Dealing with agitation

There are so many triggers that lead to me being agitated.

I hate to admit that.  I’d like to be better at managing it.  What I have gotten better at is keeping the surface-level calm, but the agitation still stirs in my heart.  I’m not certain that’s real progress, though.

Sometimes, my agitation is my own fault.  If I’m running late, I always seem to find the lane with the slowest driver…which, of course, means I’ll hit all the red lights along my path, too.  Or I could get pulled into what I thought would be a short conversation that quickly turns into a deeper discussion than I wanted to budget my time for.  A particularly agitating situation for me is when I’m depending on someone – especially if I’ve paid this person to do a job – and they aren’t meeting the standard we had agreed to. 

Do any of these situations sound familiar?

The American Hertitage Dictionary has this description as a part of its definition of agitation:

A stirring up or arousing; disturbance of tranquility; disturbance of mind which shows itself by physical excitement

That sounds about right.  I may begin with feeling frustration, but if I progress to agitation, there’s probably some physical tell to go along with the shift in my mood.  I’ve suddenly lost my poker face.  The chances of me lashing out before thinking it through have definitely gone up.

One sure-fire way to get me agitated is external to me.  I despise people taking advantage of others or taking advantage of “the system”.  We all need to make a living, but we don’t have to price-gouge.  I am 100% in support of entrepreneurs (there are several in my family), but I’m shocked and agitated when people create fake businesses, like daycares or hospice centers, only to get paid out by government programs.  Worse yet, it appears that some people just take advantage of others simply “because they can”…and that agitates me to no end. 

And to fix situations like these, we may even convince ourselves that we gotta meet them on their level.  We justify defrauding them just like they defrauded others.  We daydream of pulling it off and yelling, “See?  Do you like how that feels?”

David recognized the same feelings of agitation we have, but his advice runs counter to our knee-jerk reaction:

Psalm 37:1-9
Do not be agitated by evildoers; do not envy those who do wrong.
For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender green plants.

Trust in the Lord and do what is good; dwell in the land and live securely.
Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act,
making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday.

Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him;
do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way,
by the person who carries out evil plans.

Refrain from anger and give up your rage;
do not be agitated – it can only bring harm.
For evildoers will be destroyed,
but those who put their hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

My first thought when reading through is “That sounds nice David, but not very practical.  Me ‘doing good’ doesn’t stop them from ‘doing bad’ to others.  I still see them running around taking advantage of people.”

However, this line of thinking misses what God says to do first when we’re agitated by evildoers.  “Do what is good” comes second.  “Trust in the Lord” comes first.  Too often, I expect that I can wield “my good” to bully or shame the other person into doing what I think they should.  In those cases, I haven’t included God in the equation.  I’m expecting my own righteousness to prevail.

Instead, God is telling us that we aren’t the cure for evil – He is.  When we trust Him, He will act.  But His acts will come on His timing, not ours. 

Does this mean we are to be a doormat and simply let bad people be bad?  No, I don’t think so.  Part of doing what is good is advocating for and protecting others.  But we do so with a humble attitude that God’s correction is better than us lashing out of our agitation.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Swedish CPS overreach against a Christian family

This story is wild.  And it’s every parent’s worst nightmare.

A Romanian family, the Samsons, have been living in Sweden for nearly 10 years.  In 2022, the parents had an argument with their then-11-year-old daughter, who wanted to wear make-up and have a cell phone.  In retaliation for their decision, the daughter went to school and accused her parents of abuse.  The state put both girls into separate foster homes…and although the eldest daughter retracted her claim and the state’s investigation found no evidence of abuse – the girls have not been returned to their parents.

A March 10, 2026, press release from ADF International stated the following:

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled a case brought by Christian parents Daniel and Bianca Samson against Sweden as inadmissible. The parents were seeking justice before the court to regain custody of their daughters, claiming a severe violation of their parental rights. The decision of inadmissibility is final and cannot be appealed. ADF International lawyers are now reviewing the decision together with the parents and assessing possible next steps.

The two eldest daughters of the Samson family were taken by the state in December 2022 after the eldest made a false report at school over her parents’ refusal to give her a phone and allow makeup, prompting allegations of “religious extremism,” even though she promptly retracted. The daughters have been separated from their parents, and each other, since December 2022, even though the state found no evidence of abuse.

