Courage or Cowardice

 If you were to do a survey, how many would consider themselves courageous and how many would see themselves as cowards. Many people's opinions is there are more cowards than courageous people in society. That is not easily measured or verifiable. Many people prefer comfort and conflict avoidance. They want to take the safe route. They surround themselves with security. 

There are times when courage is called for. Like after the bombing at Pearl Harbor. Like after the 9-11 terrorists attacks on the U.S. Like protecting your family from an intruder. Like performing a risky surgery to save a life. Like stepping into risky and unsafe environments to enforce the law. There are times it takes real guts and courage to take a stand for God when everyone cowers in fear. It is one thing to own our faith in the safety of a worship service. It is another thing to maintain that faith with a gun pointed at your head like Rachel Scott and Cassie Bernall did at Columbine High School in Colorado. 

In I Samuel 17, we find the story of David fighting Goliath. What strikes me in that story is the cowardice of the entire Israel army who were taunted and challenged for a total of 40 days. Day and night the champion Goliath challenged the army to send out a man to fight. Not one person in the Israel army volunteered. Some even fled each time Goliath approached. Saul did not opt to take a stand. Neither did his son Jonathan. Nobody until David arrived on the scene to deliver food to the soldiers. He was only a teenager. Something different happened when David heard Goliath defy Israel. David was provoked. Offended. He took issue with the uncircumscribed giant. David did not look at the size of Goliath. He looked at the size of God. The living God. David volunteered to do what no grown man had done in 40 days. 

David did not have a theoretical faith. It was real and practical. David relied on God killing a lion and a bear while protecting his flock of sheep. He refused to give into fear. He chose the risky path of faith. My favorite part of the story is when David approached Goliath. He did not walk out sheepishly. He RAN toward Goliath. He took one stone and slung it hitting the giant in the forehead. Then he cut off the head of Goliath in a courageous act that made him famous. After David exercised courage, it inspired the army to attack the Philistines and win the battle. 

Which one are you? Courageous or a coward? There are times in life when God calls us take courageous steps of faith. They may be scary. The outcome may not be certain. These are the times when faith is tested. When fear must be ignored. Times when we must run toward risk like David trusting God for the victory. Not foolish risk. Risks God calls us to run toward. It is on the other side of such courageous steps that God does mighty things. May He inspire us to become people of courage.   

Shop Window

 I have just been rereading Leonard Ravenhill's classic book on revival, Why Revival Tarries. I'm chewing on a paragraph he wrote in the first chapter. "One does not need to be spiritual to preach, that is, to make and deliver sermons of homiletical perfection and exegetical exactitude. The pulpit can be a shopwindow to display our talents, the prayer closet speaks death to display."

Many a preacher will carefully craft their sermons. They focus on eloquence, a wealth of information from their education, and preach for the applause of people. I've heard many such sermons. They are as dry as the Sierra desert. Cold as Antarctica. Often boring as a late afternoon math class in school. The pulpit is not a place to showcase talent! It is a place to declare, "Thus says the Lord."

I prefer preaching through books verse by verse. I don't have to concern myself with the next week's sermon text. I dig into the next set of verses. A month ago I was preaching through the gospel of John. I got to chapter five and studied the verses in the first part of the chapter. All week long I had an uneasy feeling that I was not supposed to preach that message. I felt God change the message late into the week. The next week I just assumed I would preach the prepared message from John. God again did not allow me to preach that and changed the message in the prayer closet early on Sunday morning. I learned my lesson. I was convicted that I had not even prayed about whether I should I preach from John 5. I have not made that mistake since then. Each week I sit before the Lord and ask Him what He wants to say to His people. It is not the most efficient way to prepare a sermon. Sometimes He does not reveal the message until late into the week. I write this on a Wednesday and I have already spent significant time asking the Lord's guidance but not received clarity as of yet. 

I'd prefer a fresh word from God born out of prayer than an eloquent message born of the flesh. In the course of 45 years of preaching, I certainly have files filled with sermons. Some of those sermons I've preached repeatedly at revivals, camps, and other churches. I'm not trying and showcase my talent in preaching. The pulpit is not a shop window. It is a sacred place where I'm tasked to say to the people what He says to me. I often pray, "Lord, what do you want to say to your people?" Then I wait on Him to reveal it. 

I'm not preaching for pats on the back. I preach for the sole purpose of proclaiming what I sense God wants to say to His people. Whatever that message is I preach to secure that decision in people. Sometimes it is to encourage. Other times the message is a strong rebuke calling for repentance. There are messages for salvation, to build up faith and perseverance, to pray, and fully surrender. God lately is determining the direction of those messages. I believe all of God's word is inerrant and truth. Many choose a different path of preaching through books as I have done and still do on Wednesday nights and for our connection class on Sunday mornings. He is directing me differently during the Sunday morning worship service. 

It is much harder to wait on the Lord in prayer. It requires humility and surrender. You don't lean on your education and experience in the prayer closet. You empty yourself and fully lean on God. God produces the fire in the soul for messages. He creates volcanic lava of truth in the heart and the eruption happens when the message is delivered. It is all about Him and what He wants to communicate. I deflect the applause of people. I prefer them to say God spoke through me. It is all about Him and nothing to do with me. 

Why Revival Still Tarries

 Evangelist and author Leonard Ravenhill wrote a hard hitting book in 1959 titled, Why Revival Tarries. It was reprinted 35 times up to the time my copy was printed. I am sure it has continued to be reprinted. Ravenhill was a bold prophet. He preached hard and wrote hard. Many do not have the stomach for him. I've loved his books and preaching since I was first introduced to him back in 1986. One of his conclusions about why revival tarries is that the followers of God are content to live without it. 

Ravenhill died in 1994 without seeing the revival he longed for. He prayed eight hours a day. He preached into his eighties. He wrote numerous other books. He did not get to taste the revival he spent his whole ministry laboring for. He saw tremendous moves of God, but not the revival that burdened his heart. 

