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Several years ago a survivor of the Holocaust named Ernie Marx spoke in southern Indiana to some high school students. He spoke of one of the things that stood out in his memory. "The Germans," he said, "wouldn’t let us look up at the sky. Because if you looked up, that gave you hope. We were not supposed to have hope. I saw many children bloodied beyond belief. Their only crime was that they looked up."
I first read that statement several yeas ago and it stirred my heart. Ernie Marx's tormentors understood that the only way they could break the will of their subjects was to rob them of hope. They also correctly surmised that hope would be derived from "looking up." So they constrained them from ever casing their glance heavenward.
I believe, today, that Hell understands this principle. The enemy of your soul knows that if he can relegate you to the confines of your life and cut you off from heaven, then he can rob you of your hope. When you don't take the time to look heavenward your problems seem bigger. When you get bogged down with everything that is going on down here, the situations in your life seem unmanageable. Your enemy understands that if he can get you so tied up and tangled up in the affairs of day-to-day living that you fail to connect with God then he can rob you of your hope.
Perhaps this is why the Psalmist David said, in Psalm 121, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help." I will lift up my eyes, David said, because when I take the time to look up I realize that "my help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth." David understood that when he took his eyes off of his current circumstance and took the time to look to heaven he discovered new hope that he wasn't alone in the struggle. As he looked to heaven he came to the conclusion that the one who watches over him neither sleeps nor slumbers. God is aware of my circumstance, David said, and he will preserve my soul.
What an incredible encouragement David found in the simple exercise of lifting up his eyes! This morning I want to challenge you to take the time to look up. For just a few moments you should stop in the midst of your busy schedule and look up. Why don't you take the time to look towards heaven and catch a glimpse of your God? If you do, as you spend a moment in prayer in his presence, you will discover that He is watching over you. As you lift your eyes from your current dilemma and gaze towards heaven you will discover that He is the only source of help that you need.
Those German soldiers had it right. Your true source of hope and encouragement is found by taking the time to look up. Looking to heaven may not change your problems but it will change your outlook. The dark valley will still be there and the storms may not dissipate but your outlook will change. As you look towards the one that watches over you, the one that neither sleeps nor slumbers, you will find hope rising up within you because He's the one that will preserve your soul. When you take the time to look up you come face to face with the One from which you hope comes.
Today, I have a simple word of encouragement. Stop. Take the time to look up this morning. That's where your help is going to come from...
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
The Crier's Well
Judges chapter 15 contains the incredible story of Samson's victory that was won with the Jawbone of a donkey. Many of us remember the story from Sunday School of the fight that ends with "heaps upon heaps", a thousand men slain by the jawbone of a donkey. The story itself is a great testimony of the blessing and deliverance of God in the face of, seemingly, insurmountable obstacles.
However, it is the events that immediately follow this story that have caught my attention today. After the battle was over and his weapon had been discarded, Samson was weak, weary and "sore athirst." (Judges 15:18) He was so weak and weary that he felt sure that his great victory was about to be turned into an even greater defeat. He believed that he was about to " die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised."
In many ways I can identify more with the Samson of verse 18 than the Samson that sung his victory song a few verses earlier. I have experienced my great victories and I have stood upon the "hill of the jawbone" (Ramath-lehi means the hill of the jawbone) where God wrought wonderful deliverance out of the ordinary substance of life. Seemingly ordinary things, like jawbones, have resulted in great battles won and victories declared.
However, I often discover myself in the place where Samson found himself after his great victory, weak, weary and thirsty. How quickly the glow of victory fades and the harsh reality of life sets in. How quickly the Sunday Night shout is transformed into a Monday morning struggle. I have been there many times. More often than I could ever tell, distress comes on the heels of victory. Trial sometimes seems to follow triumph. Perhaps that's where you are this morning. If so, I believe I have a word from the Lord that will comfort you.
When Samson found himself thirsty, in verse 18, he called upon the Lord. What happened next was even more incredible than the victory that was wrought with the jawbone of a donkey. The next verse says that "God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw." Apparently you can interpret that in several different ways. The King James Version seems to lend itself to the idea that God clave a place in the jawbone that Samson had discarded, other translations lean more towards the idea that God clave a place in some prominent feature of the land where Samson was. To argue the point will only serve to distract from the real truth of the matter. The truth is that God made a way, by miraculous means, in an unlikely place to produce a lasting spring of water to satisfy Samson's thirst and revive his spirit.
When Samson felt like he was dying of thirst. When he felt like he was going to be overcome by his enemies. When his circumstances seemed to be about to overwhelm him. Samson cried out to the Lord and the Lord heard his cry and answered with springs of life-giving water. "And when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived." (Judges 15:19 ESV) Samson then named the place En-hakkore which means the Crier's Well. The name is, in and of itself, a testimony. Its Samson's way of saying, "I cried out to the Lord and he heard my cry and answered with springs of water."
It is the next phrase of verse 19 that got me excited this morning. There is a place of refreshing called "The Crier's Well" that according to Judges 15:19 exists "in Lehi unto this day." Lehi is the place where the Philistines assembled to capture Samson. Lehi is located in the lowlands of southwestern Judah. It was the valley that was supposed to be the end of Samson. It was the valley that was supposed to destroy him. It was the valley where the enemy intended to bind him and rob him of his victory. Lehi was intended to be a place of defeat.
The literal meaning of Lehi is somewhat uncertain. According to Harper’s Bible Dictionary, some translators read "in a troop" for Lehi. Kind of sounds like the place where David was when he said, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies." (Psalm 23:5) Samson was in Lehi, in the midst of a troop, in a place intended to be his undoing. Yet, it was in that place that God provided springs of refreshing. And, to me, the most wonderful truth of the scripture is that the spring is still there today!
