My pride vs. My favorite recipe

Let me give you a peak behind the preacher’s curtain.

This past Sunday, I guest-taught at our church.  We were in Week 3 of a series called “Habits of Connection”, where each week we look at habits and practices that can draw you closer to God.  This hasn’t been your typical “You should read your Bible and pray more” type of series, either.  The first two weeks were about the Habit of Self-Examination and the Habit of Simplicity.  My topic for the third week was the Habit of Solitude and Meditation.

When the church hears teaching from the Bible, it is always helpful for the preacher to make connections between what the text says with modern-day examples.  Where eastern mystical meditation is about emptying your mind and disassociating from your thoughts, the aim of biblical meditation is to fill your mind with God’s Word and ponder over it, allowing God’s thoughts to renew our minds.  Maybe it’s because I attended so many Baptist Church potlucks in my youth, but any time I talk about biblical meditation, the best example I can give is to compare it to a slow cooker meal.  I’ll ask the questions, “What’s slow cooking in the back of your mind?  Is what you’re dwelling on helpful or harmful?  Do those thoughts bring you closer to God?”

But rather than simply talk about slow cooker recipes in general, I find it easier to talk about one specifically – one of my favorite recipes.  It only contains 4 ingredients and 2 spices, but it makes a fantastic meal.  I’ve brought this simple recipe to all sorts of events, including work holiday potlucks, and it’s always a hit.  So much so that people have stopped me in the hallway at work to ask, with a tone of hopeful anticipation, “Are you bringing it again this year?” 

And, truth be told, I’ve enjoyed being “that guy” who has “that recipe” that everyone enjoys.  But for this past Sunday, I knew that simply talking about the recipe wouldn’t be enough.  I wanted to really drive home the point that taking the time to meditate on the Scriptures is worth the effort and time – that slow cooking mental meals has a great result.  So, I got up a little early on Sunday and started a double batch of my favorite slow cooker recipe to share with the church after service.

But here’s the kicker…the real peak behind the curtain…part of me didn’t want to give out the recipe.  Sure, I was fine with others enjoying what I had prepared, but if I told them how to make it themselves, then I would lose my chance to be “that guy”.  If everyone at my church knows the recipe, then I wouldn’t be able to bring this simple/awesome meal to any future gatherings – because the odds are someone else might do the same!  (and yes, I know I’ve shared the recipe in a blog before, but divulging my favorite recipe hits a little different when you give it away to people you see every week!)

Fortunately, that slice of my ego was rather small, and I told me to get over myself.  But, in all honesty, a little bit of “awwww, man…” lingered in the back of my mind.  However, having the meal available after church was a huge hit and a great tie-in reminder from the message about meditation.  And, of course, I was asked by a lot of people to share the recipe.

We agreed to send it out as part of the church’s weekly email.  So, with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek, I say, “There goes any chance of me being ‘that guy’!”  But as I’ve reflected on Sunday’s message and the discussions it led to, God has allowed me to see something bigger.  A peak behind His curtain, if you will.

Now, whenever anyone from the church makes my favorite slow cooker recipe, they’ll be reminded of how powerful biblical meditation can be.  Thinking God’s thoughts after Him and pondering over the thoughts of our Creator has a way of renewing our minds and refreshing our spirits.  And…AND…if they share that delicious, hearty meal with someone else, then they may have the opportunity to share with others – who didn’t hear me speak last Sunday – what meditating on God’s Word has done for them.

Remember this scene from Jesus’ ministry?

John 6:5-9
So when Jesus looked up and noticed a huge crowd coming toward Him, He asked Philip, “Where will we buy bread so that these people can eat?”  He asked this to test him, for He Himself knew what He was going to do.

Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread wouldn’t be enough for each of them to have a little.”

One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There’s a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish – but what are they for so many?”

That boy didn’t have to share his lunch.  But because he was willing to offer his small amount to Jesus – he got to see a miracle come from what he was willing to let go of. 

That boy gave up five barley loaves and two fish.  I gave up a recipe.  God can, and has, used both to draw people to Him in ways that wouldn’t have happened if both of us had held on to what was “mine”.  And these offerings to God are going to pay eternal dividends, far into the future – each time someone reads John 6 and each time someone makes my slow cooker recipe.