He would be offended to see what has become of the church today. He challenged churches to pray during his life. You would be hard pressed to find a prayer meeting in all the churches today. Sin has entered the camp of God. It seems every month we hear about the moral failure of another minister. The word of God has been compromised with tickle the ear sermons. Pew dwellers do not have the appetite for messages on repentance, holiness, sanctification, and surrender. The church today seems content to carry on without revival. 

Not me. God used Ravenhill to hook me as a college student. I've tasted three genuine revivals. It only whets my appetite to taste that again. It remains on my mind. I read about revivals. Listen to sermons on revival. Watch documentaries about revival. It burns in me. 

Revival still tarries because it is costly. More than most readers know. In a church age where ministry is tailored to be comfortable and convenient, there is no room for prayer, fasting, travailing, solemn assemblies and full out devotion. The church I serve is no better than the others. We still hold prayer meetings on Sunday nights. This past week we had a whopping 9 people show up which included my wife and me. Some of those prayed the same things they prayed the week before. There was very little travailing. 

Revival seems as far out of reach as it has been for decades. There are pockets of revival. Many happened on college campuses. They have not swept across the nation or the world like the Welsh Revival back in 1904-1905 that moved across the world. The Prayer Revival that started in 1857 with one man named Jeremiah Lamphier. He started a noon day prayer meeting. God blessed that meeting that spread across New York City and eventually a great portion of the United States. Hundreds of thousands were converted in both revivals. 

I long for God to move like that again. The Welsh Revival started with a praying young man named Evan Roberts. The Prayer Revival started with Jeremiah Lamphier. Whom will God use in our day to be the catalyst for another mighty move of His Spirit? 

The Merry Go Round

 I loved to play on merry go rounds as a child. Whether I was the one spinning or riding, the faster we went the better. I used to climb on the handles, lock my feet in and lean backward for an extra thrill. If I was pushing, I ran and shoved as fast and as hard as I could. I guess experts deemed them dangerous and banned from most playgrounds. They are hard to find. I feel for kids who never experienced that thrill. 

Life feels like a merry go round much of the time. It keeps spinning faster and faster. I've talked with numerous retired people who say they are busier now than when they worked. The work weeks can be so long and the weekends so short. I can't remember the last time Brenda and I woke up on a Saturday when we had no commitments. Twice in the past week and a half I've gone to bed at 7:30 p.m. from exhaustion. Only trouble is I awoke at 1:30 a.m. The merry go round did not stop for very long. 

Jesus understood busy days. People crowded Him for miracles as He increased in popularity. Wherever He went the crowds followed. He taught and healed people on many occasions late into the night. That is what makes Mark 1:35 so interesting. Jesus chose to get off the merry go round and leave people to spend time alone with His Father. He made that a priority. Nobody did it for Him. He carved out that time to replenish His soul in the Father's presence. Even when He did this, the disciples sought Him saying, "Everyone is looking for You."

I am blessed to have two offices at the church. I have the main pastor office. I set up a make shift office in an unused classroom on the far end of the building where I put the remainder of my books that did not fit in the main office. It is a secluded quiet place to pray, read, and study. I frequent that office I call the "Cave." It has seven bookshelves mostly filled with theology books. I have a little table and chair and a recliner where I can get away. I know if I am to be of any use to the people I have to spend time alone with God. I have to make this a part of my schedule like Jesus made going to a secluded place a part of His. 

We move so fast. There are few times built in for buffering. Silence is pierced with our phones making us available all times both day and night. We are surrounded by noise. Music, notifications, television, conversations, social media, and traffic whirling by. We don't have time to ponder things. In older times people pondered when they rode a horse to town or sat in horse draw wagons. Farmer's had time to mull things over as they plowed and worked the fields. Ranchers thought on trail drives. The pace of life was slower. We have modern conveniences that are supposed to simplify life. I find they only complicate life and add more distractions. 

Each of us could use a little time to seclude ourselves with God for a spell. To soak in silence. To sit in solitude with God without any distractions. To buffer the busyness with a soul talk with the Lord. The quiet and seclusion may feel awkward at first, because our hustle and bustle society does not make time for that. It will do your soul a world of good. If Jesus stepped off the merry go round, maybe it would be wise on our parts to do the same. 

When the Path Is Dim

 There are seasons when the path is dim, 

When shadows obscure from seeing Him, 

Confusion sets in disorienting the way, 

Stumbling in the night and in the day, 

We find light when we open the word, 

Fresh strength as onward we're spurred,

His word is always a lamp unto our feet,

A light unto our path - a comforting seat, 

The path is winding - the journey is long, 

Even if it leads to pain God is not wrong, 

He is to be trusted in nights when we weep, 

We must believe when our faith starts to seep, 

None knows the troubles on the path we find, 

We walk on by faith when our sight is blind,

We'll gather in joyous worship at His throne, 

Where we will enjoy Him in our eternal home. 

Back to the Basics

 If you let it, Christianity can become very complex. One group emphasizes one doctrine and another group will focus on something entirely different. Over time, things can get disorienting. One group will promote prayer. Another group will highlight evangelism. A third group may make holiness the main priority. 

What does it mean to get back to the basics? Jesus was asked by a lawyer what the greatest commandment was. Jesus responded that question in Matt 22:37-39. He boiled down the basics to two things. This is my paraphrase. Love God the most. Love people. Let me elaborate. 

The lawyer asked what was the great commandment. The word great means the most important, highly esteemed, most excellent, and the highest ranking. How did Jesus answer? He said to love God with all your heart, all your soul, and with all your mind. We should not have any love that supersedes our love for God. All other loves must come second. That includes family.  That includes pets.  It can include shopping, hunting, fishing, golf, and money. Let me ask you what is your most important love in your life? Who or what do you most highly esteem? What or who is the highest ranking love in your life? 

