Discipleship

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. . . And Then Some

If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.   And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.  If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.  Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Matthew 5:39b – 42 (NIV)

Several years ago I was introduced to the phrase, ” . . . and then some.”  It was brought up in the context of customer service and described a policy of doing what was expected and then some!  While the wording was new, the concept was not.  It was the way I was raised and taught by my parents as we did business at the local farmer’s market.  When someone would buy a pound of produce, we would weigh out the pound to make sure the customer was getting what they paid for  and then we would add a little extra to the bag . . . and then some.  For me, it had become a way of life so when I heard this phrase it resonated deep within my spirit.

This way of doing things is much older than me . . . even much older than my parents.  It is the way Jesus taught that His followers should live in relationship with one another and with the world!  As a Christ-follower, you ought to do what is expected, and then some!  To go above and beyond what is expected is a very rare character trait these days both in personal lives and in ministry organizations.  If you look at the teachings of Jesus you will see that it was too common or popular in His day either.  As I look at my life and situations I have been in, I think there are a number of reasons why this “. . . and then some” lifestyle has a tendency to drift out of use.

One of those reasons is that it is unnatural.  Left to our own desires, we are more likely to look out for our own needs first rather than consider what would benefit others.  It takes work, discipline, and the power of God’s Spirit to go beyond what is expected or required.  If we are not deliberate about serving others and going the extra mile, we typically slide into the path of least resistance and only do what we have to do.  

We also severely underestimate the opposition.  On the surface, it doesn’t look like that big of a deal — a little extra here, a little extra there.  What difference does it really make.  It is not really that big of a deal.  I can do this with my eyes closed.  While many times the “. . . and then some” that I am talking about is indeed small and seemingly easy, never underestimate the power that is in it.  Because giving beyond expectations is a Christ-like quality, the enemy attacks with great speed and force to get us to stop.  

Pride often stands in the way of our living an “. . . and then some” lifestyle.  We have a hard time humbling ourselves to serve others.  Pride says that I am most important and I should only do that which lifts me up.  We read the words of Jesus from Matthew 5 and pride begins making excuses as to why that doesn’t apply to me.  Pride says that every good thing in my life is because of me and if I worked hard for all that I am and all that I have, then so can everyone else.  Pride fails to remember that “every good and perfect gift comes from above” and that God’s purpose in giving us various gifts is so we will use each one for the benefit of others — His body.

Related to pride is the sin of greed.  We go to great lengths to disguise this but, if we look under the masks, greed is often found holding on to what we have while demanding that others give us more.  When greed and selfishness control our life, the “. . . and then some” lifestyle completely disappears.  Instead of going above and beyond, we find ways to do even less.  When greed takes over there is not only no “. . . and then some”, but even those things that have always been included are now extra.  Our eyes and mind shift from “How can I serve the people who God has brought to me?” to “How can they serve and support me?”.  This is a very dangerous place to find ourselves in because we end up losing so much more than the minor things that we have tried to hold on to.  Jesus asked the question, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world yet forfeit his soul?”  The combination of greed and pride sets us against God and God against us — “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

It is my prayer that I continue to learn and practice this lifestyle of “. . . and then some”.  I pray that each person reading this will spend time with God examining how you are doing in serving others and building them up according to their needs.  I pray that the world has a clearer picture of Jesus as we serve them in His name — doing what is needed and then some!

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The Least of These

Get ready to hang on to your hat and open up your wallet, this could be a bumpy ride. 🙂  The Christmas season in America tends to make many people more willing to open up their wallet now than at any other time of the year.  As they do so, it seems everyone would like to find a way to take something out for themselves. 

