COULD IT BE
Michael Mushok, Aaron Lewis, Jonathan Wysocki, & John April
Recorded by: Michael Card
CHORUS:
Could it be You make Your presence known so often by Your absence
Could it be that questions tell us more than answers ever do
Could it be that You would really rather die than live without us
Could it be the only answer that means anything is You
When Michael Card was cool, I didn't know who he was. Quite frankly, aside from knowing him as one of the icons of Contemporary Christian Music, I still don't, really. But the first time I heard him sing this lyric, which hasn't been but about 6-7 years ago (the song is much older), Michael Card became a part of that list of artists who brought us songs that changed our lives. The verses are ok, but it was this chorus that really hit me! And this week, years after hearing the song, God may have, for the first time, shown me why.
For my entire life, I've heard the old phrase, "Ye have not because ye ask not." Scripture says, "Ask and you will receive." Click on this scripture reference and see it again from the very mouth of Jesus! These words would be in red letters of a red letter edition Bible. Read John 14:13-14. See the recurring theme? This week, as I was doing my Bible study, I came across one other verse I want you to read. Click this scripture reference: Ephesians 3:20. So not only is God telling us to "ask," but He's also showing us in the latter verse that He can accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or imagine!
Ok. Great! God can and wants to do that for each of us! But how many of you know that it don't always happen like that?!? I've made the bad choices! I've been to the bottom! I've been the guy with the gun to his head vowing to take his life because I'd messed up, lost it all, and didn't know what came next! And in that moment, when I was wanting the answers to those questions of what comes next, I ASKED!!! Nothing. No next step was given. No trust building, faith building answer that I expected after all those sermons I heard about "asking God" and the "answer is already on the way." BS!!! (To be quite frank.) It wasn't! I felt just as alone as I was before I ever asked the question!
Then...this past week...it finally hit me. I didn't need the answer. I already had it! Not to be cliché or steal an old lyric from André Crouch, but JESUS IS THE ANSWER! In Exodus 3:13-14 (click on the reference to read it), Moses was being sent by God to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. So Moses asks God to give him God's name so that the Israelites will know that it really is God who is sending him. "What's your name, God?" "I AM." God was the way out back then. He parted the sea, took care of the pursuing army, the whole nine! He made the way!
This happens throughout scripture. He made a way for Joseph when his brothers sold him into slavery. He made a way for Daniel in the lion's den, Noah on the ark, 3 Hebrew children in the fiery furnace, Jonah in the belly of a whale, David when facing the wrath of both Goliath and Saul, Paul when he was facing stoning, fed 5 thousand men and their families with 5 loaves and 2 fish, calmed the storm when fear overtook His disciples, died on a cross for the sins of the world, and conquered death and the grave when He rose again! God makes the impossible possible, and the impassable passable. THERE IS A WAY AND HIS NAME IS 'I AM'!!!
So then, if we know the answer, why ask the question? And here is the precious gem of a lesson that God taught me this week: because we learn not just from asking the question, but asking the right question! Think about it this way. Remember algebra class? I HATED algebra!!! Almost failed it both years I had to take it! They give you some ridiculous thing like: a + b/c = 32. Then they'd want me to solve it! I'm like, DUDE! The answer is 32!!! That's what the "=" thingy means!!! DONE!! Move on!! But we learn more in algebra many times from what's on the left of the equals sign!
I know so many people that hit their faith ceiling at God granting them a close parking space at Walmart! They get out and claim, "I must be living RIGHT!" Hey God gives me those kinds of spaces too, but I don't know about YOU, but I want to be known for more when I die than the fact i was consistently getting the best parking spaces at Wallyworld!!! Here's the new math that I've learned for my life: my giftings and talents + my desire to seek the heart of God in all I do ÷ my willingness to obey = God's response and blessing in my life. Now honestly, maybe not EVERYTHING can be boiled down to a formula! God will not be bound by those!!! But if you use this as a general rule of thumb...
See we spend our time asking things like:
"Which job...?"
"Who will I marry...?"
"Should I go out to eat tonight...?"
It's not that questions like that don't matter to God, THEY DO!!! But God doesn't stop there! Think past that!!!
So I hear you saying, "Alright, Mr. Smarty Jeans, what would YOU suggest I ask?!? WHERE DO I START?!?" Thank you for asking. Let me tell you a short story and then I'll give you A place (not THE place) where you can start.
