Saturday, September 27, 2008

I got plans...

We all have 'em. You know... dreams, aspirations, hopes, goals... plans, baby! And, we need to have plans. Imagine a home built without a set of plans. The owner hires excellent tradesmen to do the work. But the plumber didn't really know where the bathrooms were going, and the electrician didn't know what that room was for, and so on... That would be one messed up house. (I am licensed Realtor, and I think I have seen this home...) The point: Plans=good. No Plans=bad. Most successful people, from a worldly perspective, got there on purpose. Few people succeed without a lot of planning and due diligence.


James 4:13-14 Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” 14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.


Okay... so Plans=bad. No Plans=good??? I wasn't planning on being confused...


Verse 15 What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”


Hmm... Plans, subject to=Good! I think we are on to something here.


"If the Lord wants us to..." Does that sound familiar? I believe it was Jesus who said, "Not my will but Yours, Father."

As it is with many issues, the discussion really isn't an either-or proposition. I am not trying to persuade you to see things my way, so I am not trying to corner you with a debate technique. What I am hoping to help you to see is that there is a way to freedom in Christ that includes, of course, submission to His will, but also the responsibility to make plans, set goals, etc... It is BOTH. It is to set goals, projections, plans, subject to the will of God.

For many years, I had to pray this prayer, "Lord, I want to want to be totally Yours every day. Help me to really want to completely Yours." It is a little like the prayer of the father of the epileptic in Mark 9:24, "Lord, I believe! Help me in my unbelief!" It has been a struggle since the beginning of belief. The balancing act of believing that God has our best interests at heart so surrendering to His plans, His will, and being willing to walk away from our own plans at a moments notice... it is tough. But it is the true walk of every follower of Jesus.

What would that look like? A lot like Jesus. "Father, here is what I want, but I want what You want more. If this cup could pass, that would be preferred... but if not, I am all in." In my life, that looks like this: "God, I would like to sell 70 homes this year, have two days off a week, teach two classes a month, lead a life group each week, lead worship a few times a month, improve my guitar skills, be a great dad and husband, be healthy, wealthy and wise... but, if not, I am all in." And then the tough part, "I really mean it, Father... I am all in. I want more than all of my wants to be in Your will."

If you think about the word, "Follower", it really says it all. I am a follower of Jesus. Where He goes, I go. Where He leads, I go. What He says I say. But a follower is not the Leader. Each follower is a separate person, and so you bring a bit of self to the equation. Therefore, our paths will look different, but always carved out in obedience. Since we are following the Unseen God, the Omnipotent, Omnipresent God, He can lead each of us in a very specific path (without getting confused, I might add.) His will for us is good - good from His perfect perspective. I'll concede that it may not look good from our own personal perspective at times. That's where faith is essential. Bringing us to the bottom line: Scriptures says it is impossible to please God without faith. We HAVE to believe in God to follow Him. To follow Him well, we have to believe that He loves us and that His plan is far better than our own. That means we have to know Him and trust Him.

So, I have to choose to follow. I have to make plans to follow Him. I have to shape my day around making sure I keep Him in view, so I can follow. In real life, that doesn't mean I stay home and wait. It means I get up, get dressed, go to work, be the best Realtor I can be so I can bless others, and watch and listen for the Spirit of God to lead me, nudge me, speak to me. (Christians should be the very best employees.. but that is a whole other topic...) Following Jesus is a full contact sport. In this world we live in, being the best follower we can be includes a calendar or Day-Planner. We have to make plans to be able to be effective in our jobs and our ministries. We have to have budgets, spreadsheets, and goals. But, always with the phrase added, "Not my will but Your will, Lord."

How is your following going? Do you know Him? I mean really know Him? Are you seeking to know Him better? Are you crying out today, "Lord, I believe... Help me in my unbelief!" And then, trust Him with Your Day Planner. His plans are better than Yours, and He is good.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Obsession

I confess I am a bit obsessed with guitars. I love acoustic guitars and wish I could have everyone of them. I own way too many, and can't pass by a music store without going in and looking. It is a bit sick.. I think I need help. I literally have to put Ebay on my website blocker. :-)

Do you know that feeling? Not about guitars specifically, but that feeling about something that seems to almost make you go nuts... become irrational? It makes others look at you and just shake their heads. (They, too have something that makes them go nuts. Almost everyone does, if they would be honest with themselves.) I was thinking about all the things we get obsessed about. Sports, cars, beer mugs, old coke bottles, our yards, shoes... the list can really go on. I guess we can call those things "Irrational Obsessions".

So I was talking with God and He "said", "Why aren't you obsessed with Me?" It's a good question... and I told Him so... He already knew that.

So, to put it in perspective, let's take a look at some reasons why it could be good to be obsessed with God: Uhhh.. He made everything; He knows everything; He can do anything; He loves you and me beyond our wildest imaginations... We can ask Him any question, and He can answer (though sometimes He chooses not to... I admit that is frustrating sometimes.) We can ask for anything and, should He choose to respond affirmatively, He can give it, take it, make it happen.. whatever. Basically, He lacks nothing, yet He is obsessed with us. Yep.. that is what I said: He is obsessed with us.

