Warnings

Have you ever read the Old Testament and wondered how God could just wipe people out? I mean there’s the the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, Jericho and all the nations in the land of Canaan.

It just seems like lots of innocent people are suddenly killed as a result of God’s orders. Where’s the God of love and patience? Where’s the grace and mercy?

Let’s take a look, beginning with the fact that there are a couple of wrong assumptions in what I’ve just said. First, no one is innocent. Paul wrote to the church in Rome:

“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

From the youngest child to the oldest adult–no one is innocent. Not. Even. One. “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”

Second, God doesn’t “suddenly” wipe people out. He is always patient. In the case of the Amorites who occupied the land of Canaan, God waited hundreds of years before judging them. They had centuries to turn from their evil ways, which by the way, included sacrificing their own children. Not so innocent, huh?

In 2 Kings 17, Israel is attacked and taken into captivity by the Assyrian empire. God makes clear to Israel why this happened. Because they had sinned against Him by worshiping other gods, something He had repeatedly warned them not to do.

The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and seers: “Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees…” 2 Kings 17:13

They rejected His decrees and the covenant He had made with their fathers and the warnings He had given them. 2 Kings 17:15

The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn from them until the Lord removed them from His presence, as He had warned through all His servants the prophets.” 2 Kings 17:23

Has God been warning you? Is there an area of your life He has put His finger on?

Is it a relationship? One you need to end? One you need to restore? One you need to persevere in?

Is it your finances? Has God been telling you to give? Or stop using credit cards? Is there a debt you need to repay?

Is it your health? Do you need to eat better? Begin exercising? Rest more? Work less?

Is it a sinful habit? A habit that’s now become an addiction.

I find that God will warn me in multiple ways. It could be through His word. Or a phone call from a friend. Maybe through a sermon or podcast. Or it could be difficult circumstances or a medical condition that will only get worse if ignored.

Now I’m not suggesting He’s going to wipe you out if you continue to ignore Him. Based on my own sin and stubbornness, I can tell you He’s very, very patient and full of grace and mercy.

At the heart of our sin is unbelief. We persist in going our own way and ignore God’s warnings, because we simply do not believe Him. We assume we know what is best for us. We think our plans for our lives are better than His.

We’re wrong though. We’re arrogant too. How foolish of us to ever think we know better than God.

The only answer is to take His warnings to heart, turn from our own way and follow Him.

No matter what He’s warning you about, no matter what He’s telling you to do–it is always in your best interest to obey Him.

For I Know the Plans I Have For You

I’ve begun a countdown. I even have a countdown app on my iPhone. Four hundred days from today, I will turn 50.

I don’t know about you, but 50 doesn’t sound young to me. Of course, it’s all a matter of perspective. If you’re 70, then 50 is young. If you’re 20, then 50 is ancient.

I have no expectation of living to 100 or even 90. My dad almost made it to 73. If that’s how long I have, then I’m well past the half-way point of my life. If my life is a football game, half-time is over and we’re playing in the 3rd quarter and I’m just six years from the 4th quarter.

Depending on your personality, you may be thinking all of this is a little morbid. Or you may be wondering who in the world actually thinks to countdown the days until they turn 50, especially when it’s still 400 days a way.

Here’s the thing–when I turned 30, I was disappointed. I had certain expectations that were unmet at that point. I expected my life to look different than it did. I figured by 30, I would “have my act together.” In hindsight, my expectations were the problem, not my life.

So when I turned 40, I had no such illusions of having a nice, orderly, problem-free life. There is no such thing. Turning 40 was no big deal. I guess the biggest thing I learned during the decade between turning 30 and 40 was how to extend grace. Even to myself.

So as I close in on 50, I don’t have expectations that life will be something it’s not, but I do have some expectations, of myself, that I believe are part of God’s plans for my life. There are some things I want to accomplish. There are character flaws I want to work on. There are people and activities I want to invest in.

I want to enjoy these next 400 days, but I also want to live purposefully. I want to have fun, while also walking obediently with God. In 400 days, I want to be able to look back and know I did life God’s way, not Gregg’s way.

What I’ve done is broken up the 400 days into 10 periods of 40 days each. Calendar wise, it might have been easier to just wait until the one-year mark and start counting down the months, but there’s something special about a 40-day period of time. (Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days. The spies explored the Promised Land for 40 days.)

Each 40 day period will give me an opportunity to emphasize something different depending on what I sense God doing in my life. Maybe prayer will be an emphasis during one of the 40 days. Maybe training for a 5k race will be. Or maybe studying the book of Ephesians. We’ll see.

In this first 40 day period, I’m emphasizing writing more consistently. I want to post here more often and I also have a book I’ve been working on…or not working on. I plan to finish it by October 9th, the end of the first 40 days. My goal is to write 1,500 words a day. Ambitious, but doable.

One emphasis that will run through all 400 days, and beyond, is simply obeying God–walking according to His ways. Jeremiah 29:10-14 says:

This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

The Israelites had been conquered by the Babylonians and carried into exile. They were no longer living in and enjoying the land God had promised to give them. They were captives in a foreign land.

Why though? What went so terribly wrong?

