Tag Archives: searching for answers

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How To Handle Frustration In Prayer

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In my last post, I talked about our 3 responsibilities in asking things of God. While I do believe these 3 responsibilities are very real and effective, I also know (from experience) that they do not constitute a formula for getting what we want from God. In fact, sometimes we meet frustration in prayer despite following these steps!

frustration in prayer

Frustration In Prayer?

See if these questions from my last post resonate with you. If you have prayed for anything for an extended period of time, you have likely asked these questions in some form or another.

So what is the deal? Why is it so different when we are asking of God? Why do we often get no answer (or one we don’t like!) even after praying for such a long time? Why does He seem to delay or withhold what is good from us?

Because He Loves Us!

The first answer to these questions? Because He loves us. The world puts on a show at times, but it does not love us! In fact, it hates us (John 15:18-19). So what the world will give us is often exactly what we want, but not what is good for us. God may not always give us what we want, but He WILL give us what is good for us.

This very point is made in the passage we looked at in my last post. Take another look…

9 What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
Matthew 7:9-11

His One Condition

Most of us miss the one condition that Jesus places in this passage about praying and receiving. He says that our Father will give us GOOD gifts. The condition for receiving is that the gift (what we are asking for) must be good for us. Let’s word the passage a different way to help make this point.

What if it read this way…What man among you, if his son asks him for a stone would give it to him? No, you would give him bread. Or if he asks for a snake, would you give that to him? No, you would give him fish!

Nothing Bad For Us!

Clearly, our Father is not going to give us something that is bad for us. He loves us too much for that. His purpose is to conform us to the likeness of His Son Jesus. Anything that would delay or reverse His progress in this purpose, He will withhold from us!

So, if this is true (and I am convinced based on Scripture that it is), then how should we move forward in prayer for those ideas, things, etc. that we have been praying for over a period of years? Do we quit asking despite the encouragement in this passage to “keep on asking”? How do we know what to do to eliminate this frustration in prayer?

Try These 3 Steps

I believe the following three steps can help. Again, please do not take these steps as a formula to get what you want. Take them as a guide to better ask for God’s will for you while learning exactly what that is. I hope you find these steps useful.

Step #1 – Keep Praying With Faith

As we read in my last post, there are plenty of references in Scripture that point us in this direction. We are NOT to give up praying just because we have not yet received an answer. We are NOT to give up praying simply because our request MIGHT not be good for us.

No, keep praying. Be persistent. Remain diligent and seek His face for whatever it is you want. This part is not unclear.

Step #2 – Acknowledge Possible Conflict

WHILE you are praying for whatever it is that has been on your heart, begin acknowledging to God that what you are praying for may not be good for you. Don’t stop praying for it, but let Him know you are willing to let go of it if He shows you it is His will for you to do so.

Maybe He will show you right then that your request is in conflict with His will for you. Maybe it takes time for this to happen. Maybe He will eventually grant your request when His timing is right. The Holy Spirit will guide you in this if you are attentive.

The point here is to keep asking until you receive the request or you learn it is not in His will for you. Either way, the prayer for that particular request should not end until one of these two results has occurred.

Step #3 – Listen More Closely

Finally, AS you continue to pray, also commit yourself to spending more time with God. You can do this through a combination of prayer, Bible study, fasting, and listening to His voice. The goal here is to draw closer to Him and to become more familiar with His heart and His voice.

As you do this (otherwise known as “delighting yourself in the Lord” Psalm 37:4), you will begin to see several things happen. One result will be that you will begin to know more about what God’s purposes are for your life. You will also begin to understand His heart more. His voice will become more familiar to you as well.

The result of this could be that you get clarity on whether your requests are in His will for you or not. You will also find that your desires begin to change. No longer will you want to have as much to do with what the world offers because you will find yourself drawn more to what God’s will offers, especially as this will comes more into focus.

No Downside!

Rather than stew in the frustration that comes with unanswered or apparently declined prayer (talking to myself here!), begin taking the above steps to dive deeper into the relationship with your Father. I promise, there is no downside to this!

How long have you experienced frustration in prayer?

Do you see how these steps can help?

Which is the toughest for you?

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3 Responsibilities In Asking Of God

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In our culture today, if we want something, we just ask for it. And usually, we get it and we get it fast. We can literally pull into a drive-thru and have a hot meal, made to order, in less than 5 minutes. When we are asking of God, however, things are different…sometimes very different.

asking of God

Asking Of God For Years?

I have read about people (mostly mothers) that have prayed for years and years for family members or others to come to Christ. Others have been praying for what seems like forever to be able to have children. I have several prayers myself that have been going on over ten years!

