Month: April 2013

by

If Only

“If only…” I suppose many of us could finish that sentence with a sad, angry or regretful story. The truth is most of us have a lifetime full of “what ifs”. As we mull over the circumstances it still doesn’t change what happened. As a matter of fact, living in the world of “what if” is living in a world where God does not even exist.

We live with regrets because we think we should. We think it is the right thing to do, that it is our duty as a sinner before God. It is as if we think we deserve the pain of living with regret.

Living in a world of “what if” is a universal problem. I have sat in my office and heard hundreds of stories that began with “what if” or “if only”. As I speak in churches in North America and in foreign countries, I hear the same ole phrase…”If only this did not happen my life and circumstances would have been different.”

Yes, it is true that events change the course of our life and we need to learn from our mistakes. However, God never intended for us to live in a state of daily regret, as if having a sense of constant regret is some sort of penance we deserve. But the answer is found in dealing with “WHAT IS”!

How often we forget that as a committed follower of Christ we are under the watch care and authority of a sovereign God. God does not work in some fantasy world of “if only” but in the concrete world of what is. Malcolm Smith says, “The fact is, no one knows what might have been. All we do know is that the infinitely good God will take the mistake and turn it for good.”

Guyon writes: “Remember you must never blame man for anything. No matter what happens, it was neither man nor circumstances that brought it. You must accept everything, (except, of course, you own sinfulness), as having come from the Lord.”

The ‘what ifs’ of our life become the foundation blocks that build Christ-like character. Wisdom teaches us that what might have been isn’t – so we must embrace what life is now.

I am reminded of the passage of Scripture in Proverbs 23:7; “As a man thinks in his heart so is he.” We are what we set our mind upon. If we continually languish in the world of “what if”, then the cloud of what “could have been” will keep us from moving on in life. We become stuck in the mud of regret and the world of “what if.”

Face it; you can’t take back the words you said. You can’t redo a marriage that ended in a nasty divorce. You can’t reclaim that missed opportunity or get back the failed investment. But you can see God in the failure – but only if you let go of the past.

“But this one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”(Philippians 3:13-14 NAS)

Somehow I believe that when Paul wrote this verse in Philippians he was thinking of the time he held Stephen’s coat while he cheered on the crowd that was stoning him. Don’t you think that he had replayed that event over and over in his mind, and thought, “what if” I had not been in that town on that day?” But somehow, by God’s grace and forgiveness he was able to lay down the “what ifs” of the past and focus on the prize of knowing and serving Christ.

Or what about Peter when Jesus and his family needed him the most, he ran, he lied that he knew Him and he denied he was a disciple? Do you think Peter also had regrets? Yes, I am sure he did, but he was able to receive Jesus’ forgiveness and become an example of graceful suffering.

Are you holding on to some personal “what ifs”? If so, let it go, and lay it at the foot of the cross, receive God forgiveness, and ask Him to take your regrets and turn them in to a fruitful future.

by

Waiting on God

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it could go no further. So the man decided to help the butterfly. He cut off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly soon emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man expected that the wings would enlarge and expand to support the body, which would contract in time, but neither happened. Instead the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never flew. In his kindness and haste the man didn’t understand that the restricting cocoon was God’s way of forcing fluid from the butterfly’s body into its wings, so that it could fly once free from the cocoon.

Sometimes our struggles are exactly what we need. If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong and we could never fly! With our flesh we fight life’s struggles. We are impatient during the learning curves. We fail to understand that our obstacles are the very thing that allows us to soar. Jesus said, “If you reign with me you will suffer with me”. The context of this verse has to do with becoming a true disciple. That means suffering, by way of life’s struggles, is necessary to be called a legitimate disciple of Jesus Christ.

I like to refer to our daily struggles as God’s way of bringing a little brokenness. Sometimes that means a sense of “momentarily being out of control.” Being out of control gives us a feeling of having no place to turn but God. That’s exactly where God wants us to be – acting on our faith and trust in Him. Besides, even if the struggle and discomfort is a direct attack from the enemy, God always means it for good.

Joseph had the proper perspective when he explained to his brothers, “You meant it for evil but God meant it for good.” So next time you get in a jam – don’t try to exit from the cocoon too soon, more struggle may be necessary. Wait on God’s natural timing so you can fly.

“Consider it all joy, my brother, when you encounter various trials, know that the testing’s of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)

by

It’s About Perspective

This week I would like to convey something practical, or as my daddy use to say, “some good ole horse sense”. Sometimes as believers we are guilty of spiritualizing every little event that happens in our life, attributing it to the devil or the Lord’s hand. But more often than not, it’s just life – combined with our poor decision making. I am not minimizing the possibility that we may encounter from time to time demonic attacks, nor am I discounting certain seasons of suffering, God’s hand of brokenness.is often at work in our life, but when it’s from God, the events usually involve things in which we have no control.

I have often heard during a counseling session, “Why did God do this to me, placing me in this marriage, this town or this job? I have hated this for so many years?”

God is certainly omnipotent and able to place us in difficult places if He chooses. But if we take a closer look, most of those unpleasant situations are of our own making. The above statement is a prime example of unjustly blaming God for our poor personal decisions.

Statistics have proven that most people who find themselves up against the wall financially are there because of heavy indebtedness and or financial mismanagement. Any hiccup in cash flow puts them in dire straits. We often blame the devil for something we could have changed or prevented. (Are we giving the devil too much credit for decisions we make all on our own?)

