A High Calling

Here I am, Lord, uniquely gifted with skill, time, and energy graciously provided by you. I recognize this. And I believe that you have me where you want me, which means that this particular job that I thought last week was a real bummer is, in actual fact, a high calling, and I am going to live and work today as if that is exactly what it is.

I have this short paragraph displayed very prominently in my office as a reminder of why I do what I do and for whom. I really don’t recall where I first read it, but it so intrigued me that I copied it down. My friends tell me I analyze everything to death, and maybe I do and I have.

Whatever makes up who I am comes from the hand of God. It may be much or little; other people may watch with envy at the level of expertise I may have in what I do or they may shake their head in wonder that I’ve gotten as far as I have. My day may be crammed with more “things” to do, places to go, and people to see than I can get to or I may not be able, for whatever reason, to step outside my door. Still, I recognize that God has granted me personality, gifts, talents, and a certain number of days in which He expects me to become the best I can at what He has for me to do. Actually that is the only gift I can give back to Him–what I do with my life.

I do believe I am where God wants me and doing the particular job He has called me to do. So, in light of that statement of belief, the only task ahead of me, regardless of how compartmentalized it may be, is to finish what I’ve started. The Lord Jesus Christ has set me upon a path, within a particular time frame, and given me the tools with which to become and do. Therefore, when I look at my job in this light, I realize that it is a high calling.

What do I do now? Follow suit; stick to the course; reach for the stars; continue on; excel; never quit becoming; stay focused, and finish what has begun. This life of mine that is a high calling? I will live and work today as if that is exactly what it is.

Grams

Totally Adequate

“There is no room for feelings of inadequacy before a totally adequate God”–Cinda King. When I read that I almost sat upright. In one short sentence, man’s place before almighty God has been defined. The writer is not talking about man’s failures and inabilities as compared to the power and magnificence of Jehovah God, but about God’s might and power that enables Him to completely supply all His children will ever need. Therefore, none of us, if we have made Christ Lord of our lives, are inadequate because He is not.

The word feelings caught my attention. The one idea that is touted today is that if it feels right, if it feels good, then do it. So, feelings rule; not intellect; not reason, and definitely not faith. So this idea of feelings washes over into everything we do and with the people we associate. It determines how we respond; whether or not we go or stay; even if we believe God or not.

What do I think this writer was really saying? Simply that before an omnipotent God, the God who spoke all that exists into being, I have no right to take the way out by claiming I’m inadequate. He has promised to supply whatever I need to do and be whatever He calls me to. Feelings–dangerous thoughts and emotions that can stymie the power of God. The next time you feel inadequate, instead of glorying in your perceived humility, remember that you stand before a “totally adequate God” and He makes you more than adequate.

Grams

Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

You’ve just received word that the company is downsizing and your job has been eliminated. Fear, anxiety, anger, even a sense of hopelessness flood your mind. What will you do? Where will you go? In the back of your mind you know that you may have to relocate. Change.

The last few months you have spent hours going over brochures of colleges, trying to decide which one is the right choice to make. You want your son or daughter, as the case may be, to be satisfied with the decision, but finances play a major role in the choice that is made. Finally the day arrives when that one who has been a major part of your life for 18 years is leaving home, going off to college. Your stomach knots up as you struggle to hold back the tears. It won’t be the same, ever again. Change.

The church’s facilities are old and in need of major repair. The demographics of the city have shifted and to be affective, the church must consider its future role in its present community. Avenues for outreach have almost come to a standstill due to language and custom barriers. In the back of everyone’s mind is the nagging question of what to do. If we move, where to, when, and who will lead? Whatever the church decides to do everyone knows that things will never be the same again. Change.

People fear change. It is an unknown and in that quality resides the fear that both causes change and hinders it. Today it’s called stepping out of your comfort zone and I guess that’s a good name for it. Still it means you have to do something you’ve never done before; embrace another man’s vision and decide whether or not you can trust him. That’s what it comes down to in the long run. Trust, pure and simple. But have you noticed just how hard that can be, to place total trust in someone, regardless of who he or she may be?