Israel had broken the covenant with God. He had given them His laws, but they chose to not follow them. God had graciously taught them how to live, but they stubbornly went their own way. Rather than give themselves wholeheartedly to God, they adopted the practices of the nations around them.

God had made it clear that if they would follow His commands, He would bless them and prosper them and protect them. But Israel rebelled against Him. They went their own way and did their own thing.

Maybe today it feels like you’re in exile. And you’re crying out for God to bring you back. You desperately want to experience His plans to prosper you and give you a hope and a future. Fortunately, He is always gracious toward us. When we cry out–He listens. When we seek Him–we find Him.

While you’re seeking and crying out though, maybe it’s also a good time to examine your life to see what caused “your exile” in the first place. Sometimes we get into bad situations because we live in a fallen, broken world. Bad stuff happens even when we’re trying to do the right things.

Sometimes though, our own disobedience leads us into exile. Our own choices got us to where we are. And while it’s good and right to cry out to God, it’s also time to make the changes we need to make. The surest path to experiencing God’s very best plans for our lives is to simply obey Him.

Is there an area of your life that needs examining? A relationship? Your finances? Something at work? What you watch or look at? How you use your time?

Remember, God’s commands are never meant to rob our joy or fun. It’s just the opposite. God’s commands provide for us and protect us. They keep us from danger. God’s ways are always for our good. Never for our harm.

You may not be 400 days from turning 50, but there’s nothing stopping you from using these next 40 days to intentionally walk according to God’s ways, so you position yourself to experience the plans He has for you.

Something Better Than Prayer

Before I get started, some disclaimers:

1. I don’t believe in formulas. In Chemistry? Yes. In life? No. God isn’t a predictable science experiment. If we do A and B, God is not obligated to do C.
2. Life is messy. We live in a fallen, broken, sinful world. Bad things can happen even when we do the right things.
3. Mixing a fervent prayer with the right measure of faith doesn’t always yield the results we want. See #1 and #2.
4. I don’t believe people get cancer and die because they didn’t have enough faith.
5. Sin does not always prevent God from blessing us. If it did, none of us would be blessed. Ever.

Those things being said, I’ve been thinking about prayer and obedience the past few days. Now I don’t mean to pit them against each other, but go with me for a moment. Which is better–prayer or obedience?

I guess the next question would be: better for what?

How about–better for getting what we desire?

We desire better health. We desire a new car or house. We want to get married or see our current marriage improve. We want to pay our bills on time, get out of debt and have a little left over for a vacation once in awhile.

Is it better to pray or obey?

I can already hear you saying the answer: Both!

And I would agree with you. It’s obviously better to do both, but my sense is that many of us only do one. We pray. We pray for God to intervene. We pray for Him to rescue us. We pray for Him to change someone’s heart. We pray for a breakthrough.

But often, we don’t obey Him.

A couple weeks ago while driving home from a weekend out of town, I stopped for gas at a little country gas station. As I came out of the store, I noticed a very obese woman sitting in her car smoking a cigarette.

Now imagine this woman begins to experience a chronic cough and shortness of breath. Not hard to imagine, right?

She has a choice now: she could begin praying God will heal her or she could stop smoking, eat healthier and exercise. We would think she was foolish for only praying, but not changing her habits, right?

I wonder how many of us get into difficulties with our finances, our relationships or our own medical issues and beg God for a miracle or some kind of breakthrough, but what may be better is for us to simply obey Him. And then add our prayers.

In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses is giving instructions to the Israelites before they cross the Jordan River to take possession of the land of Canaan. In chapter 28, Moses goes into great detail about what will happen to them if they fully obey God and carefully follow His commands. And he goes into even greater detail about what will happen if they do not obey.

There’s no mention of prayer. God’s blessings are contingent upon their obedience, not the fervency of their prayers. God graciously instructed them on how to live and was very clear about the blessings or curses that would follow their choices.

It’s not just Moses though. In John 15:1-11, Jesus is teaching His disciples that He is the vine and they are the branches. Apart from Him, they can do nothing. In verses 7-8, He says:

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you…” Isn’t that another way to say, “if you obey me?” Obedience plus prayer results in much fruit bearing.

Jesus goes on in verses 9-11 to say:

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

We remain in Jesus’ love by obeying him. And what is the result of doing that?

Joy. Complete joy.

Isn’t that ultimately what we all want? Complete joy?

So what are we to do about the difficulties we find ourselves in?

Let’s take our finances for example. If we’re in a mess–are we continuing to spend beyond our income? And just as importantly, if not more so, are we giving? 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 says:

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷ Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Are we crying out to God to give us relief from our financial difficulties, while choosing to sow sparingly? God promises we will reap generously if we sow generously.

Are we asking God to heal our high blood pressure, but eating a diet full of unhealthy food? God has given us healthy foods to eat for our enjoyment and good health.

Are we desperately pleading with God to heal our marriage, but not practicing the principles in Ephesians 5:22-33 or reading a good book on marriage or attending a Weekend to Remember marriage conference or seeking counseling? Sure it takes two to heal a marriage, but are we at least doing our part?

God not only gave us His commands for our own good, He also gave us His Holy Spirit to empower us to obey them. He has instructed us on how to live this life. But are we listening? Are we following through on what He’s already told us?

