Those of you who know me personally know that I have had a real roller coaster ride in my professional career since the implosion of Arthur Andersen. It seems I have had the worst luck when it comes to the number of sweeping layoffs and timing that anyone could have. But my luck is nothing compared to the story of a man named Lazarus found in John 11.
I remember very distinctly driving home from my last day at my last job. I was just notified, without any advanced notice that the region I led for the oil field services company was being merged with another and I was the new guy and odd man out. I had just accepted this position four months earlier and couldn’t have felt I could find a better job for me. On one of the freeway exit ramps, I said, “Ok, God. I don’t get this. Why didn’t you keep this from happening?” After all, I am a faithful servant, tither and generous giver. Why does stuff like this happen to me? I felt very distinctly and with as much love and compassion He knew I would receive, I heard Him say, “I know you don’t get this. But if you had enough faith you wouldn’t need to understand.” Gosh, I hate it when that happens.
You see, I had already had enough witness about keeping a good attitude while being unemployed and we really considered this last job to be a gift from God. I had no oil field services operations experience yet was hired to lead an entire region. The job came as the economy was dropping like a rock and the energy industry was slowing tremendously. It sure didn’t make worldly sense that I got that job.
So back to the parallel from the story of Lazarus. About a week after I was laid off, I was playing Bible roulette and opened it up to John 11. Please read that story since I am not going to put it all down here. Here is what struck me about the story. Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary. He knew that Lazarus was sick but didn’t come to his rescue before he died. At least three times in the story, the people in the story said that Jesus could have kept this from happening had he been there. This is exactly how I felt. How many times have we said, “God? Where were you and why did you let this happen?” As believers, we so much want to be spared the pain of life. After all, we are believers in the God of the universe so we know He could keep anything from happening with just a word. But if he healed Lazarus when he was just sick would that have been a miracle. Surely not in today’s society. It would be called medicine.
So the story goes on that Jesus calls Lazarus from the grave four days after he has been dead. A good friend of mine likes to say that he surely stinketh by then. I know that when I go through tough times, after a certain amount of time, I begin to reek of my troubles. But Jesus called him out from the dead and Lazarus appears from the grave.
How much can you relate to how Lazarus’ friends felt? If Jesus had just come when he was notified, this never would have happened. But neither would the miracle. God still performs miracles for us every day. However, it is easy to forget that miracles can’t happen unless there is a crisis. If there is any way that we can explain something in worldly terms, we will do it. Even the strongest of believers fall into this trap. I know I sure do. So the next time a hardship falls on you, start looking for the ways that God will turn this into good in your life or in someone else’s life. Feel honored that He has chosen you to tell the story of how God performs great works in your life. Feel trusted by God to use this hardship in your life to spread His good news. You can bet Lazarus told a few people about what happened to him.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
From Porn To Pure
A recent reply by God’s Speed to one of my posts brought about another thought that has kicked around in my head for some time. It is the affects of receiving the Holy Spirit in your heart. The Holy Spirit which was left to us to take the place of Jesus is the one who urges us to do right instead of wrong. The Spirit lives in our hearts after we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
So if we have God (in the form of the Holy Spirit) living in our heart, why do we continue to sin? For several years, I helped minister to men who were suffering from sexual impurity. I came with strong credibility since I had viewed pornography since I was in my early teens. I continued to do so into my 40’s and after I had accepted Christ into my life. I had hated this habit of mine for years but just couldn’t get beyond it. Then, it happened.
I was dating the woman who is now my wife when she came to me with a look on her face that I will never forget. She had found out about my sin and was not willing to have that as part of her life. So either my habit had to go or she was gone. At that moment, my head which is the part of me that decides what to do was convinced. My sin is a problem. While my heart had been telling my head that for a long time, my head wasn’t convinced until I understood the cost and/or consequences of my sin.
In an instant, the decision was made. I was done with pornography. Just as I learned that putting my hand on a hot burner would cause pain and consequences, I learned that my sin has consequences I was no longer willing to experience. What I also learned was that when two become married, the two become one. Using my hot burner example I realized that my sin might not burn my hand but would cause enormous pain on my wife’s hand.