When you find yourself weak and weary, when you find yourself dying of thirst, there exists a spring in Lehi. When you are surrounded by a troop, when you are in a valley of defeat, there is a spring of refreshing in Lehi. It is called "The Crier's Well", and it's still available to you if you will but cry out to the Lord. There’s still a well that will revive the spirit that is revealed to you when you cry out to God from the midst of your dilemma. It is the crier's well. And it’s still there, to this very day.
I want to encourage you this morning to find the rest that exists in the middle of the battle. I want to encourage you this morning to drink from the well that exists in the lowlands of your life. I want to remind you that there is a crier's well. When you cry out to God your cry releases the flow of heaven's life giving, living water that revives you in the midst of the valley. I hope you find it this morning and drink deeply from the criers well...
However, it is the events that immediately follow this story that have caught my attention today. After the battle was over and his weapon had been discarded, Samson was weak, weary and "sore athirst." (Judges 15:18) He was so weak and weary that he felt sure that his great victory was about to be turned into an even greater defeat. He believed that he was about to " die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised."
In many ways I can identify more with the Samson of verse 18 than the Samson that sung his victory song a few verses earlier. I have experienced my great victories and I have stood upon the "hill of the jawbone" (Ramath-lehi means the hill of the jawbone) where God wrought wonderful deliverance out of the ordinary substance of life. Seemingly ordinary things, like jawbones, have resulted in great battles won and victories declared.
However, I often discover myself in the place where Samson found himself after his great victory, weak, weary and thirsty. How quickly the glow of victory fades and the harsh reality of life sets in. How quickly the Sunday Night shout is transformed into a Monday morning struggle. I have been there many times. More often than I could ever tell, distress comes on the heels of victory. Trial sometimes seems to follow triumph. Perhaps that's where you are this morning. If so, I believe I have a word from the Lord that will comfort you.
When Samson found himself thirsty, in verse 18, he called upon the Lord. What happened next was even more incredible than the victory that was wrought with the jawbone of a donkey. The next verse says that "God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw." Apparently you can interpret that in several different ways. The King James Version seems to lend itself to the idea that God clave a place in the jawbone that Samson had discarded, other translations lean more towards the idea that God clave a place in some prominent feature of the land where Samson was. To argue the point will only serve to distract from the real truth of the matter. The truth is that God made a way, by miraculous means, in an unlikely place to produce a lasting spring of water to satisfy Samson's thirst and revive his spirit.
When Samson felt like he was dying of thirst. When he felt like he was going to be overcome by his enemies. When his circumstances seemed to be about to overwhelm him. Samson cried out to the Lord and the Lord heard his cry and answered with springs of life-giving water. "And when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived." (Judges 15:19 ESV) Samson then named the place En-hakkore which means the Crier's Well. The name is, in and of itself, a testimony. Its Samson's way of saying, "I cried out to the Lord and he heard my cry and answered with springs of water."
It is the next phrase of verse 19 that got me excited this morning. There is a place of refreshing called "The Crier's Well" that according to Judges 15:19 exists "in Lehi unto this day." Lehi is the place where the Philistines assembled to capture Samson. Lehi is located in the lowlands of southwestern Judah. It was the valley that was supposed to be the end of Samson. It was the valley that was supposed to destroy him. It was the valley where the enemy intended to bind him and rob him of his victory. Lehi was intended to be a place of defeat.
The literal meaning of Lehi is somewhat uncertain. According to Harper’s Bible Dictionary, some translators read "in a troop" for Lehi. Kind of sounds like the place where David was when he said, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies." (Psalm 23:5) Samson was in Lehi, in the midst of a troop, in a place intended to be his undoing. Yet, it was in that place that God provided springs of refreshing. And, to me, the most wonderful truth of the scripture is that the spring is still there today!
When you find yourself weak and weary, when you find yourself dying of thirst, there exists a spring in Lehi. When you are surrounded by a troop, when you are in a valley of defeat, there is a spring of refreshing in Lehi. It is called "The Crier's Well", and it's still available to you if you will but cry out to the Lord. There’s still a well that will revive the spirit that is revealed to you when you cry out to God from the midst of your dilemma. It is the crier's well. And it’s still there, to this very day.
I want to encourage you this morning to find the rest that exists in the middle of the battle. I want to encourage you this morning to drink from the well that exists in the lowlands of your life. I want to remind you that there is a crier's well. When you cry out to God your cry releases the flow of heaven's life giving, living water that revives you in the midst of the valley. I hope you find it this morning and drink deeply from the criers well...
Monday, June 1, 2009
Losing Sight of the Reason
Today's post concerns something that happened last summer. I was diligently working away at my latest “project”, an old boat that I was “fixing up” for my boys and me to use last summer. I picked it up in a very "used" condition and promised my wife, “This will be a GREAT summer project for me and the boys (they were 7 and 9 years old at the time) to work on this summer.”
I enthusiastically launched into the project, enumerating the many things that needed to be done and working out a plan of attack. Over the next few days I worked diligently, utilizing every moment of daylight afforded to me each evening. I repaired the winch, installed a trailer jack, added new brake lights, performed various other minor repairs/replacements and rewired the whole thing. Finally, I got tags for the boat and trailer and decals to put the registration number in the appropriate place on the side of the boat.
I was pretty pleased with myself that evening as I surveyed my handiwork. While the project was not yet complete, the first phase would be complete as soon as the registration number was applied. My boys and I would then be able to take her out for the first of many fishing excursions that coming Saturday. I settled into the task, working diligently to insure that each number and letter was lined up perfectly.
