When God Uses Prayer to Reveal Your Calling

In earlier posts I described how prayer is so much more than us just telling God what we want. Prayer should be a conversation with God, and as such we should give Him time to speak. But when you let God speak, you should be prepared as He might ask you to do something. That’s when prayer becomes a chance for God to reveal a very important aspect of your relationship with Him. That’s when prayer becomes a chance for God to reveal your calling.

In Moses’ case the calling is described in verse 10 where God tells him that he is being sent to Pharoah. Once back in Egypt, Moses’ job was to bring the people of Israel out. In other words, Moses was being sent to serve as God’s answer to the people crying out to God (praying) as He described in verse 9. This was God’s calling upon Moses’ life and it became the legacy by which we know Moses today. All of it started first with the prayer of the people of Israel crying out to God and then with the conversation (the prayer) between Moses and God.

Up to this point Moses has only said one thing, “Here I am.” The rest of the conversation is God revealing His plans. The dictionary definition of prayer does not seem to leave room for this sort of interaction. Does your prayer life leave room? Do you hold two-way conversations with God that allow for your prayers to become a chance for God to reveal your calling?

Which One Do You Follow?

The Bible says one thing. Your heart says something completely different. The people around you give yet another suggestion. Which one do you believe? Two of the suggestions are misguided and one involves believing the truth but at times making the right choice is difficult. That’s when our real beliefs are exposed and we either pass or fail the test of our faith. This is a test that comes with one major question: A question that is both simple and at the same time very difficult. What is this pass or fail question? When confronted with a choice between the words of the Bible, the voice in your own head and the voices of those around us, which one do you follow?

In chapter 27 Matthew describes Jesus’ crucifixion. While He was on the cross, the people around him taunted Him and challenged Him to come down from the cross. In their eyes Jesus was a fraud, someone to be ridiculed for finding Himself in the position He was in. I suspect that in their taunts we see their belief of what should have happened if Jesus were really the Son of God. In their minds, the Son would be able to come down or would be saved from the cross by His Father. This was their view of God and anything other than what they chose to believe had to be fake.

Human wisdom says that God would never let His Son die on a cross and that anyone with the power of Christ would come off the cross. The world around Jesus believed that anyone with the power of the Savior would fight before suffering, hence why one of His disciples initially chose the sword over standing by while Jesus was arrested (Matthew 26:51). In the eyes of those around Jesus, the cross could never be the will of the Father and using Christ’s power to work a miracle escape sounded like a good idea.

Christ heard their taunts, and I wonder if they sounded like a good idea. In a way the suggestions/taunts must have sounded a lot like Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39). While praying, Jesus revealed a desire that He knew conflicted with the will of His Father. He asked if there was a way that this cup, this plan for His death, could pass from Him. Like us, Jesus would have chosen an easier path, even mentioning this to His Father. But He was more interested in doing His Father’s will than He was in giving into temptation.

As I read Matthew 26 and 27, I find myself wondering what it was like to be bombarded with so many ideas that, for a normal human, would have seemed more palatable than the path ahead. How many times have I called out to God asking Him to do something different: asking Him to help me avoid the trial that He wants me to go through. How many times have I (though I hate to admit it) entertained suggestions that if God were loving He would help me avoid the trials or He would keep those around me from suffering. It’s easy to believe that the easy road is the best choice and that I know better than God. It’s also foolish to believe that and Jesus understood this as He obeyed His Father’s will over the other choices (be they serious or choices delivered as a part of taunting).

When confronted with multiple choices on what we should do, there is a right answer: Follow God’s will. Doing so comes because of our faith in God. Any other choice is us saying we know better than God and that is a form of idolatry. So, in difficult times, where do you put your trust? Which path do you follow?

The Worst Restaurant Service Ever

What’s the worst experience that you have had at a restaurant?

I still remember a particularly bad situation which for a long time caused me to avoid an entire restaurant chain. Our local franchise has since closed but even when I travel, that restaurant chain is never going to be my first choice. In fact, I’ve only eaten at that chain one time since this incident happened.

I thought about the incident over the weekend when my wife and I wanted to find a decent slice of cake to finish off a very pleasant evening spent together. We stopped at a local Cheesecake Factory where we had previously received bad service, giving the franchise a second chance. They redeemed themselves with good service and we likely will go back. But while our previous Cheesecake Factory experience was bad, it was nowhere near the worst service we have ever received. That incident happened at a restaurant which shall not be named in this post: a restaurant where the staff and management completely dropped the ball, almost like they did not want my business.

I should name the restaurant, but I’ll be nice. It was a place where we had gone several times before because we knew that the quality would be the same across the country, even if it wasn’t the best food in the area. My wife and I, along with our son (we only had one at the time) walked into the lobby of the restaurant and asked how long we would have to wait. The woman who was greeting customers told us it would be 20-30 minutes, so we gave her my name.

Because it was a bit crowded, we stepped into the hallway of the mall where the restaurant was located, where we stood just outside the door for about 15 minutes. The people who were there before us were just being seated, so we figured that we had to be coming up on the list. After another 15 minutes we asked the greeter if she had an estimate of how much longer we would have to wait. The woman responded by having some sort of breakdown and ran back into the restaurant. We all have bad days and at that point I was more concerned about her well-being than I was about our table.