There was a time when Brenda was the answer to all those questions. God had to take her out of my life for a year so that I would fall in love with Him first. When I got that  straight, one of God's greatest gifts was to bring her back into my life. We have now been married for 35 years. As much as I love her, she is my second love. 

Loving people sounds easy, but it can be challenging. Some people are much harder to love than others. Some are grouchy. Some have great  tempers. Others struggle with lust. Many are liars. Some enjoy stirring up strife among brothers and sisters. Choosing to love people requires the work of the Spirit of God. According to Gal 5:22-23, part of that fruit is love. It is a supernatural love born of the Holy Spirit. 

 We are called to love people who may never love us back. We follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ. He loved and still loves people who reject Him. He loved people all the way to the cross. We may not be called to go to the cross, but we can love people sacrificially. We can love people who seem unlovable. That is the way people know we are followers of Jesus by love we have for one another. Jn 13:34-35. 

Maybe it is time to get back to the basics. To work on loving God more and loving people around us. That may mean less religious routines and more devotions. It may mean opening your heart and arms to people you may find hard to love. When you boil it all down, these are two of the most important commandments. Let us master these commandments in obedience to our Lord's commands. 

Wake Up Call

 I was still groggy when the wake up call came. Sometimes it seems the days are long and the nights are short. I lay in the bed a moment somewhere between partially asleep and partially awake. I contemplated rolling over for a few more winks but decided to get up. It was dark in the room when I rolled out of bed. I groped my way to the bathroom and then to the closet. 

I grabbed some clothes, shaved, dressed and headed out of the door. Not before Brenda rolled over and asked what I was doing. I could not explain that God gave me a wake up call and I needed to go pray. I mumbled that I had a lot of work I needed to get done. That was true. I really was being summoned to prayer also. It was an earlier start than normal. No distractions. 

There was much to pray about. Family, friends, and flock. I also needed to listen for the still small voice of the Lord. I asked for anointing to study and deliver God's word this week. I read scripture hoping for a fresh word from the Lord for me personally. I did not feel hurried. I was nice to linger longer without a schedule to keep. 

I have not slept with an alarm clock in decades. The Lord chooses when to wake me up. He decides when to summon me to supplicate. Many nights I'm awakened at some early hour. I seek Him and then go back to bed for a short nap before going to work. He has the right to give me a wake up call whenever He wants. 

Prayer is my passion. I love time shut up with my Father. I'm a novice at prayer. Though I have practiced it for over four decades there is so much I don't know.  There are answers I have not secured. There are revelations I have not received. There are mountains that still have not moved. I welcome the wake up calls. I'm not saying it is always easy. I went to be at 7:30 p.m. last night. That made getting up early today easier. Some days it is hard to drag these tired bones from underneath the covers. When God gives those wake up calls, He has something on His mind. My response is to be attentive and present. Maybe He will let me catch a nap before the football game tonight. 

Surrendered

A boy suffering from birth complications, 

Saved by God for unknown explanations,

Growing up in abusive adult behavior,

A wounded young man needing a Savior, 

A youth pastor, football game appointment, 

A lost soul filled with life's disappointments, 

A repentant prayer and dramatic conversion,

A welcomed deliverance from sin's diversion,

A Sunday night and God's clear invitation, 

To preach the word for gospel transformation, 

Why me, a nobody with so much history, 

Why me, one so ordinary to tell His story, 

I seek to live totally and fully surrendered, 

For the Holy One who's still my defender. 

Unsung Hero

 There are lists of prominent Christian people God has used in significant ways. There is no use recounting them here. They have been talked about and written about already. That is not the purpose of this post. Today, I'm thinking about all of those faithful Christians whom God used, but their names have faded from the pages of history. Obscure people who served in out of the way places. I'm thinking about one person specifically. Her name is Doris and she lives in Lufkin, TX where she has lived with her husband for over 50 years. 

Doris is quiet. I don't recall ever carrying on a lengthy conversation with her. She does not prefer the spotlight. She is content to minister behind the scenes. The impact she had on my life is incalculable. To tell a small part of her story I have to travel back in time. 54 years to be exact. 

Doris is married to Charles Roberts. He is better known to me as Brother Charles. He is my pastor. He baptized me as a teenager and guided me through the early days of my ministry. That is only part of the story. Doris played a crucial role in my life before she even met me. 

The Roberts lived in the same neighborhood I grew up in. I used to play football as a kid in the yard next to theirs. A popular teenage girl lived across the street from them. She was the best friend of a girl I dated through high school. I spent a lot of late nights over there hanging out. Sometimes we sat in the yard talking way past bedtime. One day  Doris looked out at me through  the window and told her husband, "I'm praying for that young man." She didn't know me. We had never met. Why would she pray for me? God was up to something and chose to include her. She repeatedly told Brother Charles that she was praying for me. I don't know how long that continued. 

Fast forward a couple of years. Denman Avenue Baptist Church, where Brother Charles served as pastor, called a new youth pastor on staff. He was a fiery courageous guy from North Carolina. He hit the ground running. Eli Bernard is the man who shared Jesus with me in a football stadium where Jesus saved me. I've shared that story many times. What I have not shared nearly enough is the unsung hero of Doris Roberts tenaciously praying for a lost teenage boy she did not know. She could not know how the story would turn out. 

Jesus did save me through Eli's witness. I ended up in that church and I bet nobody rejoiced more in that room than Doris Roberts the day Brother Charles baptized me. It was the culmination of years of praying. A year and half later, I bet she rejoiced again when I walked forward on a Sunday morning to tell Brother Charles and the whole church God called me to preach. That was 42 years ago. 

