The prodigal son is one of Jesus’ best known parables in the Bible (Luke 15:11-32). A son takes his share of his inheritance and then goes to a far off land only to squander it on revelry. He realizes his mistake after losing all of his money only to become a beggar in a time of famine. He returns home to tell his father to no longer call him his son, but the father warmly embraces him and throws a big celebration for him because “he was lost and is now found” (Luke 15:32b).
This parable is commonly told as a moral for forgiveness and repentance. I agree with this assessment especially since the parable of the lost son comes at the end of the parables of the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10) and the lost sheep in Luke (Luke 15:1-7). However, I believe that this parable has another nugget of wisdom to be gleaned from it. I think the parable of the prodigal son is also a moral on the rewards of obedience.
In the parable, the father’s oldest son was working the field only to hear the music and dancing back home. He returns home to see what the people are celebrating only to discover the party is for his younger disobedient brother. The older brother becomes very angry at the fact that his younger brother disobeyed his father, but his father threw the disobedient son a huge party while the older one never had one.
Throughout the commotion, the father urges his son to join the party, but he refuses. The older son told his father, “Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him (Luke 15:29-30).” The father’s response in verse 31 is very revealing: “’My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours (Luke 15:31).”
In my opinion, this much overlooked verse reveals the vast benefits of remaining obedient. Since scholars extrapolate this parable to also mean God’s larger forgiveness for us when we repent, I believe this very same parable can be extrapolated to show God’s rewards for us when we are always with Him. This rings especially true in a time when many “new age” Christians view the Bible as an al a carte line where they can pick and choose what they want to believe. Therefore, they become worldly Christians, but always contend that they are saved due to God’s grace and forgiveness.
This may be true, but these very same people are also missing out on the great rewards that God has offered them. Just as the prodigal son blew his great reward on prostitutes and nonsense, some Christians blow God’s rewards in favor of conforming to certain elements of the world. Therefore, I urge you to follow the example of the older son and “stay with” your Father so that you will inherit everything He has for you.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
What Will Get You Further: Your Gifts or Education?
Go to school. Get your degrees. Get a good job. Live happily ever after. This is a powerful narrative that permeates society. But is it true? Many believe that simply by excelling in school (getting good grades, building a strong resume, etc.) you will punch your golden ticket for success in life. Very few people challenge this narrative, and when they do, they are ridiculed as being foolish. Well, let me risk losing face by asking and assessing the question, “What will get you further: Your gifts or education?”
As a matter of fact, the Bible composes a compelling argument in favor of gifts. Romans 11:29 tells us that God gives us our gifts, and they are with us whether we use them or not. God will not take our gifts back, they’re given freely. Moreover, in Proverbs 17:8 the Bible tells us that we need to polish and refine our gifts. Similar to finding a diamond in the rough, one has to polish and then set the stone before it will net a lot of money. The gifts God freely gives us are like a diamond in the rough. Pastor Bill Winston says there is a five step process in refining your gifts. First, you begin at a level of incompetence where you make many mistakes. Second, after much practice you move to competence where you’re proficient at your gift, but still have much room for growth. Third, you reach excellence as your gift allows you to excel past your peers. Fourth, your gift develops to the point of unique ability where people begin to recognize your talent. Finally, you reach giftedness once the world begins to notice you. At this stage, this is where Proverbs 18:16 takes hold as your gift brings you before great men.
But God will not only give you your gifts. Psalm 37:4 says that God will give you your desire in terms of how to use your gifts. Not only will God give you your desire, but Psalm 37:23 tells us He will give you direction and tell you where to go so that you will reach your promised land. Basically, God already crafted a plan for you and your gifts. We have to bear in mind that He our gifts are intended for service to God and mankind.
So what’s the point of education? Education serves to draw out your gifts. If you visualize primary school to graduate school as a pyramid with primary school being the base and graduate school being the tip, then you can see that your education goes from being very broad to very narrow. Why is this? Because in primary school through maybe your first or second year in college you don’t know your gifts or how you want to use them. So, you receive a broad education designed to allow you to figure out your gifts while giving you a solid foundation in several disciplines to build upon. However, the goal is for you to eventually discover your gifts and how you want to use them, which is why graduate school is highly specialized.