It took another five minutes for her replacement to come to the door, at which time we again asked if our name was going to be called soon. This new greeter, without any real knowledge of the situation, told us that we missed our name being called and that we should have stayed in the lobby. I’m not sure what she based her answer on since she was not around to see what had happened prior to her coworker running away. And even if we had missed our names while in the mall, her response was not very customer friendly.

At this point I asked to speak with a manager but instead of a manager I found myself talking to yet another greeter who told me that they did not have a table large enough to seat my family. This answer came after they had already called in two groups that were much larger than my own, so I asked how they had tables that could hold six people but not a table that could hold three. Her response was enough to trigger protests from other customers who stepped in to defend me and my family after witnessing how we were being treated. I knew things were bad when bystanders were getting upset about the service that I was receiving and yet this new greeter stood her ground as if defending some cherished land.

I asked for the second time to speak to a manager and an assistant manager came to the lobby. Once again, I explained what happened and asked if there was a number I could call to contact their corporate parent. In response the assistant manager gave yet another excuse, telling me that the restaurant was having trouble because they had no hot water. At this point I was thinking it was time to call the health department as I’m fairly certain they were not supposed to be open without hot water.

Eventually we were given a table and the manager gave us a complimentary meal, which we reluctantly accepted. Something about not knowing how they were washing their hands without hot water made us hesitant to try the food. We ate and didn’t get sick (thank God) and I still tipped the waitress. After all, it wasn’t her fault that we received such bad service, but we never again set foot in that particular franchise.

I understand that people make mistakes and that in all likelihood the first greeter overlooked our names. I’m even willing to accept that the mistake may have been on our end and that we may have missed hearing our name called. However, there were several better ways to handle this situation without the breakdown and without all of the questionable explanations. Because of this, the situation ranks as the worst service I’ve ever received, not just at a restaurant but in any business.

What’s the worst service that you have ever received? Has anyone ever done something that cost them your business?

Faith or Extraction?

Every now and then a TV show reminds me of what Christians deal with as we try to serve our Lord, and this season one show in particular served as a reflection of one of the more difficult aspects of a life of faith. Recently Fox Television introduced a reality series called Extracted in which twelve teams work together to try to win $250,000. The teams were made up of one amateur survivalist who attempted to live in the woods of British Columbia and two family members or friends who lived in a nearby cabin, serving as a support team for the survivalist. The support teams competed to earn equipment and food that was sent to the survivalists, with the possibility that the losing team of each round might wind up sending an empty crate out to their teammates.

The support teams could see and hear the survivalists and had the ability to pull their survivalists out of the game by hitting a big red “Extraction” button but doing so would mean the end of the game for both the survivalists and the support teams. This set up left the support teams with two questions. What were they willing to do to earn the best supplies for their survivalist teammates? As suspected, some of them were willing to lie and manipulate others to improve their odds of winning. Then there was the big question. How much suffering would any support team allow before hitting the button and extracting their teammate from the woods?

There are times in my life where I feel like I am in a reality competition like Extracted, times where I feel like I am a survivalist enduring trial after trial while God watches from a nearby cabin. At times I feel like I am in the middle of nowhere with my very survival at stake and my only hope is that God is doing everything He can to get me what I need. Then there are times when life gets so difficult that I wish God would hit the “extract” button, doing something miraculous to pull me out of whatever I find myself in. I often wish He would help me avoid difficulty, but He often allows life to crash in, while telling me to, “Have faith!”

When I hear those words, I know I have a choice. I can choose to trust in God, knowing that His plan is perfect and it involves me reaching the goal He has set before me. I can choose to have faith, or I can ask to be extracted: pulled out of the situation without trusting that God has everything under control. I know which one I should choose but I don’t always act like it. Which one do you choose? Faith or extraction?

Like Christ, Go and Change Lives

Matthew 8:3 tells us that Jesus touched a leper and completely changed the man’s life. He could have simply given a command and the man would have been healed. Instead, Jesus touched one who was an outcast and I believe this is still how God responds to broken people. He touches them and He invests Himself in each individual person, no matter what situation they are in.

According to the law, a leper was to be declared unclean by the priest who examined him/her (Leviticus 13:3, 8). Jesus, by touching the leper, should also have been declared unclean but instead the leper was healed. Jesus then sends the former leper away to follow the law as prescribed for the day of cleansing healed lepers in Leviticus 14.

By touching the leper Jesus proved that He is not bound by the law in the same way that a mere human would have been. If He were a pagan we could accept this as Him simply being someone who was not born under the covenant between God and Israel, although we would still expect Him to contract leprosy. As Mary’s child, Jesus was Jewish and thus born under the covenant. As such the law should have applied and He should have been unclean immediately after touching the leper. The fact that the leper was immediately healed shows that this is not the case.

Assuming the law to be true, there is only one other explanation. Jesus was something or someone Who by nature was not governed by the same weaknesses that other people experienced. His lineage was also the Holy Spirit, making Him the Son of God. By His very nature He was on the other side of the Old Covenant: The side held, not by a human but by God Himself. The rules on that side of the agreement were different as they called for God to be Lord and to deliver. Jesus was God and Lord and He routinely delivered people. The healing of the leper was the evidence of this delivery and of the fact that Jesus is God.