This isn’t a “look at me” story…it’s really a “look at God” story.  Look at what He can do, as He allows us to partner with Him, when we choose to let go of what we have and trust Him with what happens next.  It’s really about finding our identity in Him, rather than being “that guy”.

So, when you’re presented with an opportunity to partner with God, I pray that you let go of your stuff and take hold of Him.

Keep Pressing,
Ken 

Dermatology appointments and discipline

As I have grown older, I have added to the number of medical appointments I must attend.  Long gone are the days of being asked “Who is your primary care physician?” and me smirking while answering, “I don’t have one.  Don’t really need one.”  Now, I do have a PCP, an Ortho Doc, and a Chiropractor that are all seen at least semi-regularly.  The most recent one I’ve added, though, is my dermatologist.  Nothing to be alarmed about, but I do see him annually.

At my last visit, I had a short list of things I wanted to ask him about.  A bump here or a discolored mark there…again, nothing painful or serious, but I thought I may as well ask.  And he dismissed every single one of my questioned spots.  “That’s normal”, he said, “When we get to be our parents’ ages, this kind of stuff happens.”

However, there were three spots I didn’t ask about that he did attend to – all on the left side of my face.  He froze a spot on my temple, another on my cheek, and a third spot at the top of the backside of my ear.  “Again, nothing to worry about”, he assured me, “all three are precancerous, but it’s best to get rid of them now before they become a problem.”

I wouldn’t have guessed any of those spots were even worth questioning…and two of them used to stare back at me in the mirror each morning!  I had no chance of seeing the one on the backside of my ear, though.  So, overall, I’m thankful for my dermatologist’s expertise and observation skills.  Even if that freezing spray stings a bit in the moment, and my skin ends up all red, tender, and semi-squishy as I healed over the next week.

Receiving discipline can be a little like that, can’t it?  We want to work on our 3-point shot, and coach has us doing dribble drills.  We want to go out with friends, but dad says it’s time to mow the lawn.  We expect our boss to put us on one project, and instead, we end up doing something completely different.  We go to the gym because we want stronger arms and legs, but our instructor has us spending a lot of time working on our core and back muscles.  What we expect as our next step isn’t always what we need to work on next.

I certainly believe that God works this way, too.  If I start hitting all the red lights and get stuck behind slow people in the grocery check-out line, my immediate thought is, “Funny, I don’t remember praying to have more patience.”  When I’m made aware of situations and organizations needing assistance that I am able to provide, but I wasn’t thinking about giving away my time or money…I suddenly have a choice to make.  When I get “that call” I’ve been dreading…how will I respond?  When I am confronted with the suffering of a broken world, and despair threatens to soak my brain and weigh down my heart…where will I turn?

Towards the end of his letter, the author of Hebrews had this advice:

Hebrews 12:7,9-12
Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons.  For what son is there that a father does not discipline? ...Furthermore, we had human fathers discipline us, and we respected them.  Shouldn’t we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live?

For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but He does it for our benefit, so that we can share His holiness.  No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Sometimes, God is working on areas of our lives that we wouldn’t have chosen to work on next.  He’ll use circumstances to challenge and grow us…or grow our dependency on Him.  And it’s not fun in the moment.  However, we can’t be surprised when God’s path and plan are different than ours.  After all, He sees a bigger picture than we do.  His constant goal is that we grow so we can share His holiness – and this goal goes above and beyond our small, selfish desires for comfortable circumstances. 

God uses suffering as discipline, frequently working in the areas of our lives we think are ‘ok’ for the moment.  His work on us and with us right now through painful situations can be like treating my pre-cancerous spots.  While they’re not a huge issue at the moment, let’s just take care of them now while they are small, before they become a larger, more life-impacting problem later.

We just have to trust that God knows what He’s doing.  Even if it stings in the moment.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Flashback Favorite: Is God good?

I have been sick for the past week and was unable to finish the next post. So instead of something new this week, I’ll leave you with a question we all need to wrestle with from time to time:

Is God good?
Originally posted on June 12, 2015

I just stared at him blankly.  No one had ever asked me that question before.

I had just finished sharing a brief version of my life story, my journey with God up to that point in my life.  I had talked about being raised the church, accepting Christ as my savior at eight years old, and listed off the major difficulties I had either caused or someone else had caused me to live through.  I had also discussed how I saw God at work in those situations and in me during those times…and then the leader of the small men’s group asked me a follow up question.