So what is the deal? Why is it so different when we are asking of God? Why do we often get no answer (or one we don’t like!) even after praying for such a long time? Why does He seem to delay or withhold what is good from us?

Answers In Scripture

These are very good questions and ones that I think we can answer from Scripture. At the same time, I think it is important that we first answer another question. This other question needs to be answered first because it will help us better understand the answers to the first questions. Make sense?

Good! So let’s tackle the first question in today’s post and the other questions in the following post. The first question is this:

What is our responsibility in asking of God?

While this may seem like a simple question, I would like to turn to a part of the Sermon on the Mount for the foundation to the answer to this question. Let’s look at Matthew 7:7-11 and see what we find.

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
Matthew 7:7-11

If you read this passage quickly, you could get quickly frustrated. It sounds like God is a vending machine. It sounds like asking of God is a quick way to get anything we want! Fortunately, this is not true. Fortunately for us, He loves us more than that, but we will get to that later!

God Does Not Work Like That!

If you have been a believer in Jesus long enough to pray for something, then you know this is not how it works. You know, likely from experience, that God is not a vending machine. Simply asking of God does not give us whatever we want the way it works in our culture.

However, there is good news! We have some responsibility in the asking and if we will follow what Scripture tells us to do, then we will get what we want (with just a little twist).

Step #1 – Go To God First

This sounds like a simple statement, but there is more to it than it seems. We cannot simply go to Him when we cannot get what we want elsewhere. We are to go to Him alone.

This means we should not be going to the world to get what we want. We should not expect our businesses, our employees, or our co-workers to give us what we want. Instead, we should be relying on God Himself to supply us with our needs.

To back this up, look at Matthew 6:33 where it says to seek Him first. Take a look at Psalm 37:4 where it says we are to delight ourselves in Him. In both verses, it follows that the rest will be given to us. The desires of our hearts will be provided by Him.

Step #2 – Go To God Continuously

The actual verb tense and mood from the original Greek in verse 7 above (ask, seek, knock) means that we are to continually do these things. We are not to ask, seek, or knock once. We are to do so repeatedly, over a period of time, with no sense of an end to these actions.

Look at the parable of the persistent widow from Luke 18:1-8. She continuously asks the local judge for justice against her adversary. She does not simply make a single request, but pesters him over time. He finally relents and grants her request, just to get rid of her!

Immediately after teaching this parable, Jesus says that God will certainly hear the cry of his children for justice and grant it swiftly! Like the widow, we need to make our requests known to God and do so with persistence. Better phrased, Matthew 7:7 might say, “the one who continues to ask as a habitual, ongoing requesting will receive.”

Step #3 – Believe It will Happen

Again looking at the original Greek tells us something interesting about the phrases, “it will be given” and “you will find” and “the door will be opened.” It tells us that these actions are believed by the author to be certain future events, not potential or possible results.

Jesus, the Son of the Living God, used language to say that He believed with certainty that these events (given, find, opened) would absolutely happen! That should be enough for us. For one more exclamation point, look at James 1:5-8.

5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways.
James 1:5-8

In my next post, we will look at a key condition Jesus puts in this passage about asking of God and getting what we ask for. We will also look at 3 ways to apply this Scripture to our business and personal lives.

Have you made a habit of asking of God first?

Do you ask continuously or once and done?

How strong is your faith when it comes to answered prayer?

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How To Read And Apply Scripture

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We all know we need to read and seek to apply Scripture in our lives. This is no revelation. The problem is that sometimes we really don’t know HOW to do this, right? Sometimes, we read a passage and cannot understand what exactly it should be saying to us. While it sounds simple, sometimes it is not.

apply Scripture

My Effort To Apply Scripture

For today, I want to try something different from my norm. I am taking a short passage (Psalm 119:73-80) and I am attempting to put it into my own words. I have tried to imagine how each verse should apply to my life in particular and then worded it as a prayer back to God.

Keep in mind, this is clearly not Scripture itself. I am not attempting to rewrite it, only to apply Scripture to my life in my words and according to my understanding. These verses may say something else to you. The Holy Spirit is not limited in how He can speak to us!

Take a look at the following verses and see if they resonate with you. Each verse is listed in italics and then my words follow. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment area at the end of the post.

Verse 73 – Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding so that I can learn your commands.

    Father, Your hands made every part of me and formed each of my strengths, weaknesses, talents, gifts, and desires into the man that I am. There is nothing about me that You cannot use to impact others. I don’t just want to know Your commands or even to be familiar with them, but to fully understand them. Please give me this understanding so I can apply them in every role I play, in every part of my life.

Verse 74 – May those who fear You rejoice when they see me for I have put my hope in your word.

    I pray that all those who fear You and know You in a real way would be glad to see me and do business with me because they see You in our business. This is not for the sake of the business itself, but for the relationships between us and so that both of us are impacted in a way that draws us closer to You.

