is on your side everyday. You can talk to Him everyday. You can embrace your “true” self everyday. You can cast off fear everyday. You can walk in faith everyday. And if you mess it up, you can try again tomorrow if He gives you another day. But don’t take your days for granted. You don’t know how many you have. So make today count.
“For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” - Psalm 90:9-12 ESV
So far, I have lived for approximately 11,719 days give or take a few for leap years. I don’t know how many days I have left on this planet. No one does. Sometimes we think of our lives in terms of years, yet our lives are lived one day at a time. That gives us a day at a time to make this life worth something. Not looking out towards the distant future, but one day at a time. When we are little, everything seems like it is so far away. We can’t wait to hit double digits; then we can wait to be teenagers; then we can’t wait to start driving; then we can’t wait until we are18; then we can’t wait to drink; we can’t wait until our insurance goes down at 25; then we start to want to pump the breaks a little bit as we approach age 30; the we cross over the 30 mark and barrel down towards our mid thirties; then here comes 40; and so on and so on, if you are fortunate enough to keep going. But each of these milestones in life was a day. And there were a bunch of days before it that we had to live. But how we live those days is up to us.
In Psalm 90, Moses is actually teaching us how to be fruitful with whatever number of days God gives us. He says that we may get 70 or 80 years if we are lucky in this life and some of those days are spent in toil and trouble. But if we can learn to consider God during those days, then we can gain a heart of wisdom to use our time on this earth in an productive way. And I am not just talking about what we do for a living. I am talking about spending our time on what actually matters.
This past week, we experienced natural disasters that we don’t normally see in my area; an earthquake, tornados and a hurricane. For some, these event will just pass by as just another day. But for 9 people at least in the path of hurricane Irene, their lives were cut short. One of them was an 11 year old boy. He didn’t live to see 4,380 days. For those 9 people, their days on this earth ended. We always hear the saying about it’s not about the date you are born and the date you die, but what you do with the “dash” in between. But that’s usually saved for things like funerals when the people sometimes take a moment to actually reflect on their life and what they do with it. But I think that for us to do what we are called to do on this earth and live on purpose, we need to think, not in terms of years of our lives, but the ‘days” of our lives. And we need to do it often, not just at a funeral.
For some, the “Days” of their lives are drama (ha, ha - pun intended). Filled with useless arguments, wasted opportunities, unspoken words, deep regrets and painful memories. For others, each day is a new chance to make their lives a little better by living in it. Moses‘ prayer was to have God teach us to number our days in order that we get a heart of wisdom. There is wisdom in making every day of your life count for something. There is wisdom in not always putting things off for a future that may never come, but using the time you have wisely. There is wisdom in making the most of every day you are given and moving on from past hurts and disappointments and mistakes. If you learn to number your days, it may sound depressing, but you might find that you begin to live your life more purposeful. I have a lot of good memories in my 11,719 days lived on this planet. I have some bad memories in those same number of days. But if I look at it in terms of days, I feel better about the bad ones, because the good ones far outweigh the bad. And every day that God gives me is a day to make it a good one. Somehow, some way, I can make some good happen daily.
Living life one day at a time is wise. And Moses also said that it seemed like no one considered God’s power during their time on this earth. How many days do you consider how powerful God is? How many days of your life do you spend worried about how strong the enemy is, or has been in your life? How many days of your life will you spend lamenting over how much someone else hurt you? How long will you not consider how strong God is to bring you to another day, where you have the most powerful force in the universe on your side? How many days will you continue to waste on things that are beneath who you are in Christ?