“We deeply regret the Court’s decision to reject this case, considering that this family has been torn apart for over three years despite a full investigation that cleared Mr. and Mrs. Samson of any abuse and the fact that the Social Services certified their capacity and fitness for parenting after they successfully completed an official training. Families should be free to live according to their convictions without fear of losing their children to the state,” said Guillermo A. Morales Sancho, Legal Counsel for ADF International.

The European Court of Human Rights deemed the case inadmissible on the grounds of failure to exhaust legal remedies in Sweden, despite the legal team’s assessment that there were no further options for domestic recourse.

Specifically, the Court indicated that it did not consider there to be an apparent violation of the right to respect for private life under the European Convention on Human Rights. It further suggested that questions relating to freedom of religion may be raised before national courts, an option the Samsons may now pursue.

The state has cited the family’s regular attendance at church three times a week to corroborate accusations of “religious extremism,” despite the fact that this simply reflects their religious beliefs and is a protected action under international human rights law.

The parents can see each daughter once a month, on a supervised visit.  Both girls are being housed in separate foster homes, located far away from each other.  Both have pleaded with the courts to be reunited with each other and their family.  Both have attempted suicide while in foster care.

You can learn more about this family and their case here: https://adfinternational.org/cases/samson-family

Can you imagine being a parent in this situation?  Feelings of helplessness, worry, anger, and fear…coming in waves that are dashed against the rocks of the court’s latest ruling.

Step into the shoes of the daughters.  Everything seems hopeless.  How heavy is the regret?  How scary does the future seem?

It would be easy to be mad at God in this moment.  How could He let this level of blatant injustice happen to a family that is trying to live their lives according to their belief in Him?

Some may even argue that this latest ruling against the family is proof that God doesn’t exist, or if He does, then He doesn’t care.  Why would He allow such pain to persist?

As I processed this story, empathizing with everyone involved, my thoughts landed on the Biblical character of Joseph.  He was unjustly treated by his brothers, sold as a slave, falsely accused of a heinous crime, and wrongfully imprisoned.  Eventually, he was released from prison to serve in Pharaoh’s court…but from the time he was sold into slavery to the time he was released from prison – 13 years had passed.  That’s a lot of suffering.  That’s a lot of days, wondering why God allowed such blatant injustice to impact his life.  That’s a lot of nights, feeling alone and abandoned.  You can read the full story in Genesis 37-41.

Later, when a severe famine struck the entire region, Joseph’s family came to him for help (even though they didn’t recognize him).  The suffering that had God allowed over those 13 years had become the path that brought Joseph to the position where he could save his family from starvation.  Years later, looking back on the events of his life, Joseph said this to his brothers:

Genesis 50:20
You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result

I am hopeful that the Samson family will find a legal way to reunification.  We can and should pray that God makes a way as soon as possible.  However, if God does not answer our prayers in the way we think their path should go…we can pray that one day, all members of the family will say the same thing Joseph did.

Trusting God isn’t always easy.  But His track record shows that it is our best option.  Even if there is pain, suffering, injustice, and heartache along the way.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

I had to delete them all

I’ve been praying a lot more lately.  If that seems weird to read, well…I also admit that it is a little weird to type.  But the truth is, I’ve been talking with God a lot more in the past few months than in previous seasons.

If you’re wondering “why”, I can’t put my finger on just one thing – it’s more a list of influences, rather than a single event.  There’s no major tragedy happening (although that’s what tends to be the thing to push us to pray more).  Prayer has been the topic of two different sermon series at our church in the last six months, and the weekly Men’s Zoom call I participate in has been going through the book, Lead with Prayer.  I’ve also been using the morning prayers on the app Lectio365 as a launching pad to get my mind right before I pray.  But you know what draws me back to praying each morning and throughout the day, more than anything else?  I’m enjoying the time spent talking and listening to God.  That’s it.  When you have good conversation with someone, you naturally want to go back and converse some more.

Early one February morning before work that day, the house was quiet and I was sitting in my recliner with my eyes closed.  I had finished listening to and meditating along with the morning Lectio365 prayer, and I had just started to share with God what was on my mind.  I don’t remember exactly what I was praying about, but I was quickly interrupted with an impression/voice/idea from God.  I say “impression/voice/idea from God” because it wasn’t an audible voice in the room, but it was also not my voice – I know what I sound like when I talk/think internally, and this was not that.  This impression/voice/idea was very clear: You need to delete all the games off your phone.

