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Sometimes, the only way to understand someone is to step into their shoes for a time. During this time in history, it is important for us to do this. We do not know what others are going through right now. Yes, it is all inconvenient and out of our control. It reminds me of a movie that came out a few years ago called Freaky Friday.
The original movie came out in 1976 and then was remade in 2003. I guess it was more than a few years ago! How time flies! The premise of this movie is: a mother and daughter, as opposite as could be, switch places to better understand one another. They were frustrated and out of control. There was no switching back until they actually understood what the other was going through. This sounds very familiar to our relationship with God before Christ. As you look through the Old Testament you see a number of familiar faces: Abraham, Moses, Job and many others. They all know ‘of’ God, and even Abraham was called a friend of God. But they could not ‘know’ God like we can today. Read what Job said about this: “God is not a mortal like me, so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial. If only there were a mediator between us, someone who could bring us together. The mediator could make God stop beating me, and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment. Then I could speak to him without fear, but I cannot do that in my own strength.” Job 9:32-35 NLT On the other end of the spectrum, God only ‘knew’ of man. Yes, He fashioned and formed us. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. But where He was once intimate with man, walking in the garden, He was no longer. He could never be the groom. We could never be the bride. So, God came and traded places to know us intimately. He made himself less, by adding human to himself. He was still divine, yet now fully human. Nothing was taken away, but flesh was still added. In this way, as Paul puts it, “we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” It’s as if God heard Job’s prayer and responded in kind. In fact He did. He does hear. He does understand. This is how we can have relationship with God once again. He took our place on a “freaky” Friday two thousand years ago and died for you and for me. The culmination of this entire experience was the cross. It wasn’t until this moment that we could really understand each other. Now, we can be “seated with Him in heavenly places!” We once heard that He loved us, and now we know that He does. And today, you may have heard this same thing. Does God really love me? You have the opportunity to know for sure that He does. You can be in right relationship with Him even now. You can know that God, the creator of everything, loves you and loves me!
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It's that time of year again! My red truck is now orange because of the amount of pollen falling from the trees. According to a Newsweek article in 2019, Memphis is the 4th worst city in America for spring allergies. That is a comforting thought, isn't it? Especially for someone like me, who has dealt with allergies his whole life! Runny nose, itchy nose, sneezing and much more. Add this to what we are dealing with in the world today with Covid-19, and you are set up for a mess. If I sniff or cough at all, will everyone think that I am infected?!
To help offset this problem in my own life, I decided to cut down a few trees in my backyard. For perspective, the largest one I was going to cut down is around 6-8 inches in diameter. Before I was full-time at First Assembly Memphis, I worked for a company contracted by the electric company. We worked out of bucket trucks with climbing gear to cut trees away from power lines. Not a very safe line of work to say the least. When God calls you to ministry, you do ministry and whatever else you can to pay the bills! There is no such thing as a part-time pastor. With the help of my very trusting wife, we cut down every small tree that we intended. The only thing left was a rather large vine hanging from one of the trees. Being the safe person that I am, I got out my ladder, thinking I could reach it from there! I could reach, so now to pull it down! I didn’t want it to fall and hurt anyone outside later. As I pulled, I heard a crack. At the same time, I heard my wife tell me to stop pulling! I didn't. Little did I know, the tree that this vine was attached to was dead. Really dead! I pulled half of the tree down with the vine. Somehow, in God's sovereignty and grace, the tree missed me, missed the window to our house and barely hit our gutter. There is no damage to our roof! My kids were not around, and my wife was far away. We both stood there for a moment, shocked at what had just happened. Here we were, hoping to get a few trees down before they budded out and dropped pollen. Now, we have half of a dead tree in our yard! What a mess it made. You never know what a day or activity may bring about in your life. 1 Peter 5:8 is very familiar to most of us. Here is how the New International Reader's Version puts it: "Control yourselves. Be on guard. Your enemy the devil is like a roaring lion. He prowls around looking for someone to chew up and swallow." I wonder how often spiritually we do this. We see something hanging out in front of us. Perhaps it is like the forbidden fruit on the tree in the garden. Or sometimes it can be like the carrot hanging in front of the donkey. We say things like: "It's completely harmless." "What bad could come of this." "I can stop anytime I want." Our yard was completely clean before I took down this large, dead branch from our tree. We had worked hard up to this point. Everything was done in an orderly fashion. We cleaned as we cut, and things were looking good. This is the way it can be with our lives before everything comes crashing down. Sometimes, it is not even of our own doing (mine obviously was!). Pastor Lindberg has referenced Ephesians 5:17 frequently during this time in our country. "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is." I really like the verses that precede it as well: "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. " Be careful. All it takes is to say one hurtful thing, and you may have a mess in your yard that you did not want or need. All it takes is one act of disobedience and the consequence, again, may be a big mess in your yard. There is always forgiveness for these mistakes, but there are still consequences. There are some consequences that will not simply go away because you repent. Trust may have to be built again. Love may need to be restored in a relationship. During this time, and at all times for that matter, I urge you to live at peace, if possible. Control your tongue as the book of James says. Watch what you say and do. Be gracious and kind. Be full of the fruits of the Spirit. They should be ripe and ready to be picked. Let's have clean yards in our lives! It’s funny how things that used to bother us can somehow be missed later in life. For instance, I can’t tell you how many times this past winter I have wished for summer to come. “I won’t complain about the heat!” Last summer though, when it was 145 degrees with 100% humidity, I was wishing for winter!