The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. But that does not mean that you are afraid of God. It means that you know how powerful and strong He is, and you are grateful that He is on your side. Grateful that He has given you His spirit to be your guide. Grateful that He has promised to be with you all the days of your life. Grateful that every day, you are forgiven for not being perfect. Grateful that in Christ, you are perfected everyday. No matter how many or how few days you have. God is with you everyday. He is on your side everyday. You can talk to Him everyday. You can embrace your “true” self everyday. You can cast off fear everyday. You can walk in faith everyday. And if you mess it up, you can try again tomorrow if He gives you another day. But don’t take your days for granted. You don’t know how many you have. So make today count.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
The Al Bundy Syndrome
The Al Bundy Syndrome
“The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’” Haggai 2:9 ESV
Remember the show “Married With Children”? The father, AL Bundy was a shoe salesman who hated his life. He never wanted to have sex with his wife. His kids basically had to fend for themselves. He hated his next door neighbor and always called her a chicken. The show was comical! I used to love it. The one thing he always brought up was his glory days in high school when he was a start quarterback. He always talked about Polk High School, and how he scored four touchdowns in one game. That memory would always take him back to a place and time when he felt like “the man”! The time when he peaked in his athletic career. And he loved meeting back up with people from those days who remembered him for his success.
In thinking about this particular scripture in Haggai, I was reminded of Al Bundy. Israel was kind of like that. They were in the process of rebuilding the temple that was destroyed. The former temple was amazing! Solomon built it and it was a great symbol of Israel’s wealth and power in the world at that time. People from everywhere looked at the temple and concluded that God must have loved Israel and blessed them because those were their glory days. They had peace in the land; incredible wealth; a famous king; notoriety and respect. Them, according to scripture, because they turned away from God and forgot that it was He who gave them this power, God sent them into captivity through Babylon, Persia and Assyria. Where they were formally living in wealth and freedom, them found themselves in slavery to other nations who took their symbols of wealth and destroyed the temple. Everything that they looked to as a symbol of God’s blessing on them was taken away. And seventy years later, they were tasked with rebuilding the temple.
But the new temple didn’t look like the old one. It didn’t have as many amenities that they had before. There was less gold and silver and bronze. It wasn’t as big as it was back in the day. It may have been quite disappointing to Israel to see that they were being given a chance to rebuild, but it didn’t have as much “stuff” as they did before. God was encouraging Israel that His presence was not evident by a temple made by the hands of men. He was always with them, regardless of their outward conditions. It may have looked like they had less wealth and power than they had before, but God’s presence was all they needed. And if they had that, then they would always be a reflection of His glory.
This same syndrome can be true for us in many ways. Many of us are looking back to the days when we had more money, more popularity, more fame, more success in our eyes. It may look like God is not “blessing” you in the same way He did in the past. But the one thing we have to remember is that the presence of God in our lives is not indicated by how much Stuff we accumulate. As a matter of fact, it is often evident more so in the fact that without all of our “stuff” God still provides. This of how much “stuff” Jesus owned. Not much. Not even a home. Yet there was no question of how much God was with him.
The more we get stuck on our self-proclaimed glory days, the less we focus on what God can do and is doing in our life right now. Your best days are not behind you, they are ahead of you. Regardless of how much you have materially. If you fall into the trap of thinking that the best of your life was lived in the past, then you will get stuck there. You will miss the opportunity to embrace the life that God called you to live in the present. God was with you when you scored four touchdowns in one game, and God is with you now. God was with you when you became prom queen and God is with you now. God was with you when you had a six figure income and God is with you now. God was with you when you when you won those awards and God is with you now. It doesn’t matter what physical manifestations you have or don’t have. If God is with you, then you have all you need right now. Never-mind what you had before. It was not the best of what God can do in your life. The best is yet to come.
“The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’” Haggai 2:9 ESV
Remember the show “Married With Children”? The father, AL Bundy was a shoe salesman who hated his life. He never wanted to have sex with his wife. His kids basically had to fend for themselves. He hated his next door neighbor and always called her a chicken. The show was comical! I used to love it. The one thing he always brought up was his glory days in high school when he was a start quarterback. He always talked about Polk High School, and how he scored four touchdowns in one game. That memory would always take him back to a place and time when he felt like “the man”! The time when he peaked in his athletic career. And he loved meeting back up with people from those days who remembered him for his success.