For some of us, we may discover that we don’t need advanced degrees to draw out our gifts. The world is filled with people whose gifts brought them to greatness without receiving a master’s degree or bachelor’s degree. People such as Tiger Woods, Bill Gates, Lebron James, Jay-Z, Madonna, Angelina Jolie, and others do not have Ph. Ds, master’s, and in some cases bachelor’s degrees, but they all reached a level of giftedness where they can have an impact on society.
In my opinion, when it comes to school your goal should simply be to find your gifts, desire, and direction, and then see how education can help guide you. Some of you may need advanced degrees if you feel led to go into academics, law, science, and other fields that demand high levels of formal education. Others may discover that a bachelor’s or diploma is sufficient. Wherever God leads you, just bear in mind that your education is not your source. Your level of education does not determine how far you can go. God’s gifts and how you use them determine your altitude.
As a matter of fact, the Bible composes a compelling argument in favor of gifts. Romans 11:29 tells us that God gives us our gifts, and they are with us whether we use them or not. God will not take our gifts back, they’re given freely. Moreover, in Proverbs 17:8 the Bible tells us that we need to polish and refine our gifts. Similar to finding a diamond in the rough, one has to polish and then set the stone before it will net a lot of money. The gifts God freely gives us are like a diamond in the rough. Pastor Bill Winston says there is a five step process in refining your gifts. First, you begin at a level of incompetence where you make many mistakes. Second, after much practice you move to competence where you’re proficient at your gift, but still have much room for growth. Third, you reach excellence as your gift allows you to excel past your peers. Fourth, your gift develops to the point of unique ability where people begin to recognize your talent. Finally, you reach giftedness once the world begins to notice you. At this stage, this is where Proverbs 18:16 takes hold as your gift brings you before great men.
But God will not only give you your gifts. Psalm 37:4 says that God will give you your desire in terms of how to use your gifts. Not only will God give you your desire, but Psalm 37:23 tells us He will give you direction and tell you where to go so that you will reach your promised land. Basically, God already crafted a plan for you and your gifts. We have to bear in mind that He our gifts are intended for service to God and mankind.
So what’s the point of education? Education serves to draw out your gifts. If you visualize primary school to graduate school as a pyramid with primary school being the base and graduate school being the tip, then you can see that your education goes from being very broad to very narrow. Why is this? Because in primary school through maybe your first or second year in college you don’t know your gifts or how you want to use them. So, you receive a broad education designed to allow you to figure out your gifts while giving you a solid foundation in several disciplines to build upon. However, the goal is for you to eventually discover your gifts and how you want to use them, which is why graduate school is highly specialized.
For some of us, we may discover that we don’t need advanced degrees to draw out our gifts. The world is filled with people whose gifts brought them to greatness without receiving a master’s degree or bachelor’s degree. People such as Tiger Woods, Bill Gates, Lebron James, Jay-Z, Madonna, Angelina Jolie, and others do not have Ph. Ds, master’s, and in some cases bachelor’s degrees, but they all reached a level of giftedness where they can have an impact on society.
In my opinion, when it comes to school your goal should simply be to find your gifts, desire, and direction, and then see how education can help guide you. Some of you may need advanced degrees if you feel led to go into academics, law, science, and other fields that demand high levels of formal education. Others may discover that a bachelor’s or diploma is sufficient. Wherever God leads you, just bear in mind that your education is not your source. Your level of education does not determine how far you can go. God’s gifts and how you use them determine your altitude.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Stewardship: Your Obligation to Multiply What God Gave You
“You can only do the best with what God gave you,” Forrest Gump’s mother tells her only son as she lies on her death bed. Although this was a fictional Hollywood story, many people live their lives as if these very words existed in the Bible. However, God expects more from us.
In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), a master entrusts his servants with his property. To one he gives five talents, another two talents, and yet to another one talent, each according to his ability. After the master returned from his long journey, his servants tell him what they did with the talents. The one with five talents immediately went to work and earned five more to whom the master calls a “good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21).” As a result, the master says this servant has been faithful with a few things so he will place him in charge of more. The man with two talents earned two more talents to whom the master again calls a “good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:23).” However, the man with one talent hid his talent in the ground and this greatly angered the master. He rebukes this servant as a “wicked and lazy servant (Matthew 25:26).” The master then takes his one talent and gives it to the one with ten and says, “For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he does have will be taken from him (Matthew 25:29).” The master then throws the lazy and wicked servant outside into the darkness where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30).”