This leads me to traffic. No, I don’t think that I would ever miss traffic, especially in Memphis. Can we agree that it is a bit strange though, to drive to the store with fewer vehicles on the road each day. Just yesterday we heard that bars and gyms need to close and restaurants are only able to do delivery and take-out. These are definitely strange days we live in and change is happening often. I am praying for those struggling with the virus, and also those who are out of work at this time. It wasn’t but a few weeks ago and traffic on 240 was as crazy as ever! In fact, it was about two weeks ago that I had to wait in traffic on my way to work. For reference, I only live 3-4 minutes from my work...on purpose! I was frustrated and couldn’t wait for whatever it was holding us up to move on. As we merged, not so neatly into one lane, I saw what the delay was. They were fixing potholes! Here I am, complaining about people who are fixing the very things all of us complain about. Potholes are just as bad as construction on the freeway. They finally get to the potholes that I drive over every day and I have the audacity to complain about that! Have you been there?! Maybe you are there now. People are sick. Lives are being changed. Jobs are lost and small businesses are being shut down. And if I were honest, I have complained about having to stay at my house over my spring break. My house that still has air conditioning and heat, because in Memphis you never know which one you will need on each day! My house that has plenty of food and drink. My house that has beds, tv that works and plenty of toilet paper! Why do we do this? Why do we complain like Israelites who grumbled so quickly after they left Egypt? Why do we resent the work God is doing in our lives because it isn’t happening the way we think it should? Don’t we know that all things work together for good? Don’t we know that every miracle starts as a problem? Don’t we know that pruning hurts but is necessary for growth? We see a giant in this Covid-19 like the one David fought as a boy, but David saw an opportunity. We as the church have an opportunity to show the world that the church was never about a building. The solution to our problem is inconvenient. So was the cross. Because of the cross the potholes in our heart can be filled. Because of it, we can find a new way to share the hope that we have. Don’t let what’s wrong keep you from doing what you know is right during this time. I am not a health care professional or a doctor. I cannot speak to the virus itself or to anything medically related to it. I have researched as much as google will tell me!
What I am, is a minister. Not always the greatest one. But I love the Lord, I fear Him and I try to obey His commands. I also have a deep love for His Church and His Word. May I share with you a few thoughts that have helped give me healthy perspective during this time and any difficult time. (Remember, it is often hard to gain perspective while in the maze. Thus, we look to the One who is far above the maze!)
To those who are affected in any way by this virus, my prayers are for you. You don’t have to live in fear, you can find peace in Christ Jesus. He is the author of life and hope. May you find Him during this time of unrest in the world. “Nothing fails like success.”
