Monthly Archives: June 2014

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Does God Waste Time?

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I don’t know about you, but it is quite often that I feel like God has either forgotten me or is working on something bigger and can’t focus on me or my desires when I need Him. In fact, if I am completely honest, there have been times when I thought I was watching God waste time in my life. Have you ever felt this way?

waste time

My Plans

Maybe your situation is like mine in some way. For me, there have been many times when I have been certain that I had a plan that would bring God glory and accomplish everything He had in mind to accomplish. I wanted that plan executed immediately so that the results could follow. Sound familiar?

Unfortunately, there are many problems with my mindset. First, I am assuming I know all that God wants to accomplish. Second, I am acting like I know enough about the ripple effects of this plan to make sure it will not negatively impact God’s other plans. Plus, again with transparency, I have realized later that my motives were not always (ever) completely pure.

Looking back at these situations, I am often able to see why God did not immediately jump to give success to my plans. At the same time, there have also been times when I could NOT see His reasons for “ignoring” my plans. It is these times that are the most difficult to accept.

Did God Waste Time?

I recently had the opportunity to listen to Bishop Desmond Tutu speak (via simulcast). Bishop Tutu is a South African social rights activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. During his speech, he mentioned Nelson Mandela, a fellow South African who also opposed apartheid.

For his opposition, Mandela served 27 years in prison before finally being released in 1990. Mandela went on to be elected as President of South Africa in 1994. When Tutu mentioned Mandela’s prison stay, he related how someone had once called that time period such a tragic waste.

Bishop Tutu Disagrees!

Bishop Tutu was quick to say, “No!” He said it was not a waste at all. He described how Mandela had entered prison as an angry young man who saw violence as justified for overthrowing an unjust situation. When Mandela emerged 27 years later, Tutu said he was a forgiving, patient man who was ready to lead. Bishop Tutu saw that time in prison as crucial to the man Mandela became.

In this case, do you think God allowed Mandela to waste time in prison? Or do you think He had something else in mind? I think it is pretty obvious in hindsight that God was in control and knew exactly what He was doing. Why, then, is it so hard for us to trust Him today in our situation?

Why Question Him?

We see Him repeatedly work things out for His good (Romans 8:28), but we suddenly think He would rather waste time in our current situation. Is that fair? Does it even make sense for us to think this?

Whether you are currently in a similar situation or will be heading into one soon, I encourage you to trust God. Trust that He will not waste time with you, but will instead work all things out in such a way that best accomplishes His desires. Trust that His desires are in your best interests and not in opposition to the best for you.

God Does Not Waste Time!

The process may not look like you think it should. The results may not be what you think you want at the time. However, if you trust Him, you will one day see more clearly. You will likely see why He chose to act like He did. I promise you, God does not waste time. His timing is always perfect.

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act, making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday sun. Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him;
Psalm 37:5-7

Have had times like this?

How do you remind yourself that God does not waste time?

Do you give Him credit when looking back?

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One Thing You Cannot Do In Heaven

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Over the years, as I have grown from childhood, through adolescence and young adulthood, and into a full-fledged adult, my thoughts and dreams about heaven have progressed as well. As my understanding of heaven has matured, I have come to realize that there is at least one thing we will not be able to do there – reach the lost. Evangelism will not exist in heaven.

Evangelism

Hopes For Heaven

Have you thought about this? As a kid, I dreamed of flying around with wings. Later, I began to hope for amazing golf courses and the freedom to drive without speed limits. Recently, I have thought about whether or not we will have adventures in heaven…hang gliding, sky diving, deep sea diving and mountain climbing…will these be options for us?

What I have not thought about much is what I will not be able to do when I get to heaven. I know there will not be tears or pain, but I welcome that! However, when I stopped to realize that there will not be a single friend or family member in heaven that has not submitted to Jesus as Lord and Savior, I realized what else would be missing – evangelism.

No Evangelism

Folks, when we die, we are forever released from the responsibility of sharing our faith with others. We will no longer have to listen to messages about evangelism or witnessing because we will only be surrounded by believers. We will only, for the rest of eternity, be able to interact with others who made the decision to accept Jesus’ blood as payment for their sin.

If you are one who does not enjoy the idea of sharing your faith with another, then maybe this idea brings you a little relief. At least it might until you begin to look around you and count the people you know (or are related to) that are not followers of Jesus.

[Note: I recognize none of us knows anyone else’s heart and therefore we cannot know with certainty their eternal status (unless they have told us). I simply want you to think about those without any visible fruit of faith in Jesus and make the assumption, for the purpose of this exercise, that someone needs to share their faith with them.]

There Is Urgency!