God gave Doris the assignment to pray for a sullen, insecure, wounded, and lost teenage boy. She accepted that assignment and took it seriously. God had a plan neither of us knew at the time. By faith she believed that I would get saved one day. I bet she never thought I would preach God's word. She never considered the fact that God would call me to write multiple books and nearly 1,700 posts read by over 750,000 people. 

She is the unsung hero. She deserves to be recognized for her investment in my ministry. God used her powerfully in my life. I'm thankful for her and humbled by the love of God to go to such extremes to reveal salvation through His Son Jesus to me. Like Paul Harvey used to say, "Now you know the rest of the story."

God's Training Ground

 I think most people would agree that typical days are fairly routine and mundane. Life can fall into a predictable rhythm. When we are asked how our day went, the typical response is that it was good or it was fine. There are some days that are so memorable they stick in our minds. These are days when the events are unforgettable. Your day could have started off routine and one phone call could change everything. It could be positive news or negative. I prefer to focus on the positive. 

I imagine that shepherding sheep was not all that exciting for David. Most days must have been mundane. Leading sheep from meadow to meadow and to water is not that exciting. Perhaps David amused himself watching the lambs skip and jump playfully. There were the rare occasion when a lion or bear attacked the sheep and he had to defend them. Other than that it must have been boring. It was not a glamorous job. David had no idea those days of watching over the flock were training ground for a larger mission. 

David also entertained himself by playing the harp and singing songs. He was a gifted musician noted for his skill. On those long days and night David sang to the Lord. It might have seemed like wasted time, but it was training ground for the work God had in mind later in David's life. 

One ordinary day, God spoke to the prophet Samuel informing him that he was to anoint the next king. God instructed him to go to the house of Jesse and He would designate which son was to be the next king. Jesse brought seven sons before Samuel. God rejected all of them to be the king. David was the youngest and did not get an invite. David was summoned and God chose the shepherd boy to be the next king in Israel. It was a day David would never forget. He must have been surprised when Samuel took out the horn of oil and anointed him. 

Those days watching sheep were not wasted days. They were training days. Just like he cared for sheep and defended them, so would he care for a nation and defend them. God used the music he made to be included in a large portion of scripture called Psalms. David endured mundane days before God revealed His true purpose for the young shepherd. 

God does the same things in our lives. I don't know where you are and what you are doing that seems monotonous. Maybe it is getting through school like the young man I talked to earlier today. Maybe it is an entry level job. Perhaps you are dreaming of a career change. Maybe it is just enduring day after day. God can use where you are to train you for His purpose. He might be molding you into a leader. He could use volunteer work in a local church to prepare you for a larger assignment. We just don't know. 

I'm betting David did not wake up on the day recorded in I Sam 16:1-23 thinking to himself, "Today is the day I will be anointed the next king over Israel." That is the way God works at times. He shows up and surprises us with His plans. You may think that God could never call you to do anything for Him of significance. You may believe you have nothing to offer. You are a prime candidate for the kind of people God is looking for to match an assignment. He is not looking for the smartest or most talented. He is looking for people most others overlook like David so that He gets more glory. Read I Cor 1:26-31. You might be in your training ground today. Don't be surprised if God shows up on an ordinary day to do something extraordinary in your life. 

Don't Forget to Say Thank You

 Yesterday, First Southern blessed Brenda and I with multiple cards for pastor appreciation month. Those cards included blessings for us. Some included money while others included gift cards. They showered us with their love. They are a loving and generous flock. 

I spent most of the morning writing thank  you letters. Why? On the day I made my call to preach public to the Denman Avenue Baptist Church in Lufkin, TX, Brother Charles Roberts whispered some advice to me after most of the people came and shook my hand. He said, "Don't forget to say thank you when people bless you." I guess he knew that a preacher gets blessed a lot. Just a couple of weeks ago one of our church members bought our lunch on a Sunday after worship. We did not even know they were in the restaurant. That has happened numerous times. A couple in our church gave us a push lawn mower soon after we purchased our house. Another man did some repair work on one of our vehicles refusing to take payment for it. We had a blow out coming from Amarillo one day. Turns out that car did not even have a jack in it. I called one of our deacons for help. Another deacon rolled up and saw us stranded. I can't say for sure, but the following day some money showed up on my desk for the purchase of new tires. I think one of them blessed us. I could go on and on with the blessings. 

Brenda and I have tried to be faithful to say thank you. We try to send out thank you letters. We have done this for over three decades of ministry together. It is important. We do not take blessings for granted when we know the sacrifice people make for us. 

We certainly don't take the blessings from God for granted. They are too numerous to count. We cannot give Him enough thanks. I know in a little over two weeks we will be in the Thanksgiving Holiday season. Challenges will be issued to be thankful for something everyday. Preachers will preach on gratitude. I am thankful for the advice of Brother Charles telling me not to forget to say thank you. I am going to contact him now and thank him for such great advice. I hope you will take to this heart and not forget to say thank you to those around you. 

A God of Second Chances

 When our sons were little we had a rule. If you get in trouble at school, you get in trouble at home also. Our oldest son Taylor was in daycare. He was not older than five when he got in trouble at his daycare. When I picked him up, they told me about it. He and I rode home quietly. He broke the silence and asked a question etched in my mind. He grew up hearing me preach and heard us talk about God and forgiveness in the home. He could not remember the word forgive. Here is what he asked me. "Dad, will you give for me?" I did not understand what he meant. He explained himself and I deciphered that he was asking to be forgiven. 

We have all needed a second, third, fourth, and so forth chance with God. I started needing forgiveness when I decided my white bedroom wall looked like an art canvas to color in elementary. Mama came in and scolded me the first time. As soon as she left the room, I shut the door and locked it to continue my art. She finally convinced me to unlock the door. She gave me a spanking. When she left again, I locked the door again deciding I would not unlock it again. She eventually had to take the door knob off before I stopped. I used up a lot second chances in that one episode and have needed God's forgiveness more times than I can count since then. 