Alfred Nobel. His last name is probably best known for being the namesake of the Nobel Peace Prize. But it wasn't always that way. Alfred made his money as an inventor. Know what he invented that made him so wealthy? DYNAMITE! One day, Alfred's brother died. The local newspaper made a mistake and posted that it had indeed been Alfred who had passed! So the next morning, Alfred got the chance to do what I dare say few ever have, he read his own obituary! A French newspaper titled it: The Merchant of Death Is Dead. Upon reading it, he just couldn't let death be that for which his legacy would mark him, so he instead promoted peace and the Nobel Peace Prize was born. (Thanks, Jamie Brandenburg, for sharing this story with me!)
I'm going to ask you to start by taking a lesson from Nobel. I want you to write your own obituary and your own epitaph (that small phrase on your tombstone that will tell generations following you who you were: "loving husband," "devoted father," "gracious, kind and forgiving"). I don't think any of these would be your first choice:
"Always got front parking spaces at Walmart"
"#1 Manager in this district"
"Had 3 houses and 10 cars...they're not here, by the way"
NO! We want to know we left a legacy that made the world better than we found it! It doesn't have to be global! As a matter of fact, the very first place we're commanded to make a difference is in our immediate spheres of influence: families, friends, children, work places. See? Once you have what's on the right side of the equals sign (=), there are only so many problems/questions that can lead to that answer. The answer dictates the question! It's not just that we ask, it's what we ask! Is it in line with God's heart for the world? For YOU?!?
To find that answer, pray. Ask God to let you see you through His eyes. Give up your pride and your preconceived notions about you and just trust. Look at the ways He has gifted you--spiritually. I'm not talking about talents here. Sometimes they're involved, but I'm speaking of your Spiritual Gifts. Are you a giver? Compassionate? A Helper? Teacher? Pastor/Shepherd? Leader? Prophet? Evangelist? And the list goes on. Those core gifts will be at the core of the purpose for which God has placed you here. Those are the very DNA of God that marks who you are on this earth.
Remember our song that we started with? "Could it be the questions tell us more than answers ever do... Could it be the only answer that means anything is You?" YES! They do! And yes, He is.
Don't forget to use the social media just below here to share to your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ accounts directly. I welcome your comments! PLEASE leave one!!! Here's how:
1. Click on the words "No Comment" or " (#) Comment" (whichever is listed just to the right of the posting time directly below this paragraph)
2. Write your comment in the box provided.
3. You must also choose a selection from the COMMENT AS drop down list. If you have a Google+ ID, AIM, or other you wish to use, choose that. Most of you should choose the NAME/URL option and leave your name in the space provided. You do NOT need to leave a URL unless you wish.
4. Click the PUBLISH button. THAT'S IT!!!
THANK YOU for stopping by! Till next time...
Showing posts with label favor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label favor. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Friday, January 31, 2014
Time and Timing
I live in a town where, maybe more so than most places, "time is money." Though Nashville is known as Music City, USA, the music industry comes in at #2! The leading industry here being health care with over 300 health care companies located here. Some of the other leading industries are insurance, finance, publishing, and the automotive industry following Nissan's move of their headquarters from California to Nashville in 2006. If goals aren't met on time, deadlines met, if you can't play a song perfect in the first or maybe second pass, in this town, you need to find a new way of life, or take some time to refine your craft! And in many cases, deadlines are a matter of life and death! Time is a precious commodity in ANY market; any facet of life. Time is important with your family. Time certainly is important as well to earn an income with blocks being spent at work.
Just as important as time is timing. I see it in my own life constantly! I'm in the right place at the right time. Or you see someone involved in a tragedy and they're described as being "in the wrong place at the wrong time." The timing in which we act defines the success of our future as much as being on time with our goals, deadlines, and schedules.
An examination, or a reflection, of time and timing can give clarity to a series of events. Just watch crime dramas on TV, whether real or not, and in every case, one of the first goals in the case is to establish a timeline. Investigators want to know exactly what time the accident happened, what time the murder occurred, what time the person was last seen or heard from; all of which will help put certain people in certain places to help solve the case. Business leaders look back on the timing of product releases and schedules to better plan the coming year's timelines and to streamline productivity. When planning out vacations, one may choose to plan times to see certain attractions at their destinations, or schedules that allow them to make sure there is time to "get it all in."
