Four Great Words for a New Year’s Resolution

On most accounts, I’m glad 2009 is now in the history books. On the scales it weighed heavily on the hard side for most people.

In my home group, for example, three of the couples were not sure their businesses would survive. In gallows humor, one of the men was taking bets about which of his three businesses would fail first!

We have been trying to sell our home for 7 months to downsize and gain some needed financial margin. There hasn’t been much interest so we are left wondering whether we can even sell it. The list goes on and on.

However, I was pulled up sharply with some unusual advice that Isaiah gave to King Ahaz who was facing attack and destruction by the kings of Israel and Aram (Is. 7:1-2). He gave Ahaz four words of counsel from the Almighty about what to do in the face of the war on Jerusalem (Is. 7:4):

1. Take care!

2. Be calm!

3. Have no fear!

4. Do not be fainthearted!

That’s totally counter intuitive from a human perspective!

Ahaz was shaking in his boots. He was terrorized by the enemy and overwhelmed by fear. On the other hand, God saw these two angry kings as posing empty threats who were on their way to failure!

God didn’t give Ahaz some clever strategy for overcoming his assailants. Rather, He made it a matter of the heart and spoke deeply to the attitude He wanted to see Ahaz embrace in the face of crisis.

As a new year’s resolution, what about imbedding these same four words into our life? We’ll need some practice to train our minds to interpret our life this way— from God’s perspective. To the degree we can do it, the scales will tilt heavily on the side of hope and victory for the coming year.

Our Life’s Far Reaching Impact

I am still reeling from the accidental death of a dear friend over Thanksgiving weekend this year. His giftings were innumerable and he was fearless.

He took over a dozen trips to the middle east in recent years even witnessing to Muslim clerics in mosques! He had a special burden for the Palestinian people especially young adults who were struggling to find hope for their future. He led one to the Savior.

Back on US soil he was a pied piper of sorts ministering to young people who sensed his care. His father’s heart brought deep connection and mentoring to their brokenness and wounds.

During his memorial service three 20-something young men fought tears to share how deeply he had impacted their lives. They talked about their conversations that would last until the early hours of the morning, his prayer support, paid-for dinners at restaurants, motorcycle trips and just hanging out. I was struck by how available he was to serve others and saw the results of his selfless efforts standing before me.

His wife and sons said the same things. His 23-year-old son wrote a tribute to his father, but his emotions were too great to read it so the minister recounted his moving words. I held back tears as I listened to what he wrote. Funny how a small act of seeing his father always open the door for his mother modeled something deep about the character of a man. He was also going to do that for his wife some day.

Who were all these hundreds of people crowding into the sanctuary to hear testimonies to the wonderful legacy of this dear man? Sure I expected family and friends to gather, but so many more came that it revealed the broader impact of his life. I think we often underestimate that fact—how far reaching our life really is.  Do we take that implication seriously?

Sadly, my friend will miss his youngest son’s wedding. And the grandchildren yet to be will hear the stories of his life, but will miss the benefit of his presence and influence. His wife will experience these blessings alone.

This brings me back to being fearless. That type of characteristic is an asset, but it must be wielded carefully in our life. There is a fine line between fearlessness and foolishness.

I left the memorial service with a new appreciation for how influential my life really is. There are people depending on me to hold steady in the storm and to lead the way. They experience that up close as a family member or watch from afar. Either way, my life has far more significance than I have understood. It became much clearer today.

A Creative Thanksgiving Story

Thanksgiving is the one holiday that hasn’t been corrupted by senseless commercialism. But most children probably don’t know why we celebrate it or to whom we owe our thanks. They enjoy a huge turkey dinner with their family and friends and at best might hear a token prayer spoken before the meal.

So, why don’t we change how we go about celebrating this and other important holidays? It would be nice if the children who came over understood the real meaning of Thanksgiving—that we are thankful to God, not the Pilgrim’s ingenuity, the Indian’s hunting skills or good fortune.

I mulled that idea over this year as we had invited two families with five children to our home for Thanksgiving. I had to do something different to bring out the real meaning of this important holiday. Then I had an idea!

Why not turn our living room floor into the Atlantic Ocean? Our grandfather clock could become Big Ben in England! I could get a little boat to become the Mayflower which would sail from England across blue construction paper to the new world called America. The experiences of these Pilgrims, of which 33 were children, could be told along with their desire to worship God and follow Him fully. I would create a large yellow poster board with “God” printed in big letters on it illustrating how He watched over the Pilgrims every step of the way. The story of their daring sea voyage with 50′ waves could also be told along with their daily requirement to take a teaspoon of lemon juice to avoid Scurvy.

