Driving the Point Home

Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,
(Titus 2:7 – ESV)

I used to deliver pizza, and you know what, I loved it. I never have looked down on those who do this job. Look, someone has to do it, and if you say “no they don’t”, well there are other jobs you could name that many people don’t want to do but they have to get done, like being a garbage man. All honest work has dignity and no child of God should treat another who is doing honest work with any less dignity than another who is doing something “more important”. None of our work in the Lord, and all of it is in the Lord if WE are in the Lord, none of this is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).

It is not the work that makes it worthy of you it is you who brings dignity to the work and makes it worthy of your calling as a child of God. You are teaching others by your example, your life lives out your doctrine, whether you are working one of these jobs or you are talking about others who hold these jobs. Let me tell you that as a Christian you have no right to look down on the server at the restaurant you are eating at, and if you in your heart see it as “lesser” work, you are sinning.

Anyway, the funny thing is, before I was a pastor, I had actually been the owner of several pizza shops. However, in the meantime between owning the pizza shops and being a pastor, I was back in school learning about theology, and I was delivering pizza to help make ends meet.

Imagine, going from the owner to the driver. I was the owner in the big city, I worked for the company as a franchise rep, and I had stores all over the state, but now I was doing “lesser work”. Worse yet, I had become the driver back in the town I grew up in. Imagine what it was like to ring the doorbell, and have someone you went to school with (who was not an honor grad, popular, athletic and such as you were, but now makes a six figure salary) say "oh, so this is what you're doing now" after having been the hotshot growing up.

After giving out the "I'm getting my Masters, I'm an associate pastor" spiel 100 times, I finally realized that God was teaching me humility, and I loved every minute of it after that, and learned as much there about the practical outworking of my theology (no kidding) as I did on my thesis.

Let me give you a humorous example of what I am talking about.

We had this customer who never, ever tipped, was rude, took minutes to answer the door, and I always seemed to get her. Well, one night I got the order, went to the door, and after I knocked, I noticed a penny on the ground. Immediately, I went into this song and dance about how she was going to tip me now no matter what 'cause God gave me a penny! I literally was dancing around, making up a ridiculous song in my head about it, and feeling all good, and then she came to the door, several minutes later.

I told her the total...12.79...she started handing me the lumps of change like she always did...as I counted, I thought to myself, "too bad lady, 'cause you are tipping me whether you like it or not, ha ha!"

Suddenly the money was all counted, and.....she had 12.78! She asked if it was alright that she was missing "just a penny". I am no overt mystic, but I am telling you I could hear God laughing as loud as thunder during a storm! I felt like one of those cartoons whose head turns into a "donkey", and then back again.

Then I laughed too; I learned something very valuable that night.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

God’s New Year’s Resolution

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power,
(2 Thessalonians 1:11 – ESV)

Upon each New Year we often think ahead about what will happen in the world in general, and in our own slice of the world. We think about what we might like to get accomplished in the coming months. To that end we try and “resolve” to do something we feel would be good for us or others in the coming year. About 45-50% of people make “New Year’s Resolutions”; everyone at some time has, and even when you say you won’t you just resolved not to do it!

Yet even with so many making these resolutions, they rarely ever “stick”. Research over the years has concluded that about 80% of all New Year’s Resolutions are broken by the end of January. Of resolutions having to do with health and fitness, 90% will be broken by the middle of January. By the end of the year, less than 5% will have kept their resolutions. Articles are written every year to help us keep our goals intact this year, finally.

Why do we make them? We want to make ourselves better. Why do they fail? For many and various reasons, but as a Christian, I want you to think about something. Too often, resolutions are about our will but we are supposed to be concerned with God’s will. We are trying to triumph over our own selves when we should be advancing in the grace that has us submitting our will to God. We might think that by making resolutions we are doing this, and that in this or that way is where we would like to see God move this next year. But is that where God wants to move this year? When it becomes obvious during the year, during each day where He is trying to shape us, do we still have the will, or does He control it? It is God who controls the situations, not we, and to try and control every situation is to be controlled by every situation. Think about it in the context of the following verses from that most practical of books, James 4:13-17:

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"-- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

I am not saying that we shouldn’t make “resolutions”, not at all, as we consider the opening verse of this post. However, we must consider more carefully our motives. We cannot simply say I’m going to do this or that; we may want to “do” something but the “source” and the “motive” are most important. You cannot just tack on “I’m doing it for Jesus” because you think that is the right answer. That would be just like those little prayers that someone who feels guilty at the moment says but doesn’t really mean; it is man power not God’s power doing that. Did you ask God what He wanted you to do for this New Year? You can be sure that through your experiences this year that He will let you know (if you are truly listening) what He would like you to be doing. As in stop speeding your car when you get caught again.

The truth is that we can say we want something “For His glory” and still have mostly selfish motives. Do you know why this or that would give Him glory? Even if it is a good thing that would glorify Him, do you want that thing to change so that it will satisfy you more than wanting it to glorify Him? Check yourself. Oswald Chambers said, “You cannot sanctify to God that with which you aim to satisfy yourself”. Let us look at a few verses and apply them to this context.