I dismissed that thought and tried to continue on with what I was praying about, but the impression/voice/idea came back again, and more insistent this time: You need to delete all the games off your phone.  I argued back, even though I knew I didn’t have a good argument not to…I just didn’t want to.  The eight games on my phone were puzzle games, a hearts card game, and one hunting game.  Most of them I didn’t play often, a couple of them I’d play throughout the day when a moment of waiting or boredom hit.  They were a safety net when I didn’t want to think.  While playing them didn’t seem like that big of a deal, if you totaled up my game usage for the week, those random minutes here and there added up to about 1-1.5 hours per day.  So, after arguing with God for what seemed like forever, I slowly deleted them, one-by-one.

I’d like to tell you that I felt automatically free and within days became the most creative I’ve ever been in my life – but that’s not what happened.  That first week, there were numerous times I grabbed my phone, then I would stare at the screen wondering, “What exactly am I trying to do?”  I was getting a crash course of just how much I had outsourced my attention throughout the day. 

As the detoxing continued, the toughest time of day was later in the evenings, when my brain was too tired to think through most of my preferred hobbies (reading, writing, etc.) but I didn’t want to go to bed yet…what am I doing if I’m not staring at my phone?  This was especially hard at the two-week mark, that evening I wanted to do nothing more than download a game and just play the time away before bed.  However, what helped me get past that urge was the Bible app’s verse of the day.  It was part of something Paul said to his friends in Ephesus:

Acts 20:24
But I consider my life of no value to myself; my purpose is to finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.

That verse really challenged me – I can’t reconcile playing app games with Paul’s focused understanding of his life and mission.  Let me be clear: apps and games for enjoyment aren’t sin.  However, as these were stealing my attention, they had also become an escape mechanism.  As such, they were pulling me away from what God had already called me to do.

This realization brought another Scripture to mind:

Hebrews 12:1-2
…let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us.  Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.

I love how the author of Hebrews distinguishes between our life experiences.  We encounter both hindrances and sins – and both of them can easily ensnare us.  The games I was playing weren’t sinful, but they were a hindrance.  They were holding back my attention from where my feet were in that particular moment.  And as I am now over a month past removing them off my phone, I’m beginning to think that the apps were also a hindrance to preparing me for whatever mission God has next for me.

So, I have to ask – Does my story resonate?  Is there something in your life that isn’t necessarily “bad”, but has become a hindrance to living out who you are as a son or daughter of God?  Is there something in your life that could keep you from taking on that next opportunity to partner with God?

It’s time to lay that aside.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

He started it

What is love?

I mean, what is it, exactly?

We throw that word around all the time…how many of these have you said?

I love chocolate.
I love vacation.
I love my mom.
I love my wife. (or husband)
I love this music.
I love my dog.
I love my job. (often said with sarcasm)

It’s the same word, every time.  But it’s not the same meaning, every time.

We expect the hearer (or reader) to understand what we actually mean based upon our tone and the context of our words.

We also find “love confusion” in our music, regardless of style.  We have many songs asking what love is, or how can I know that this feeling of love is “the real thing”, or even songs that tell us that love will fix everything.  But how can we say that it is the healing we need, if we don’t know what it is?

This is where I appreciate the Greek language more than our modern English.  The Greeks had many different words to explain the different “shades” or “types” of love a human can experience.  The main words used include agape (unconditional, selfless love), eros (romantic or sexual passion), philia (deep friendship or brotherly love), philautia (self-love), storge (familial or affectionate love), and xenia (hospitality or guest-love).

Doesn’t that make it easier to understand?  You immediately know what kind of love I’m referring to, based upon the word I chose.

In the Bible, there are three Greek words used for love: agape, philia, and storge.  While the concept of eros is present in Scripture, the word is not directly used.

So, that helps.  But we still haven’t answered the yearning-for-love question our poets and songwriters search for.  At least, until we come across this little verse in a letter from the Apostle John:

1 John 4:19
We love because He first loved us.

Both “love” words in this verse are agape.  Isn’t that the kind of love we want the most?  Oh, to be loved selflessly, unconditionally…to have the security in a relationship, knowing that our bond will not break – regardless of circumstances, my mistakes, or even my own selfish choices. 