In thinking about this particular scripture in Haggai, I was reminded of Al Bundy. Israel was kind of like that. They were in the process of rebuilding the temple that was destroyed. The former temple was amazing! Solomon built it and it was a great symbol of Israel’s wealth and power in the world at that time. People from everywhere looked at the temple and concluded that God must have loved Israel and blessed them because those were their glory days. They had peace in the land; incredible wealth; a famous king; notoriety and respect. Them, according to scripture, because they turned away from God and forgot that it was He who gave them this power, God sent them into captivity through Babylon, Persia and Assyria. Where they were formally living in wealth and freedom, them found themselves in slavery to other nations who took their symbols of wealth and destroyed the temple. Everything that they looked to as a symbol of God’s blessing on them was taken away. And seventy years later, they were tasked with rebuilding the temple.
But the new temple didn’t look like the old one. It didn’t have as many amenities that they had before. There was less gold and silver and bronze. It wasn’t as big as it was back in the day. It may have been quite disappointing to Israel to see that they were being given a chance to rebuild, but it didn’t have as much “stuff” as they did before. God was encouraging Israel that His presence was not evident by a temple made by the hands of men. He was always with them, regardless of their outward conditions. It may have looked like they had less wealth and power than they had before, but God’s presence was all they needed. And if they had that, then they would always be a reflection of His glory.
This same syndrome can be true for us in many ways. Many of us are looking back to the days when we had more money, more popularity, more fame, more success in our eyes. It may look like God is not “blessing” you in the same way He did in the past. But the one thing we have to remember is that the presence of God in our lives is not indicated by how much Stuff we accumulate. As a matter of fact, it is often evident more so in the fact that without all of our “stuff” God still provides. This of how much “stuff” Jesus owned. Not much. Not even a home. Yet there was no question of how much God was with him.
The more we get stuck on our self-proclaimed glory days, the less we focus on what God can do and is doing in our life right now. Your best days are not behind you, they are ahead of you. Regardless of how much you have materially. If you fall into the trap of thinking that the best of your life was lived in the past, then you will get stuck there. You will miss the opportunity to embrace the life that God called you to live in the present. God was with you when you scored four touchdowns in one game, and God is with you now. God was with you when you became prom queen and God is with you now. God was with you when you had a six figure income and God is with you now. God was with you when you when you won those awards and God is with you now. It doesn’t matter what physical manifestations you have or don’t have. If God is with you, then you have all you need right now. Never-mind what you had before. It was not the best of what God can do in your life. The best is yet to come.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
MIrror, Mirror
Mirror, Mirror
“If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” 1 John 4:20 NIV
This scripture is a hard one. Most people I know who are believers in God will usually confess some type of love for God. They love Jesus. They love Allah. They love the Creator. Whatever God they worship, they say they love. My faith in my God says that if I say that I love my God, then I cannot truly love my God unless I love the people God created. And therein lies the rub. People get on my nerves. People let me down. People disappoint me. People mistreat me. People annoy me. People misunderstand me. People talk about me. People are fake. People lie. People cheat. People do all kinds of things that make it really hard to love them. And yet, my God calls for me to love them anyway. Even with all of their obvious faults, and even for the stuff I don’t even know about yet. I have to love people.
There is a connection between our relationship with God and our relationship with people. The bible tells us that we are created in God’s image. All of us. Not just black people. Not just white people. Not just the people you like. Not just the people who do what you say. But all of us are created in God’s image. As a matter of fact, the best way for us to see God is in human form. God is invisible. God is a spirit. But if we are created in God’s image, then we bear an image of what God looks like. God came to earth in human form through the person of Jesus Christ. People who walked with Jesus or saw him in that day got to see God up close and personal. The one in who no sin dwelled. The one who walked in love and loved others. The one whose life we now read about in the pages of scripture. The one who said that he was going to be the only way for us to connect with God again. And then he was murdered. By people. People who said they loved God. They killed an innocent man, but they said they loved God. God says that’s not possible.