Ken, it’s great that you recognize how and when God has worked in your life.  But I need to ask you…Is God good?

My mind swirled with this question as the other guys in the group stared back at me, waiting for my answer.  I stammered an answer that God is God, and what He does is what He wants to do.  The group leader wouldn’t let me off that easy, though.  He pressed in again:

Ken, I didn’t ask if God was in charge.  I asked you if He is good.  Do you believe that God is good?

Although he didn’t bring up this specific passage, the group leader was asking if I viewed God the same way that the author of Psalm 119 did.  Look for yourself to find how the author viewed the goodness of God:

Psalm 119:65-72
Lord, You have treated Your servant well, just as You promised.
Teach me good judgment and discernment, for I rely on Your commands.
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.
You are good, and You do what is good; teach me Your statutes.
The arrogant have smeared me with lies, but I obey Your precepts with all my heart.
Their hearts are hard and insensitive, but I delight in Your instruction.
It was good for me to be afflicted so that I could learn Your statutes.
Instruction from Your lips is better for me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

The benefit of hindsight allows the psalmist to say that God had treated Your servant well, just as You promised.  Even though the author went astray and subsequently was afflicted and humbled by his errors, he was able to recognize God’s purposeful movements in his life.

Not only did he acknowledge to God that You are good, and You do what is good, his next response is the proof of his understanding – teach me Your statutes.  When we truly believe that God is good and that He has promised us good, we are drawn to Him and we want to learn from Him.  We naturally lean into those whom we believe are for us and on our side.

That’s what the men’s leader was trying to get me, and the rest of the group, to understand.  When we are able to tell God You are good, and You do what is good – that is when we are ready to lean into God and let Him speak into our lives.

So I’ll put the question to you – Is God good?

Keep Pressing,
Ken 

Hope while navigating catastrophes

My wife and I recently watched the Netflix movie Leave the World Behind, starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, and Ethan Hawke.  As the movie progresses, you begin to realize that something catastrophic has happened in the USA, and the technology we all rely upon is no longer available.  The main characters struggle to figure out what’s happening, what they should do next, and how much they should trust each other.  Through odd camera angles and tension-building music, the director paints a picture of unease and curiosity that lasts over two hours.  By the end of the movie, there is no resolution given to the world changing events; instead, the story has focused on the dynamic of ordinary people reacting to and changing in situations they can’t control.

To be honest, I don’t watch a lot of movies, but when I do, it’s typically for simple entertainment value.  Give me a story where the problem is resolved, there’s some crazy action stunts, sprinkle in some unexpected, quippy humor…and I’m good.  Leave the World Behind did not even come close to that category of film. 

Afterwards, my wife and I talked through all the different catastrophic scenarios that could happen in our area and what we could do about them.  We recognized that you can prepare for a lot of stuff, but ultimately, you can’t prepare for everything.  That’s when it hit me – if all there is to our lives are the events we are living through right now, then the realization that a natural disaster or global catastrophe could end everything we know and love…that would be mind-shatteringly depressing.  However, if Jesus is right and death is not the end of our lives…then the potential of these terrible scenarios, while still horrific, have much less bite. 

In light of God’s promise of life beyond what we see here, thinking through all these uncontrollable world events reminded me of a few verses I memorized many years ago, from my NIV84 Bible:

Titus 1:1-2
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Christ Jesus for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness – a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time

The faith we have in God and the knowledge God gives us of the truth are not simply coping mechanisms to make us feel better in this life.  Trusting God is who He says He is and striving to understand Him better are not just distraction techniques or escapism fantasies, ideas that have no foundation other than our own wishful thinking.

Instead, Paul tells us that our faith and knowledge [are] resting on the hope of eternal life.  Our foundation for our trust in God and our perspective on this life rest upon our confident expectation that God has promised eternal life to those who believe Him for it.  God promises that He gives us never-ending absolute fullness of life.  Do you believe that?  If you do, then our confident expectation of eternal life is what sustains us as we move through all of life’s troublesome times.  Even when the catastrophic happens.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Round 2: Pausing on doubts

Pausing on doubts
Originally posted on December 09, 2021

I hate to second-guess myself.  I do not want to spend my time wondering if I made the wrong choice or fretting about the possibility I’ve traveled down the wrong path.  However, at one point or another in life, we wrestle with questions like these: Did I choose the right career?  Should we have bought that house instead of this one?  Did I marry the right person?  Was it wrong to _________?  What if I had said ________?