Have you ever considered why God placed men over His flock; why He gave mortal men the responsibility of looking after His children while in this life? Give that some thought, I mean beyond the textbook answer. Maybe, just maybe, God knew us well enough to realize that if anything substantial was ever to be accomplished on planet earth, we needed someone to follow; someone we could see, talk to, build a relationship with; someone physical with the same sinful tendencies we all have, yet able to live a life that inspires us to walk closer to our God. I know we have God’s Word and I believe it is the infallible, inerrant Word of almighty God, but at times I still need that human interaction, that human example of faith, of depending on God, of standing for what’s right.

Look at the apostle Paul. He’s the one who said, “Follow me as I follow the Lord” (paraphrase). The prophets of old admonished the people under their hearing to listen and do as they said. Then of course there’s Moses, possibly the greatest leader of all time. He returned to a people, who had sought his life, with the command of God to lead those same people out of Egypt to a land “flowing with milk and honey”–the Promised Land. Now that was change, and the people followed, complaining and griping all the way.

If God has placed you in a position of leadership over a group of people much like the Israelites headed for Canaan or even 1st century Christians, take heart. You stand in the gap; you are the one most will look to, not the Lord. Most of your people will follow the Lord only as you do. And in that you will be able to inspire some to train their eye on Christ and not on you. And when that happens you will have instigated change. You will have forced people out of their comfort zone. Where once your people looked only to you for how to live, what to believe, how to trust, and how to serve, as time goes by they will keep their eyes on Christ and follow where He leads; live as He teaches; believe what He says, and serve where He leads.

The neat thing about the entire process is that it never stops. There will always be others to take the place of those who have matured to the point that they will follow Christ, even if, God forbid, you don’t. They will have changed–stepped out of their comfort zone–and the church takes another step forward. And that’s a good thing.

Whether your voice speaks from time past; whether you walk out of the desert or come down from the hills, God has called you to be a catalyst for change. And that will impact people’s hearts, minds, and emotions. In order for you to accomplish what God has for you, you too may have to step out of your comfort zone. You up to it? I sure hope so.

Grams

Sam or Frodo?

The burden grew heavier each day. Almost unbearable, yet he had agreed to make the journey and he would do what was expected of him. It was his responsibility. The ring must be destroyed, at all costs. He was set upon his course; he was headed for the mountain where the fire that had birthed the ring waited to destroy it. But he was not alone. Sam walked every mile with him, always helping, ever alert for danger. Now they were nearing the end.

Frodo lay unmoving, unable to stand. The mountain was in sight; they were so near, yet so far. Sam reached down, and pulled Frodo onto his shoulders. ” Come on, Mr. Frodo. I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you” (my favorite line in the entire trilogy).

Sam was Frodo’s gardener, a simple man in some people’s minds. He was not the one entrusted with the ring. He was not the one people looked to for leadership nor was he expected to have all the answers. Yet, when the going was the toughest, Sam came through. It is doubtful Frodo’s mission would have been successful had Sam not tagged along.

Loyal. That’s how I’d describe Sam. He was never very far from Frodo. Although Frodo was committed to destroying the ring, Sam was committed to Frodo. The task that had been thrust upon Frodo was made easier by Sam’s loyalty and faithfulness. When Frodo could go no farther, Sam stepped to the plate; he stood in the gap.

“I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you.”

Has God entrusted you with a task that, at times, seems almost impossible to complete? Exhausted you lay crumpled, unable to get up. Despair washes over you, draining you of every ounce of courage you ever possessed. You need a Sam who will come alongside you, pick you up and set you back on the course God has planned for you. Look around. Somewhere, maybe lurking back in the shadows, God has placed a Sam in your life to watch out for you; to step to the plate; to stand in the gap when life becomes tough.

