Be the Change

 

Friday, April 8, 2022

God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind.  Has he ever spoken and failed to act?  Has he ever promised and not carried it through?  Numbers 23:19

Every time I turn around these days the word change invades my hearing or seeing, and presses my nausea gland.  I suppose it is a knee-jerk, some visceral repugnancy to another less-than-thought-out-what-it-means mantra being paraded as some moral high-ground, when, in all probability, it’s just another foolish mantra spawned by somebody’s social engineering agenda to gain a few more hits on social media low territory.

“Be the Change” is presumably intended to, uhh, change our minds with some inspired thinking that reframes and reshapes the future to agree with a group’s (or even a single person’s) moral outrage.  It takes minor deficiencies in the behavior of a previous generation and exchanges them for a new set of equally (if not greater) flawed social, moral, or economic sociological preferences. 

I am not against change.  Indeed, every sermon I preach CALLS for it.  Conversely, invoking the change mantra because the newest idea needs an emotional hanger to start a revolution is hardly more than self-agrandizing sociological rearranging.  Simply put, it’s a matter of tearing down what has been, because that is a quick way to get one’s way.  It’s what happens in the nursery, when that other kid has something that you want.  Framing a mantra for that would be:  He (or she) has it, I don’t, and that’s not fair.  I believe that was Cain’s motive concerning Abel. 

So, if we are not to replicate Cain’s flawed and detestable behavior, perhaps we ought hold up the creepy crawly ugliness of it to the light.  That is the way to make bugs of the night scatter, isn’t it?  How shall we do that?  How shall we put “change” back into its’ rightful place?  I believe it starts with listening to our Creator…the one who changed everything (or, more accurately changed nothing INTO everything).  God inspired the apostle Paul to put it this way:

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.  Romans 12:2

The whole notion of change, given from the Author of Life, begins with our transformation from those who prefer darkness, to becoming persons who are light-bearing, will-of-God-seeking, lovers of truth.  And, when there is nothing more important than God’s truth, the prospect of being set-free from old lies, and new ones alike, becomes more than a possibility; it is a done deal.

For You Today

“Being change” is a step-down from that for which you were created.  After all, isn’t change what you have left over after the whole has been dismembered? 

So…is it Be the Change for you….or Be Transformed?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

Undivided Loyalty

 

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.  But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone.  Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.  Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.  James 1:5-8

Over the last 11 months, since we all got an introduction to COVID-19, we have all been living in a waiting game of epic proportions.  During such times of testing and personal trials, cooperating with God to grow our faith always proves to be an integral part of maintaining sanity and trusting in God’s care.

When it comes to really trusting God there is a certain abandoning of ourselves – putting-aside our options. 

Did you know that God isn’t into making us guess; He wants us to have His wisdom?  The Lord is pleased to give us wisdom and all the help we need.  James says God won’t rebuke us for asking for wisdom.  Literally translated from the language of the New Testament, that word rebuke means God won’t make fun at you when you ask. 

However, receiving that wisdom does come with a price:

If we are going to have His wisdom, we must trade in ours.

That means setting-aside our prerogatives and agenda, and being obedient to Him, because trusting God is all about Christian (Christlike) living. 

It is the essence of the surrendered life.  When you trust Him, it means you take your stand with Him – publicly, privately, and any other way He demands. 

Solomon, the wisest man on the face of the earth, said it this way:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.  Proverbs 3:5-6^(NLT)

The personal cost of trading your wisdom for God’s is total trust, trusting with all your heart and THAT is no small price!  It’s easy to trust in the Lord with all your heart when everything’s going your way.  But there are times when things come unglued, and you want to fall back into a nice, safe, “hidey-place” all secure, safe, warm, and comfy. 

Now, some of us even get that way before our world comes apart.  The worst, for me, of any trial is that limbo place of not-knowing what’s coming; I just hate not knowing!  Just tell me it’s the worst…or the best…just don’t tell me I have to wait!

Many of you are aware that the throat cancer I went through three years ago qualified me for Veteran’s Benefits.  It seems Agent Orange in Vietnam caught up with my vocal cords, and while I was going through 28 rounds of radiation, we started receiving a temporary benefit until they could evaluate and categorize my status. 

Up until Uncle Sam summoned me in for that evaluation, I was nervous about not knowing what they were going to say; would it be, since the radiation worked, you don’t need a pension?  Were they going to open Uncle Sam’s arms (and wallet), making my retirement plans a lot easier? 

This is the kind of thing about which I normally obsess.  I go to sleep wondering.  I wake up every hour worrying and get up in the morning moody and distracted. 

Now, that is simply perfect for a pastor who is supposed to be an encourager to the flock to have faith.  I tell you to cast all your cares on Him, take it to the cross, and leave it there…but the preacher develops an ulcer worrying! 

Well, that is unacceptable to the surrendered life; what I did was confess my unbelief to God; I gave it to the Lord with a promise that I would take a deep breath and allow Him to take over my worries. 

That appointment with the VA was a year and a half ago, and the doctor told me that since this type of cancer, caught this early, rarely returns, my disability had vanished with the tumor on my voice-box. 

Now, I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but you don’t have to have a rocket scientist to figure out this one: 

No disability means no pension…

thank you for your service; you’re on your own!

After the appointment Elizabeth and I went to lunch at Panera Bread and thanked God for His kindness to us and how He has provided for us through the thick and thin of 5 decades of life together. 

Incidentally, this Friday marks year #54 of the best years of my life!

Now that doesn’t sound like the success story that usually goes along with a sermon; except for the fact that success is not to be found in:

·       having a pension or not having pension;

·       success can’t be found in an easy retirement or pinching pennies. 

Success in this answered prayer was about peace within; I didn’t think about the situation the rest of the afternoon and night.  In fact, I didn’t think about the pension or no pension thing until the next afternoon when I was trying to think deeply about what I’d tell you that Sunday about trusting in the Lord. 

That’s when it hit me square in my dull little mind that I had just lived what you needed to hear.  I had trusted God fully, and he overcame the biggest spiritual battle I ever have…my own lack of faith.  He gave me faith to rest in His promises!

Here’s the way the apostle Paul puts it:

 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7^(NLT)

Now, that’s not a one and done bucket-list checkoff, is it? 

I have found myself worrying at other times.  I still get agitated when I’m in limbo, where the outcome is uncertain.  After all, I’m a work in progress; God will correct that in this Russell model when He finally takes me to Heaven.

The point is – THAT point in time, with THAT issue of trial for Russell became a victory, and a peace that has blessed me, and become a source of rest for my soul that is badly-needed in THIS time of pandemic waiting!

So, how do I remind myself to trust…fully, to put worry in the garbage can?  It is, as Paul suggests, praying about everything, so I’ll learn to trust God’s promises through God’s Word for everything God wants for my life.

And here is a verse that I start with each time I pray:

God is not a man, so he does not lie.  He is not human, so he does not change his mind.  Has he ever spoken and failed to act?  Has he ever promised and not carried it through?  Numbers 23:19

Our Prayer

Father, we give our thanks for your Word…your trustworthy Word, backed by the bloodstained cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Lord, the world’s calling is to deny You, lay-down our cross, and party-on.  We have discovered in Your Word that is a formula for a divided mind, that which destroys any sense of loyalty to the One who loves us and died for us.  Father, in the name of Christ, give us victory starting with picking up our cross to deny self.

For the glory, honor, and praise to which You alone are worthy, o Lord, we pray in the Name of the Son, cooperating with the Spirit, to honor and exalt the Majesty of the Father.  Let it be so in each of our lives…Amen!  

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com W  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation 

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