Risky Business: Part 2

Last week we started talking about how our need for “sureness” often collides with a God who can ask us to take incredible risks at times. I told you I wanted to highlight three instances I had found where this collision occurred. We started with a story about Moses that taught us that the proof we want of our success often comes after we act on God’s word and character.

Our second story actually ties in to Moses’ encounter with God. When Moses asks God who he is, one of God’s responses is, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” By saying that, he was telling Moses, “If you want to know who I am and how I work, remember the stories of these guys.” That’s exactly where the scene of our second collision takes us, to the story of Abraham and Isaac.

Abraham was far from perfect, but he’s remembered for his faith. For whatever reason, God chose to engage Abraham and promised to make him the beginning of a great nation. Of course, this was ridiculous because Abe and his wife physically could not have kids. Decades later, (and after many bad decisions on Abraham’s part) God made good on his promise and gave Abe one child: a son named Isaac. Beautiful story, right? And they lived happily ever after, a good time was had by all, so on and so forth. Not quite. One day out of nowhere, God interrupts Abe and Isaac’s game of catch. He says, “Hey Abe, like this kid I gave you? I can see how much he means to you…. Soooo, I’m gonna want you to kill him.” What?!

The Bible doesn’t tell us if Abraham says anything back, but you can imagine his jaw dropping when he hears this. It doesn’t make any sense. God had singled Abraham out of the population of the earth to be his friend. Why would a friend tell another friend to kill their child. And further, God said that he would give Abraham tons of descendants through Sarah. At this point, it had been a little over 25 years since that promise and Abraham is finally seeing that promise fulfilled. The vision God gave Abraham hinged on Isaac having children to continue Abraham’s legacy. God wanted to snuff that out before Isaac even got married?! Abe probably had questions like these swirling around in his head, but here’s what steadies him: he had gotten to know God’s character enough to know that this story had to end well. So he does what God asked him.

He sets out with Isaac, two servants, and goes to a mountain God had instructed him to go to. The entire trip, Abraham watches Isaac walk ahead and is probably trying to figure out how this is all going to go down. Not having the answer doesn’t turn him around or stop him from continuing on. When they near the mountain, Abe turns to his servants and tells them this statement of his faith, “You stay here. The rest of this journey is for me and my son. We will both come back after we have worshiped the Lord.” He gives Isaac the wood and he carries the knife: the killing instrument. Somewhere in their ascent up the mountain, Isaac makes a discovery. “We don’t have a lamb to sacrifice,” he tells his dad. Abe says, “Don’t worry, son. God will provide.”

They arrive at the top and Abraham sets up the altar. Then he ties up Isaac. At this point, the lights probably go on for Isaac, but he let’s his dad lay him down on the altar and says nothing. Both men, knowing that these are the final moments of Isaac’s life, do not complain, bargain, or seek a way out. Abe knows what God had told him to do, sets his will on it, grits his teeth, and raises the knife.

At that moment an angel appears and stops him. Abraham, both bewildered and relieved, looks around and sees that God has provided a ram to sacrifice instead of his son. This is the part that I love. The teller of this story stops right there and explains, “And that is why they say, ‘On the mountain of the Lord, it will be provided’.” That statement tells us that Abe and Isaac’s story spread, and so did a truth about walking with God. Sometimes it requires you to act out of trust in the character of God, even when you don’t have the answers to some very important questions. The thing that you need the most will often only be provided after you’ve shown your resolution to trust God even when he doesn’t make sense. God sees that Abraham loves him and believes in him this much, and his affection gushes out over Abe. He is so emotionally moved that he can’t hold back. Twice, he explains that it is because Abraham was willing to sacrifice his own son that he will make him great on the earth and a blessing to everyone. As history unfolds, we come to understand fully why God asked Abraham to do this unthinkable thing and why it meant so much to God when Abraham obeyed. Abraham couldn’t have known it, but thousands of years later God would lead his son, Jesus, up on a mountain, lay him down on an altar and sacrifice him, because it was the only way that he could make a sacrifice big enough to atone for the sins of everyone who ever lived. We can see that the thought of doing this was already breaking God’s heart and he just wanted to share that with his good friend, Abraham.

