Obey or Half Way?

Do you manage people in the workforce?  If not, are you a parent?  All of us encounter situations where we ask someone to do something for us, expecting they will do as we ask.  What happens when they do what you ask them, just not completely?  Maybe they do half of what you ask or even three fourths of what is asked, but just leave one or two things undone.  At the very least, it’s frustrating.  If they do only part of what is asked of them, have they been obedient?  According to God they haven’t.

Look at 1 Samuel 15:1-35.  Saul was appointed by God to be king of the Israelites.  God gave him very clear instructions in 1 Samuel 15:1-3.  He was to attack and kill the Amalekites, leaving no person or animal alive.  There’s no room for misunderstanding there.  Kill everyone and everything is pretty clear.  So what does Saul do?  He captures the king, kills all the other people, separates out the best sheep and cattle to take back with him and kills all the others [1 Samuel 15:7-9].  Does that sound like what God asked him to do?

In 1 Samuel 15:22-23 the Lord speaks to Saul through Samuel: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.” To obey is better than sacrifice.  There's no mincing words there.  His message is crystal clear.

We clearly see Saul’s mistake here, but aren’t we all guilty of doing the same thing?  We pick and choose which part of the Word of God we’ll obey.  We say God’s Word is true; however, we bend and break the rules when it’s convenient for us.  We can learn a very valuable lesson from Saul.  Partial obedience or slow obedience is still disobedience.  This truth doesn’t just apply to our children or work associates when we want them to do something for us; it applies to us as well.

Obedience has been highly valued by God from the beginning, and mankind has repeatedly failed to obey completely [Genesis 2:16-17].  So what are we to do?  Like Paul, we want to obey, yet we continue to mess up [Romans 7:15-24]. Romans 5:19 says, “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”  We have hope because of Jesus.  Romans 8:1-2 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”  When we choose to yield our will to the will of God, we are able to walk in obedience to Him and His Word.  He is our Hope.  He is our victory.  We simply have to choose. So what will you choose today?  Will you obey or will you only go halfway?

Do you have a green thumb?

Do you have a garden?  A lot of my friends are growing herbs and vegetables in garden boxes they’ve built in their backyards.  Most of my friends have beautiful flowerbeds in the front and back of their houses.  My grandmother, I called her Nanny, had a green thumb like no other.  She would have a beautiful display of color throughout her front and backyard every year.  She would rival most covers of Southern Living during the spring and summer.  She just had a green thumb like no other.

Nanny passed on her love for creative baking and her love for shopping, especially for shoes, but for some reason she failed to impart the gift of the green thumb.  In the past, if it didn’t grow in concrete I couldn’t grow it.  Whether inside or out, I have never had a lot of luck with plants.  I start off with great plans, full of excitement and with a goal of success.  I purchase all the supplies necessary for success: fertilizer, proper soil, tools, and healthy looking flowers.  I gather everything and head into the great outdoors for a day of planting.  I have a spring in my step, declaring this year will be different.  I plant everything and it looks stunning.  The first couple of mornings I am up with the birds and I’m watering everything, picking the deadheads off of the flowers.  I look like a successful gardener.  And then it happens…..  It is totally unintentional.  It just happens. I fail to water the plants a few days.  Then I get distracted by other things that need to be done that at the time seem so important.  Before I know it, I’m pulling dead flowers out of the ground or pot, wondering how it happened again.

Do my gardening habits sound similar to your quiet time habits?  You come back from a retreat or an incredible Christian concert and you’re fired up and ready to go.  You head to the Christian bookstore and buy the latest devotional everyone is talking about.  You even set up a place in your house for your time with the Lord.  Out of the gate you’re on fire, up early every morning.  After all, who needs sleep?  But then you have a stressful day at work and need the extra sleep to deal with it or you have a late night out with friends.  Maybe you’re on vacation and decide you’re going to take a vacation from everything you do at home.  It’s a good thing Jesus doesn’t take a vacation from us.

In Matthew 13:1-23 Jesus tells the familiar parable of the sower and the seed.  Take a moment today and read it for yourself.  Ask Jesus to show you what type of soil you are presently.  If you’re not where you want to be, ask Him to show you how to cultivate a different type of soil.  He’s not going to pound you because you’re not where you and He want you to be.  He will embrace your desire to grow and guide and direct you to reach the goal of being good soil, but you have to ask [Proverbs 3:5-6].  While all of us aren’t cut out to be gardeners in the natural, there’s no reason we can’t all have good soil where we can produce a banner crop.

For the record, I’ve planted a beautiful flower garden this year.  The plants have been out there thriving for over a month now.  I’ve turned over a new leaf.  I may have acquired some of Nanny’s green thumb yet!

