New Series on Sunday Preaching

I began a new series of messages from the book of Ephesians yesterday. You can check it out on the home page at www.gracewalk.org. The title of the series is "God's Plan For the Ages."

Canned Foods And Closed Hearts

My parents were born during the decade of “The Great Depression.” It was a time when many families in America struggled to put food on their tables. Luxuries pretty much became an abstract concept for most Americans during those days. Finding enough food for another week was the goal for most families then.

I grew up hearing the stories about meals consisting of salted pork fat back and biscuits, with syrup or gravy made from a limited amount of flour. I must say that I’m thankful I didn’t have to eat meals like that when I was a child. We never lacked for food.

I did, however, notice something that many people my age may remember about their parent’s kitchen cabinets. The cupboard was always filled with canned foods. Green beans, creamed corn, navy beans, canned yams, peas of various assortments, applesauce, even hominy (a food that ranks right down there with fat back) lined our shelves. Open the kitchen cabinet doors in the home of my childhood and you would think we were about to have an army come over for dinner. Sometime, before Melanie and I go to the grocery store now, the cabinets look pretty empty. Not so in my parent’s kitchen. There was always food.

There was an irony about the whole situation. Much of the food in those cabinets seemed to stay there a long time. I don’t think I ever saw the cupboard empty. As an adult looking back on the situation, I think I get it.

My parent’s generation had known what is was like to be without food. Consequently, somewhere deep inside them a voice must have said, “I will never be caught without enough food to eat again.” Thus, the massive inventory of canned goods. Come what may in life, there would be food in the cabinets.

I think that’s how many of us face most areas of our lives. We have faced circumstances at times that created a sense of loss or need within us. Because the situation was painful, somewhere deep inside us, we said, “This won’t ever happen to me again.” So we hoarded what we have and shut the cabinet door. We went into the self-protection mode.

Some were hurt by a friend and have now closed the door on vulnerability. They’ll never trust another person as a true friend. Others have had a marriage go sour. Today, they won’t completely open up to their mate because of fear. If they give everything, they risk losing everything again. Some were burned at church. Now, they have lumped all churches in the same hypocritical pile and won’t become an integral part of a church fellowship.

The hurts differ, but the response is common. Shut the door of my heart and don’t risk losing what I have or being hurt. After all, if it happened once, . . .

What “great depression” have you experienced in life? What commodity did you feel you had taken from you when you needed it most? Was it trust? Love? Friendship? What have you lost?

As a result have you tried to stuff those things deep inside you that you don’t want to ever lose again? Are you fearful to take them out? Have you resolved that you’ll never find yourself in that kind of situation again?

There’s a problem with keeping canned goods in a cupboard too long. The food will spoil. Sometimes the cans will even explode. What seemed like a good idea initially, ultimately is proven to be the wrong choice.

Don’t make that mistake in your life. Open the doors of your heart and utilize what is there. Trust people again. Open yourself up to be vulnerable. Share from your heart with those you love. The Great Depression is over. Don’t judge your future by the past. You have much to share. Don’t hide it behind closed doors. There’s a hungry world around you and you have what they need.

When We Wonder Why

“Why is this happening to me?” the young man asked me after describing a crisis he was facing. “I’ve tried to be faithful in serving God. He knows what this means to me. Why would he let this happen?”

Questions that begin with “why” are common when problems come into our lives. Some Christians have suggested that it is wrong to ask “why?” but I don’t think that is necessarily true. Jesus asked the question, “why?” from the cross in His final moments and we know he never said anything that displeases God.

The heart-attitude behind the question is the key. When we question why, is it a sincere question or an accusation against God? There’s a big difference between the two.

The answer to questions about why is multifaceted, but there is one simple answer that often applies when we ask that question. It’s this: God’s ways are not our ways.

We look at things differently than the Sovereign God we serve. For instance, we think the three parts of the day are morning, afternoon and night. Not so with God. In Genesis, the Bible says that “the evening and morning were the first day.” From God’s perspective, new days begin when things start to get darker, not brighter. (Any orthodox Jew knows this, as evidenced by the fact that they begin to observe the Sabbath at sunset on Friday, not Saturday morning.) God’s ways aren’t our ways.

Consider another example: We believe we must be strong to be productive. God says that our need is to be weak, not strong. He doesn’t choose the strong and mighty, but the weak to amaze the world. (See 1 Corinthians 1:27) While we’re trying to become stronger, God wants to make us weaker, more dependent on Him. God’s ways aren’t our ways.

Under God’s rule, first comes darkness, then light. First comes weakness, then strength. The list could go on – first comes death, then life. First comes burst wine skins, then new ones. First comes losing our lives, then we find them. God’s ways aren’t our ways.

Will you choose, by faith, to forfeit the right to understand your circumstances and, instead, trust the One who does all things well? Thank God, His ways aren’t our ways. Would you rather have your way? Or would you rather yield to the way of an omnipotent God who loves you so much that He gave His life to ensure that you would receive the best He has to offer?