I’m not at all suggesting that obeying God is somehow better than praying to God. But I am saying that if we’re praying without obeying, then I can’t help thinking God is saying, “I’ve already answered your prayer. You’ll discover it as soon as you obey me.”

Last thing: it would be worth re-reading the five disclaimers I started with.

God Answers the “Why?” Question

When things go wrong, terribly wrong, we can’t help asking God, “Why?”

Why did You let this happen?

Why did you let him die?

Why can’t I get pregnant?

Why can’t I find a job?

Maybe you’ve asked one of those questions. Maybe you’re asking one now. Or a different one.

Often, no answer comes. Bad things happen, but we’re only left to wonder why. God just doesn’t provide us with a reason.

And in those times, we have to fall back on His character. If we forget or never realize that He is good, faithful, loving, kind and all-powerful no matter what happens, then we will quickly become angry, fearful, depressed or any number of other negative emotions.

Sometimes though, God pulls back the curtain and gives us more information. Sometimes He answers the “Why?” question. In John 11, Lazarus is sick and eventually dies, but Jesus says, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

Now of course the disciples heard Jesus say this, but Lazarus and his two sisters who had sent for Jesus didn’t get to hear what Jesus said. They saw the miracle a few days later when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, but those were a rough few days of silence while they wondered why Jesus wasn’t coming.

In the first chapter of Haggai, we have another instance of God actually explaining why something bad was happening. The temple was in ruins and the remaining Jews in Jerusalem had been saying, “The time has not yet come for the LORD’s house to be built.”

They were wrong.

Apparently, the time had not only come, but had passed. As a result, the people were experiencing drought like conditions in all areas of life. They would plant, but not harvest much. They’d put clothes on, but not be warm. They’d earn wages, but it was like putting money in a purse with holes in it.

Nothing was working out.

Have you been there? I have.

Just when you think a situation can’t get worse–it does. It looks like something will work out, but it doesn’t. You seem so close to getting out of difficult circumstances, but can’t quite ever make it.

Twice in chapter 1, God tells the people, “Give careful thought to your ways.”

I’m not sure we’re very good at that. We don’t stop very often to give careful thought to our ways. I think we just press on, wonder why things aren’t working and then blame God for not helping us.

But in Haggai 1:7-9, God is very clear about why things have not gone well: “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.”

There it is. God answers the “Why?” question. The people had been busy with their own homes, but had ignored His. God’s temple was in ruins, but the people were saying, “The time has not yet come for the LORD’s house to be built.”

They were wrong. It was time for the temple to be rebuilt. It was time for the people to be about God’s agenda.

You and I don’t have a temple to rebuild, but could it be there’s something else God has given us to do, but we’ve ignored it? We didn’t think it was important or we were busy or it would have made us uncomfortable or we simply forgot?

But the bottom line is we didn’t do it. And it has led to drought like conditions in our lives.

Press pause for just a moment.

PLEASE DO NOT HEAR ME SAYING THAT ALL BAD THINGS ARE THE RESULT OF OUR SIN OR FAILING TO DO WHAT GOD HAS ASKED US TO DO.

We live in a fallen world that’s badly stained by sin. Bad things happen. People get sick. Cars breakdown. Loved ones die. And it’s not because of anything we did or didn’t do.

Sometimes though, God does get our attention through frustrating circumstances. Is this one of those times for you? Maybe there’s something He wants you to do. Or maybe He wants you to start walking according to His ways, not yours.

If you ask Him, He’ll tell you, but if you’ll stop and “give careful thought to your ways”, I suspect you will know what He’s wanting you to do.

Questions and Wonderings

I admit it–I’m very sentimental and nostalgic. I keep some important newspapers so my kids can have them one day. In my storage unit, I have boxes of my kids’ old school papers. I have a terrible time throwing away old t-shirts. I can’t part with some of the shirts and ties my dad wore. And I have over 25 years of journals I’ll one day pass down to my children along with the Bibles I’ve read and written in.

I want my children and grandchildren and great-children to know me. And I want to know them. Sadly, I know very little about my own grandparents. I never knew my grandparents on my dad’s side–my grandmother died before I was born and my grandfather died when I was too young to know him. On my mom’s side, I knew my grandmother and a step-grandfather. But now I wish I’d know them better.

I have four children. Two are married. No grandchildren yet. If grandchildren come along in the next few years, then it’s certainly possible that within 30 years, I could be a great-grandfather. If I’m still around. In 30 years, I’ll be 78. My dad only made it to 72.

It’s unlikely that I’ll ever know my great-great grandchildren or that they’ll ever know me. I’d be closing in on 90 to 100. Not many people live that long. Of course, if my journals, books, pictures, videos and blog posts survive–they’ll at least know about me.

They just won’t know about my childhood, my high school years, what college was like for me or how I met my wife. I won’t be around for them to ask questions about those kinds of things. If they’d even be interested.

Unfortunately, we don’t seem to be interested in our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. until it’s too late. Not long before he died, I asked my dad to write down some memories from earlier in his life. A time before I was born. Because he was ill, it was difficult for him to write, but he did manage to fill about seven pages from a yellow legal pad.