Don't judge a book by its cover!

How many seconds do you have to make a first impression? I’ve read you have seven.  Seven seconds.  That’s crazy to think someone sums up their opinion of you, an opinion that will be next to impossible to change, in just seven seconds.  As the saying goes, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”  If you do, you just might get it all wrong.

Think of all of the missed opportunities in life with careers, friendships, and love that are missed because people don’t pause long enough to look behind those seven seconds. 

Eli, a priest in the tribe of Levi, made a false judgment about a woman just because of what he saw in the first few seconds [1 Samuel 1:9-17]. 

Hannah had gone with her husband, Elkanah, to the temple at Shiloh to make sacrifices and worship.  She was grieved because her womb was closed.  She was desperate for a child, a son.  She was agonizing over her situation and crying out to the Lord is prayer; however, she did so quietly, privately.  Through her brokenness, she poured out her heart to the Lord.  Eli witnessed this, but assumed he knew the situation.

Eli saw a woman’s lips moving, but no sound coming out.  He saw a distressful look on her face.  He assumed she was drunk [1 Samuel 1:13-14].  He was so certain of what he witnessed he called her out [vs. 15].  What would have happened to Hannah’s reputation or her husband’s good name if Eli had made his observations public?  Even though it was an honest mistake, it could have ruined their family.  She could have potentially been stoned in that day and age.  Instead of being drunk, she was a devote believer saturated with grief crying out to her heavenly Father to intervene.  She appeared to be far from God, yet she was closer to Him than even the priest.

Have you ever made a false assumption?  Have you ever looked at someone and assumed the worst based on what you witnessed?  Did you ever take the time to go deeper?

Jesus clearly tells us in Matthew 7:1, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”  This is so important to Him, He stated it again in Luke 6:37, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”  We are not called to be judge and jury of others in this life.  Scripture tells us there is one Judge and His name is Jesus [Hebrews 10:30, James 5:9, 1 Peter 4:5]. 

It’s time we climbed out of His judgment seat and became instruments of His love, grace, and mercy to those we encounter.  He hasn’t called us to judge, but He has commanded us to love one another [John 13:34-35, Romans 13:8, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 John 3:11.1 John 3:23].  1 Corinthians  13:4-8 reminds us how love treats another, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”  No matter what you think you see, choose to love.

Who have you invited to the party?

Happy Memorial Day!  How will your family celebrate?  Will you have a quiet day off with your family, relaxing?  Or will you attend a party or backyard barbeque?  With graduation weekend behind us, we will celebrate Memorial Day, and the sacrifices others have made for our freedom, quietly at home.  We’ve had our fair share of parties this weekend.  Between our son and all of his friends graduating, we’ve had multiple parties to attend each day for the past three days.

Some of the parties were like a family reunion because we knew almost everyone there.  Those were our favorites to attend, because we not only knew the graduate and his or her family, but we also knew the extended family and friends who attended.  Other parties were a little less exciting to attend because we hardly knew anyone.  Let’s face it; parties are much more fun when you know everyone.

When a lost soul comes to the Lord, we celebrate [Luke 15:4-32].  All of heaven rejoices when a lost son is found.  Heaven celebrates [Isaiah 62:5, 1 Corinthians 13:6].  If heaven celebrates when the lost are found, parties must be a regular occurrence there.  Wouldn’t it be more fun to celebrate with people you know instead of those you don’t?  Well, it’s time to get busy sending out party invitations.  Jesus is counting on us to create the guest list [Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8Will you be celebrating with a barbeque or a party of some sort?].  You don’t want the people you know and love to miss the celebration.  You don’t want them to live life never having been invited to the greatest party of all time.  After all, the party in heaven will be THE party to attend.  Will your friends and loved ones miss it?  Will they be standing outside the door saying they didn’t know anything about it [Revelation 3:20].  As believers, we will be part of the greatest celebration ever and we’re encouraged and even commanded to invite everyone to join us.  Revelation 22:17 says, “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.”  Who are you inviting to be there with you?  Memorial Day celebrates those who have lost their lives in a sacrificial way for others.  Jesus gave His life freely so that you and the rest of the world may have abundant life [John 3:16, John 10:10].It’s not too late to start inviting people now.  What will you do today to ensure those you love will be there with you?

School's Out..........