There simply aren’t enough hours in the day for Black Friday to have the financial impact that some businesses want, so many now begin with what I would call “Gray Thursday” in an attempt to get a jump-start on their efforts to take something out of your wallet.  Not to be left out, small business has laid claim to Small Business Saturday as they seek to keep at least a portion of your Christmas spending local.  I don’t know of any special spending emphasis for Sunday — maybe it is a day of rest for your wallet.  Anyhow, if you have anything left in your wallet — or at least some available credit on your cards — Cyber Monday comes marching in with on-line deals “too good to pass up”.  See, I told you this could be a bumpy ride. 🙂

So, are your credit cards maxed out and your wallet empty yet?  They better not be, because there is another group lined up wanting their piece of whatever financial bounty you may have.  Giving Tuesday is a recent addition to the post-Thanksgiving line-up — this being only its second year of existence as “a movement” but only the first year that I have heard of it.  My first reaction in hearing of this was one of excitement.  I thought someone with a national voice was calling people to live out the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 25, “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'”  I expected it to be a call for each of us to reach out to “the least of these” that surround us in our community and in our daily life.  I was wrong.  The stated goal of the official “Giving Tuesday” movement isn’t really any different from the goal of any of the other post-Thanksgiving “special” days — it just focuses on non-profit organizations rather than the for-profit ones.

I work for a non-profit organization and lead a non-profit prayer ministry so don’t get me wrong, I understand the need for funding and know many such organizations rely heavily on year-end gifts.  I guess I was just hoping for more from a national movement focused on giving.  More than the standard “Give . . . to me”.  I was hoping for a call that left the “to me” out of the request and replaced it with the simple phrase, “to the least of these”. 

I don’t know exactly who “the least of these” are in your life, but I do have an idea of what some of them look like.  Jesus describes them as the hungry, the thirsty, the lonely, the impoverished, the sick, and the prisoners — it is these, and others like them, that Jesus says when we give to them we’ve given to Him.  I pray that as you give of the time, abilities, and resources that God has given you, you would not overlook “the least of these” even as you continue to support the ministries that God has connected you with for the sake of His kingdom and His righteousness.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’  Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’  The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'” 
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,  I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’  They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’  He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’  Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

As Each Part Does Its Work

What is your part in the kingdom of God?  What is your part in the local body of Christ He has placed you in?  What are the “good works He created in advance” for you to do?

This is by no means an all-inclusive or detailed list, rather it is a starting point for you to spend time with God asking the question, “Lord, what do you want me to do?”.  If you need help in determining how to best implement God’s answer to that question, talk with one of the elders or ministry staff leaders in your local church.Each Part

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Let’s Pray!

“But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.  When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him.”
 Deuteronomy 4:29-30 (NIV)

 What if our nation was serious about seeking God?  What if our community was serious about seeking God?  What if the church was serious about seeking God?  What if you were serious about seeking God?  What if I was serious about seeking God?

It seems to be okay at every level to seek God, or at least talk about seeking God, during times of great tragedy.  We see and hear calls for prayer from the highest positions in the land to the lowest when planes fly into buildings, when school shootings take place, when bombings cause great fear, when tragedy strikes and we have no answers.  Yes, these are times we need to pray, but I wonder what would happen in our nation, in our community, in our church, and in our life if prayer had the same priority everyday as it seems to have on days of great calamity.

Here in the U.S., today is the National Day of Prayer.  I appreciate all the work that goes into planning and promoting a National Day of Prayer.  It is great to hear and read of so many times of prayer being planned, promoted, and conducted.  We need the reminder to pray for our nation and for one another.  But what about tomorrow?  . . . and next week?  . . . and next month?  . . . and every day between now and the next National Day of Prayer?  Will you still be praying?  Will you still be seeking God with as much seriousness and fervor as you do today?  Will you still be praying for our nation and for one another?  A spiritual revival begins with a revival of prayer.  A revival of prayer begins with one person on one day, but it cannot remain with one person on one day or it will never become a real revival!

I pray that you and I would truly live a lifestyle of prayer and seek to be known by God, to know God, and to make God known — today and every day that God gives us breath!