Verse 75 – I know, Lord, that your judgments are just and that you have afflicted me fairly.

    Lord, Your rules and judgments are perfect and true, even when they do not make it easy for me. I realize You have a much bigger perspective than I do and therefore I will not always understand Your ways. At least I know they are perfect as You are and that your application of them in my life is fair. I thank You for Your promises here.

Verse 76 – Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant.

    Father, I know my choice to be in business means I will face challenges and struggles on a regular basis. As a result, there will be times of loneliness and frustration. I accept that. I ask that You comfort me during these times with Your endless love. You have already promised this in Your word – I just claim it now!

Verse 77 – Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live, for thy law is my delight.

    In addition to the times of frustration, there will also be times when I personally fall short of Your expectations and guidelines for my life. Though I do not intend to do so because I love Your laws, I know that I am flesh and will disappoint You. I pray now that Your mercy will come to me in those times. I pray not only that You will show me mercy, but that I will recognize it. I also pray I will show that same mercy to others.

Verse 78 – May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on your precepts.

    Often because of the business I am in, there are those who disparage me with lies. Though they do not know the truth, they arrogantly assume they do and speak as such. I pray that at some point You will shame them for these lies. To make sure I avoid this same behavior myself, I will continue to meditate on Your word. Help me with this!

Verse 79 – Let those who fear You, those who know Your decrees, turn to me.

    Lord, I interact with many people on a daily basis. While I know I am to be an ambassador to those who do not know You, I pray that you will surround me with others who do know You. I need the companionship, mentoring, and accountability from those who have walked with You and know You and Your ways.

Verse 80 – May my heart be blameless in your statutes, that I may not be put to shame.

    Father, I read Your word regularly and try my best to follow what it tells me. However, you know I am sinful and tend to wander from Your path. Please strengthen my faith to stick to Your path and give me a clean heart so that I am not ashamed of my behavior, thoughts, and deeds. I want to reflect You to those around me.

What does it look like when you apply Scripture to your life?

Have you done it like this before?

What methods would you recommend to apply Scripture to your life?

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5 Steps To Eliminate Anxiety, Part 2

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[This is a the second half of my post on the 5 Steps To Eliminate Anxiety. If you have not read the first post, please take a moment to do that before reading this one. It will make much more sense!]

anxiety

Praying For Patience?

Have you ever prayed for patience? If you have or you know someone that has, you know that is just asking for trouble, right? With training for patience come trials. I have news for you…the same is true for writing about anxiety! Before my last post, I felt I had very little to “worry” about. In the last couple of days the reasons for anxiety have flooded in!

So far, I have attempted to practice my own advice! I am excited to say that it is working at the moment. I may have to come back to you later with some modifications or further instructions, but for now I will stick with my 5 Steps.

Eliminating Anxiety!

In my last post, I talked about the root of anxiety being a simple uncertainty of the future. I described how this uncertainty is not a problem until consequences are added. It is usually the size of the consequences that creates the anxiety that is so difficult for us to handle.

In that post, I gave the first two of these 5 Steps To Eliminate Anxiety. Following is a summary of the first two steps and then the details of the final three steps. I suggest you take these and pray through them. I truly believe you will find that, with practice, they are effective.

Step #1 – Bible Is Truth

We must recognize and believe that the Bible is absolutely and totally the Word of God AND that it is without error or fluff. This step is non-negotiable and is the foundation for Step #2.

Step #2 – Read About Your Future

The next step is to read about our ultimate future as described, and promised, in the Bible. We are told there that Jesus died for us. If we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives, we are promised an eternity with Him. Therefore, what happens to us between now and then is in His hands and unworthy of worry or anxiety.

Step #3 – Pray For Faith

Because it is easier to read and understand the truth in Step #2 than it is to fully accept it and internalize it, our next step is to pray for the faith we need. We need to be just like the father (whose son was dying) who said to Jesus, “I do believe! Help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:14-27)

Many professing Christians believe the Bible is true and that it gives us a picture of our ultimate future, but when life comes at them, their faith fails them. Anxiety takes over and faith seems like a distant memory. We simply cannot allow this to continue!

Cry out to God for the faith needed to believe what He tells you in His Word. Do not relent until He grants you this faith. Just remember that much of our faith comes from going through these trials and coming out on the other side. Looking back builds our faith for the next one!

Step #4 – Repeat Steps #2 & #3 As Needed

Unlike learning not to put your hand on a hot stove, this lesson about anxiety is not a once-and-done kind of lesson. This is something many people will struggle to defeat over a period of time. While this may be true, do NOT accept that it cannot be defeated. Anxiety is not something you just have to learn how to live with – unless you cannot get past Step #1!

