August 28, 2024

                Follow Jesus First

Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

– Galatians 1:10

What do you believe? What faith are you living? Do you even know?

Our country is so divided politically and religiously. Loud voices mock those who disagree with what they believe. Silence fills our minds as stress hardens our hearts.

It’s so much easier to go along with the crowd. I live in Trump country. I cannot understand the infatuation with a man who continues to lie, call others names, and basically bully and condemn anyone who dares to disagree with him.

Some of my Christian friends assure me that they aren’t voting for the man but rather the principles he follows. No abortion. Close the border. Balance the budget. Take care of the United States first and then Israel. No one else.

Except he isn’t doing that. His abortion stance? Let the states handle it. Close the border? He demanded that his followers in Congress vote against a bi-partisan bill to stop border crossings. Why? Because it looks better for him if the border remains wide open.

Balance the budget? Sure. But let’s not get rid of the pork. Let’s cut social security and any funds aimed at helping children. Let’s balance the budget on the backs of the middle class and poor while rolling out tax cuts and handouts to the wealthy.

Obviously, we all want to take care of our own country and our veterans. And we do support Israel – but not without conditions. The Bible shows us again and again that the Israelites do sometimes turn from God. We should never assume that blindly supporting Israel is what God wants.

We also shouldn’t behave as though we live in a vacuum not impacted by what’s going on around the world. We tried that once before. Then the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and we were forced to look directly at evil and respond.

None of that is popular in the Deep South. But I’m not here to win a popularity contest. I am here to follow Jesus. So are you. 

Neither political party gets it all right or all wrong when it comes to following the Bible. But choosing to follow someone who arrogantly disregards basic character traits of a godly man isn’t the answer. It’s way past time that we stop blindly following men and start truly following our God.

September 21, 2018

You Deserve Better

“Your approval means nothing to me, because I know you don’t have God’s love within you.” – John 5:41-42 (NLT)

She went on and on and on. Rehashing what a co-worker had said and done and, in some cases, what she hadn’t said and done. Her commentary was laced with profanity. Every subject came back to the person who had hurt and angered her.

I cautioned her to let it go. It’s not easy but the only person she’s hurting is herself. The other person doesn’t even realize she was in the wrong. She doesn’t understand the move at work wasn’t a promotion or an opportunity. Continuing to be angry and badmouth her isn’t going to impact or change her attitude.

I love the NLT version of this verse. Jesus didn’t get His worth from others. We should follow His example. We are valuable because we belong to Jesus. We are beloved children of God. That’s all that matters. Really.

We get so caught up in what other people think of us, don’t we? The truth is that some people will like us and some people won’t. And we’ll like some people and some people we won’t like. That’s okay. We can love them like Jesus and we can be kind. We can still get along with each other.

Why do we make it so hard? Why do we hang on to bitterness and rage? Why do we let other people push our buttons and take control of our emotions and, thus, our lives? Why do we give people that kind of power over us?

The saddest part of this isn’t just that we’re harming ourselves. It’s that we are also harming people we love. Think about it. We take that bad mood home. We spew that venom in front of our children and our spouse, our friends and family. Time that we could spend in laughter is spent rehashing something that was awful but done.

What if it isn’t done, you ask. Sometimes forgiveness is a daily thing. And sometimes we have to walk away from toxic people. I don’t buy in to that line that we always should work for reconciliation. We can only change ourselves. We can’t change others. Only God can do that. And I don’t believe God expects us to be in relationship with people who want to harm us either through words or actions.

How many women have gone back to their abusive husbands because they said they were sorry. And how many have endured abuse again and again because of it. How many children have lived with alcoholic parents, trying to pretend everything was okay, always willing to forgive because they are so desperate for a morsel of love and affection? How many teens seek the love and approval they don’t get at home in the arms of those who don’t care about anything but the sex? Need I go on?

