Don't Make Excuses

In her devotional You’re the Voice, Rebecca St. James wrote; “Our generation has been sold the lie that in order to live a happy life, all we have to do is think about ‘me’ and ‘how I feel,’ when the opposite is the truth.  I think that’s why Jesus stressed so often the importance of serving others.  Real joy comes from forgetting ourselves.” (p. 20)

Jesus always had a heart for people.  He could be tired and hungry, but he would spend time with people who needed him.  That was the nature of Jesus, always helping and reaching out to people who needed help.

I am the opposite.  I look for ways to avoid helping others and I make excuses why I cannot help.  The reason that I do that is because I have other uses for my time, my money, or things.   There are simply other things I would rather do.

The trouble with that way of thinking is God has asked us to reach out to people.  God wants us to give up what we want to do and follow Him.  That means regardless how we feel we need to love and reach out to the people around us.

Jesus provided for us the perfect example of this truth.  Take a look at John 4:7-26

A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)

 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?  Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?”

 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,  but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.”  The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’;  for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” 

 The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet.  Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”  (NLT)

Reading this story we miss out on how truly amazing it is, because we live in a different time and culture.  Besides being hungry and tired there were three social or cultural obstacles that should have prevented Jesus from reaching out to this woman.

Obstacle # 1: The woman was a Samaritan.
Jesus was traveling from Judea to Galilee.  The shortest route between these two places was to walk through Samaria.  The Samaritan race resulted from the interracial marriage of Jews and Assyrians.  As a result, Jews viewed the Samaritans to be impure and did everything possible to avoid traveling through Samaria.  But Jesus purposely chose to travel through Samaria.

God does not have favorites.  The nationality or race of a person is not what is important to God.  He loves us all, and He wants us all to have a chance to hear about and respond to His love.  Jesus shows us that nationality should not be an obstacle.
 
Obstacle # 2: The woman was a known sinner.
Here is a lady that could go on a number of talk shows today.  Five husbands and the man she was living with was not her husband.  The fact that this woman came at noon to draw water rather than in the morning or evening tells us that she was not accepted by the other women of her community.  She had a reputation and therefore she was an outcast.

Jesus knew the sins of this woman, but he also knew the sins of the disciples.  We may attach different levels to our sins, but to Jesus sin is sin.  The reputation of woman wasn’t an obstacle for him because he saw her as just another sinful person in need of forgiveness.

Obstacle #3: The woman was in a public place.
At this time, a respectable man would never have talked to a woman with the reputation of the Samaritan woman.   It is said that in Jewish culture at that time a man would not even talk to his own daughter or wife in public.  There was a sexist obstacle for Jesus to overcome.

Jesus shows us that there is no label or obstacle that should prevent us from reaching out to people.  It didn’t matter that this person was a Samaritan, a sinner, or a woman, Jesus loved her and wanted her to know about God.

As I look at Jesus’ example in this story I realize how flimsy my excuses often are.  Jesus was hungry, but he talked to the woman.  Jesus was tired, and he wasn’t short or rude to the woman.  Jesus reached out to her and treated her with compassion and respect.  Two things she probably hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Think about how your life would be different if Jesus would have made excuses and not gone to the cross.  Consider where you would be right now if your parents or that person who led you to Jesus made excuses and never gave you an opportunity to know God.

My point is that because other people put God’s will ahead of their needs and feelings we have the hope of eternal life today.  Who is missing out because you are making excuses?

Being Prepared

Posted Wednesday November 9, 2005

“You may truly believe that you are meant to be married--but God may have some things He wants to teach you, some ways He wants to see you grow--before you take that step. For one, He may be teaching you to wait patiently on Him.” ~ Rebecca St. James; Wait for Me

We are so impatient. It is hard for us to wait for anything, especially if it is something that we really want. What we end up doing in so often is charging ahead, even when we are not fully prepared to handle the situation. How many bad marriages are the result of people not willing to wait until they were better prepared to be married?

What Rebecca St. James mentions about marriage can be applied to other areas of our life. In Experiencing God Henry Blackaby mentions seminary students whom he has known who felt the call of God to go into ministry, but who did not want to wait to be prepared for that responsibility. They dropped out of seminary and shipwrecked their ministries because they were not adequately prepared.