It was Jesus’ nature as God incarnate that not only kept Him from becoming unclean but also gave Him the power to cleanse that which was by nature unclean. That same nature dwells in all of God’s children in the form of the Holy Spirit of God. By nature, He cleanses us and by nature keeps us clean with His word. Thus, by nature we are to touch broken people like Jesus did, even when we are afraid of being made unclean. We are to let Jesus touch them through us so that instead of us becoming unclean, they are cleansed by the power of the Spirit of God. And we are to know by His power that Jesus is God and LORD of all.

Like Christ, His followers should be ready to touch those who are less fortunate, sharing the Gospel that sets people free. Are you ready to be like Christ? Are you ready to answer the call to change lives?

 

(Note: This is based on an entry I wrote in my journal back in 2019. While researching more recently I came across a webpage on evidenceunseen.com where James Rochford makes a similar argument about Matthew 8:3)

Have You Ever Prayed a Psalm 88 Prayer?

I’m writing this post during Holy Week, one of the most important times of the year for most Christians. Soon we will reflect upon the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, celebrating the fact that He paid our sin debt. Because of His sacrifice, those who believe in Him have peace with God and those who believe in His name have been given the power to become children of God (John 1:12). But do you always feel like one of His children or are there times when you feel distanced from the Father: times when you wonder if He really cares? Are there times when you feel like He may have forgotten you? Are there times when you prayed a Psalm 88 prayer?

No, things are not going well

When I read Psalm 88, I see something that is very different from most of the other Psalms and very different from the advice often given by the church. This Psalm starts of like the others, with the writer crying out to God because things aren’t going very well. But in the other Psalms the writer eventually musters up a bunch of faith and ends by looking forward to the great things God will do. Whatever the need, even if it’s a need for vengeance upon those who have done wrong, the writers of the Psalms seem to always come back to some variation of “I trust in God.” But not Psalm 88.

Psalm 88 begins by asking God to listen, followed by a description of how the writer’s, “…soul is full of troubles.” The writer describes feeling, “Like the slain who lie in the grave,” and like one who God, “…remember(s) no more…” The Psalmist speaks of being in darkness and of how he feels like he is under God’s wrath. He talks about crying out to the Lord but feeling as if the Lord has cast off his soul. Psalm 88 paints a picture of personal suffering and then…? And then the Psalm comes to an end.

There is no, “God’s got this,” nor is there a declaration that the Psalmist will wait upon the Lord. Psalm 88 ends, leaving the reader wondering where the Psalmist’s faith is at this point. Does he make the seemingly quick recovery that we so often see in the Psalms and throughout the entire Bible? He may have but he doesn’t tell us here. Psalm 88 is an honest expression of how this writer felt at the time. Things were not good, and it seems as if he didn’t feel like ending on a high note.

So, what is a Psalm 88 prayer?

A Psalm 88 prayer is an honest prayer. It is a time of pouring out exactly what is on our hearts, even if we are struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a prayer that is covered in tears, driven by a feeling that all is not well and by a feeling that God is not close by. The fact that this type of prayer is in the Bible and inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16) gives permission for us to pray this kind of honest prayer, following the example set by the Psalmist during a time of suffering.

Do you pray these kinds of honest prayers? I know I have all to often tried to clean up my prayers, praying what I thought God (and/or my church brethren) wanted to hear. But doing so is telling God a lie, something I’m no longer comfortable with. I want to be honest with God, just like Psalm 88 is honest. How about you? Is your relationship with God one where you pray a Psalm 88 prayer when needed?

Random Thoughts February 14, 2025

Mental Toughness

Earlier this week I watched the Fox Television Program, “Extracted.” For those who have never seen it, this is a reality game show where twelve amateur survivalists live on their own in the wilderness while family members watch back at their headquarters. The family can hear but cannot talk to the survivalists. If needed the family can hit an “extract” button to pull the survivalist out but that means the family misses out on $250,000.

I like watching competitions and am looking forward to the rest of the first season of Extracted but there were a couple of things that bothered me during the first two episodes. Just like on Survivor and other shows like this there is always someone, often a black person, who does not know how to swim. Blacks in America really should make sure our children learn how to swim, not just for survival competitions but for survival in life. There is also usually someone who is not mentally prepared for the competition. That was the case with the first person extracted on this show. When I see this I often wonder what that person thought they were getting themselves into.

I also find myself wondering if I am mentally tough enough to do something like that. A much younger version of me, to be honest, was not mentally tough enough. I probably would have quit the first time I faced any kind of hardship. I believe (I hope) I am different today. I don’t know for sure because I’ve never really faced that kind of hardship but I hope that I could. I don’t take any credit for this change as it is all work that God has done to help me overcome being lost in my mom’s alcoholism and all that comes with that. I have been changed and I thank God for healing me and setting me free.