He always like writing on those. When I was a kid, he would sit at the kitchen table and chart out long trips. In the days before Google, Mapquest and GPS devices, planning a vacation was done with a paper map and a legal pad.

There’s a lot I’d like to ask my dad, but he’s been gone for over six years now. I’d like to talk to my mom, too, but she’s been gone for over 15 years. I’d like to know more about their childhood and teen years. I’d like to hear more of my dad’s football stories. I think he intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown in his first college game.

I’d like to know more about their early years of marriage when they lived in Tarreytown, New York where my dad was a teacher and football coach. I remember my dad telling me he was making $3,500 a year as a teacher and figured if he could just make $5,000 a year, he’d have it made.

It’s too late for me to talk to my dad, but it wasn’t too late for a guy named Lamech to talk to his great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather. I don’t know if he did, but it would have at least been possible. They were alive at the same time.

So who was Lamech? He was Noah’s father. Yup, that Noah.

And who was his great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather?

Adam.

Yes, Adam. The first man. He lived to be 930 and was still alive when Lamech was born.

I wonder what it was like for Adam and Eve. To be honest, I rarely think about them beyond the garden of Eden. After they sinned, they were expelled from the garden, but I don’t give much thought to what life was like for them after that.

Of course, we don’t even know how long Eve lived, but let’s say she lived to be 600 years old. That means they were married for 600 years. You’d get to know a person pretty well after six centuries together.

Do you think they ever reminisced about the days before they sinned? Did they go for long walks and talk about those days of living in the garden?

How much does your memory fade after hundreds and hundreds of years? Did the days of walking with God before the temptation feel like another lifetime? Were some of the details fuzzy or was the garden experience so incredible that they never forgot any of it?

They walked with God in the garden. Just like we will when God makes all things new and restores the earth to His original design. We’ll walk with Him like they did.

Do you think Adam and Eve forgot what God looked like? What His voice sounded like?

I don’t know how many people were on earth by the time Lamech was born, but it was a lot. So it’s doubtful if Adam (and Eve, if she was alive) even knew he was born. I mean, they couldn’t keep up with everyone. The whole world was related to them.

I wonder if Lamech was aware of Adam though. Were people even aware that Adam was still alive?

You know how it is when we see someone famous. We whisper. We point. Some of us try to meet them. Were Adam and Eve famous? Was it big news when they died? Or did no one really care?

How long did it take before everyone forgot they were related to one another? Maybe being related doesn’t even matter much. Cain killed Abel. The first two brothers couldn’t even get along. Same thing after the flood–how long until the children of Shem, Ham and Japheth started hating each other?

Do you think Adam and Eve blamed themselves for the evil in the world? Did they struggle with guilt?

I can imagine Adam and Eve lying quietly in bed together at the age of 500 and Eve whispering in the dark, “If only I hadn’t listened to his lies.”

Adam sighs. After a moment he replies, “I know. Why didn’t I stop him? Why didn’t I say anything?”

Then they drift off to sleep. In silence. Wondering what might have been.

I wonder how often they had to remind each other of God’s love and grace and forgiveness?

I wonder how often we should remind each other.

And I wonder who we need to get to know better. Before it’s too late.

I told you I’m sentimental and nostalgic.

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This week, I released the devotional: I Believe God: a 40 day adventure. The price is only $2.99 and is available in multiple formats. If you’d like the Amazon Kindle edition, it’s here.

No More Guilt, No More Shame

What keeps you from seeking God?

Busyness?

Don’t really see the point? Maybe you wonder what difference it will really make.

Are you angry at Him? Do you feel like He disappointed you? Maybe you thought you’d done everything you knew to do, prayed faithfully, read your Bible, but God still didn’t come through the way you’d hoped.

Maybe it’s one of those things I’ve mentioned, but for some of you, I suspect it’s something else. Something that keeps you from wholeheartedly seeking God, enjoying His love and feeling like He will bless you.

For some of you, it’s guilt and shame that keeps you from Him. There’s something you’ve done that hangs over your relationship with God. Or it could be somethings, not just something. Maybe it’s something you’ve done over and over and over. You’ve confessed it to God. You’ve tried to stop. But you keep falling back into the same old patterns.

Let me just say, there’s NOTHING you’ve done, said or thought that will keep God from forgiving and loving you. If you have placed your faith in Christ, then He has removed your sin from you as far as the east is from the west. He gave you the righteousness of Christ. God no longer sees you as a guilty sinner deserving of punishment. He sees you as holy and blameless. Read Ephesians 1 if you don’t believe me.

Now you may think that it’s hypocritical to call yourself holy and blameless when you know you continue to sin. Look, I get that. Often my greatest problem is that I know my own heart. I know where I continue to blow it even after 29 years of knowing Christ.

But we need to remember–it’s God who calls us holy and blameless. And why does He see us that way? Not because of anything we did or didn’t do, but because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. If we continue to see ourselves as dirty, guilty, shameful sinners–what does that say about what Jesus did?

That it wasn’t enough? That maybe Jesus’ death on the cross was enough to forgive some people, but not me?

