Stumble Much?

I remember watching my sons learn how to walk. Any parent can recall those exciting moments when their child’s wobbly legs and oversized head make what seems impossible possible. And now your exercise begins. They no longer stay where you put them and they systematically alter the decorations of your home until you only have things above three feet. 

Some people get better at walking than others. I have watched some guys at the gym stand on a medicine ball and do squats. You can see the continual fight not to fall and sometimes gravity wins.

My point is, learning how to walk is really learning how not to fall. It is not that all of the sudden the forces of gravity alter for that child and they begin to walk. No, they have simply learned how to constantly compensate for those forces. In a real sense, we are always falling; we simply adjust our weight with strengthened muscles and learned balance. Our state of standing does not come natural. If you don’t believe me, wait until you lie down tonight on your bed. I don’t know about you, but I usually let out a long sigh of relief and an occasional moan as my “anti-falling” muscles get a break.

Life is a daily walk. We usually do okay, but there are moments, days, and sometimes weeks where we don’t do so well. Life has a way of causing us to stumble and sometimes fall. If you can’t relate, you are so young that someone is reading this to you or you need to come back from your over-medicated state of delusion. The great theologian Rocky Balboa said it best, “Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place, and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life.” In other words, the trials and tribulations of this life will wear you down until we end up in our natural state—face down.

The Bible doesn’t tell us any different. The book of John tells us, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.” (John 16:33) If that were all he said, it would be a sad day. But this tough sentence is sandwiched between two all-powerful statements of Jesus, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me…But take heart, because I have overcome the world." Our only source of strength, peace, and ability to stand again is found in the presence of Jesus Christ in our life. Regardless if you stubbed your proverbial toe and are skipping on one foot or shattered your femur and all you can do is lie there and cry out in agony, take hold of the One who earned victory for you, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Some of us simply need to adjust our stride, some need to learn how to walk again, and some have never taken their first step in eternal life. “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6).

Jesus makes the impossible possible. You can stand, walk, and run again even after divorce, addiction, depression, and a death. Jesus is the way the truth and the life. 

“Let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy. For you bless the godly, O Lord; you surround them with your shield of love.”

Psalm 5:11-12

Live to Ride, Ride to Live

My friend, Jason, and I were recently on a two-day motorbike ride in Florida. When we woke up on beautiful Cedar Key, we decided to get an early start before the storms had a chance to build. As we left the comforts of the island behind us and rode over the bridge, it became obvious we were in for a wet, and at times, scary ride. I grabbed my phone and took this picture as I crossed the bayou. As you can see, we were heading straight into the dark and ominous veil of storm clouds ahead of us.

It wasn’t until I uploaded the picture that I saw the reflection in the mirror of the bright blue skies behind me. The image captures a cool moment of contrast where we are leaving the comfort and safety of a clear day to enter the dangerous wet roads ahead in order to reach our destination.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

I think many of us live looking longingly in the mirror of life. That is, life does not stop or slow down. We desire to go back to the “good ole days” when things were “simpler”. Some people reading this have storms in the mirror and only see darker super storms in their future.

Before the ride

Regardless of what’s in our mirror, we cannot be glued to what’s being reflected because that is only a memory while the reality of actual clouds, hard times, good times, and unknown twists and turns are rapidly coming at us. Glancing at the mirror is normal and healthy; staring at it will inevitably cause us to crash.

Our future is coming, we can’t stop it, but we can and should live in the knowledge that what is in the mirror is there to stay and how we respond to the coming moments is what determines what’s in our mirror tomorrow.

We had to punch through the dangerous rain to get home. What will you do with today? Will you continue to long for the images of your past? Will you continue to lament about the destructive storms in your mirror? Or will you choose to believe in the words of Christ and live knowing He has overcome the worries of today and will lead you through the storms of tomorrow?

“They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22

God assured us that life would be difficult. He asks us to remain focused through the complexities knowing that we must travel this road to get to the One we love.

This life will take us down; its meandering whiplash turns are daunting, demoralizing, and deadly. In the end, it is our foundation and focus that either gets us through or pulverizes our will to drive into the foreboding unknown. For Jason and me on that ride, it turns out, we barely got wet. The storms broke up before we got there and all we got was some sprinkles. I wonder what hurricanes, tornadoes, and super cells God will diminish, remove, or carry you through.

“We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.” 2 Cor. 4:9

What the clouds turned out to be

Get on your bike, glance at what’s behind you, and ride into the wind knowing no matter how bleak it looks, God never abandons you if you have put your faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. 

Works of Art

All Artwork by Jon Seals & used with permission.
"The Builders"©
http://jonsealsart.com/home.html

Recently, Yale Divinity School accepted a good friend of mine into their Master of Arts program, with a concentration in Religion and Visual Art. His artwork has always taken my mind to places unknown and led me to consider deeper, more profound thoughts.