Well..that’s what I did. Each child had a part to play in the story and, of course, they wanted to taste the lemon juice which I squeezed out with their resulting grimace . Our little Mayflower ship sailed across the living room floor arriving safely at Plymouth Rock using a stone borrowed from outside our front door.

God had to do some incredible things to get them across that big ocean and to survive a harsh winter. The Pilgrim’s harvest celebration which occurred the following year in 1621 was nothing short of a miracle. When the story was finished, all the children realized that God had made it all possible including the adults who were listening in.

Learn To “Flip”

Simple concept, hard to do—flip your thinking. What do I mean?

Simply that our lives are damaged by corrosive thoughts and mindsets that build up over a lifetime. Left unattended these thoughts accumulate invisibly like a billion grains of sand that bury us under their weight.

The word “invisible” is important because we don’t see it happening to us. This faulty way of thinking quickly becomes an automatic lens through which we see our life with drastic consequences.

The Scripture goes to great length to warn us about this vulnerability of our minds. Paul more than any other biblical writer urged his readers to take this matter seriously. He told them to “bring every thought captive to Christ” like an enemy would be captured off the battlefield and brought to the general. These matters are nothing to trifle with! Your success as a soldier in the great spiritual wars of our time hangs in the balance.

This is where the “flip” comes in. When you realize that your thoughts are off base or negative you “flip” them 180° and get them re-aligned with what God says is true about you. You’ll be amazed how often our minds wander into dangerous territory where we need to do a 180° turnaround.

I know one couple who is on to this concept. If they hear the other say something negative or critical they’ll playfully shout “flip!” to jar the thinking back to what God says about the situation.

I think the “flip” is a big idea. Give it a try and see what happens. Your mountain just might look like a mole hill in no time!

Avoiding “Rejection Injection”

There’s a deep desire in all of our hearts to be “chosen.” Doesn’t it feel great to be picked out from the crowd to do something important?

Each of us no doubt has a classic story from the school playground along these lines. We vividly remember being chosen for the team or left awkwardly to stand alone as the last one taken. Depending on how that selection process went, we felt pretty good about ourselves or the early seeds of rejection were planted.

Typically, it’s the latter. Rejection is a toxin which can do great damage if left to circulate in our system. It’s sad that so many get that “rejection injection!”  The enemy knows this and has gallons of the stuff to fill our veins if we’re not careful.

Jesus speaks directly to this point in John 15:16. He says, “I CHOSE YOU!” You are hand picked, selected, wanted, desired.

And not only that, but “I’ve appointed you to an important mission, you’re going to bear fruit for Me and it will have a lasting impact in the future.”

So, here is the bottom line about your life: You’re CHOSEN! You’re APPOINTED for an important mission in the Kingdom! You’re going to bear fruit (ie BE SUCCESSFUL)! And you will have a LASTING IMPACT! These are the facts to build your life upon.

So, the next time you sense the enemy’s “rejection injection” filling your veins, use the Lord’s antidote from John 15:16. It’ll clear out the toxins and bring you to back to health in no time.

The Most Important Question to Ask

With all the training seminars, personal coaches and books urging us to plan out our lives for maximum success, it’s easy to think that we’re constantly falling behind and need to catch up! While it is good to ponder the direction of our life and set specific goals might it also skew our thinking and rob us of contentment? I think it can.

When you get right down to it, it seems to me the most important question to ask would be, “Is God pleased with my life?” If that’s the case, won’t we ultimately hear those wonderful words, “Well done good and faithful servant!”? That’s a place of contentment I don’t want to lose.

I’m not sure we can always get there with relentless goal setting and constant restructuring of our lives to hit that elusive “success target” which seems just beyond our reach. Phil Vischer describes how his success with Veggie Tales and the drive to be the next Walt Disney led him into bankruptcy. He admits that Veggie Tales became an idol that stood between the Lord and himself.

After everything was taken away, Phil spent many months with nothing but his Bible on his face before the Lord to reconnect a relationship that had long been neglected. If nothing else noteworthy happened in his life he was ok with it. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake again with another selfish pursuit. The inspiring part of his story is that it wasn’t long before God gave him another idea called “Jelly Telly” that held the potential for even greater impact for the Kingdom. Except this time it wouldn’t be an idol, but an offering.

I’m still trying to find the balance between being content with my life knowing that God is pleased with me versus striving to accomplish more for the kingdom. Maybe both can be done, but at this point if my Almighty Friend is pleased with my life I am content.