“I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you.”

Don’t miss out on the blessing of being Sam. Frodo needs you.

Grams

The Whisper of God

Up ahead gaped the open mouth of a large cave. Hungry and thirsty, he stumbled into its darkness. Exhaustion forced him to the ground. He had been running for days and now all he wanted to do was rest. And sleep! Sweet, peaceful oblivion! That’s what he needed.

Sometime in the night a strong wind tore across the mountainside. Elijah went out upon the mountain as the winds blew harder and harder. The storm blew with such force trees and rocks were jolted from their places. Then as if on cue, the mountain began to shake, seeming to crumble underneath him. Fear gripped his heart like he’d never known before. Never in all his life had he lived through such a rage of nature.

What was that he smelled? Smoke. He smelled smoke! A bolt of lightening must have struck a tree, causing a fire to burn what little was left standing. Elijah stood as if in a trance. He looked all around him; there was nothing left. What had not been destroyed by the great wind and mighty earthquake, the fire had burned. Now what would he do?

In that one night all the forces of nature had converged upon one spot. Wind; earthquake; fire! What a magnificent display of the power of God! But wait, what was that? That sounded like someone whispered my name!

Elijah crept out from his hiding place, shivering from the fear that still held him in its grasp. There it was again–the sound of a low whisper. The voice spoke again; it was the whisper of God.

Another time a storm raged. This time is was on the Sea of Galilee and the twelve disciples were trying to reach the other side. But the harder they rowed, the farther from shore it seemed they were. Waves of water washed over the sides of the boat. At any moment the boat could sink. It was filling with water faster than they could bail.

Down in the bottom of the boat Jesus lay sleeping. Someone shook Him awake. “Master, don’t you care we are about to sink? Help us!” Jesus stood up, walked to the front of the boat, and raised his arms toward heaven. Then in a quiet voice, almost like a whisper, Jesus said, “Peace! Be still!”

Once again the whisper of God could be heard above the raging torrents of nature, turned loose to wreak its havoc. Once again the tumult ceased. Where do you look for the whisper of God? Do you see His handiwork in the mighty displays of nature? Do you observe His power in the transformation that takes place in people’s lives when they come to know Him personally? Do you look for Him amid the fears, uncertainties, and doubts of everyday life? Have you found Him yet?

Let the winds die down; let the thunder and lightening subside; wait for the trembling to come to a standstill; look for a lull in the storm and you will hear it–the low whisper of God. Just as He did with Elijah; just as He did for His disciples years later, Jesus gently nudges you from out of the storm. “Child, what are you doing here?”

Now it’s your turn to speak. What will you tell Him?

Grams

In Step With Jesus

Andrew raised his arms and threw with all his might. The net sailed over his head and out into the water landing exactly where he wanted it. Slowly he began the arduous task of hauling in the net with its catch. A smile played along his lips. He enjoyed being out on the water, tasting the salt in the wind as the waves rocked the boat back and forth. Business was good; all the hard work he and his brother had done was finally paying off. They even had plans of adding another boat to their fishing business. Maybe that could happen before the next fishing season got under way.

Walking alongside the Sea of Galilee, Jesus stopped to watch as Simon and Andrew cast their nets. He called to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of me.” The Scripture says that they immediately left their nets and followed Him.

The nets symbolized everything about those two men. They were fishermen; this was their livelihood; the way they paid their bills. It was their identity; who they were. But at the call of Jesus both unhesitatingly dropped their nets, docked their boat, and got in step with Jesus. These men left behind all they had been previously and followed Jesus of Nazareth.

When Jesus calls us today, He asks us to do the same thing Simon and Andrew did–to leave all and follow Him. Maybe we do not have to change our occupation as those two did. That depends upon the role Jesus has for each of us in His kingdom’s work, but our decision to become a follower of Jesus Christ entails a complete surrender of who we are, our dreams and aspirations, as we give the Lord Jesus Christ first place in our lives.