As I admired one of his paintings, I thought about the time he spends before he puts the blank sheet of paper on his easel. The careful consideration of where to place the first stroke that begins the masterpiece. The various internal debates he must have while working with colors, shapes, lines, shadows, and most importantly, when to step back and declare it complete.

The artist is slow and methodical with each step because they know others will view it, critique it, and hopefully want to buy it and display it in their homes.

Life, it has been said, is a work of art.

I have always thought about that statement from a distant position. That is, I have always considered my life as one canvas, where I placed my first stroke years ago in my foolish young years. By the time I began to grasp life more deeply, I’d already messed up my painting so much that even Bob Ross couldn’t have recovered it.

Plow

As I spend my life trying to understand God, He has helped me alter my view of my canvas. While the silly and immature strokes of years past are there, I do not see my life as one large canvas—yet. Instead, every day He places a blank sheet on my easel and leaves me with choices that will determine what today’s art will look like. I can choose to ignore the critical nature of the day and let the paint fall where it may with no design, pattern, or beauty. Or I can choose to think carefully about the day by spending time with the Perfect Creator, ask Him where to place the first stroke and ask Him to plan the day for me. This way, at the end of the day, I can hand Him my artwork, wait for His response, and know that it is perfect.

Then one day, when this body stops moving and I have no more canvas left to paint, He and I will take the 30,000’ view of thousands of small works of art and it will make either one giant masterpiece or something to be discarded.

Students

My friend impressed the right people to get into Yale with his artwork. I want to impress my heavenly Father, my Savior, and the Holy Spirit with my daily canvases that were woven together by Them in a manner I could not see until I reached that side of Heaven.

My past may be ugly. I will make stupid decisions today, tomorrow, and next week. But when I keep my thoughts on Jesus, and walk as He would have me walk, He turns ugly into beauty. 

Our life is a giant canvas that one day we will present to our Savior, Jesus Christ. It can be beautiful or it can be a disaster. Today you have a choice to paint with thought or toss away your choices as though they were meaningless. 

Question: Will God want to display your life's art in the halls of eternity?

“Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.”  Colossians 1:22

Dead Squirrels

 

Everyone can associate with the squirrel on the road. You know the one that dodges, darts, and dashes to get from one side to the next for no apparent reason. For the last few weeks, one of those gray, furry creatures would run in front of my car on a small side road on my way to work. This week, he juked when he should have jived and met his end.

As I drove by him on the road, I considered his brief life. His ‘home’ was on the side of the road surrounded by dozens of wooded acres with no homes, cars, or roads, everything he could possibly need or want to live a happy life. He would run to the other side of the road, which is a walled subdivision. It reminds me of the classic question, “Why did the chicken/squirrel cross the road?”

This story plays out untold thousands of times a day around the world, but it’s not just animals, it’s us. God gives us what we “need”, and yet, we want what’s on the other side of the road. Our discontentment with His provisions and curiosity is so strong that we are willing to risk the dangers inherent in those decisions. Somehow—I’ll never understand how—we convince ourselves that what happened to millions before us will not happen to us; “It can’t happen to me!” We believe we are wiser or have figured out a trick that ‘they’ didn’t know. In the end, the wheels pin us to the road, and the result is the same…passersby glance at our outcome, and then shake their head in disbelief about our poor choice to leave the known to run to the unknown. The funny part is that the squirrels on the side we’re running to are running to our side believing the same thing about our side.

God warns us over and over about desiring the other side of the road because longing leads to running, which leads to our demise.

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

“Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8

Stories of men and women, who have refused to be content, litter humankind’s history from the most powerful leaders to the lowliest survivor. Curiosity killed the cat, the squirrel, and us.

 “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” 1 Timothy 4:11-13

If you are finding yourself looking, longing, and lunging for the other side, consider the dangers…consider our mandate to be content…consider our first goal, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33

 

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Why I Fell

When I lived near the mountains of North Carolina, I was somewhat addicted to mountain biking. There is something exhilarating about going 30mph-plus through heavily wooded and steep terrain. The learning curve in such a sport is often unforgiving when you hit a tree or slip on an exposed root. The one obstacle to give me the most trouble was log bridges. No matter what I did, I fell off more than I stayed on. That can be frustrating and it is certainly painful.

One day, a more experienced rider watched my technique and immediately recognized my problem—my eyes. No, I didn’t need glasses; it was where my eyes were looking, my focus or point of aim that was the problem. He told me a simple yet profound rule, “Where you look, there you will go.” Don’t look at the ditch, look at the bridge and your tires will follow. From that moment, I stayed on logs and other teetering hurdles more than I fell off.