That’s the kind of love our poets write tales about and our songwriters croon over.  That kind of dependable love makes us brave and grateful.  To receive agape love over a long period of time provides a sense of stable connection and identity found nowhere else.  When a person chooses to give us agape love, we feel valued and become emotionally secure.

And we know what that really is because He first loved us.  He started it.  God agape’d us, even when we were rather unlovely and did not deserve any form of love.  But He chose to…and because He did, we can have a constant, stable relationship with Him.

That’s how we know what love is.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

The last thing Jesus wanted

If you knew that you were about to step into the most pressure-filled moment of your life and there was no way to avoid what was coming, what would you do?  Whom would you want to be around leading up to that moment?

After Jesus had The Last Supper with His disciples, He took them to a familiar place.  However, Jesus knew that night wasn’t going to be like other trips they had taken there.  The cross was happening the next day.  Suffering and sacrifice were fast approaching.  He knew this was His mission, why He came to earth…but there’s a reason why the root word for “excruciating” comes from the word for “cross” or “crucifixion”.  These next hours were going to be excruciatingly painful – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

You can understand why Jesus needed to pray and why He wanted His closest friends with Him at this moment.

Luke 22:39-46
He went out and made His way as usual to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed Him.  When He reached the place, He told them, “Pray that you may not fall into temptation.”

Then He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and began to pray, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me – nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.”

Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.  Being in anguish, He prayed more fervently, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.

When He got up from prayer and came to the disciples, He found them sleeping, exhausted from their grief.  “Why are you sleeping?” He asked them.  “Get up and pray, so that you won’t fall into temptation.”

Matthew and Mark’s record of this moment reveals that Jesus went to them three times, encouraging them to pray…but three times He found them dozing off.

The last thing Jesus wanted before He was arrested and crucified was for His disciples to pray – but not for Him and what He was about to go through.  I would have expected that request.  That’s the kind of request I would have if I knew I was about to step into the most pressure-filled moment of my life.

Instead, the last thing Jesus wanted was the disciples to be praying for themselves and the upcoming choices that they couldn’t see yet.  He knew they would need to depend on the Father in new ways very soon.  Satan was coming for them, and the disciples needed to be prepared for the temptations they would face. 

Despite His agony and internal turmoil, Jesus was still teaching His disciples up until the very moment He was arrested and taken away.

Years later, perhaps even thinking back to that night in the garden, Peter gave similar advice to those he discipled:

1 Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded, be alert.  Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.

Satan wanted to devour the disciples the night Jesus was arrested.  His plans have not changed.  If he has his way, he’ll devour you, too.

What should we do?  How can we best combat our prowling adversary?

Be sober-minded, be alert…pray that you won’t fall into temptation.

Don’t fall asleep on this one.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

They asked Jesus for permission to kill

In Mark’s gospel, when Jesus’ twelve disciples are first chosen, we find something curious…the first three listed all have nicknames:

Mark 3:14-17
He appointed twelve, whom He also named apostles, to be with Him, to send them out to preach, and to have authority to drive out demons.  He appointed the Twelve: To Simon, He gave the name Peter; and to James the son of Zebedee, and to his brother John, He gave the name “Boanerges” (that is, “Sons of Thunder”)

Interesting name for James and John – “Sons of Thunder”.  I don’t believe this was necessarily a tribute to their father Zebedee, either.  In Luke’s gospel, we find a bigger clue:

Luke 9:51-55
When the days were coming to a close for Him to be taken up, He determined to journey to Jerusalem.  He sent messengers ahead of Himself, and on the way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make preparations for Him.  But they did not welcome Him, because He determined to journey to Jerusalem. 

When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?”

Whoa.  There’s a lot to unpack here.

You can understand why James and John are upset with the Samaritan village – after everything Jesus has done for this marginalized group during His ministry.  Jesus gave the Samaritans the clearest presentation of the gospel and had stayed with them before (John 4:1-43).  Later on, Jesus would use a Samaritan a the “good example” in one of His teachings (Luke 10:25-37), and He also had no issue healing them (John 17:11-19).  From these examples, we see Jesus’ heart toward this group of people that mainstream Jewish society routinely excluded, sneered at, and generally despised.