Think about it.. He created everything fully knowing we would do what we do (sin, in case you don't know what I am talking about...) He wrote the Bible even when He knew most of us wouldn't read it and some just outright mock it. He gave us Nature when He knew many would start to worship it. And in the epitome of obsession, He died for us, well aware that many would simply turn their backs on Him. Now that is real obsession... and completely irrational. But, completely real and true.
(I just realized that I called God irrational... I thought about changing that, but when you really think about how much He loves us.. from a worldly perspective, it is completely irrational. Therefore, it stays as said: God is irrationally, and completely in love with you... and me. That's pretty amazing actually.)

As we return to God's original question, "Why aren't you obsessed with Me?" I have to say, whatever your answer may be, if it isn't, "But, I am obsessed with you!" then it is the wrong answer. When the truth is weighed, the only rational thing to do, the only rational obsession that exists is to be obsessed with God. All other obsessions give nothing back, nothing lasting anyway. But God gives so much in return.

Let's pretend we are obsessed with God... what would that look like? Let's see, I wake up, spend time with Him and ask Him to direct my day. I would ask Him to use me for His glory, and really mean it. Every thought I think would be directed towards Him first for His approval. My day planner, though filled with things to do for my family, for work, and for my church, would be filtered through His plan. I would be ready to change my plans at the nudge of His Spirit at any time. I would be in constant communication with Him, obsessively asking for His approval at every turn, at every decision. I would know that all things work together for good, for God's plan, and I would constantly be asking to be a part of that plan, and to obey. I would ask for His eyes, to see what He sees, His heart love like He loves, His mind to think as He thinks. I would count others as better than me, and I would weep for those who do not know this obsession. I would be honest about who I am, a sinner saved by His grace, a man in process of becoming a holy man, and I would practice humility, gentleness, self-control. I would be joyful, no matter the circumstances, knowing that God has the world in His hands. I would fall to sleep in His arms, grateful for a day of purpose, hope, and meaning.

I think that obsession would be a good thing.

I think I want to be that obsessed. With God. My Father. My Savior. My King.

What about you? What are you obsessed with?

Monday, September 22, 2008

Living in the New.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says we "...are a new creation." (NIV) One version says, "Look! You are a new creation!" The emphatic is appropriate. My version would say, "Holy Cow! Unbelievable! Totally Awesome!! I am not who I was, I am new!!" But this begs the question, "If I am new, how come I feel so old?"

Before we deal directly with that question, let me say that the scriptures are true... cover to cover. Therefore, we are new when we are in Christ. In this text, as well as several others, believers are described as dead to sin, as having died to this life, and have been made new, and that Christ is living in us. The implication is that there is a death, and a re-birth. (Hence, being born again...) If God's word is true, which it is, then the problem with how I feel is not His word, but me. Something in me doesn't feel new, act new, live new.

So here we go... "why do I not feel new sometimes?" Simply put, it is not a feeling. It is a fact. The reality that we struggle over the question is a new thing in and of itself. If I was still lost in my sin, I wouldn't even understand this question. But God, who is stirring in me New Life, is drawing me into a deeper and more intimate relationship with Himself, and as I grow, I am more troubled each day by my lack of newness. That troubling is part of the New. I was never troubled before by my lack of closeness to God, not in any real sense. So the struggle, in fact, signals that I am alive to God.

So far, this is not satisfying.. let's keep going... In order to have a new life, we have to die first. Have you died to yourself? Have you taken up your cross and committed to following Jesus? If so, you are in the new. If not, we need to talk.

When a person is born, they are called a.. come on everyone, what are they called? Yes, a baby. What does a baby do? Well, they eat and cry and poop and sleep. They are amazed by the simplest things. They strive to learn everything and anything. They struggle to reach, to move, to crawl, then to walk. I think you are getting my point here. When we are born again into the New Life, we enter into this life as babies. Typically, a new believer is absolutely stunned by the grace of God and they are ecstatic about what is going on in their lives. Later, as they grow, some of the struggles start. Where each person's particular struggles manifest are particular to each believer. What I have seen in real life is that God chooses the areas of your life that He wants to work on. He is gracious, and perfect, and He loves you. He loves you the way you are, but He wants more for you... He wants you to truly experience the New Life, so He begins to conform you into the person you were created to be. And though we are New, we still need to be conformed, and it is a process (Romans 12:1-2)


Again, why do I feel so old sometimes? Final thought is, you are not alone. Even Paul, the writer of most of the New Testament, struggled. Ever read Romans 7? Go ahead.. check it out... He struggled too. You see, the real problem is not God... it is us. We return to the familiar. C.S. Lewis wrote that we are like children playing in a mud puddle, unaware that an ocean of grace is waiting for us. We are too easily frustrated, too easily discouraged. We are afraid of what the Deep of God might call us into. We are afraid of drowning in Him and losing our identity of the Old Self. (The fear of the unknown is greater than the fear of staying in the known.) That fear is unfounded, and I believe the source of that fear is from the enemy. It is a lie that we should fear the Deep of God.