Can you see the pride in that? The arrogance? What are we saying, “My sin is so terrible that I must continue to feel some measure of shame and guilt, because Jesus couldn’t handle what I did?”

David committed adultery and murder.

Paul persecuted Christians before he himself came to Christ.

The disciples deserted Jesus when He needed them most.

Peter denied Him three times.

And let’s not forget the mother of Boaz. Remember Boaz? If you don’t, read the book of Ruth. He was a Jew who ended up marrying Ruth, a gentile, who had come back to Israel with Naomi from the land of Moab after the famine. It’s a great story.

Boaz and Ruth have a son named, Obed. Obed becomes the father of Jesse.

Still with me?

Jesse is the father of King David. And Jesus, God Himself, descends from the line of David.

But I started out talking about the mother of Boaz, remember? Well, the mother of Boaz is a woman named Rahab. Like Ruth, she was also not a Jew. Rahab was a gentile, but had also been a prostitute. Read her story here.

So Jesus is not only descended from the gentile Ruth, but also the gentile, Rahab, who was formerly a prostitute.

But if you read the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1, you’ll see that Rahab isn’t identified as a prostitute. She’s Rahab. Who she was after helping the Israelite spies was more important than her past. Her past was in the past. It was forgiven. She moved on.

You need to move on, too.

If God isn’t counting your past against you, then why are you?

Whether you’re feeling guilt and shame for what you did five years ago or five days ago, the answer is the same–you need to walk in the truth, in the knowledge that Jesus took your sin, YOUR specific sin, on Himself when He was nailed to the cross. He took upon Himself YOUR guilt and YOUR shame, SO THAT you don’t have to carry it.

There is nothing that is separating you from the love of God. The barrier of sin has been done away with.

That means you can seek Him in the knowledge that you are guilt and shame free.

The Healing

This is a story I wrote a few years ago about legalism and grace…and healing. Leave a comment to let me know what you think.

Phil entered the restaurant, sat down in a booth and waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim light. The lone waitress approached and took his order—water with no ice. He watched her walk away—a little too closely—then quickly chastised himself. She was somebody’s daughter after all.

This had always been one of his favorite restaurants, although recently, he was having second thoughts. The surrounding neighborhood had declined and the resulting clientele reflected it. The rough looking guy at the bar confirmed it. He watched him take a bite of his burger and drip ketchup on an already dirty t-shirt. Then he wiped his mouth with a thick, muscular arm. Phil wondered why someone would order a hamburger in a Mexican restaurant.

The clock behind the bar said 5:01 p.m. He checked his watch just to be sure. His watch said 5:00, which he knew was correct. He was right on time. That was important. It was important to be faithful in little things, he reminded himself.

He glanced at the TV. He couldn’t hear, but could see a CNN reporter on the beach covering the latest hurricane. This one was bearing down on New Orleans. Phil couldn’t help thinking it was God’s judgment on an immoral city. He prayed this would be their wake-up call.

The sloppy guy at the bar took a swallow of his drink. He was wearing a red, rolled up bandanna around his head, which brought some control to his long hair. His threadbare t-shirt and faded jeans with holes in the knees completed the look. If he even had a job, he was probably a day laborer at a construction site.

When the waitress brought his water, Phil noticed that her eyes were red and puffy. He also couldn’t help noticing how low her shirt was cut. Entirely inappropriate, he thought. He probably ought to say something to the manager. He thought of his eight-year-old daughter, Emily, and how he and his wife, Jennifer, had stressed the importance of modesty to her. He knew she’d never wear a shirt like that.

“Can I get you anything besides water?” the waitress asked. “A glass of wine, maybe?”

“No,” Phil said. “I’m fine with water.” Phil didn’t drink. His wife, Jennifer, didn’t share his conviction though, which often concerned him.

Phil checked his watch again. 5:03 p.m. Jennifer was late. Why she couldn’t be on time escaped him. This was their standing date each month. Las Palmas, 5:00 p.m., first Friday of every month. It meant leaving work ten minutes early, but he was willing to make that sacrifice. He said a brief prayer asking the Lord to help Jennifer grow in the area of time management and consideration for other people’s time.

Phil picked up a menu out of habit, but he already knew what he wanted. The #5 dinner special was what he always ordered. A few months ago, he’d tried the #4, but he’d been disappointed. He decided it was better to go with the safe choice than try something different and not like it. “Better safe than sorry.” That’s what his mother always said.

Jennifer was always ordering new things. Half the time she didn’t like what she got. He often cautioned her on her selections, but she didn’t listen. It wasn’t that he cared about what she ordered—it just bothered him when she started picking off his plate because she didn’t like her meal. He said a quick prayer that she’d make a wise selection for dinner tonight.

Phil glanced at the guy at the bar and saw he was looking over at him. He turned back to his menu and decided it was time to find a better place for their monthly dates. This place had gone downhill.

Out of the corner of his eye, Phil saw the guy get up and start walking toward him. He hoped the guy was leaving or going to the men’s room, but he wasn’t—he was headed right for Phil.

He walked up to the table and asked if he could sit down. Phil tried to explain about the regular date night and how his wife was on her way and how he really didn’t think it was a good idea, but the guy only smiled and sat down anyway.