We could spin ourselves in circles with questions like those.

While we try to be as informed as possible when we make life-altering decisions, later on we are often faced with a moment that causes us to question our choices.  Doubt is powerful, and our circumstances play a huge part in how influential our doubts become.

But then there’s an even bigger doubt we sometimes face…one that we may publicly acknowledge does happen to people, but we are terrified to admit when we are the ones struggling with it…what about doubting God?  Doubting that I’m following Him like I’m supposed to.  Doubting the ministry that I’m working for.  Doubting that He really loves us or even exists.

I find it interesting that one of Jesus’ disciples, Thomas, gets the doubt-label “Doubting Thomas”, when there was an equally famous believer who did not get labeled as a doubter, even though he too struggled with doubting that Jesus was the Messiah.

I’m talking about John the Baptist.  For a quick review, let’s look at John’s resume: he was Jesus’ cousin, his birth was announced by an angel who prophesized a powerful Spirit-filled life, never had fermented drink, considered to be a prophet by the people, preached in the wilderness of the Messiah’s coming, persuaded countless numbers of people to turn from their sins in anticipation of the Messiah’s arrival and the introduction of the Kingdom of God on earth.  John the Baptist was the first to declare to the masses who Jesus was and what His mission would be – behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)– John also had the honor of baptizing Jesus.  Throughout his life, John did what God asked him to do, and he did it well. 

But the physical Kingdom of God didn’t show up with the Messiah’s arrival.  The established political and religious power structures remained in place…and the people at the top didn’t like John and his message.  So King Herod had John thrown into prison.

Let’s pause right here.  Put yourself in John’s place.  Everything you have done in your life and for God was supposed to lead up to the Messiah’s arrival.  And everyone believed that when the Messiah appeared, His purpose would be to setup the literal, physical Kingdom of God on Earth.  But that hasn’t happened…the circumstances John has been expecting – and telling others to expect – hadn’t come.  What is John thinking as time slowly passes in prison?  What would you be thinking?

Did I do the right thing?  Was I wrong about the Kingdom being at hand?  Is Jesus the Messiah we’ve been waiting for?

We don’t know how long John stewed over these questions, but at some point, he decided to get some clarity:

Matthew 11:1-3
When Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns.  Now when John heard in prison what the Christ was doing, he sent a message through his disciples and asked Him, “Are you the One who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

John’s question is a big one.  Essentially, he’s asking Jesus: Are you who you say you are?  Can I trust you to do what you’ve said you will do?

I think all Christians struggle with this at some point in their life.  Maybe we’re too scared to say it out loud, but when our expectations of God are not met…it can lead to some serious inner turmoil, especially when our circumstances are the opposite of how we thought God would come through.

We typically don’t verbalize our struggle because we don’t want to look bad in front of other believers.  Or we may have heard a preacher lay on a guilt-trip, extra-thick, for anyone who expresses any level of doubt toward God.  We try to laugh off our silent struggle by saying that we don’t want to get “struck by lightning” and have the situation become worse because we’ve verbally questioned God and His purposes.

But what does God think of our doubts?  How does He handle our struggles?  Let’s look at how Jesus replied to John’s question:

Matthew 11:4-6
Jesus replied to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news, and blessed is the one who isn’t offended by Me.”

Jesus doesn’t respond with lightning bolts.  He doesn’t even get angry.  Note, too, that Jesus does not explain or justify His current actions in light of John’s expectations.  Instead, Jesus points John back to the Scriptures, back to what Isaiah prophesied about the coming Messiah:

The blind receive their sight (Isaiah 29:18, 35:5),
the lame walk (Isaiah 35:6),
those with leprosy are cleansed (Isaiah 53:4),
the deaf hear (Isaiah 29:18-19, 35:5),
the dead are raised (Isaiah 26:18-19),
and the poor are told the good news (Isaiah 61:1)

That is an impressive list, and since Jesus was doing all these things, He certainly answers John’s question…but then Jesus finishes off His answer with a promise: and blessed is the one who isn’t offended by Me. 