Why would two fishermen willingly turn their backs on who they were to become completely different? Why should you and I be willing to do that? Could it be because Jesus has made a better offer? How does the best this world has to offer stack up against what you have when you become a follower of the Son of God? How do you think fishing compared to eternal life? When Jesus calls you to come follow Him, lay aside whatever you’re doing and get in step with Jesus. You will become a fisher of men.

Grams

Let Him Be God

If you’ve never spent very much time behind a wall, you have no idea how safe you can feel. You are completely hidden and protected. Nothing or no one can reach you. If someone or something invades your space, you just go deeper behind the wall(s) or you make them higher and thicker. The trick is to be invisible. Imagine coming out of a dark hole where you have been hidden for 50 years into the bright morning sun. Oh, the pain, the discomfort, and the overwhelming desire to turn and run back to the safety and security of that hole, to that which is familiar. Back there you knew your way around. No one could get to you. You were safe . . . or you thought you were. But now, complete exposure! It doesn’t matter if God loves you, if your family loves you or if your friends love you. That is not the issue. You know the way things should be and how you should be, but there is a lot of difference in how you should feel or act and what you actually feel and know.

The sun’s rays blind me. My heart races as I grope my way forward. I can’t see; I begin to look for somewhere to go; some place to hide. But before I can crawl behind my wall, a hand reaches for mine. An arm goes around my shoulder and someone I know who loves me asks, “Are you ok?” and the flight impluse subsides and I turn and answer “Yeah, I’m ok.”

Exposure gives place to a sense of abandonment. Although I chose to walk out from behind my walls, they left me. I’ve been abandoned. What once gave me security, comfort, and even a measure of contentment is no longer a part of who I am. Much like a toddler taking her first steps, I embark upon a journey that will require every ounce of courage, strength, and faith I can muster.

What is so hard about letting go, of stepping out from behind the walls put in place years ago in a desperate dash for survival? That’s what it comes down to–I simply wanted to survive. Instead of trusting God to take care of me, to provide for whatever I needed, and to set me upon a new course in life, fear took control. Like a rat scurrying for its hole, I ducked behind my walls, throwing them higher and making them thicker each time someone or something threatened my safety or security. Instead of running to my Lord and Savior, instead of letting Him heal my heart, instead of making Him my fortress, my comfort, and my security, I chose to hide. I refused to trust. I was afraid.

According to 2 Timothy 1:7, God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind. All I had needed, even wanted, God had available for me. He is the God of all resources.

So why did I hide? I was afraid. Why was I afraid? I simply refused to let God do for me all He has ever wanted to do–empower me through His love to live a productive life for His glory. All I needed to do was let Him be God.

Grams

The Dynamic Duo

What would you do if today your world changed? Really changed? Changed enough that who you are mattered to no one; what you had was for the taking by someone bigger, stronger, and meaner. People you always counted on looked at your plight and realized that theirs was the same. The thought of such a change is frightening, just plain scary. This fear of their world collapsing rides the back of many Americans.

Fear of this magnitude forces people to rethink what they do and who they are, and in that there is hope, hope for the individual. For you see, when people do not know where to turn or to whom they should go, opportunities open for the One who calls, “Come to me all who labor and are burdened with cares, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, paraphrase).

Hope and rest, the dynamic duo, the twin products of a life placed in the hands of the eternal Son of God. When you come to Jesus, He gently puts His arms around you, looks you in the eye, and reassures you that no longer do you have to carry that heavy load, whatever it may be. He’s already paid the penalty for that sin, that wrong decision, that broken relationship, all that pain and hurt. It’s gone; you just need to let Him take it from you. As He lifts that heavy burden from your back, for the first time in a long time there is release, there is comfort, there is purpose and meaning. A peace you had only heard about settles over you and the thought comes to mind questioning why you waited so long. Almost simultaneously rest from the old and hope for the new takes up residence in the shell of the person you once were.

