By Gobel Brockman
I once heard a story about a couple who walked into a restaurant. As soon as they entered they saw a man who fit the mold of the stereotypical 'biker' - a big, burly guy with long hair pulled into a ponytail, full scruffy beard, leather vest over a Harley Davidson T-shirt, and even the wallet with a chain attached to his belt. And what was this guy doing? Standing on a chair with a look of sheer terror on his face. The couple soon found out what the problem was - he had seen a mouse. This big, burly man who would strike fear in others with his simple presence was terrified of a mouse. Let that sink in for a moment. (In the book of Psalms, when you see the word 'Selah', that's part of what that means.) (No extra charge for that.)
Fear is a powerful thing. It can easily make rational people do irrational things. And please remember that there's a difference between fear and caution. Putting a seat belt on when you get into a car isn't fear. Being reluctant to get into a car because of what might happen is a different story. God doesn't intend for us to live our lives with a constant fear that something bad's going to happen. That can be debilitating. Yes, bad things happen. I can't promise any of you that something terrible isn't going to happen to you today. We live in a fallen world, and that's part of what we have to deal with because of it. But living your life with constant dread is a sad way to live, and God can give you victory over that.
The Apostle Paul said this to Timothy: "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind." I want to focus on the first part: a spirit of fear. In Ephesians 6 the Bible says that our struggle isn't with flesh and blood, but with spiritual forces. NO, I'm not saying that people who deal with fear are demon possessed. I'm saying that we need to be reminded that we are spiritual creatures who face spiritual battles. And winning these battles requires us to to do it God's way. Romans 8:6 says that being carnally minded is death, but being spiritually minded is life and peace. Begin by feeding your mind with His Word and His way of thinking. Stop feeding your mind with thoughts of gloom and despair.
I close with this. There's a story in the Bible where Jesus and His disciples are on a boat in the midst of a storm. The disciples are struggling to keep themselves alive. And what's Jesus doing? Sleeping. In the boat. In the midst of a life-threatening storm. The disciples wake Him up and accuse Him of not caring that they're about to die. So Jesus wakes up and tells the storm 'Cool it!' (I'm paraphrasing). The storm immediately stops. He then says to the others, "How is it you're so fearful and have no faith?" It was like He was saying to them, "Sometimes I'll calm the storm. Sometimes I'll let them rage for a bit so I can calm My child."
Selah.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Saturday, January 19, 2013
It Doesn't Pay To 'Nod' Off
By Gobel Brockman
Genesis 4:16 "Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden."
Most of you know the story. Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden after the fall. Soon after they had their first son, Cain. Soon after their son Abel was born. The Bible says that in time, they both offered sacrifices to God. It's obvious from the context that Cain's sacrifice was not what God had required, for it says that God accepted Abel's sacrifice, but not Cain's. I can't help but wonder if Cain hadn't decided he just didn't want to do it God's way, so he would just do what he thought was best. Perhaps he thought, "Surely God will see my heart". However, his offering was not accepted. Eventually his anger caused him to murder his brother. As punishment, he was forced to leave the presence of God and settle in Nod. Nod in Hebrew means 'vagrancy; wandering'.
Over the years I've seen many people begin their Christian journey, only to find out that God has 'His way' of doing things. Many times 'His way' doesn't make sense to us. And so they get discouraged and give up. Sometimes the battle just gets too difficult, and they think, "My life was easier before I started all this church stuff" and they give up. But there's a lesson from Cain's life that we need to learn: YOU CAN'T LEAVE GOD'S PRESENCE AND FIND ANYTHING GOOD. It amazes me that people think they can find peace by walking away from the 'Prince of Peace'.
There are many lessons we can learn from Cain's life. He chose to do things his own way instead of listening to God, and found nothing but heartache. So will we. God told him, "If you do what is right, you will be accepted." So will you and I. When he left God's presence, he ended up a vagrant, with no hope and no help. Let's not make the same mistake.
Christianity can be very difficult sometimes. God has strict standards (His Word), and He doesn't deviate from it. Sometimes we may be tempted to just walk away, thinking that the battle is just too much. In those times, stay the course. Fight the good fight of faith. Remember that the trials we face in this life are nothing compared to what awaits us if we remain in Christ.
Don't 'nod' off.
Genesis 4:16 "Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden."