When we get our value, our worth, from anyone but God we are setting ourselves up for rejection. We are never going to please everyone all the time. It’s not our job or our responsibility. So, when we get our value from their approval, well, that’s just a disaster that is going to happen.

When your emotions threaten to get the best of you, take a deep breath and remember who your Father is. Yeah, that’s Him. God. The Creator of heaven and earth. Almighty God. Yahweh. You are loved and cherished by the only One who matters.

May 11, 2016

Follow Your Dream

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. -- Galatians 5:1

What are you not doing because someone else doesn’t approve? I’m not talking about God. That’s approval you need. I’m talking about someone else in your life who is trying to impose their wishes on you.

I wonder how many opportunities we miss because someone else doesn’t want it for us. I wonder how many times we’ve failed to heed God’s call on our life because someone else thought we were being ridiculous.

The other day some friends and I were talking about prayer and the need to pray specifically for others. One man said he didn’t feel comfortable with that -- unless it was something like medical healing -- because he didn’t want to ask God for his will over someone else’s life.

I respect where he’s coming from but praying specifically for others isn’t about praying my will for them. It’s about asking specifically for God’s will in their life and for what they want.

An example: A sweet young woman has been trying for a year to be accepted as a student at the college of her choice. It is not my choice for her. She was accepted to my alma mater. I thought that’s where she should attend college. But her heart was somewhere else.

So I prayed for her. I prayed that God would grant her wish, not mine. I prayed for God’s will, of course, but I asked Him to let her dream come true. She got the acceptance letter she wanted so badly. She’s following her dream. I am happy for her.

We all have dreams. We imagine what our lives will be like. Sometimes life takes a detour and that’s okay. Well, maybe usually life takes a detour. But there are detours caused by something better or circumstances beyond our control -- such as an illness -- and there are detours caused by listening to others belittle our dreams.

A distant cousin has been a songwriter for much of his life. He is just now seeing some success. How long has he been following his dream? Twenty years? Probably longer. I have heard negative comments but never from his family. They have supported him unconditionally, have cheered him on, and done all they could to promote him. He is blessed to have them. Not everyone is so fortunate.

Here’s the thing: When God calls you to something, see it through. Don’t let anyone else’s opinion cause you to detour. That dream He placed in your heart is more valuable than gold because it came from God Almighty. Don’t let Him down.

March 29, 2016

Please God Or People?

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. -- Galatians 1:10

Who are you trying to please? Are you trying to please your spouse? Your children? Your boss? Your friends?

Who should you please? God.

Is it easy? No. Most of us prefer to not have all that drama that comes when people are unhappy with us. It’s just easier to go along than to stand our ground. Sometimes that can be a good thing. Except when your actions aren’t pleasing to God.

Have you ever used your spouse as an excuse to not go to church? Have you ever used your spouse as an excuse to not take your children to church? Obviously, church attendance doesn’t turn someone into a Christian. But being surrounded by people who love Jesus does impact on our lives. It helps us learn and allows us to worship with others.

When you let your spouse keep you from church, what are you saying to God? Are you telling God that your spouse, and your spouse’s opinion are more important than God?

Have you ever been embarrassed to pray before a meal at a restaurant? Why? Are you grateful to God for providing you with food? Then why are you hiding that gratitude? If you’re with people who aren’t believers, it’s still okay to pray silently. I’ve done it many times. If someone scoffs, that’s on them. You answer to God.

We also answer to God when it comes to where you go and what you do. Have you ever been invited to a club or a movie or a party or anything that you know deep inside is the wrong place to be? That’s the Holy Spirit speaking to you. Do you heed His voice? Or do you silently participate because it’s easier than the comments and laughter that might come if you bow out?

Each and every day we have choices to make. Some seem smaller than others but when we allow ourselves to start a slide, that slide has a way of escalating into something we never intended.

Paul said it to eloquently. If we’re trying to please people, we really can’t be servants of God. The choice is yours.