As a pastor, most people who come and talk to me want to know one thing:

“How do I get my life back on track?”

The response I give is their eyes have lost their focus. Just like my point of aim was wrong as I rode the logs, so our glances in life become staring points and where you look, there you will go

It is so easy to look at the problem, the obstacle, or the danger and miss the Answer. Other times it is the temptation to look too long at deceptively ‘beautiful scenery’ (power, success, wealth, sensual desires) and completely miss the bridge, the trail, and the exit. The good news is that while we have breath, our Solution is always right in front of us, and He is inviting you to let Him direct, lead, and sometimes carry you through your troubled waters.

“For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Matthew 7:14

One of the primary reasons the ‘way is hard’ is because of our focus. We can lose sight of our intended target for many reasons. Sometimes our reason is arrogance or believing our path is better, fear of the world’s opinion, embarrassment thinking Jesus can’t forgive us and will not help, our past failures to walk the straight and narrow, or a multiplicity of other rationalizations.  

Adjust your focus from the problem to the Answer!

‘Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6

If you miss this bridge, you have missed everything, and your life will have amounted to nothing more than temporal fascination that leads nowhere. Today is a new day and your choice is to keep your eyes on Jesus or turn your glance to the world. One thing is certain,

Where you look, there you will go.

 

Ready...Set...Die

 

In the book of Luke chapter twelve, Jesus is talking to a massive crowd. So large, in fact, that they were “stepping on each other” (v.1). During this critical moment, Jesus could have taught on all sorts of topics, but one of those He chose was about our lifespan. He said to these thousands of people that they always worry about today and they work for this life rather than eternity and such pursuits are meaningless. Specifically, Jesus said, “…‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” (vv. 20-21)

Life

Everyone knows we are not promised another second; and yet, nearly all of us act, talk, and live as if we have decades. Some even live as if the cure for death is around the corner.  News, emails, and phone calls, constantly remind us no one gets out of here alive. It happens to the very young, the very old, and all ages in-between. Because of this and our desire to ignore truth, we are exceptional at looking the other way. Sure, we cringe for a second or so, but then turn our minds to “happy, happy, joy, joy”. We hear, see, and sometimes smell death as it surrounds us and choose to ignore its warning. The warning is littered throughout scripture that it is appointed once for a man to die, then the judgment (Heb. 9:27). If it happens to me today, the question should not be, “Why him?” the question should be, “Why not him?” We all know our days are numbered. So why are we so surprised when that fateful day arrives?

Warning Signs

Because we are experts at ignoring reality and prefer to become numb to the truth of God’s counsel, God and life caution us repeatedly. I don’t know about you, but I want to read those tough news stories, listen carefully to those in pain dealing with a loved one’s death, and then focus on my personal judgment, answering the biblical question, “Have I worked out my salvation with fear and trepidation?” (Phil. 2:12)

The Race

We all like to believe we are at the starting line and the judge is getting ready to yell, “Ready…Set…Go!” But the truth of the matter is, he may be saying, “Ready…Set…Die, and tonight you shall face your Judge.” That is not a dark or morbid thought as much as it is reality. As an apologist, my job is to remind others of truth; I, therefore, must live the same way.

If the Apostle Paul were alive today, I believe he would use our vernacular and say something such as this, “Are you paying attention to what I am telling you? Are you listening to all my warnings? Yes, you are saved by grace, but you were created to live as Christ did…holy, righteous, God honoring. How can you not see you are allowed to live so that your life honors Him, and still you live as the world does, relying on the abundance of God’s grace? C-mon, man, wake up!” (Rom. 6:1 & Eph. 2:10, And others) And James, the brother of Christ spoke in a manner that left no wiggle room (we love gray areas so we can wiggle and jiggle inside of it, playing with sin as a dog does a chew toy), “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith, but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?” (James 2:14).

Country Truth

Tim McGraw sings a song, Live Like You Were Dying. I love it, but unfortunately, he misses the mark. Yes, live life to its fullest, but a life that does not glorify Christ is a life wasted on narcissistic and empty pursuits. There’s beauty in a full life, but a flickering flame is quickly forgotten.

“Someday I hope you get the chance, to live like you were dying”…that day is today…we are all in various stages of death. Now, how will you answer McGraw’s questions,

“What did you do with it?”

“What could you do with it?”

 “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.”

(Luke 12:31, Selah…seriously, I am begging you to stop and consider this verse)

Morbidly Obese

Occasionally, a news article describes a crime in which people stood by and did nothing to stop what was occurring. A woman is violated, a man is beaten, a child is verbally assaulted, and the list is as endless as the depraved human mind is evil. As we read about these senseless events, there is something inside of us that incites righteous anger. “Why didn’t anyone do anything?”, “How could they just stand there?”, “If I was there I would have…!”