Spiritually there is something I have to remember no matter the trial. God will provide what I need. I believe this would even apply if I was on a survival game show and in real life that helps me deal with the day to day. God is my provider

He Holds the Future

President Trump, with the help of Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is doing exactly what he campaigned on: cutting government excess. I agree with the idea but I’m not comfortable with the process, which will have an indirect effect on my current day job. And as coworkers and people in the same industry (scientific research) share their (justified and very valid) fears, I am at peace. I’ve been here before: those situations where the future is cloudy. Each time God came through, opening the right doors and providing for my needs. This time will be no different. God holds the future!

Is It Constitutional?

I’m not sure if all that the president and his administration are doing is constitutional but I’m not the courts. I agree that we need a smaller government but I think the president may have skipped some steps. For example, the proposed cuts at NIH seem as if they were made without really talking with the stakeholders. Ultimately, I trust that things will work out and I don’t believe we will have the constitutional crises that some fear. Will the limits of executive power be tested? That has already happened and will continue but I believe that the system will work as designed.

Fly Eagles Fly

As I type this, the Philadelphia Eagles’ Parade of Champions is moving through the city of Philadelphia on its way to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. My day job did not fully open today as we knew the city would be crazy, so I worked from home. (Hey, my work email is still open and visible on my desktop.) Back when the Phillies won the World Series I made the mistake of going into work on parade day. My trip home took forever as I wound up leaving right as the parade ended. They expect 1 million fans in the city for the Eagles’ celebration. Looking at the crowd on television, I think that estimate might be a bit low.

Having lived in Philadelphia for quite some time I’ve come to understand Philly fans, having suffered a number of deep disappointments with them. But today is about a celebration and I thank the Eagles for bringing the Vince Lombardi Trophy home.

Congrats to the Eagles and to the city of Philadelphia!

By the way, the best Super Bowl Commercial was the Nike “Love, Hurts,” commercial that aired after the final gun.

Coincidence or God’s Plan?

As a Christian I believe that my life is in God’s hands and that He puts me where He wants me, as long as I am willing to obey. Sometimes He puts me in the right place at the right time so that I can receive a blessing. Other times He puts me where I can be a blessing to others. Last week He put me in one of those situations where I am certain that His plan was for me to serve Him when someone else was truly in need.

It all began with the recent cold snap, during which the facilities team at my day job had difficulties dealing with a rebellious heating control system. As MLK Day was drawing to a close, the day job sent out a text asking all nonessential personnel to work from home the next day. This meant rescheduling a meeting, which wasn’t a problem, except that one of the other person wanted to meet face to face and could only fit me in on Wednesday. I normally work from home on Wednesdays but in this case I was outranked. So I took the Wednesday time slot, making sure I had my winter coat ready.

It was still really cold Wednesday morning, which forced me to change my routine. Usually when I go into the office I take the train down the William H. Gray III -30th Street Station in Philadelphia and then I take a thirteen minute walk down to the building where my office is located. But I’m not a fan of the cold, especially when the weather people are calling it a dangerous cold. So that day, instead of walking I took an underground train that runs through the middle of downtown.

When I stepped into the train car I noticed what looked like a homeless person in a wheelchair. In Philly this is not an odd sight, so I simply continued to mind my own business. As we approached my stop, the person in the wheelchair moved over in front of the door that I had planned to use to get off of the train. My first thought was to move to another door but something told me that I should stay where I was.

When the door opened, the man in the wheelchair moved forward and I followed, giving him the space he needed to get off of the train. Unfortunately the front wheels of his chair got stuck in the gap between the train and the platform and as he tried to move, one of the wheels turned so that it was going in the same direction as the gap. I quickly realized that the wheel was going to drop down into the gap which would have caused his chair to pitch forward, so I reached out and caught the frame of the chair, holding it and its passenger up while pushing the man off of the train. He was thankful for my help and I was glad that I had not moved to another door.

Before that moment I saw the cold and the rescheduled meeting as simply a part of the normal course of life. After I sat down in my office, it occurred to me that I was in the right place at the right time in order to prevent what might have been a serious accident. That is when I realized that everything that happened that morning, as well as the day before, was orchestrated to make sure I was there to help that man. Yes, it could just be a coincidence but I’ve had so many of these kinds of coincidences that I am convinced that this was God’s plan.

My prayer is that I will be more aware of what God is doing in my life. I pray the same for you in your life as our Creator works to reveal His love and compassion to you and to those around you.

What’s Better Than A Mountain Top Experience?

In both Exodus 24:9-18 and 34, God invites Moses to come up on Mt. Sinai to meet with Him which must have been one of the most awesome experiences anyone could have. I used to get really jealous when I read these passages. I mean, this would be a dream come true to hear the voice of God and to be able to stand in His cloud as He reveals His glory. Such an experience would truly be life altering as it was for Moses and it would be one of the greatest opportunities on earth. Imagine getting the chance to have a one on one with the Creator of the universe. I used to cry out for a mountain top experience like this one…that is until God showed me what I have every day and right at this moment.

Jesus ended the Great Commission with:

“...and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:20 (NKJV)

Hebrews 13:5 says:

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

If you are a Christian then God is with you! In fact, He lives in us through His Spirit:

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV)

God is with us and He lives in us. This is the blessing that comes with receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior. And because He is with me, mountain top experiences come more often than I could have ever imagined.

