God Knows What He Is Doing

Posted on July 3, 2011 by russellmckinney

A young man went off to college and was exposed to some points of view that questioned the existence of a creator God. By the time he returned home after his first year at the school, he had begun to drift toward atheism.

One day, while he was walking in the field with his Christian father, he shared his doubts. He said, “Dad, doesn’t it seem a bit absurd that a supposedly intelligent creator God would have a huge pumpkin grow on a small vine while a tiny acorn grows on a large branch? If I was a creator, I would put the pumpkin on the large branch and the acorn on the small vine.” Just then an acorn fell and hit his head. His father said, “Well, son, I guess you are glad now that God put the pumpkin where it is.”

Posted in God's Omnipotence, God's Omniscience, God's Will, Humor, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Class of Prayer (part 2)

Posted on July 1, 2011 by russellmckinney

When it comes to carrying a good attitude into a class (including the class of prayer), nothing will help you more than seeing the value of the class. In my last post, I told you about a French class I took in high school. Now let me tell you about another class from my days of academia.

In college my major required me to take an introductory class into the application of computers. At that time, computers were just on the brink of taking over the world, and my college was wise to mandate a basic class in how to use them. But to a young man who was still equating the electronic typewriter with advanced technology, such a class seemed at best optional and at worst unnecessary. I thought, “Good grief, it’s not like I’m ever going to work at NASA!”

So, as I had done with my high school French class, I began that computers class with a low level of enthusiasm. Since I had made it that far in life without relying upon computers, I figured that I could keep up that archaic pace. Little did I know that over the next few years computers would become nothing less than standard operating equipment for living in the modern world. I’m sure that when homes first began to be wired for electricity there were people who chaffed at the idea and couldn’t envision a home life void of lanterns and candles. Even though I didn’t realize it at the time, I wasn’t acting much differently as I sat in that computers class.

Perhaps, Christian, you are guilty of a similar mindset in regards to learning to pray. You are asking yourself, “Since I’ve made it this far in my life praying the way I pray, why should I change anything now?” At the risk of hurting your feelings, let me say that your attitude makes as much sense as my attitude toward that computers class. Whether you admit it or not, you need to learn how to pray more effective prayers. If you don’t learn how to pray ideally, you will forevermore be out of step with the times God has for you. Metaphorically speaking, you’ll be using lanterns and candles while others are enjoying the power of electricity.

Actually, though, my guess is that the majority of people would readily agree to the value of a class on prayer. With the exceptions of atheists and agnostics, most people would love to learn how to harness the power of prayer. The problem is that relatively few people are willing to put in the necessary work to excel in such a class. You see, learning how to pray takes work.

But let’s assume that you are willing to put in the work to learn how to pray better prayers. How, then, should you go about that work? As is the case with virtually any class, there is a textbook for the class on prayer. That textbook is the Bible. If you want to learn how to pray the best prayers you can pray, you must learn what the Bible teaches about prayer. This means you should study not only the Bible’s great passages on prayer but also the Bible’s great examples of prayers. To get started, seven of those great passages are: Psalm 66:18-19; Matthew 6:5-15; Luke 11:1-13; John 14:13-14; Romans 8:26-27; Philippians 4:6-7; and 1 John 5:14. Likewise, seven of those great examples are found in: 1 Samuel 1:1-18; 2 Kings 20:1-7; 2 Chronicles 20:1-12; Daniel 9:1-19; Jonah 2:1-10; Matthew 26:36-44; and Luke 18:9-14.

So, Christian, are you ready for your class to begin? If you are, then make today the day you start devoting deep Bible study to the topic of prayer. And don’t forget that you must go into the class with a good attitude, see the value of the class, and put in the work to excel in it. If you will do these things, I promise you that nothing can stop you from learning how to pray prayers that produce manifested results in your life. Remember, the same Jesus who heard His disciples say, “Lord, teach us to pray” stands ready to be your teacher as well. His class is always in session and you can enroll in it anytime. As for what grade you make, well, that depends upon you. But don’t ever doubt that Jesus wants you to pass with the highest marks.

Posted in Bible Study, Commitment, Discipleship, Personal, Personal Holiness, Prayer, Scripture, The Bible | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Class of Prayer (part 1 of 2)

Posted on June 30, 2011 by russellmckinney

In Luke 11:1, we read:

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” (N.K.J.V.)

Christian, let me draw your attention to three things from this verse.