God told Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation, but Abraham was a man without a child. It was about twenty-five years before God brought Isaac into Abraham’s life. What did God do during those twenty-five years? He prepared Abraham to be the father Isaac needed and as a result Abraham is the example of faith that we still look to today.

I believe that often God is more concerned with this act of preparation than He is of the ministry He has called us to accomplish. Yes, the ministry allows us to impact the lives of other people, but that only happens because God has been working in our lives to mold us into the people He wants us to be. The life of faith is developed in risking and in waiting patiently. There are times when we need to be patient and allow God to work in our lives.

Don’t get discouraged because it seems like your life hasn’t been very effective. Remain faithful because sooner or later God will use you to do something great for His Kingdom. Preparing always takes longer than the actually event. From football games to concerts we see this fact played out everyday of our lives. If we are properly prepared than we will be able to do what God has planned for us to the best of our abilities.

The Good Side of Pain #1

After losing his wife the late Christian thinker CS Lewis wrote a book entitled A Grief Observed. The Following quote is taken from that book:

Meanwhile, where is God? This is one of the most disquieting symptoms. When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him, if you turn to Him then with praise, you will be welcomed with open arms. But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away.

C.S. Lewis had a difficult time dealing with his wife’s death. It presented him with a crisis of belief, because the pain was real and immense. But C.S. Lewis’ experience is not any different then the rest of humanities’ experience. Everyday people experience pain and suffering, crying out to God and finding no answer.

Let’s be honest, when tragedy happens, when pain enters our lives, God doesn’t always feel close by. Where was God when the World Trade Center was burning in New York? Where was God when a drunk driver killed your friend? Where was God when your parents got divorced? Where was God when your brother got involved with drugs? Where was God when my uncle got cancer and died?

If we were all powerful like so many people claim God to be, then we would use that power to make the world right and good. When we see a friend of ours hurt and suffering we want to do whatever it takes to fix the situation. We love them, and want their lives to be good. Haven’t we heard that God loves us and wants our lives to be good? If that is the case why does God allow suffering to happen?

I know that pain is not a pleasant experience. It hurts! You are out there thinking, “Thanks for pointing out the obvious. I knew that before I came to this class.” Here is my point, even though pain hurts, it is valuable to our lives. One of the worst Star Trek movies made, is Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier. The only redeeming part of the movie is a line the Captain Kirk has. The crew meets up with Spock’s half-brother, a Vulcan who has discovered how to take away the emotional pain that we all have. Imagine what your life would be like if all the emotional baggage you carry could suddenly be taken away. You simply forget about that time you father yelled at you and called you sissy boy. You forget about the deaths of your grandma and of your dog Spot. You don’t remember the betrayal by your best friend when she stole your boyfriend. The fact that you other kids call you fat vanishes from your mind. Wouldn’t that be great!? This Vulcan offers to take away Kirk’s pain, and the Captain looks at him and says, “No! I need my pain. My pain makes me who I am.” Pain is valuable to our lives because it shapes our character. Though to be honest, it isn’t the pain that shapes our character, what shapes our character are our choices, suffering is the environment in which we have to make those choices.

James 1:2-5 says, Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking (NLT).

I want you to understand something, God’s greatest concern in your life is not your happiness. God does not intend for His people to constantly go through life feeling like they are on the top of the world. Why? Because that type of life does not create the type of people God wants us to be. If God immediately took away our pain and struggles we would never know what it would be like to trust Him. Pain and suffering often forces us to rely on God in ways we would never have before.

The struggles, trials, and pain of life is what develops Holiness in our lives. That is God’s greatest concern in our lives, that we be holy. We are created to be holy not happy. Because happiness is not the goal God uses pain to create us to be holy. Rebecca St. James wrote, “God really wants to mold all of us -- male, female, young, and old -- into what He created us to be.” Pain, trials, and struggles are one way God molds us into what He created us to be.

Importance of Standards

It is difficult to follow Jesus in a world that opposes Him and His message. One of the reasons is because as Followers of Jesus Christ we have committed ourselves to be guided according to the teachings of Jesus. Teachings that urge us to be generous with our giving rather than hoarding the blessings God has given. Teachings that command us to love our enemies and not just our friends and families. Teachings that compel us to sacrifice and serve rather than demanding that our needs be met. Teachings that order us to honor marriage and not even look on another person with lust. To follow Jesus demands that we live radically different lives than the people around us.

