I mostly enjoy Mondays. Traditionally, I spend the morning at a coffee shop reading my Bible, doing some journaling, reflecting on the week that past, and planning for the week that is. At least one Monday a month I work with Ignite Church Planting, Chicagoland and that always gets me excited.
Except for today. Today I’ve got the Melancholy-Monday Syndrome.
Maybe it’s because its dark and dreary outside. Maybe it’s because I slept terribly and had crazy dreams last night; or maybe it’s because I haven’t slept well at all since the Exponential Conference in April. Maybe it’s because there’s an emotional letdown after a very busy Sunday. Maybe it’s because I’ve worked all day, every day, for 8 of the past 9 days (I’m not complaining, I prefer it that way). Maybe it’s because my oldest son still has a week-and-half of school left before Summer vacation (unbelievable!). Maybe it’s because of the 220+ people who died this morning on an Air France flight. Maybe it’s because the notorious late-term abortion doctor, George Tiller, was slain in a church yesterday (I’m not shedding any tears for Tiller but neither am I rejoicing; in fact I’m rather conflicted spiritually about this).
For whatever reason, or maybe for all these reasons, I’m experiencing a very melancholy Monday. But Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the Day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” I’m going to rejoice in this day, but I may need a little inspiration.
This morning I read Genesis 26 in my quiet time with God and this chapter is all about Legacy. It’s about Abraham’s financial legacy of wealth, and spiritual legacy of blessing, being passed onto his son Isaac. Sadly, its also about Abraham’s legacy of sin being passed to his son Isaac and his grandson Esau—specifically, his track-record with women. Both Isaac and Esau commit the same sexual blunders as Abraham.
I think the point is that we as parents pass our success, as well as our failures, onto our children. They will succeed in some of the areas we have succeeded. But they will also fail in many of the areas where we have failed. In many cases, our habits will become their habits and our addictions will become theirs. Therefore we have a responsibility, not only as people not to harbor and hold onto bad habits, but as parents to ensure that the legacy passed onto our children is honorable and godly.
As I listen to Kris Allen, winner of American Idol, sing my new favorite song “God of this City,” I am drawn to the three passages of Scripture in the Gospel of John where Jesus utters the phrase and promises “greater things.” The first is in John 1:50 where a man named Nathaniel is willing to become a Christ-follower simply because of Jesus’ perception and discernment. Jesus appreciates Nathaniel’s sentiment but promises, “You shall see greater things than that.”
The second time is in John 5:20 where Jesus heals a lame man and is questioned by the religious leaders who think Jesus is unorthodox for helping/healing someone on the Sabbath. Almost tongue-in-cheek, Jesus says to His opposition: That’s nothing! I will show you “even greater things than these…,” insinuating that he has not even begun to challenge their traditions yet, and predicting His death and resurrection.
The third time Jesus utters this phrase is in John 14:12, just moments before His arrest. The Disciples know that something bad is about to happen and Jesus is trying to comfort them. Knowing the end is near, He challenges them by saying, “I tell you the truth any one who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these.” With these words He challenges His followers to continue His work—not just His first-century followers, but all followers throughout all time.
So what is the work we are to continue? Isaiah 61 offers insight to His work saying it is “to preach good news to the poor; to bind up the broken-hearted; to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor; and to comfort and bless those who grieve and to lift them from despair; and to display the splendor of God.” Not only does Jesus tell us to continue to do this Gospel work, but to do it on a greater scale than even He was able—and He promises to enable us accomplish the task with the help of His Spirit.
So I’ve got to wonder: Am I doing greater things in my city? What about you?
2 Corinthians 5:9 says: “Therefore, we make it our aim, whether present of absent, to be well pleasing to Him” (NKJV). Here the Apostle declares the aim (or goal) of his life: to be well pleasing to God.
What are you goals in life? To experience romance. To attain academic excellence. To have a house, 2.5 kids, and a dog named Spot. To make a million dollars. To be the best at whatever you do. To achieve fame and/or significance. What is your life’s aim—what are you shooting for?
For the Apostle it is rather simple: to please God.
What I immediately notice is the unselfishness of his goal. It’s not about getting stuff, proving something, living up to someone else, or being better than the rest. He simply hopes that his life will be pleasing to God. But he doesn’t just hope. He makes it his mission, his passion, his life’s work.
Is your goal in life to please God? Does it wake you up in the morning, lay you down at night, and govern who you are in between? What you do with your time—does it please God? What you do with your money—does it please God? What you eat and drink—does it please God? What you say to your coworkers—does it please God? How you treat your spouse—does it please God? Have you made it your aim to please God?
Sadly, most of us just try to please ourselves.
Making it our goal to please God is not easy. But three verses might be an asset in this discussion. The first is Hebrews 11:6 which says: “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” The second is 1 John 5:3 which says: “This is love for God: to obey His commands” (NIV).
And the third is found in John 2 in a record of the events surrounding Jesus’ first miracle. It’s during a wedding feast. Unfortunately, the wedding-planner has failed to secure enough wine for the party (a pretty big social fax paux in 1st century Israel), and Mary asks Jesus to solve the problem.
