Living a 220 life

The Beauty of Pain

I just finished a five mile run and am writing this with sweat still dripping from my face. As a matter of fact, it’s getting my keyboard all messy, but the Lord taught me something during my run that I must share.

As I was hitting around mile 3 I began to hurt. I was very uncomfortable and was reaching that point where I just wanted to stop, sit down right where I was at, and wait for someone to pick me up in a vehicle. I began asking myself, “Why do I do this to myself?” I answered myself, “So eventually I will be in shape and can run without it hurting.” Then it hit me: No matter how fast I am, even if I’m a gold medalist in the marathon, if I want to get better I MUST run until it hurts. No one has ever gotten faster by taking the slow easy jogs. The athlete training for the gold medal will always run into the pain. In essence, the pain is somewhat of a prize for the athlete, honoring the hard work put in as preparation for the big race.

Folks, the Lord revealed our spiritual life is very similar. We don’t grow without some tough times. The storms and winds force the great oak tree to grow deep roots and the storms and winds of life force us to also grow deep roots in the Lord. I’ve heard it said, “Pain is God’s megaphone to a deaf world.” Philippians 1:29 reads, “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” The first time I read this I thought, “Oh no, thank you. You can keep the suffering part. You don’t need to grant that to me Lord. I’m just fine without it.” However, as the illustration of training for the race demonstrates, the Lord truely is granting us a wonderful gift in the suffering we receive.

The suffering we receive from the Lord is similar to a star coach pushing his players to become champions. Do the players suffer during practice? Yes. Is it painful? yes. Do the players sign up to suffer under the star coach? You better believe it. The players who voluntered to play for Bobby Knight considered it a priveledge to suffer under such a great coach and knew they would be transformed into champions.

Friends, are you still complaining about the suffering you endure? Are you still stopping in the middle of your run and waiting for a vehicle to pick you up? Every time you stop and sit down you miss the blessing that comes from suffering for the Lord. May you endure the hardships the Lord blesses you with and may you hear His voice through the megaphone of pain. AMEN!

Making it through the worst day of your life

It’s getting pretty late at night and I should be in bed, but the Lord has laid this message upon my heart. I’ve learned, when He does this I won’t get to sleep until I share the message. Friends, the message is this: Jesus wants us to follow His example. He’s given us numerous lessons in scripture but the one example He wants me to share tonight is from Luke 5:15-16.

“However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities,” (v.15) Friends, the message here is that Jesus had tough days at work also. He had long hours and frustrating encounters with people. (pharisees for one) His life wasn’t a bed of roses. When you’re suffering through the worst day of your life, when your boss is simply unrelenting, when the bills are mounting against you, when the kids are possessed (not literally I hope), when the world just seems to be going in the other direction from you, Jesus understands. He’s been there. He offers us an example of what to do during times like this.

“So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.” (v16) So many people turn to everything but God during these times. Friends, follow His example and withraw often, in order to pray to your Father. You may not believe me, but as you practice this simple but powerful spiritual discipline you’ll find it changing your life. As you spend time with the Master you’ll find Him holding those crumbling walls from crushing you. The bills may remain, but He provides. The boss may remain, but He calms. The debt may still be there, but He provides contentment. The kids will still be there, but they eventually turn 18. (Just kidding, I have 4 amazing kids who bless me every day)

Honestly though folks, Jesus is so much stronger than you or I and yet He withdrew often. How can we expect to make it if we don’t withdraw often in order to pray? Let me challenge you: Make a commitment to pray at least 10 minutes a day for 30 days and see if the Lord doesn’t transform your life. He is in the business of changing hearts and will likely soften pieces of yours you didn’t even know were hard. Trust Him…Spend time with Him…fall passionately in love with Him. AMEN!

How the Lord uses the weak

“O my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. Then the Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you? So he said to Him, ‘O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” (Judges 6:13-15)

My friends, how often are we guilty of complaining about our circumstances? How often do we accuse, ‘God can’t be with me or I wouldn’t be in this situation.’ I regularly hear Christian people talk about the Lord leaving America because of the widespread sin that is so prevalent and accepted in the country. Gideon did the same thing when his circumstances were rather bleak. He put the blame on God.

I’m not sure where you are in life right now, but I can bet if you’re not in a tough spot now you will be in the near future. My friend, you must remember, even when you’re in a crummy spot, the Lord hasn’t left you. In fact, He wants to use you to bring His glory into the world.

Not only did Gideon feel like God had left him, he also felt like he was too small, too weak, too unimportant to do anything to help. God spoke to Gideon and told him, despite being the lowest of the low, God would use him to save the nation of Israel. The Lord eventually takes Gideons army of 32,000 Soldiers and whittles it down to a mere 300. That’s right; Gideon, the lowest of the low and a skeleton army of 300 men were used by God to save the nation. If the Lord can do that with Gideon, what can He do with you?

My blessed friend in the Lord, do you feel small today? Do you feel unimportant? Perhaps you feel the Lord has turned His back on you because of crummy circumstances. I’m here to tell you God wants to use you; He hasn’t turned His back on you and never will. He wants to whittle you down to a mere 300 Soldiers in order to bless you through the miraculous power of His outstretched arm. You see, if He allowed the 32,000 Soldier army to remain you would believe your own strength had accomplished something and you would be cruelly robbed of the blessing of faith. When God works the miraculous in our life we’re blessed with a piece of heaven come down.