First, it was after Jesus had finished praying that His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” Obviously, there was something uncommonly different about Christ’s prayer life. The disciples knew they didn’t pray as effectively and as powerfully as He did. Has anyone ever heard you pray and asked, “Will you teach me to pray like that?” What a compliment!

Second, it’s noteworthy that John the Baptist had taught his disciples how to pray. While the Bible describes John as a man who lived in the great outdoors, wore strange clothes, ate odd food, preached fiery sermons, and baptized multitudes in the Jordan river, we don’t usually think of him as being a prayer warrior. Nevertheless, he must have had expertise in the field if he was able to instruct others.

Third, notice that prayer is something that can be taught. Putting it another way, a person can learn how to pray. Prayer is not an inborn talent or spiritual gift. It’s not like a musical bent or an artistic ability. The fact is, nobody is a “natural” at prayer. That’s why we all need to become students in its class.

There is a difference, however, between merely enrolling in a class and fully embracing the class. I remember a French class I took in high school. I only enrolled in the class to please my guidance counselor. She wanted me to take French I and French II because some colleges required two foreign language courses for admittance, and French I and French II were the only options my school offered at that time.

The problem was that I had no interest at all in learning to speak French, and it was absolute torture for me to drag myself into that classroom in the afternoons. It should come as no shock, then, that I bombed out of that class. Even though I was an honor student, I felt lucky to pull out a D- for the first six weeks of the class. Frankly, my teacher was generous in giving me that grade.

So, what did I do? I dropped that class and never looked back! I can’t speak one word of French today, and I still don’t care. As for admission to college, I just looked around and found a good school that didn’t require two years of foreign language. Not only did I not regret foregoing that French class and the follow-up one, it irked me that I had lost six weeks of my life sitting in a class I loathed.

My point, Christian, is that even if you enroll in the class of prayer, you can’t go in with the attitude I had concerning that French class. Nobody can make you want to become a student of prayer. It has to be a personal decision on your part. If you see learning to pray as just one more chore to add to your list, you won’t be much of a student. It’s well nigh impossible to teach something to someone who isn’t interested in learning it.

In the end, me dropping out of that French class didn’t do any long-term damage to my life. But that won’t be true for your life if you drop out of the class on prayer. Whereas I could get by without learning a second language because I already knew a first one, you dropping out of the class on prayer would be akin to me dropping out of an elementary school English class. Do you understand the difference? Prayer is the basic language by which you talk with God. It is Communication 101. Therefore, the class on prayer really is core-curriculum education.

Posted in Discipleship, Personal, Personal Holiness, Prayer, Sanctification | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Someone Who Understands

Posted on June 28, 2011 by russellmckinney

A farmer had some puppies for sale. He painted a sign advertising them and nailed it on a post at the edge of his yard. As he was driving in the last nail, he felt a tug on his overalls. He turned around to see a little boy standing up against the fence. “Mister,” said the boy, “I want to buy one of your puppies.”

The farmer was a little embarrassed at the request because he strongly doubted that the boy had the kind of money he was asking for the pups. Trying to dissuade the little fellow, he said, “Son, these puppies come from fine parents and cost a fair amount of money.” The boy, however, didn’t give up so easily. He reached deep into his pocket, pulled out a handful of change, and said, “I’ve got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to at least take a look?” The farmer couldn’t help but smile and answer, “Sure.”

He let out a whistle and called, “Here, Dolly!” Out from the doghouse and down the ramp came Dolly, followed by four little balls of fur, as the boy’s eyes danced with delight. But as Dolly and her pups made their way to the farmer, the boy saw another little ball appear at the door of the doghouse. It was noticeably smaller than the others, but it slid down the ramp with every bit as much enthusiasm. Then it began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up.

Immediately, the boy pointed at the runt and said, “I want that one.” Now the farmer just felt embarrassed. In his most compassionate tone, he answered, “Son, you don’t want that puppy. He’ll never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would.” Upon hearing that, the little boy stepped back from the fence and began rolling up one leg of his pants. That allowed the farmer to see that a steel brace ran down both sides of the leg and attached itself to a specially made shoe. Looking up at the farmer, the boy said, “You see, sir, I don’t run too well myself, and he’ll need someone who understands.”

We all wonder why God either allows or (let’s admit it) causes certain things to happen to people. “Why?” is surely one of the most common words spoken to Him. Well, I don’t pretend to have all the answers that people want, but I do know this: At least one of the reasons why God either allows or causes unpleasant things to happen to people is because such things enable us to truly understand others who going through them too.

