Friday, May 27, 2011

A Work In Progress



"For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith." Romans 12:3, NKJV

Don’t you just love working with people? We’re all so different and on top of that we’re all works in progress. I put myself in that category as well…a work in progress…so as I share this with you today, I pray that it doesn’t come across judgmental or critical, but that it will actually help of few of us.

I’ve come across several situations in my work as a pastor in dealing with some people who can best be described as “thinking of themselves more highly than they ought to think.” Now don’t get me wrong, they are good people, but they are just not seeing themselves the way they should. I’ve tried to put my finger on it and I think it can best be described as the “teenager syndrome.” Do you remember those years, when you thought you really knew the score on life? The years when you thought mom and dad were just so out of touch with life, were complete idiots and totally clueless, if only your parents could be as smart as you? But then it happened – you grew up – and somehow they got smarter.

Did you know that if we’re not careful the same thing could happen to us spiritually? According to 1 Corinthians 8:1 (NKJV) when we gain a little knowledge it can sometimes puff us up. Ever seen a blowfish? They are the fish that puff themselves up so it looks like they are much bigger than they really are. Well, sometimes we can do the same thing and think that we’re bigger, smarter, or even more spiritually mature than we really are. The danger is that we stop listening to the very people that God has placed in our lives to teach us, and help guide us through life.

It’s unfortunate, but as a pastor I’ve seen this very thing shipwreck people’s faith. Imagine what would happen if you made a decision at home that your teenager didn’t like, if there was a conflict or they didn’t get to do what they wanted, and their response was, “Mom and Dad, I believe the Lord is moving us on…my season here is up.” As parents we’d send them to their room and tell them not to come out until they changed their attitude. But that’s not what us loving pastors do. Oh no, we just love on them and let them go. I sometimes wonder if that’s really the right thing to do.

So what can we do to avoid the spiritual “teenager syndrome”?

First, be honest enough to admit that it exists. Just know that it takes decades to grow up in the Lord, not months, or even a few years. There’s an old saying that to be forewarned is to be forearmed.

Second, stay little in your own eyes. That’s the warning that the prophet Samuel gave Saul when he took matters into his own hands in 1 Samuel 15:17 (NKJV),

So Samuel said, ‘When you were little in your own eyes,were you not head of the tribes of Israel?And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel?’”

There’s no doubt that God was able to anoint Saul to be king because he was little in his own eyes, but then he got in trouble when he stopped listening to Samuel and decided to take things into his own hands.

Isn’t it really just an issue of spiritual pride? That’s why God reminds us of this in 1 Peter 5:5-6 (NKJV),

“Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders.Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.”

Would you agree that all of this takes faith? Because sometimes we just don’t want to humble ourselves. Sometimes we just don’t want to listen to anybody but us, our own thoughts and ideas. But that’s not God’s way. So, let’s stay little in our own eyes, stay humble and teachable and trust God to keep working on us, because in the end, we’re all a work in progress.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Pray For Them-- It's The Least We Can Do!


"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence." 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Ever wonder why God asks us to pray for those that are in authority? It’s because they need it! This became very real for me this week as I experienced two days of training exercises with the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. One my co-workers, Matt Munson, and I were invited to join a group of community leaders for what KDPS calls a “Citizens Leadership Academy.” For two days we were exposed to the various aspects of what it means to be a Public Safety Officer.

It was an incredible two days of hands-on experiences. Our first day began with a 2-hour discussion on the use of force, and ended with one of the officers being tazed to demonstrate how they are able gain control of an out-of-control situation with the least amount of bodily harm. We then went out to the fire tower for fire-fighting training. Until you’ve put on all that heavy fire gear, an oxygen tank and have gotten on your hands and knees and crawled through a smoke filled room, you’ll never fully appreciate what they do, and how they lay their lives on the line to save others. We then spent a couple of hours with the guys from K-9. We worked with the head of the K-9 division who trains both the officers and their dogs for duty. These teams are simply amazing, and so dedicated to one another. We met the officers and their partners and all I can say is they were both incredible. These dogs are all cross-trained to smell dope, track a suspect running through the woods, find a gun thrown into a field, and if necessary will bite once and hold their suspects, all at the command of their handlers. Then at the end of the shift they (man and dog) go home together and share their lives off duty. We ended that first day with some adrenalin pumping exercises with SWAT. Just one word…wow!