“Failure is not final.” I hear these phrases a lot. I appreciate the men and women who share things like this. Regardless of how many times we hear that success isn’t everything we still are inadvertently giving success a definition. The same for failure. No it’s not final, but you are still saying it was failure. There is a great article by Carley Sime in Forbes magazine about Failure and Success. They define them as this: Success, noun. The state of living and working according to our values Failure, noun. The state of living and working in a way that isn’t aligned with our values I can get behind this, and I think you can too. I would only change one thing: instead of our values I would put God’s values or values we see in the Word of God. With this as our starting point, let’s look at Success and Failure, newly defined, in our lives. 1. Failure is not final but can be fatal. Forgive me Winston Churchill, but just ask Samson. Ask David. Ask Abraham. Should I go on?! Let me scream it from the top of the mountain: Failure is NOT FINAL! You do not have to be defined by your past or your mistakes. But... ...there are consequences to those actions. Pictures can resurface 20 years later. Things that you say, post, text and share don’t always disappear. This is your life, protect it. No one else will. It’s up to you. These things can be fatal. They can and will destroy you. Satan is already trying to kill, steal and destroy, why are we making his job easy?! 2. Success is not certain and looks like surrender. Let me explain. Some things in life are certain. 2 + 2 = 4. The sky is blue, the grass is green. Most of life does not look that way though. If success was certain, everyone would be successful. Again, I am not saying success in previous definitions of it. Living out God’s values and plans for our life is not always certain. This is where surrender comes in. We cannot live our lives our own way on our own terms. That is not success...even if you make millions. Our job is surrender. Our job is to live according to God’s values. This is going to look a lot like work. It’s going to look a lot like sacrifice. It’s going to be worth it. When we stand before the throne of God and He smiles at you and says, “Well done,” you will know success because you learned surrender. There is value in self-help and 5-step programs. Remember, they are not certain. They worked for someone, but may not work for everyone. We must be diligent. “Don’t grow weary...” “Study to show yourself approved...” “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:3-4 NLT Failure is lurking in the other side of success, just as success is not too far behind failure. Follow the decrees of God’s Word and allow the Holy Spirit to direct your steps and thoughts. Work hard. Get back up. Stand for something. Believe in Someone. Success is yours, go get it! Last week I was sitting in several ministry meetings in San Antonio, TX. There are some very exciting things happening with our Foundry School of Discipleship. As I was driving through the city I reminisced of other times I had been to San Antonio. I have always glamorized the city since my childhood and my love for the Spurs. Growing up in Nebraska didn’t give us many options for sports teams. My youth pastor was a Rockets fan and I would always root against him. It just so happened that they played the Spurs a lot! From David Robinson, Sean Elliott and Avery Johnson to Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, they were my team!
I was a Junior in High School the first time I was in San Antonio. It was exciting to go somewhere new. When we left I remember thinking, “until next time.” Four years ago, I was able to take 20 of our students on a state-side missions trip back to San Antonio. I still love the city and thought as we were leaving, “until next time!” Last week I was sitting in the same building in that same city that we ministered in four years ago. God is beginning some exciting things for us to bring back to Memphis. When I left this time I once again said, “until next time.” I hope you know what I am talking about. We say this phrase when we talk about places but also about people. When I was dating my wife, it started as a long-distance relationship. Every time I had to leave after a visit I had the same thought...that’s right, “until next time!” I’m glad I don’t have to say that anymore! Occasionally, there are times that I say, “I hope there isn’t a next time!” Maybe I say that more than occasionally! This would entail times that hurt. Moments that broke us. People who abused or misused us. An event or moment that didn’t go well. When I was younger I was very shy. I had to take speech as part of my English class. I hated every part of it. Funny that standing in front of people and speaking is now what I do several times a week. After every speech I had to give I remember thinking, “I hope there is never a next time!” Have you been there?! Jesus had a moment like that! In fact, He probably had several. Don’t forget that although He was fully God He was also fully man. He understood everything we have been through. There was a time right after His water baptism that the Spirit took Him to the wilderness. He fasted for 40 days. That alone would make me say, I hope there isn’t a next time! At the end of that time Satan came and tempted Jesus. He tempted Him with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. What an encounter! Jesus and Satan, head-to-head. Satan found Jesus at His most vulnerable state. Not only hungry and tired, but human. I would venture to say that Jesus walked away with the thought, “I hope there isn’t a next time!” Satan had another thought. We see it in Luke 4, “When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.” This wasn’t it for Jesus. He wasn’t free from some test to then live out His perfect life without pushback. No! “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15) He would disappear at night to pray. He would send people away to spend time with His Father. He knew that Satan was waiting “until next time.” And we should do the same. Get away. Find a quiet place. Learn how to fight. There will be a next time! Don’t get caught unaware. Don’t let your guard down. Be vigilant. For our enemy is like a lion, seeking to devour us. He won’t quit and neither should we! Let’s be ready for next time. I want to be able to say back to the devil, with no fear or timidity, “until next time!” I know that you are all more mature than I am. Or at least more mature than I used to be. When I was younger, I had embarrassing friends! I'm not sure if you know what that means or not, so let me explain. I had my church friends and I had my school friends. They were my embarrassing friends. When I was at church, I did not want my school friends to show up. When I was at school and a church friends walked by me in the hall, I wanted to crawl under a desk.