When people mess up, they live under condemnation and shame. They feel it from others and mistakenly feel it from God. Satan is the accuser of the brethren. He loves to heap shame and condemnation on people. To make them think they cannot ever be forgiven for their wrongdoings. He is a liar and what he plants in people's minds are lies. You don't believe me. Believe what God says.  Read Ps 103:3, Ps 103:10-12, Rom 5:8-9, Rom 8:1, and I John 1:9. All of those verses speak to the subject of forgiveness. 

We do not have to be defined by our mistakes. Abraham was a liar and yet he is listed in Heb 11:8-9 as a person with great faith. We can rewrite the script. Our past should be left in the past. We can't go back and undo poor choices and mistakes. We can only trust God for another chance and move forward. Some people have a hard time with this. They continually beat themselves up. They can't forgive themselves for offenses committed. If Holy God is willing to forgive and give us a second chance, shouldn't we learn to forgive ourselves and give us a second chance as well. 

I will long remember that incident with Taylor after daycare. I learned a lot from his little perspective. Continually I need God to "give for me" with a second chance. He is in that business. 

A Thousand Deaths

 Galatians 2:20 is a challenging verse. It refers to living the crucified life. It is a verse about dying to self so the Lord Jesus Christ can live through us. To live this kind of life means dying a thousand deaths. It means saying no when you would rather say yes to sin. It means dying to plans and agendas that may not align with God. 

Dying a thousand deaths will come in little things and big things. I have a deep conviction about watching movies with foul language. I get that conviction from Exodus 20:7 where we are commanded to not take the name of God in vain. Before going to see any movie at the theater my family knows I want to know if there is any offensive and profane words in it. There have been times I had to walk out of a movie theater. Recently, I had to walk out of a play several people from our church went to see together. Very early on in the play profanity was used I could not sit through. That is dying a thousand deaths. It would be easy to sit through it. To go along with everyone else. God would not let me do that. So, Brenda and I got up and left. 

Dying a thousand deaths might require staying up late or getting up early to pray. It might mean serving when you would prefer to be the one getting served. It might mean giving away prized possessions or much needed money. It could include doing what God wants you to do on a day off rather than getting to do what you want to do. It might include fasting when you prefer to feast. The crucified life is not one grandiose act of dying to self. It is the act of dying a little more every day. 

This is not popular Christian theology. This is about surrender, sacrifice, submission and maybe even suffering at times. It is about the continual act of denying self. It is about dying to our will and submitting to His will. Dying a thousand deaths it not easy. It is difficult when the selfish part of us resists and rebels. A truly effective life for God is a yielded life. The crucified life. It is painful to keep dying to self a little more and a little more. Until the day comes when you are so caught up in living for and pleasing God that it gets easier to die to self each day. To deny yourself the pleasure of a purchase in order to give your money away to someone else in need. The crucified life means that you are constantly available to God as a vessel. The crucified life means that you deny yourself the instant gratification of sin for the greater joy  found in seeking and serving God. May we all learn to die a thousand deaths. 

Did You Finish It

 God put us on this earth for a unique purpose. Yours is different than mine. He intentionally designed us  for His assignments. Many neglect those assignments and go out on their own doing what they want to do. They never take God's plan into consideration. Some just flounder through life. When you discover your purpose and live in it, I call that living in your sweet spot. What is your sweet spot? Mine is preaching and writing. I am most alive and contented when I get to do those two things. 

I don't know what your assignment is. Here is the focal point. One day God will hold accountable His followers, "Did you finish it?" Whatever it is for each of us. For stay at home moms, did you finish the task of raising your kids to love and honor God? For the business owner, did you lead your company with integrity and treat people your employees right? Were you a faithful steward of the money you made? For the coach, did you develop character in your players turning them from boys to young men? Did you coach for the higher goal of glorifying God rather than just wins and losses? For the doctor, did you treat your patients with kindness and compassion? For the factory worker, did you give good effort on the job and were you a team player? To the pastor, did you shepherd your flock faithfully? Did you finish the job or jobs God gave you to do in your lifetime?

Some people never even consider this. They hop from job to job. They get frustrated because they are in jobs God did not design them to do. It is never too late to discover your God ordained purpose. I talked with a man this weekend who did not get called to preach until he was 42. He had a successful job in the corporate world. He walked away from that to follow His purpose. He has only served one church as pastor and he is still there after 17 years. He is finishing the work God gave him to do. That does not mean that everyone will have a long tenure in one place they work. The point is are you finishing the work God gave you to do?

One day I will be gone. Should Jesus tarry, this church will have to find a new pastor. I'm closer to the end of life than the beginning. Part of finishing the work for me is to keep writing these articles. They will live long past my death. They are accessible around the world. One day I will write my last one. Who knows when that will be. When I put the last period on the last sentence I will have finished it. One day I will preach my last sermon. I don't know when and where that will be. When I complete the task of preaching it and my time comes, I would like to be able to say to the Lord, "I finished the assignment you gave me. I tried my best." 

I Tried

 Everyone of us will leave this earth one of two ways. Jesus could return and call us home through the rapture. The other option is we will die. Either way, we one day will have to face Jesus to give account for our lives. Those who trusted Jesus for salvation will enter heaven. Those who rejected Him will be condemned to hell. 

The group Mercy Me had a hit song several years ago, I Can Only Imagine, written by lead singer Bart Millard. What will we as Christians say to the Lord on that day? I heard the story of a much used preacher who contemplated that communication with the risen Lord. The given response was, "I tried. I did the best that I could."

Can we say the same? Can we tell the Lord that we tried? We did the best that we knew how. We tried to love Him the best that we could. We tried to serve Him the best way we knew how. We tried to point others to Him. We tried to obey His teachings. We tried to love others the way He does. We tried to believe Him even when life got hard and things did not make sense to us. 