Since the day my heart and head aligned I have been done with porn. That was almost half a decade ago. My prayer for those who suffer from porn addictions is that through some seemingly small event their hearts and their heads become aligned and they are free from the bondage and consequences of pornography.
If you need help with this issue a great place to start is www.xxxchurch.com or you are welcome to contact me.
So if we have God (in the form of the Holy Spirit) living in our heart, why do we continue to sin? For several years, I helped minister to men who were suffering from sexual impurity. I came with strong credibility since I had viewed pornography since I was in my early teens. I continued to do so into my 40’s and after I had accepted Christ into my life. I had hated this habit of mine for years but just couldn’t get beyond it. Then, it happened.
I was dating the woman who is now my wife when she came to me with a look on her face that I will never forget. She had found out about my sin and was not willing to have that as part of her life. So either my habit had to go or she was gone. At that moment, my head which is the part of me that decides what to do was convinced. My sin is a problem. While my heart had been telling my head that for a long time, my head wasn’t convinced until I understood the cost and/or consequences of my sin.
In an instant, the decision was made. I was done with pornography. Just as I learned that putting my hand on a hot burner would cause pain and consequences, I learned that my sin has consequences I was no longer willing to experience. What I also learned was that when two become married, the two become one. Using my hot burner example I realized that my sin might not burn my hand but would cause enormous pain on my wife’s hand.
Since the day my heart and head aligned I have been done with porn. That was almost half a decade ago. My prayer for those who suffer from porn addictions is that through some seemingly small event their hearts and their heads become aligned and they are free from the bondage and consequences of pornography.
If you need help with this issue a great place to start is www.xxxchurch.com or you are welcome to contact me.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
God Hates Fags! Really?
There is a church in Kansas that makes it a point to protest the funerals of our fallen soldiers using the argument that God Hates Fags and since the US does not stand up against homosexuals, our soldiers will continue to die as a result of God’s wrath. Out of this, a terrific organization was founded. It is called the Patriot Guard and you can find more on them at http://www.patriotguard.org/. But that is not what this is about.
Last I checked, the Bible says we are all sinners and none of us will live a perfect life on earth. That was done once by Jesus who is God in the flesh. My dad has a Master’s in Mathematics. That means I am really good at putting mathematical theory together to explain things or I hate math all together. Actually, it is the former and here is the equation I would like for us to understand today.
If A = B and B = C, then A = C. This formula shows us how to apply the substitution of equal properties.
So let’s examine it. Let’s say that the homosexuals are represented by the letter A. Since homosexuality is a sin according to the Bible, then B must represent sin. Let’s also say that all men are represented by the letter C in the equation. Then we must say that the second part of the equation is also true since all men are sinners and will stay that way while they are on this earth. Can you tell where this is going? God hates all sin. Not one more than another. The Word says that our most righteous minutes as humans are like filthy rags to God. See Isaiah 64:6. So now let’s take this back to our equation.
A = Homosexuals
B = Sin
C = All humans, SO:
Homosexuality is a sin. So are all humans. God hates all sin and sees all sins the same. Seems simple enough.
So if you are one of those who “hates fags,” I got news for you. Using your logic, God hates you too. He sees you the same as he sees homosexuals. So if you are one of those people you should hate yourself as much as you hate homosexuals. I would argue that is exactly the case.
Last I checked, the Bible says we are all sinners and none of us will live a perfect life on earth. That was done once by Jesus who is God in the flesh. My dad has a Master’s in Mathematics. That means I am really good at putting mathematical theory together to explain things or I hate math all together. Actually, it is the former and here is the equation I would like for us to understand today.
If A = B and B = C, then A = C. This formula shows us how to apply the substitution of equal properties.
So let’s examine it. Let’s say that the homosexuals are represented by the letter A. Since homosexuality is a sin according to the Bible, then B must represent sin. Let’s also say that all men are represented by the letter C in the equation. Then we must say that the second part of the equation is also true since all men are sinners and will stay that way while they are on this earth. Can you tell where this is going? God hates all sin. Not one more than another. The Word says that our most righteous minutes as humans are like filthy rags to God. See Isaiah 64:6. So now let’s take this back to our equation.