That’s when it happened. My precious wife stopped by to check on my progress. “It looks great.” She said, and I beamed in pride. But she didn’t stop there. What she said next took the wind from my sails, “I thought this was a project that you AND the boys were going to be working on, together.”
As she walked away I sat for a moment and pondered the thought that, in my desire to make sure everything was done in precisely the right manner I had overlooked the entire “reason” for the project. This was supposed to be about spending some quality time with my boys. This was supposed to be about teaching them life skills that would be valuable to them as they grow into young men. Yet somehow, in the desire to do my best, I left behind the most important part…
About that time my seven year old walked up and asked to help. My first thought was, oh no! These need to be neat and straight. Everyone will see them. There are a million reasons why I shouldn’t let my 7 year old put them on… However, I was surprised to hear myself saying, “Sure son, you can help. Go ahead and put the next number on.”
For the next few moments my son and I spent some valuable time together which, in reality, was the impetus for taking on this project in the first place. We laughed and worked together as he endeavored to prove to me that he could, indeed, put the numbers on straight.
I learned a valuable lesson, again, that day. The time I spend with my children is precious and priceless. If you see my boys and me in our boat you might notice that some of the numbers are a little crooked or wrinkled but strangely, I’m OK with that. You see, we did this project together. And that matters more to me than the wrinkled and crooked letters. Furthermore, in the coming weeks we need to paint the old boat, install some seats, and finish a few other odds and ends things. I’m going to warn you ahead of time that the paint job isn’t going to be perfect because I plan on letting my boys do as much of the painting as they want to. After all, this is OUR project!
I also learned another lesson in all of this. Sometimes it’s so easy to get so caught up in the details of what we are doing that we lose sight of the purpose. Even in our ministry, if we aren’t careful, we can get so bogged down with the business of the church that we lose sight of what the church is all about. There is, after all, a compelling reason that motivated each of us to embrace the ministry. This morning I want to challenge you to take a few moments and reacquaint yourself with "why" you are doing what you do. Sometimes, in our desire to do our best, if we aren’t careful, we can leave out the most important part…
I enthusiastically launched into the project, enumerating the many things that needed to be done and working out a plan of attack. Over the next few days I worked diligently, utilizing every moment of daylight afforded to me each evening. I repaired the winch, installed a trailer jack, added new brake lights, performed various other minor repairs/replacements and rewired the whole thing. Finally, I got tags for the boat and trailer and decals to put the registration number in the appropriate place on the side of the boat.
I was pretty pleased with myself that evening as I surveyed my handiwork. While the project was not yet complete, the first phase would be complete as soon as the registration number was applied. My boys and I would then be able to take her out for the first of many fishing excursions that coming Saturday. I settled into the task, working diligently to insure that each number and letter was lined up perfectly.
That’s when it happened. My precious wife stopped by to check on my progress. “It looks great.” She said, and I beamed in pride. But she didn’t stop there. What she said next took the wind from my sails, “I thought this was a project that you AND the boys were going to be working on, together.”
As she walked away I sat for a moment and pondered the thought that, in my desire to make sure everything was done in precisely the right manner I had overlooked the entire “reason” for the project. This was supposed to be about spending some quality time with my boys. This was supposed to be about teaching them life skills that would be valuable to them as they grow into young men. Yet somehow, in the desire to do my best, I left behind the most important part…
About that time my seven year old walked up and asked to help. My first thought was, oh no! These need to be neat and straight. Everyone will see them. There are a million reasons why I shouldn’t let my 7 year old put them on… However, I was surprised to hear myself saying, “Sure son, you can help. Go ahead and put the next number on.”
For the next few moments my son and I spent some valuable time together which, in reality, was the impetus for taking on this project in the first place. We laughed and worked together as he endeavored to prove to me that he could, indeed, put the numbers on straight.
I learned a valuable lesson, again, that day. The time I spend with my children is precious and priceless. If you see my boys and me in our boat you might notice that some of the numbers are a little crooked or wrinkled but strangely, I’m OK with that. You see, we did this project together. And that matters more to me than the wrinkled and crooked letters. Furthermore, in the coming weeks we need to paint the old boat, install some seats, and finish a few other odds and ends things. I’m going to warn you ahead of time that the paint job isn’t going to be perfect because I plan on letting my boys do as much of the painting as they want to. After all, this is OUR project!
I also learned another lesson in all of this. Sometimes it’s so easy to get so caught up in the details of what we are doing that we lose sight of the purpose. Even in our ministry, if we aren’t careful, we can get so bogged down with the business of the church that we lose sight of what the church is all about. There is, after all, a compelling reason that motivated each of us to embrace the ministry. This morning I want to challenge you to take a few moments and reacquaint yourself with "why" you are doing what you do. Sometimes, in our desire to do our best, if we aren’t careful, we can leave out the most important part…
Friday, May 29, 2009
A Commencement Address
I've been asked to be the commencement speaker at a graduation tonight for a local Christian School. Today I'm posting that address because, while it ministers to the graduate, I sincerely believe that it will also minister to your life.
I want to congratulate our graduate tonight. I celebrate, with you, the fact that you have completed a portion of your life. You have achieved an accomplishment of great value. As you receive your diploma, tonight, you can stand proud in the fact that you have finished something. You have completed the course. It has been a year of new beginnings, a year where you became both a charter member and a graduate of a newly reborn school. It is fitting that, in this year of new things, you are embarking on a new phase of your life.
As you close the door on High School, a door swings open to the rest of your life. Until now, your steps have been mandated by others. Until now, you had no real choices about what school you would attend or what field you would study. However, you are now starting a new era in your life. Moving forward you will be faced with many decisions. A whole world of possibilities is opening up before you. My friend, this evening we are standing on the horizon of your future.
