The Voice

And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. (1 Kings 19:9-13)

One day a farmer was walking with a businessman along the streets of New York City. The farmer stopped for a moment and said, “Listen!” “For what?” said the businessman. “Don’t you hear it?” “Hear what?” “Crickets.” “Crickets? I do not hear any crickets.” The farmer continued to try to help the businessman hear what he heard: “Oh they are loud. Just listen! Don’t you hear them?” Getting a little disgruntled, the businessman said, “I don’t hear any crickets.” The farmer began to search, and right by the edge of the sidewalk there it was; hidden underneath a piece of abandoned newspaper a cricket was joyfully chirping out his song. The farmer picked it up. The businessman looked shocked. “I can’t believe that. Here we are downtown with all these people and all this noise. You and I are talking and you can hear a cricket. I don’t know how you did that.” The farmer reached into his pocket and took out some change. He threw it on the ground. Immediately twenty people stopped walking and looked towards the sound of the change hitting the sidewalk. The farmer said, “You always hear what you are tuned in to. If you are tuned into money; you’re going to hear a penny when it’s dropped. I am tuned into nature. So I heard the cricket.”

I think a lot of people miss the still small voice of God because they are tuned into the competing noises of their environment and the worries of their life. Such was the case with Elijah in the story above. In this passage Elijah is facing one of the most difficult moments of his life. His ministry was one battle after another against a culture that had totally rejected the Lord. He had great victories over the prophets of the pagan god Baal. He stood strong in the face of fierce opposition and had proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that God Almighty should be revered and obeyed. But then came the breaking point for him. Jezebel, the wicked wife of Ahab, threatened to take his life. Tired, lonely and exhausted and perhaps even depressed Elijah says, “I’ve had enough.” He runs for the hills and ends up hiding in a cave. He’s overwhelmed. In his mind he hears the taunting threats of Queen Jezebel over and over again. It presses upon him. It disrupts his sleep. It clouds his thinking. He can hear nothing else. The evil lioness of the devil had roared and now Elijah was fixated on her threats. His anxiety sky-rocketed through the roof. His confidence sank like a rock.

That is until the Lord meets with him in that dark cave. The great prophet had a lesson to learn. School was in session. Elijah was the student. The Lord God Almighty was the professor. The Lord asks Elijah, “What are you doing here?” Elijah says, “Well you see Lord, I’ve been working so hard and it been so very, very difficult – and everybody has been against me and I’m all alone and now there is this crazy woman who is trying to kill me and I’ve had all I can take!” No words of consolation came from the Lord. No message of comfort. No expressions of encouragement. The Lord simply tells Elijah to go stand outside the cave and wait. Elijah obeys. He goes outside and waits – but only for a moment. Suddenly a wind of terrible force falls upon him. It’s unlike anything that he’d ever experienced before. The wind literally tears the rocks apart. It begins to tear the mountain itself from its very foundation before it dies down. But no message was in the wind. Then just as suddenly, the ground itself begins to shake. Great crevasses open up. The mountain is split. The earth heaves and sways in a drunken stupor. Finally it ceases but still no message. Then a fire - an intense flame, a searing, scorching, consuming inferno that burns the earth itself. The rocks and the cliffs melt before his eyes. It seems as if the world had come to its ultimate sweltering demise. Suddenly, the fire ceases. The rocks once again harden and the ground cools. But still no lesson. Following these intense incredible displays of the smallest portion of God’s power, there was only absolute total silence. Elijah sits astonished in a stunned silence.

And then he heard it. At first it was faint - gentle - an almost imperceptible sound -sounding as if it was part wind and part human voice. Elijah strained to hear it. He fixed his concentration upon it. Slowly it became clearer and easier to understand. The more Elijah focused on it, the clearer he heard and understood. It was a familiar voice to him. It was what his soul longed to hear. This voice was sweeter and more soothing than a mother singing to her infant. It was a voice of power and unmanageable strength, yet filled with such compassion and care that human words cannot even begin to describe it. More than anything on earth, this voice brought him a sense of comfort and peace and joy and satisfaction. Oh, how he had missed hearing the voice. It had faded beneath all the noise and clutter and stress of Elijah’s life. Elijah realized it wasn’t that the voice had ever ceased speaking to him. He had just gotten so preoccupied with other issues that he had forgotten how to listen for it. But now as he heard it again, it flooded his soul with so much love he could barely take it in. As he listened it bathed his tired spirit with wave upon wave of mercy, grace and love. The stress he had previously felt began melting away like a morning mist. Elijah, the student had learned his lesson. He once again had learned how to listen – to the voice of His Heavenly Father. You always hear what you tune your ear towards. Class dismissed.
Quiet now.
Listen.
Dear Lord,
Please speak to us
That your children might hear
The sweet precious sound of
Your Voice.