I know, I know. Real mature. Well done sir! Yes, I am human. I am fully man. Flawed man! This was me. On this Valentine's Day, I hope that none of you have would say that your significant other is your embarrassing valentine! That would make today very awkward for us all. You take her to a restaurant so far away that you are sure no you know will show up! I am old enough, or rather my kids are old enough now, that I am their embarrassing friend! Unfortunately for them, I have been waiting for this moment my whole life! Dance wildly when their friends are around. Talk about embarrassing things. Share fun baby stories to their friends. My kids with their actions and responses say something like this, "Yes, I really like you and care about you, but only in a certain context." We watch plenty of movies and tv shows that portray that phrase. The fact that I see this played out, even in the shows my kids watch, let's me know that I, in fact, am not alone. I am not the only one who has played this game...the Embarrassing Friend game! So, to all of you getting ready to take that special someone out tonight, walk with them proudly! Enjoy their company, regardless of who is around. Be proud to be seen with them. If you are not able to do that, why are you with them? Let's abruptly shift gears to Jesus, our embarrassing friend! Yes, I went there! Don't get mad at me for setting you up for this! You had to know a plot twist was around the corner. If you would allow me, I want to pose three simple questions, so you can find out if Jesus would fit the bill for your embarrassing friend! Here we go... Question #1 for 10 points: Do I publicly pray before a meal? I know this seems elementary, but when I was in elementary school, this was a BIG deal for me. Could I bow my head and close my eyes and say a quick prayer before a meal...in front of my classmates! What would they say? How would they react? What will happen if they find out I am one of those Christians?! Unfortunately, I don't believe that we think too much differently now, than we did then. We tend to continue to worry about the same things over and over again. And if you can't do something basic like this, the signs might be saying, Jesus is your embarrassing friend. Question #2 for 751 points: Do I post anything "Christian" on my social media? Again, maybe a basic question. But a very telling one. I love seeing your family photos! I appreciate your political views and that you are willing to take a stand for something. Sometimes I wonder if if you are as proud of God as you are your party?! And please, in no way am I referencing the "If you love Jesus pass this along" posts! I wouldn't mind seeing your story though. Tell me what God has done in your life. Share with me the times that He has been good to you. Our testimony is a powerful thing, in that, scripture is very clear. If you scroll through your own timeline and don't see anything, maybe Jesus is your embarrassing friend. Question #3 for 1,342 points: Do I bring up Jesus in everyday conversations? I work at a church, so I cannot always speak to this one as much. Jesus being in my conversation seems to be my job. But that was not always the case. Before I moved to Memphis, I was pastoring at a church that could not support me full-time. I worked a 40+ hour a week job with unbelievers. I spent a lot of time with people who had completely different views than I did. Did I only mention God after someone sneezed?! God bless you is a good start, but let's bring Jesus out of His box we have put Him in. If He is enough to save us, He should be enough to get us through everyday. He is enough to put our eternal trust and hope in, then He should be enough to bring up when a co-worker is going through a tough time. If He is our hope, perhaps He can be theirs too. If you don't believe that, maybe Jesus is your embarrassing friend. Question #4 for 1 million points: Do I worship freely at my place of worship? We call it "a place of worship" because you are supposed to worship there, correct? I am not calling anyone or any church out on this. I know very well that within every church there are those that worship more freely and those that are more reserved. I know that there are those that have been forgiven much and therefore love much. I also know how "reserved" people can be while watching their favorite team play in a game. I am thankful that God saw us in our mess and was not embarrassed of us. That He was even willing to embarrass Himself all the way to the cross for us. He was proud of us and fought for us in those moments and still does. We are his Valentine that He is proud to be seen with. Needless to say, if you can't be proud of your God in a place that it is expected from you, maybe Jesus is your embarrassing friend. I hope and pray that this post was not seen as condemning but rather encouraging and convicting. We are His ambassadors, set up apart, called to Himself to reach the lost. So walk around proudly with HIM! Show Him off. Let Him be seen in and through you life! But how can they call on Him if they have not put their trust in Him? And how can they put their trust in Him if they have not heard of Him? And how can they hear of Him unless someone tells them? Romans 10:14 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. Luke 9:26 There are a lot of self-help articles, blogs and books out there. This may very well end up like many of those. I do want to go about it a bit differently though.