I make a confession. I do not try hard at everything. A few years ago, Brenda and I were at a marriage retreat. They held a competition to see who could put a small jig saw puzzle together the fastest. It frustrated me. I cannot recall ever putting a jig saw puzzle together. Brenda worked at it patiently. I tried a few pieces and she kept telling me they were not the right fit. Finally, I just let her do it. I did not try as hard at that as I do riding my bike or lifting weights. 

I believe God deserves our best. Read Col 3:17. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. We are to try our best as an act of worship to the Lord. Col 3:23 reminds us that we work for the Lord and not for men. Therefore, we should do our work heartily. We should put our heart and soul into whatever we do. In other words, to try our best. I am not suggesting that we not give our best work to other people. The point is the ultimate motivation should be that we try our best to honor God above all other motivations. 

Trying to serve and please God must become a top priority. There are some who offer the Lord second rate service and half hearted devotion. That is not honoring to Him. Your best may look differently than someone else giving their best. When we come to worship it should be our desire to sing to Him. Whether we are on key or off key is not the point. He wants our hearts engaged in exalting Him. He wants our focus in reading and studying scripture. None us will be perfect in attempts to worship and serve the Lord. We can try our best. 

Failure or Faithful

How do you define success? Is it defined by your job title and salary? Is it defined by the number of people who know and admire you? Is it defined by how many toys you accumulate, or the size of the house you live in? Maybe it is defined by the car you drive and the clothes you wear. 

Jesus measures success much differently than the world does. Some of the most successful people in His eyes you never hear about. They are not rich in material things but abounding in spiritual wealth. Some of the most successful people to Jesus endured suffering. His success metrics are different. Please allow me to introduce to you to one success story. 

Many people have heard about John the Baptist. He was a prophet. He prepared the way for the earthly ministry of Jesus. He pulled no punches. He called the religious leaders of the day a brood of vipers. He preached a message of repentance and crowds responded getting baptized by John. After Jesus came on the scene to begin his earthly ministry, we do not hear a lot about John. 

John was arrested in put in prison for calling out the sin of King Herod. Herod's wife hated John. She manipulated for John's beheading. You can read about that in Mark 6. Before his death, John heard about the things Jesus did. John faced a crisis of belief. He had doubts and sent someone to question whether Jesus was the Messiah. 

Jesus' response is curious and challenging. He said in Matt 11:5-6, The blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me. 

Jesus did not directly answer John about whether He was the Messiah. He just laid out what He did and left it up to John to believe. The phrase "blessed is he who does not take offense at Me," means blessed are the people who do not stumble or get tripped up over Jesus. Author, Gene Edwards, interprets that phrase as will you serve a God you do not understand? Will you remain faithful when you can't make sense of your circumstances? 

People could easily make a case that John the Baptist was not successful. He dressed funny dressed in camel's hair and ate weird food like locusts and honey. He had a short ministry. At the height of his popularity, He took a backseat to Jesus. He got arrested and had his head cut off. That does not look like much of a success story. Not until you consider what Jesus said about him. In Matt 11:11 Jesus commented on John, "Truly I say to you among those born of women there has not arisen anyone Greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than him." 

Jesus viewed John's faithfulness to the assignment God the Father gave him as success. John preached boldly. He called people to repentance. He fearlessly called out sin. He did not get swayed by political correctness or popular opinion. Jesus saw that faithfulness to the mission was success. Fancy titles, large salaries, and luxury living do not always equate to success in the Lord's eyes. There are Jesus followers who labor in thankless jobs in obscure places, but they are faithful. They do their work as unto the Lord and not unto men. Col 3:23. They are not failures to Him. Faithfulness matters to the Lord Jesus Christ. He sees the work you do. He notices the night watches, the attention to detail, the long labors, and the lack of fanfare for what you do. Others may view you as a failure. The Lord views you as faithful and a success. That will all be sorted out in eternity for believers. 

Let me encourage you to keep pressing on. Take to heart the truth of Galatians 6:9. There will be reward for your faithfulness if you do not lose heart. You are not a failure. You are faithful and great in His eyes. Not a failure, but rather a faithful servant. One day you will hear Him say, "Well done good and faithful servant." 

Keep Your Vows

 Have you ever made a vow to the Lord? Perhaps you were in a crisis and you made a vow that if God would help you out of your distress, then you would do whatever he asked of you. Many do this and do not hold up their end of the vow. What is a vow? It is a solemn promise, a pledge of personal commitment made to another person or to God. 

There are wedding vows. I remember standing at the FBC of Hurst, TX and repeating vows to Brenda to love her and commit to an exclusive marriage relationship with only her. That was a grand day. 35 years later we still honor those vows made back on June 29, 1991. Military people take a vow or an oath to defend the country against foreign enemies as well as domestic enemies. Other vows are made to God. 

I have made two vows to God I try to keep. One is to not go in debt on vehicles ever again. The second vow is the overarching vow that covers my life. I made it at a youth camp I was preaching in Glenrose, TX. The vow is based off of Matthew 16:24. Jesus challenges His followers in that verse to deny self, take up the cross, and follow Him. Here is my vow. "I will go to do anything, anywhere, at anytime God calls me to." Believe me when I say He has called me on that vow numerous times. At times it meant giving away money and once a vehicle. Other times it required moving to a new assignment at a new church. Several times keeping that vow meant meant sacrifice. I was serious when I made the vow two and a half decades ago. I am just as serious about keeping it today. 

Why am I so serious about my vow? It is because of Ecclesiastes 5:4-5. When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you owe! It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. 

God take vows seriously. Much more seriously than many people who make them. We are held accountable for the things we vow to God. He expects us to keep our promise. He expects us to follow through on what we pledge to do. In keeping that vow, I accepted the role as a football coach, an Athletic Director, to teach the Bible in a drug and alcohol detox center, to write books, to spend lots of time alone in prayer, to say no to good opportunities and to say yes to challenging ones. My vow requires a life of surrender. God never has to ask permission to help Himself to my life and assign me a mission. Isn't that the point of Matthew 16:24? It seems to me that we are all called to live that way. 