Live the Victorious Life,
PT

Called to Be Somebody Else

It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (John 13:1-5)

The roads in Jerusalem were covered with a thick layer of dust. When it rained, they turned to liquid slush. It was the custom for the host to provide a slave at the door of his home to wash the feet of dinner guests as they arrived. The servant would kneel with a bucket of water and a towel and scrub off the manure and mud from foul feet. If a home could not afford a slave, one of the early arriving guests was to take upon himself the role of the house servant and wash feet. Such were the likely circumstances as Jesus and his followers arrived in the upper room to celebrate the last Passover. It had been a tough journey getting to this point. The past week had been one of the busiest and difficult weeks of their time together. Having that emotional rollercoaster behind them, they were now tired and hungry and dirty from their journey. On top of that, as they were prone to do on so many other occasions, they were arguing. It was a worn out, tired topic which had caused their tempers to flair against each other on so many other occasions: “Who was the greatest? Who is going to be in charge?” They were so engrossed in their argument that they did the unthinkable. They came right to the table with their dirty feet unwilling to volunteer for such a humble job as foot-washing. The room was filled with proud hearts and dirty feet. The disciples were willing to fight for a throne, but not willing to pick up a towel.

Jesus does the unthinkable. He gets up and wraps a towel around himself and does the job himself. This was unheard of! Jesus was their teacher. If anything, they should be washing His feet! Peter objects at first but Jesus in his own wise way reminds Peter and the rest of his followers a lesson he had taught over and over, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” And we must do likewise.

Fast forward a few hours from that moment. Jesus is now standing in front of Pontius Pilate and a crowd is screaming for his blood. Do you remember what Pilate did when he had a chance to acquit Jesus? He called for a bucket and washed his hands of the whole thing. Matthew 27:24: “When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said. ‘It is your responsibility!’” Pilate’s paradigm is alive and well today. He knew what he should have done but he took the easy way out. He passed on to others the responsibility that should have been his. Many people today pass the buck(et) and wash their hands clean of everything they can.

Maybe it’s because we think Somebody Else will do it. I recently ran across an interesting description of this person called Somebody Else. “There’s a clever young guy named Somebody Else, There’s nothing this guy can’t do. He is busy from morning till way late at night, Just substituting for you. You’re asked to do this or you’re asked to do that And what is your reply? Get Somebody Else to do that job, He’ll do it much better than I. So much to do in this weary old world- So much and workers so few, And Somebody Else, all weary and worn, is still working hard substituting for you.” (author unknown) Far too many have been content to let Somebody Else do the work. The problem of course is that there aren’t that many Somebody Elses out there. And those there are have grown weary and tired. Pilate’s bucket theology is still alive and well today. There are far too many people washing their hands in Pilate’s bucket while totally ignoring the bucket Jesus used to serve his followers. Far too many say, “It’s not my responsibility. I’ve got my own responsibilities to deal with.” Far too many wash their hands of their responsibility in Pilate’s bucket. While Somebody Else labors on with the servant’s bucket given to them by Jesus.

I think proud Peter learned the lesson of the bucket. Later as he wrote his first epistle he says, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” (1 Peter 5:5) Peter quit arguing about the throne and taught others to pick up the towel. He realized he was changed into Somebody Else when his sins were forgiven through the blood of his Savior. Because he was somebody else, he lived the rest of life as a servant. How about you? Would people describe you as a humble servant of the Master? Are you wholeheartedly serving others out of response to Christ’s love for you? Do others recognize that you have been changed into Somebody Else since you’ve surrendered to Jesus? Or like Pilate are you still waiting for dear old Somebody Else to do what you know you are called to do? Learn the lesson of the bucket – we are all called to be Somebody Else. We are all called to do the work that Somebody Else is currently doing. “Lord, Help us get our bucket theology figured out. Help us all to be Somebody Else.”