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Lessons From A Thanksgiving Day Gathering

I had planned on preaching a compilation sermon this morning of all six components of my current Sunday evening “Giving THANKS” sermon series.  God had other plans as He gave me a different “Giving THANKS” sermon to share at the North Wayne Mennonite Church this morning.  It was a sermon that I know God has been teaching and preparing me to share, but definitely a different direction and outline than I had planned.  Oh, and I realized this new direction for the sermon on the drive to church this morning. 🙂

Anyhow, this version of “Giving THANKS” is based around a “made-for-the-movies” stereotypical family thanksgiving day.  Here are six things I think we can learn about giving thanks from a traditional Thanksgiving Day gathering.

We start by giving Turkey!  I know, you probably have the same reaction that the congregation did this morning — “What?  Did he say what I thought I heard?  He didn’t just say turkey, did he?”.  Yep, I said turkey!  When you think of Thanksgiving, for most people, the first thing that comes to mind is turkey.  It is the traditional main course, the very center and substance to the meal which surrounds it.  When I say, “give turkey”, that is what I mean — give thanks with substance and meat at its very heart.  Don’t settle for simply mouthing the words thank you when you can give thanks with turkey — with real depth and meaning behind it.  This is a thanks that settles in and satisfies the deepest reaches of a person’s being.

Another key element to a Thanksgiving Day gathering is giving Humor!  Without a good sense of humor, Thanksgiving and other family gatherings can fall apart quite quickly.  We give thanks when we don’t take ourself too seriously.  God says that a cheerful, or merry, heart is good medicine!  I believe that there are boundaries that need to be kept when it comes to humor but laughter is not only good for the spirit, it is good for the body.  This is not only true of an individual but it applies to a family, or a church family, as well.  Don’t take every situation more seriously than it ought to be taken.  True joy can shine through brightly when you give thanks with humor.

Does anything symbolize the American Thanksgiving Day gathering any more than a table overflowing with every variety of food imaginable — a table of Abundance?  Jesus said He came to not only give us life, but to give us life abundantly!  Do you give thanks with abundance, or just enough to get by?  When we want to celebrate or to remember great things, we would likely never ask how little can I do and still look good.  No, we would examine our resources of every kind to determine how abundantly can I celebrate to make my joy known to all.  When we want to express deep-felt thankfulness it ought to be the same way — not what do I have to do but how much can I do.  Your generosity overflows when you give thanks with abundance.

Ahhh . . . turkey, plenty of good humor, an abundance of food . . . I’m tired.  What good Thanksgiving Day gathering would be complete without a Nap?  We give thanks when we give Naps!  When we allow a person to relax and rest we communicate that we value both them and their time.  If every interaction with a person has you walking away knowing that they expect something from you it is not likely that you will feel a true appreciation regardless of any words of thanks.  Resting is a God-given concept and gift that we typically don’t use enough ourself and seldom think to give to others.  The sabbath concept, a day of rest, is connected by God to the fact that on the seventh day He rested from His work of creation.  We, and those around us, are more tolerable when we give thanks with naps.

What family gathering is complete without that cousin that’s . . . well, he’s just different.  Regardless of his different looks, different political views, different lifestyle, different pie preference, or different whatever, he is part of the family so we give Kindness.  Extending kindness doesn’t mean that we agree or approve of everything about him — we may pray and work desperately to influence positive change in his life.  It does mean, however, that we acknowledge his value as a person and do our best to include him in the family celebration of the Thanksgiving Day gathering.  We all sin and find ourself in need of God’s greatest kindness — the undeserved gift of forgiveness and salvation through the blood of His Son, Jesus!  It is this example that we must follow when we give thanks with kindness.

Finally, the part that no one really needs but no Thanksgiving Day gathering is complete without — Sweets!  Take away the pie, the ice cream, the cookies, the fudge, the chocolate, the candies, and the other desserts and what do you have?  You have one very unhappy and disappointed family!  Sweets are those over-and-above extras in life that shout “thank you” in ways that little else can.  When we really want to give thanks, we adopt an “and then some” attitude.  We do what is expected and required . . . and then some.  We walk the extra mile.  We take the extra time.  We give the extra attention.  With our actions we say loudly, “you’re worth it!”.  Just as dessert completes the Thanksgiving Day gathering, our expressions of gratitude are completed when we give thanks with sweets.