Most of you know the story. Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden after the fall. Soon after they had their first son, Cain. Soon after their son Abel was born. The Bible says that in time, they both offered sacrifices to God. It's obvious from the context that Cain's sacrifice was not what God had required, for it says that God accepted Abel's sacrifice, but not Cain's. I can't help but wonder if Cain hadn't decided he just didn't want to do it God's way, so he would just do what he thought was best. Perhaps he thought, "Surely God will see my heart". However, his offering was not accepted. Eventually his anger caused him to murder his brother. As punishment, he was forced to leave the presence of God and settle in Nod. Nod in Hebrew means 'vagrancy; wandering'.
Over the years I've seen many people begin their Christian journey, only to find out that God has 'His way' of doing things. Many times 'His way' doesn't make sense to us. And so they get discouraged and give up. Sometimes the battle just gets too difficult, and they think, "My life was easier before I started all this church stuff" and they give up. But there's a lesson from Cain's life that we need to learn: YOU CAN'T LEAVE GOD'S PRESENCE AND FIND ANYTHING GOOD. It amazes me that people think they can find peace by walking away from the 'Prince of Peace'.
There are many lessons we can learn from Cain's life. He chose to do things his own way instead of listening to God, and found nothing but heartache. So will we. God told him, "If you do what is right, you will be accepted." So will you and I. When he left God's presence, he ended up a vagrant, with no hope and no help. Let's not make the same mistake.
Christianity can be very difficult sometimes. God has strict standards (His Word), and He doesn't deviate from it. Sometimes we may be tempted to just walk away, thinking that the battle is just too much. In those times, stay the course. Fight the good fight of faith. Remember that the trials we face in this life are nothing compared to what awaits us if we remain in Christ.
Don't 'nod' off.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Are You 'Doing' Or 'Being'?
By Gobel Brockman
I once read a story of a lady who got married. After the wedding, the husband changed, becoming very dominating and controlling. He went so far as to actually write a list of the things he expected from her in the marriage. Every aspect of her life and marriage quickly became a burden to her. After a few years, he became ill and passed away. A short time later, she met another man, fell in love, and got married. This time was different. He loved her and treated her with respect and admiration, and she did the same. Several years later, she was cleaning out some old papers and found the list her first husband had written. She discovered that she was doing every single thing on the list in this marriage as well. Only this time, she wasn't even noticing, because she was doing them out of love. She wasn't 'doing' what a wife's supposed to do, she was 'being' a wife. And being one gladly.
As Christians, it's easy to forget that there's a difference between 'doing' something and 'being' something. How often do we fall into the trap of, "It's Sunday, time to get up and go to church. That's what Christians 'do'." "I'll write out my tithe check. That's what Christians 'do'." Before long, the whole Christian thing becomes a burden to us because it becomes an obligation to us. What once brought us joy now becomes just more things that we 'do'. I've been there. I'm sure most of you have too. In Revelation chapter 2, Jesus spoke to an entire church that was there. He basically told them, "I see all the things you're doing, and they're good things. But I have a major problem with you. You've lost the love you had for Me." Ouch.
As I look back on my Christian experience, the times where things were going the best were the times I was 'doing' all the stuff Christians do was because I was spending time in prayer and Bible study, drawing closer to God and putting Him first in my life. I wasn't going to church because that's what Christians 'do', I was going because I couldn't wait to get there. In the Bible Jesus said that if two or three meet together in His name, He would be there, and I just wanted to be where He was. It was when I let my love for God grow cold that it all became an 'obligation'. I don't want that to ever happen again. In the story I began with, all the things the lady did in the second marriage weren't duties, they were acts of love. That's what I want my relationship with Christ to be like.
Well, time to log off and get ready for church. Not because that's what Christians 'do'. I just want to be where He is.
I once read a story of a lady who got married. After the wedding, the husband changed, becoming very dominating and controlling. He went so far as to actually write a list of the things he expected from her in the marriage. Every aspect of her life and marriage quickly became a burden to her. After a few years, he became ill and passed away. A short time later, she met another man, fell in love, and got married. This time was different. He loved her and treated her with respect and admiration, and she did the same. Several years later, she was cleaning out some old papers and found the list her first husband had written. She discovered that she was doing every single thing on the list in this marriage as well. Only this time, she wasn't even noticing, because she was doing them out of love. She wasn't 'doing' what a wife's supposed to do, she was 'being' a wife. And being one gladly.