Live the Victorious Life,
PT

Never Carry The Donkey Again.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (2 Tim. 2:15)

An old fable that has been passed down for generations tells about an elderly man who was travelling with a boy and a donkey. As they walked through a village, the man was leading the donkey and the boy was walking behind. The townspeople said the old man was a fool for not riding, so to please them he climbed up on the animal’s back. When they came to the next village, the people said the old man was cruel to let the child walk while he enjoyed the ride. So, to please them, he got off and set the boy on the animal’s back and continued on his way. In the third village, people accused the child of being lazy for making the old man walk, and the suggestion was made that they both ride. So the man climbed on and they set off again. In the fourth village, the townspeople were indignant at the cruelty to the donkey because he was made to carry two people. The frustrated man was last seen carrying the donkey down the road.

Abraham Lincoln once said that you can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time. Popular opinion is poor standard for personal behavior. If you live to please people, like the old man in fable above, sooner our later you’ll end up carrying the donkey. We all need better guide in our lives than personal opinion and preference. God has provided it in his Word.

I am concerned about the lack of understanding of the Bible in the church today. We seem to know less and less about things that are essential and eternal. While we spend time on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, text messages and email, we seem to make excuses for not finding time to be in God’s Word. Yet, the Word is the only thing that is eternal. I find parents concerned about the character of their children. The greatest book on discipline, character and integrity is the Word of God. I find couples concerned about the strength of their marriage. The greatest manual on marriage ever written is the Bible, in which the author of the institution reveals how he intended it to work. Our entire nation is concerned about the state of our economy, the wars in which we are engaged and whether or not we will even have a stable nation to pass on to our grandchildren. In the Bible, the Lord teaches us over and over again how we can be blessed as a people.

Someone has wisely said, “Study the Bible to be wise; believe it to be safe; practice it to be holy.” There is no substitute for reading, meditating, listening to and studying the Scriptures. A church that does not emphasize the Scriptures will soon be on the shelf and out of business. One of the most famous authors and preachers of our time holds up his Bible and begins to quote a creed or a philosophy regarding the Bible each time before he preaches. The statement is strong. But the problem is that it’s almost the only time we see or hear him use the Bible in his sermons. His sermons are feel good, be good, smile, don’t worry, be happy. You can’t be truly happy if you aren’t holy. You get holy by yielding to the Holy Spirit and reading the Holy Bible.

John Blanchard says it well, “Hit-and-run Bible reading can often become hit and miss. The man who reads on the surface will live on the surface—and a superficial Christian is a pathetic parody of the truth.” When people believe the Bible, they long to learn it, study it and apply it. They allow the Scriptures to sit in judgment over their character, creed and conduct. Jerry Bridges says, “It is impossible to practice godliness without a constant, consistent and balanced intake of the Word of God in our lives.”

The reason we see little difference between church members and lost people in our land is because we don’t know, understand or apply what God says. The Bible will correct your thinking, talking and walking. Chrysostom said, “The source of all our troubles is in not knowing the Scriptures.” E. F. Hallock wrote, “A well-understood Bible is the only basis of a sound theology, an enlightened piety, practical godliness, solid comfort and extensive usefulness.” The Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.

I love what Martin Luther said about how precious his Bible was to him. “I study my Bible as I gather apples. First, I shake the whole tree that the ripest may fall. Then I shake each limb, and when I have shaken each limb I shake each branch and every twig. Then I look under every leaf.” D. L. Moody wrote, “I never saw a useful Christian who was not a student of the Bible.” One author said, “If all the neglected Bibles were dusted simultaneously, we would have a record dust storm and the sun would go into eclipse for a whole week.” J. I. Packer wrote, “If I were the devil, one of my first aims would be to stop folk from digging into the Bible.”

God made the importance of the Scriptures clear to Joshua when he said, “Be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.“ (Joshua 1:7, 8) J. C. Ryle wrote, “Ignorance of the Scriptures is the root of all error. Knowledge of the Bible never comes by intuition.” Read it, study it and meditate on it. Learn what’s there and why.

This is no time for mental midgets. We need giants for God. Let God stretch you, refine you, teach you and equip you. Ask Him to give you an appetite for His Word, a thirst for truth and a mind to learn. Study to show yourself approved. Never carry the donkey again.

