I sat with my family last night and watched as hundreds of seniors graduated high school, completing a chapter in life’s journey in our culture. With my son being one of those seniors receiving recognition for 12 years of commitment to education, I thought of how often my wife and I prayed for him and, along with others, made deposits into him for God to smile upon Him, give Him favor, and bring him success.
The Bible gives us clear examples of many lives that gave pleasure to God. One in particular was a man named Noah. In Noah's day, the entire world had become morally bankrupt. Everyone lived for their own pleasure, not God's. God couldn't find anyone on Earth interested in pleasing him, so he was grieved and regretted making man. But there was one man who made God smile. The Bible says, "Noah was a pleasure to the Lord." Genesis 6:8. God said, "This guy brings me pleasure. He makes me smile. I'll start over with his family." Because Noah brought pleasure to God, you and I are alive today.
What can we discover from Noah’s life that brings pleasure to God?
- Love God more than anything else in the world. (Gen 6:9)
- Trust God. Have faith God knows what is best for you. (Heb. 11:7)
- Obey God wholeheartedly. (Gen. 6:22)
- Praise God for who He is and what He has done. (Gen. 8:20)
- Use the abilities God gave and deposited in you. (Gen. 9:1&3)
The above character traits of Noah’s life could be expounded making this blog long. Instead, I put references from the account of Noah’s life, and ask that you take the time to see how Noah’s life made God smile. The Apostle Paul made this his life goal, “More than anything else, I want to please him, whether here or there." (2 Corinthians 5:9)
When I live in light of eternity, my focus changes from "How much pleasure am I getting out of life?" to "How much pleasure is God getting out of my life?"
Will you make pleasing God the goal of your life? There is nothing that God won't do for the person totally absorbed with this goal.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
When God Seems Distant...
It is easy to feel connected to God when things are going great in life—when He has provided food, friends, family, health, and happy situations. But have you discovered that circumstances are not always pleasant? What do you do when God seems a million miles away?
The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during a trial, trusting Him when tempted, surrendering to Him while suffering, and loving Him when He seems distant. Friendships are often tested by separation and silence. In your friendship with God, you won’t always feel close to Him. As one author wrote, “Any relationship involves times of closeness and times of distance, and in a relationship with God, no matter how intimate, the pendulum will swing from one side to the other.” That’s when worship gets difficult.
Our relationship with God develops a deep maturity during times when it appears God is silent or when He feels a million miles away. Many in the community of faith have described these times as “the dark night of the soul.” Henri Nouwen called them “the ministry of absence.” A. W. Tozer called them “the ministry of the night.” Others refer to “the winter of the heart.” In the Bible, David had a close friendship with God. In fact, God took pleasure in calling him “a man after My own heart.” Yet, David frequently complained of God’s apparent absence:
• “Lord, why are You standing aloof and far away? Why do You hide when I need You the most?” (Psalm 10:1)
• “Why have You forsaken me? Why do You remain so distant? Why do You ignore my cries for help?” (Psalm 22:1)
• “Why have You abandoned me?” (Psalm 43:2)
In reality, God hadn’t really left David, and He doesn’t leave you. He has promised repeatedly, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)
The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during a trial, trusting Him when tempted, surrendering to Him while suffering, and loving Him when He seems distant. Friendships are often tested by separation and silence. In your friendship with God, you won’t always feel close to Him. As one author wrote, “Any relationship involves times of closeness and times of distance, and in a relationship with God, no matter how intimate, the pendulum will swing from one side to the other.” That’s when worship gets difficult.
Our relationship with God develops a deep maturity during times when it appears God is silent or when He feels a million miles away. Many in the community of faith have described these times as “the dark night of the soul.” Henri Nouwen called them “the ministry of absence.” A. W. Tozer called them “the ministry of the night.” Others refer to “the winter of the heart.” In the Bible, David had a close friendship with God. In fact, God took pleasure in calling him “a man after My own heart.” Yet, David frequently complained of God’s apparent absence:
• “Lord, why are You standing aloof and far away? Why do You hide when I need You the most?” (Psalm 10:1)
• “Why have You forsaken me? Why do You remain so distant? Why do You ignore my cries for help?” (Psalm 22:1)
• “Why have You abandoned me?” (Psalm 43:2)
In reality, God hadn’t really left David, and He doesn’t leave you. He has promised repeatedly, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Let God Be God...