Our youth ministry is going through a series entitled, “Happily Never After.” The title of my talk was “4 Ways to Ruin Your Life.” Sounds encouraging and uplifting, right?! Maybe a bit of reverse psychology is involved. Either way, I felt it worth while to share with everyone, even if you weren’t there to witness it. So here we go...4 ways to ruin your life! 1. Relationships (Side note: this point, although not in whole, was taken from a sermon preached by Steven Furtick entitled “The Power of Potential.”) Look for potential in people rather than patterns. Did you read that wrong? Nope. Potential is not the end game. I am glad that my wife saw the potential in me when she started dating this young 19 year old with nothing to offer. On the other side, I would say she is now glad that she married someone with the right patterns and habits more so than potential. That person you enjoy being around, the one you may want to start a relationship with, or even that co-worker you have started spending a lot of time with may have the potential to become a good friend. But be warned! Watch their patterns. They may be Solomon in wisdom or David in praise or Abraham in faith or Joshua in war. But if they are not Joseph in discipline they will end up like Samson in destruction! Choose patterns over potential every time. 2. Money Spend it all and give nothing! That’s right. Go ahead, ruin your life. It’s not like you have just one! “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” Money is not evil, the love of money is. The love of possessions is. The love of stuff is. The love of the American dream is. I can show you very quickly what you love by looking at your checkbook, if those are even a thing anymore! I wrote a post a while back, that you can read here, talking about finding out what you love most by what makes you angry. Do you value possessions over people? It’s time to do an inventory of our resources. God has given everything to us: talents and money. And He has allowed us to keep 90%. That sounds like a great deal! “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. ” Luke 6:38 NLT 3. Character Live entitled, not humble. Entitled: to give yourself a title; to think you deserve more than you actually do. We live in a country very much like this. If I’m honest, I can be very much like this. Having a feeling that somehow I am owed something. Let me let you in on a secret: I am not and neither are you. In a world of people screaming what rights they have and are entitled to, don’t forget that the only right Jesus ever paraded around was His right to die. He gave all of them up for you and for me. And I for one, am thankful that He did. A little humility and thankfulness could go a long way. People who do things that count in this life usually don’t stop to count them. This is all about how, or rather how much, you think of yourself. I had to learn a long time ago that my insecurities were in fact selfish. When I walked into a room of people my thoughts were, “what do they think of me?!” The focus of my thoughts? Me! “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” - C. S. Lewis 4. Your Soul This one is easy: Sin more. Repent less. All have sinned. - Paul Sin is fun. - Moses Conclusion: All like to have fun! In all seriousness, I hope you fully understand that this Christian life is not a checklist or a bunch of “Do’s and Dont’s.” On the other side, something as simple as saying don’t sin, is not to be taken lightly. Jesus told the woman caught in adultery, “I don’t condemn you, but stop sinning!” When I see numbers and statistics on Christians who are addicted to pornography, and even the number of pastors addicted, it creates a panic in me. This is why it is important to have good patterns over potential. To give rather than spend. And to live humble rather than entitled. Satan plays his game well. To us, it shouldn’t be a game. He creates weapons specifically with you in mind. He knows what entices you. Let’s be honest for a moment. It wouldn’t entice you if you didn’t desire it?! Our prayer cannot be: “God, help me not sin.” Our prayer should be: “God, change what I desire.” Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” The trick to this verse is when you delight yourself in the Lord, your desires change. You begin to desire what He desires. In conclusion: Please don’t ruin your life. You only have one, and it determines your eternity. We have all had that embarrassing moment in life. You are going about a normal task that you have done a million times and this time it’s a fail! Maybe you have literally fallen down in public. Perhaps you overslept and missed that important meeting! All the while you think, “how could I have done this!”