Live the Victorious Life,
PT

The Season of Diets

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” (2 Corinthians 4:7-12)

Welcome to the New Year! And welcome to the annual season of dieting. Every January we seem to have a custom of trying to rid the pounds we picked up through the holiday season. While standing in line at a grocery store I was amazed at how many diets were being promoted on the front of magazine covers. (Who came up with this evil plot to make us feel guilty as we are purchasing our food anyway?) There’s The Traffic Light Diet, (I’m not kidding) The Body Clock Diet , The Sugar Addicts Diet , The No Carbs After 5pm Diet, The Curves Diet, The X-Factor Diet, The Ultimate New York Body Plan and The Coconut Diet. One that also caught my eye was the Stress Diet. I was going to pick that one up but got a little stressed out thinking someone might see me actually buying one of those magazines.

What do you do when you are under stress? One of the most common reactions to stress is over-indulging when it comes to eating. This following “stress diet” is a “friend’s” response to the stressful times in his life:

Breakfast: Half a grapefruit - one slice of whole wheat toast - 8 ozs. of skim milk.
Lunch: 4 oz of lean broiled chicken breast - one cup of steamed zucchini – one cup of herb tea and one Double Stuffed Oreo Cookie.
Mid-Afternoon Snack: (after dealing with a rather stressful situation) The rest of the Oreos - one quart of butter pecan ice cream - one jar of hot fudge.
Dinner - 2 loaves of garlic bread – 1 large pepperoni & mushroom pizza - large pitcher of coke. (diet of coarse) 3 Snickers Bars and an entire frozen cheese cake which my wife
(ahh - I mean my friend’s wife) had hidden in the freezer.

Now in case you are concerned about this diet, you need to recognize there are rules:
1. If no one sees you eat it, it has no calories.
2. If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar - they cancel each other out.
3. If you eat calorie-heavy foods along with someone who eats only diet food – the calories cancel each other out.
4. Food used for medicinal purposes never count. (like hot fudge, cheese cake, etc.)
5. If you break a cookie into several pieces, the pieces contain no calories. - (this is because of the little know fact that the process of breakage causes calorie leakage)

As you might imagine, “my friend’s” tasty but dubious diet is rather ineffective in actually relieving stress (or reducing weight). In fact, he has become aware that this response actually increases the stress factors in his life because of the additional worries of impending heart attack and diabetic coma. (Please remember to pray for “my friend.”)

What’s a better way to respond to stressful moments? Looking at the passage above, we can stop stress from turning into distress by:

Remembering Who We Are “But we have this treasure in jars of clay” We are all cracked pots – (Please Note: I did not say “crack pots” – although it may be true of some of us) The Bible reminds us that we are common and ordinary human “vessels of clay.” And “clay jars” are not supermen! We are not vessels made of alabaster, glass, brass, silver or gold. We are common vessels. We make mistakes and cause problems. But please note: the focus here is not on the vessel itself, but the treasure inside the vessel. The love and forgiveness and grace of Christ – the richest treasures heaven has to offer, are all inside each Child of God. We can go a long way towards “de-stressing” by simply remembering the treasure God has planted within us. What enables us to react to problems differently from those in the world is not who we are but who is in us. We are but C.L.A.Y. But we are not just ordinary clay. We are clay that has been transformed and is being transformed by heaven. Remember what kind of clay we are: C – Christ L – Living & A – Abiding in Y - You

Remember God’s Power Will Sustain You “to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” What is this verse saying? Through the problems you and I are facing, God wants to reveal His power. He doesn’t want people to necessarily notice the clay pot – he wants people to focus on the sustaining, persevering, keeping power that is inside the clay pot. God doesn’t mind an occasional stress crack in His vessels. In fact He expects it to happen. He allows us to be hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted and struck down. By allowing those stressful situations He is able to accomplish His purposes. He reveals a power that amazes the world around us. You see, it’s not about the power of the person – it’s about the power of God supernaturally sustaining the person. Our great discovery in the midst of those stressful moments - when we feel the weakest – is that God is able to loose His amazing power and bring peace to the most difficult situations.

What’s stressing you out today? What’s your response going to be? You can run to the refrigerator and start eating the junk food – or you can feast on the Bread of Life. Have a banquet with Jesus today! I guarantee at the end of the day you’ll feel better. (and be a few pounds thinner!)

Live the Victorious Life,
PT