Now imagine those same scenarios, but the bystanders were police officers or armed military. Or what if they were high-powered executives who had knowledge of an ongoing criminal act where innocence was robbed. We rightly become more indignant because we all know that with great power and/or knowledge comes tremendous responsibility. Unlike the typical bystander, the officer and militia are highly trained experts on how to handle nightmarish situations. And CEOs receive training on what to do if “X” occurs, and the answer is never, ‘Sit back and allow the crime to continue.’ The court of public opinion would rightly be one of outrage.

What about the Christian who remains silent?

 

The viral YouTube video of atheist, Penn, of Penn and Teller accurately describes the Christian who says nothing to a person who they believe is going to hell. He says, “Some Christians don’t proselytize because they’re afraid of it being socially awkward…How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize?”

The Body of Christ is filled with wide and expanding souls who refuse to share the gospel.

It appears the Body of Christ has become morbidly obese. That is, they continue to gorge themselves at the table of God’s knowledge week after week, absorbing the truth of Christ, fat with lifesaving information, full of life, bursting at the seams with eternal knowledge that sets the captives free. Yet most, according to research, remain silent.

I fear the day when we stand in heaven and my perfect ears hear the righteous indignation and chorus from those departing to eternal separation from God rightly crying out… “WHY!?” “HOW COULD YOU!?” “IF I HAD KNOWN, I WOULD HAVE…!?”

Spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ is not a calling or a gift; it is a command!

 

Imagine what could happen if the New Year’s resolution of the Christian was, “To go out and make disciples of Jesus Christ.” In other words, I will no longer sit week after week watching my friends, family, and co-workers walk the path of eternal destruction. I will obey the command of God. I will stand up for the righteous cause and not be a bystander anymore. I will get my soul in shape by working it out on the lost.

“How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize?” How long will we ignore the command of God?

Our calling is not to get to Heaven by the skin of our teeth. We are trained, equipped, and commanded, at minimal, to attempt to...

bring others with us.

 

Never Underestimate the Enemy

 

Many years ago, I entered a karate competition. As I awaited my turn in the ring, I sized up my opponents. One man stood out from the rest. He was in his thirties with a scraggly beard and very rough looking. My thought was anyone but him. The luck of the draw pitted me against that man. Fear raced through my mind as he and I squared off to do battle. They declared me the victor in less than a minute. I was shocked that I was able to beat such a leathery looking opponent. But that was only round one.

Again, I stood on the sideline, looking who remained that I had to fight, as one by one, competitors took the walk of shame and the circle of winners shrunk. I then won my next round and there were only two of us left. I had not paid this young man any attention as he was skinny and quite weak looking. I leaned over, extended my hand to wish him luck, but inside I knew I had this competition wrapped up. He smiled at me and wished me luck as well. We entered the ring, bowed to the Sensei, faced each other and bowed, and then just before the judge yelled, “FIGHT”, this meek young boy’s face turned from kind to violent, startling me. The fight was on and very quickly he took my strategy (walk to the table and pick up my trophy) apart and won 3 to 2. I was stunned at the loss. How could I let someone who looked so innocent beat me?

I learned a critical mindset that day, never underestimate my enemy. My mind gave me permission to stand-down, to relax a little, and glance at the large trophy on the table near us. The trophy I would never have because I underestimated my opponent.

In life, I wonder how many of us will never see the "trophy" God has waiting for us because we underestimated the enemy and overestimated our resolve. How many times has that ego-boosting glance from an attractive person lured an otherwise powerful warrior to fall? How many times has an advertisement promising happiness with their shiny new product sent a person to financial ruin and the landslide of heartaches that follow? How many times have we read the verses that Satan masquerades as an angel of light, that he is brilliant, beautiful, acts like God, appears good to the human intellect, yet is a roaring lion seeking to devour those who miscalculate and become complacent? How many times will I continue to underestimate my enemy and trust in my abilities?

I wish I would see the immediate spiritual results of such failures as I did, physically, that day in the ring. Sadly, it is usually a process, a slow process, where we allow the drip to become a raging torrent and succumb to his fierce powerful grip. By ignoring our weakness we are ultimately unable to fulfill our purpose—glorifying God with our lives.

According to God, our enemy is a seasoned and unyielding enemy, and we do not need to size him up. Instead, RUN from temptation and PURSUE righteousness, is our answer. Look away, walk away, run away, just get out of the way of our enemies reach (Gen 39:12; 1 Tim. 6:11). Do not glance at the winner’s table; we have work to do and the enemy is trying to stop us with egotistical pursuits, busyness, and burdens.

“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” 2 Tim. 2:22

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." 1 Cor. 9:24

 

"I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." Phil. 3:14