Inconvenient Christ

Jesus had a very different idea of what following Him looks like than the American church does. Jesus never asked for (or even accepted) small commitments. When asked if a follower could attend to his father's funeral, Jesus said, "let the dead bury the dead." When Jesus encountered the rich young ruler, He told him to sell everything he had to follow Christ. We get this twisted idea that walking with Christ is something that is supposed to be easy and convenient, but Jesus didn't think so.

If you say you are walking with Christ and there are no areas in your life that Jesus doesn't cause you to be uncomfortable, then you need to re-evaluate your current level of commitment and obedience to Christ. I'm not talking about absurd legalism, but I am saying that Christ compels you to lay down your life every single day to follow Him. If there aren't things you are laying down, you're not fully-devoted in your faith.

When is the last time you changed your schedule to be alone with God? When's the last time you spent serious time in prayer and fasting? How much time do you dedicate to ministry and mission? How does your walk with God affect your money? How much sacrifice are you willing to give?

None of us are perfect, but if we ever start putting our comfort and convenience over the will of God we have become idolaters to our own ideas. 

The M Word

A lot of people in the church seem to think money is a dirty word. They are so scared that the pastor is trying to get in their wallet that they resent the sheer mention of the word. There ia preaching adage that if you want a quiet church, talk about people's money or their kids. While I'll be the first to admit that some ministries take this overboard, I would like to make a few observations before you criticize the church for talking about it too much:

• If obtaining money is so important you spend 40+ hours each week working for it, it should be important enough to be taught wisdom in how to use it.
• You don’t own your money anyway. It’s all God’s, you steward it. As such, it doesn’t matter what anyone says, you are only responsible for obeying God with your money.
• Usually the people who object the loudest about the church talking about money too much are the ones who won’t even trust God enough to tithe. I'm going to be incredibly frank here (warning): if you will rob from God (that's what scripture calls it) then frankly I don't have the slighest respect for your opion about how the church should be run or what the pastor should do. Obey scripture then we can talk.People who trust God with their money and tithe don't usually think the church talks about money too much, because they're being blessed as an outflow of their obedience.
• Ministry can’t happen without funding. Your church doesn't just happen. There are bills that have to be payed, and God designed it in such a way that the people and the church are both blessed when you obey God.
• When you look at the growing personal and government debt, it stands to reason people need to be taught about things like budgeting. We can’t expect the government to do it. God’s word is full of instruction about money, and if the church is teaching God’s word the church will be teaching about money. The Bible is not a Golden Corral buffet, you can’t just pick what you’d like.
• Scripture teaches that the laborer is worth his hire. Basically, the pastor deserves to be paid well. He/She is bringing you spiritual truth every week and you owe it to them in turn to take care of them. When people aren't tithing, the minister suffers and that is not Biblical.

So, next time you go to criticize, just ask yourself this simple question...is this genuine excess or is this simply me being convicted because I'm in sin?

Small Stuff

I got to thinking recently about the major ministers who have been caught up in moral failures. Some of these men have spent decades faithfully bringing God’s word, dedicating their lives to the advancement of the Gospel. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, they are exposed in gross sin, and they lose all credibility and their entire life work. Everything is gone in moments.

It makes you wonder what started it. How did you go from greatness to adultery?

There’s a saying, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” I know there is some truth in that, but I would hazard to guess that a lot of moral failures started with that attitude. When it comes to integrity and character, we are foolish to take that attitude. Major failure begins by numbing your conscience to small choices.

What started as lust progressed to pornography and finally ended in adultery. What started as a little white lie progressed into a house of lies that fell out from under you. What started as a seemingly insignificant compromise progressed into the destruction of your legacy.

Although we will all make mistakes, we must guard against the small stuff, because if left unchecked, it will only grow. Don’t lose your destiny and your legacy because you wouldn’t stand firm on the small tests of character.

What small things are you making compromises in that you need to stop today before they become something bigger?

Small Beginnings

After that, the Word of God came to me: "Zerubbabel started rebuilding this Temple and he will complete it. That will be your confirmation that God-of-the-Angel-Armies sent me to you. Does anyone dare despise this day of small beginnings? They'll change their tune when they see Zerubbabel setting the last stone in place!" Going back to the vision, the Messenger-Angel said, "The seven lamps are the eyes of God probing the dark corners of the world like searchlights.  - Zechariah 4:8-10 (The Message)

Everything we experience in life has a season. Some seasons in life will appear fruitful and be light and easy. Some seasons may be a little harder and seem like God has forgotten your dreams. No matter in which place you find yourself, I think the reminder in this passage is comforting. We should never despise a day of small beginnings.

The old saying is true. Rome wasn't built in a day. That is true in our lives as well. We cannot expect that the plan of God will unfold in your life in your timing, and you cannot expect that these things will start of gloriously. It is the times of a small beginning and the times you want to quit because it isn't happening on your time frame that God uses to build a foundation.

When you watch a construction project, sometimes it seems like it happens overnight. It seems like nothing has been happening, but all of a sudden this building comes out of nowhere. Until the foundation is stable, the work can't be done. If you shortcut the foundation, you have doomed yourself to collapse at the first sign of adversity.

Never discount a season in your life because of what your natural eyes see. You never know what eternal fruit is coming from this moment, or what foundation is being built in you to prepare yourself for the future God has in mind.
It is a foolish thing to despise the current season for something you haven't seen yet. Enjoy where you're at, be the best you can with where you're at, dream, and plan for the future. Just don't despise or resent the season you're in, because the fact is that it is a preparation for where you are going.

Storyline

I love writing. I love the process. I love the journey you are taken on in a good story. There are few things so satisfying as a reader than to be engrossed in a story, only to encounter a moment halfway through where the plot takes a totally unexpected turn and shapes the entire ending in a way no one would have seen coming.

Life basically works out the same way. We start life with a clean slate, and every experience is advancing the storyline. Every setback you encounter is simply an unforeseen plot turn. Until the pages come to an end, the storyline isn't set. You never know when the next page will uncover a grand twist that throws all of your expectations out the window and takes the story in a direction you could have never seen coming.

When life hands you a grand setback, when things seem to go horribly awry, when you are tempted to feel like life is over, turn the page. Keep reading. Until the grand storyline of your life has come to an end, you never know what the next page could reveal that could totally alter the storyline of your life.

If you don't keep reading, you'll never know where the storyline can go. If you give up on the story halfway through, you will never see the happy ending. It's all up to you.

Life happens, things will go completely opposite how you envisioned. You have to make a decision how to respond. Whether you react like it's the end of the book, or a revision to the writing, will determine how the next chapter unfolds. The moment you choose to keep moving forward, to keep turning the page, is the moment you decide to remain stuck in that chapter. You remain in that same place until you decide to turn the page.

No one else controls the outcome of your life. No one else can turn the page for you. You have to embrace the future, including the uncertainty it brings, and choose to advance. Or, you can stay stuck in the conflict or adversity of the past.

The ending of your story is up to you.

P.S. Don Miller writes a great book about living a good story- A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. Highly recommend you read it.