It is a future that will largely be shaped by you. Your decisions, your choices, your work ethic, these are the things that will shape your future. I’m certain, tonight, that, from your point of view, the future looks good. I’m sure that you have high hopes and big dreams for yourself. I want you to know that I believe in you, the people gathered here tonight believe in you. We believe that you can change the world. We believe that your life can make a difference in this world. We hope with you for great things, amazing accomplishments, and a secure future.
However as we stand here together and gaze into the brilliant future that stands before you I want to share a little reality with you. As bright as the future looks right now, I can tell you with certainty that there will be dark days ahead. As inviting as it is now, I know from experience that somewhere over the horizon there is a storm brewing that will endeavor to destroy you. I wish I could tell you that, after High School, the rest of your life is a bed of roses, but it isn’t. I wish I could tell you that it will all be sunshine and smiles, but it won’t. Just as surely as I’m standing here right now life is gonna throw you a curveball or two.
There are going to be moments that try your faith, trials that dim your spirit, and struggles that sap your strength. I don’t mean to be the herald of bad news and it isn’t my purpose tonight to simply rain on your parade. I want you to know that there will be discouraging times ahead because I have a word from the Lord tonight that will help carry you through those times. When life is tiring, when you are struggling with your flesh, when bills aren't paid, when work is exhausting, when life is demanding, and when the future becomes unsure, I want you to remember this night. I want you to remember a commencement speaker that shared a special verse of scripture with you.
In Jeremiah 29:11 the Lord declared (ESV) "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I want you to know this evening that God has plans for you. He has a plan for your life. This is the message that I need to convey to you tonight. Your life isn’t at the whim of circumstance and chance. Your future isn’t going to be determined by the economy or political situations. Certainly these are difficult times and it is likely that their impact will last many years, however, God has placed you here, at this time in your life, in this current climate for a reason.
Tonight, you’ve got to understand this. Your life isn’t governed by random circumstance. God has a plan for you and you can trust in his plan. His plan is to bless you. His plan is to prosper you. His plan may lead through some difficult valleys. His plan may take you through some turbulent storms. But his plan is for your good. His plan is to give you hope and a future. His plan is to take you where you truly need to go.
God has a plan for your life. It is this simple knowledge that gives the ability to trust the Lord and walk where he leads. Perhaps that's why Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:7 that "we walk by faith, not by sight." Because, if we understand that God has a plan for our lives, then we also understand that we can’t always trust what we see and understand. Sometimes God's plan is going to take us in directions that, if we heeded our own understanding, we would never choose to go. Sometimes he's going to lead us into things that we, according to our own understanding, would do all that we could to avoid. However, the simple truth of the matter is that the road that leads us into God's plan for our lives will sometimes lead us through dry wells and barren wildernesses.
The only way to survive the journey is to learn that you can trust in the Lord. Tonight, as one who has walked this road a few years before you, I want to encourage you tonight with this simple truth, God has a plan for your life and you can trust his plan! His plan is to prosper you, not to harm you. His plan is to give you hope and a future. This, above all else, is the message you need to get tonight. You need to settle it in your heart. No matter what you face, no matter where this life takes you. God has a plan for you!
In light of that simple truth I want to give you a few pieces of instruction to help you stick with God’s plan for your life. First, understanding that your life is ordered by God’s divine plan, if you are going to follow that plan then you must know and love God. My first piece of advice for your journey is this: Get to know God. Get closer to him than you’ve ever been. As you grow older and walk through more difficult times your relationship with God is going to become increasingly important to you, nurture it now. Develop a relationship with him and a love for him because the faith that allows you to trust in his plan for your life springs from your relationship with him.
Secondly, worship God. The main thing that you will do in heaven is worship God. I truly believe that you need to get in the habit of practicing while you are down here. Don’t let life get in your way, don’t let yourself get too busy to worship. And remember this, worship is more than what we do on Sunday mornings. It’s more than music, the message and prayers. Worship is an on-going relationship with God. It’s a lifestyle, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whatever you plan on becoming after tonight, first and foremost, make it a point to become a worshiper. Remember this, God will move heaven and earth for a worshiper. And there are going to be times when you need him to do just that.
Third. Make church a major priority in your life. Many young people come to the place where you are now and discard their faith. In so doing they walk away from more than just the support structure of the church, they abandon God’s plan for their life as well. Many new things are going to be coming your way in the coming weeks and months. You are going to embrace new decisions and a new direction for your life. But, whatever you do, don’t relinquish your place in the church. You will need the fellowship of the body of Christ along the way. It may not seem so important right now but, mark my words, the day will come when your relationship with the church will be the thing that carries you through dark storms.
Part of God’s plan for your life is to make you a part of his family. His family, in this current world, is embodied in the church. Make yourself a part of a church family. Make the church a central part of your life. Become active in your local fellowship. This is important because you were never meant to go through life alone. Someone got it right, years ago, when they said that no man is an island. No man can make it alone. So God created a spiritual family. The church is a major part off God’s plan for our world and it is a major part of his plan for your life. Become an active part of it. Your spiritual family will not supplant your natural family but it will compel you and carry you through places where your natural family will not be able to go with you.
Finally, as you make choices that will impact your future determine to find God’s purpose for your life. This is the most important thing that you will do because it’s the source of true contentment in this life. There is nothing quite like knowing that you are walking in God’s will for your life. This happens when you live your life with an awareness of God’s purpose for you. You are going to find yourself, in coming months, worrying about an education and a career choice. Those things are important but they will never give you the complete satisfaction that you desire unless they are combined with a sense of God’s purpose for your life.