Friend, the time has come. The Lord wishes to use you. Stand up, call out to Him, ‘hear I am Lord, send me!’ Allow Him to use you to change the world! AMEN!

New Boots

When I deployed to Iraq I bought a new pair of boots which were meant to last for the entire year. I’d been wearing the boots every day and they had broken in nicely; probably one of the most comfortable pair of boots I’ve owned in my 14 years of military service. Then, without warning, tragedy struck: a hole appeared in the side of my boot. Devastation quickly set in as I realized my favorite boots would soon need to be replaced. (OK, I wasn’t devastated but it makes the story sound better)

I contacted the manufacturer who quickly sent me a new pair of the exact same boots. I’ve been wearing the new boots for about a week now and have learned a lesson. The lesson is this: Sometimes life presents holes in our boots. We get comfortable in our sin and it’s hard to swap our comfortable life for a stiff new pair of boots. I know if I had my choice I would continue wearing my broken in boots with a hole over the stiff new ones. Our spiritual life is the same. All too often we know it’s time to make a change but we prefer wearing our beat up old sinful life.

The first few days in my new boots were tough; awkward feeling, a little pain in tight spots, stiff, and difficult to concentrate on anything other than my new boots. The funny thing is this, the new boots are now becoming just as comfortable, if not more comfortable than my old boots. Friends, when you turn in that old rickety sinful life for a new surrendered life to Jesus, you will get used to it and it’ll be better than the old pair of boots.

One warning. If you leave the old pair of boots sitting under your bed you’ll be tempted to put them back on. That’s not good. You need to remove the old boots from the picture and leave yourself no other option than the new boots. You’ll force yourself to break in the new boots and wont turn to your old boots for comfort. We must not look back to our sinful life for comfort either. Friends, I challenge you, put on your new boots, throw out the old, and continue walking until their broken in. You’ll see a life spent walking with the Lord is more comfortable than anything you’ve ever known. AMEN!

Meditations on Psalm 142

A few hours ago my Mom called and asked my thoughts on Psalm 142. So, in response to my wonderful Mother’s request I spent some time meditating on Psalm 142 and found several key points I’d like to share. First, the background of this Psalm must be understood.

King David spent much of his life either on the run or on the throne. At this point he’s on the run. He’s being hunted down by people who want to take the throne, his family is in shambles, he’s lost a child, and another child is leading the charge trying to kill him, he’s been rebuked by God for the Bathseeba incident, and he is living with the blood of his friend, Uriah the Hittite (also known as Bathsheeba’s husband) on his hands. David is probably writing this Psalm from inside a dark dingy cave with the weight of the world on his shoulders. David is NOT in a good spot right now. He probably feels like the world is spinning so fast he doesn’t even know which way is up. Ever felt that way? If you’ve never been in a really tough spot….just wait, you will be. James 1:2 says the tough times are coming.

With this background established, Psalm 142 overall is David’s plea to God for relief. However, he offers us some very good practicle application for the tough times as well. In verse 3 we read, “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then you knew my path.” This is a very comforting declaration. You see, an overwhelmed spirit often translates into a spirit of hopelessness and despair. When our spirits are overwhelmed we often don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel and only see the problems and issues weighing us down. With the economy the way it is, many people are experiencing this right now. Or, more closely related to David, when your own sin (Davids was adultery with Bathsheeba) causes the world to crash down on you and you have no clue where to turn or how to make it all stop, David declares “then you knew my path”. Folks, when everything is out of control and you’ve really messed up your life He knows the path to restoration. Jesus is the reset button! It might take a bit to sift through the ashes, but He can get you back on track and out of that dark dingy cave.

My second observation I’d like to point out comes from verse 7 when we read,”Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Your name” Do you see that he’s writing this from his prison? He’s not talking future or past tense here but rather present tense…bring my soul out of prison. So while he’s in the muck his thoughts are about bringing praise to the Lord. Friends, we need to always focus on bringing praise to the Lord no matter what the situation.

My final observation is this: there are 3 people involved with this Psalm. 1. David 2. Those trying to kill David and 3. Those not lending help or sitting idly by. This observation is very important because each one of you reading this is one of these three. Either you’re currently in the cave with the weight of the world on your shoulders; you’re pursuing someone and causing them to live in the cave; or you’re ignoring the fact that many others in the world are living in the cave. My friends, we are called to bear one anothers burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2) Some of you are in the cave and you certainly know who you are. Unfortunately, some of you are causing others to live in the cave. Some of you know who you are but most of you probably don’t. I beg you, get on your knees and ask the Lord to reveal if you’re causing someone great pain. If you are, repent and help that person. Most of you are in the third category and are turning a blind eye to the pain and misery around you. If you are thinking to yourself that you don’t know anyone in the cave, then you’ve turned the blind eye. I promise you, there are hurting people in the cave all around you. You won’t need to look far to find them.

Friends, seek the Lord’s will in your life. Ask Him how you can come along side a hurting brother or sister and bear their burden. American’s are a blessed people with great wealth but don’t fool yourself, I’m not talking about just throwing money someones way. No, I’m talking about bearing their burden. If you’re bearing their burden you’ll expend much more than your money, you’ll expend your time, energy, and friendship. Once you do this, and you help carry anothers burden, you will find a new aspect of Christ you’ve never known before and the pain involved with carrying the burden will pale in comparison to the new found intimacy you have with Christ. AMEN!