Scripture gives us some valuable insight into time and timing that I just want you to see so that the coming days, weeks, and months might be better spent for you and those about whom you care most. There are a number of verses to which we could look, but for now, let's just look at Ephesians 5:15-17 (click on the scripture reference and the verse will open for you).
I once read a book by Pastor/Leader/Author, Andy Stanley, titled THE BEST QUESTION EVER. I highly recommend it! There is much more to the book than the revelation of the question, but he leads the reader to conclude that the best question ever (based on the above scripture passage in Ephesians) is, "In light of my past experiences, my present circumstances, and my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing to do?" If we're wise about our past, present, and future, those three will line up with God's will for our lives. And it is His desire that we know His will! It says so in the above scripture! So wise decisions involve knowing God's will, having a vision for your future based on that will, and acting accordingly in a manner that you can accomplish that will!
Every day there should be something that we learn that we didn't already know. There should be a book, a YouTube video, a conversation, a blog (like this one! :-) ), a periodical, a class with which we engage on a regular basis that takes our knowledge just a little farther or deeper than it was before. The very moment we stop learning, our potential of our effectiveness in this world is over. The ways in which God can use us become immediately limited not for our lack of ability, but because of our lack of caring. We are never too old, too young, too rich, too poor, too dumb, or too smart to learn. There's never "enough."
We have taken "enough" and "content" and made them interchangeable. I don't believe God ever designed them to be. Yet we have said that we will be content when we have enough. We will know we have enough when we are content. God desires for us to be content with what He has given without being covetous for what He has not. But to say that He has an "enough" line on His blessing for our lives, or that our hearts have a line that reads "don't fill over this point" doesn't describe the Heavenly Father I've come to know who withholds nothing, not even the very life of His only Son, from those whom He loves and love Him in return.
And in Christian circles, we rightfully teach that God desires for us to experience contentment over happiness. Happiness is fleeting; it's here today and gone tomorrow. Contentment can be permanent and can result in happiness more than the continued pursuit of the latter. Temporal happiness can't result in sustained contentment, but sustained contentment can produce repeated periods of true happiness. It is possible to be content, yet not have enough.
We make time for what we want. Show me your calendar, I'll show you your personal priorities. Don't have time to read or take a class? Don't have time to get healthy and exercise? Don't have time to serve your church in some capacity or even go to church? Don't have time to play with your kids? In every case, SURE you do! You've got 24 hours in a day just like everyone else. You just 1) don't manage your time well, or 2) don't make time because it's not a priority to you and you just don't care. One or the other is true. Maybe both.
But even if you know the plan and you're doing the best to schedule it out, timing is JUST as important as making the time. Read 1 Samuel 8:4-22 (click on the scripture reference and the verse will open for you). Israel wanted a king in order to be like other nations. Until this point, they'd only had a "judge" of whom Samuel was one. Judges were the voice of God to His people, Israel, for a certain period time (crisis, trial, decisions, etc) and would then return to the way of life once the messages had been delivered or the season had passed. A king would be permanent and the lineage would be passed down to future generations. God planned on a king. That king was David, of whose lineage Jesus would one day be born. But the timing wasn't yet. And so Israel asked and received their king before the time God had ordained. His name was Saul. He was a coward, disobedient, and fulfilled every one of the warnings that we just read which Samuel had delivered. Timing is everything.
If the enemy can't disrupt the plans, he will try to disrupt the timing with which they are to be carried out. Normally, this is in the form of rushing rather than waiting too long. Israel rushed on receiving a king. Churches rush into building buildings too soon without proper resources. Companies rush to be the first to get certain products on the market and they fail due to not taking the time to properly test them. Right now in the news we see where child "stars" fall to addictions and other troubles due to not having the time to mature and develop properly on the front end prior to having that depth of responsibility.
Seven months ago, I was challenged to do a five year plan for my life. I had no clue where to start! It had been over 15 years since the last one! So I prayed and God began to reveal some things that He wanted to do in me over the next five years. To say I'm excited is an understatement!!! But if I had time to list what God had done (and there's NO WAY I could have done this one my own - not talking coincidence!) in these last seven months, it would BLOW YOUR MIND!!!
Try it. Pray FIRST! Start with next week. Then this month. Then break the next six months down with monthly goals for each one. Then one six month block for the final six of this year. After that, do six month blocks for next year, or maybe the next two years. Finally, use year long blocks to round out your five year plan. God gives us our dreams and He wants to see them realized in even bigger ways that we can imagine ourselves. His thoughts and ways are higher for us, remember?