God has a plan for you. God uniquely shaped you in a certain way to make a certain contribution with your life. Make it your goal to find out what God’s purpose is for you. When you do that, your career choice will be easier, the decisions about education will be easier, because it all works in harmony with God’s purpose for your life. Tonight you will graduate from High School, but somewhere down the road you will graduate from this life. When you do, nothing is going to matter more than the fact that you have walked in God’s purpose for your life. You won’t carry your career, or your education, into eternity. But, if you find God’s purpose for your life and walk in it, His purpose will carry you to Heaven.
Tonight you graduate into a world of uncertainties. As one man said, great opportunities surround you but they are disguised as unsolvable problems. I believe, tonight, that you will conquer the obstacles and make an impact on your world. I believe this because I know that God has a plan for you. And his plan is to prosper you. His plan is good. Find it and walk in it. That’s the key to true happiness in this life.
I want to congratulate our graduate tonight. I celebrate, with you, the fact that you have completed a portion of your life. You have achieved an accomplishment of great value. As you receive your diploma, tonight, you can stand proud in the fact that you have finished something. You have completed the course. It has been a year of new beginnings, a year where you became both a charter member and a graduate of a newly reborn school. It is fitting that, in this year of new things, you are embarking on a new phase of your life.
As you close the door on High School, a door swings open to the rest of your life. Until now, your steps have been mandated by others. Until now, you had no real choices about what school you would attend or what field you would study. However, you are now starting a new era in your life. Moving forward you will be faced with many decisions. A whole world of possibilities is opening up before you. My friend, this evening we are standing on the horizon of your future.
It is a future that will largely be shaped by you. Your decisions, your choices, your work ethic, these are the things that will shape your future. I’m certain, tonight, that, from your point of view, the future looks good. I’m sure that you have high hopes and big dreams for yourself. I want you to know that I believe in you, the people gathered here tonight believe in you. We believe that you can change the world. We believe that your life can make a difference in this world. We hope with you for great things, amazing accomplishments, and a secure future.
However as we stand here together and gaze into the brilliant future that stands before you I want to share a little reality with you. As bright as the future looks right now, I can tell you with certainty that there will be dark days ahead. As inviting as it is now, I know from experience that somewhere over the horizon there is a storm brewing that will endeavor to destroy you. I wish I could tell you that, after High School, the rest of your life is a bed of roses, but it isn’t. I wish I could tell you that it will all be sunshine and smiles, but it won’t. Just as surely as I’m standing here right now life is gonna throw you a curveball or two.
There are going to be moments that try your faith, trials that dim your spirit, and struggles that sap your strength. I don’t mean to be the herald of bad news and it isn’t my purpose tonight to simply rain on your parade. I want you to know that there will be discouraging times ahead because I have a word from the Lord tonight that will help carry you through those times. When life is tiring, when you are struggling with your flesh, when bills aren't paid, when work is exhausting, when life is demanding, and when the future becomes unsure, I want you to remember this night. I want you to remember a commencement speaker that shared a special verse of scripture with you.
In Jeremiah 29:11 the Lord declared (ESV) "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I want you to know this evening that God has plans for you. He has a plan for your life. This is the message that I need to convey to you tonight. Your life isn’t at the whim of circumstance and chance. Your future isn’t going to be determined by the economy or political situations. Certainly these are difficult times and it is likely that their impact will last many years, however, God has placed you here, at this time in your life, in this current climate for a reason.
Tonight, you’ve got to understand this. Your life isn’t governed by random circumstance. God has a plan for you and you can trust in his plan. His plan is to bless you. His plan is to prosper you. His plan may lead through some difficult valleys. His plan may take you through some turbulent storms. But his plan is for your good. His plan is to give you hope and a future. His plan is to take you where you truly need to go.
God has a plan for your life. It is this simple knowledge that gives the ability to trust the Lord and walk where he leads. Perhaps that's why Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:7 that "we walk by faith, not by sight." Because, if we understand that God has a plan for our lives, then we also understand that we can’t always trust what we see and understand. Sometimes God's plan is going to take us in directions that, if we heeded our own understanding, we would never choose to go. Sometimes he's going to lead us into things that we, according to our own understanding, would do all that we could to avoid. However, the simple truth of the matter is that the road that leads us into God's plan for our lives will sometimes lead us through dry wells and barren wildernesses.
The only way to survive the journey is to learn that you can trust in the Lord. Tonight, as one who has walked this road a few years before you, I want to encourage you tonight with this simple truth, God has a plan for your life and you can trust his plan! His plan is to prosper you, not to harm you. His plan is to give you hope and a future. This, above all else, is the message you need to get tonight. You need to settle it in your heart. No matter what you face, no matter where this life takes you. God has a plan for you!
In light of that simple truth I want to give you a few pieces of instruction to help you stick with God’s plan for your life. First, understanding that your life is ordered by God’s divine plan, if you are going to follow that plan then you must know and love God. My first piece of advice for your journey is this: Get to know God. Get closer to him than you’ve ever been. As you grow older and walk through more difficult times your relationship with God is going to become increasingly important to you, nurture it now. Develop a relationship with him and a love for him because the faith that allows you to trust in his plan for your life springs from your relationship with him.
Secondly, worship God. The main thing that you will do in heaven is worship God. I truly believe that you need to get in the habit of practicing while you are down here. Don’t let life get in your way, don’t let yourself get too busy to worship. And remember this, worship is more than what we do on Sunday mornings. It’s more than music, the message and prayers. Worship is an on-going relationship with God. It’s a lifestyle, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whatever you plan on becoming after tonight, first and foremost, make it a point to become a worshiper. Remember this, God will move heaven and earth for a worshiper. And there are going to be times when you need him to do just that.
