Being Bold About Fear

February 2, 2012 Leave a comment

In the wake of the infamous terrorist attacks of 9-11-01, our small county held a special service at the high-school. The service was for the benefit of the high-school students, many of whom were emotionally shaken by the attacks. They were asking, “How can we have any confidence in the future if this is the new state of the world?”

One of the service’s primary organizers was Mary Sue Ledford, who had been my English teacher my freshman year and my friend and supporter ever since. When she called to ask me if I would be one of the speakers, I was honored. But it was a particular quote from Mary Sue that stood out the most from that conversation. She said, “Russell, I will not live in a county of fear.” I had known her for years but had never heard her speak with that level of sincerity and passion. She meant what she said down to the core of her being.

Several years have now passed since that conversation, but I often find myself thinking back to Mary Sue’s quote. For obvious reasons, it comes to my mind when I am facing some daunting challenge or potentially perilous situation. When my first instinct is to shy away or pull back, her words remind me that fear is no way to live. That goes for not only living in a post 9-11 world but also many other seasons in life.

Of course, the Bible is certainly not silent on this issue, particularly when addressing the Christian. Consider the following verses:

-2 Timothy 1:7: For God has not given us (Christians) a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

-1 John 4:18: There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

-Romans 8:14-15: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

-John 14:27: Peace, I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

It’s been said that courage is not the absence of fear; it is doing what you ought to do in spite of your fear. I like that. And it is with that thought in mind, as well as Mary Sue’s quote and these verses that I have listed, that I ask you, Christian, “Are you somehow letting fear dominate your life these days?” Perhaps you are scared about an upcoming event. Perhaps you are scared of what some problematic person is going to do. Perhaps you are scared about the state of the world. I don’t know your circumstance, but I do know that people can be scared of all kinds of things. All I’m saying is, whatever your big, bad thing is, face it head on with a courage befitting a bona-fide child of God. Never forget that you are not alone in the fight. God is your heavenly Father. Jesus has promised to never leave you nor forsake you. And the Holy Spirit dwells inside you. So really, Christian, with the triune God right there in the fray with you, what could you possibly have to be afraid of? There is absolutely nothing that He can’t help you handle.

Filed under Adversity, Attitude, Courage, fear, God's Omnipresence, The Holy Spirit, Trusting In God Tagged with , , ,

Secret Sin

January 20, 2012 Leave a comment

It’s been said that your character is what you are when no one is looking. However, it’s also been said that you can fool some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool God any time. In other words, God is always looking. And so what kind of character does He see on display from you when no one is looking?

When I was a kid I got a snazzy new tape-recorder one Christmas. In the days that followed I had a blast with that thing. One of my favorite past-times was covertly recording the conversations between my mom and dad. You just never knew when you’d catch some juicy bit of gossip, some unguarded moment of candor, or some piece of incriminating discussion that they’d rather not have laid down on cassette tape for anyone to hear. I thought it was all funny, but they weren’t always amused when they heard my playback.

I was reminded of this the other day when my youngest, Royce, tried to secretly record me on the Nintendo 3DS he got for Christmas. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it? Fortunately for me, I caught him before I could utter any blackmail-worthy remarks. Unfortunately for me, God’s tape-recorder is always running. Actually, He has more than a tape-recorder; He has a videotape-machine.

It’s with this in mind that I’ll ask you if you’ve been committing some supposedly “secret” sin lately? If you have, just know that “secret” sin on earth is open scandal in heaven. You might be fooling some of the people all of the time or even all of the people some of the time, but you aren’t fooling God any time. Furthermore, the Bible still says, “…be sure that your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). And if you don’t believe that, the only person you are fooling is yourself.

Filed under adultery, Character, God's Omnipresence, God's Omniscience, Honesty, Hypocrisy, Personal, Personal Holiness, Sin Tagged with , , , ,

Learning To Really Appreciate the Moment

May 18, 2011 Leave a comment

The following quote is attributed to “Anonymous”:

First I was dying to finish high school and start college. And then I was dying to finish college and start working. And then I was dying to marry and have children to grow old enough so I could return to work. And then I was dying to retire. And now I am dying…..and suddenly I realize I forgot to live.