When Jesus’ kind feelings and actions were not reciprocated, James and John became indignant.  They wanted to administer justice, right then and there.  Even go so far as to make “an example” out of this hard-hearted town.

Did you notice whom they wanted to hand out the punishment?  They didn’t ask Jesus to do it for them.  Instead, the Sons of Thunder asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?”  They had every confidence in their ability to do this.  Jesus had previously given them the ability to heal and to cast out demons, so, in their minds, they were good to go, just like the prophets of the Old Testament, as soon as Jesus gave the word.

Instead of giving permission, Jesus gave them a reprimand:

Luke 9:56
But He turned and rebuked them, and they went to another village.

Jesus shut down their request, removed them from the situation, and made them walk it off.

Put yourself in Jesus’ sandals for a moment.  Two of your three top lieutenants just tried to wipe out an entire town, and do it under your authority.  How would you be feeling toward them, especially when you think of their next assignment? 

Do you still have confidence in them to represent you well, if they were out on their own?
Would you consider firing them?
Do you feel at least a little wary or guarded? 
Would you consider assigning some extra supervision before you can trust them again?

That’s not the approach Jesus took:

Luke 10:1
After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others, and He sent them ahead of Him in pairs to every town and place where He Himself was about to go.

They were rebuked, but they were not kicked off the team.  They messed up, but they weren’t demoted.  Jesus still included them in His plans.

How often does the church side-line someone, especially someone in their teens or twenties, the moment they “mess up”?  They get treated like a child and barred from helping in any major capacity again. 

But is that what Jesus did?

Nope.  Instead, He gave them more responsibility at the next opportunity.  He sent them out to essentially be His PR Crew – and without His direct supervision!

So, come on, Church.  Give the next generation a place to lead – and possibly fail.  If/When a failure occurs, it’s on us older believers to straighten them out, pick them back up, and help them get back in the game as soon as possible.

Christ didn’t give up on James and John when they failed, and He hasn’t given up on us when we have failed Him, either.  So, let’s follow His example.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

It's not weak to be weak

We’ve spent the last two blog posts thinking about self-reliance and what God says happens to us when we trust our own strength instead of relying on God.  If you missed either of them, check out Week 1 here and Week 2 here.

But why do we do it?  Why do we put so much trust in ourselves, what we can build, or things we can acquire?

Self-reliance is ultimately a power issue.  We’re trying to answer the question of identity we all must wrestle with:
Who has control and authority over my life?

When I choose me as the one who is in control, what I’m really doing I’m trying to make everyone subject to me.  I’m moving through life with the attitude: You don’t have control over me…if you want to interact with me (and you should want to), then you’ll have to do so on my terms.  Because I’m self-reliant.  I’m strong without you or anyone else.

However, truth be told…I’m much weaker than I realize.  And the parts that I realize where I’m weak, I’m unwilling to admit out loud.  And I can get away with it mainly because of modern conveniences.

For example: I wear contacts.  In fact, I wear multi-focal contacts.  Without them, I can’t see anything beyond about 2 inches from my face (I’m not exaggerating, either).  If I had been born 100 years earlier, I wouldn’t have been able to afford basic glasses.  Which means that everything in my life would have been different if I couldn’t see.  I wouldn’t have been educated.  I couldn’t work.  I certainly wouldn’t have been married or had kids.  To be blunt, I would have been worthless as a blind person.

Many other modern conveniences cover additional weakness: Food is readily available in our society; we don’t have to hunt and gather for it.  We use makeup and selfie filters to hide our imperfections.  We work hard to project in real life and online that “everything’s not just good, but it’s great”. 

But our obsession (it really is an obsession, when we’re honest with ourselves) with being strong and self-sufficient prevents us from entering into our weaknesses.  But why…WHY…would we want to do that?  Because that’s where we’ll meet Jesus.

Paul didn’t like being weak.  Can you blame him?  God gave him an important mission – to bring the good news about Jesus to the entire known world!  You would think that if God gave such an important task, He would outfit Paul with the best skills, abilities, and finances to pull off such an assignment.  But what did Paul get, along with the honor of being God’s messenger? He received a wound…he was weakened.

2 Corinthians 12:7-8
Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself.  Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me.

