Could It Be That We Have It Backwards?

We have a tendency to make everything difficult.  Part of the reason for this is the fact that we do things backwards.  God tells us to do something one way, and we do it another.  He equips us to minister, and we wait for something else.  When Jesus sent out Twelve, He not only gave them clear instruction, but He also gave them what they needed to succeed.  The Bible says, ”He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs and gave them authority over unclean spirits.  He instructed them to take nothing for the road except a walking stick: no bread, no traveling bag, no money in their belts” (Mark 6:7-8, HCSB). 

I find it interesting that Jesus gave them His authority and told them to take nothing else.  We, on the other hand, tend to take everything else and ignore His power and authority.  Christ has commissioned us (Matthew 28:18-20), and has given us His power (Acts 1:8), yet we wait for other things.  Everything else is more essential than what we have in Christ.  We want pristine buildings and magnificent media presentations, impressive worship performances and cutting edge technology.  Somehow, we think that all the material things will help us in a spiritual struggle (Ephesians 6:12).  On an individual level, we want the perfect opportunity – one without risk or chance.  Something within our comfort zone.  It doesn’t always work that way.  We simply need to go in the knowledge that Jesus is with us.  We have His power and authority.  Other stuff is nice, but it’s no replacement for what He has already given to us.

Theory vs. Reality

My wife has observed that every time I teach on trials, we seem to go through one.  Yesterday, as our church studied the Great Commission together, we spent time visiting the subject of Christ’s promise to be present with us always (Matthew 28:20).  I stressed that God is with us, even in the difficult aspects of life and ministry.  And, as seems to be true to form in our lives, difficulty came knocking.  Literally while I am speaking on the promise of Christ’s presence in difficult times, my wife was on the way to the hospital for tests.  Fortunately, her tests were negative.  Unfortunately, she still is dealing with the issues that prompted her visit in the first place.

It’s never easy to go through trials.  They are, unfortunately, a part of this life.  We will all experience them at one time or another (and doing so is not necessarily a sign of weak faith, as some might suggest).  When trials do come, how will we handle them?  To whom will we turn for help?

So often, we sing songs of great faith.  We study about an all-powerful God who offers peace in the midst of the storms.  We proclaim confidently that God will not allow us to encounter anything we cannot handle.  Then, the rains begin to fall, and our faith crumbles in the storm.  Why?  Because many of us serve two gods.  One is the all-powerful, peace-giving God we worship and brag about on Sundays.  The other is the limited, finite god overwhelmed by our circumstances. 

Tragically, we often relegate God to a theory.  In the great hymns of the faith, He can do anything.  In the uplifting songs of modern worship, nothing is too big for Him.  In the pages of our Bible studies, He is omnipotent.  In the midst of our storms, however, we declare Him impotent.  How sad.  Just when we need a big God the most, we shrink Him.  Surely whatever we are going through is not too much for God.  He is not overwhelmed by our circumstances.  Rather, He overwhelms them.

God is not a theory.  He is very real.  He is indeed able to steer us faithfully through all the storms of life.  He strengthens and enables us to endure whatever this world throws at us.  As David cowers in a cave, hiding from the wrath of King Saul, he cries out, “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by” (Psalm 57:1, ESV).  David needed more than a theoretical God.  He needed the real deal.  So do you and I.  Do yourself a favor.  Don’t limit God.  He’s bigger than a theory.  He’s bigger than our trials.  Trust Him, even in those difficult, baffling times in life.

The Intersection of Doctrine and Reality

There comes a time when what we believe intersects with the reality of our lives.  It is there that our doctrines faces a tremendous test.  It’s one thing to believe something in theory.  It’s quite another to trust it in the midst of our circumstances.  Such was the case for a lady in the Bible named Martha.  Martha had recently lost her brother.  As a matter of fact, he had been dead about four days when Jesus arrives at Martha’s home.  The Bible gives us the story.  It says,

“When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days.  Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss.  When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him.  But Mary stayed in the house.  Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”  Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”  “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”  Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.  Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.  Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.  Do you believe this, Martha?”  “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God”” (John 11:17-27, NLT).

We see that Martha doesn’t have a problem in her theology.  She believes perfectly well that Jesus was able to heal the sick (Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died).  She believes in the physical resurrection of the dead (Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day”).  She believes that Jesus is the Messiah (I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God) who can do anything (I know that God will give you whatever you ask).  She completely passes the doctrinal exam.  Her theology is solid.  In theory anyway.

What she struggled with is the same thing you and I struggle with.  On paper, our belief system is fine.  It’s our realities that gum it all up.  When Martha faced the loss of her brother, everything she believed remained a theory.  Jesus could have helped her yesterday, and He could help her tomorrow, but there was nothing He could do today.  Her circumstances were beyond was He was willing to do.