Because it may take time, you need to keep doubling back to Step #2 and then Step #3. Repeat these steps over and over. Write them on labels and put them on your monitor at work and the dash of your car. Put them on your refrigerator at home. Memorize the Scriptures that speak to you the most.

As you do this, keep praying for God to help your unbelief. You may believe that He saved you, but you have trouble believing that He will provide a job for you. Maybe you can trust Him with your soul, but cannot seem to place your teenager in His hands. As you pray through this, you will begin to see the fallacy of your logic and your faith will grow to meet the challenges you are facing.

Step #5 – Enjoy The Peace

Oh yeah, Step #5 is the goal! If you will follow the first four steps listed above, then you will be treated to what is probably the greatest gift God has given us after our salvation – peace. If you have had it, you know what I mean!

If you look at the beginning of all of Paul’s letters in the New Testament, he starts with a mention of peace. Jesus talks many times about the peace he brings us, despite the trouble of this world. This is clearly our goal as it is the total absence of anxiety. Not only is it promised to us, but it is within our reach every day!

Practice Makes Perfect

You will not be fully successful with these five steps on your first try. You absolutely must commit to practicing them if you expect to be good at them. If you want this to work, you must work through these steps over time. Each time you will get stronger and stronger. Eventually, you will see that the truth of Steps #1 & #2 are enough to vanquish the anxiety at your door. Until then, keep practicing!

Now that you have the 5 steps, what do you think?

Are you willing to try following these steps?

What part of this process is new to you?

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5 Steps To Eliminate Anxiety

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Before I even start this post, I want to be clear (again) that I do not have it all figured out AND that I may be oversimplifying an issue that seriously plagues most of us at one time or another. At the risk of offending some and confusing others, I am going to offer what I believe is the cure to this problem. This problem is anxiety.

anxiety

Anxiety Is Destructive

It goes by many names – stress, worry, concern, apprehension, fear, etc. Even when we only focus on the business world, anxiety takes on many shapes, sizes, and forms. Some suffer from it like a minor rash, but for others it may as well be a broken back or worse!

It can paralyze you when you need to make a critical decision. It can steal the focus you so desperately need to keep your business on track. It can be a pothole or a cliff. If you don’t suffer from it yourself, you surely know someone who does. If you or that person happens to be in leadership or a position of influence, then the results can be anywhere from frustrating to devastating.

Anxiety Defined

So what exactly is anxiety? What is at its root?

I think the root of anxiety is simply an uncertainty of the future.

At this level – simple uncertainty – there is not really a problem. Uncertainty by itself is not a big deal. Without consequences, uncertainty scares no one. I can be uncertain about the outcome of a coin toss without experiencing anxiety.

Add Consequences

However, if that coin toss takes on more significant meaning or determines what my future may look like, then anxiety can creep in. If the potential consequences of the coin toss are dire enough, anxiety can come rushing in like a flood!

The greater we perceive the consequences of the coin toss (or any event or situation in our lives), the more intense the anxiety becomes. If there are little to no potentially adverse consequences to the coin toss, then we have little to no anxiety. The reverse is also true.

When we simplify it like this (and de-personalize it), it becomes easier to see how it works (and how we can eliminate it). Do you agree?

Eliminating Uncertainty

Clearly, there are two ways we can eliminate uncertainty (and therefore anxiety). First, we could know all the details of the future, right? If we absolutely know the future, uncertainty is gone. If you have already watched a key football game, there is no anxiety in watching a recording of it again later.

Unfortunately, we do not have the ability to look into the future to see the outcome of every situation that causes us anxiety. We cannot look ahead to see if sales will reach the required quotas we have been given. We cannot look into the future to find out if a new product will succeed or fail.

The second way to eliminate uncertainty (and the resulting anxiety) is to know the ultimate future of a situation so that you can then assume the details leading up to that ultimate future. Back to the example of a football game – even if you did not watch the game, but you know the final score, you know enough about what happened during the game to relax.

Folks, I honestly believe it really is that simple for life. We can live a life without anxiety if we can only eliminate the uncertainty inherent in it. It sounds simple, right? Well it actually can be that simple.

Step #1 – Bible Is Truth

First, we must recognize that the Bible is absolutely and totally the Word of God. We must believe that it is without error or fluff. We must completely trust what God says to us through His Word (2 Timothy 3:16). It is not enough for us to give lip service to this belief – it must be part of the core of who we are.

I wish I could tell you otherwise, but this first step is non-negotiable. There is no way in the world to completely eliminate anxiety without starting here. If you cannot get past this first step, then you need to embrace anxiety as a close friend! You are not getting rid of it!