Third. Make church a major priority in your life. Many young people come to the place where you are now and discard their faith. In so doing they walk away from more than just the support structure of the church, they abandon God’s plan for their life as well. Many new things are going to be coming your way in the coming weeks and months. You are going to embrace new decisions and a new direction for your life. But, whatever you do, don’t relinquish your place in the church. You will need the fellowship of the body of Christ along the way. It may not seem so important right now but, mark my words, the day will come when your relationship with the church will be the thing that carries you through dark storms.
Part of God’s plan for your life is to make you a part of his family. His family, in this current world, is embodied in the church. Make yourself a part of a church family. Make the church a central part of your life. Become active in your local fellowship. This is important because you were never meant to go through life alone. Someone got it right, years ago, when they said that no man is an island. No man can make it alone. So God created a spiritual family. The church is a major part off God’s plan for our world and it is a major part of his plan for your life. Become an active part of it. Your spiritual family will not supplant your natural family but it will compel you and carry you through places where your natural family will not be able to go with you.
Finally, as you make choices that will impact your future determine to find God’s purpose for your life. This is the most important thing that you will do because it’s the source of true contentment in this life. There is nothing quite like knowing that you are walking in God’s will for your life. This happens when you live your life with an awareness of God’s purpose for you. You are going to find yourself, in coming months, worrying about an education and a career choice. Those things are important but they will never give you the complete satisfaction that you desire unless they are combined with a sense of God’s purpose for your life.
God has a plan for you. God uniquely shaped you in a certain way to make a certain contribution with your life. Make it your goal to find out what God’s purpose is for you. When you do that, your career choice will be easier, the decisions about education will be easier, because it all works in harmony with God’s purpose for your life. Tonight you will graduate from High School, but somewhere down the road you will graduate from this life. When you do, nothing is going to matter more than the fact that you have walked in God’s purpose for your life. You won’t carry your career, or your education, into eternity. But, if you find God’s purpose for your life and walk in it, His purpose will carry you to Heaven.
Tonight you graduate into a world of uncertainties. As one man said, great opportunities surround you but they are disguised as unsolvable problems. I believe, tonight, that you will conquer the obstacles and make an impact on your world. I believe this because I know that God has a plan for you. And his plan is to prosper you. His plan is good. Find it and walk in it. That’s the key to true happiness in this life.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Faith That Preserves The Soul
It seems that, for several weeks now, I have been drawing from the same well. With very few exceptions the time I spend in fellowship with the Lord has resulted in inspiration in the area of faith. This past weekend, while pursing what I believed was an unrelated thought, God led me into another facet of the whole subject that should have been obvious all along but had managed to remain concealed to me. The scripture that I was using for my text led me to a study of the myriad of Hebrew words translated as hope in the Old Testament. I discovered in the course of that study that the common thread between all those words is the fact that they reference a faith that is directed towards the future.
Hope is, simply put, forward facing faith. It is hope that invites us to look ahead in confident expectation. Hope rises up and says that the current circumstances are not final. Hope declares to us that this is not the end of the story. No matter how bad things may get or how contrary the evidence may be, it is hope that refuses to lose heart. According to 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 it sees te momentary affliction as a transient, temporal, passing thing. Hope, according to verse 18, "looks not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen."
This forward facing faith that peers into the future looking for the fulfillment of a promise is, after all, the essence of hope. Paul said, in Romans 8:24-25, that hope that is seen is not hope at all. Rather, hope reaches for what it does not, even can not, see. This is what hope really is. It is an intense optimism of the spirit that refuses to relinquish the belief that a better future is just ahead. It strives, with all that it has, for that which has not yet been realized. It tops the mountain and gazes across the valley with the firm belief that the destination lies just across the way. It will not give up and it will not back up. Hope is thoroughly convinced that the promise that hasn't yet come to pass, is just about to be realized. It invests itself, fully, in what it cannot presently see.
Perhaps this is why Paul said, in Romans 8:24, "for in this hope we are saved." Because our salvation relies on this hope. Paul said that we groan inwardly and wait eagerly, in anticipation of the promise that we have only heard of but have never seen. There is a significant longing of the pirit that manifests itself in hope that propells us towards heaven's open door. Every person that is saved will possess within their being this fervent hope that declares, this world is not my home. It is a hope that is constantly striving for a city whose builder and maker is God. It is a hope that propells the sinner form the pew to the alter, it is a hope that persuades the bound to leave their habits behind and pursue a better way, it is a hope that persuades men and women to lay down their lives and lal they have and reach for that which they can only see through the eyes of faith.
The greatest challenge to this kind of hope is the tendency, that we all possess, to get bogged down in the present circumstance. Today's affairs, today's circumstances, today's problems and doubts and fears will attempt to entangle and entrap you and rob you of your hope. If we aren't careful we will allow the circumstances of this life to temper our hope. I want to encourage you today to make a conscious effort to keep hope alive in your heart. If we aren't careful our faith may become jaded and our hope may dim. Life will give us every opportunity to turn back, to shrink away from the promise of God. With this in mind, the writer of Hebrews said, in Hebrews 10:39, "we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls."
I feel compelled today to remind you that there is a faith, born of hope, that preserves the soul. When the things of this life would damage and destroy you, hope rises up and preserves the soul. When trouble and tragedy would diminish your fervor, hope looks to the future and propels you on. There is a preserving hope that results in a persistent faith that refuses to give up and toss in the towel. Perhaps this is why Paul says, in the next verse (11:1), that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith is the assurance of the thing that you can only hope for, it is the conviction of the thing that has not yet been seen. That's the kind of faith that preserves the soul, it endures the moment but strives for the promise.