A realistic view of where you are must precede a look into where you are going in your dream! This is the only way we can fulfill our verses from Ephesians and make wise choices about our lives. But once you have established that reality check (and I went so far as to list where I am on paper before writing down where I wanted to go), then I believe if God is in your dream (and your five year plan to start realizing it), this is what your DREAM should look like:
D - Destinations: Note that this is plural. Mile markers measure successes.
R - Resources: God doesn't do handouts. He gave you abilities to attain it.
E - Enterprise: God expects initiative and self motivation. MAKE TIME!
A - Aspirations: "Enough" doesn't exist. LEARN consistently!
M - Ministry: Serve others. God won't give to you what He can't get through you!
If you would like help with your five year plan, contact me using the form on this page (the form doesn't show on mobile devices). I will be glad to help any way I can. But I can't do it for you. Neither will I send you mine. I will, however, answer your specific questions and do my best to help guide you in the right direction on how to do the plan. What the details are of the plan is completely up to you and God!
Don't forget to use the social media just below here to share to your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ accounts directly. I welcome your comments! PLEASE leave one!!! Here's how:
1. Click on the words "No Comment" or " (#) Comment" (whichever is listed just to the right of the posting time directly below this paragraph)
2. Write your comment in the box provided.
3. You must also choose a selection from the COMMENT AS drop down list. If you have a Google+ ID, AIM, or other you wish to use, choose that. Most of you should choose the NAME/URL option and leave your name in the space provided. You do NOT need to leave a URL unless you wish.
4. Click the PUBLISH button. THAT'S IT!!!
THANK YOU for stopping by! Till next time...
Just as important as time is timing. I see it in my own life constantly! I'm in the right place at the right time. Or you see someone involved in a tragedy and they're described as being "in the wrong place at the wrong time." The timing in which we act defines the success of our future as much as being on time with our goals, deadlines, and schedules.
An examination, or a reflection, of time and timing can give clarity to a series of events. Just watch crime dramas on TV, whether real or not, and in every case, one of the first goals in the case is to establish a timeline. Investigators want to know exactly what time the accident happened, what time the murder occurred, what time the person was last seen or heard from; all of which will help put certain people in certain places to help solve the case. Business leaders look back on the timing of product releases and schedules to better plan the coming year's timelines and to streamline productivity. When planning out vacations, one may choose to plan times to see certain attractions at their destinations, or schedules that allow them to make sure there is time to "get it all in."
Scripture gives us some valuable insight into time and timing that I just want you to see so that the coming days, weeks, and months might be better spent for you and those about whom you care most. There are a number of verses to which we could look, but for now, let's just look at Ephesians 5:15-17 (click on the scripture reference and the verse will open for you).
I once read a book by Pastor/Leader/Author, Andy Stanley, titled THE BEST QUESTION EVER. I highly recommend it! There is much more to the book than the revelation of the question, but he leads the reader to conclude that the best question ever (based on the above scripture passage in Ephesians) is, "In light of my past experiences, my present circumstances, and my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing to do?" If we're wise about our past, present, and future, those three will line up with God's will for our lives. And it is His desire that we know His will! It says so in the above scripture! So wise decisions involve knowing God's will, having a vision for your future based on that will, and acting accordingly in a manner that you can accomplish that will!
Every day there should be something that we learn that we didn't already know. There should be a book, a YouTube video, a conversation, a blog (like this one! :-) ), a periodical, a class with which we engage on a regular basis that takes our knowledge just a little farther or deeper than it was before. The very moment we stop learning, our potential of our effectiveness in this world is over. The ways in which God can use us become immediately limited not for our lack of ability, but because of our lack of caring. We are never too old, too young, too rich, too poor, too dumb, or too smart to learn. There's never "enough."
We have taken "enough" and "content" and made them interchangeable. I don't believe God ever designed them to be. Yet we have said that we will be content when we have enough. We will know we have enough when we are content. God desires for us to be content with what He has given without being covetous for what He has not. But to say that He has an "enough" line on His blessing for our lives, or that our hearts have a line that reads "don't fill over this point" doesn't describe the Heavenly Father I've come to know who withholds nothing, not even the very life of His only Son, from those whom He loves and love Him in return.