The word blessed used here is the same as what Jesus said in His beatitudes (Blessed is the one who… from Matthew 5).  Jesus is telling John that He is the promised Messiah, but there is a blessing for those who do not get tripped up over how and when Jesus is undertaking His Messiah responsibilities.

Be sure to read that last part – and blessed is the one who isn’t offended by Me – as a promise and not a put-down, because of what Jesus then said about John to the crowds:

Matthew 11:11, 13-14
Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared…for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  And if you’re willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who is to come.

Even after John’s struggle with doubt, Jesus still called him the greatest prophet.  For all the miraculous works and Messiah-is-coming teaching brought by the earlier prophets, John alone can claim that he was the final Old Testament prophet.  To herald the Messiah’s arrival is a privilege and honor afforded only to John.

What this shows us is that God can handle our doubts.  It’s ok to bring them to Him.  While God isn’t obligated to justify His actions, we can rely on the promises He has already made to us in Scripture.  And even when – not if – we struggle with doubt, God is still willing to bless us as we wait for Him to do what He has said He will do.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Flashback Favorite: Trusting enough

In the last month, I’ve looked up multiple times and wondered: “How about now God? Is it time…yet?”

I needed this reminder.

Trusting enough
Originally posted on March 23, 2017

Turn on a news broadcast or read through the headlines on any webpage, and it’s easy to get discouraged about the direction the world is heading in.  Despite humanity’s best efforts and good intentions, we continue to slide down the slope toward self-destruction. 

I am reminded of Jesus’ last words in the Bible, where He says

Revelation 22:20
“Yes, I am coming quickly.”

And I think how quickly is quickly?  How bad does it have to get?  How many more atrocities will God allow us to inflict on one another before He steps in and says “ENOUGH”?  How much more opposition will we have to deal with until God finally rescues us?

Despite warning Timothy about the difficulties, and instructing him on how to deal with them, Paul didn’t want Timothy to totally focus on how hard his task was or how long it would last.

1 Timothy 6:13-14
In the presence of God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good confession before Pontius Pilate, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in His own time. 

Timothy’s “mission completed” point isn’t when he thinks Christ should be coming back, instead it is when God the Father decides…which [He] will bring about in His own time. 

And why could Timothy trust God’s timing?  Ephesus wasn’t an easy place, it was a melting pot of sinful cultures.  There were popular views about God that were completely false.  There were people in charge that didn’t even acknowledge God.  And there was plenty of opposition to Timothy defending the true gospel message.  I’m sure there were times when he would have thought “Ok, God…You can send Jesus back anytime time now…”

In the next sentence, Paul reminds Timothy of who God is.  Do you think this resume supports God sending Jesus back in His own time?

1 Timothy 6:15-16
He is
the blessed and only Sovereign,
the King of kings,
and the Lord of lords,
the only One who has immortality,
dwelling in unapproachable light,
whom none of mankind has seen or can see,
to whom be honor and eternal might.
Amen.

In addition to remembering our good confession, the way Timothy would keep going with his mission was to remember who gave him his marching orders. 

Since God gives life to all, do I trust Him with what He says I should do with my life?  When I read through the God’s resume in verses 15-16, do those attributes convince me that God also knows what He’s doing when it comes to the timing of Christ’s return?

Instead of wondering “How much longer?”, our question should be “How can I trust Him today?”.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

No, God doesn’t think you’re a badass

Over the years, I’ve seen this meme make the rounds of social media multiple times:

God only gives us what we can handle.
Apparently, God thinks I’m a badass.

We might snicker at this (I did), but after reading it, it’s very easy to puff out our chests a little bit and think, “Yeah.  Look at all the crap I’ve dealt with.  God must think I’m pretty tough to handle going through this.”

The problem with this kind of thinking is that it is very self-centered – which is the total opposite of what is taught by God in the Scriptures.  Here are examples from both the Old Testament and New Testament:

Proverbs 16:18
Pride comes before destruction,
and an arrogant spirit before a fall.

James 4:6
But He gives greater grace.  Therefore He says:

God resists the proud
but gives grace to the humble.

So…this notion of “God only gives us what we can handle” must’ve come from somewhere, right?  Then where did people get the idea from?

