Question from Bill Hybel's book Holy Discontent: What Is It You Can't Stand?

What is it about this broken world that touches your heart and what will be that “One Thing” that lead you into action and cause you to answer God’s call in your life to make a difference?!! Here is my fear … my fear is that some of us are too content with life and our situation in life and we don’t allow our hearts and minds to feel the pain of others and to experience a Holy Discontent that will lead us into action. I have heard it said that Biblical Preaching will actually …
“Comfort the Afflicted and Afflict the Comfortable.”

My fear is that far too often that I have comforted the comfortable and my fear is that for far too many people in Southwest Ohio we have become so comfortable that we don’t hear the cries of those who are hurting and we don’t hear the call of God in our lives!!!

So … what is it that you can’t stand? And … What is going to be your corresponding “One Thing” that will become your focus for ministry? And how will God shape that “One Thing” into a Vision that you can make a real difference in this fallen world!!

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been asking people … What is it that you can’t stand? I have been asking myself that question and I have been praying that God will lay on my heart a singular focus that can not only be a rallying cry for the last 1/3 of my life … but become a rallying cry for the entire church! Here is what I have come up with so far …

I am troubled by how many people have not yet really experienced a personal relationship with Christ. My fear is that for some they don’t think that Jesus’ teachings will work in their lives or for many that they are simply content with being religious or attending church. It appears to me that Jesus didn’t call us to simply gather a crowd of church attendees, but that instead he calls us to share the life and love of Jesus in such a way that peoples’ hearts are wrecked by the love of Christ and that they fall deeply in love with Jesus! I think that if people fall in love with Jesus they will read his Word, follow his teachings, will seek out other followers to experience community, will give of their resources and talents, and will live their lives in such a way that will honor God and point others to Him and His Love!! So my one thing will be to help people experience a personal authentic relationship with Jesus!!

Advice for Graduates

This past Sunday, our church honored a number of high school and college graduates. It was an encouraging worship gathering as we honored our graduates and encouraged them to look “forward to what lies ahead” with faith and hope!

Since a couple of the graduates honored are from my family, I have continued to reflect on the significance of this important milestone of graduation. In this reflection, I came across a Bible passage that seems especially appropriate to share with graduates of all ages, but especially young people. My hope is that you will be inspired by this timeless advice as well!

Here are the inspired words of King Solomon from the book of Ecclesiastes as he searched for the meaning of life: "Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. … Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” … Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. … But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out.
That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad” (Ecclesiastes 11:9; 12:1, 6, 12-14 NLT).

Declared Right with God

The Apostle Paul describes this personal relationship with Jesus Christ as an undeserved gift which resulted in him being declared righteous. And experiencing a declared righteousness!

Paul wrote, I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. Philippians 3:9 NLT

Another way of defining the word “righteousness” is "to be made right with God." If a person is righteous then that person is in a right relationship with God, which means that they will spend eternity with God in heaven after death. For Paul, the first part of his life he wore himself out trying to do enough good things to try to earn his way into a relationship with God and hope of heaven, but he like so many of us learned that trying to be good enough to earn salvation is a futile effort.

But in a relationship with Jesus Christ, Paul learned that the believer is declared right with God not because of our righteous acts, but because God makes us right with Him through Christ. Paul learned that the difference between a life of religion and a relationship is the difference between the words … DO and DONE! The Christian is declared right with God not based on what he or she tries to “DO,” but based on what Jesus Christ has “DONE” for each and every one of us!

Seeking God Today!

It is human nature to procrastinate. It is especially easy to put off that which is more difficult.

The most important pursuit in life is developing and deepening a relationship with God. And yet so many of us put off the important because we are chasing the urgent.

A thousand years ago a wise king named Solomon wrote, "Don't brag about tomorrow, since you don't know what the day will bring." (Proverbs 27:1 NLT) Make sure you set aside some time today to marvel at the beauty of God's creation, pray to the LORD of the universe, read the timeless Word of God which is recorded in the Bible, and share His love with those near and dear to you!

Great Advice ... Great Investment!

One of the most practical and helpful books in the Bible is the book of Proverbs written by King Solomon. Solomon described his purpose in writing the book as follows: “Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair” (Proverbs 1:2-3 NLT).

Now … that statement of purpose describes a book that every person on earth should read!! In fact if you read one chapter of Proverbs each day, you can read the entire book each month of the year. (There are actually 31 chapters, so the reader will need to read a little extra 5 months of the year.) And yet that simple investment of time which is less than 5 minutes a day will make a huge difference in the quality of life that you will live!

Are you willing to invest 5 minutes a day to gain insights into how to live a disciplined and successful life?

What is an Invocation?

Now some church use that term to describe the opening prayer in their worship service, but we also see that term sometimes used at the beginning of a formal memorial or special ceremony, a meeting of a Christian organization, and interestingly enough at the beginning of many high school and college graduation commencement exercises. It is interesting that what is many times practiced today and is called an invocation … is not by definition an invocation.

You see what I have observed that is practiced today by many organizations (and groups) is that they will begin their meeting or ceremony with what is called an invocation. But in practice the Invocation will be a simple reading of positive thought or often times a “celebration of human spirit.” But by definition an invocation is the practice of “calling or invoking God’s intervention.” In fact an invocation by definition is a “calling upon a higher power.”

In the book of Lamentations, Jeremiah calls out on behalf of Jerusalem for God to see and intervene. Jeremiah wrote describing Jerusalem: "She defiled herself with immorality and gave no thought to her future. Now she lies in the gutter with no one to lift her out. “LORD, see my misery,” she cries. … “O LORD, look,” she mourns, “and see how I am despised.” … “LORD, see my anguish! My heart is broken and my soul despairs, for I have rebelled against you. In the streets the sword kills, and at home there is only death.” Lamentations 1:9, 11, 20 NLT

I am convinced the first step for us to begin a relationship with God and healing for our hearts and lives is for us to recognize that we do not have the answer within, but that we must learn to call out (or invoke) a higher power in our lives and that is the LORD!

Do You Fear the LORD?

Now that is a loaded question! And yet that is the question that continues to circulate in my head today after reading the first four chapters of the Book of Proverbs, a book in the Bible written by Solomon. Solomon was a King of Israel who was noted for his superior wisdom (btw … you can read a great example of Solomon’s wisdom recorded in the Bible -- 1 Kings 3:16-28).

Solomon wrote the Proverbs to help instill in future generations the importance of seeking wisdom and knowledge. During the first chapter of Proverbs, Solomon makes the following bold claim: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. (Proverbs 1:7 NIV)

For those of us who are seeking to point others to the love, patience, and mercy of God, we are quick to explain to others that the reader of the Bible can substitute the word “respect” for “fear.” This explanation is clearly seen in the Message translation of this verse with the following words: “Start with GOD—the first step in learning is bowing down to GOD.”

After reading Proverbs 1:7 this morning, I am wondering if we have been too quick to “explain away” the uncomfortable nature of the word “fear.” Now don’t get nervous, I am not going to go buy a “bull horn” and start shouting at the street corner, “Turn or Burn!” But I wonder in my attempt to help others know that they can have confidence in approaching God, if I have minimized the importance of having reverent hearts that truly stand in awe of the power, holiness, and the justice of God.

The LORD is an awesome God, who is worth of all of our respect, honor, and “healthy fear.” I think it is possible to have both confidence in approaching God and a humble astonishment of the greatness of the LORD. It is almost like Solomon is reminding us to humbly admit that we don’t have all of the answers for life, but the LORD does … so seek Him with humble hearts!