You might think you are okay with this step at this point. I hope so. However, if you find trouble later in this process, you may want to come back here and dig a little deeper. Without a rock-solid foundation here, no further steps will help you.

Step #2 – Read About Your Future

Next, we need to read what the Bible says about our ultimate future. What I believe it says is that Jesus died for me. Because I accepted this and invited Him to take over as Savior and Lord, He saved me from my sin and promised me an eternity after this life with Him (John 3:16).

This is a done deal and nothing can change it. The enemy cannot steal me from my Father’s hands. In fact nothing can separate me from Him (Romans 8:35-39)! I believe this. I believe this with all that I can muster.

If that is true, then what happens in between now and that ultimate future in heaven is irrelevant. When I look at my life from 10,000 feet and know that my ultimate future is completely and totally secure with His promise, then there is nothing in the details at 100, 50, or even 10 feet that should worry me or cause me anxiety (Matthew 6:25-34)! This called having an eternal perspective and I think it is the key to solving the problem of anxiety.

Whenever something does begin to cause me anxiety, then I simply need to remind myself that my ultimate future is in His hands and the rest is immaterial. If this is particularly hard for me to do in a given situation, then I need to dig to find out what about this situation is more important to me than my ultimate future. I may need to ask why I trust God with my ultimate future, but not with this immediate situation.

Final Three Steps

Once I can take God at His Word and look at this life from the eternal perspective, then anxiety will fade. Unfortunately, this is not always as easy as it sounds. In my next post, I will give you the final three steps to eliminating anxiety. Once you can successfully complete all five steps, I believe you will have put anxiety in its place for good!

Do you have a problem with anxiety?

Do you see how Steps #1 & #2 can begin to help?

What would you suggest for Steps #3, #4, & #5?

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Resumes Are Overrated!

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Our world as a whole is obsessed with appearance. In the business world, one’s resume is critical because it is thought to reflect the strength and depth of the individual it describes. Even in Christian ministry and leadership circles, the resume is called a “platform” and carries a lot of weight. Without it, you are likely not to rise in importance beyond the city limits where you live.

resume

Resume Builders

As a result, there are many in our position of Christian leadership that clamor for recognition in a variety of areas. They seek it wherever they can find it and add another corresponding line to their resume or platform as soon as they can. Are these people aware of something we are missing? Do we need to imitate them and attempt the same accomplishments?

My Annual Planning

In a recent post, I mentioned how I was frustrated with my current state. One of the reasons for that frustration was that I missed my normal time for annual review and planning this past fall. I allowed issues at work to consume me and I failed to carve out the time.

As I am now beginning this process (better late than never!), I am looking into 2014 to see what can be accomplished. My natural tendency is to think big and I have many ideas about what I would like to achieve this year. However, I began to rethink this mentality recently after reading a passage in Philippians.

Apostle Paul’s Resume

I was reading Paul’s words (talking about himself) in Philippians 3 when I came across the following verses:

…although I once also had confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.
Philippians 3:4-6

Add one fact to this passage that is found earlier in Acts 22:3. Paul was educated by Gamaliel, a well-known teacher of the law and a respected member of the Sanhedrin (similar to a Senate body). Now that you have this picture, do you see a pretty strong resume here?

Impressive Platform!

I am not a Bible scholar, but I know enough to say that Paul’s resume at that time would be the equivalent to a present-day, third-generation Ivy League law school graduate with internships at one of the top law firms and an invitation to practice law or teach anywhere he wants to go. It was that strong!

With that kind of a resume, or platform, you would think Paul would be proud and flaunt it wherever he went. Just to verify that, let’s take a look at the verses that follow:

But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him,…
Philippians 3:7-9

Paul’s Choice

Wait a minute…huh? Did we read that right? Paul considers EVERYTHING that was a gain (his resume) to now be a loss? He actually calls it all FILTH? Is he serious?

Of course, you already knew this, right? You have read this passage and you have known that Paul traded everything on his resume for the simple life of a traveling evangelist. He traded the life that came with his impressive platform for one that included shipwrecks, being stoned (by others), chains and whips, prison, etc. because he saw something most people miss.

Knowledge Proven In Actions?

So if we already know all of this, is this knowledge proven out in our actions? If someone from the outside were to look at you or me to determine our main goal in life, would they guess it to be an impressive resume or something else entirely? Would they see our actions matching up with our knowledge of something greater than this life?

If your answers are anything like mine, then there is some serious work to be done. If you are seeing inconsistencies in your actions like I am seeing in mine, then we need to stop and assess what gets us up in the morning.

Work To Be Done!

Maybe you do not require a complete overhaul, but some serious tweaking instead. I think that is where I am. I have allowed distractions to take my eyes off the prize and point me in other directions. Hopefully you are either in a similar position or better.