So, how are you at giving THANKS?  I pray that as you gather with others this Thanksgiving day, you would give “Turkey”, give Humor, give Abundance, give Naps, give Kindness, and give Sweets!

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Just PRAY?

I was privileged to preach this morning at the Deer Run Church of Christ as part of the launching of the “A November To Remember” church-wide prayer initiative!  The challenge point of the message came from the conclusion of Paul’s teaching to the Ephesians about the complete armor of God.  Because of the spiritual battle that we are engaged in that fights for our very soul, Paul concludes the teaching of the necessity of the armor of God with this command, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”  (Ephesians 6:18 NIV)

How are you doing in the “keep on praying for all the saints” department?  Do you take seriously this command to pray for one another?  How important is it to you and to those you should be praying for?  When life hits us at 60 miles per hour and we’re not real sure which direction is up and because we often view prayer as a very passive activity, we fail to be encouraged by the statement, “Just Pray!”.  Instead, because of our doubts and uncertainty, many view it through the lens of skeptical questioning, “Just Pray?”.  We’re not always sure it does that much good and instead of taking our cue from the disciples who ask Jesus to teach them how to pray, we simply give up.

So, how do we go from “Just Pray?” to “Just PRAY!”?  I believe the answer lies in living and practicing a better understanding of prayer.  We begin that move when we include a foundational element of “Just Pursue!”  Our wholehearted pursuit of God is critical to our finding Him.  God tells Solomon that when He brings judgment or discipline upon the people and they suffer uncertainty and hardship that it is then that if His people “will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways” that He will hear their cries.  Throughout scripture it has always been that way.  Prior to the giving of the ten commandments to the Israelites, God tells them that there will come a time they will be scattered and that from wherever they are if they will seek Him they will find Him when they seek Him with all their heart and with all their soul.  As you “Just PRAY!”, just pursue God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength!

A huge stumbling block to adopting a “Just PRAY!” mindset is this next element of “Just Repent!”.  A wholehearted pursuit of God will most likely reveal sin that God calls us to just repent of.  Many times it is “out of sight, out of mind” and hinders our prayers unbeknownst to us.  More often though, it is not so deeply hidden and we hold back in our prayer life thinking we can avoid God pointing it out and calling us to repent of it.  We let society convince us that if I am sorry about it that is enough — no reason to actually get rid of it, I’m sorry and that attitude of remorse ought to suffice.  God would say nothing could be further from the truth.  The Bible teaches that true sorrow, Godly sorrow, leads to repentance.  God doesn’t simply want us to be sorry for our sin, He wants us to repent of it and no longer walk in that manner.  When Peter and John are called into account for healing a lame man, Peter addresses the crowd and calls them to repent and turn to God so their sins would be wiped out and “that times of refreshing would come from the Lord”.  I don’t know about you, but the promise of times of refreshing from God should make it easier to give in and “Just Repent!”.

While “Just Repent” can be a stumbling block in our prayer life, we often enter into great confusion when “Just PRAY” calls us to “Just Act!”.  This is the result of living with a very passive view of prayer — a view that sees it as us giving God our list of things He ought to do and act upon and us waiting for Him to accomplish it through miraculous means.  The idea that we would be the instruments and means through which He works to accomplish His will and purpose often seems beyond our comprehension.  Paul prays for the Thessalonians that by God’s power He would fulfill every good purpose of theirs as well as every act prompted by faith.  It is a prayer connected with faith that prompts us to “Just Act” when God seeks to involve us in His work.  He says that we are His workmanship, created by Him to do good works which He created in advance for us to do.  When our pursuit of God and repentance of sin prompts us to act, we need to be ready to work.  It is always fascinating to me that when Jesus teaches about the harvest being plentiful but the workers few and asks His followers to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers that the very next action recorded is the “pray-ers” being sent out as the workers!