How beautiful!

Grams

The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

We were not referred to as the youth group back in the 60s. We were simply the young people at church. We had a Sunday School class, a teacher, and a church-elected volunteer youth leader. No salary, just someone who loved kids and wanted to help keep them in church. Often as not, it was the preacher and in my case it was my daddy.

Television had been part of the average household for only about a decade. Video games were not even a glimmer on some geek’s brain. And who knew what a geek was? So youth activities would be tame compared to today’s ski trips, white water rafting, etc. But we were experts at planning “get-togethers.”

A “get-together” took on the character of the one who planned it. But, usually we just ended up hanging out together, eating, playing games, maybe even listening to music. There was something special about just being together. We belonged; we were part of something larger than ourselves, even if our numbers were small.

When you think about it, that’s not much different from what kids do today. The youth leader is usually paid a salary, the activities may be on a larger scale and more expensive, but kids still seem to like just hanging out. They still need to belong to something larger than themselves.

Ever notice that the more things change, the more they stay the same?

Grams

My Good Fortune

I like words. They are intriguing combinations of letters that create expressions which give meaning to our thoughts. They allow us to communicate. Sometimes I stumble across a word that captures my attention. One of those is the word godsend.

Godsend is actually two words combined to form its meaning–God and send. So one would think it means something God sends. According to my online dictionary resource, godsend is something or someone sent unexpectedly that is either wanted or needed which brings good fortune. Something unexpected that brings good fortune. Wow! That is powerful!

Some might equate that simply with opportunities to make more money. After all that’s all it takes to have a good life, isn’t it? To experience good fortune? But that reduces the meaning of the word to nothing more than a stop-gap measure–something that plugs the hole or remedies a situation, temporarily. God does not deal in stop-gap measures; not with His children anyway.

History is replete with events, happenings, and people who unexpectedly brought good fortune, a godsend. Notice that while the result of the godsend is good fortune, nothing indicates that the event, happening, or person must be pleasant, good, gentle, kind, or even desired. But in the end, it was what was needed.

When Joseph was sold into Egyptian slavery by his brothers, that was not a very pleasant experience. But, later Joseph tells his brothers that what they meant for evil God used it for good–a godsend. Years later, after Joseph had died, Moses strode out of the desert with a commission from almighty God to free the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. With the Egyptian army fast approaching, the Israelites faced the Red Sea. Their salvation was just across that body of water, but how to get there. Moses struck the water with his rod, the waters parted, and several million people walked across on dry ground. A godsend.

Were the next 40+ years filled with great and glorious happenings? Not always, but there came a day when the children of those slaves stood on the brink of the Jordan, ready to follow Joshua across and possess the Promised Land. The river was at flood stage; there was no way across, or so they thought. How quickly they forgot! When the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stepped into the water, the waters of the Jordan River began to roll back and opened a path across to Canaan. A godsend.

The greatest godsend of them all is Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection. For you see, because of those happenings, we, all of mankind, can have eternal life. We can even go to live with Him in heaven when we die. There will be no more pain or suffering; no more sin, evil, or its ugly results. Those who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will enjoy life and peace in the presence of almighty God. A godsend? Oh, absolutely!

Sometimes in His goodness, God allows special people to come into your life. People who have the uncanny ability to know you almost without effort. That person can “read” you, totally. For some it’s a parent, but for most it’s your spouse. However, it simply may be someone God puts in your life, that crosses your path; a friend.

God has put different ones in my life that in hindsight were a godsend. God used them to point, direct, guide, even reprove. Today I told a friend she was a godsend, someone God sent along unexpectedly to bring me good fortune. Am I richer today because He did that? Not with money, but my life is richer, fuller, and more in tune with God and His plan for my life. Do I trust her? You better believe it. Does she speak the truth? Always. Does she do it in love? Yeah. Is it always something I want to hear? Not necessarily. But I listen to her because she always points me back to God, my good fortune.

Grams