“Do you mind if we talk?” the stranger asked.

“Do I know you?” Phil replied.

“Not really,” the guy replied and then just sat there looking at Phil.

“Is there something I can do for you?” Phil asked. “Like I said, my wife is on her way to meet me for dinner.”

“I know. I heard what you said. I just want to talk for a few minutes.”

“About what?” Phil asked.

“You.”

“Well, not to be unkind or anything, but I don’t know you and don’t know that we’d have all that much to talk about.”

Apparently the guy wasn’t violent—just strange, Phil thought. It crossed his mind to just get up and wait for Jennifer outside, but he decided to stay.

“So what’s on your mind?” Phil said with just a hint of superiority in his voice.

“Did you notice your waitress was crying?” the stranger asked.

“Well, I noticed her eyes were a little red.”

“Did it occur to you to ask her why she was crying?”

“No, it didn’t. It’s none of my business. If she wanted me to know, she would have told me,” Phil said.

“Would you like to know why she was crying?”

“Like I said, I really don’t think it’s any of my business, but if you feel the need—go ahead and tell me.”

“Before I tell you—let me ask you a question. Why do you think that her crying is not any of your business?”

“What do you mean? Of course it’s not any of my business. It’s not any of yours either.”

“Hmmm. So you see a young woman who’s obviously been crying and you assume it’s not any of your business. Okay, let me tell you why she was crying. Brandy was upset because she received a phone call from the health clinic about an hour ago. The biopsy was positive. She has cancer. She also has a three-year-old daughter and she’s afraid of what will happen to her daughter if she dies.” After a moment he added, “She doesn’t have medical insurance either.”

Phil wasn’t sure what to say. He took a sip of his water and glanced at the door, hoping to see Jennifer walk in, but she didn’t.

“That’s a sad story, but I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do about it,” Phil said. “I guess her husband will take care of their daughter.”

The stranger just stared. Phil hoped he would leave him alone or Jennifer would come quickly.

“She doesn’t have a husband. She’s never been married.”

Phil didn’t say it, but he couldn’t help thinking that you reap what you sow. If she hadn’t gotten herself pregnant then she wouldn’t be facing such a mess.

“She was raped one night after leaving work. Never told anyone. A few weeks later, she discovered she was pregnant. Now she works two jobs to support herself and her daughter.”

Phil felt bad for her, but still didn’t see how this was his problem. He had enough of his own problems to worry about. He’d just gotten the notice in the mail that Emily’s private school tuition was going up 15% next year. How was he supposed to pay for that?

The stranger interrupted Phil’s thoughts. “Would you like to pray?” he asked.

Phil was surprised by the question and for a moment said nothing. “Ah, no thanks. I’m good,” Phil said.

There was another moment of silence. Phil noticed how sad the stranger looked—almost like he was going to cry.

“Don’t you believe in prayer?” he asked.

Phil was starting to get annoyed. He’d come here for a nice meal with his wife—who was late again—and now he had to deal with some crazy guy who wanted to pray. If there was a manager around, he’d complain. That reminded him that he was going to mention the inappropriate way the waitress was dressed. Of course, considering her situation, he’d probably let it slide this time.

“Actually, I do believe in praying. I pray every morning. I’m also an elder at my church. Do you even go to church?” Phil asked.

“But you don’t want me to pray for you?” the guy asked, ignoring Phil’s question.

“No, like I said, I’m doing fine.”

“Yes, you did say that, didn’t you? May I ask you how you know you’re doing fine?”

Phil was surprised by the question and didn’t know quite what to say. He usually had a good, correct answer for most questions, but this one caught him off guard. The guy must have seen the puzzled look on Phil’s face because he asked the question again.

“What I mean is—how do you know how you’re doing? To whom are you comparing yourself?”

“Well, that’s really not what I meant,” Phil said. “I didn’t necessarily mean I was doing fine compared to other people.” Although he felt confident that he was actually doing quite well compared to others. “I just meant that my life is going well.”

“And what I’m wondering,” the stranger continued undeterred by Phil’s explanation, “is how you know. How do you know your life is going well? On what are you basing that assessment?”

Phil had never thought about it before. He was just—doing well. Life wasn’t perfect, but things were good. His job was good. His marriage was good. There was money in the bank. He, Jennifer, and Emily had their health. Things were good. The tuition bill was a concern, but not worth mentioning to a stranger.

“Well, like I told you—I’m an elder in my church, I’ve been married for 15 years, I’m doing well at work. Things are just…good.”

Phil was now getting more irritated—at the stranger’s interrogation and Jennifer for being late. If she had been on time for once, he wouldn’t be stuck in this pointless conversation.

“It bothers you that your wife is late, doesn’t it?”

“What?” Phil asked. He must have had a startled look on his face, which he tried to hide by taking a long drink of water.

“Your wife. She’s late. That annoys you. If you’re honest, it makes you angry, doesn’t it?”

“Well, I don’t know that I’d go so far as saying I’m angry. Frustrated maybe. Look, it’s inconsiderate. If I’m on time, I expect others to be on time. I sacrifice by leaving work early, which means I need to go in early to make up for it.”

“I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” the stranger said softly to himself.