We all have a pattern we follow. We all have a source we lean on. I want to encourage you to let God be your source and supply. You need to tell God that you’re going to look to Him alone to provide for your needs and that you won’t look anywhere else. We get ourselves in a mess when we confuse the channel with the source. God may use your paycheck from work as the channel to supply your needs, but your employer is just the channel for God’s provision—and God can shift to another channel anytime He wants. When you start to look to something or someone else to meet your needs – when you begin to confuse the channel with the source, a warning sign appears: Worry!
So when you look to your job as the source instead of the channel, you may start worrying, “What if I lose my job?” You know what? That channel may close, but the source of your every need is still active and providing for you. When God turns off one channel, He can turn on another one.
Once you know what you’re lacking, you need to give God the right to choose whatever channel He decides is best to fulfill the need. It may be a channel different from one you would choose; in fact, God may deliberately choose a different channel in order to teach you to keep looking to Him for all your needs.
Through following Christ for nearly thirty years, I have learned that it’s exciting to just let God be God. It’s exciting to watch God meet a need in a way that you never thought possible or could have never thought up on your own.
“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.” 2 Corinthians 9:10
God alone is the source of your supply.
So when you look to your job as the source instead of the channel, you may start worrying, “What if I lose my job?” You know what? That channel may close, but the source of your every need is still active and providing for you. When God turns off one channel, He can turn on another one.
Once you know what you’re lacking, you need to give God the right to choose whatever channel He decides is best to fulfill the need. It may be a channel different from one you would choose; in fact, God may deliberately choose a different channel in order to teach you to keep looking to Him for all your needs.
Through following Christ for nearly thirty years, I have learned that it’s exciting to just let God be God. It’s exciting to watch God meet a need in a way that you never thought possible or could have never thought up on your own.
“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.” 2 Corinthians 9:10
God alone is the source of your supply.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Growing Closer
Any successful relationship, whether it is at work or church, or with a neighbor, a parent, or a spouse, is built upon the biblical truth that God designed each of us with purpose -- the purpose to connect to Him, grow in Him, live in community, serve Him, and tell the world of Him.
We need to realize we were created and placed together for relationships and lifelong companionship. We sometimes find that some of our relationships are difficult, complicated, and exhausting, but once you understand God’s plan regarding your relationships (friend, boss, neighbor, spouse, etc.), it takes on new meaning. All of us were formed for God’s family. God made an incredible promise about the gathering of even just two believers: “For where two or three come together in My name, I am there with them.” (Matthew 18:20)
When we discover that God brings us together, whether in friendship or companionship, God is already in that friendship or marriage working to transform and direct the two of you into fulfilling His purpose. Your friendship, working relationship, neighborhood community, church, or marriage is a lab for learning how to love like Jesus loves. Within relationships, God has created an opportunity for us to develop a true genuine and authentic sharing of life with another human being.
If relationships are to move from a superficial level to a deeper level, it will require genuine, heart-to-heart, gut-level sharing where you get honest about who you are and what’s going on in your life. This happens when you can share your hurts, reveal your feelings, confess your failures, disclose your doubts, admit your fears, acknowledge your weaknesses, and ask each other for help.
Don’t forget one of those important relationships we will celebrate this weekend… our MOTHERS.
We need to realize we were created and placed together for relationships and lifelong companionship. We sometimes find that some of our relationships are difficult, complicated, and exhausting, but once you understand God’s plan regarding your relationships (friend, boss, neighbor, spouse, etc.), it takes on new meaning. All of us were formed for God’s family. God made an incredible promise about the gathering of even just two believers: “For where two or three come together in My name, I am there with them.” (Matthew 18:20)
When we discover that God brings us together, whether in friendship or companionship, God is already in that friendship or marriage working to transform and direct the two of you into fulfilling His purpose. Your friendship, working relationship, neighborhood community, church, or marriage is a lab for learning how to love like Jesus loves. Within relationships, God has created an opportunity for us to develop a true genuine and authentic sharing of life with another human being.
If relationships are to move from a superficial level to a deeper level, it will require genuine, heart-to-heart, gut-level sharing where you get honest about who you are and what’s going on in your life. This happens when you can share your hurts, reveal your feelings, confess your failures, disclose your doubts, admit your fears, acknowledge your weaknesses, and ask each other for help.
Don’t forget one of those important relationships we will celebrate this weekend… our MOTHERS.
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