Tonya and I have two wonderful boys, but the fact is that we lost two other children, including our first, by way of miscarriage. During those incredibly difficult times I will never forget how various couples went out of their way to minister to us by sharing their stories of how they too had experienced miscarriages. Frankly, I was surprised at how many there were. These people had never spoken of such things to us, but once Tonya and I had to walk down that road, they instinctively knew that we needed “someone who understands.”

And now that Tonya and I have lived through the pain of those two miscarriages, we have the understanding to minister to couples who must endure one. Do you see how the divine chain of ministry perpetuates itself? Certainly no one wants to volunteer to go through something unpleasant, but at least we know that God can bring something good out of the experience.

So, Christian, keep all this in mind today and don’t be shy about ministering to those who are having to travel difficult ground that you’ve already traveled. Know that there is a person out there somewhere who is looking for someone who understands, and the person they are looking for is you. You just have to be willing to care and willing to share. And I’m happy to report that what you’ll find is that even as you minister to others, God will minister to you through the caring and the sharing.

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Disappointment, Doing Good, God's Love, God's Work, Influence, Mercy, Ministry, Perseverance, Problems, Trusting In God, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Danger of Silence

Posted on June 27, 2011 by russellmckinney

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he surely shall live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.” (Ezekiel 3:17-21, N.K.J.V.)

There are a lot of old legends out there, stories that did or didn’t happen. One of them is the account of the destruction of an ancient city. In those days, the cities were surrounded by walls, with watchmen keeping guard atop the walls to warn if an enemy army approached.

As the story goes, the watchmen of this particular city were especially cautious and would sound the alarm anytime they saw anything stirring in the distance. This led to many false alarms. Finally, the citizens complained enough about the false alarms to cause the watchmen to stop sounding the alarm altogether.

You can guess what happened next. A real enemy army eventually stormed the city and destroyed it. Sometime later, someone erected a small memorial where the city had once been. The epitaph read: “Here stood a city that was destroyed by silence.”

The text passage for this post records how God charged the prophet Ezekiel with the responsibility of warning not only the wicked people but also the righteous people about the seriousness of their sins. If Ezekiel was faithful in carrying out his duty, he wouldn’t have any figurative blood on his hands. But if he was neglectful in carrying out his duty, the blood would be there. Anyone who can read those words and not feel some measure of sympathy for Ezekiel isn’t reading them correctly.

Since the days of the Old Testament prophets are long since past, God has now given Christians the responsibility of sharing His truth about sin. This responsibility means that we cannot remain silent about the sin that surrounds our world and threatens to destroy it. We must speak out. We must instruct. We must warn. If we don’t play the role of watchmen to not only the lost but also the saved, no one will.

I’m not going to lie and say that we will win all the cultural battles. The fact is, we won’t. But if winning the cultural war is the only reason we are crying out against sin, we are operating from the wrong motivation anyway. You see, God hasn’t given us the mandate to win the cultural war. Our mandate is simply to be responsible, diligent, effective, persevering watchmen. And no matter how much our fellow citizens complain, that’s a duty we must never shirk.

Posted in Abortion, Adultery, Coming Judgment, Commitment, Communication, Criticism, Current Events, Doctrine, Doing Good, Drugs, Evangelism, Faithfulness, God's Work, Homosexuality, Influence, Ministry, Missions, Obedience, Persecution, Perseverance, Politics, Preaching, Scripture, Service, Sin, The Bible, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Flow of God’s Will

Posted on June 24, 2011 by russellmckinney

In the November, 2002, edition of Focus On the Family magazine, the following letter from Tyson Chastain was used:

One Sunday my wife and I noticed an announcement in the church bulletin about a men’s missions trip to Honduras. Through God’s providence, I went on the trip. Upon my return home, I told my wife that we should pray about going to Bible college and entering Christian ministry. She began to cry and said that while I was gone, she had prayed for God to give me direction. When I went back to work, I received word that my department was being dissolved. That evening I asked my wife, “How strong is your faith?” She simply smiled, “You were laid off, weren’t you?” Needless to say, we are serving God as missionaries to Honduras today.

Over the years, during times when I was seeking God’s will about specific decisions, I have often asked Him to “funnel” me into His will. By that, I meant that I wanted Him to orchestrate my life’s circumstances in such a way that His will about the situation in question would become obvious. For example, if He wanted us to sell our house, He could send along a solid buyer and make the deal easy. If He wanted us to buy a car, He could help us get a payment we could manage. If He wanted me to take a church, He could have the congregational vote go in my favor. You get the idea. Accordingly, when enough of the particulars fell right into line, I would take that as God “funneling” us into His will regarding the decision.