One of the morals of this story is that God expects you to multiply what He gave you according to your ability. Therefore, “doing your best with what God gave you” is not enough. This parable makes it painfully clear that God expects a return on His investment. Not putting to work his master’s stuff got this servant thrown out into a place eerily familiar to hell where there was much “weeping and gnashing of teeth”.
In my opinion, this parable doesn’t just relate to heavenly gifts. We see this parable play out all the time in places such as schools and universities. There are students, albeit a very few, who are good and faithful over little things. They finish class assignments with excellence, help others through volunteering, and develop their gifts through extra-curricular activities. At first when we are in elementary school and middle school, this strong effort to excel do not seem like it reaps many rewards. However, as time passes, the very same students who were good with a few things seem to soar to greater and greater heights.
Moreover, some students sit in bewilderment as the rich seem to get richer while the poor get poorer. The “good and faithful” students seem to get even more stuff when they already have a lot while the “lazy and wicked” students struggle to hold onto the very little they still have. On the one hand, the “lazy and wicked” student’s get thrown out to the place of “weeping and gnashing of teeth” as they face disciplinary problems; struggle to find sufficient jobs, face massive college debts, and other tribulations. On the other hand, the “good and faithful” students have no or very little debt, easily find great jobs, obtained great favor with their teachers and bosses, and are placed in positions of increasing influence and responsibility.
We must remember that we are all stewards of God’s possessions. We own nothing on this earth, yet are responsible for many things. All of our money, opportunities, relationships, and material things all belong to God. He simply placed us in charge of them for awhile in hopes that we will multiply His stuff for His greater glory. I pray that you seek to multiply the stuff God gave you so that He may place you in charge of “many things” and not get thrown out to where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth”.
In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), a master entrusts his servants with his property. To one he gives five talents, another two talents, and yet to another one talent, each according to his ability. After the master returned from his long journey, his servants tell him what they did with the talents. The one with five talents immediately went to work and earned five more to whom the master calls a “good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21).” As a result, the master says this servant has been faithful with a few things so he will place him in charge of more. The man with two talents earned two more talents to whom the master again calls a “good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:23).” However, the man with one talent hid his talent in the ground and this greatly angered the master. He rebukes this servant as a “wicked and lazy servant (Matthew 25:26).” The master then takes his one talent and gives it to the one with ten and says, “For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he does have will be taken from him (Matthew 25:29).” The master then throws the lazy and wicked servant outside into the darkness where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30).”
One of the morals of this story is that God expects you to multiply what He gave you according to your ability. Therefore, “doing your best with what God gave you” is not enough. This parable makes it painfully clear that God expects a return on His investment. Not putting to work his master’s stuff got this servant thrown out into a place eerily familiar to hell where there was much “weeping and gnashing of teeth”.
In my opinion, this parable doesn’t just relate to heavenly gifts. We see this parable play out all the time in places such as schools and universities. There are students, albeit a very few, who are good and faithful over little things. They finish class assignments with excellence, help others through volunteering, and develop their gifts through extra-curricular activities. At first when we are in elementary school and middle school, this strong effort to excel do not seem like it reaps many rewards. However, as time passes, the very same students who were good with a few things seem to soar to greater and greater heights.
Moreover, some students sit in bewilderment as the rich seem to get richer while the poor get poorer. The “good and faithful” students seem to get even more stuff when they already have a lot while the “lazy and wicked” students struggle to hold onto the very little they still have. On the one hand, the “lazy and wicked” student’s get thrown out to the place of “weeping and gnashing of teeth” as they face disciplinary problems; struggle to find sufficient jobs, face massive college debts, and other tribulations. On the other hand, the “good and faithful” students have no or very little debt, easily find great jobs, obtained great favor with their teachers and bosses, and are placed in positions of increasing influence and responsibility.
We must remember that we are all stewards of God’s possessions. We own nothing on this earth, yet are responsible for many things. All of our money, opportunities, relationships, and material things all belong to God. He simply placed us in charge of them for awhile in hopes that we will multiply His stuff for His greater glory. I pray that you seek to multiply the stuff God gave you so that He may place you in charge of “many things” and not get thrown out to where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth”.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Playing the Fool: Godly Men Beware of Ungodly Women
Can looks kill? We all heard of women who are “drop dead gorgeous” or who have “looks to die for”, but are these just fun metaphors or is there something more lethal lying just beneath the surface? It seems since the beginning of time one of the devil’s primary weapons against Godly men are ungodly women. For some reason, it seems if a woman passes a certain threshold on the “hot-or-not” meter men’s brains go into auto-pilot. This was the case with one of the strongest men who ever lived: Samson.
God separated Samson from birth in order to deliver Israel out of a forty year Philistine captivity (Judges 13:1-5). He would eventually fulfill God’s calling on his life, but along the way he developed a habit of falling in love with ungodly women. Samson decides to marry a Philistine woman, which leads to his parents asking, “Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife? (Judges 14:3)” Interestingly, the Lord chose to use an ungodly woman in Samson’s life to help facilitate a confrontation with the Philistines (Judges 14:4). Before the ceremony, Samson tells thirty Philistine companions a riddle and if they can guess the riddle the thirty companions will receive garments and clothes, if not, Samson will receive garments and clothes (Judges 14:10-13). The thirty companions blackmailed Samson’s wife into coaxing Samson for the answer to the riddle because, if she did not, they would burn her and her father’s house to death (Judges 14:15). Samson foolishly tells his wife the answer after she accuses him of hating her since he didn’t confide the answer to her (Judges 14:16-17). She tells the thirty Philistine companions who then successfully answer the riddle causing Samson to go and kill thirty men to pay them their garments and clothing, and he loses his wife in the process to a friend (Judges 14:18-20). Not the ideal way to kick off a marriage. (Ironically, Samson’s wife and her father eventually would be burned to death at the hands of the Philistines (Judges 15:1-6).You reap what you sow)
You would think Samson would have learned from his first go around with ungodly women, but he soon finds himself falling for another Philistine woman. Delilah wins the heart of Samson and consequently the Philistine rulers ask her to try to steal the secret of his great strength in return for 1100 silver shekels (Judges 16:4-5). She accuses Samson of not loving her since he didn’t tell her the secret of his strength, and after several attempts Samson finally reveals it to her (Judges 16:6-20). Ultimately, Delilah’s deception of Samson will lead to his death as they “gouged out his eyes” and held a ceremony for his execution (Judges 16:21-30).
A woman may not gouge out your eyes but she definitely can gouge out your heart.
Unfortunately, many men of God choose not to resist temptation of beautiful ungodly women. Thus, like Samson, these women slither into our lives like serpents hell bent on stealing our purpose. Like termites, they slowly eat at our life’s foundation with their distractions, deceptions, and drama. As an 18 year old kid, I remember my first girlfriend. We met during my senior year and I became enslaved to her beauty. She dominated my thoughts every minute of everyday. She didn’t believe in Christ and I only believed in her at the time. Our ten month relationship finally ended with her leaving me for another man. In her wake, I wasted my entire senior year on her since my preoccupation with her cost me opportunities to take pre-college courses, do more community activism, and focus on God. As bad as it was, I thank God that it only lasted ten months. Others are not so lucky. Some people get dragged into relationships that cost them years or even decades of opportunities of doing the Lord’s work.
So, can looks kill? They sure killed Samson. And they can kill you too. In the words of TLC, “Don’t go chasing water falls, please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to.” The rivers and lakes that you should be used to are the laws of God’s kingdom. The waterfalls are just the devil’s way to get you to fall over the edge. God commands us not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers because righteousness and darkness cannot walk together (2 Corinthians 6:14). However, far too many Christian men ignore this command and stories similar to Samson’s to their own peril. We would rather rationalize to ourselves that we can lead our pretty little cupcake to the Lord. Maybe we can. But if so, then the question becomes why can’t we do this in a friendship? Why must we be romantically involved with someone in order to lead them to the Lord? The Bible makes it painfully clear that only trouble comes when we hook up with unbelievers. Therefore, Godly men, heed wisdom and beware of ungodly women.
God separated Samson from birth in order to deliver Israel out of a forty year Philistine captivity (Judges 13:1-5). He would eventually fulfill God’s calling on his life, but along the way he developed a habit of falling in love with ungodly women. Samson decides to marry a Philistine woman, which leads to his parents asking, “Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife? (Judges 14:3)” Interestingly, the Lord chose to use an ungodly woman in Samson’s life to help facilitate a confrontation with the Philistines (Judges 14:4). Before the ceremony, Samson tells thirty Philistine companions a riddle and if they can guess the riddle the thirty companions will receive garments and clothes, if not, Samson will receive garments and clothes (Judges 14:10-13). The thirty companions blackmailed Samson’s wife into coaxing Samson for the answer to the riddle because, if she did not, they would burn her and her father’s house to death (Judges 14:15). Samson foolishly tells his wife the answer after she accuses him of hating her since he didn’t confide the answer to her (Judges 14:16-17). She tells the thirty Philistine companions who then successfully answer the riddle causing Samson to go and kill thirty men to pay them their garments and clothing, and he loses his wife in the process to a friend (Judges 14:18-20). Not the ideal way to kick off a marriage. (Ironically, Samson’s wife and her father eventually would be burned to death at the hands of the Philistines (Judges 15:1-6).You reap what you sow)
You would think Samson would have learned from his first go around with ungodly women, but he soon finds himself falling for another Philistine woman. Delilah wins the heart of Samson and consequently the Philistine rulers ask her to try to steal the secret of his great strength in return for 1100 silver shekels (Judges 16:4-5). She accuses Samson of not loving her since he didn’t tell her the secret of his strength, and after several attempts Samson finally reveals it to her (Judges 16:6-20). Ultimately, Delilah’s deception of Samson will lead to his death as they “gouged out his eyes” and held a ceremony for his execution (Judges 16:21-30).
A woman may not gouge out your eyes but she definitely can gouge out your heart.
Unfortunately, many men of God choose not to resist temptation of beautiful ungodly women. Thus, like Samson, these women slither into our lives like serpents hell bent on stealing our purpose. Like termites, they slowly eat at our life’s foundation with their distractions, deceptions, and drama. As an 18 year old kid, I remember my first girlfriend. We met during my senior year and I became enslaved to her beauty. She dominated my thoughts every minute of everyday. She didn’t believe in Christ and I only believed in her at the time. Our ten month relationship finally ended with her leaving me for another man. In her wake, I wasted my entire senior year on her since my preoccupation with her cost me opportunities to take pre-college courses, do more community activism, and focus on God. As bad as it was, I thank God that it only lasted ten months. Others are not so lucky. Some people get dragged into relationships that cost them years or even decades of opportunities of doing the Lord’s work.
So, can looks kill? They sure killed Samson. And they can kill you too. In the words of TLC, “Don’t go chasing water falls, please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to.” The rivers and lakes that you should be used to are the laws of God’s kingdom. The waterfalls are just the devil’s way to get you to fall over the edge. God commands us not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers because righteousness and darkness cannot walk together (2 Corinthians 6:14). However, far too many Christian men ignore this command and stories similar to Samson’s to their own peril. We would rather rationalize to ourselves that we can lead our pretty little cupcake to the Lord. Maybe we can. But if so, then the question becomes why can’t we do this in a friendship? Why must we be romantically involved with someone in order to lead them to the Lord? The Bible makes it painfully clear that only trouble comes when we hook up with unbelievers. Therefore, Godly men, heed wisdom and beware of ungodly women.
Excuses: The Devil’s Way to Limit God’s Glory
“I’m too young.” “I’m not ready.” “I’m too black.” “I’m too white.” “I’m just a girl.” “That’s not fun.” “I have no money.” “I’m too ugly.” “I don’t talk good.” “I’ll do it later.” Have you ever heard any of these? I bet you have. You probably even uttered one or two of them. There called excuses and we say them everyday. As a matter of fact, many of us got so good at coming up with excuses that we can issue them without even thinking. Coming up with excuses seem to be mankind’s universal greatest gift.
Do you want to know who had excuses? A man named Jonah. God gave Jonah a very clear and simple command: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come before me (Jonah 1:2).” But what did Jonah do? He quickly ran away towards another city in an effort to flee from his calling. His disobedience leads him to almost getting innocent people killed in a ship wreck and him being tossed overboard into the seas (Jonah 1:11-15). Once thrown overboard, Jonah gets swallowed up by a great fish were he stays for three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17). God eventually frees him from the great fish and He repeats his command a second time. This time, Jonah obeys and goes to Nineveh to preach destruction to the city if they do not repent. The city repents by fasting and covering themselves in sackcloth so God has mercy and spares the city. After this course of events, Jonah’s excuse is finally revealed: “O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity (Jonah 4:2-3).”
So what was Jonah’s excuse? He didn’t want to go because he knew God would spare Nineveh, an enemy to Jonah’s people. What a bigot. Seriously. Basically, Jonah would rather see a foreign people die then to allow them to experience the glory of the Lord. Fortunately, Jonah came to his senses in time to perform the work of the Lord as commanded. Unfortunately, many Christians today do not.
Excuses by believers only serve one purpose when it comes to God: It’s the Devil’s way of limiting God’s glory. Look, as Christians, we need to develop the same philosophy of the United States Marine Corps when it comes to serving God. It’s a very simple, three word mentality: “Sir, yes Sir!” Serving God is not rocket science. It basically boils down to two things: obeying Him and never giving up on Him. When God gives us a command He is not interested in our opinion. Nowhere in the Bible do you see a command that says, “And thou shall have twenty questions for God.” God gives an order, you do it. It doesn’t get much easier than that.
Personally, I’m politically against the war in Iraq. However, I have great respect for the US military because many service men and women unquestioningly carried out their orders despite personally disagreeing with the premise of the war. It’s also true that some service people deserted and broke their commitment. However, if people are willing to carry out the orders of a man made government, shouldn’t we even more enthusiastically carry out the orders of God’s government? If we don’t, then we will be like Jonah and seen as a deserter who refuses to carry out Kingdom business. God never said that we will be able to pick and choose our spiritual wars, He just expects us to do it when the King of kings and Lord of lords says it’s time to fight. No questions asked. No excuses wanted. Only “Sir, yes Sir!”
Do you want to know who had excuses? A man named Jonah. God gave Jonah a very clear and simple command: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come before me (Jonah 1:2).” But what did Jonah do? He quickly ran away towards another city in an effort to flee from his calling. His disobedience leads him to almost getting innocent people killed in a ship wreck and him being tossed overboard into the seas (Jonah 1:11-15). Once thrown overboard, Jonah gets swallowed up by a great fish were he stays for three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17). God eventually frees him from the great fish and He repeats his command a second time. This time, Jonah obeys and goes to Nineveh to preach destruction to the city if they do not repent. The city repents by fasting and covering themselves in sackcloth so God has mercy and spares the city. After this course of events, Jonah’s excuse is finally revealed: “O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity (Jonah 4:2-3).”
So what was Jonah’s excuse? He didn’t want to go because he knew God would spare Nineveh, an enemy to Jonah’s people. What a bigot. Seriously. Basically, Jonah would rather see a foreign people die then to allow them to experience the glory of the Lord. Fortunately, Jonah came to his senses in time to perform the work of the Lord as commanded. Unfortunately, many Christians today do not.
Excuses by believers only serve one purpose when it comes to God: It’s the Devil’s way of limiting God’s glory. Look, as Christians, we need to develop the same philosophy of the United States Marine Corps when it comes to serving God. It’s a very simple, three word mentality: “Sir, yes Sir!” Serving God is not rocket science. It basically boils down to two things: obeying Him and never giving up on Him. When God gives us a command He is not interested in our opinion. Nowhere in the Bible do you see a command that says, “And thou shall have twenty questions for God.” God gives an order, you do it. It doesn’t get much easier than that.
Personally, I’m politically against the war in Iraq. However, I have great respect for the US military because many service men and women unquestioningly carried out their orders despite personally disagreeing with the premise of the war. It’s also true that some service people deserted and broke their commitment. However, if people are willing to carry out the orders of a man made government, shouldn’t we even more enthusiastically carry out the orders of God’s government? If we don’t, then we will be like Jonah and seen as a deserter who refuses to carry out Kingdom business. God never said that we will be able to pick and choose our spiritual wars, He just expects us to do it when the King of kings and Lord of lords says it’s time to fight. No questions asked. No excuses wanted. Only “Sir, yes Sir!”
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Any Prosperity for Your Posterity?: Generational Thinking: Your Life Is Not About You
“Mommy, what was grandpa (or grandma) like?” We all long to know the lives of our ancestors because in understanding them we better understand ourselves. We want to know the circumstances and histories that ultimately led to our creation. Since we all spend time inquiring about our ancestors, you would think we would spend even more time thinking about what type of legacy we’ll leave our children’s children when they inevitably will ask their parents about us. However, most of us live for today, not considering the eternal consequences of our decisions. Therefore, will you follow the herd off the cliff? Or will you choose to leave any prosperity for your posterity?
You only have to look at Matthew 1-17 to understand the impact of generational thinking. These verses outline Jesus Christ’s genealogy and Matthew 1:17 sums it up by stating, “Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.” Think about it. That’s 42 generations from the time of Abraham to the time of Christ. Forty-two individual yet not independent lifetimes linked together to ultimately form the Christ. Each person’s lifetime in some fashion contributed to the next generation and so on. As a matter of fact, one could argue that the sum of these 42 generations is greater than any one generation (even King David’s) since the sum resulted in Christ.
This begins to give you a realization of the raised stakes of your one lifetime’s contribution when placed in the larger whole of your family line. Since you now are beginning to see the larger picture, the next question becomes what will you contribute? Moses’ generation made a huge contribution. Through their efforts they rewarded their children’s generation the Promised Land although they never saw it themselves (Joshua 5:6). Moses’ generation’s contribution forever changed the course of Israel’s history while providing greater prosperity for their posterity (anything beats being held captive in Egypt).
So what will you contribute? Whether you realize it or not you will contribute something. Since most folks are not conscious of how their lives factor into the lives of their posterity they leave regrettable contributions. Abuse, depression, alcoholism, unfaithfulness, poverty are some of the many unintended inheritances we leave our children. How many alcoholics do you know have a parent who is an alcoholic? How many smokers do you know who have a parent who smokes? How many college graduates do you know who have a parent who graduated? How many poor people do you know who have a poor parent? These are all small examples of the many ways our generational contributions manifest themselves.
It is important for you to start thinking about what kind of legacy you want to leave your posterity today. Your legacy involves wealth, habits, ideas, opportunities, relationships, lifestyle, etc. It’s this total package that will determine whether your children’s children will have any prosperity. So hopefully you now see the importance of everyday generational thinking for the sake of your posterity’s prosperity.
You only have to look at Matthew 1-17 to understand the impact of generational thinking. These verses outline Jesus Christ’s genealogy and Matthew 1:17 sums it up by stating, “Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.” Think about it. That’s 42 generations from the time of Abraham to the time of Christ. Forty-two individual yet not independent lifetimes linked together to ultimately form the Christ. Each person’s lifetime in some fashion contributed to the next generation and so on. As a matter of fact, one could argue that the sum of these 42 generations is greater than any one generation (even King David’s) since the sum resulted in Christ.
This begins to give you a realization of the raised stakes of your one lifetime’s contribution when placed in the larger whole of your family line. Since you now are beginning to see the larger picture, the next question becomes what will you contribute? Moses’ generation made a huge contribution. Through their efforts they rewarded their children’s generation the Promised Land although they never saw it themselves (Joshua 5:6). Moses’ generation’s contribution forever changed the course of Israel’s history while providing greater prosperity for their posterity (anything beats being held captive in Egypt).
So what will you contribute? Whether you realize it or not you will contribute something. Since most folks are not conscious of how their lives factor into the lives of their posterity they leave regrettable contributions. Abuse, depression, alcoholism, unfaithfulness, poverty are some of the many unintended inheritances we leave our children. How many alcoholics do you know have a parent who is an alcoholic? How many smokers do you know who have a parent who smokes? How many college graduates do you know who have a parent who graduated? How many poor people do you know who have a poor parent? These are all small examples of the many ways our generational contributions manifest themselves.
It is important for you to start thinking about what kind of legacy you want to leave your posterity today. Your legacy involves wealth, habits, ideas, opportunities, relationships, lifestyle, etc. It’s this total package that will determine whether your children’s children will have any prosperity. So hopefully you now see the importance of everyday generational thinking for the sake of your posterity’s prosperity.
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