Interestingly enough, Jesus doesn’t seem real keen on doing this but yields to his mother’s request, asking the servants to fill six large vats with water. When they look at Him with confusion Mary says to the servants “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5 NIV). Enabled by their obedience, Jesus turns the water into wine.
It’s a simple statement, yet profound in our discussion. Do you want to make it your life’s goal to please God? Then do whatever He tells you.
Several weeks ago, while attending a church-planting conference, a conviction developed inside of me that I was not spending enough time with God. Not being overly mystical, I nevertheless felt that God was telling me to mark out more time for Him—time to pray, time to read Scripture devotionally, and time to journal my thoughts, prayers, and struggles. This conviction hit me when I learned of thousands of Eastern Christians in the Orient who are setting aside 3 hours a day for prayer and personal Bible study.
Therefore, I began the discipline of marking out time for God. Thinking that I should begin and end my day with God, I began to get up earlier and stay up later so that my time with Him did not take away from my time with family, friends and work. And what better way, then to start and end the day, with God?
And I must confess that it began only as a discipline. The first morning, when my alarm sounded at 5:30am, was a rough one. I hit the coffee maker before I hit the Word. But the second morning was easier. And the third easier still. Also, spending an hour in prayer and devotional study was not easy. What to pray? What to read? How to keep from falling asleep? That’s why they call it discipline, I suppose, because it’s not easy.
However, my discipline is now being transformed into desire. I’m anticipating my times with God in the morning. I’m finding the television in the evening to be monotonous. I’m looking forward to my prayer journal, and my devotional books, and maybe most, my Bible. I’m reading things that challenge me—and I like to be challenged—things that could change me. My passion for God is being renewed once again—and I find myself spending more time with Him throughout the day (and appreciating Him in my work and in my play). Discipline has become desire.
I wonder how many other areas of my life need the catalyst of discipline. It takes discipline to exercise but eventually it becomes a desire. It takes discipline to love the unlovable, but eventually the unlovable become desirable. How many areas of our lives could God transform if we were willing to accept His discipline and embrace self-discipline? I don’t know for sure, but I do know that my spiritual disciplines have become spiritual desires—and for this I rejoice.
I saw this video a few weeks ago at the Exponential Conference in Orlando, Florida. It’s produced by Community Christian Church out of Naperville, IL and the lead “singer/performer/entertainer” is Brian Prunty (a guy I went to college with). It’s hilarious and spiritually significant.
In Genesis 15 and 16 we discover an epic dilemma in the life of Abraham and Sarah. The dilemma is that Sarah is barren and cannot produced an heir, and that she is now well beyond her child-bearing years. Therefore, in Genesis 15 Abraham decides to choose his highest-ranking servant Eliezer as his heir. But when Abraham prays about this decision, God intervenes and says “no.”
Then in Genesis 16 Sarah suggests that Abraham should take her servant Hagar as a surrogate wife and conceive with her, producing an heir vicariously. Apparently, Abraham likes this idea and (rather than praying for direction) sleeps with Hagar, who conceives. This creates all sorts of struggles within the family—prompting feelings of inadequacy and bitterness for Sarah, and rivalry for Hagar.
The bigger problem is that Abraham and Sarah, rather than waiting on God’s plan and promise to be fulfilled, decide to take matters into their own hands. This creates all sorts of trouble for them and even for us today (if you know your history).
For us, it means that we must wait on God’s will to become evident in our lives–we cannot run ahead of His will. Things must take place in His time. We need to be diligent and proactive, but everything we do should be (1) bathed in prayer; (2) approved by the Word; and (3) affirmed by godly Consults; because the consequences of going ahead of God can be disastrous.
Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over a city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.”
In my devotional time today I read Genesis 13 which is part of the Abrahamic narrative. In the narrative both Abraham and his nephew Lot have become incredibly wealthy. They have left their homeland to follow God, they have experienced some bumps and bruises along the way, but in this chapter they find themselves in the land of Canaan (otherwise known as the Promised Land).
The particular land they choose to inhabit is not big enough for both men. Their flocks are so vast, their possessions so many, that division develops between the Family. Their workers and shepherds begin fighting and it becomes evident that something must change. They simply cannot share the land any longer. They must separate for the sake of family unity.
So Abraham gives his nephew Lot the choice of land. There are two regions. One is very fertile, and one is not so much. The former is prosperous, but the latter is not. Abraham tells Lot to pick his region, promising to inhabit whatever land Lot leaves behind. As most of us would do, Lot picks the fertile and prosperous land where he will have the greatest opportunity and chance for success.
But there is more to this story than meets the eye. It’s a lesson in the classic tension between spirituality and success.
Abraham takes the moral high-ground of working for family peace and harmony while Lot takes the ambitious road of prosperity and success. And Abraham’s choice will be blessed by God while Lot will suffer the consequences. Abraham’s family will be established and become a great nation. Lot’s marriage will be destroyed and his entire family line will be corrupted. And it all started with the choice to make success and prosperity a higher calling than family and faith.
A friend on Facebook posted a thought-provoking quote that I’d like to share:
“The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly.” —Soren Kierkegaard