I have my fair shares of embarrassing moments. I have been standing at the free throw line in a basketball game dribbling the ball. This is something we do at the end of every practice. Before I shoot the free throw the ball somehow hits the front of my foot and bounces away...and I step into the lane after it! “What was I thinking!” The worst moment for me was the night my two oldest, Israel and Camille, were getting baptized. I had the privilege of baptizing them as their father. This was supposed to be such a great moment for them and especially for me. Any parent should be thrilled that their children are making the decision to follow Christ. Just before I head down the few steps into the baptismal, one of our pastors was heading up. I decided to let them have the rail and I would walk down on the other side. I guess I didn’t realize how slippery the steps were. Needless to say, our congregation saw two feet go up in the air. I’m not sure anyone sitting knew it was me at that point. I had a decision to make. Meet my daughter in the tank and baptize her or run! I’ll admit it, I almost ran! Sometimes stumbling or messing up makes people get defensive. It backs them into a corner. It makes you want to prove that what you just saw isn’t who I really am. I have to protect myself. I have to protect my name, my honor, my integrity and even my motives. This is the way we all were with Christ before accepting Him. The Bible says we are “enemies,” and even “hostile” towards God. If we aren’t careful, He becomes the stumbling block in our life. And why wouldn’t He be just that. He is unattainable and we could never measure up. I believe that is the reason the people shouted for Barabbas! When I put myself next to him I look good. But Jesus? I feel exposed. I could never be good enough. How could I ever live that way? Get Him as far away as possible! So we don’t even try. We get defensive of our own “goodness” and push away. I love that the Bible doesn’t end in our demise. Jesus isn’t just a stumbling block. He is also referred to as a cornerstone. The main stone that was used as the foundation for a house or building. A good place to start. The thing to find before beginning any construction project. For me, He is what I have chosen to build my entire life on. I’ve made Him so important to the structure of my life, that if Jesus were ever removed, everything would crumble. So here you see two sides. Two tales. As Moses once said to the people of Israel, “I set before you life and death.” We can view Jesus as an unattainable goal, or someone we can build our life on. The choice is yours. Choose wisely! I’m not sure about you, but laying in bed is a great time to contemplate anything and everything. It’s when I decide I can solve all the world’s problems. It also seems to be a time I think about things in life that just don’t make sense. You know what I’m talking about. The things we see, do, or encounter that have no explanation. And then that great and mighty question arises: Why?!
One of my favorite ‘why’ questions is this, “Why is this here?!” I say that a lot, especially when I read the Bible. Here is one of my favorite ‘why’ passages: “Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body. And the young men laid hold of him, and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.” Mark 14:51-52 NKJV Why is this here?! What is it’s purpose? To all my pastor friends, how do you preach on this and what is the application for life?! I have looked at a lot of commentary on this passage. I have seen a lot of assumptions. The only thing that we know for certain is that it left an impression on Mark (or rather Peter, as this is likely his gospel perspective)! Here is the reality: there are some things that don’t need an explanation. (And now you’re saying, “why not?!”) It used to bother me that I didn’t understand everything. I have that type of personality. I want to figure it out. But God is not one that can be figured out so easily. The apostle Paul calls it a ‘mystery.’ In regards to Sodom and Gomorrah God said, “should we let Abraham in on this?” This list of passages in scripture and experiences in life could go on. I, for one, am thankful that I serve a God whose ways are greater and thoughts are higher! If I could figure out everything about God, what kind of a God would I be serving?! Be thankful that He knows how to keep your lungs working when you don’t. That your heart beats because He designed it that way. Thank God that He wakes you up every morning, and that at some point you will fall asleep tonight (hopefully sooner rather than later!). Lastly, be thankful that He sent His son Jesus to save us when we could not save ourselves. Maybe some of you tonight should be asking what the jailer in Acts asked the apostle Paul, “what must I do to be saved?!” And God did not hide his answer from us! Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you and your family will be saved! Until we arrive in heaven to get all our questions answered, think about that! Because that is something to be thankful for! |
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