So when you are bewildered by something God has asked you to do or just can’t see how it’s going to work out, remember three things:

1. Your story is bigger than you. After you make it through a difficult time, you are going to have something to tell people, and they will talk about it.
2. When you don’t have the answers, act out of trust in the character of God. You will find that as you prove your resolve to trust him, he will provide what you need the most.
3. God wants you to know him as a person. The only way to know someone is to experience life with them. Life isn’t just laughter and good feelings. Heartache, anger, sorrow, rejection, and loss are a big part of life, and God knows them very well. Sometimes God doesn’t want to teach you a lesson or make everything work out okay in that circumstance. Sometimes he just wants you to know him a little bit better. Maybe the profound answer you are looking for in a difficult or confusing situation is just that God feels that way too. It’s wonderful to share in someone’s joy, but it’s an deep honor to share in their sorrow.

We’ll be leaving the country on Sunday, but I’ll try to post our last “collision” before then, so stay tuned. Here’s a hint, it also ties in with Moses. In the meantime, I’d love to hear what you think about this story. What have you learned about who God is through your painful and confusing experiences in life?

Risky Business: Part 1

I would hazard a guess that you and I approach our big decisions in the same way. We protect ourselves from failure by attaining the knowledge and resources we need before acting. We want to be sure of the outcome before we take the risk. It gives us control. Anybody with a hint of common sense would make their decisions that way. Go with that method and it’s all fine and dandy, until you factor in a God who seems to be a little reckless with the risks he asks us to take at times. Then what do you do?

My wife and I have been reading through the stories of the Old Testament recently and have stumbled across a recurring collision between this ingrained need for “sureness” and the activity of God in our lives. I want to highlight three of those collisions. One of them is actually sort of humorous. Let’s start with that one.

Most people are at least a little familiar with the story of Moses. If you’re not, check out the first chapters of the book of Exodus. We’re catching up with him after he’s fled Egypt, where the Hebrews were slaves, and is living comfortably as a shepherd in the land of Midian. At this point Moses probably thinks he’s done with Egypt and isn’t planning to visit again. Then one day, he’s out watching the sheep and sees a bush that’s on fire, but is not burning up. He gets closer, and the God that Abraham knew starts talking to him.

He tells him, “My heart is moved for my people. I haven’t forgotten them. I want to set them free and guess what, I want you to be my representative to Pharaoh.” Moses looks around and says, “Who? Me?! You’ve gotta be kidding! I don’t have the credentials or the resume for this kind of thing!” God says, “Nope, you’re the man I want.” And this is the part I love. While Moses is grabbing his inhaler, ’cause God’s probably given him an asthma attack with this idea, God says, “Look, let me give you some proof that I’m going to be with you in this.” Here’s what he says, literally.

“I will be with you. This will be the proof that I am sending you: After you lead the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship me on this mountain.”

I can just see Moses going silent for a minute trying to figure out if he’s heard it right. And then going, “Are you kidding me?! You’re telling me to march straight into a king’s palace and tell him, ‘God’s given me the authority to take your entire workforce out of the country for good’. Mind you, I killed a man the last time I was in Egypt and probably still have a warrant out for my arrest!” Moses stops to take a breath so he doesn’t start hyperventilating again. Then he continues, “…and the big proof that’s supposed to make me feel confident about all this is that after, not before, but AFTER, I put my reputation and my life on the line, I’m going to be standing here with the Israelites thanking you?!!!” And then God goes, “…Yep, that about sums it up… Whadya say?” Okay, that’s not in the Bible, but that’s how I probably would have responded. How bout you?

It seems that, to God, this reassurance should have been all that Moses needed to march right back to Egypt. Of course Moses wanted a little more convincing. He kept lobbing up excuses and God blasted each one out of the sky, patiently choosing not to let Moses miss out on the adventure.

The point here is that there are times in which we recognize a problem and know what we should do, but we just don’t know how it’s ever going to work out. We wait for a sign or for enough money or for a certificate that says we have the knowledge to undertake the task. Most times, the right choice is to be practical and line those things up first. Then there are other times, when you can sense that something bigger is at work behind the scenes. It’s at those times when, just like Moses, God is offering you the opportunity to take a risk based on his word and character alone. It’s in those times when he’s saying, “I will be with you. And here’s your proof: after you make it through this, you’ll worship me.” And it’s really no proof at all, but it’s all you need.

We’ll talk more in a few days, but I’d love to hear what you think about all this. Have you ever faced a decision that you felt totally unprepared for? How did you make your choice?