Psalm 139:23-24 – Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Psalm 19:12-14 – Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 51:6 – Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

He will lead you and you must follow, and you know this to be true, He puts you in situations to let you know where your faith is. Stopping sin in its tracks is well, of course, but we often want only to be rid of embarrassing things rather than root causes which will pop up in some other form unless dealt with. We too often want to treat the symptom instead of God bringing the cure. Instead of wanting to get rid of that glaring sin, how about the sin no one sees, which may very well be the reason you stay in this other, more gross and overt sin, because if you were not, you would be swelled up with pride, perhaps, and so you must be kept down lest you become spoiled in your gifts. God will lead you to this end, but you must submit when the opportunities present themselves. In this way you will know Gods’ power, as you submit, and work out your salvation with fear and trembling, and see that it is indeed He who is working both to will and to do of His good pleasure in conforming you to Christ. Renew your mind around these meditations.

We make New Year’s Resolutions because we think we want to “turn over a new leaf”, but as Christians we have already turned ourselves over to Christ, and sometimes our efforts at turning over a new leaf are just as if it was Adam and Eve turning over their fig leafs! It isn’t what we really need, and it is works righteousness, when what we need is to live in the grace and godliness that God Himself provides and directs us to as we submit to Him through our experience. This is not willpower but living God’s will.

Let me give you another example. Your resolution might be to lose weight, and you may even have reasoned that it would give God glory because it is taking better care of the body He has given you. It will give you more energy to witness more or whatever, and it will stop your gluttony. This can be good of course, but we ought not to avoid those other things that keep popping up in places we should submit but never have. This is where God is obviously leading, He wants us to do right in those areas, and we keep seeing opportunities to submit and obey, but we want our agenda first. It would be even better if you paid attention to what God is bringing your way this week as you get caught once again for speeding, or someone reminds you that they haven’t talked to you in a while or seen you at church, or your friend or relative comes to mind for you to pray for, etc. Our resolution should be to submit. Do you see what I mean now?

Our New Year’s Resolution should center on asking God that in His grace we would submit to His will more as it appears before us. That we would trust Him, and instead of trying to make ourselves into some type of thing we think God would be pleased with, we would actually start becoming it by following where He is leading. Again, I am not saying we shouldn’t make resolutions, but I am saying we should pay attention to what God puts on our plate and not avoid that thing as if our agenda is more important. “No God, not that, do this” is in effect what we are saying. Perhaps, instead of telling God in what areas we would like molded, we would ask that we might submit to His molding process this year.

Each morning, ask for wisdom (James 1:5). “Father, give me the grace to realize opportunities to be submitted to your will this day, in Jesus name”, and then expect opportunities. It is submitting to God’s plan as revealed in time by circumstances presenting themselves to you.

Then the question is do you have faith? Our problem is that we just don’t want to be vulnerable; we cover it all up. All this does is delay the divine directive. Instead, the more we submit to it the more we will see it work. Yes we are to be willing and intentional about killing off sin, but we must remember, “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD” (Proverbs 21:31), and He is the one who brings us to battle. Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered (Proverbs 28:26). Stop trying to fit yourself into the mold you think Jesus will be pleased with, and start letting it happen for real. After all, it is Jesus who tells us to take up our cross and follow Him, not the other way around.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

60 Seconds (28)

“LIFE’S LITTLE INSTRUCTIONS”

(FOR THE NEW YEAR)

Sing in the shower – Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated – Watch a sunrise at least once a year – Leave the toilet seat in the down position – Never refuse homemade brownies – Strive for excellence, not perfection – Plant a tree on your birthday – Learn three clean jokes – Return borrowed vehicles with the gas tank full – Compliment three people everyday – Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them – Resist the temptation to praise yourself – Don’t boast about tomorrow – Leave everything a little better than you found it – Keep it simple – Think big thoughts but relish small treasures – Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know – Floss your teeth – Ask for a raise when you feel you have earned it – Be forgiving of yourself and others – Overtip breakfast waitresses – Say ‘thank you’ a lot – Say ‘please’ a lot – Avoid negative people – Buy whatever kids are selling on card tables in their front yards – Wear polished shoes – Return your phone calls and emails promptly – Remember other people’s birthdays – Commit yourself to constant improvement – Carry jumper cables in your trunk – Be a good listener – When asked for help, be available, whether a menial or very important thing -- Have a firm handshake – Send lots of Valentine cards. Sign them, ‘Someone who thinks you are terrific’ – Look people in the eye – Be the first to say, ‘Hello’ – Use the good silver – Return all things you borrow – Make new friends but cherish the old ones – Keep secrets – Sing in a choir – Plant flowers every spring – Have a pet – Always accept an outstretched hand – Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life -- Wave at kids on school busses – Be there when people need you – Feed a stranger’s expired parking meter – Do not expect life to be fair – Never underestimate the power of love – Do a kind deed for no reason at all – Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation – Don’t be afraid to say, ‘I made a mistake’ – Don’t be afraid to say, ‘I don’t know’ – Compliment even small improvements – Keep your promises (no matter what) – Marry only for love – Rekindle old friendships – Count your blessings – Take time to encourage others --Call your parent(s).

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Dave Arnold, Pastor, Gulf Coast Worship Center, New Port Richey, Florida

www.davidarnoldonline.org

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©