Be careful what you vow. It would be better not to pledge to God you will do something and not fulfill the vow. We should be more reflective and sober minded in what we promise God we'll do. I wonder how many sitting in worship services are stagnant in their walk with God because they did not honor their promise to Him. Brenda's dad did that. He was called into a Rio Grande River missions ministry. He said he would do it, but got scared and backed out. His life spiraled out of control afterwards sinking into alcoholism and other sinful behavior. He eventually abandoned Brenda's mom while she was pregnant with her youngest daughter. He barely kept contact with them eventually remarrying and having multiple other children. He died in a house fire about 15 years ago. How his life and my wife's life would have been different if Raul Ortiz had kept his vow. I hope we will not make the same mistake.

Wounded Warriors

 From time to time you see wounded warriors. They faced disfigurement or amputation of limbs because of their military service. What is not visible on the outside is the PTSD many suffer daily. War is hard and there are many casualties. 

That is not what I have on my mind today. I sat at lunch yesterday with a group of pastors. In the beginning the talk was superficial. I did not know those other pastors well. I listened a lot. The talk took a dramatic turn at some point. The talk got real. Some deep wounds and burdens were shared. I don't know why, but I got to pray for these other men individually at different times. It was a privilege. I felt their pain. God moved me with compassion for these other wounded soldiers few notice. 

Pastors are expected to have their acts together. Pastors suffer too. They get wounded. Sometimes they give themselves away when they have nothing left to give. They suffer silently because many of them have no one to talk to about their problems. I'm thankful for a great wife who listens and for a band of brothers I lean on heavily in tough times. 

Pastors listen to other's problems. Few take the time to listen to them. Pastors get attacked by people and demonic forces. I wonder if they feel like they are battling alone. Pastors are the object of gossip. People spread lies without confirming the facts. Many times pastors remain silent and do not defend themselves. Sometimes others come to their defense. Pastors struggle with sin like everybody else. They feel the pressure to present a good public image, even if they know the truth is something altogether different. 

Pastors preach their guts out weekly. They do not always see people respond publicly. Many pastors feel like failures. The churches they serve are not growing and the finances are often inadequate. Like I said earlier, they are wounded warriors. They carry heavy loads. They deal with everything from triumphs in life to tragedies. They officiate weddings and funerals. They listen to others who suffer. They pray for their parishioners. They face the weekly pressure of needing to get the next sermon together. Sometimes they get wounded along the way like the two brothers I ate with yesterday. Your pastor needs your prayers and encouragement. You just might be a healing balm for them. 

What Does Repentance Look Like

 There is a story nestled in the fifteenth chapter of I Samuel where King Saul blatantly disobeyed God. He only partially obeyed the command of God. Saul justified his sin by saying he did obey God. He only partially obeyed. God's command was specific to utterly destroy the Amalekites. Saul spared King Agag and the best of the livestock. Partial obedience is also partial disobedience. 

The prophet Samuel called Saul out on his sin. At first, Saul argued. Samuel hit hard with the truth that he heard cattle and sheep still alive. A fact for which there was no disputing. Saul made excuses that it was the people's fault. He even said he feared the people and therefore compromised. Samuel spoke like a prophet. He reminded Saul that God values obedience over religious rituals. 

Saul acknowledged that he sinned. It appeared he was repentant until you come to verse 30. Saul begged Samuel to come back with him before the elders and the people so Samuel could honor him in front of the crowd. Does that look like repentance? It looks like a sham and a show. The word honor means to put weight on and to glorify. When I use the phrase to put weight on that does not have to do with becoming obese. In the Old Testament, the worth of something was valued based on the weight. In essence, Saul wanted Samuel to impress the worth of Saul on the people. Saul wanted to be glorified in front of everyone. 

Repentance looks like brokenness. Repentance often includes tears. Repentance means coming clean before God and not putting on a show. Repentance requires contrition not honor. David understood repentance in Psalm 51. This is what he wrote after committing the sin of adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband murdered. You feel the humility, the sincerity, the sorrow over sin. I don't see that with Saul. His actions do not look like repentance to me. 

There is a difference in repentance and being sorry. Repentance includes sorrow but goes further. It involves a changing of the mind and a changing of behavior. Some people are only sorry about their sin because they got caught. Some may feel bad about their sin and ask forgiveness, but they have no intention of changing their behavior. 

Let's be honest. Hypocrisy exists in churches. Unrepentant people sit in pews and chairs on Sunday mornings. Isn't it time we get serious about our sin? God sure takes it seriously. He is willing to forgive. Read Ps 103:12 and I John 1:9. He is much more willing to forgive than people are willing to genuinely repent. I have seen genuine repentance. It can be uncomfortable to watch. Broken people bawling, grieving, and prayerfully pleading for God to forgive and restore. The end result of such repentance is beautiful. You don't see much of that in churches today. I wish we did. 

Grieved

 Father my heavy heart is crushed with grief, 

For sins I see in others and myself without relief, 

I see my failures and other's flaws abounding, 

Experiencing Your grace needed - still astounding, 

Our adversary is crafty and evil filled with deceit, 

Tempting, trapping, ensnaring continually on repeat, 

There is a better way - a path leading to salvation, 

A path of praise filled in joyous glorious exultation,

A path where our grief is exchanged for adoration, 

In God exalting worship and unbridled celebration,

Satan searches and targets soldiers each defeated, 

Wounded in the battle victories no more completed, 

Deliverance and healing needed further on ahead, 

Instead of surrender needing perseverance instead, 

Leaning everlastingly on our most holy Savior, 

Who alone has the power to change our behavior. 