The Two Most Powerful Words – Part 3

In our last post, I wrote down a couple of symptoms of someone who doesn’t use the word “no” enough. I hope you took the time to take an honest assessment of your current situation, because the power of “no” is largely misused. Use it right and you can bring focus and control to your life. How do you use it right? Here are three ways:

Prioritize: Focus and progress begin with priority. You’ve got to know what matters most to you when given a choice between two or more ways to spend your resources. I asked you to create a list when we were talking about the word “yes”. Go through that list and prioritize your goals and your gifts. Which ones matter the most to you? Now carve out some time for those “number ones” on your calendar and don’t let anything get in the way of your plan.
Eliminate “Maybe”: A lot of us live our lives in the Bermuda Triangle of “Maybe”. Dreams get lost in “Maybe”. Relationships atrophy in “Maybe”. You don’t go to “Maybe” on vacation. You go to “Maybe” to disappear in confusion, insignificance, and apathy. If someone asks you if you can take on another project, don’t say “alright”, “I’ll see what I can do”, or “I guess so”. If you don’t think you’ll be able to do it well, just tell them “no”. Phrase it nicer, of course, but don’t hurt them by committing to something and then not following through. If your child is in the school play, don’t say “I’m gonna try”. Tell them “no”, if you are not going to be there. If you are dating and you know your relationship is not healthy, don’t keep telling yourself “maybe he’ll change” or “I’ll sleep with her, but I won’t have sex with her.” Say “no”. Once you begin to eliminate “maybe” and use the words “yes” and “no”, you’ll notice the sense of power and focus that you regain in your life.

Become a Person of One Mind: A lot of our stress in life comes from being in one place physically, but being in another place mentally. You are a finite being, you can only truly exist in one place at one time. This tip is about multitasking. I know, I know, you’re different. You can type an email, watch American Idol, and have a conversation with your friend about what’s going on in their life right now. Of course you can. The issue isn’t whether you can pull it off, the issue is whether you can be proud of the effort that you put into any of those things. Did that person you were talking to really get the best of your attention? Turn off the TV. Put down the cellphone. Shut the laptop. That’s not quality time. Try it. Do one thing at a time. You’ll find that focused time and attention will actually increase your results and your efficiency. Just choose one thing and attack it. Then move on to the next. As you do, fully immerse yourself in what you are doing and enjoy it.

The words “yes” and “no” have the power to create a life that matters; a life that is rich with memories, deep relationships, and fulfilling work. We just have to learn to use them rightly. “Yes” can open up possibilities when you are stuck in a rut. “No” can help you focus your resources and make progress in a consistent direction. The two most powerful words in existence are in your vocabulary and completely at your disposal. What are you going to do with them?

The Two Most Powerful Words – Part 2

Well, I hope my last post had you turning the question over in your head, “what are the two most powerful words?”

The truth is, you are already in possession of the two most powerful words in existence (under the name of Jesus, of course). They are words that shape history, if used right. The funny thing is they are probably within the first 10 words that you ever learned. The first word I’m talking about is…. “yes“.

If you’ve watched the movies, “the Yes Man” or “Bucket List”, then you can understand the power in the word “yes”. “Yes” opens up possibilities. It seizes opportunity. Use “yes” when you want to throw yourself into an experience and come away with a story. Use the power of “yes” when you want to engage a new friend or meet a hurting person’s need.

I’m familiar with the word “yes”, because I’ve grown up in a “yes” family. My dad’s motto for us was always, “They’ve got to live before they die.” The word “yes” is the perfect solution for fear. Afraid of heights? Find a high dive and jump. Say “yes” to doing it and follow through. Afraid of living poor? Turn off cable for a month and give that money to a poor person. Want to learn how to dance? Enroll in a dance class today. Want to add a little more excitement to your marriage or family life? Don’t let it just remain a desire. Take the opportunity you have and say yes to doing something about it.

• Make a home movie
• Go hiking
• Go out for karaoke night

Want to be a part of God’s great commission? Invite someone who’s lost over for dinner just to spend time with them and hear their story.

The point is “yes” turns possibility and desire into reality.

So, before I tell you about the second word, why don’t we both start putting this into practice.

Let’s make a list of:

1. Fears
2. Gifts
3. Personal Goals
4. Family Goals
5. Occupational Goals
6. Ministry Goals

I’ll be posting my list up in the next few days. I’d love to share in your list as well.

Wanna take it a step further? Take this list and work out simple practical actions that you can do starting this week.

The Two Most Powerful Words

I’m about to share a secret with you. Well, it’s not so much a secret as it is a simple truth that’s been taken for granted. Nevertheless, this truth is powerful and has the potential to alter the way you live your life, the person you become, and the places you will go on your journey. By employing this truth, you can:

• Create golden memories
• Develop meaningful relationships
• Manage your finances better
• Cultivate the gifts you have
• And achieve the goals that you set for your life.

Are you ready? Good. I’ll give you a day to think about what these words could be. Let me know what you think. Talk to you tomorrow, my friend.

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