God does not micromanage the little details of our lives. Our decisions or our times of indecision, has led us to where we are today. But that is hopeful, because you can make new decisions that will put you in different circumstances. God gives us the ability to make choices. Don’t wait for some supernatural movement – just start by seeing what you can do to change your circumstances.

If it is a job change you need, then take steps to prepare yourself for a change. Start by discovering your natural giftedness, identify your strengths and then search for a job that matches your giftedness and strengths. God has specifically wired us to be fulfilled in our work – but we must discover how He has naturally gifted us.

If debt is a problem then locate someone who can help you develop a plan to get out of debt. (Like Dave Ramsey) You don’t have to be a slave to indebtedness, there is a way out.

If you are burdened with a deteriorating relationship don’t crumple in despair, take proactive steps to rekindle and repair the relationship. If you are suffering from loneliness don’t sit at home all day long, but get out and mingle and think of creative ways to meet new people. If you do your part while asking the Lord to lead you, he will bring special people across your path that you can both enjoy and inspire.

Sometimes we assume that our current situation reflects random, individual, disconnected events. But seldom is that true. Rather, we are where we are because each decision we make is a step in a particular direction. And over time that direction determines our position in our work, our finances, our health, our relationships and our spiritual well-being. If you think God did this to you, then it justifies doing nothing until God changes your situation. And in doing nothing I see people open the door to blaming, resentment, anger, guilt and depression. I think God deserves better from us.

What my point? Life is about perspective. It’s like the story of two shoe salesmen traveling to a foreign country to sell shoes. The first salesman called immediately and said, “Get me on the next plane home. No one here wears shoes.” The second salesman called back and said, “Send me our entire inventory. No one here wears shoes.”

The same mind that thinks thoughts of doom, rejection, and discouragement is the same mind that can be creative, positive, and full of endless ideas, hope and faith. Which way will you use your God-given mind?

Perspective: It’s looking at your circumstances as an opportunity for change and improvement. Seize the moment, change your perspective and take action. Don’t be a victim of your circumstances but let your circumstances be your motivation for positive and productive change. Every cloud has a silver lining, but it takes trust in a sovereign God to lead you, and your diligence to take instinctive steps toward a better quality of life.

“As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7)

by

Running The Race

Hebrews 12:1-2

In Hebrews 12 the writer gives a sports analogy to convey the importance of keeping our eyes on Jesus. Reading through this passage reminded me of how contemporary the Scriptures are on today’s issues and problems. Believers everywhere are filled with anxiety, fear, doubt, unforgiveness and a multitude of other spiritual and emotional maladies that keep us from “fixing our eyes on Jesus”. There are several key elements of this passage that we need to heed in order to keep our eyes fixed on the goal.

1. “A great cloud of witnesses” – We are not alone in the race. The Greek word “great” is nephele which indicates an earth encompassing cloud. The context suggests that these witnesses are the heroes of the faith mentioned in chapter 11. We are in this race not only with other believers here on earth, but also the saints of heaven are cheering us on. Even though we may feel alone, we are never alone in the race.

2. “Let us lay aside every weight” – A runner never allows things to weigh them down. Every piece of clothing down to the weight of the shoe plays a vital role in running the race. Sometimes the things that weigh us down are not sinful things but the things that are not best for us. Often good things must be laid down in order for the best to be used in the race.

3. “Let us run with patience the race…” – The word race is the Greek word agon in which we get our English word agony. The emphasis is a long distance race. I remember running my first timed mile in junior high school. Agony would perfectly describe the experience. In the spiritual race the pace is set by God and the goal is not heaven. Heaven is settled by faith in the finished work of Jesus on the Cross. The goal is pleasing God by obedience. Along the way agony appears in the form of trials, disappointments and temptations. This race is not a 100 yard dash but a marathon.

4. “Looking unto Jesus” – This is an intent gaze upon Jesus. It’s keeping our eyes fixed on Him during the race, irrespective of the position of the rest of the runners. The race is not about how fast we finish because the pace is set by our Heavenly Father. Rather the race is based on how faithful we are at keeping our focus on Jesus along the way. Each one of us has a race to run and our focus is not to be on how our brother or sister runs the race. That’s the reason the scripture admonishes us to not compare ourselves with others.

1. If you want to be disappointed look to others
2. If you want to be discouraged focus on yourself.
3. If you want to be delighted focus on Jesus.

Since God knows from the foundation of the world who will become his child, the events that determine our race and our pace may even begin before we become a believer. We see an example of this principle at work in Nee Wheng-hsiu:

Famous missionary Watchmen Nee’s mother, Nee Wheng-hsiu, had plans to go to medical school in the USA. But at the last minute her mother arranged a marriage contract for her. The marriage was everything she feared about an arranged marriage- abuse and marriage to someone she didn’t love. Her sorrow drove her to Christ. After her conversion she approached her 17 year old son Watchman and confessed her sin of being too harsh in her discipline of him. Watchman was taken by surprise. This behavior was not only unusual but it was also uncommon in the Chinese culture. Because of his mother’s transformation Watchman Nee also gave his life to Christ. His impact on China is felt even today throughout China.

Like Nee Wheng-hsiu, our race may contain tragedy, disappointment and even regret, but it is our race, and it is orchestrated by God. Only as we keep our eyes fixed on Christ will we realize the reward of the peace of God in the midst of the race, and the eventual fulfillment of His will and purpose for our life.

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith… Hebrews 12:1-2a (NASB)

Larry