The Battle Between My Ears

The end of 2024 is fast approaching which means it is time to update my ten year plan. This also means setting goals for 2025: goals that will help me take a step or two forward along my chosen path. I don’t really make New Year’s resolutions, although I guess in a way some of my goals fit the bill. But whether I call them goals or resolutions, I face the same problem that I hear others talking about year after year as we all take on new challenges without giving in by Quitters Day, something I only recently learned was a thing. (In 2025 it occurs on January 10th.)

Setting goals is a relatively new thing for me. I think I made my first serious attempt at creating a ten year plan at the end of 2017. It sounds funny to admit that I never set any real goals for the first fifty years of my life but before then I simply did what others said was best for me. I suspect this was a direct result of growing up as a codependent, where my mom’s alcoholism too often derailed my attempts at achieving something in life. Codependency meant giving up trying to succeed back when I was a teen, becoming convinced that setting goals would only remind me that I was a failure. (I didn’t understand it back then but a lot of that came from the toxic language that was the norm in my home, especially on the days that the bottle was in control.) By letting others direct my path, I could blame them when I failed even though that really did not help me feel any better about the results.

By 2017 I was ready to set real goals but I was not ready to achieve those goals. All too often I lost the battle between my ears. This battle came in the form of an internal voice which generally focused on my fears and my own perceived limitations. As a Christian, I often encouraged others to believe that God would bless them and that they could do all things through Christ who strengthens them (Philippians 4:13). At the same time I often talked myself out of living with that kind of faith, allowing that voice to have too much control even as I recognized that it was an echo of my life before I became a Christian. As a result I fell short when it came to achieving my goals and in moving forward in life according to the will of God.

This internal, codependent, and negative voice talked me out of doing the things that I said I wanted to do, while talking me into wasting time with things that often derailed my progress. Fortunately I’ve learned to argue with this voice, talking myself into doing the things that I know will help me achieve my goals. I’ve found that for me the, “...all things in Christ…,” begins with being able to win the battle between my own ears. God has freed me from bondage to that voice and He has also empowered me to move forward where I once held myself back. Now I am free of the excuses and of blaming others and I am ready to follow God’s perfect will for my life.

With this change in my own thinking I am prepared to update my ten year plan and to set my goals for 2025. Up until now my track record has not been great but as I win my own internal battle I expect that the results in 2025 will be something to brag about by this time next year.

Diabetes: A Journey, Not A Battle

It’s been a while since I posted anything about having diabetes. As you can tell from the title of this post, I’ve changed my point of view. No longer do I see myself in a battle against something. Instead I see myself as on a journey and Diabetes is a traveling companion sent to teach me a few things along the way. No, that does not mean I’ve walked away from my goal which is to start seeing health numbers that look, “normal.” But now I’ve taken advice from another Christian who taught about how a much more serious illness was in fact working to disciple him in his walk as a Christian.

Before I mention where I am on my journey I want to mention that the American Diabetes Association released its, “Standards of Care in Diabetes - 2025,” which includes, “Consideration of continuous glucose monitor (CGM) use for adults with type 2 diabetes on glucose-lowering agents other than insulin.” This reminded me of my post, “Continuous Glucose Monitors Are Game Changers,” where I wrote about how, “...living with diabetes and not having a CGM was living with one hand tied behind my back.” I believe a CGM should become a part of the standard of care for most, if not all diabetics, so it was good to see the American Diabetes Association recommend this in their standards.

With the help of my CGM my last blood test was very good. My fasting glucose reading was a 98 with an A1c of 6.5. That’s still in the diabetic range but only by 0.1. My goal for my next check is to get my A1c below 6.3 which would be the equivalent of being in a prediabetic stage. In the meantime, my companion on this journey has helped teach me that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). I’ve also learned the importance of getting enough protein in my diet and how small changes in my daily habits can pay off with huge rewards.

I’m looking forward to 2025 and to a blood test where every measure is in the green. As I approach that goal, my journey and my learning continue with thanksgiving to God.

Fear of Facing Our Own Shortcomings

I keep a journal where I have become comfortable with being brutally honest with myself. I am also in the habit of going back and reading old entries in this journal which means my younger self gets the chance to be brutally honest with me right now. This happened recently when I came across one of my journal entries in which I wrote about my own pride and my own insecurities. What stood out as I read my own writings was how easy it was to turn the focus on the actions of others. I even wrote a blog post in which I talked about how Christians should deal with someone else’s pride. And while I believe what I wrote on that post to be true, it left out something very important. Sometimes we’re the one with the pride problem or with some other character flaw. And while it is true that our brothers and sisters in Christ should prayerfully and patiently guide us, at some point, when confronted with our own shortcomings, we have to choose to surrender ourselves to the Lord and to allow Him to work in us to get rid of the problem.

My original post was called “Pride or Termites: How Christians Respond to the Problem” in which I described how pride often is a mask covering the real problem of insecurity. I described how we can deal with this real problem in the lives of others instead of knocking them down for the pride that is only a symptom of something bigger. But even if we are prayerfully in full alignment with God, the simple fact is that you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. Likewise, a brother/sister in Christ can help you see you have a problem but they can’t make YOU do anything about it.