Embrace the Grind

 Most people want to be successful. People like to win. Many of those same people do not embrace the grind of what it takes to succeed. Business people find short cuts, compromise convictions, and use people to climb to the top. Some sleep their way to the top trading sexual favors for promotions. Athletes don't always practice hard, but think they can just play hard during games and succeed. They don't understand the grind of working out to improve performance. 

The grind is the day to day mundane things you have to do in order improve. Swimmers have to swim. Sales people have to find new customers. Students have to study. Authors have to keep typing one word, one sentence, one paragraph, and one chapter at a time. Most of those things are not pleasant. It the grind of another shift at work. It is another early morning workout to improve your health when you preferred to stay in bed. It saying no to a short term pleasurable purchase in order to save for a better purchase down the road. It is the grind of cranking out another assignment toward earning that degree. It is the devotional disciplines you do in order to have a vital walk with God. 

The grind is often hard. It is tediously boring at times. The grind is gritting your way through hard stuff in order to arrive at a more preferrable future. Many people say they want to be close to God. Many say they want to know God. That takes time through the grind of things you hear in church all the time. Bible reading. Bible study. Prayer. Scripture meditation. Nobody sees when I get up to pray or read my Bible. Nobody sees when I enter the secret place to intercede. Nobody notices the journal entries I jot down. It is all part of the grind of trying to get to know God. 

When you learn to embrace the grind, you don't mind it so much. I embrace the grind of riding a Peloton. I don't have people in the room cheering me on. Nor do I have a coach. It is the bike, me, and the competitors I ride against at the time listed on the screen. I only see their progress and where each of us ranks during that ride. It is a grind to pedal. To bead up in sweat leaving puddles beneath the handlebars. It is a grind to endure a soar bottom from the seat. It is a grind, but I know it helps my health. That is why I embrace it. I know the benefits. If we could focus on the benefits of the grind more than the effort, boredom, or dislike of the process, it could be more tolerable. Maybe even enjoyed as well as embraced. 

I don't know what your grind is. One of mine is writing these articles. This will make number 1,665 over the past several years. I rarely get feedback if these help anyone. I refuse to let advertisements on here to profit financially. I write because that is what God called me to do. There are days when the inspiration flows freely. There are seasons where I hit writer's block and can't find inspiration anywhere. In those days, I still try to grind. I set a goal of the number of posts I wanted to write in 2026 back in early January. It is now October 2nd. The newness of the year has long ago worn off. It is a grind to stay focused on the goal. During the late spring and summer that goal seemed far out of reach. I renewed the grind and just keep writing. If I embrace the grind, I just might surpass that goal after all. I hope you will embrace your grind as well. 

Targeted

Most people cannot recall much from October of 2002. A reign of terror covered a part of the country. Two men rigged up a Chevy Caprice Classic so that the trunk could be accessed from inside the car. A hole was drilled near the license plate where a gun muzzle was shoved through. People were randomly targeted in parking lots and gas stations where they were shot. 

It was the leading story of the time. Police were baffled and stymied in their investigations. John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo eventually were captured at a road side park. Not before they killed 10 people. Both were arrested and in 2009 Muhammad was executed by lethal injection. Malvo, who was a minor of 17 at the time of the shootings, is still incarcerated. 

Satan hates God and the things of God. He opposes God at every turn. Not that he is more powerful than God. The Devil's days are numbered. Until then he does a lot of damage. He targets both Christians and non-Christians. He deceives, tempts, ensnares, and destroys millions. High on his list of targets are influential Christian people. It was just a little over a year ago when Charlie Kirk was assassinated at one of his rallies. So was Martin Luther King Jr. Satan does not always have people killed. There are other ways to destroy people. 

Have you heard of scandalous behavior by high profile Christian leaders. I am deeply saddened to have learned of the moral failures of some of my spiritual heroes. Some got caught in dishonest financial schemes. Others had sexual misconduct allegations charged against them. In recent years, famous people have been taken down out of ministry due to sinful choices. Wicked evil forces are at work behind the scenes. 

I read the story of a pastor who flew to a preaching engagement. Seated next to him was an attractive woman. He struck up a conversation with her attempting to share Jesus with her. Turned out she was a witch. During their conversation she commented about how witches had banded together to cast curses on several pastors they wanted to take down. She showed him the list. He was shocked to see that many of those on the list were no longer in ministry due to some scandal. 

Preachers live with a target on their backs. Demonic forces are at work all over the world to take out pastors. I heard the story recently of a pastor who was arrested for beating up his wife. Behind the pulpit he seemed to be a man of God. Behind closed doors he was an abusive bully. I can tell you about another pastor who used church money to take elaborate vacations using the pretense that he was taking mission trips. There are too many stories to recount of pastors committing adultery. I was recently told of one pastor who divorced his wife and married the lady he committed adultery with. The shocker is that he is till the pastor of that same church. 

It would be easy to lump all of these fallen into one category as cheats, adulterers, liars, and so forth. I believe that among the many pastors that have fallen there are some who truly loved God, but got caught into the bondage of sin they could not free themselves. When temptation came, they said yes when they should have said no. Before they knew it, they were caught in the jagged iron claws of a bear trap of sin. They felt shame and yet continued in the sinful behavior. Satan truly stole, killed and destroyed many of them. John 10:10

We dare not say that could never happen to me. The Devil is crafty. He deceived Adam and Eve in the garden and has been doing the same things for centuries. Many have fallen who loved God. Take King David for example and his son Solomon. Every time another falls it harms the church. Just look at what sex abuse scandals did to the Catholic church and to the Southern Baptist Convention. We must keep watch. Parishioners must prayerfully keep watch over their ministers. Those ministers are targeted. None of us wants to see another fall. Pray a hedge of protection around them and their families. Pray for your local church. Our adversary is on the prowl looking for who he might devour. I Peter 5:8