As I read those words, I almost feel the need to start sorting through my old sermons, blogs, and articles to make sure that I’m not “Anonymous.” Trust me, that sounds exactly like something that I would say. Sometimes it seems like I spend every day of my life dying to get to the next phase.

There are so many personal examples that I could name here, but I’ll go with the sports “career” of my ten-year-old, Royce. Right now I’m coaching his rec. league baseball team. Even though we are only three games into a little ten-game season, I’m already in countdown mode. Of course, we already have the form to sign him up for football this fall. And no sooner will that sport begin than I will want it completed too. Then will come basketball, which will be same song, third verse. On and on it goes.

Honestly, I have to MAKE myself stop and smell the roses concerning Royce’s ballplaying. When he does something good on the field or court, if I’m not careful I’ll let it get washed away by my impatience. That’s something that I CAN’T LET HAPPEN. I must join him in the moment so we can genuinely have it together. If he makes a great play to get the first out for our defense, I can’t be standing in the dugout thinking, “Okay, only two more outs and this inning is over, three more innings and this game is over, and four more games and this season is over.”

But Anonymous and I aren’t the only people who struggle in this area, are we? Could it be that you are on the list too? Be honest, right now are you dying for something to be over? Are you currently spending far too much time wishing this day, this week, this month, this year, or this “season” was over? Do you really think that whatever that next phase is will find you operating any differently? Speaking from personal experience, I doubt it will.

I have a friend who has a very annoying habit. Whenever you are talking with him, he spends most of the time looking over you to see who else he can spot. (By the way, that’s a problem short people like myself don’t have.) Seriously, even as he is in mid-sentence, he rarely makes eye contact with me. Instead his eyes scan the horizon, looking for his next encounter or conversation. Frankly, I always find that incredibly rude, even though I’ve never told him.

But as I think about it, that’s pretty much how I treat God concerning the various seasons of my life. Here He is, wanting me to join Him in enjoying a particular time or moment, but all I can do is be on the lookout for the next thing. He says, “Wait, there are lessons that I want you to learn right here. There are good memories that I want you to make. There is simple pleasure to be found in the here and now.” But my response is simply, “When do we move on, Lord? Out there is where the good stuff is.” Sound familiar? If it does, I want you to do something for me: Go to God in prayer right now and ask Him to help you appreciate each day and each season for all the wonder it holds. I’ll be taking that good advice myself now that I’m finished with this post.

Filed under Attitude, Children, Fatherhood, God's Omnipresence, Impatience, Parenting, Patience, Personal Tagged with , , , , , , ,

All You Need To Know

April 5, 2011 Leave a comment

The teacher of a children’s Sunday School class had her students memorize the 23rd Psalm. She gave them one month to do so. Little Bobby gave it his best, but by month’s end he still couldn’t quote all the Psalm. So when it came his turn at the microphone he walked up there and said, “The Lord is my shepherd, and that’s all I need to know.” I like his theology.

Christian, what perils are you facing today? What problems? What worries? What fears? No matter what they are, here’s what you need to do about them: just play the role of a sheep. You see, you have Christ as your great Shepherd, and He knows the direction you need to take. So listen to Him and do whatever He tells you to do! Furthermore, He is your protector and your sustainer. So trust in Him that He is going to take wonderful care of you. A good shepherd never abandons his sheep, and Jesus will never abandon you, even if the times get tough.

Filed under Adversity, Comfort, Eternal Security, God's Love, God's Omnipresence, God's Provision, needs, Problems, Sunday School, trials, Trusting In God, Worry Tagged with , , , , ,

Faithful Over A Few Things

February 22, 2011 Leave a comment

Here’s a short follow-up to yesterday’s post “You Just Never Know.” The two walk hand in hand.