God allowed Paul – His chosen messenger – to be wounded, for his own good.  Paul admitted that he would have exalted himself if that thorn in the flesh had not been there.  He didn’t like it.  He wanted it gone.  And after persistently asking God to take the pain away, look at God’s reply:

2 Corinthians 12:9
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.”

If I were Paul, and God said that to me – those words would hurt more than the thorn.  And maybe they did for Paul, too.  But however long it took him to process, Paul changed his mind:

2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.  So I take pleasure in weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.

What a powerful perspective.  It’s in our weaknesses that Jesus’ strength is shown in our lives.  Not in how strong and self-reliant we are.  Jesus’ power doesn’t show up when we’re puffed up and full of ourselves. 

Don’t miss the part where Paul will gladly admit, even boast, about his weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in [him].  Makes me think that all our posing and flexing is what keeps Christ’s power from NOT residing in us.  No wonder we feel so fragile behind our façade of self-reliance.

Embrace your weakness, for the sake of Christ.  Allow His resurrection power to empower you.  Don’t fuel yourself with your own grit and stubbornness.

It’s not weak to be weak before God.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

A contrast of trees

Tell me if any of these phrases sound familiar:

If you want it done right, do it yourself.
Always better to go it alone.
Take matters into your own hands.
Get your act together.

There are many ways we express our self-sufficiency.  We act and think (or at least project to others) like we are self-made men and women.  We flex our strengths in our possessions, our words, and our online profiles.  In last week’s post, we found out what God says happens to us when we puff ourselves up with self-reliance:

Jeremiah 17:5-6
This is what the Lord says:
Cursed is the person who trusts in mankind.
He makes human flesh his strength and his heart turns from the Lord.

He will be like a juniper in the Arabah;
he cannot see when good comes
but dwells in the parched places in the wilderness,
in a salt land where no one lives.

Jeremiah’s audience understood that the juniper in the Arabah was an isolated tree, living a depressing life in a barren, scorched-desert wasteland.  God says that is where we end up when we find our strength in our own efforts and abilities.

Thankfully, God also offers a contrasting option.  And His example is in the life of another tree:

Jeremiah 17:7-8
The person who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed.
He will be like a tree planted by water:
it sends its roots out toward a stream,
it doesn’t fear when heat comes,
and its foliage remains green.
It will not worry in a year of drought
or cease producing fruit.

A juniper in the Arabah sends its roots out in a wide, shallow radius in the hopes of collecting whatever moisture it can.  In contrast, the tree planted by water knows exactly where its life-source is and taps into the flowing waters with confidence.  This tree doesn’t fear when the day’s weather changes and heat comes, nor does it worry in a year of drought, when difficult circumstances linger long-term.

The comparison begs the question: Which tree do you want to be?

Trusting in your own strength, like a juniper in the Arabah?
OR
Placing your confidence in the Lord, like the tree planted by water?

Choose wisely.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

That’s not as reliable as you think it is

We’re always on the lookout for reliability.  For example, reliability is the number one factor when buying a car or hiring someone to work on our vehicles.  We want to know that our vehicle will be low maintenance, but when it does need repair, the person working on it will do so at a fair price and in a reasonable amount of time.

However, our search for safety found in “reliability” often goes too far.  We get burned in a relationship and we decide that we can only rely on ourselves.  We fear the future and hoard as much money as possible.  We want to buy top-of-the-line items, both for comfort and status.  We climb the corporate ladder or out-hustle everyone to get authority… because I can’t trust anyone else to lead.  We convey our “reliability” to others in our status and achievements.  And we’re in constant competition with everyone else trying to prove the same thing.

Humanity’s quest for self-sufficiency or self-superiority isn’t just a modern problem.  Certainly our modern technologies and social media platforms hype up this self-focused pursuit…but they did not create the problem.  In fact, God warned the Israelites about it hundreds of years before Jesus was born:

Jeremiah 17:5
This is what the Lord says:
Cursed is the person who trusts in mankind.
He makes human flesh his strength and his heart turns from the Lord.

It might seem like odd phrasing that someone would make human flesh his strength, but think about the human attributes or achievements we use to gain status over each other:

Money, authority, beauty, self-sufficiency, owning luxury items…God says that if we choose any of these things as our value indicators, our strength, or reliability… it naturally moves us to a heart turned from the Lord.  There is no other path.  And here’s what happens to the one who focuses on them:

Jeremiah 17:6
He will be like a juniper in the Arabah;
he cannot see when good comes
but dwells in the parched places in the wilderness,
in a salt land where no one lives.