Our second day began with a large screen computer-training simulator called MILO, where we experienced “shoot, no shoot” scenarios just like the officers will face. Not sure my heart has raced quite like that in my 50 plus years. Next was traffic stops where we again experienced first hand some of the tough and very tense situations that can occur in any traffic stop. Our day ended at the shooting range, and not being a guy who has spent much time around firearms, I was shaking like a leaf. The last exercise of the day was a “shoot, no shoot” drill with live ammo at paper targets in a darkened room. Oh my, I’m breaking out in a sweat just typing these words. I can’t imagine what it would be like in a real life situation.

You may not be aware of what a Public Safety Officer is and how that role differs from that of your standard Police Officer. It just means that each Officer has received cross training in police work, fire fighting and emergency medicine, and can be called upon at any time to exercise one of these disciplines. Honestly, I was shocked that one person could be proficient at all three of these. They carry all of the equipment they need in their patrol cars and will actually change their clothes on the run. But on top of that, some officers also volunteer to train to become members of the SWAT team, the bomb squad, or work K-9 on top of their normal duties.

So let me break down what that actually means for one of these officers on a typical 12-hour shift. They can start their days on road patrol, be called to fight a fire, go back on patrol, receive a call to end a domestic dispute, follow that with a search through a building because an alarm has gone off, and then end their night stopping a bar fight. Then they go home to their wife and kids. Are you getting the picture yet? Can you see why they absolutely need our prayers? These super-human men and women do this day in and day out for the good of our communities; for people who are typically against them, and if they are not against them, they are at best neutral toward law enforcement personnel. How many folks out there are for them, I mean really for them? Personally, I have always been a fan of law enforcement, but my appreciation has grown 100 fold. Will you join me today and pray for the law enforcement officers of your community and our nation? Let’s join our faith to lift them up in prayer so that you and I can “live a quiet and peaceable life,” and that these officers return safely home at the end of their shifts.

Then, I have one final request: Today, if you come across an officer, please take a moment and shake their hand, give them our thanks and let them know that we’re praying for them. It’s the least we can do.

Love to you-

Jeff

Monday, May 9, 2011

Jesus, Can I Have Some Time With You?


"To whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." Acts 1:3, NKJV

I need to spend more time with Jesus, how about you?

Ever wish you could just run away from the demands, the noise and the busyness that always seems to be swirling around you. I mean come on, our faith needs to be built on something more than attending church. We talk about having a relationship with Jesus, but have we allowed it to become a religion? Are we just going through the motions of Christianity or are we really having a vital, heart to heart, life-altering relationship with Jesus Christ?

On the church calendar we’re in what’s known as “Paschal Time,” which includes the 40-day period between Jesus’ resurrection and His ascension to heaven. Ever wonder why the resurrected Jesus walked around the earth for 40 days after He was raised from the dead?

I’d like to believe it was so that all of us would learn not to look back at who He was, but be continually reminded of who He is. According to Hebrews, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8, NKJV) That’s the Jesus I want to know; not the historical Jesus, but the Jesus that’s alive today, the now Jesus – the today Jesus! I want my heart to burn within me like those guys He came across on the Road to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-32. After He was raised from the dead, Jesus joined up with a couple of guys as they were talking about Him, only they didn’t recognize Him. You see they were talking about the Jesus who was…He was a prophet, He was a teacher, He was…only Jesus is a whole lot more than someone who was, He is! He IS a prophet, He IS a teacher, He IS our redeemer and He IS alive.

Later that same day, Jesus opened up the Scriptures and began to explain to these guys who He is, and that the plan has always been for God and man to have their relationship restored. Now here’s the cool part:

“Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they knew Him and He vanished from their sight.” (Luke 24:30-31, NKJV)

That must have totally blown their minds. Can you imagine just sitting there and then realizing that Jesus, who you thought was dead, is sitting across the table from you and wham – He disappears? But I love their response:

“And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’” (Luke 24:32, NKJV)

When was the last time our hearts burned within us as we worshipped, as we prayed, and as we spent time in the Word? If it’s been awhile, it’s safe to say that it’s not God’s fault. Maybe we just haven’t taken the time we should to really focus on the reality of our relationship with the Jesus who IS. He IS real, He IS alive, and He IS here for us. Let’s take a walk with Jesus this weekend and spend some time with Him.

I know He’d like that.