Turns out that “God only gives us what we can handle” is based upon Scripture, from one of Paul’s letters to the believers in a town named Corinth…but it’s a verse that’s been twisted a bit.  Here’s the actual text:

1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity.  But God is faithful; He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it.

While you can see how “God will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able…to bear” can morph into “God only gives you what you can handle” – it’s also pretty clear that Paul is not talking about all of life’s circumstances that come our way.  Paul’s only talking about the times that we are tempted to do the wrong thing…and God’s help in this will be to provide the way out (even if the way He provides isn’t a way we would prefer to go).

And lest you think that it’s ok to stretch this verse to include any/all of life’s circumstances…Paul’s own experiences warn us how that’s not accurate.  In a second letter he wrote to the believers in Corinth, Paul had this to tell them:

2 Corinthians 1:8
We don’t want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction that took place in Asia.  We were completely overwhelmed – beyond our strength – so that we even despaired of life itself. 

That sounds like they got more affliction than they could handle.  Paul continued:

2 Corinthians 1:9
Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.

Paul recognized that if they puffed out their chests and relied on how tough they were, they were as good as dead.  Looking back, Paul sees that God allowed a completely overwhelming situation so that they would not trust in [themselves] but in God.  Because they humbled themselves, here’s the lesson they learned…and were later able to teach:

2 Corinthians 1:10-11
He has delivered us from such a terrible death, and He will deliver us.  We have put our hope in Him that He will deliver us again while you join in helping us by your prayers.  Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gift that came to us through the prayers of many.

Paul learned that their completely overwhelming circumstance not only brought his team closer to God, but it also provided an opportunity for others to see God in action as He answers prayers.  That is a great way to look at our suffering and trials and difficulties in life – they can drive us (and others) closer to God, but not if we attack them with a puffed up sense of self.

So no, God does not think you’re a badass.  In fact, He knows for certain that none of us are.  Life is going to beat us down, sometimes to the point where we despair of life itself.  But that doesn’t mean we’re abandoned…instead, we can be like Paul and not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.  If He can raise the dead – and He can – then He can handle getting us through whatever life throws our way.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Flashback Favorite: Tired Jesus

As the busyness of summer shifts to the busyness of fall, it’s easy to feel worn down and just plain tired. Immediately after acknowledging my tiredness, I often feel some guilt creep in…like I should be able to handle this and even more. Perhaps you can relate. But even Jesus got tired…and He provides an example of what to do when we need to rest:

Tired Jesus
Originally posted on February 06, 2020

Early on in His ministry, Jesus was teaching in the Judean countryside, and His disciples were baptizing new believers.  They were very busy and many became followers of Jesus.  However, when Jesus received word that the Pharisees had heard about His growing ministry, He decided to leave and return to the northern area of Galilee.  To get there, He had to pick one of two route options: either take the straight-shot, 3-day hike from Judea to Galilee, or to take the longer road which headed east, crossed the Jordan River, turned back west, and crossed the Jordan River again before coming to Galilee.  This added days to trip and had the additional land barriers to deal with.  So why would Jews take the long road?  Because that path would mean they would avoid dealing with the Samaritan half-breed outsiders.

However, for this trip, Jesus chose to travel the faster, more direct path; but that meant they would be staying at least one night somewhere in the region most Jews wanted to avoid.  And let’s not kid ourselves…a 3-day journey on foot is still a 3-day journey on foot.  They had a long hike in front of them to get back to where Jesus and eleven of the twelve disciples had grown up.

John 4:4-6
He had to travel through Samaria; so He came to a town of Samaria called Sychar near the property that Jacob had given his son Joseph.  Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, worn out from His journey, sat down at the well.  It was about noon. 

Jesus was worn out from His journey.  This is an important observation.

Jesus got tired. 

Yes, He is perfect. 
Yes, He is the prophesized Messiah. 
Yes, He is God in the flesh…but that’s just it, Jesus is also human like us.  I find it very comforting that at the mid-point of His day, Jesus needed to take a break and rest His tired feet. 

So He finds a place to sit down.  He sent the disciples into town to buy food – this is a quiet, cool place for Him to rest.  The text does not indicate that anyone else was there.

We all need to take time to rest.  Each of us are dealing with situations that take more than one day to finish…which means we’re going to have to recharge at some point.  Jesus relied on His disciples to go get the food, which tells me that it’s ok to receive help from others when we’re tired.