Looking Back to Look Forward

I flew to Southern California recently to celebrate my mother’s 80th birthday. I’m fortunate that she is financially set and lives in a very nice retirement community.

While there, we watched some old family films from the 50′s. I was instantly transported back in time to see my parents as smiling 20-somethings and my grandparents as proud 50-somethings bouncing me on their knees. But then it hit me—I am now the same age my grandfather was in that home movie! How could that be? He was always old.

As I look back to that time, my grandparents were on their way to be married for 72 years. A rare feat for that day and nearly unheard of now.

Their home was a frequent gathering place for my family. They even had a bottomless M&M jar. As kids, we knew their love was unconditional. Before a meal, it was not uncommon for my grandmother to quote several verses from the Psalms during her prayer. On many occasions their financial support pulled various family members through a tough time.

Looking forward, there’s plenty for me to emulate from their life. And hopefully, I’ll finish well like they did and maybe even give my children and grandchildren some great memories of my own.

Speaking of Extremes

How often have we been cautioned to avoid using the broad generalizations of “all, always, never” when we speak to each other in the midst of conflict?Dropping in a couple of “you always… and you nevers” can really heat things up in a disagreement. So, we learn from past mistakes and try our best not to make these sweeping statements again.

But is there an appropriate place for speaking in extreme terms? I think the Scriptures make a strong case for it.

Look at these verses from Mark:

• 9:23 – “…ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE to him who believes.”
• 10:27 – “… with men it is impossible, but not with God, for ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD.”
• 14:36 – “… Abba Father! ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE FOR THEE; remove this cup… yet not My will…”

Really? Come now! ALL THINGS? Can Jesus be serious?

To use the mega-word “ALL” presents an extreme offer of promise. I can think of dozens of needs that fall under the category of “ALL!” — what about restoring a broken marriage? how about healing crippling brain chemistry problems? finding a job in a jobless market? thriving in a new business with a down economy? replacing fear with courage? salvation to come to an aging parent? seeing a prodigal child return to faith? This list only scratches the surface.

I must conclude that Jesus is serious about making good on His extreme “ALL THINGS” promise. He backs it up in every way through His actions. He displays massive authority over “our enemy below’ time and again. He heals a laundry list of severe illnesses, calms storms, walks on water, feeds thousands and then wonders why we still have no faith.

I’m glad Jesus makes extreme promises. But you know what the great thing is about it? I don’t need to match it by having extreme faith. I can simply hold out my hand to Him and say, “help me in my unbelief,” and He will be right there answering my prayers in an extreme way.

Certainty in a Random Act

Certainty in a random act. That sounds like an oxymoron. Yet it may be more of a factor in our lives than we realize.

Take this verse in 2 Chron. 18:33: “And a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel in a joint of the armor…and at sunset he died.” Ahab was that king and he was a bad guy whose time was coming to an end.

But what are the odds that an unnamed soldier in the chaos of battle could kill a king by randomly shooting an arrow into the sky to pierce a gap in the armor only millimeters in size? It’s infinitely remote, yet that’s what happened!

So when God says in 2 Chron. 16:9 that His eyes “are moving to and fro throughout the earth to strongly support those whose heart are completely His,” He’s not kidding! He has quivers of arrows that can be shot out to pierce the most distant target on our behalf.

This grabs my attention as I must admit to fretting over the fact that our large custom home hasn’t sold after being on the market for several months. We haven’t even had one showing in the last 30 days! It does seem like a remote target to hit when real estate sales are crippled across the country.

But even if it doesn’t sell, God’s purposes remain in full force in my life as 2 Chron. 16:9 instructs. Although I’m keeping a lookout for some random event that might turn out to be God’s arrow piercing the target on my behalf.

A Tiny Sliver of God’s Power

I live in Colorado which is home to some of the world’s greatest thunder and lightning storms. Often they are accompanied by marble sized hail which can dent cars and crack windows under the force of their blows. I like to get outside to experience this display of bone rattling power.

Yet, Isaiah 45:15 says, “Truly, Thou art a God who hides Himself…” What we see in thunder and lightning’s performance is only the tiniest sliver of His real power. Nearly all of it –99.99%– remains hidden from our eyes!

We gain a glimpse of God’s unhidden power from Revelation 20:11: “I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away..!” These mighty creations, earth and heaven, scatter to places unknown when confronted by the glory of their Creator.

I take comfort in knowing that God’s true power, though veiled for a time, is what works on my behalf. I can trust my most heart wrenching situations to Him who wields this type of authority over heaven and earth.

And compared to God’s true power, thunder and lightning are mere whispers.