Do you remember what it feels like on the last day of school?  The bell rings and people begin singing the Alice Cooper song, School’s Out for Summer, as they spill into the hallways making their way to the buses and cars.  Yesterday wasn’t just my son’s last day of school for this year, but it was his last day of high school.  He graduates this weekend.  He called to say his truck was on empty and asked if I would meet him at the gas station.  When I pulled up beside his truck, he put down his window and held out his phone for me to listen to a video clip.  It was Martin Luther King, Jr. declaring, “Free at last.  Free at last.  Thank God Almighty, I’m free at last.”  I had to laugh at his sense of humor.  He has had a great academic career and said it’s hard to believe he will never go to high school again.

Life is full of seasons.  Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven; a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” 

There are few constants you can count on in life other than Jesus; however, you can always count on change to come around in life.  Nothing seems to stay the same forever.  We must learn to ebb and flow with the changes that come our way.  Sometimes those changes are good and bring great joy to our lives, such as the birth of a child. Other times they’re hard, and are accompanied by tears.  The good news is no matter what the change is we’re facing, good or bad, we never face it alone [Deuteronomy 31:6,8; Joshua 1:5].  The Lord is with us through it all, even when we cannot feel Him.  Just like air, God is there!

What season of life are you experiencing right now?  Is it a time filled with joy and celebration? Or is it a time of struggle or sorrow?  God is there.  Even when you can see Him or feel Him, He's with you.  He will never leave you nor forsake you [Hebrews 13:5].  He’s with you as you walk through difficult times [Psalm 23:4].  He will remain by your side. No matter what you’re facing today, you can experience the peace that comes from the knowledge you are not alone.

I am taking the remainder of this week off to spend it with my son as we begin the celebration of graduation.  I’ll meet you back here on Monday morning.  Have a blessed week.

The Least of These

Who would you define as “the least of these” spoken about in Scripture?  Would you say it is orphans and widows?  Is it a young girl caught up in human trafficking?  Is it the man in your neighborhood who lost his job years ago and is trying to find work to provide for his family?  Is it the single woman who lives next door and has no family in town? Or is it the man or woman standing at the top of the exit ramp holding a sign declaring them homeless and in need of food?

“The least of these” are all of the above and then some. I believe “the least of these” is anyone in need, period.  I don’t believe “the least of these” simply refers to widows and orphans because the Lord spoke about widows and orphans specifically throughout Scripture [Psalm 68:5, Isaiah 10:1-2, Malachi 3:5, 1 Timothy 5:3, 16, and  James 1:27].  Jesus gave some specific examples of those in need in Matthew 25:34-40, stating He would call those who cared for “the least of these” a part of Him, His family.

In our day to day chaos we call life, it is easy to get tunnel vision and fail to see those who are in need.  Many times we feel like we are hardly making ends meet ourselves, so what do we do?  We follow Peter’s example in Acts 3:1-11.  When he encountered the crippled man being carried to the temple gate, he responded this way, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."  Peter offered the man a healing prayer.  He paused long enough for the man to know Peter saw him.  He spoke to the man, acknowledging his plight and gave what he had to give.  Prayer doesn’t cost you anything, except your time.  A smile is free.  Hugs are always available.

What people need more than anything is to know that they matter; someone sees them.  Once they know you care you have a captive audience to share Jesus, which is the deepest need of all of us.  My education professor used to always say, “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”  No matter what you have monetarily to share with others, you always have something to give.  Ask the Lord to show you “the least of these” in your sphere of influence today.  When He does- and if you as Him, He’ll show you- share whatever the Lord has given you.  You’ll come away the most blessed of all.

What'd you get?

Do you know someone graduating from high school or college?  The invitations and announcements are pouring into our house every day.  Not only is my son, Sam, graduating, but a lot of his friends are as well.  We also have friends graduating from college.  These are major accomplishments worthy of celebrating. 

People have already begun sending Sam graduation presents.  I can assure you, when each one arrives, he willingly receives it.  He doesn’t just set it aside on a shelf and say, “That was so nice of them to send me a gift.”  He’s a teenager.  He tears into the gift, eager to see what it is and how he can use it.

We’re all given gifts from the Father.  We don’t all have the exact same gift.  God knows what our future holds.  He knows where we’re going and He selects the perfect gift for us and what we’ll face.  

In Romans 12:6-8 Paul says, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”  We, too, are to open the gift God gives us and put it to use.  It doesn’t do us any good to have a gift from God and not use it. 

Hebrews 13:20-21 says the Lord will equip us to do His work.  If you’re feeling like you’re in a situation you can’t handle, you might need to look into your heart and see if there are any unopened gifts sitting around.  God won’t call you to something He hasn’t equipped you for, even if it feels like He has.

If God’s given you a gift, He’s done so for a reason.  He wastes nothing.  Is there something in your life that needs opening?  What is it?  Do you see a way to use it today?