And in Christian circles, we rightfully teach that God desires for us to experience contentment over happiness. Happiness is fleeting; it's here today and gone tomorrow. Contentment can be permanent and can result in happiness more than the continued pursuit of the latter. Temporal happiness can't result in sustained contentment, but sustained contentment can produce repeated periods of true happiness. It is possible to be content, yet not have enough.
We make time for what we want. Show me your calendar, I'll show you your personal priorities. Don't have time to read or take a class? Don't have time to get healthy and exercise? Don't have time to serve your church in some capacity or even go to church? Don't have time to play with your kids? In every case, SURE you do! You've got 24 hours in a day just like everyone else. You just 1) don't manage your time well, or 2) don't make time because it's not a priority to you and you just don't care. One or the other is true. Maybe both.
But even if you know the plan and you're doing the best to schedule it out, timing is JUST as important as making the time. Read 1 Samuel 8:4-22 (click on the scripture reference and the verse will open for you). Israel wanted a king in order to be like other nations. Until this point, they'd only had a "judge" of whom Samuel was one. Judges were the voice of God to His people, Israel, for a certain period time (crisis, trial, decisions, etc) and would then return to the way of life once the messages had been delivered or the season had passed. A king would be permanent and the lineage would be passed down to future generations. God planned on a king. That king was David, of whose lineage Jesus would one day be born. But the timing wasn't yet. And so Israel asked and received their king before the time God had ordained. His name was Saul. He was a coward, disobedient, and fulfilled every one of the warnings that we just read which Samuel had delivered. Timing is everything.
If the enemy can't disrupt the plans, he will try to disrupt the timing with which they are to be carried out. Normally, this is in the form of rushing rather than waiting too long. Israel rushed on receiving a king. Churches rush into building buildings too soon without proper resources. Companies rush to be the first to get certain products on the market and they fail due to not taking the time to properly test them. Right now in the news we see where child "stars" fall to addictions and other troubles due to not having the time to mature and develop properly on the front end prior to having that depth of responsibility.
Seven months ago, I was challenged to do a five year plan for my life. I had no clue where to start! It had been over 15 years since the last one! So I prayed and God began to reveal some things that He wanted to do in me over the next five years. To say I'm excited is an understatement!!! But if I had time to list what God had done (and there's NO WAY I could have done this one my own - not talking coincidence!) in these last seven months, it would BLOW YOUR MIND!!!
Try it. Pray FIRST! Start with next week. Then this month. Then break the next six months down with monthly goals for each one. Then one six month block for the final six of this year. After that, do six month blocks for next year, or maybe the next two years. Finally, use year long blocks to round out your five year plan. God gives us our dreams and He wants to see them realized in even bigger ways that we can imagine ourselves. His thoughts and ways are higher for us, remember?
A realistic view of where you are must precede a look into where you are going in your dream! This is the only way we can fulfill our verses from Ephesians and make wise choices about our lives. But once you have established that reality check (and I went so far as to list where I am on paper before writing down where I wanted to go), then I believe if God is in your dream (and your five year plan to start realizing it), this is what your DREAM should look like:
D - Destinations: Note that this is plural. Mile markers measure successes.
R - Resources: God doesn't do handouts. He gave you abilities to attain it.
E - Enterprise: God expects initiative and self motivation. MAKE TIME!
A - Aspirations: "Enough" doesn't exist. LEARN consistently!
M - Ministry: Serve others. God won't give to you what He can't get through you!
If you would like help with your five year plan, contact me using the form on this page (the form doesn't show on mobile devices). I will be glad to help any way I can. But I can't do it for you. Neither will I send you mine. I will, however, answer your specific questions and do my best to help guide you in the right direction on how to do the plan. What the details are of the plan is completely up to you and God!
Don't forget to use the social media just below here to share to your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ accounts directly. I welcome your comments! PLEASE leave one!!! Here's how:
1. Click on the words "No Comment" or " (#) Comment" (whichever is listed just to the right of the posting time directly below this paragraph)
2. Write your comment in the box provided.
3. You must also choose a selection from the COMMENT AS drop down list. If you have a Google+ ID, AIM, or other you wish to use, choose that. Most of you should choose the NAME/URL option and leave your name in the space provided. You do NOT need to leave a URL unless you wish.
4. Click the PUBLISH button. THAT'S IT!!!
THANK YOU for stopping by! Till next time...
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