A.W Tozer once said, “When it’s God’s will, it flows.” This simply means that when something is God’s will for your life, you don’t have to knock, beat, and hammer it into place. You don’t have to kill yourself to make it happen, either. You can just get in the current of what God is up to and ride the flow. Admittedly, there are times when the spiritual opposition against God’s will for a situation is so great that the flow is more difficult to recognize. But mark it down, some degree of flow will be there.

That letter of testimony from Tyson Chastain is a classic case of God funneling two submitted Christians into His will for their lives. First came Tyson’s mission trip to Honduras. Then came his wife’s prayer that God would give him direction. Then came Tyson’s God-implanted desire to go to Bible college and enter Christian ministry. Then came the loss of his job. You see, there was a definite flow to all of that. It might not have been a flow that we would have devised, but it was a flow nonetheless.

So, are you right now trying to discern God’s will regarding a particular decision? I would advise you to sit down and trace the flow of what’s been going on with your circumstances. It could well be that for some time now God has been funneling you toward the choice He wants you to make. If He has, don’t fight Him. Instead, just ride the flow and submit to His will. And if He hasn’t been funneling you toward the right choice, then start praying this prayer: “Lord, funnel me into Your will for this decision, and give me the spiritual eyes to spot the flow of that will.” Pray that prayer and mean it, and God will surely take you up on it. After all, He wants you to do His will even more than you want to do it! Why, then, wouldn’t He funnel you into that will if you ask Him to do so?

Posted in Choices, Decisions, Discernment, God's Sovereignty, God's Will, Personal, Spiritual Warfare, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Your Penny

Posted on June 23, 2011 by russellmckinney

He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. (Proverbs 28:13, N.K.J.V.)

Little Billy had his hand stuck in an expensive vase. His mother tried her best to pull the hand out, but she finally had to resort to breaking the vase. Once it was broken, she saw that Billy had kept his fist balled up the whole time. When she asked him why he had done this, he answered, “Because if I had opened my hand, I would have dropped my penny.”

Many a person is right now holding on to some “penny” of sin. Even when clutching the sin begins to complicate their life, they won’t let go of the sin. Even when clutching it gets monetarily expensive, they still won’t let go. Maybe the sin is drugs. Maybe it is alcoholism. Perhaps it is adultery or pornography. Sometimes it’s greed, pride, or covetousness. The list of potential “pennies” is certainly a long one.

This isn’t just a problem for lost people, either. No, a lot of Christians are out there right now playing the role of little Billy. I don’t figure that repentance has ever made for popular preaching, but its popularity is definitely at a low ebb right now. Many preachers today major on themes such as acceptance, tolerance, mercy, patience, and love. Obviously, these are indeed thoroughly scriptural themes. However, even as we preach these themes, we must guard against allowing our message to become so “mush and gush” that we downplay repentance into oblivion. No matter what the spirit of the times happens to be, God always wants fists opened and pennies of sin dropped.

So, I ask you, what’s that in your hand right now? Is it your personal penny of sin? Well, little Billy, you’re going to have to let go of that penny (repent of it) before God will help you get your hand out of that vase in which you’re caught. You see, He’ll gladly set you free from your entrapment, but He won’t do it just so you can keep a death grip on your penny.

Posted in Backsliding, Change, Choices, Disobedience, God's Holiness, Personal Holiness, Preaching, Rebellion, Repentance, Seeking Forgiveness | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

How Optimistic Are You About Your Future?

Posted on June 22, 2011 by russellmckinney

Flagstaff, Maine, was chosen as the site for a huge hydroelectric installation. The installation would include a dam that would impound miles and miles of water and bury the town under water. Consequently, in the late 1940s, the process of the town becoming physically abandoned began.

Even before everybody left, when the plan to build the installation was first approved and announced, the need to keep up the appearance of the town went by the wayside. No one bothered to paint his house anymore. Worn streets were left unrepaired. The school building and the church building were left to decline. One man summed up the situation by saying, “Apparently, when there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present.”

That’s a profound statement, isn’t it? And in the light of it, I want to ask you this question: When you think about your future, do you do so with optimism or dread? Imagine yourself ten years from now. Do you see yourself as happier, more at peace, and more contented? Or do you see yourself in an even worse state than your current one? How you answer says a lot about you.

Every Christian should be an optimist because, if for no other reason, he or she is bound for heaven and eternal bliss. That’s just impossible to beat for a future. 1 Peter 1:4 describes it as:

…an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. (N.K.J.V.)