“What? Phil asked, unsure of what he’d heard.

“Phil, do you love your wife?”

“Of course I love my wife. What kind of a question is that?” Phil said.

“What does that mean, Phil? How do you love your wife?”

“What? How do I love my wife?” Phil replied. “Well, I just love her. She’s important to me and I care about her.”

“Do you put her needs before your own? Does she receive grace from you or does she feel like she must live up to your standards? Do you love her as your own body?”

“Do I love her as my own body? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Phil wanted to get up and leave, but he couldn’t. He thought about what to say, but had nothing. A minute passed. The stranger was content to just sit there in silence, looking at Phil.

“Phil, what if you’ve been using the wrong standard by which to measure your goodness? What if following your rules isn’t as important as loving your neighbor? What if the way someone looks, or dresses, isn’t as important as what’s in their heart? What if there’s nothing wrong with drinking a glass of wine, but there is with judging someone for doing it?”

Phil wished he could hide. His innermost thoughts were being examined under a microscope and he didn’t like it.

“Who are you?” Phil said. “And by the way, how do you know my name?”

At that moment, the door opened, drenching the restaurant with the bright afternoon sun. Phil saw Jennifer enter and wave to him. He turned back to the stranger, but he was gone.

“Honey, I’m so sorry I’m late! Just as I was getting ready to leave, Emily spilled her juice and I…”

“Hey, slow down. It’s okay.”

“But I know how important it is to you for me to be on time and it’s almost 5:20.”

“Really, it’s okay. I’m just glad you’re here. Relax.”

Jennifer sat down and caught her breath. Phil looked over to see Brandy approaching the table. Her eyes were still red and swollen.

Before Brandy could ask for Jennifer’s drink order, Phil said, “I couldn’t help noticing you’ve been crying. Please sit down. Our order can wait.” Phil caught the look of surprise on Jennifer’s face.

Jennifer slid over and made room for her to sit. Brandy began to cry again.

Phil and Jennifer listened intently as Brandy shared her story. After she finished, Jennifer put her arm around Brandy and Phil took Brandy’s hands in his. His heart went out to her and he began to pray for her through his own tears.

On the first Friday of the next month, Phil and Jennifer walked in together, precisely at 5:47 p.m. Phil had gone home early that day and had lost track of time playing with Emily. Jennifer finally had to pull him away so they could eat.

Brandy ran to the door to meet them. She’d just gotten off the phone—the follow-up tests revealed the cancer was gone. The doctors had no explanation. Phil, Jennifer and Brandy hugged each other and cried tears of joy.

Brandy was healed.

And so was Phil.

Rob Bell, the Dalai Lama and the Truth

Rob Bell is the pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandeville, Michigan. He just released his new book, Love Wins, which I’ve read.

The Dalai Lama will be speaking at the University of Arkansas on May 11th. I live across the street from the campus and help to pastor The Church at Arkansas whose mission is to reach the campus community with the good news of Jesus Christ.

At the risk of over-simplifying their messages…

Rob Bell believes everyone will eventually be reconciled to God, without exception. There will not be an eternal punishment for sin. If you aren’t reconciled to God in this life, then you will eventually be after physical death. God’s love will win out over God’s wrath.

The Dalai Lama is a Buddhist. Speaking about Buddhism, Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen master, said, “Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. Buddhist systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth.”

So what? Why does any of this matter?

Well, ideas matter. What we believe or don’t believe is important. I know the prevailing value of our day is “tolerance”, but some things are true and some aren’t true.

For example, the house I live in is white. It either is the case that I live in a house with a white exterior or it is not the case that I live in a house with a white exterior.

It’s intellectually dishonest and logically incorrect to say, “Well, you believe your house is white, but I believe your house is red. It might be white for you, but to me it’s red.”

In other words, we can’t all define our own truth. Truth is absolute, not relative. Imagine saying to the bank, “I know you say my checking account is out of funds, but to me it’s not, so I’m going to keep writing checks.” That wouldn’t work for very long, would it?

Or picture yourself in the passenger seat of a car as you head toward a busy intersection. The light is red, but your friend who’s driving doesn’t appear to be slowing down. When you frantically call attention to the light, your friend says, “Oh, don’t worry, to me it’s green.”

Again, some things are true and some are not true. We need to know which are which. Especially, when it’s a matter of life or death. And even more importantly when we’re talking about eternal life or death.

So when Rob Bell and the Dalai Lama begin to articulate their views, it’s important to determine whether or not what they are saying is true. If something is true, then let’s embrace it. If it’s false, then let’s reject it.

By the way, it’s possible to reject a belief without rejecting a person. I can disagree with Rob Bell, the Dalai Lama or whomever, but it doesn’t mean I must attack the person. I see way too much of that in politics. When one side doesn’t agree with the other, they not only attack the idea, but the person. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Of course, some will say there are many paths to God, that all religions are equal. I’ll agree with the latter half of that statement. I would define religion as “man’s attempt to reach God.” In that sense, yes, all religions are equal. They all fail.

On the other hand, what if God reached out to us because we were completely incapable of reaching out to Him? In that case, I would expect there to be one path to Him, the path that He made.

All of us need to keep our guard up when it comes to thoughts and ideas and the words that convey them. Some ideas sound so good and right. They just seem to make sense. They make us feel good. The Dalai Lama has said:

“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”

“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.”

“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.”

In a world full of wars, natural disasters, violence, slavery and countless other acts of hatred–it can sound good to hear someone say the purpose of life is to help others or that we don’t need temples or complicated philosophies–we just need kindness.

But is it true? Is the purpose of life to help others? Can’t we all just get along and be kind to one another?

Or when Rob Bell says, “A staggering number of people have been taught that a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better…. This is misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus’ message of love, peace, forgiveness, and joy that our world desperately needs to hear.”

In My Life Be Lifted High

On December 23rd, I walked my second daughter, Erica, down the aisle, stepped onto the stage and performed her wedding ceremony. It was an emotional moment, made easier only by the fact that I love and respect her husband, Ross. He is a good man and loves my daughter with all his heart. I’m proud to have him as my son-in-law.

Because Ross is in the Army, he had to be back at Fort Bragg on January 2nd. Four days later, Erica and I drove from Arkansas to Fayetteville, North Carolina so she could be with him. For much of our two-day drive, we listened to a worship CD. There was one song we listened to over and over. Here it is:

Since I’ve been back in Arkansas, I continue to listen to it. I think I can’t get away from it because it’s the cry of my heart. I want Jesus to be lifted high in my life. I want to live in such a way that He receives honor. I want people to look at me and instead see Him.

And yet…

And yet, I sin. I disobey Him. I do what I want. I don’t run hard after obeying the One who gave His life for me.

And that makes me grateful for His grace.

“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1-2)

Grace does not give me an excuse to sin. There are no excuses. But the love and grace of Jesus overwhelms my sin.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Romans 8:35)

Nothing we do will separate us from the love of Christ. Nothing we do will exhaust His grace. His love and grace have no limits. They cannot be measured. They continually wash us clean of our guilt and shame.

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

Do you desire for Christ to be lifted high in your life?

Then don’t let your sin keep you from seeking Him. Allow His immeasurable, unending, limitless love and grace to wash over you. You are not defined by your sin, no matter how awful or persistent it is. If you are a follower of Jesus, He defines you. And He sees you as holy and blameless. He gives grace, not condemnation. He forgives and forgets your sin.

When you stumble and fall, God isn’t standing over you shaking an angry finger. In love, He extends His hand to lift you up again, so that He can be lifted high in your life.

Migraines, Large Fish and God’s Grace

The earliest migraine I remember was when I was about 15-years-old. I was greatly worried about something and that led to a migraine. I’ve learned over the years that worry leads to stress which triggers a migraine. Fortunately, I only get them a few times a year. I know some people suffer from them much more frequently.

When I used to get one, my only hope was to take a dose and a half of Nyquil and try to fall asleep. Usually, it would take hours before sleep would come. In the meantime, the pain was excruciating. The pain is like a throbbing ice pick in the corner of my eye.

Then about five or six years ago, I discovered a medicine that knocked out the pain in less than 30 minutes. I asked my doctor about getting a prescription. He gave it to me, but also suggested an MRI to rule out any “vascular abnormalities.”

If you’ve ever had an MRI, you know you lie down on a table, which then slides into a very tight tube. I don’t do well in tight spaces, so I knew it would be best to keep my eyes closed during the testing. Even as I exited the machine, I kept my eyes closed just in case I ever had to undergo another MRI. I didn’t want to have memories of being inside the tube. That was a good idea since a few years later I needed an MRI on my neck.

I think each MRI was around 20 minutes. Maybe a little longer. Had I opened my eyes, I’m sure it would have felt more like 20 hours. I don’t even want to think about it.

So I can’t imagine what it was like for Jonah who found himself inside a fish for three days. I doubt he had much room to move around. It wasn’t like Hans Solo’s ship inside the monster’s stomach. Jonah was in a tight spot. For three days.

How did he find himself inside a fish?

Jonah didn’t like God’s plan so he’d gone his own way, but God wasn’t giving up on Jonah. He stirred up a violent storm, a storm so bad that Jonah told the sailors the only way to save themselves was to throw him overboard. The moment they did, God calmed the sea.

I guess Jonah expected to drown, but God had another plan. He brought along a fish big enough to swallow a man.

That’s where Jonah cried out to God. You can read his prayer here.

Part of Jonah’s prayer was this:

“Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.”

I don’t know what idols Jonah was clinging to, but they caused him to go his own way, to reject God’s call. In the process, he put himself in danger and endangered the lives of those around him.

Fortunately, God’s grace is abundant. It even reaches into the stomach of a fish to find a man who’s running from Him.

Whether we actively or ignorantly move in the wrong direction, I wonder if God allows us to get into tight spots. Because He knows that’s when we’ll cry out to Him. Maybe a tight spot is the best place to recognize the worthless idols we’re clinging to–the things we thought would bring us life, but can never deliver on what they promise.

The money, the things it can buy, the job, the person we can’t live without, our looks, the opinions of others, the size of our business or church or ministry–they can all be idols.

Idols, which by the grace of God, can lead us to tight spots.