A juniper tree will tend to grow in isolated or scattered patterns.  This behavior is due to the conditions of the Arabah, the parched Jordan Valley west of the Dead Sea, where little rain falls and salt flats dominate.

The comparison made between the person who trusts in mankind and a juniper in the Arabah would have been crystal-clear to Jeremiah’s audience.  If they continued to seek reliability and find their value in what human flesh can bring about, they would find themselves living an isolated and depressing life…just like the juniper in the Arabah.

We also recognize this, right?  We see this happening in culture and in the news and on social media all the time.  We hear about those who have the biggest fame, the most money, and all the luxury items being the ones who are most lonely and most depressed.

But, for some reason, we think that we won’t be like that.  Deep down, we think “Somehow, I’ll be the exception” and we convince ourselves to keep pursuing self-reliance.

Probably time to check our attitude towards all the things we are relying on…let’s ask God to review our hearts and reveal any place we’re relying on ourselves or what human strength can provide.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Don’t just "enjoy" your youth

As the years have gone by and my number of birthdays has increased, I’m learning a few hard lessons about being middle-aged.  Do any of these sound familiar?

·       I’m not as young as I used to be
·       I don’t bounce back as quickly as I used to
·       I didn’t realize how good my younger body actually was

When I was in my teens and twenties, I often took solace in a verse from one of Paul’s letters to his protégé, Timothy.  After traveling and ministering under Paul for many years and a number of mission trips, Paul gave Timothy a specific, and certainly challenging, assignment – to stay put and lead the Christian church in the city of Ephesus.

Ephesus was a true melting pot of cultures because it was a major port city on the western edge of modern-day Turkey.  Commerce from all over the world passed through Ephesus, and the people who brought the goods also brought their cultures, beliefs, and religious practices with them.

Although Paul believed Timothy was ready for this role, after some time, Paul wrote two letters of encouragement – we refer to these as 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy.  Now Timothy was on the younger side, likely late 20s to early 30s when Paul wrote to him.  Not quite as young as when I grabbed ahold of this verse, but Timothy was still pretty young to be THE GUY leading the church in the crazy town of Ephesus.  Here’s the verse I used to build up my self-esteem in those early years (in the NIV84 translation I had at that time):

1 Tmothy 4:12
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young

I mean, doesn’t this phrase just drip with encouragement for any young person in the church?  After remembering this verse, I’d mentally puff out my chest and think, “Yeah, I can do important stuff for God, too!  Don’t look down on me and write me off because of my age!”

But what I didn’t recognize at the time…I wasn’t quoting the whole verse, because what you read above is just a snippet of what Paul was communicating.  Here’s the whole idea, with the snippet in context:

1 Timothy 4:12-16
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.  Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.  Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.  Watch your life and doctrine closely.  Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Paul’s advice isn’t just about not getting down on yourself because “everybody thinks I’m too young to do anything”.  People may have that opinion of you as a youngster, but he’s not advocating that we overcome with a self-indulgent pep-talk. 

Instead, Paul says we have work to do.  We are to set an example – and not one of just being a nice person.  Our example shows up in our speech, how we conduct our life, our faith, and our purity.  Paul doesn’t say just be “good” at one of these things and be “working on” the rest.  No, he says we should be at an example-level for all to see.

These qualities will only develop as we devote ourselves to Scripture, preaching, and teaching.  Timothy should not neglect his gift…he can’t expect to skate by on what God has naturally gifted him to do (and neither should we!).  Diligence is necessary for godly development; we have to let people see our progress.  Our perseverance will not only save us from trouble and being unproductive – our efforts will also rescue those under our care from those same things!

If I were to boil down Paul’s advice to Timothy, it would be this:
Don’t just enjoy your youth, leverage it.  Make eternal investments, don’t waste the time we have.

Oh, and one last thing – Don’t read this, shrug your shoulders, and think this passage doesn’t apply to you.  Don’t tell me that you’re “not a youth”, but you know someone who needs to hear this.  That’s a cop-out.  That’s lazy thinking.  If you ask someone who’s 100 years old, you are still young.  So, what are you going to do with the time you have?

Keep Pressing,
Ken