Either way, I encourage you to join with me in intentional, intimate prayer. We need to ask God to reveal those areas in our lives where we are seeking to add to our resume. We need to seek His guidance as to where we are to place our focus. We need to submit our plans to His plan.

If we will do this, I believe peace will replace frustration. Trouble will not disappear, but our peace within the trouble will increase. I don’t know about you, but I can handle that!

Have you ever been guilty of this resume building?

If not any longer, what changed?

What needs to change now?

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Eternal Perspective: Would You Have Made This Choice?

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Quite often on this blog, you will read something I write about having an eternal perspective. I guess it is because I believe this perspective is so critical to our walk as followers of Jesus. Most of my examples of this eternal perspective come from my observations of life going on around us. Today, I want to look at a clear example in the life of Abraham.

eternal

Abraham’s Journey

If you have read much about Abraham (called Abram at this time) in Genesis, you know that God called him to leave his homeland and go to a place that God would name later. Abram left immediately, showing the strong faith for which he is known. Where he was going, he did not know. At the same time, he believed God would provide for him.

Fast forward to Genesis 13 and there is already trouble. Lot, Abram’s nephew, had gone on the journey with Abram and had a large clan of his own. It did not take long for the people with Lot and the people with Abram to begin quarreling. The area where they had stopped was not large enough for both groups. Something had to give.

Abraham’s Choice

Notice first that in Genesis 13:4, that Abram called on the name of the Lord in this place. Right from the start, Abram is not trying to make it on his own, but is seeking the Lord in all that he was doing. In the very next verse, the problem is described and Abram has to act.

What does he do? What would you have done in the same position? God has called Abram on a journey and he is the head of the family. He brought his nephew along for some reason, but there is no question that this is not a 50/50 partnership journey. Abram is clearly the authority in this scene.

However, he does the unexpected and offers Lot the first choice of land. He didn’t just consider Lot and carve out a little choice land for him. Abram actually gave Lot the opportunity to take the best land and leave him with the left-overs. Would you do that?

The Results!

What happens next is amazing! Lot scans the land and chooses the entire Jordan valley as his area. Then he separates from Abram with his people to settle in that area. As soon as Lot had separated and before Abram had a chance to move toward his new land, the Lord spoke to Abram:

“Look from the place where you are. Look north and south, east and west, for I will give you and your offspring forever all the land that you see. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust of the earth, then your offspring could be counted. Get up and walk around the land, through its length and width, for I will give it to you.”
Genesis 13:14-17

Not only did God promise to bless him, but he also included the land Lot had chosen as part of His promise to Abram! How cool is that?!?!

Example Of Eternal Perspective?

Now, let’s stop and take a look at how these events give us an example of an eternal perspective.

First, take a look at God’s promise to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3. Here, God promises Abram that He will make him into a great nation. God lays out what the future will look like for Abram and his offspring. Abram believed God and set out to follow His directions.

When later faced with what looked like a losing situation when his people were quarreling with Lot’s people, Abram did not worry. He did not try to make sure he held onto everything that he thought was rightfully his. He did not grab for the temporal wealth.

Looked Foolish At The Time

Instead, right after praying to the Lord, Abram made a decision that looked foolish at the time. He let Lot choose from the best of the land. This left Abram with what appeared to be the least of the land. At the same time, he trusted God for whatever He wanted to do.

Abram chose the eternal. He chose to believe God for the promise He made in Genesis 12:1-3. He chose to follow God’s leading with Lot. And he chose to trust God for the results. The amazing part is that God then expanded the promise and gave him back what he had just allowed Lot to take.

Similar Eternal Choices

Folks, we face choices like this every day. You can probably think of examples, but here is the biggest one I can imagine. God has promised us, His children, an inheritance that we cannot even imagine. He has promised us an eternity with Him where the reward is greater that we can handle with our minds.

In return, He asks us to surrender our temporal lives here and now to Him. We are to live this life sacrificially, keeping our eyes focused on the eternal reward. Like Abram, we are called to share what He has given us now for the benefit of those around us. We are to trust Him for what He thinks we need.

Let Go!

The problem is that unlike Abram, we don’t want to give up what we believe is rightfully ours right now. We want to hold onto the “choice land” – whether it is our businesses, our families, or our own pleasures and desires – and not give it up to Him. How is it that we think this is the better choice?

If we will instead turn over these temporal choices to Him and follow His lead, we will see that two things will happen. If we will do this, not only will we get the reward in eternity, but we will also experience a greater life here!

Do you see the “eternal” in decisions you face everyday?

Have you made the right choices from an eternal perspective?

How do you discern the choice between the temporal and eternal?

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Is Your Eternal Perspective Out Of Focus?