As Christians, it's easy to forget that there's a difference between 'doing' something and 'being' something. How often do we fall into the trap of, "It's Sunday, time to get up and go to church. That's what Christians 'do'." "I'll write out my tithe check. That's what Christians 'do'." Before long, the whole Christian thing becomes a burden to us because it becomes an obligation to us. What once brought us joy now becomes just more things that we 'do'. I've been there. I'm sure most of you have too. In Revelation chapter 2, Jesus spoke to an entire church that was there. He basically told them, "I see all the things you're doing, and they're good things. But I have a major problem with you. You've lost the love you had for Me." Ouch.
As I look back on my Christian experience, the times where things were going the best were the times I was 'doing' all the stuff Christians do was because I was spending time in prayer and Bible study, drawing closer to God and putting Him first in my life. I wasn't going to church because that's what Christians 'do', I was going because I couldn't wait to get there. In the Bible Jesus said that if two or three meet together in His name, He would be there, and I just wanted to be where He was. It was when I let my love for God grow cold that it all became an 'obligation'. I don't want that to ever happen again. In the story I began with, all the things the lady did in the second marriage weren't duties, they were acts of love. That's what I want my relationship with Christ to be like.
Well, time to log off and get ready for church. Not because that's what Christians 'do'. I just want to be where He is.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
The Enemy of 'Great'
By Gobel Brockman
I've began my 'Through the Bible in a year' reading program for 2013. The main story that stuck out to me in my reading this week is the story of Abraham. An old man, well past his prime, married to a lady in the same situation. They have no children, yet God speaks to him and says, "If you can count the stars, then you can count your descendants." Here's the thing that hits me: it says, "Abraham believed God...". How much faith did it take for an old man, married to an old woman, to believe that they would have a son? To be honest, more than I probably have. And yet, it seemed no difficult task to Abraham.
That got me thinking in this direction: how many promises are in the Bible that I'm not believing for myself? How often do I let circumstances blind me to what's available to me? The Bible says some incredible things that we as Christians can believe:
"I will never leave you or forsake you."
"If God be for us, who can be against us?"
"I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength."
"We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us."
I could go on - and on. I think one of the church's biggest failures is not taking God at His word when He says that He is on our side, and will not leave us. I remind us all that God isn't like us - when He promises, He doesn't forget it. He is true to His word. Those things that we think are impossible are nothing to the One that created this whole thing by simply saying, "Let there be..."
What do I think is 'the enemy of great'? Settling for 'good enough'. Allowing circumstances to cause us to stop believing that God is bigger than our situations. Refusing to step out in faith because it seems impossible to us, and failing to remember that we serve a God that loves taking the impossible and showing His power through it. My goal this year is to live one day at a time, and stop allowing circumstances to dictate how much I believe God for. He is for me, He's promised that He will never leave me, and that I'll face no problem by myself.
I don't want to be 'good', I want to let God prove through me that He's 'Great'.
I've began my 'Through the Bible in a year' reading program for 2013. The main story that stuck out to me in my reading this week is the story of Abraham. An old man, well past his prime, married to a lady in the same situation. They have no children, yet God speaks to him and says, "If you can count the stars, then you can count your descendants." Here's the thing that hits me: it says, "Abraham believed God...". How much faith did it take for an old man, married to an old woman, to believe that they would have a son? To be honest, more than I probably have. And yet, it seemed no difficult task to Abraham.
That got me thinking in this direction: how many promises are in the Bible that I'm not believing for myself? How often do I let circumstances blind me to what's available to me? The Bible says some incredible things that we as Christians can believe:
"I will never leave you or forsake you."
"If God be for us, who can be against us?"
"I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength."
"We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us."
I could go on - and on. I think one of the church's biggest failures is not taking God at His word when He says that He is on our side, and will not leave us. I remind us all that God isn't like us - when He promises, He doesn't forget it. He is true to His word. Those things that we think are impossible are nothing to the One that created this whole thing by simply saying, "Let there be..."
What do I think is 'the enemy of great'? Settling for 'good enough'. Allowing circumstances to cause us to stop believing that God is bigger than our situations. Refusing to step out in faith because it seems impossible to us, and failing to remember that we serve a God that loves taking the impossible and showing His power through it. My goal this year is to live one day at a time, and stop allowing circumstances to dictate how much I believe God for. He is for me, He's promised that He will never leave me, and that I'll face no problem by myself.
I don't want to be 'good', I want to let God prove through me that He's 'Great'.
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