George Matheson was a blind Scottish pastor in the late 1800s. While he was serving as the pastor of a church in Innellan, he preached to only a handful of worshippers one stormy winter’s Sunday. He left the service discouraged because he felt that his sermon had been especially good. But what he didn’t know was that a stranger in the congregation would never forget the sermon or the blind preacher who delivered it. Over seven years later, that man would recommend Matheson to become the pastor of St. Bernard’s Church in Edinburgh, a call which would lead to thirteen years of highly fruitful service for Matheson at the church.

In the parable of the talents, Jesus taught that the one who is faithful over a few things will be made ruler over many things (Matthew 25:14-30). While He gave this parable within the context of a teaching on prophecy and rewards in the afterlife, the basic principle can apply in this life. A proof text is His parable of the faithful steward (Luke 12:42-48), which isn’t found within the context of a prophetic teaching.

God is always on the lookout for good stewardship, and He always takes special notice of a George Matheson who will faithfully preach to the best of his ability for a bad-weather, poorly attended Sunday service. So don’t ever take lightly any opportunity that comes your way to do something in service to Christ. Remember that no job is too small for a servant big enough to do it well.

Filed under Attitude, Character, church, Church attendance, Doing Good, God's Omnipresence, God's Omniscience, God's Work, Leadership, obedience, preaching, Prosperity, Reward, stewardship, Trusting In God, weather, Worship Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Always Do Your Best

January 21, 2010 Leave a comment

Many years ago, when department stores were high-end stores, a group of poorly paid clerks were standing around talking about baseball. It was raining outside and business was slow. Then a woman came into the store. She was wet and disheveled. As she entered, only one employee was willing to leave the baseball discussion to attend to her.

The young man walked over and courteously asked, “What can I show you, madam?” She told him what she was looking for, and he quickly located the item. Then he took the time to intelligently explain its merits. The woman made the purchase and left the store, asking for the young man’s card as she left.

Sometime later the woman sent a letter to the head of the store. Actually, the letter was an order for the complete furnishings for an estate in Scotland. In the letter she specifically asked that the young employee who had attended to her supervise the furnishing personally.

The store head wrote her back and said, “But, madam, this man is one of our youngest and most inexperienced clerks. Hadn’t we better give this assignment to someone else?” The reply came back, “I want this young man and no other.”

So that courteous and efficient young clerk was sent across the Atlantic to direct the furnishing of a palace in Scotland. The palace was called Skibo Castle, and the woman was Mrs. Andrew Carnegie, the wife of one of the world’s richest men.

Before you doubt the validity of this story you should know that it was told by Charles Schwab, the steel magnet. Schwab began it by saying, “I know a young fellow in New York who has built himself a big buisness. He used to be a poorly paid clerk in a department store.”

The moral of the story is: Always do your best because you just never know who might be watching. As the Bible in Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might…” As for you, Christian, remember Colossians 3:17,23: “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him…And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”

Filed under Business, Character, Doing Good, God's Omnipresence, Personal Holiness, Reward, stewardship, Work Tagged with , , , , ,

God Is Watching

November 17, 2009 Leave a comment

It was lunchtime at a Catholic elementary school. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun wrote a note and posted it on the apple tray: “Take only ONE. God is watching.” As the children moved further along the lunch line and got to the other end of the long table, they found a large plate of chocolate chip cookies. There one mischievous child had written the note: “Take all you want. God is watching the apples.”

Well, I hope you know that God can watch the apples and the cookies at the same time. The big theological word for this is omnipresence. The Bible’s most extensive passage on the subject is Psalm 139:7-12, but a singular verse that encapsulates the idea is Jeremiah 23:24, where God asks, “Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth?”   

So, if you will permit me to play off my illustration, take all you want of some sin today, but know that God is watching. He fills heaven and earth, and He doesn’t miss one thing you do. Whenever you commit a sin, He sees it. If you will keep this simple fact in mind as you move through your day, you’ll be surprised at how it helps you to live a more godly life.

Filed under Choices, Discipleship, Disobedience, Doing Good, God's Omnipresence, obedience, Personal Holiness, Rebellion, Sin Tagged with , , , ,

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