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As I get older, I have more and more trouble seeing the small print. My eyes simply will not focus like they used to! If operating correctly, when focusing on a distant object, near objects will be fuzzy. If focusing on near objects, the distant ones will blur. Jesus taught us this about our eternal perspective!

eternal perspective

Jesus And Eternal Perspective

Say what? You heard me! Jesus effectively told us this very truth as He taught us to have an eternal perspective. If you do not believe me, then keep reading. I think you will agree once I have had a chance to explain!

First, let’s take a look at how Jesus taught us to have an eternal perspective. Here are a couple of passages that direct our focus to the eternal.

You are blessed when they insult and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven.
Matthew 5:11-12

Don’t collect for yourselves treasures[n] on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal.
Matthew 6:19-20

Jesus wants us to realize that this life is only a prelude to what He has in store for us in heaven. We are not to focus on the earthly pleasures, but to realize instead that our reward is in heaven.

Jesus And End Times

Jesus also teaches us what it will look like during the end times. He is not secretive about this, but actually tells us how to know when this time is upon us.

In fact, much of the whole chapter of Matthew 24 is dedicated to describing what that time will look like. He is so descriptive, it is easy to imagine how scary it will be. In fact, there are many similarities between Jesus’ description of the end times and what is going on around us today.

Jesus talks of wars and rumors of wars. He mentions nation rising up against nation as well as famines and earthquakes. All of this dark description can quickly remind us of what we see on the news every day. It is easy to get concerned or even depressed.

Jesus Returns!

But just when it looks the worst, the following verses get us excited!

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth will mourn; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather His elect from the four winds,from one end of the sky to the other.
Matthew 24:30-31

When Jesus talks about this, I want to shout! I want to gather my family together and hunker down in anticipation of the trumpet! Surely, He is coming soon and we can go on to our reward, right?

Wrong.

Not For Us To Know

There is one small – often overlooked – verse at the beginning of Acts that should bring our eternal perspective back into focus. The disciples have effectively asked Jesus if the end was about to begin. Take a look at Jesus’ words in response.

He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority.”
Acts 1:7

We have already seen where Jesus taught them (and us) what the end times would look like. We know He has pointed us to that time for our reward. So why is it that He is now telling them (and us) not to worry about the timing of the end?

Dual Focus Not Possible!

I think Jesus knows exactly what I was talking about at the beginning of this post. When we focus on distant objects (or times), the nearby objects (or times) become fuzzy.

Jesus knows if we begin focusing on the timing of the end, the responsibilities we have in the near term will become fuzzy. We will lose sight of the job we have today (adding silhouettes) while we prepare to wait for the end.

Instead, He wants us to KNOW about the end and how awesome it will be for us, but He does not want us to focus on that time. He wants us to focus on the jobs we have right now – relying on Him to reward us then for what is done now.

Refocus On Tasks At Hand

So, if you find yourself thinking too much about that Day, just know that your eternal perspective is out of focus! Some people would say you are too heavenly minded to be any earthly good!

When this happens, force yourself to bring your attention back to the present and to the good works He has prepared for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). When you do that, you will be in a position to bear more fruit.

Have you allowed your eternal perspective to drift?

How do you make sure your attention does not remain there?

How would you advise someone to maintain their eternal perspective in the present?

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Alone Or In A Group – Which Is Best?

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This is the fourth in a series of posts on recommendations I would make to someone at the beginning stages of deciding to use their business as a platform for Christian ministry. While this list of recommendations is not exhaustive, it should be a great start on which to build. Today we address joining a group.

group

Recap

So far, we have covered a lot of ground in this series. If you are just now joining us and have not read the other posts, you should go back and read them now. Here are the three recommendations we have discussed up to now:

    Recommendation #1 – Pray

    Recommendation #2 – Read Proverbs

    Recommendation #3 – Become An Expert

Each of these three recommendations build on each other so it is pretty important you follow them in the order presented. Of course, you do not have to fully complete one before you start the next one…just begin them in the order listed. Let’s talk about the next one.

Recommendation #4 – Join A Group

For the same reasons you need to join a church body when you become a Christian, I am recommending that you join a group of other Christian business owners and leaders. Just in case you are not clear on these specific reasons, I will go through them for you.

Fellowship – When you are able to spend time in fellowship with like-minded people, there is a bond that develops. You are able to discuss similar challenges and victories. You will find out that you are not alone in your struggles. You are not the only one with spiritual opposition to what you are trying to do through the business. This knowledge is empowering!

Accountability – In addition to learning that there are others in your same boat, you will figure out that making commitments for improvement is much more effective when you are making them to a group. It is difficult to face your peers and confess to lapses in judgment or failure to achieve objectives. The threat of having to do this will often be just the push you need to get you started on a project you have been delaying.