A = Homosexuals
B = Sin
C = All humans, SO:
Homosexuality is a sin. So are all humans. God hates all sin and sees all sins the same. Seems simple enough.
So if you are one of those who “hates fags,” I got news for you. Using your logic, God hates you too. He sees you the same as he sees homosexuals. So if you are one of those people you should hate yourself as much as you hate homosexuals. I would argue that is exactly the case.
Don't Judge Me Dude!
Over the past several years, it has become apparent to me how much people fear being judged. I have to say I can sure understand that fear, or I did at one time. Sure, it still bothers me when I feel judged by people. Especially those whose opinions I respect. But the bottom line is God is the only judge we need to worry about.
As God has slowly and surely cleansed me of my judgmental thoughts towards others, I have gained a much higher awareness when I see judgment in action. In the words of Joyce Meyers, “I am not where I want to be but thank God I am not where I used to be.” When there is a lack of God in our lives, we try to be the god of our lives. So we take on His attributes. One of those is being the judge of who is in and who is out of our private world of acceptance. Just as we do to others, they do to us. This world has become one giant judgment after another. A fear of being judged with a lack of knowing who we are in Christ leads us to some pretty unpleasant places.
Just about everyone in our society wants to be accepted. All of us have a fear of being judged and being excluded from favor from one group or another. This quest to be accepted drives much of how we live our lives. There are two ways to be accepted. One can either perform at or above the level expected. We see this when people seek certain tightly controlled certifications. There is a test and if you don’t make at least a specific score, you don’t get in. In this case, the bar is set and not lowered. This ensures that the groups standards will not be compromised and the standing of that certification will not lose value.
The other method is to try to get the standards lowered to bring people in who can’t make the existing standard. Instead of seeking to live their lives up to the standards of society, many people spend a great deal of time and energy trying to get the standard lowered to their level so they can be accepted. Consider what would happen if, in the first example here, the test scores were lowered to make sure that a certain percent of the test takers passed. It greatly devalues the accomplishment as well as de-motivates the people who worked hard to achieve a passing grade before the standards were lowered.
As our society becomes more and more polarized, we can expect the attempts to lower the standards in society further and further to continue and possibly become more numerous. Without any true definition and lasting standard for society, we will continue our moral decline. When the godly people don’t stand up, the godless will get their way. Stand up for our standards. Vote for the best candidate even if they are not your ideal candidate. Our silence will be our demise.
As God has slowly and surely cleansed me of my judgmental thoughts towards others, I have gained a much higher awareness when I see judgment in action. In the words of Joyce Meyers, “I am not where I want to be but thank God I am not where I used to be.” When there is a lack of God in our lives, we try to be the god of our lives. So we take on His attributes. One of those is being the judge of who is in and who is out of our private world of acceptance. Just as we do to others, they do to us. This world has become one giant judgment after another. A fear of being judged with a lack of knowing who we are in Christ leads us to some pretty unpleasant places.
Just about everyone in our society wants to be accepted. All of us have a fear of being judged and being excluded from favor from one group or another. This quest to be accepted drives much of how we live our lives. There are two ways to be accepted. One can either perform at or above the level expected. We see this when people seek certain tightly controlled certifications. There is a test and if you don’t make at least a specific score, you don’t get in. In this case, the bar is set and not lowered. This ensures that the groups standards will not be compromised and the standing of that certification will not lose value.
The other method is to try to get the standards lowered to bring people in who can’t make the existing standard. Instead of seeking to live their lives up to the standards of society, many people spend a great deal of time and energy trying to get the standard lowered to their level so they can be accepted. Consider what would happen if, in the first example here, the test scores were lowered to make sure that a certain percent of the test takers passed. It greatly devalues the accomplishment as well as de-motivates the people who worked hard to achieve a passing grade before the standards were lowered.
As our society becomes more and more polarized, we can expect the attempts to lower the standards in society further and further to continue and possibly become more numerous. Without any true definition and lasting standard for society, we will continue our moral decline. When the godly people don’t stand up, the godless will get their way. Stand up for our standards. Vote for the best candidate even if they are not your ideal candidate. Our silence will be our demise.
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