We don’t have to shoulder everything, all the time.  Those of us who fancy ourselves as “the strong one” in our family have the most difficulty with this.  And yet, here’s Jesus giving a simple, straight-forward example.

Jesus got tired.  He felt worn out.

So he sat down and rested.

Another thing the text doesn’t tell us how long He was able to rest before someone came to the well.   But it was in the exact location He chose to rest that He would have His next encounter as part of the Father’s will.  If Jesus had pushed through the tiredness, if He had kept going until the day was completely done, He wouldn’t have stopped at this well.

And one of His greatest evangelistic events wouldn’t have happened.

Are we willing to trust God enough to rest?  We often see the need to rest as weakness and the time taken to rest as time being wasted…as if God if up in Heaven shaking His head in disappointment when we’re feeling worn out from our day, with an extra twinge of guilt if we’re “only” halfway through the day.

Do we believe that God can use our place of rest to recharge us, but also for the benefit of others?

Seems like a tough concept to grab hold of, but as we’ll see, that’s exactly what happened to Jesus.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

An old story example (part 1)

I don’t imagine that you’ve spent much time reading the Old Testament book 1 Chronicles.  Don’t worry, no judgment here…I’m not in it very often, either.  And if you’re like me, when you read through any Old Testament book, it’s very tempting to just skim past the genealogy sections, right?  So-and-so begat son-of-so-and-so, name-I-can’t-possibly-pronounce had a son with-another-name-I-can’t-pronounce.

However, genealogy sections were vitally important to the ancient Israelites.  Knowing where you came from had significant influence on your social standing.  Even though we can’t trace our own lineage back through those genealogies, that doesn’t necessarily mean those sections are empty of anything useful for us church-age believers.  While there are a lifetime of stories behind each name…oftentimes, there are interesting stories couched in between the lists of family lineage.  As the Apostle Paul said, the Old Testament is available to us for examples and insight into the God who loves us (1 Corinthians 10:11).

So, I want to share with you two little stories I found amongst the genealogies.  I think you’ll find them as interesting and as informative as I did.  We’ll look at the first one in this post and the second one in the next post.  The first story shows three of the twelve tribes establishing themselves in the Promised Land, but the local inhabitants weren’t willing to just hand it over.  As you read the following five verses, look for the reason why the three tribes were successful:

1 Chronicles 5:18-22
The descendants of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 warriors who could serve in the army – men who carried shield and sword, drew the bow, and were trained for war.  They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab.  They received help against these enemies because they cried out to God in battle, and the Hagrites and all their allies were handed over to them.  He was receptive to their prayer because they trusted in Him.  They captured the Hagrites livestock – fifty thousand of their camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep, and two thousand donkeys – as well as one hundred thousand people.  Many of the Hagrites were killed because it was God’s battle.  And they lived there in the Hagrites place until the exile.

Over 44,000 warriors…that’s a lot of skilled fighters; however, that wasn’t the primary reason they won the battle.  The three Israelite tribes were victorious because they cried out to God in battle…He was receptive to their prayer because they trusted in Him.  Despite their numbers and strength, their winning strategy contained two humility-filled steps: crying out to God and trusting in Him.  Not only did they seek God’s favor and assistance, they were counting on Him to fulfill the promises He had made to all the Israelite tribes (see Genesis 12, Genesis 26:3, Genesis 28:13, Numbers 34:1-12 for a few examples).

Since God had promised the land, the three tribes knew they couldn’t obtain the promise fulfillment without God’s involvement.  After the battle was over and the three Israelite tribes had won and taken control of the land, they recognized that it had been God’s battle all along.

Now, of course, us modern-day believers cannot claim this promise from God.  We’re not Israel, and God isn’t going to move us all to Palestine.  That said…what a great example this is for us…we can take this little snippet of history and be reminded that God fulfills His promises.  God keeps His word.  People may have lied to us.  Others may have let us down.  Our God isn’t like that.  He doesn’t leave us in the lurch.  He won’t forget.  God is good for His word, every time.

So, what promises are you crying out to God about?  What promises are you trusting in Him to fulfill?  We can’t do it on our own, no matter how skilled we are.  If you need a reminder, here are a few to consider:

Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take up my yoke and learn from Me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

John 5:24
Truly I tell you, anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.