Back when I wrote the termite post I was ready to admit my own pride but I was not ready to do anything about it. It was much easier to turn the focus towards someone else in the form of, “this is what THEY should do,” with the “THEY” being the rest of the church. I should have been asking myself and writing about what I should do. I write this now because I believe this should be a routine aspect of the Chrisitian walk and I am being brutally honest with myself again. Instead of looking at others, Chistians (with an emphasis on me this time) should be talking about what we should do. What should I do when God reveals an area of pride in my own heart? It all starts with yielding to God and being the person He has created me to be.

Why Worry? God Will Provide!

I once had a front row seat for a demonstration of what worry will do to a person over time as a close family member spent decades worrying about having enough money. They never directly said so but it was clear in the way they lived and in the things that they said that they were driven out of a fear of running out. Making matters worse, their fear was mixed with pride as they continued with their own self effort even in the face of evidence that what they were doing was not getting them what they wanted. In the end they died alone and unhappy, being overcome by the results of an addiction that masked the stress of feeling like the bottom might fall out at any moment.

I watched as this person, who claimed to be a good Christian, struggled against the ebb and flow that is a normal part of life. With their Bible nearby, theirs was a life of fear instead of an example of great faith. Even as they bragged about how they knew the Good Book better than I did, they somehow never came to trust in a very important promise:

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:19 (NKJV)

I wish this was the only person that I knew who claimed to know the Bible well but who never fully accepted Philippians 4:19. In fact, I’ve known dozens of Christians whose lives were more of a demonstration of fear and/or pride as opposed to an example of faith. And yes, as I point my finger at others there are fingers pointing back at me. I was once one who professed faith in Christ but, driven by fear, relied on my own ability to try to earn a living. Just like the others I found that with all my hard work either I never had enough to make ends meet or, when I did, I was too stressed to enjoy what I had.

It took a very odd dream where I was faced with a costly repair for God to get my attention. As I woke from the dream I could somehow tell that God was asking me how I should handle the situation. I knew the answer He expected and responded accordingly, telling God that I would pray. He responded by asking, “Why don’t you?” Since then I have done just that when a need arises and each time God answers with what I need. I’m not yet perfect at doing this and I still sometimes forget to ask. But eventually, when I repent of my own efforts and ask God to provide, I find that His timing is always perfect. He always comes through.

As Christians we all know that God will provide for our needs yet do we…do you…live like He will provide? If you are not a Christian you are missing out on the peace that comes with knowing that you are loved and that God will take care of you because He loves you. So let me ask you something. Do you choose to trust God to provide? It’s not always easy to do but it is a great place to be.

What Motivates You on Your Christian Walk?

It’s a complaint that I hear all too often, where someone talks about how they struggle to find reasons to do “Christian things.” I heard it again recently while listening to a podcast where the person being interviewed spoke about how they used to live as if they were going down a checklist of what a good Christian should do. Usually this kind of conversation ends in one of two ways. Either the person completely leaves the faith or they continue to call themselves a believer but one who has discovered some “new” free way to live out their faith. Often this new way leaves the door open for doing things the way they want without checking to see if it is okay with God. Whenever I hear about these checklist Christians it reminds me of my past, back when the motivation for my Christian walk was more dogmatic than it was a loving relationship. That “checklist” part of my life was dry, empty and, to be honest, no different than the codependency I lived in as a teen.

Yes, I was once one of those kinds of people, living as a “perfect” example of a Christian. I read the Bible twice per day, protecting my devotional times with a passion that must have impressed even the biggest zealot. I was determined to get it right, making sure I worked my way through my checklist each and every day. And each and every day I would battle with that voice that said, “Is this all there is?” In those moments when I was honest with myself I knew that I didn’t feel any different than before I was a Christian, which was okay because I had been taught that it was about faith, not feelings. And by the end of each day I would find myself feeling just as sad and just as lost as ever, questioning whether or not this Christian thing really worked.

I believe that I was a saved Christian back in those days, having accepted Christ by faith, but I was not living in the abundance promised by Jesus. The Christian life is not a life of doing what one is supposed to do, which is where many of us begin and continue. As we grow and mature, our actions should more and more come from a response to God’s presence and from a growing love for our Savior. Our day to day activities result from being free to choose what is right and not from the bondage of religious dos and don’ts. From an activity stand point it might not look any different from someone who is checking things off of their Christian list but on the inside it is significantly different. How different is it? It is the difference between feeling like there is a dry river bed inside and the feeling of having a fountain of water springing up inside (John 4:14).

Yes, Jesus came to show and teach us how we should live and we should obey His words. But what motivates you on your Christian walk? Does your motivation allow you to experience the fullness available to everyone, not by works, but by faith in Christ Jesus?

See also:

Serving Without Knowing God 

What Drives Your Christian Testimony?

A Religious Exercise or An Act of Love? 

Can They See the City on the Hill?

It was really kind of strange looking, sitting there in the midst of the other train cars. I noticed it as we passed through the railyard early one morning. It was dark outside and all of the other train cars had their lights on both inside and out. But then there was this one, sitting there waiting to go in for repairs. I’m not sure what was wrong with it but it was the only one with all of its lights turned off. The passenger lights on the inside? They were turned off. The lights on the outside that let other trains see it? They were turned off too. Even the signs that normally light up to tell waiting passengers where this train was going were turned off. It was just there among its siblings, completely dark and it really looked very strange.