We are constantly bombarded with the message to compromise on the standards for living Jesus established and to do things according to the rest of the world. While, it has to be admitted, living according to Jesus' teachings doesn't make life easier for us (in some cases it will make life more difficult) it will make life a whole lot less complicated.

For an example I have a friend who has been concerned about the possibility that he fathered a child by another woman before he got married. I have no such concern because it is impossible for me to have fathered a child because in this area of life I have remained faithful to the standard God has given to us. Living according to the standards of God will not remove life's difficulties and tragedies but it will keep us free from the heavy baggage so many other people are forced to carry because of their decision to violate God's standards.

As we commit ourselves to keeping God's standards in every area of our lives we begin to realize that His way is the best way to live. We will also realize that compromise, even in the smallest area, will make it easier for us to rationalize compromise in other areas as well. The more we are faithful to the teachings of Jesus the more it becomes a habit for us. The more we compromise the easier it is to compromise the next time temptation comes our way.

I like what Rebecca St. James wrote in her little book Wait for Me; "But you know what? It's compromise in those little areas that lead to majorly bad decisions later. It is strength and courage shown in the "small" tests of life that make the "big" decisions easy" (2002/pg. 28).

These standards for living Jesus has given us provide us with the clear direction we need for living when temptation comes into our lives. If we never commit to living a certain standard then we will always be pushed along by the current of our changing desires. This always leads to terrible consequences, not only for you but also for those around you, and a more complicated life. Being committed to the standard Jesus has handed down to us gives us a clear direction on how we are to live.

Let me give you an example. During my 33 years of life I have had but one girlfriend (though I have asked out every girl I have ever wanted to date. Perhaps I have my standards too high?). Her name was Eve and we dated for 6 months during my fourth year at Nebraska Christian College. Most of that time she had an apartment off campus (I lived in the dorm for my entire five years at NCC).

I remember one night I was over at her apartment (in retrospect this was such a bad decision) and she began crying. I asked her what the matter was, but she wouldn't tell me. Since it was getting close to curfew for the dorms (11:00 PM) I gave her a kiss good night and left.

A few weeks later she told me about her past. Before coming to Nebraska Christian College she had gone to another college. While there she kept a dorm room, so her parents would believe that is where she lived, but in actuality she lived in an apartment with her boyfriend. She said that the reason that she was crying that night is because she wanted to do those things with me that she had done with her former boyfriend, but she knew we couldn't.

If I had never committed myself to God's standard of sexual intimacy to be reserved for marriage what would have happened? There is a good possibility that we would have given into our desires. From the experience related to me by friends who did compromise in this area it has led to problems in their marriage (even in the instances when it was their future wife they compromised with). When we compromise God's standard we always end up making our lives more complicated and adding even more negative emotional baggage to our lives.

It was the fact that I committed myself to following God in this area and communicated that standard to Eve that kept us from making a grave mistake. Without that standard both our lives would be more complicated than they needed to be.

The reason I think Christians often find themselves in sinful situations, situations that destroy their ministries and families, is because they do not take the proper precautions of establishing standards for their lives. Rather than setting our standards high we keep them as low as possible so we can have the thrill of dancing around the flames of temptation. The problem is that sooner or later if we play with fire we will be burned.

To live according to the standards that Jesus gave us to govern our speech, what we watch, what we wear, our relationships, professional conduct, or whatever may seem unrealistic, but in the long run those types of standards make life easier for us. If we do not commit to living according to Jesus' standards I will guarantee that we will be swept away by the values of our culture. We will not live radically different lives than those living around us.

Christians are called to live differently than the rest of the world. If we are unwillingly to be different in our entertainment, in our fashion, in the words we use, and in the way we treat others then how will people know we are different? The Apostle Peter wrote:

Be careful how you live among your unbelieving neighbors. Even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will believe and give honor to God when He comes to judge the world (1 Peter 2:12; NLT).

Being careful in the way we live requires us to live according to the principles that flow out of the standards Jesus has given us for life. If we will not commit ourselves living according to those standards then we will not compel those around us to worship God. The best way to affect the lives of others is to live to a higher standard than they live. To be a Follower of Christ demands that we live differently from the world.

You Are Loved