Perspective – When you hang out only with those people who have your same perspective (fellow employees or partners) on you business, you tend to all agree on solutions, strategy, etc. When you seek wisdom from a group with diverse perspectives, you will find solutions you never considered. You will be asked questions you would not have asked yourself. There is tremendous value in this.

Counsel – Proverbs repeats many times that we are to seek godly counsel. While reading God’s Word is a great source of godly counsel, so is a group of godly Christians. A solid group of Christian business people can provide wisdom and advice that will often confirm what you have read in the Bible or vice versa. Trying to go it alone is often a recipe for disaster.

Other Group Benefits

While there are likely many other benefits I could list, I think you get the idea. In fact, it is likely you already knew this to be the case and have experienced the results from a group like this in other areas of your life. I can promise you that you will see similar results from making this same idea a priority for your business.

I have mentioned many times on this blog that I am a member of a C12 group. In fact, both of my brothers are members of C12 groups as well. We have found immeasurable benefits to our commitments to these groups and would not give them up for anything. I have found C12 to be an integral part of our efforts to leverage our business as a platform for Christian ministry.

Do The Research!

If there is a C12 group in your area, I highly recommend you take the time to visit a meeting and see if it is a fit for you. If there is not a C12 group in your area, don’t stop there. Go online and find out if there is something similar available. Check with your church to see if there is a small group with business as the common denominator. If all else fails, start one yourself! Why not?!?

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:25

What benefits have you seen from being in a group setting?

What is stopping you from joining this kind of group?

What next step do you need to take?

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Recommendation #3 – Become An Expert

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This is the third in a series of posts on recommendations I would make to someone at the beginning stages of deciding to use their business as a platform for Christian ministry. While this list of recommendations is not exhaustive, it should be a great start on which to build. Today we will look at becoming an expert.

expert

Recommendations #1 & #2

So far in this series, I have given you two recommendations that I believe are critical in beginning the process of using your business as a platform for Christian ministry. Recommendation #1 was Pray. Recommendation #2 was to Read Proverbs. If you have not read about these recommendations, I strongly suggest you go back and do so now.

Now that we are all caught up, let’s move on to my third recommendation:

Recommendation #3 – Become An Expert

In his Catalyst 2012 session, Eugene Cho talked about how to start something from scratch. As someone who has started his own ministry (while pastoring a church), he knows what he is talking about.

His first point, like mine, was to pray and be sure of the passion that God is planting in your heart. His second recommendation was to become an expert in your field. He suggested that we dig in and learn all we can about the area in which we plan to minister.

If feeding the poor, learn all there is to know about the specific needs of the poor in your area. Learn about their demographics (ages, level of education, health issues, etc) and what types of food will meet their needs. Figure out how much is going to be needed and what that will cost over time. Eliminate any areas of doubt or unknowns. Do not be found short in knowledge.

Same Is True For Us

I think the same is true for our businesses AND for how to use them as ministries. Most likely you are already learning all you can learn about your own industry and how to be successful in your business within that industry.

It is just as likely that you have not achieved that same level of knowledge when it comes to how to use your business as a platform for Christian ministry. Most of us never have time for something like this. We are too busy learning our business. Besides…isn’t seeking to be an expert expecting too hard?

Expert Takes Time

Fortunately, you do not have to become an expert overnight. This is a marathon, not a sprint. All you need to do is recognize the need, layout a simple plan for continuous learning, and then execute that plan! Easy, right?

Actually, it is! In addition to reading Proverbs as a business manual, I can tell you that there is more information online about running a Christian business than you will ever be able to read. Not all of it is perfect or absolutely true for every situation. At the same time, when read with discernment and prayer, there is an almost endless supply of information.

There are also countless books on the subject. I have a list of some of my favorites on my Reading List here on this site.

One Bite At A Time

My suggestion is to carve out a certain amount of time every week for reading. Maybe it is ten minutes every morning as a part of your quiet time with God. It might be something you do while eating lunch by yourself once a week. It could even be what you do to wind down before going to bed at night.

If you will do this, over a period of months and years, you will find yourself an expert in using your business as a platform for Christian ministry. Do not try to make it happen overnight. It is not necessary. Nor is it healthy to approach it this way. Instead, make it a manageable part of your weekly routine. I promise you will see the results in time.

Starter List

In an effort to get you started at being an expert, I have compiled (below) a list of some websites that could help. This is NOT an exhaustive list. You can likely find many more if you will take the time to look. At the same time, this is a great start. Take a look and let me know what you think!

The High Calling

Great Leaders Serve

Susan DiMickele

Christian Business Crossroads

Marketplace Leaders

Jon Gordon

WorkMatters

In His Name HR

To A Higher Level