Hope is, simply put, forward facing faith. It is hope that invites us to look ahead in confident expectation. Hope rises up and says that the current circumstances are not final. Hope declares to us that this is not the end of the story. No matter how bad things may get or how contrary the evidence may be, it is hope that refuses to lose heart. According to 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 it sees te momentary affliction as a transient, temporal, passing thing. Hope, according to verse 18, "looks not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen."
This forward facing faith that peers into the future looking for the fulfillment of a promise is, after all, the essence of hope. Paul said, in Romans 8:24-25, that hope that is seen is not hope at all. Rather, hope reaches for what it does not, even can not, see. This is what hope really is. It is an intense optimism of the spirit that refuses to relinquish the belief that a better future is just ahead. It strives, with all that it has, for that which has not yet been realized. It tops the mountain and gazes across the valley with the firm belief that the destination lies just across the way. It will not give up and it will not back up. Hope is thoroughly convinced that the promise that hasn't yet come to pass, is just about to be realized. It invests itself, fully, in what it cannot presently see.
Perhaps this is why Paul said, in Romans 8:24, "for in this hope we are saved." Because our salvation relies on this hope. Paul said that we groan inwardly and wait eagerly, in anticipation of the promise that we have only heard of but have never seen. There is a significant longing of the pirit that manifests itself in hope that propells us towards heaven's open door. Every person that is saved will possess within their being this fervent hope that declares, this world is not my home. It is a hope that is constantly striving for a city whose builder and maker is God. It is a hope that propells the sinner form the pew to the alter, it is a hope that persuades the bound to leave their habits behind and pursue a better way, it is a hope that persuades men and women to lay down their lives and lal they have and reach for that which they can only see through the eyes of faith.
The greatest challenge to this kind of hope is the tendency, that we all possess, to get bogged down in the present circumstance. Today's affairs, today's circumstances, today's problems and doubts and fears will attempt to entangle and entrap you and rob you of your hope. If we aren't careful we will allow the circumstances of this life to temper our hope. I want to encourage you today to make a conscious effort to keep hope alive in your heart. If we aren't careful our faith may become jaded and our hope may dim. Life will give us every opportunity to turn back, to shrink away from the promise of God. With this in mind, the writer of Hebrews said, in Hebrews 10:39, "we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls."
I feel compelled today to remind you that there is a faith, born of hope, that preserves the soul. When the things of this life would damage and destroy you, hope rises up and preserves the soul. When trouble and tragedy would diminish your fervor, hope looks to the future and propels you on. There is a preserving hope that results in a persistent faith that refuses to give up and toss in the towel. Perhaps this is why Paul says, in the next verse (11:1), that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith is the assurance of the thing that you can only hope for, it is the conviction of the thing that has not yet been seen. That's the kind of faith that preserves the soul, it endures the moment but strives for the promise.
Friday, May 22, 2009
God Has A Plan...
In the authoritative voice of a man anointed by God, Jeremiah spoke of judgment for Israel but he also spoke of promise. After pronouncing the terrible captivity that was to come he proceeded to share in Jeremiah 29:11 that the Lord had declared "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." This afternoon this scripture was prompted to my mind out of the blue and God spoke to my heart as only he can. The thought was simple but powerful, "I have a plan for you!"
God has a plan for me. He has a plan for you as well. And his plan, the prophet reminded us, is to prosper us, not to harm us. His plan is to give us hope and a future. I don't know about you but I am excited today by the simple yet profound knowledge that God has a plan and a purpose for me!
I know what you're thinking. So what's new? I've known all along that God had a plan for me. I've known all along that God was directing my paths. Yes, me too. But there' something about that sudden confirmation that can only come from a heavenly experience. There's something about realizing that God knows right where I am and He has a plan for my life.
His plan may lead through some difficult valleys, his plan may take me through some turbulent storms, but his plan is for my good. His plan is to give me hope and a future. His plan is taking me where I truly need to go. It is this simple knowledge that gives the ability to trust the Lord and walk where he leads.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, David said, I know that you are with me! There's something about knowing that God is with you, that makes even the most difficult of places a comfort to the soul instead of a terror to the flesh. Pardon me if it's too elementary for you, but I just want to celebrate the fact, today, that God has a plan for me!
God has a plan. That's good enough for me. Lead on, precious Lord. Where you lead, I'll gladly follow...
God has a plan for me. He has a plan for you as well. And his plan, the prophet reminded us, is to prosper us, not to harm us. His plan is to give us hope and a future. I don't know about you but I am excited today by the simple yet profound knowledge that God has a plan and a purpose for me!
I know what you're thinking. So what's new? I've known all along that God had a plan for me. I've known all along that God was directing my paths. Yes, me too. But there' something about that sudden confirmation that can only come from a heavenly experience. There's something about realizing that God knows right where I am and He has a plan for my life.
His plan may lead through some difficult valleys, his plan may take me through some turbulent storms, but his plan is for my good. His plan is to give me hope and a future. His plan is taking me where I truly need to go. It is this simple knowledge that gives the ability to trust the Lord and walk where he leads.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, David said, I know that you are with me! There's something about knowing that God is with you, that makes even the most difficult of places a comfort to the soul instead of a terror to the flesh. Pardon me if it's too elementary for you, but I just want to celebrate the fact, today, that God has a plan for me!
God has a plan. That's good enough for me. Lead on, precious Lord. Where you lead, I'll gladly follow...
Thursday, May 21, 2009
The Day That Nothing Happened...