But truthfully, it’s just hard to love some people because we can see where they are just plain evil. We are exposed to the wicked plots and self-serving behaviors that they exhibit. And who wants to just let people get away with stuff? I mean nobody wants to be looked at like they are a pushover. And sometimes you just want to let people know that you know what they are doing or what they think they are going to do. Or you just want to fix them because they are so off! Seems pretty natural to me. I know I feel like that. Especially when you can see the problem and it’s glaring you in the face.
But I got convicted one day a few years ago. And God showed me that the evil and the imperfection that I am so quick to see in other people is a reflection of what I am doing to God. Our human relationships are a mirror for our relationship with God. That’s why we cannot say we love God whom we cannot see, if we don’t love people who we see everyday. We have to learn to love each other because it will also help us learn to love God.
Think about the imperfection you see in your most challenging relationship. Maybe it’s with a parent or a child. Maybe it’s a romantic partner. Maybe it’s a co-worker. Maybe it’s a friend. Take a look at what is most challenging in the relationship and reflect on whether or not you are doing the same thing to God. If the person is stubborn and wants things their way all the time, would God say that about you in your relationship to Him? If the person is afraid of commitment, have you truly committed to God? If the person is not spending quality time with you, how much time are you giving to God? If they are being rebellious, how rebellious are you with God? If they can’t keep their promises, how many promises have you broken to God? If they refuse to go deeper and be more intimate, how intimate are you with God? These are hard questions, but if you actually take a moment to reflect on it, you may end up cutting that person a little more slack. Because what you then realize, is that even though you have done this in your relationship with God, God still loves you anyway. God still provides for you. God still looks out for you. God still keeps you. God is still God to you, regardless of how you treat Him. And he never leaves you.
I’m not saying that every relational issue can be immediately resolved with this simple reflection. However, I do think that those who profess to know a loving, forgiving, faithful God, have no right to be so quick to judge the faults of others without first reflecting on how they are treating the one who loves them most. And just maybe, if you focus on doing the thing with God that you are quick to judge in someone else, then you will find that they are still loveable anyway. You may just see them a little differently. At least that is what happened to me. I stopped focusing on being frustrated with the person and started to focus again on my relationship with God. I saw where I was not as committed as I thought I was. I saw where I was being stubborn. I saw where I was afraid to take a risk. I saw where I was not walking in my purpose. And I started to pray about that. I started to confess that although these were faults in me, God still loved me. Although I fell short in my relationship with Him, he never left me. He found a way to love me. Through His son.
And that is probably the only way any of us can stand to have a chance at loving other people. Through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, we would just leave people in their sin as we engage them in relationship. If there was no way for God to love them, I don’t have a chance to love them, because all I could see is their faults. But God chose to make a way for me to be loved by Him and for them to be loved by Him. I don’t have the luxury of judging someone else and choosing not to love them because I see their faults. I’m doing the same thing to the God I say I love. And maybe I would be a little less judgmental and critical of others if I first look at my relationships with other people as a reflection of my relationship with God. Consider them a mirror. Check the reflection first before you speak in judgement.
“If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” 1 John 4:20 NIV
This scripture is a hard one. Most people I know who are believers in God will usually confess some type of love for God. They love Jesus. They love Allah. They love the Creator. Whatever God they worship, they say they love. My faith in my God says that if I say that I love my God, then I cannot truly love my God unless I love the people God created. And therein lies the rub. People get on my nerves. People let me down. People disappoint me. People mistreat me. People annoy me. People misunderstand me. People talk about me. People are fake. People lie. People cheat. People do all kinds of things that make it really hard to love them. And yet, my God calls for me to love them anyway. Even with all of their obvious faults, and even for the stuff I don’t even know about yet. I have to love people.