For many of us, we wrestle with the idea that God really wants to work in our lives.  God can fix other people’s marriages, but He won’t fix ours.  He can heal other people’s illnesses, but He won’t heal mine.  He can meet other’s needs, but He won’t meet mine.  It’s not an able issue.  It’s a willing issue.  It’s not a doctrinal issue.  It’s a reality issue.  God is able and willing to work in the most difficult circumstances of our lives.  He is more than a God on paper.  He is more than a theory or a paragraph in a theology textbook.  He is the sovereign creator and sustainer of all that is (Hebrews 1:2-3).  He can do anything and anytime.  It’s perfectly acceptable to trust God with the past and with the future.  Only, don’t forget to trust Him with the present.  That’s where our doctrine intersects with our reality.

Heart Trouble

The heart is a pretty important piece of equipment.  This fist-sized muscle in the center of our chests keeps us alive.  It beats over 100,000 a day on average.  That means in an average lifetime, a typical heart will beat well over two billion times.  When the Bible refers to the heart, however, it usually doesn’t mean the organ that pumps our blood.  It typically uses the term to describe the seat of a person’s emotions and will.

With that said, Jesus reminds us that our hearts are somewhat twisted.  While the influences we subject ourselves to are an important factor in our behavior, the true decision maker is our heart.  Our corrupt, rebellious behavior flows from the inside out.  Jesus said,

“It is what comes from inside that defiles you.  For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.  All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you” (Mark 7:20-23, NLT)

We need to understand that apart from Christ, we are prone to make bad decisions.  We are self-centered to the core.  We want what we want.  We do what we want.  God is often an afterthought.  That’s why we all need a heart transplant.  Not a new physical heart, but a new spiritual one.  The prophet Ezekiel addressed God’s willingness to do this in the people of Israel.  The Bible says, “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.  And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations” (Ezekiel 36:26-27, NLT).

God’s desire for us is that we have a close, intimate relationship with Him.  He makes all of that possible through Jesus.  He gives us the power to overcome the tendencies of our old sinful hearts.  He makes us new (2 Corinthians 5:17).  As long as we continue to fuel and follow the desires of our corrupted hearts, however, we will always find ourselves drifting away from God.  Don’t settle for the ways of the old heart.  Embrace new life in Christ.  He is the cure for our heart trouble.

Working When I’m Not There

I find myself away from the church where I normally serve this weekend.  I am teaching a Bible study at another church in another part of the state.  So, I can identify with the Apostle Paul, who would often find himself seperated from churches he loved.  He writes to the Christians in Colossae, “For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong” (Colossians 2:5, NLT). 

It is an awesome thing to know that God is everywhere.  He is not limited by the laws of space and time.  He can be with me in one place, and at the same time, be with other believers somewhere else.  He is not dependent on me in order to work.  That’s a comforting thought.  Especially when I am a couple hundred miles away.

The Ball’s in Your Court

Back and forth.  Back and forth.  Back and forth.  Feel like you’re watching a tennis match?  Unfortunately, it’s not a game that is causing whiplash in so many.  It’s their lives.  One minute, we are going one way.  The next, we’ve pivoted and are running in the other.  To God.  Away from God.  To God.  Away from God.

In the Old Testament, there is a book named Zephaniah.  It’s named after its author, and is tucked into the section of the Bible with all the little books with the big names.  Zephaniah is writing to a group of people who ignored all the warnings around them.  Despite the fact God had dealt with the sin of others, they continued to live life the way they wanted.  As a matter of fact, in the early verses of the book, Zephaniah writes concerning, “those who have turned back from following the Lord, who do not seek the Lord or inquire of him” (Zephaniah 1:6, ESV).

Many of us have been there from time to time.  Maybe you are there now.  We’re busy marching to the beat of our own drummer.  We’re following our own rules.  We are living how we want just because we can.  Zephaniah would remind us that there is a coming day when God will deal with us.  He challenges those in his country to change their ways, and look to their God.  He writes, “Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility” (Zephaniah 2:3, ESV).  In other words, we need to be humble enough to know that we need to change.  We must recognize that God’s ways are the best ways.  We need to quit the playing around.  We need to turn and live for Him.

How can we?  Especially when we’ve been doing our own thing for so long.  The Bible reminds us that we don’t have the power, but God does.  As Zephaniah describes his people’s restoration, he writes, “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save” (Zephaniah 3:17, ESV).  At our church, we sing a song called “Mighty to Save.”  The chorus of that song includes an awesome phrase.  It says, “My Saviour, He can move the mountains, My God is Mighty to save, He is Mighty to save. (you can see a clip of the song here).”

God can do anything.  He can overcome our greatest fears and failures.  His power is not limited by our weakness.  Be willing to turn and trust Him.  Let Him have control of your life.  Be real about it.  He indeed is mighty to save.  Let Him touch and change your life today.  It’s your serve.