God is good... that is absolutely true. But He is not safe, as though He will lead us through fields of flowers and puppies... No, He is not safe (Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis) Even Jesus remarked that He would be with us through our troubles. He didn't say He would keep us from troubles. Even green pastures have chiggers. But, my bottom line is that I would rather have the New Life in Him, troubles and all, than any kind of life without Him. God is good. His plans for us are good. And He will bring us into the New... He promised.

Enjoy the journey.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Everything

"May every word that I speak, every thought that I think, and every thing that I do, bring glory to You."
Somewhere in the conversation a few mornings ago, I said this to God. And, I am actually sure that I meant it. And even more incredible than that, for the very first time, I really believed it was possible. What I mean, is that it is really possible for this finite, foolish, messed-up dude to be able to bring glory to God all day long. Every word, every thought, and every thing...
At first glance, it sounds like one of those prayers you get on a bookmark... great sentiment. (For all I know, there is a bookmark out there with this prayer... as posted earlier, I am not sure that I ever had an original thought :-) But you know what I mean... it sounds really pie-in-the-sky; unreachable, yet really fun to "wish" for. The funny thing is, though, I really did believe it. And I still do.
Now you are thinking there must have been something else in my coffee besides caffeine. I swear, I don't do drugs...any more :-). I am serious: I really can bring glory to God all day long - every word, every thought, every thing. Romans 8:28 says: " For we know all things work together for good, for those who love God, for those who are called, according to His purpose." God did say all things. I used to repeat this verse over and over and over, as I trudged through th emuck of my life... kind of a montra to take away the pain of the mystery of why so many things in my life are screwed up. But something new has entered into my mind. And I think I like it: I potentially can become the man that God has created me to be! Yes!! (spoken fiercely, fist clutched, elbow drawn quickly back to my waste...)
Follow me here: God says that even as messed up as I am, He is going to conform me into the likeness of His Son (Romans 8:29). Well, Jesus brought glory to God all day long... right? True, Jesus is God, but He was also 100% man as He lived for us on earth. Scriptures says He came down here to be with us so He really knows how it feels to be human. If He had some special "something" that in truth made Him not really man, something that we could not attain, then we would be in trouble. I believe the truth is that we really can give glory to God all day long, every day. Granted, it is a tall order, and the probability is remote, but it is still something to aspire to. Ever Peter reminded us that God said, "Be holy as I am holy." While I am sure the pessimistic phrase, "Nobody's perfect." is a true statement as it applies to all humans other than Jesus, I really do not think that is what bringing glory to God means. Not that we are perfect, but that we are intimate with God. Really, really intimate.
So, what I am saying is that if we could just get up in the morning, and start thinking for the glory of God - pure thoughts, thoughts of how we can participate in what God is doing in our lives that day, and speak truth and grace into the lives of those we encounter that day, and obey God as He nudges us along... I really think that is what giving Him glory looks like. Not me, walking around holding up one hand with two fingers up and two fingers gently folded, like the statues I saw growing up in the Catholic church... but me loving others... putting them first... listening with empathy and compassion...remembering that everyone I encounter is a miracle, and they are loved by God. I think that's what "perfection" looks like. It's real life. Filled with Joy, Hope, and Grace. And that's what I hope for today.. for you... for me.
Have a great day!

Just getting started

This, being the very first blog, will be the most boring. I know, that is not the way you are supposed to do these things... but, I really do not like the conventional. Not really. Not at all. I think the rules say you need to start with something profound, but you know.. it's about 9:42 PM and I am just tired.
I did want to say that the blog name is "Coffee with God". Honestly, I thought I made that up. I was really proud of how creative and deep that was... that's probably not a good sign about how good this blog will be :-) But really, I thought it was like, a new idea... You know.. coffee.. a very popular drink... and then God... I mean He is REAL popular. His book has been translated in to pretty much every language that has writing, and tons of movies have been made about Him. Some people give tons of money to His followers, and some people just get REAL mad when you talk about His Son. ((Jesus, in case you don't know Him yet...) So anyway - I thought it was a cool idea. So when I googled it, it turns out I wasn't the first one. And then, when I tried to get the address here on blogspot, it didn't work again. The bubble... she was bursted... that's all I am gonna say about that.
So, the coffee with God thing... no really, I have changed subjects... for the last few weeks, I have woken up, I grab a cup of coffee, and go outside on my back porch and just sit with God. (He hasn't touched His cup...) I hang out.. sometimes I pray... some times I just listen. Every time, it is a good time. Time well spent. Me and God, we are getting to know each other better. (If you know God, you will know He knows me completely, so that statement really was intended to be tongue in cheek...)(You will get used to me)(and I do use a lot of ...) (yep... I know.)
And there you have it. The first post, or blog, or whatever you call it. It's in the can... or whatever the proper geek term is.
Just relax... grab a cup of coffee... Let's just see what happens:-)

God is good.