There is a connection between our relationship with God and our relationship with people. The bible tells us that we are created in God’s image. All of us. Not just black people. Not just white people. Not just the people you like. Not just the people who do what you say. But all of us are created in God’s image. As a matter of fact, the best way for us to see God is in human form. God is invisible. God is a spirit. But if we are created in God’s image, then we bear an image of what God looks like. God came to earth in human form through the person of Jesus Christ. People who walked with Jesus or saw him in that day got to see God up close and personal. The one in who no sin dwelled. The one who walked in love and loved others. The one whose life we now read about in the pages of scripture. The one who said that he was going to be the only way for us to connect with God again. And then he was murdered. By people. People who said they loved God. They killed an innocent man, but they said they loved God. God says that’s not possible.
But truthfully, it’s just hard to love some people because we can see where they are just plain evil. We are exposed to the wicked plots and self-serving behaviors that they exhibit. And who wants to just let people get away with stuff? I mean nobody wants to be looked at like they are a pushover. And sometimes you just want to let people know that you know what they are doing or what they think they are going to do. Or you just want to fix them because they are so off! Seems pretty natural to me. I know I feel like that. Especially when you can see the problem and it’s glaring you in the face.
But I got convicted one day a few years ago. And God showed me that the evil and the imperfection that I am so quick to see in other people is a reflection of what I am doing to God. Our human relationships are a mirror for our relationship with God. That’s why we cannot say we love God whom we cannot see, if we don’t love people who we see everyday. We have to learn to love each other because it will also help us learn to love God.
Think about the imperfection you see in your most challenging relationship. Maybe it’s with a parent or a child. Maybe it’s a romantic partner. Maybe it’s a co-worker. Maybe it’s a friend. Take a look at what is most challenging in the relationship and reflect on whether or not you are doing the same thing to God. If the person is stubborn and wants things their way all the time, would God say that about you in your relationship to Him? If the person is afraid of commitment, have you truly committed to God? If the person is not spending quality time with you, how much time are you giving to God? If they are being rebellious, how rebellious are you with God? If they can’t keep their promises, how many promises have you broken to God? If they refuse to go deeper and be more intimate, how intimate are you with God? These are hard questions, but if you actually take a moment to reflect on it, you may end up cutting that person a little more slack. Because what you then realize, is that even though you have done this in your relationship with God, God still loves you anyway. God still provides for you. God still looks out for you. God still keeps you. God is still God to you, regardless of how you treat Him. And he never leaves you.
I’m not saying that every relational issue can be immediately resolved with this simple reflection. However, I do think that those who profess to know a loving, forgiving, faithful God, have no right to be so quick to judge the faults of others without first reflecting on how they are treating the one who loves them most. And just maybe, if you focus on doing the thing with God that you are quick to judge in someone else, then you will find that they are still loveable anyway. You may just see them a little differently. At least that is what happened to me. I stopped focusing on being frustrated with the person and started to focus again on my relationship with God. I saw where I was not as committed as I thought I was. I saw where I was being stubborn. I saw where I was afraid to take a risk. I saw where I was not walking in my purpose. And I started to pray about that. I started to confess that although these were faults in me, God still loved me. Although I fell short in my relationship with Him, he never left me. He found a way to love me. Through His son.
And that is probably the only way any of us can stand to have a chance at loving other people. Through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, we would just leave people in their sin as we engage them in relationship. If there was no way for God to love them, I don’t have a chance to love them, because all I could see is their faults. But God chose to make a way for me to be loved by Him and for them to be loved by Him. I don’t have the luxury of judging someone else and choosing not to love them because I see their faults. I’m doing the same thing to the God I say I love. And maybe I would be a little less judgmental and critical of others if I first look at my relationships with other people as a reflection of my relationship with God. Consider them a mirror. Check the reflection first before you speak in judgement.
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