If that one train car looked so strange sitting among the others with its lights off, how odd would a city look if it were completely dark when it was supposed to be all lit up? Imagine, we would likely be able to see that something was there: perhaps a building or two or three. But without light would that city be the least bit inviting? Would it hint at the existence of life or just leave us wondering what happened? I suspect it would look very strange, not unlike that train car sitting there dead in the rail yard. It definitely wouldn’t resemble anything that Jesus talked about.

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Matthew 5:14

This is how Jesus describes His followers. We are the light of the world: a brightly lit city on a hill where all can see. That light, shining brightly through those who love the Lord, is the light of God Himself. Its impact is a result of His presence, changing the believer from the inside and then drawing others who are in turn changed by His love. We should stand out but not because of our own efforts. In fact, I fear that many who call themselves “Christians” simply look weird because they are like that dark train car, not relying on the true light of Christ. They should be the city on a hill but instead they are hidden behind a blanket of self-effort and erroneous teaching.

I confess that there have been many times in my Christian walk where I think the lights were all turned out…by me. I’d much rather be that city that cannot be hidden and to do so I know I must be fully surrendered and reliant upon my Lord Jesus Christ. How about you? Can those around you see the city on the hill?

God, Diabetes and Repentance

Receiving a diagnosis of a chronic illness is not an easy pill to swallow and I admit my heart sank a little when I was first diagnosed with diabetes. It’s been almost three years since I received that diagnosis: three years of learning and growing (growing emotionally while losing weight so in a way, shrinking). I’ve still got a lot to learn but the greatest lesson isn’t about my physical health, at least not directly. The greatest lesson I’ve learned since dealing with diabetes is the lesson of repentance.

You see, one of the main contributors to my diabetes was my diet where I lacked discipline. (See also All Things Work for the Good: Even Diabetes) I can trace my diabetes directly to Mega Stuffed Oreos which may have been my personal addiction. According to Nabisco, the serving size for Mega Stuffed Oreos is TWO cookies which brings with it about 180 calories and 17g of added sugars (Based on information from oreo.com). Well…I was eating 5-6 servings in one sitting, easily exceeding the recommended daily amount of sugar and packing in around 1000 empty calories before eating three square meals. Clearly I can only blame myself for my chronic condition and for that gut that kept arriving before I did.

When the doctor called with the bad news, I instantly made a big boast about how I would never again touch a cookie. If eating cookies is a threat to my health, I figured I didn’t want any part of those irresistible little… Well, anyway, as you can imagine saying I wouldn't eat cookies was one thing. Actually following through is another. Plus even after kicking my cookie habit I still found that my glucose levels weren’t always what I wanted. It’s far too easy to replace one bad eating habit with another. Add to that serving sizes that were way out of proportion and, after significant initial success in lowering my A1c, I found myself landing on a plateau.

Daily I have prayed for healing, thanking God for lowering my A1c and helping me keep it at a more acceptable level. But I want an A1c that looks like someone who doesn’t even have diabetes and that is what I am praying for. In response, I believe God is reminding me that I have a part to play. I need to repent of my really bad eating habits: all of them and not just my cookie habit. I believe He will heal me but He is also asking me to change my behavior.

Through my diet and my diagnoses God is teaching me the importance of repentance. Salvation is a free gift, given to all believers by faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus paid for our sins with His death on the cross. Through His shed blood we have access to the father and have been given the power to become children of God. There’s nothing we can do to earn salvation nor is there anything we can do to pay God back for our free gift. But the free gift (and the love of our Father) should move us to change how we live. In the presence of our God we should be moved to repentance, giving up our old way of life in exchange for a life of righteousness as we follow our Lord.

I’m changing my diet because I want to live in the healing that God has given me. With the help of His Spirit Who lives in me, I will also change many other areas of my life so that I can live in my new identity as a child of the living God. As a Christian are you being true to your identity?

Should Apologies be Made in Public?

It has been over a decade since it happened and I long ago forgave the people involved, including the person who instigated the entire episode. I was wronged and my reputation was tarnished. I was left wounded emotionally and at times even doubting myself, wondering if I was really the monster that others said I was. But what hurt most of all was the doubt expressed by members of my family who were also close to those who did me wrong. Nothing hurts worse than having loved ones question you about something you did not do. As I said, I had long ago forgiven everyone involved and had not planned to bring the situation up ever again. Yet, after over a decade I was confronted by this situation once again when one of the people involved offered an apology.

Of course I accepted that apology, grateful that it meant that much to this person. I suppose that should have been the end of it, except that I found myself thinking about all of the people who either thought I was wrong or who didn’t know what to think. A few of them have passed away, doing so never having learned the truth. Those who are still alive today most likely don’t even think about what happened but if asked would tell a side of the story which they were told by others. After ignoring the temptation to get angry about it, I found myself longing for a public apology which I likely will never get.

So here is a question for you. Are there times when apologies should be made in public? This has nothing to do with whether or not we forgive others. We are called to do that even without an apology. But in response to a very public wrong, should the apology be just as public? To be honest I don’t need a public apology (which I suppose answers my question) and I know that God knows exactly what happened, which is the most important fact. But that question will probably always live in the back of my mind and I hope that if I wrong someone publicly, I will remember this feeling and let it drive me to apologize in public.