Just Play

Unless you are converted and become like a little child, you can’t enter the kingdom of heaven. That’s what Jesus said. (See Matthew 18:3) If you were asked, “What is the main activity of a child?” what would you say? You would probably answer, “To play.” A playful attitude may be the most spiritual attitude a Christian can have. What better way to show our absolute trust in a sovereign Father who tends to every detail of our lives? Just play. What an act of faith that would be!

How will you play if you insist on taking responsibilities beyond that of a child? A child’s only role is to enjoy the moment. A child never worries about the future. He only embraces the joys that are before him, however simple, however short lived. He has no elaborate plans. He has no need to control the flow of events. He adapts to any circumstance where he may find himself and turns it into a game. He just plays.

The world is a playground for a child. While others hurry around with urgent tasks which drain them of their zest for living, a child just lives. He takes no thought of the things that worry the adult world. He intrinsically knows that, in the end, matters take care of themselves.

“What about responsibility?” you may ask. I assume you know I’m not advocating abandoning responsibility. Of course you’ll balance this encouragement to play with common sense. I’m not worried that most adults will carry this encouragement to play to the extreme. Far from it, the opposite tends to be the case in the adult world.

So relax and play. Your Father has given you the privilege of living as a child – His child. Learn to adapt the mind of a child, the flow of a child’s rhythm for living, the trust of a child’s heart and the eagerness of a child’s attitude. Learn to see Him in every situation and then relax. He has all the details already prepared and they are being worked out for your good and His glory at this very moment.

Joyfully embrace every day and live with the certainty that your Father’s heart is set on you and on the purpose of thrilling you with His love. Let Him love the bondage of adulthood from your heart until it is filled only with a childlike attitude that trusts Him and embraces the world with enthusiasm.

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Heavenly Father, I Am Your Child

Heavenly Father,

I am Your child. (See John 1:12) You love me with an intensity that refuses to be diminished. (Song of Solomon 8:7) Your plans for me are good. (See Jeremiah 29:11) You love me because you have chosen to and not because of what I do or don’t do. (See Ephesians 1:4) Your goodness and favor will chase me down every day I live. (See Psalms 23:6)

Every blessing in Christ Jesus is already mine. (See Ephesians 1:3) By faith, I will enter in to the grace-filled walk that you have prepared for me. (See Romans 5:2) I am everything you say I am. (See1 Corinthians 15:10) I can do everything you have called me to do. (See Philippians 4:13) I can have all that you have called me to have. (See Psalm 84:11)

My days will only grow brighter.(See Proverbs 4:18) Your favor is upon me and will never leave me.(See Lamentations 3:22-23) Nothing that comes my way can harm me. (See Isaiah 54:17) You orchestrate my circumstances so that everything works out for my good. (See Romans 8:28) Without wavering, I will hold tightly to the hope I say I have, because You can be trusted to keep your Promise. (See Hebrews 10:23)

Amen

Slow Down

Hyperactivity is a curse on intimacy in our relationships. While people sometimes take pride in being a workaholic, it is, in fact, a sin because it reflects that the workaholic views life from the perspective that he is indispensable. Workaholics are deceived into believing that everything in life depends on them sacrificing themselves on the altar of constant activity.

Chuck Swindoll tells a story about a first grader who became curious because her father brought home a briefcase full of papers every evening. Her mother explained, "Daddy has so much to do that he can't finish it all at the office. That's why he has to bring work home at night." "Well then," asked the child innocently, "why don't they put him in a slower group?"

That’s what needs to happen to many workaholics. We need to move to a slower group. Jesus never rushed. Not once. In fact, on many occasions he separated Himself from the demands on his time and went off alone, to a solitary place.

Hyperactivity can be defined as a lifestyle driven by busyness and filled with more activity than God lead us to do. Not every good thing we do is a God thing. We must learn to discern which matters are to hold our time and attention and which ones to let pass. Otherwise, we forfeit intimacy with our Heavenly Father and with our families for the sake of results that won’t even matter at all in a hundred years.

Douglas MacArthur II, was the nephew of the famous WWII General. He served in the state department when John Foster Dulles was Secretary of State. One evening Mr. Dulles called MacArthur at his home. His wife answered the phone and explained that her husband was not there. Not recognizing who the caller was, she angrily complained, "MacArthur is where MacArthur always is, weekdays, Saturdays, Sundays, and nights--in that office!" Within minutes Dulles had MacArthur on the phone. He gave him this terse order: "Go home at once, boy. Your home front is crumbling.

Is your home front crumbling? Do you give the time and attention to your mate and your children that proves the love you profess for them? Time may be the best thing you can give to those you love.

Jesus once told His disciples, “Come apart and rest awhile.” (see Mark 6:31) In the hustle and bustle of your lifestyle, do you hear a faint voice extending this invitation to you? May the Holy Spirit enable each of us to see what is most important in our lives and adjust our schedules to align our time with the true order of importance.