When you begin to think of all the people around you whose eternity is not certain in your mind, do you begin to see the urgency? Do you begin to realize that SOMEONE has to share with them now, here on earth, or they will suffer an eternity separated from God (and you)?

If you are not already living in such a way as to intentionally point people toward God, are you willing to continue on that path, ignoring the clear problem that exists right in front of you?

What about your job or business? Are you intentionally carrying out your duties at work in a way that points others to Jesus? Are you using the leverage and resources of your business to advance the kingdom? Have you done this in the past, but the urgency has faded?

Huge Problem!

I have to tell you, this problem is a big one. The lack of evangelism in heaven means we only have a limited time to reach those who do not yet know God in a personal way. Maybe we are not all good at preaching from a pulpit, but we all have gifts that can be used for evangelism.

Through this blog, I am trying to convince people that their business is a tool that can and should be used for evangelism. If you are not the owner of the business, I want you to see that there are still infinite ways you can impact others in the workplace for Christ. You just have to be intentional about it.

Taking Action?

Hopefully, you have already thought about this whole idea and you are already on the path to take action. If not, I encourage you to stop and read this verse below. Think about what Jesus is saying and how it applies to you. Evangelism may not be your first love, but maybe you need to pray for a heart change.

We must do the works of Him who sent Me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.
John 9:4

Are you already engaged in evangelism?

Do you treat your workplace the same as other locations?

Do you need to rethink your position on evangelism?

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Ordinary vs. Extraordinary

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The following post is courtesy of Bill Higgins. You have probably read several of his posts here before. This post is about the power of being ordinary. There is more information about Bill at the end of this post.

I’m just an ordinary guy.

I’ve never won a major award. Never written a best seller. Never came up with a break-the-bank invention. Never won the lottery. Never starred in any sport. Never became a major corporate executive. Never headed an industry leading consulting group. Never became a household name (unless it was my Mom hollering, “BILLY!”). Never built a world wonder. Never had a street named after me. Never became a recognized expert in anything.

ordinary

An Ordinary Guy

In other words, unless I’m mistaken, I’m pretty much just like you.

I pay my bills, donate to my church and monthly causes, don’t have more than three months’ cash savings, volunteer to help those less fortunate, have a great wife and super kids.

I do my job as best I can, and sometimes that’s really good and other times it doesn’t quite cut it.

All in all, I’m pretty much like you. And we are both just ordinary.

Most Are Ordinary!

But here’s the thing, there were millions of ordinary Israelites and only one Moses, one Jacob, one Abraham, Joseph and David.

There were thousands of ordinary believers in New Testament times, but only one Paul, one Timothy, one Peter, James, and John.

There are thousands of ordinary churches for every mega-church. There are thousands of ordinary pastors for every super-pastor. In fact, 95% or more of us are ordinary. We may like to think we’re more, but we’re just ordinary.

The thing of it is, the Biblical message is for every one of us, ordinary and extraordinary alike. Whether you are the super-pastor of a mega-church, a struggling saint in a neighborhood mini-church, the CEO of a major corporation, or the guy tightening the bolts, the message is the same.

Extraordinary Power

And the message for each one of us captured in Ephesians 3:20 is this: You can do so much more than you can even imagine through the dynamic power at work in you (author paraphrase). The word for power in this verse is the Greek word dunamas, from which we get the terms dynamo, dynamics, dynamite. God has a dynamo at work in you.

Now you may never be a Moses, Joseph, Paul, or Peter. You may never be a super-Christian winning souls left and right all over the globe. But you can have that dunamas power spoken of in Ephesians, right in your sphere of influence.

It Only Takes One!

You may only touch one that makes a difference, but you never know which one it will be. You may only have the privilege of leading one soul to the Lord, but it only takes one to unleash the dynamo of a Billy Graham, or a Desmond Tutu, or a Nelson Mandela. It only takes one. Many add gas to the tank, but it only takes one to start the engine.

Maybe you or me, Joe or Jane Ordinary, will be the one to unharness the next Billy Graham. Maybe.

So go. Just be the you God made you to be. Let Him unleash that dynamic power in you. Take a risk. Join His adventure. And understand that ordinary can be pretty extraordinary.

About the Author:

BILL HIGGINS is currently the Managing Director of MindWare Incorporated, an independent training and career coaching consulting firm. He previously served on the pastoral staff of churches in the U.S. and Canada, and worked in a managerial capacity for industry leading organizations.

Bill is a graduate of Biola University and Talbot Theological Seminary and his book, Your Road to Damascus: 6 Biblical Secrets for an Effective Job Search is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and MindWare Publishing websites.