Finally, all of the change of attitude from “Just Pray?” to “Just PRAY!” is wrapped together in the mindset of “Just Yield“.  Jesus teaches us that our prayer should be surrendered to God’s will — “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.  Many times our prayers “fail” us because they are prayed with expectations that it is our will that should be done.  We become upset and disillusioned with prayer when God doesn’t answer according to our expectations and timing.  As a repentant pursuer of God who desires to act according to His purposes, we must yield fully to His will and lordship.  The call to discipleship is a call to give up everything and follow Jesus.  We pray the effective prayers of the righteous when we just yield.

So, where are you in the journey from “Just Pray?” to “Just PRAY!”?  I pray that you are well on your way in pursuing God wholeheartedly, that you fully and freely repent as God’s Spirit convicts you of sin, that you are not only called to action through your times of prayer but that you actually do it as you yield fully to God.

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Crossing The Red Sea

During our church gathering this morning, the preacher asked how we would have crossed the Red Sea if we had been one of the Israelite people when God opened up the sea for their escape from the Egyptian army.  His suspicion is that we would all have approached it like he would have — very cautiously, testing the ground and the walls of water with hesitancy and fear before fully heading out and getting through the unknown “bottom of the sea” territory as quickly as possible.  I would guess that’s more true than I would like it to be.  I like to think I would put my hand in the wall of water — running it up and down, making patterns with my fingers as I walked along — but somehow, I think fear would have kept me from touching it.

The real question, though, was not what would I have done but what do I do now when life appears to be a desert with no way of escape and God opens up a “sea” in front of me and says, “Step right in!”  Do I trust Him enough to do it?  How hesitant are my steps?  How much do I enjoy the journey and how much do I just hurry through — trying to get this part over with as soon as possible because who knows how long God will continue to hold up the “walls”?

Yet that is primarily just theory — the what would you, what if questions that have unproven answers until actually put to the test.  The hard part came through another set of questions — “What is the “sea” in front of you and will you be still long enough to see and trust God’s way through it?”.  Wow!  Is there something in front of me that is preventing me from escaping my past that God wants me to be still long enough to be able to see His path through it?  Is there a path that He has already opened for me but fear and logic has kept me from even considering it?

These were the hard questions this morning and I don’t have answers to them.  The only answer I know is to seek God more fully and learn to trust Him completely.  There’s an old chorus that I remember from years ago that goes something like this: “Got any rivers you think are uncrossable, Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through, God specializes in things thought impossible, He does the things others cannot do.”

I pray that you and I would consider the surroundings of our life and remember what God has called us to.  When there appears to be a sea in front of us, may we be quiet before the LORD long enough to hear and see the path that He will make and may we be courageous enough to walk through it with Him.

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Gaining Perspective

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I had the privilege of facilitating some high ropes and low course initiatives for a group from Andrews University last week.  The picture above is from one of my favorite low course initiatives that I facilitate.  I’m not super creative so I simply call it the “Golf Ball Transport”.  🙂  The object is to move a regular golf ball about 20 feet from one over-sized golf tee to another using a small metal ring with ten 12 foot strings attached to it.

While it may not sound all that complicated, particularly if you’ve never tried it, this is a great activity for learning the importance of perspective in our communication and actions.  There are few rules to the activity other than each participant must maintain a hold only on the very end of a string and if the ball falls off the ring and hits the ground the entire activity must start over.

Communicating movement based on your perspective isn’t all that helpful when everyone else sees it just a little bit differently.  In this activity, a simple request for everyone to move left simply results in the entire group moving in a circle because each person’s left is in a different direction relative to the ball and tee.  Eventually groups realize that they need to communicate from a common reference point and that their perspective may not give a full and clear picture of where things really are.

How often in life do we insist that people need to move in a certain way because from our perspective that is what makes the most sense to get them where they ought to be.  Unfortunately, we rarely live in the complete center of the will of God where our perspective is actually the same perspective God has.  We must learn to evaluate our movement and actions based on the perspective of God.  It is only after we draw near to that common reference point of God’s will that we can begin to give helpful direction to lead a life that honors God.

I pray that you and I would gain a Godly perspective on our own life first, and then on the lives of those around us as we seek to serve and honor a God that desires all to come into a saving relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus.