I Was Robbed!
How important to you is your stuff? I’ve often heard the title of this article spoken by a losing team following a ballgame with poor officiating. However, yesterday this phrase took on a whole new meaning for me. Allow me to explain. I was invited to present a seminar on Internet Safety at the Memorial Parkway Church of Christ in Huntsville, Alabama. My good friend and former co-worker, Reed Swindle is one of the preacher’s there. I left Glasgow immediately following Sunday worship service and arrived in Huntsville, Alabama at 3:30 p.m. Since the building doors were unlocked upon arrival, I entered and went to Reed’s office. I sat and talked with Reed for approximately 5 minutes when a wide-eyed man suddenly appeared in Reed’s doorway. The guy who appeared in the doorway had on a hooded sweat jacket, a cap, and a bandana covering his face like in the old Western movies. He pointed a gun at both of us and demanded all our money! Reed and I both laughed at him at first. I thought it was one of the kids in his youth group and he thought I had brought someone with me who was playing a joke. As he pointed the gun at our heads, it eventually dawned on both of us that this wasn’t a joke, and that he was serious. We gave him all the money we had and as he kept the gun trained on us, he said as he was about to leave, “I’m sorry I have to do this.” At that point, I didn’t know whether he was sorry for having robbed us, or if he was telling us he was sorry for what he was about to do. Fortunately, it was the former. The young man then fled the building, and Reed called the police. Fifteen minutes later I had to begin presenting four lessons on Internet Safety. Actually, I don’t remember much of what I said. I probably owe the good brethren at Memorial Park a do-over – but good luck getting me back down there … Ha! (By way of side note, when the detective asked me what kind of pistol the man had, I said, “Pistol? From what I could see, it looked more like a bazooka!) It is amazing how many thoughts flash through your mind while an event like this happens to you. I can’t begin to share all of them with you, but I’ll share a couple of thoughts that occurred to me immediately following this incident. I was reminded of how quickly and unexpectedly life can be taken from you. I can certainly tell you that when I woke up Sunday morning, I didn’t think I’d have someone pointing a gun at me before the day was over, but I did. It caused me to reflect on how many people awaken every morning, having no idea that this day will be their last day on earth. Some day we will all awaken to our last sunrise. Will we be prepared when the day arrives? Also, moments after this man ran from the building, I recalled the words written by the Bible commentator, Matthew Henry. On one occasion in his life, he was robbed. That very evening, he recorded the following words in his journal as he gave thanks to God. “I thank Thee first because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth because it was I who was robbed, and not I who robbed.” As bad as things may be, there are plenty of reasons to give thanks if one chooses to do so. Well, I’m certainly thankful that things worked out as they did. Reed and I are both fine. I’m back safely in Glasgow with a renewed appreciation for a lot of blessings I take for granted. How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog – it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. (James 4:14 NLT) About the author: Steve Higginbotham is a native of West Virginia. His father also preached. Steve serves the Karns Church of Christ in Knoxville, TN and is an instructor in the Southeast Institute of Biblical Studies and an editor for Think Magazine. Steve & Kim have four children, Kelli, Michael, Matthew, and Anne Marie.
The Lady Who Can’t Forget
Is this a blessing or a curse? I don’t have the best memory. My wife, of course, says playfully that I – like all husbands she has heard about – have both selective hearing and selective memory. She just might be correct. Psychologists say that we humans do practice a sort of selective memory. We let certain embarrassing, painful, or disconcerting memories go. It is part of the coping mechanism that lets us move on with our lives. It would be incredibly difficult to have to hold every adolescent silliness or adult transgression in constant memory. I can imagine how it could be utterly debilitating. Maybe you have heard of Jill Price. She is a California lady who is in her 40s now. She appears to have near-perfect recall of every detail of every day of her life since her mid-teens. It isn’t photographic-memory recall of texts. It isn’t even recall of every public event of history. It is the detailed and specific recollection of things from her personal experience that stays with her. All of it. She has been interviewed by Diane Sawyer and Oprah, written about in both USA Today and the Wall Street Journal. There is a popular YouTube clip of a Diane Sawyer interview from 20/20 in which Price – an avid TV viewer – is being grilled on her recall of televised events she saw ranging from the “Who shot JR?” episode of Dallas to the date for the final episode of M*A*S*H. She gets every one! But she appeared to miss the date of Princess Grace’s death. When did Princess Grace die? “September 14, 1982 – that was the first day I started 12th grade,” answers Price. Oops! Sawyer informs her that she got that one wrong! The correct date was September 10, 1982. Price stands her ground and insists it was September 14 – only to have a 20/20 producer break in to inform Ms. Sawyer that Price was correct and her source notes were wrong. My first-blush reaction to reading about Jill Price was to be a bit jealous of her superb memory. The more I have thought about it, though, I’m not so sure. One piece I read is from a scientist who thinks she may have less-than-perfect memory and be cursed instead by an obsessive focus on the past. Even Price admits her vivid ability to bring up the past has some unpleasant consequences. Bad experiences linger. She still feels their pain. They disrupt her sleep. I suspect my “selective memory” serves me better than a perfect one would. I suspect your ability and mine to let some things go and to refuse to obsess over failures and mistakes from the past is an asset to our sanity. Then there is forgiveness – the greatest asset yet to help us deal with the really terrible things of life that won’t quite fade into oblivion. My faith tells me of a God who knows all things – including every detail of my past – and forgives me. Forgetfulness can be a blessing. And forgiveness is even sweeter still. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9 TNIV). About the author: Rubel Shelly preached for decades and served as a professor of medical ethics, Bible, and philosophy at multiple universities. He was a former president of Rochester College and Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Lipscomb University. He was the author of more than 30 books and hundreds of inspirational articles. His commitment to a non-sectarian presentation of the gospel touched countless lives.
Last Things
Are they last or are they lasting? It’s the last week for me. I will preach for the last time for a precious group of people who have loved my family and me for 22 years. I wasn’t forced out and I’m not leaving because I am mad at someone. God has called me to a new place and new opportunities. God is calling this church family that I know so well to begin a journey with someone new … they just haven’t discovered that person yet. It’s scary and emotional for all of us. But the good-byes have all been said and we are not going to have a maudlin farewell and an overly teary last Sunday together. The good-bye party happened several weeks ago. We are going to focus on welcoming visitors and meeting folks we don’t know on this last Sunday we’re together. Why?Why leave?Why end this way?Why leave the familiar?Why go to another place?Why drag my family to a new situation? So often we settle down into what we think are safe places. We think they are safe because we know them and have become comfortable with them. They feel safe. But, for many of us, little by little, we grow deaf to the leading and nudging of God. We come close to giving up listening for the call of God for the security of what is familiar. God, however, has repeatedly challenged his people with new things, new places, and new opportunities. Sometimes, in fact oftentimes, God’s “new things” come as quite a surprise at the most unexpected of times. For the new things to happen, we must give up our grip on what is familiar. We must go through the grief of letting go of what we have embraced and taking the hand of God on a journey into the unknown. So this week, these people that we love and with whom we have been privileged to share irreplaceable moments of grace, will say good-bye to us. We will then begin our new journeys … separately. We will pray for them and they will pray for us. We will be very interested in what God is doing with them. We will remain connected in many ways. But inescapably, this will be a week of last things. My books are packed and mostly gone. My office will no longer be “my” office. The familiar faces of those who have blessed me and enabled my ministry will not be the faces I see each day. I will step up to the podium and preach for the last time as this church’s preacher. I will do my last wedding as their preacher. Donna, Megan, and I will drive away Sunday afternoon and our world, our lives, and our futures will change. Last things … last times … last glances … However, there is one reality that won’t be last. Instead, this reality will be lasting. These will be my people and we will be their friends – forever. We believe the partings that we have in this life are only temporary. The changes we make in location are all preparatory for the ultimate change … when we are changed and made ready for an unending life of joy in the presence of God who will welcome us home. I’m leaving a ministry, a building, a period in my life, but I will never ever completely leave these people nor will they leave me. We’re bound by something deeper than place, time, and familiarity. We’re family. We’re bound by the grace of God, the love of our Savior, and the Holy Spirit who connects us together … forever. These are not last things, but lasting ones. “These three abide: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Thanks, dear friends, for sharing these three with us in abundance. About the author: Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God’s Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels.
Daily Prayer for March 9
But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, then we share together a common life, and we are being cleansed from every sin by the blood of Jesus his Son. 1 John 1:7, NEB Dear Father in heaven, we thank you as your children, whom you know how to gather. You have brought us into community with you in a wonderful way, in the midst of a world full of unrest, full of misery, and full of sin. For you know your children and lead them into community with you. You comfort them. You give them strength of faith, and confidence in your rulership and your kingdom, which will prevail over everything evil and deathly that still seems to control humankind. But your dominion reaches far, far beyond. You will keep us in your hands. For the sake of those who trust in you, you will send your grace and your help into the whole world. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Elegy for Sammy Basso Rosemarie Garland-Thomson The life of a young man with a rare genetic condition stretches our understanding of what it means to be human. Read now Mortal Flesh Sofia Carozza Dissecting a cadaver taught me reverence for life and eternity. Read now Thérèse of Lisieux’s Little Way vs. Friedrich Nietzsche’s Big Guns Karl Stern Two nineteenth-century contemporaries had very different views on how to live. Read now In the Footsteps of Saint Francis Frank Mulder A vibrant Franciscan community in the Ardennes attracts young people thirsty for faith. Read now A Ride to the Hospital Midge Goldberg One good deed calls for another, and another. Read now
The Toll Over the Long Haul
What difference does a little criticism really make? I mentioned recently hearing Bob Russell talk about the toll that criticism takes over the long haul. He told about an Easter service a couple years ago that he thought was the best he’d ever been part of. Knowing Bob, that means that the resurrection of Jesus was proclaimed clearly. But afterwards, an older woman came up to him and complained that it was the first Easter service she could ever remember where the song “Up From the Grave He Arose” wasn’t sung. (So we’re not the only ones who sing that song?) He also mentioned a guy coming to him recently after one of his messages and bragging about his sermon. But he said, “It reminds me of the kind of messages you used to preach years ago when we came to this church.” Some compliments hurt … because they are complaints with complimentary ribbons on top. Recently I preached my little heart out at the ACU lectureship. The next morning I ran into someone from our church who said, “I heard you last night. It was so wonderful to finally see you in a suit again.” That was it. Thanks so much. A few Sundays ago, when the second assembly was over, someone came to me and said, “That was great. It really seemed like you meant it today.” Uh, yeah. Thanks. I don’t usually mean it. Both of those anecdotes are so small and insignificant. But Bob was right about the long haul. I’d like to continue growing into the image of Christ so much that some day I can receive every criticism. I’d like to be so centered in my inner being, so reliant on God’s acceptance of me, that I could hear the truth in criticism and not be bothered by what’s not true. But in the meantime … I’ll keep reading Henri Nouwen. He struggled with the same thing! About the author: Mike is is intimately involved in New Wineskins magazine and Heartbeat, and his popular blog, Preacher Mike.
Belief?
Can we grow the gift of faith? Belief. I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief. These are words I say to God every day. Words taken from Scripture (Mark 9:24). I asked Jesus to be my Savior when I was in the 7th grade. After studying and making the choice, I asked my dad to baptize me in our swimming pool. That very day I was saved, but it took me 20 years to make Him my Lord and Savior. What’s the difference? By submitting myself under His Lordship, I have been given a gift – a gift to trust Him to guide me where He wants me to go. For much of my late teenage life and early adulthood, I trusted no one. I was trying to check out of my life mentally and emotionally by using drugs and alcohol. I was searching for love in places where there is only darkness. God saw me through that time and called me to Him. Gratefully, I felt I had no other options left … so I followed. Fast forward a couple of years, and I had been living a Christian life, working in a church, and doing all the “right” things. But, I was still not submitting all that I am to Him. How do I know that? Because I allowed worry, anxiety, and need for control to be my lord. I thought that was normal, because it was everywhere I turned. Many people (not all) were worried themselves, worried about money and the lack of it, worried about health, worried about their kids, worried about their jobs, and worried about … I fit right in. I was confronted with a real choice. Did I really believe that God was in the details of my life? Or, did I just believe that He was to be worshiped on Sunday and then real life happened after that? When I began in depth bible study a number of years ago, my eyes opened a little to this lack of faith I was struggling with. I longed, and still long, for the faith of a champion of God. Along the way, however, God led me to an exciting discovery. The Bible has a faith Hall of Fame (Hebrews 11). These are people who had the kind of faith to be recognized by God as special. Yet as I looked closer at them, I found that many struggled to gain that faith through difficult circumstances. In fact, their faith was grown through those circumstances and struggles. God uses broken people – people like you and me. In fact, that is when God’s strength can often best be seen. Last week in Bible study, I was touched by a quote: “God is drawn to weakness.” Thanks be to God for that, because I am weak. Yet God calls me to grow stronger in Him each day, to move from milk to meat, to move from a faith that is easily shaken to a faith that has been tested and can weather a storm that might have toppled it just last week. Faith through circumstances, struggles, and storms can lead me to growth! Our faith is refined by fire; the more fires we walk through the stronger our faith grows. Fire burns, but what it burns away is our pride, greed, and selfishness; and what it leaves is a humbled servant of God ready to say, “Here I am Lord, I will go where you lead.” To be content in our circumstances and trust God that we are part of His great plan are gifts that brings tears to my eyes. Thanks be to God. The gift of trust, this genuine faith I’m talking about, is one of the greatest earthly gifts we could ever receive. I don’t want to waste this gift any longer. I think it is one of the traits that shine the light of Jesus through Christians. So how does one get this faith? God grows faith, we just need to seek Him with all of our heart and He will increase it. So how do I seek Him? I seek Him through prayer, Bible study, and reciting Scripture … I take Scriptures that stand against whatever I am struggling with and I quote those Scriptures throughout the day. I keep them with me. I say them over and over. I keep putting the words of God into my head and into my heart. I believe this is a crucial exercise. Jesus tells the story about a man who cleans out his house of the one demon that is living there, but he leaves his house clean, yet empty. So the demon comes back and brings his evil friends who take up residence in the house. The end of the situation of the house is worse than it was at the first of it (Matthew 12:43-45). The point for me is simple. I can push out the fear, worry or anxiety, but if I am not re-wallpapering my mind with the promises and faithfulness of God, then the fear and worry come back fourfold – debilitatingly more powerful. So I seek God through prayer, Bible study, and repeating Scriptures. Does my life always look like I want it to? Hardly ever. But God is with me. I am never forsaken. Are there hardships? Absolutely! Yet these hardships are the times where “the rubber meets the road.” I can either shine for Jesus or wither like a lilly in a drought. So I call on God in the hardships. And, if I am willing to seek Him, He gives me peace and shows me the way He wants me to go. It’s then that I realize, through it all – the hardships, struggles, and even weaknesses – He has answered my prayer. God has grown my faith. And so I pray it again, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief.” Tammy is part of The Coffee Group, a varied group
What Would You Hear?
What captures your attention in a tragedy? Thankfully, the world’s response to the deaths and destruction from the recent tsunami was different than the responses evoked from news we receive about most other tragedies. Unless a disaster is a global catastrophe and seen on TV, we often resort to the most calloused and selfish forms of interest. For example, listen to the typical way an overseas airplane crash is given: “200 plus feared dead in flight 1547 tragedy – over 100 of the fatalities are Americans.” That is a typical radio or television teaser before they break for commercials. I remember hearing that kind of teaser, and there was something irritating about the phrasing that I couldn’t quite place at first. It was what I sometimes call “Holy Spirit heartburn” – that “greasy feeling” we get in our stomachs when the Holy Spirit convicts us that something is wrong that we might otherwise accept. Then it dawned on me what the irritation was. The way US news services often phrase disaster headlines is so self-serving and ethnocentric. Tragedies get seldom get airtime if there are no United States citizens killed. If the injured or dead are not Americans, we often scrape away our concern for them as easily as we clean the bugs off our windshield. It’s as if the quicker we get the mess out of our line of sight, the more easily we can slip back into our comfort zone and go about our daily routines. I hate that attitude! I refuse to brush away the death of someone simply because he or she is not from my country, race, culture, or socioeconomic group. I know we can’t let every human tragedy in our huge interconnected world emotionally devastate us, but to dismiss a tragedy because the people involved are not like “us” is sick. When the Iran Hostage situation was raging 20 years, the leaders of the Northwest Church in Seattle gathered for prayer. While they prayed for the release of the hostages, they also asked God to open the door for them to minister and protect the Arab and Iranian students from misguided “vigilantes.” Over the course of the crisis, American Christian students accompanied Arab and Iranian students to class to prevent trouble. Rather than getting caught up in the ethnic hype and hate, they redeemed a horrible situation and even led some to Christ that they met and protected. As the newspaper ran a story about how they approached this time of crisis differently than most in the U.S., they visited the church and were not only touched by their love for Arab and Persian students, but by their dedication to serving so many people with Cerebral Palsy. Even more doors opened to share the Gospel because they loved people regardless – regardless of race, culture, background, physical challenges … regardless! As Christians, our hearts yearn for people of all of all races, nationalities, languages, and cultures to come to Christ. (Matthew 28:18-20; Revelation 7:9-11) When disaster strikes and lives are lost, rather than listening for number of casualties that are of our nationality or ethnicity, we remember that God made all of us brothers and sisters through Adam. With that in mind, let’s realize there are some practical things we can do to be a blessing in these times of tragedy. Pray for the victims and their families in our personal prayer time, in our church assemblies, and in Bible study groups. Use that tragedy as a reminder to be more aware of people of other cultures around us and make an effort to warmly greet them and include them in our activities and fellowship. Pray for God to use us to share the love of Christ with those who don’t know him, especially those of different cultures, and especially to those in crisis. If we are given an opportunity to serve those grieving or injured, let’s find ways to serve them lovingly and generously. Intervene and protect others of different cultures and races if they are caught in a difficult situations in our presence. Encourage our church leaders to support missions to other races and cultures, whether the communities are nearby or far away. Learn about at least one other culture and explore ways of effectively sharing the Gospel of Jesus with those cultures while respecting their heritage. You see, God is concerned with each person – every soul – who perishes in a crashed airplane, massive earthquake, destructive tornado, overturned ferry … He’s heartbroken for everyone, not just the folks like us. The Father longs to comfort the hundreds of grieving relatives left behind by a horrible tragedy. Most importantly, God has put us here to be his means of comforting, blessing, and healing those who hurt because of tragedies. About the author: Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God’s Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels.
Personality or Person?
How do you view your church leaders? We were very gentle with you. We were like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you very much. So we were happy to share God’s Good News with you; but not only that-we were also happy to share even our own lives with you. (1 Thessalonians 2:7-9 ERV) Wednesday had been a long day. I began early in the morning with a friend in ministry who had been unexpectedly fired. He wasn’t told why. His firing took about five minutes. His church had more than doubled in six years. He was stunned and hurt, yet careful not bash the church. This encounter set the tone for the whole exhausting day. I was glad the day was about over. We were just a few minutes away from our weekly worship re-charge. We call it H.I.P. – High Impact Praise – our Wednesday evening praise service. I desperately needed it. Donna did, too. She had worked at preparing our weekly church dinner and I was working right up until the service began. I didn’t have anything to do on the schedule this night, so I was going to get to sit with her and we were going to enjoy worshipping together. Shortly before I arrived, someone came up to Donna and said, “I don’t care what you say. I don’t like … If Phil ever does … I’ll be the first in line to get him fired.” Someone we love said this to her in front of a fairly large group of people. It came from left field. She had no idea it was coming. She had just hugged this person. It was crushing. It broke her heart. Someone we valued and admired ripped her heart out. In a few quick words, she was reminded that we weren’t really friends in this person’s eyes, just personalities. You see, a real friend is a person you love. You confront them when they are wrong, but in love and with an open heart. You defend them until you are shown they are wrong. This person apparently viewed each of us as only a personality filling a role. We could be easily discarded as enemies if we took the wrong side of that person’s hot issue. Wow, that really hurts! What made this sting even worse was that we had recently heard about some folks from the place we had previously served for twenty-two years who had said similar things. Now granted, there are times when dramatic actions need to be taken to deal with blatant and repeated sin issues by church leaders – stealing funds, sexual immorality, dishonesty, denying the divinity of Christ, etc. This was not one of those issues. In fact, those in ministry who do get involved in those kinds of issues often survive their repeated transgressions because they are willing to play the game and fill a role while willing to be no more than a personality. This is often the game that’s played in religious organizations. I want to be clear: I’m not sharing this because it is some unusual thing or that we are somehow horribly mistreated. You don’t need to feel sorry for us. We go to church with good folks who are willing to work hard for the Lord. We love these people more every day. We’ve been profoundly blessed over the years to have worked with great churches and good people over long tenures. This is a large church and we are generally treated well. However, the vast majority of people in ministry don’t have those kinds of blessings, yet they have the same kind of hurtful experiences … and often have them more frequently than those in big church leadership positions. Now before you get too smug about this never happening in your church, be forewarned! This kind of thing happens in just about every kind and size of church. Those on the front lines of church ministry deal with it regularly. This kind of thing is one of the reasons that half of those who start ministry don’t survive past their first church experience and why many finally get tired and get out of full-time church ministry before they reach the age of fifty. So what are we to do about this? Here are a couple of thoughts I want to throw out there and see if you all have some you’d like to add. (Send your responses to phil@heartlight.org and let me know if we can share them.) First, we’ve got to move from the concept of church leader as a personality to fill a role to church leader as a person with whom we partner. As long as church leaders are looked upon as only personalities – warm bodies of talent to fill a role – then we don’t have to genuinely love them as people. That leader’s value is determined by how well his performance compares with others who fill similar roles. Our satisfaction with the leader is often determined by how well they agree with us on our issues. But when that leader does or says something we don’t like, then we can replace that person much like we would a battery in a flashlight or a light bulb in a lamp. There might be some inconvenience and cost, but at least we haven’t lost a friend. Clearly, this personality approach is wrong and harmful to all involved. Second, those who lead in ministry must seek genuine relationships with people they lead. They must be encouraged to make friends among the people they serve. Somehow we’ve got to escape the notion that those in ministry can’t have close friends where they serve because others will be jealous or feel left out. Playing favorites is wrong, but to expect church leaders to only have close friends outside the church family they serve is not only sick, it is ungodly. Look at the language of the apostle Paul at the
Too Many Tepees?
How many tepees is enough? I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry. (Luke 12:18-19) I got a little dose of conviction Sunday. My wife met me at church Sunday afternoon with a story. She and our 5-year-old son had been playing with Lincoln Logs. (Anyone still remember those?). Well, the set Josh has contains an old west fort, complete with an army officer and a Native American. It also comes with a tepee for the Native American. From somewhere – another play set, I guess – Josh came up with another tepee and included it in the story that he and my wife were telling. But, he had an explanation for it, and that’s where I got my little dose of conviction. “Look,” he said to Laura. “The Indian’s grandmother made him another tepee for all his stuff.” Spoken just like the only grandchild on either side of the family. And while I laughed, I laughed just a bit uneasily. I have to wonder just a little where he came up with the idea that if you run out of room for your stuff, you just make more room. Maybe it was just a throwaway remark that actually has nothing to do with values that he’s already developed in his short life. Or maybe it signifies the first encroaching step of the culture, the first influences of a materialistic world. Or, worst of all, maybe he got it from me. We’re all weaned on it. We live in it. Marinate in it. It soaks into us and becomes such a part of us that we don’t even think about it. We’re fascinated with stuff. Possessions clutter our homes and garages and sheds and closets and drawers and basements – and our hearts and minds. We convert bedrooms into closets to hold it all. I live in a century-old house, and its quirks give me a little glimpse of what life was like a hundred years ago. The walls are all plaster. There are plates in the ceiling that still conceal gaslight fixtures. And, maybe most significantly, there isn’t much closet space in the oldest part of the house. So when the attic was finished, more closets were added. We’re adding one in the basement. Things have changed in a hundred years. We need more tepees for all our stuff now. Jesus told a story about a rich man whose crops did very well one season. So well, in fact, that he didn’t have enough room to store what he harvested. So he decided, reasonably enough it might seem, to tear down his barns and build bigger ones. He would have plenty of room for all his wealth then. Plenty for retirement. He could just taste the good life. It was right around the corner. All he needed was more room for all his stuff and then he could relax, kick back, and enjoy life. Big house and yard in the suburbs. Winters in the tropics. Nice clothes. Expensive car. Good food. Private schools for the kids. “Eat, drink, and be merry.” The twist in the story, of course, is that he gets to enjoy none of his stuff. He doesn’t get a chance to build those barns, buy his house and car, or impress everyone with his country club membership. God tells him that he won’t live through the night – “Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” The answer to that question isn’t important; what matters is who will NOT get all that stuff. That’s why the rich man is a fool. And the punch line, says Jesus, is that a lot of us aren’t much different: This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:21 TNIV) The problem isn’t the stuff. Who, after all, was responsible for the success of the rich man’s crop? Who is the source of wealth and prosperity? God, of course – but the problem is that the rich man in the story seemed to have forgotten that. His default response when he sees that his barns won’t contain his stuff is to build larger barns. Maybe sharing his stuff would have been a better response, instead of hoarding it. Maybe he could have given some to his poor neighbors. A bonus for his servants. Maybe at least a prayer of thanks to God instead of smug self-congratulation and hedonistic plans. While the rich man filled his barns, his soul was empty. Those barns he was building weren’t just barns. They were temples in honor of his real gods: wealth, power, and luxury. Maybe in this area more than any other – more than sexual immorality or divorce or entertainment – the church is most influenced by the world. We accumulate our wealth – or wish to accumulate it – with no thought of God as its source or how his generosity to us should drive us toward generosity with others. We fill up our barns and build bigger ones, or look enviously and covetously at those who do. All the while, as our want for more grows and our barns get fuller, our spirits get empty and dead. One day, what happened to the rich man in the story will happen to us. Our lives will end, and it’ll be up to our family or friends to sift through all that stuff that in life seemed so important. When that day comes, you’d trade every possession you’ve accumulated for the assurance of a smile when you see God’s face. So right now, thank him for all the stuff he’s given you. Reflect on how generous he’s been, how all your possessions are touches of grace from him that
Today’s Verse – Isaiah 25:1
O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago. —Isaiah 25:1 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… God’s actions are not reactions to current situations, but part of his long-term plan to bring redemption. Yes, he has done marvelous things, both in history and also in our personal histories. God transformed the vile intentions of a mob urged on by evil men and made it into the atoning sacrifice for our sins to display his love, mercy, and grace (Acts 2:22-24; 1 John 2:1-2). He changed the hearts of people who cried “Crucify him!” into people who believed in Jesus, repented of their evil, and were baptized, in faith, at Pentecost (Acts 2:36-41). He turned the ugliness of the cross into an opportunity to fulfill the prophets and redeem us through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago. We join Isaiah to say in reverent admiration: “O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.” Video Commentary… ToGather Worship Guide | More ToGather Videos My Prayer… Holy God, you surprise me with new wonders and new things daily. Yet deep in my heart, dear Father, I know they are not new to you. Thank you for not making life boring or predictable, so I might thirst after you, the only true and living God, forever fresh, new, exciting, and marvelous. In the name of my Savior, Jesus, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.