Why Do We Need Black History Month?

It wound up being my favorite class in college: a history course that I took just to get a few easy credits. The teacher stepped into the class on the first day and said something that forever changed my perspective on the study of history. He started by saying that he did not expect us to memorize a bunch of dates leading to a collective sigh of relief that was audible throughout the classroom. He then explained that he wanted us to be able to answer one simple question about everything we would learn that semester. How does each event affect our lives today? From that point on I’ve asked this question whenever I studied our history.

As I sit here in my home in Pennsylvania I’m overwhelmed by the number of people and events that have shaped the world and that set the stage for how the culture in which I am immersed functions today. And yet, as I look back on all of my years in grade school I realize there were so many names and events that were missed for one reason or another during all of those history classes. And the biggest omission of them all were the many contributions made by black men and women: contributions that our approved history books almost completely overlooked.

Why do we need Black History Month? I honestly wish that we didn’t need it. I wish that the text books did a better job of telling the story of how blacks and other minorities did important things so that we all can ask how their actions affect us today. But alas, with a few exceptions, those contributions are left out, leaving us with the need for a month designed to remind us not to leave people out.

Who Speaks into Your Life?

 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Romans 8:15

Unless you live in a monastery there are probably people around you who try to speak into your life, passing on their point of view about you and about the situations in which you find yourself. Sometimes their comments are helpful. Sometimes they're no better than background noise. Most of the time those comments are well intentioned but that doesn’t always guarantee that they are what’s best. So how do you know when to listen and when to politely say thankyou and then move on? One surefire way to know is to prayerfully see if the words spoken to you line up with what God says in the Bible.

A few years ago I had a coworker share their fears about the future of my job. At the time our company was facing a number of challenges and our leaders were exploring a number of avenues, trying to find the best path. It was in this climate that my coworker spoke of how they felt my job was on the line and gave me advice on how to handle the situation. It was clear that this person meant well and was concerned about my future. At the time what they said made a lot of sense.

Taking things at face value, the advice was sound and I was a day away from doing exactly as the person suggested. What stopped me? Actually I should say: Who stopped me? God stopped me, as that night He spoke to me during my prayer time. It wasn’t an audible voice and yet it came across loud and clear, revealing the fear behind the advice. By the end of that prayer time I understood that God had a plan for me and would provide for my family whether or not I got laid off. The next day I took what God revealed to be my next step, moving forward in the confidence that God would not drop the ball.

Today, I am still employed at the same company, which is doing better than it was a few years ago. Not only that but I just received a promotion. Yes, the person was right about my job disappearing but neither of us could see the blessing that I am receiving in moving from one position to another. This is God’s plan and He knew along what would happen even though I could not see. Where my coworker understandably spoke out of fear (and out of concern) the Spirit within me spoke out of adoption and out of all knowing wisdom. I thank God for His plan and for speaking to me that night when I needed His advice.

While I am grateful that my coworker cared enough to give advice, that advice did not line up with God’s plan because this person was not seeing things through God’s eyes. Do the people around you give you advice that comes from a Biblical point of view or from what seems right to a human (Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25). Who do you allow to speak into your life? Whose advice are you willing to follow? Is their advice godly or will they lead you onto the wrong path?

There’s Nothing I Can Do About It

It was a show of blatant disrespect, the kind that people later try to justify because they know they are wrong. There I was trying to make what I thought was an important point but someone else kept talking over me. They felt that the point I was making didn’t apply at the time, even though later on someone else asked the very question I was trying to answer. Somehow the answer was important when the other person asked the question but wasn’t important when I, knowing the information was needed, tried to anticipate what would be asked. Later on the person tried to explain why they interrupted me, as if the explanation somehow made it less disrespectful.

Fortunately, God has done quite a bit of work on my heart. Having been brought up under the cloud of codependency, my old self would have reacted poorly. I would have started yelling or done something else that would have made me look like a fool. If I didn’t yell, I would have made some sort of passive aggressive comment when the question I was trying to answer was asked later on. Somehow I would have found a way to mess things up so that in the end all anyone would have talked about was my own immaturity instead of that of the person who was really at fault.

In the past if I somehow managed to hold my tongue I would have felt compelled to try to change how that person thinks about me: I would have tried to earn their respect. If I had lost it, I would have gone to grovel at the person’s feet, taking full responsibility for my wrong and for theirs. Why? Well that is a symptom of codependency. It’s a drive to get people to like and respect me while fixing problems that I didn’t create in the first place. Along with that, codependency tells me that I am usually wrong and the other person is right, even when they treat me (and others) poorly.

What I’ve learned over the years is that there are some people whose hearts are not in the right place. They have an agenda to push and they are going to do so no matter who gets embarrassed or even hurt. I can’t make people like that respect or even like me. I cannot do anything to make them treat me any differently. In fact, there is nothing I can do about it. But that does not let me off the hook. While I am not responsible for the actions of other people, I am responsible for how I respond. I am responsible for making sure that my heart is right and that, in the end, I can walk away knowing that I responded as God wants.