July 10, 2019

What Do You Want?

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” – John 5:6

The answer seems obvious to us. Of course, someone who is sick wants to get well. Really? Maybe we assume what isn’t really there.

There are different types of sickness. Some people are fighting for their lives. Our hearts break for them as we fervently pray. But we all likely know people who seem to enjoy being sick, whether it’s a physical illness, drama at its highest or unhappiness that never ends.

One woman complains because a co-worker appears to be assigned more hours than she is assigned. A few hours later she’s complaining about working too many weekends. She never seems to be happy, whether it’s hours or management or customers. She’s a fault-finder. It’s something she chooses.

Or there’s the man who refuses to do the exercises the doctor ordered. He’s rather sit in his recliner, watch television, and be waited on. He can’t see what’s around the corner. He doesn’t care. He’s enjoying the attention of today too much to understand that his future looks grim. Pretty soon he’ll be an invalid who can’t fight his way back to good health.

Each day we make choices that determine the course of our lives. Are you unhappy? Then stop making excuses and take a different path. Do you want to get well? That’s a question only you can answer. If you answer yes, then prove it by making the changes necessary to turn your life down a different path.

March 9, 2018

Stop Complaining

And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. – Exodus 16:2

 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your grumbling against the LORD. For what are we, that you grumble against us?” – Exodus 16:6-7

Someone is always upset about something. Some days that seems especially true in the church. We complain about everything. The music, the preaching style, the Sunday school lesson, the temperature, the sound (either too loud or not loud enough). We “hate” the sermon or we “love it”, depending on how it convicts us. And that preacher better not go too late. Doesn’t he know how important Sunday lunch is?

Come on now. You know I’m speaking the truth. Who among us hasn’t grumbled about something at church?

So let me ask you a question: Why do you attend church? I hope most of you answered that you attend services in order to worship God. What else? Do you go because it’s something you’re “supposed to do”? Do you attend church because you want to see your friends, get caught up on everyone (gossip!) and maybe learn a little about a Jesus? Maybe it’s about exposing your children to worship or taking your elderly parents to services?

And maybe, just maybe, it’s about all those things. And none of them. We allow ourselves to get so caught up in what doesn’t matter that we miss what does matter. We have the freedom to worship God without fear of being arrested as we raise our hands to exalt Him. Most of us have an abundance of Bibles. Few of us sacrifice in order to attend church. You would think we’d be a little more grateful. We aren’t.

Every summer my Sunday school class gets out the blankets. Really. Because in order for another class to be comfortable, our class temperature is freezing. It’s just easier to wrap up in a blanket than to deal with people who refuse to compromise so that everyone is comfortable.

We are blessed with a pastor who has a very dry sense of humor. You guessed it. Some people don’t like that. He isn’t a “feel good” sort of preacher. He’s not going to tell you to claim all you want “in the name of Jesus” and it will be yours. He will, however, teach you what the Bible says. You might leave feeling convicted. Most will leave feeling determined to live more for Jesus and less for self.

Maybe that will last for a few days. Then we’ll get upset about something else. You see, we want it to be all about us. We want everything to be exactly the way we want it to be, no compromises required. And we get mad at the church, we get mad at God, when we don’t get what we want. We get mad when it isn’t about us.

Ah, there it is. We want God to give us what we want when we want it. We believe the church should do the same. We get all in a tizzy about things that don’t really matter because we’d rather not face the things that actually do matter. Things like sin and death and illness and right living.

The next time you start to complain about something, hit pause and consider why.
Are you upset about something that truly makes a difference or are you upset because you aren’t getting your own way? Be careful. Those complaints you’re lodging are against God and the people He has called to serve Him. You may be pointing your finger at the church but God sees you pointing it at Him.