Hebrews 13:5-6
Keep your life free from the love of money.  Be satisfied with what you have for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.  Therefore, we may boldly say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?”

There are many more promises available to us, and I encourage you to look for them as you read through the New Testament.  But let’s take the Old Testament story as our example, alright?  Cry out to God and trust in Him to fulfill the promises He’s made.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

How to have a peaceful mind

I have a lot on my mind. 

Not just today.  Not just recently.  For pretty much all of my life – I’ve had a lot on my mind.  I’m blessed (cursed?) with the ability to think over and through multiple things at once.  And while that means my mind is never a dull place, it often means that internal peace and quiet are hard to come by.

Our minds get cluttered so easily, don’t they?  The pace of life makes it feel like everything needs our attention and must be immediately considered, like

What should we have for dinner?
How are my kids doing?
Am I teaching them the right things?
Am I in good standing with my job?
Is this what I want to do with my career?
How’s our money situation?
Can we handle this unexpected expense, or are we going to be in trouble?
How long until we have to replace a vehicle?
Why do I feel like this?
Should I get this checked out by a doctor?

And on and on and on goes the list…with news items, political topics, social media fights, and the onslaught of advertisements only adding fuel to the fire.

Maybe your mind doesn’t swim with questions…instead your struggle might be with negative thoughts or anxious worries or negative thoughts about having anxious worries (I’m not kidding here, either). 

I think it’s safe to say that we all have a lot on our minds.  And I don’t think we can fix that.  At least, not entirely on our own.

Near the beginning of a song found in the book of Isaiah, we find this hope-filled line:

Isaiah 26:3
You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you.

Go back and read that again, but slowly this time.  Try saying it out loud as you do.

Perfect peace sounds, well…perfect, doesn’t it?  But it gets better.

The phrase perfect peace is actually a paraphrase of the original Hebrew text.  The Hebrew word for peace is shalom, and in this case it is stated twice:

Isaiah 26:3
You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in shalom shalom, for it is trusting in you.

In Hebrew, if you want to emphasize something, you repeat yourself.  So what Isaiah is really saying here is that the mind dependent on God will have complete peace, a safe peace, a prosperous peace, a content peace.  The words complete, safe, prosperous, and content are all potential translations of the word shalom.  The language translators for the Christian Standard Bible did a good job by paraphrasing shalom shalom as perfect peace.

In order for us to have our mind in perfect peace, Isaiah tells us that our thoughts must be dependent upon God.  Whatever question, worry, or accusing thought comes across our brainwaves needs to be examined in light of our dependence on God.

When we’re trying to make it all work, when we believe that “I am the one who must shoulder this alone.”, we’re focusing on ourselves and also giving up on our reliance on God to see us through…and by doing so we give up the way to perfect peace.  

But what does it mean to be dependent on God?  I’ve heard many Christians say they just “give it to God” or “let go and let God” – and while they sound very spiritual when they say those kinds of things, there’s not a lot of substance or guidance there for us to work with.  Thankfully, Isaiah gave us a better explanation.

Notice that in Isaiah 26:3, he equated being dependent on God with trusting in Him.  Practically speaking this means:

I trust Him when I’m feeling indecisive.
I believe that He wants a relationship with my kids, just like He does with me.
I trust Him when I’m worried I’m not a good enough parent.
I do my work for Him and trust Him with the outcome.
I include Him in decisions I make as to where my career goes.
I trust Him in my finances by spending to His priorities.
I trust that He knew the crisis was coming and will show us a way through.
I trust that He knows how to provide as we manage what He’s blessed us with.
I tell Him how I feel.
I trust that my good and His glory is more important, even if the doctor gives news I don’t want to hear.

Trust God like this, and we’ll have perfect peace – even if life around us isn’t perfect.

This holds true for our anxious thoughts, our scared thoughts, our lustful thoughts, our depressing thoughts, and any other type of thinking that tries to consume us.  We must run them all through the lens of our dependence upon God.  Get help to process as you need to, we’re certainly not expected to do all this alone.  A trusted friend or counselor can be a tremendous help, but after processing with them, we must still make the choice to trust God with life in the here-and-now. 

Keep Pressing,
Ken