It was just an ordinary day. It was a day like any other day. It was incredibly, boringly normal. The sun came up on the eastern horizon and settled down in the west. The usual business was conducted, normal people went about their normal lives with no real notable events taking place. It was just another run-of-the-mill day. One single day in a monotonous week, buried in a normal month, hidden in a year full of such days. It was just another date on a calendar. It was probably a day just like today, a plain old ordinary day.
As a matter of fact, the day was so unremarkable that England's ruling monarch, George III, reportedly wrote in his journal that "Nothing of importance happened today." That pretty well summed it up. The affairs of state had been seen to, the political wheels had continued to turn, the business of a nation had been conducted and nothing of any real importance had occurred on that simple, unassuming, ordinary day.
However, on the day that nothing happened the wold was completely changed. Future days, months and years would bear witness to the monumental change that occurred on that quiet, ordinary day. In retrospect, it was a day that would shape the future of nations. It was a day that would forever impact human society. It was the day that freedom was born and liberty was declared. That day was July 4, 1776, and it was the day that the Declaration of Independence was adopted by delegates to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. What an incredible day!
As I read the words written by King George earlier today it caused the wheels to begin to turn in my mind. It was a day just like this one. How many times do we take fore granted the gift of another normal day? How many times do we look around our seemingly normal lives in the midst of an average day and label it as unimportant, as a day when nothing of any importance is going to take place?
I want to remind you today that it was on a day just like this that this nation was born. The repercussions of that event have framed the worlds history from that day to this. It was on a day just like this that roman centurion became the first of many Gentiles to be filled with the wonderful gift of the Holy Ghost. That day the gospel was demonstrated to be for the Jew and the Gentile alike and you and I become benefactors of the promise of God. It was on a day just like this that Stephen was stoned to death. That day was forever burned into the memory of the man who would later be used of God to deliver much of the New Testament to us. It was on a day just like this that a preacher decided to start holding revival meetings in an abandoned livery stable on Azusa Street.
Today may feel like an ordinary day. It may seem to be destined to be a day during which nothing of any importance will take place. However, I feel impressed to nudge your spirit today and remind you that it will be on a day like this that a chance meeting will plant the seed for the revival that will transform your city. It will be on a day like this that a spiritual foothold will be gained that will lead to a revival that will change the face of an entire region. It will be on a day like this that he will split the eastern sky.
It may seem like an ordinary day but "this is the day which the Lord has made." (Psalm 118:24) This is a day that was divinely ordained for your life. This is a day that God planned for you before you even woke up this morning. Don't make the mistake of writing this day off as just another ordinary day. Today is full of promise. Today is full of opportunity. God has good things in store for you today.
I can't help but wonder today what kind of fruit tomorrow will bear from what happened in our lives today. How will this single, simple, ordinary day shape the coming weeks and months of our lives? Who will you talk to today? Who will watch you from a distance? Who will be touched by your example today? What open door will god place in your life today? What opportunity will present itself in the disguise of a day where nothing of any importance happened?
Indeed, this IS the day that God has made for you. Don't waste it, don't over look it and don't underestimate it. God has a purpose for this simple ordinary day...
As a matter of fact, the day was so unremarkable that England's ruling monarch, George III, reportedly wrote in his journal that "Nothing of importance happened today." That pretty well summed it up. The affairs of state had been seen to, the political wheels had continued to turn, the business of a nation had been conducted and nothing of any real importance had occurred on that simple, unassuming, ordinary day.
However, on the day that nothing happened the wold was completely changed. Future days, months and years would bear witness to the monumental change that occurred on that quiet, ordinary day. In retrospect, it was a day that would shape the future of nations. It was a day that would forever impact human society. It was the day that freedom was born and liberty was declared. That day was July 4, 1776, and it was the day that the Declaration of Independence was adopted by delegates to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. What an incredible day!
As I read the words written by King George earlier today it caused the wheels to begin to turn in my mind. It was a day just like this one. How many times do we take fore granted the gift of another normal day? How many times do we look around our seemingly normal lives in the midst of an average day and label it as unimportant, as a day when nothing of any importance is going to take place?
I want to remind you today that it was on a day just like this that this nation was born. The repercussions of that event have framed the worlds history from that day to this. It was on a day just like this that roman centurion became the first of many Gentiles to be filled with the wonderful gift of the Holy Ghost. That day the gospel was demonstrated to be for the Jew and the Gentile alike and you and I become benefactors of the promise of God. It was on a day just like this that Stephen was stoned to death. That day was forever burned into the memory of the man who would later be used of God to deliver much of the New Testament to us. It was on a day just like this that a preacher decided to start holding revival meetings in an abandoned livery stable on Azusa Street.
Today may feel like an ordinary day. It may seem to be destined to be a day during which nothing of any importance will take place. However, I feel impressed to nudge your spirit today and remind you that it will be on a day like this that a chance meeting will plant the seed for the revival that will transform your city. It will be on a day like this that a spiritual foothold will be gained that will lead to a revival that will change the face of an entire region. It will be on a day like this that he will split the eastern sky.
It may seem like an ordinary day but "this is the day which the Lord has made." (Psalm 118:24) This is a day that was divinely ordained for your life. This is a day that God planned for you before you even woke up this morning. Don't make the mistake of writing this day off as just another ordinary day. Today is full of promise. Today is full of opportunity. God has good things in store for you today.
I can't help but wonder today what kind of fruit tomorrow will bear from what happened in our lives today. How will this single, simple, ordinary day shape the coming weeks and months of our lives? Who will you talk to today? Who will watch you from a distance? Who will be touched by your example today? What open door will god place in your life today? What opportunity will present itself in the disguise of a day where nothing of any importance happened?
Indeed, this IS the day that God has made for you. Don't waste it, don't over look it and don't underestimate it. God has a purpose for this simple ordinary day...
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