Notice that the word used is “inheritance.” Question: How does a person collect an inheritance? Answer: Somebody else has to die. Well, who died in order that the Christian can collect a heavenly inheritance? The answer is found in the preceding verse, 1 Peter 1:3:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (N.K.J.V.)

You see, Christian, Christ’s death and resurrection have paved the way for you to have been begotten to “a living hope.” Not only that, but you having this living hope in hand ought to make you wildly optimistic about the future. If you can get excited about an earthly vacation at a hotel or resort simply because you have a reservation there, that should be nothing compared to the excitement you feel about having an eternal inheritance reserved in heaven for the afterlife.

Now, does such optimism mean that you won’t have any difficult times here upon this earth? No, it doesn’t. Does it mean that the last days of your earthly life will be the happiest days of it? Not necessarily. But what it does mean is that you can be sincerely optimistic about the future because you understand that this world isn’t the end. Even if things get bad for you down here, you have an unshakable reservation for a better place. In other words, Christian, if you are looking to the future with dread, you just aren’t looking out there far enough.

Posted in Adversity, Aging, Assurance of Salvation, Attitude, Christ's Death, Christ's Resurrection, Comfort, Contentment, Depression, Disappointment, Elderly, Encouragement, Eternal Security, Eternity, Faith, Heaven, Peace, Problems, Reward, Salvation, Suffering, Trials | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mona Lisa

Posted on June 21, 2011 by russellmckinney

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:17, N.K.J.V.)

In 1911, the famous Mona Lisa painting was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris and remained missing for the next two years. Interestingly, more people came to the museum to see the blank space than had come to view the masterpiece itself in the previous twelve years. What does that teach us about human nature? If nothing else, it teaches us that we take masterpieces for granted until they are gone.

Now let’s spiritually apply this illustration to our lives. God faithfully hangs countless masterpieces upon the walls of our lives, only to have us walk past them each day without appreciating them for the blessings they are. But the moment we realize that one is gone, we finally begin to understand just how wonderful it was and we start staring at the vacant spot, reminiscing about the happiness the blessing used to bring us.

I, for one, constantly need to be reminded to focus on the good in my life rather than the bad. Stating it simply, I need to spend more time appreciating all the Mona Lisas that God has granted me. Everything about my life can’t be categorized as a “good gift” or a “perfect gift,” but I’ve certainly got abundance enough of such gifts to know that God the Father (the Father of lights) has been exceptionally good to me.

Getting back to my opening illustration, my life is a figurative Louvre with its walls lined with masterpiece after masterpiece. Therefore, if I don’t give each one its proper appreciation, that says a lot more about me than it does the blessing. It means the blessing is doing its job of adding value to my life but I’m not doing my job of appreciating that value. Frankly, that makes me an ingrate, and I doubt that God is in much of hurry to pour out more blessings upon someone who doesn’t appreciate the ones he already has.

Posted in Attitude, Complaining, Contentment, Covetousness, God's Love, God's Provision, Grace, Praise, Thankfulness, Thanksgiving | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Criticism

Posted on June 20, 2011 by russellmckinney

I once heard Jack Graham, the pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Texas, tell a great story in his sermon. The story went as follows.

A man and his wife walked into a store. A parrot sitting on a perch greeted them at the door by saying to the man, “Hey you, you’re stupid and your wife is ugly.” Shocked, the couple quickly moved away from the bird. But the bird wouldn’t let the matter go. Even as the couple moved toward another part of the store, the bird said to the man again, this time a little louder, “Hey you, you’re stupid and your wife is ugly.”

At that point, the store manager came out of the back, and the couple immediately reported what the parrot had said. The manager said, “Oh no, is that crazy bird doing that again? I’ve warned him about that.” Then the manager walked over to the bird, grabbed it by its neck, and swatted its backside a few times with his hand. The bird took its punishment and squawked in pain, after which the manager returned it to its perch.

Well, by then the couple was pretty upset about the whole episode and decided to leave the store. So they headed for the door, which meant that they had to walk past the parrot again. And just as they opened the door to leave, the bird said to the man, “Hey you.” The man’s first instinct was to just keep walking but curiosity got the better of him, and so he slowly turned around and looked straight at the bird. The bird stared back at him for a second and then said two words: “You know.”

Graham’s point was that critics are everywhere. Therefore, if you are doing something that you know is right, don’t let your critics get you down. Just keep on doing what God has you doing.

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Commitment, Criticism, Doing Good, Faithfulness, God's Will, Humor, Obedience, Persecution, Perseverance, Problems, Trials, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment