By Gobel Brockman
Sometime when you have a few moments, conduct a little personal experiment. Find a little hourglass, get all the sand in one side, then turn it over and watch it all the way through. As you do, compare it to your life:
It's full. (You're a newborn.) This will take a while. Now, a few grains of sand are gathering at the bottom. (You're a child. A lot of time ahead of you.) Now, about 25% of the sand has passed. (You're receiving your high school diploma.) A few more grains of sand. Then a few more. (You're married and have started a family.) Soon, the bottom is half full. (You're enduring your 'mid-life crisis'.) A few more grains. (You watch as your children marry and make you a grandparent.) A few more. (You're having cake at work while everyone celebrates your retirement.) Suddenly you notice that there are only a few grains of sand left. Then, the top is empty.
It's over. The hourglass is empty.
Take a few moments and look at the hourglass. It's done. Over. No more grains of sand. No more time. Now look at the grains of sand at the bottom. Imagine each grain as a moment of your life. Your childhood, your teen years, your life as a newlywed and as a new parent. Time spent laughing, crying, hoping, regretting. That leads me to the question I want to ask all of us this week:
How many grains of sand would we have to say were time wasted?
Time spent worrying about things that really weren't that important. Time spent being mad about trivial matters. Time spent on worthless pursuits while ignoring the incredible blessings that were right in front of us. None of us are immune to this. Everyone has regrets. We all have things that we wish we had done differently. My point is not to depress you with this, it's simply to remind you that we're still here, and while we can't change the past, we can control how we handle our future. The grains of sand we have left can be incredible moments that can be filled with joy. How do we do that?
*Put God first. (If you haven't accepted Jesus as Savior, today can be your day.)
*Ask Him to help you prioritize your life, and open your eyes to what He would have you do day by day.
*Recognize that the majority of things that we worry about or get mad about aren't worth the time we devote to it.
*Remember that once that day's sand has dropped, we can't put it in the top again. We should pray that God helps us remember that each day is a gift that He has given us.
*Recognize the incredible blessings that are right in front of us. The people who love us, the provisions He gives us, and the opportunities for joy and happiness that are right within our grasp.
Each one of us gets one hourglass. When it's empty, it's empty. No refills. The Bible says in the book of James that our lives are "a vapor that appears for a time, then vanishes..." Now get out there, give your life to God, and make the rest of your life count. The hourglass is ticking....
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Doing the 'Right' Thing the 'Wrong' Way
By Gobel Brockman
"If you want me to believe in your Redeemer, you need to look a lot more redeemed."
-Nietzsche
During my senior year of high school I was working at a Shell station at the Franklin exit on I-65. It was during this time that I was at my lowest point in my drug and alcohol abuse. One night two guys walked in. It was a very slow night, and no one else was there. One of them reached into his pocket and pulled out a gospel tract, and asked me if I was 'saved'. I told him yes, I prayed at church and was baptized when I was eight. It was a half-truth. Yes, I prayed and was baptized when I was eight, but in no way could I say I was living for the Lord. I just told him that hoping they'd go away. I went into the back room for a minute, and when I came out they were still there. The other guy walked up, shook my hand, and said, "God has given me a vision that there are too many people 'playing church'..." and proceeded to preach a sermon. He told me things that God was laying on his heart about my life. He was spot-on. It was as if he had been watching my life on closed-circuit TV. The thing was, while he was doing it he was bold almost to the point of being obnoxious. Even though every word he said was true, there was no way I was responding, simply because I just wanted him out of there.
As Christians, we are called to share our faith. Jesus said we were to "....go into all of the world and preach..." and that is a responsibility we should all embrace. However, there's something that we as Christians sometimes forget - a little thing called 'common sense'. It's one thing to stand for what you believe in, but another thing entirely to negate our message by presenting it with a wrong spirit or attitude. I've seen people be very confrontational in their witnessing, get no results, and walk away saying, "I guess the gospel offended them." I'm standing there thinking, "No, it wasn't the gospel that offended them, maybe it was your arrogant, condescending attitude." Yes, there is a time for boldness. Some people need to be confronted sometimes. But one thing that we need to focus on is the ability to read people where they are. Someone with a broken heart doesn't need confrontation, they need encouragement.
I compare it to fishing. If you want to catch a catfish, you don't put a spinner on the line and skim the surface. Catfish tend to stay toward the bottom. People are the same. Some people are ready. Some need work. Some, God has already been working on their hearts. Some have church-related hurts that we know nothing about. Good fisherman have taken the time to learn the fish's traits, baits they prefer, and times they're most likely to hit. "Fishers of men" would do well to do the same.
As we go out this week, let's remember that people out there need to hear about Jesus. Let's also remember that the WAY they hear it matters.
"If you want me to believe in your Redeemer, you need to look a lot more redeemed."
-Nietzsche
During my senior year of high school I was working at a Shell station at the Franklin exit on I-65. It was during this time that I was at my lowest point in my drug and alcohol abuse. One night two guys walked in. It was a very slow night, and no one else was there. One of them reached into his pocket and pulled out a gospel tract, and asked me if I was 'saved'. I told him yes, I prayed at church and was baptized when I was eight. It was a half-truth. Yes, I prayed and was baptized when I was eight, but in no way could I say I was living for the Lord. I just told him that hoping they'd go away. I went into the back room for a minute, and when I came out they were still there. The other guy walked up, shook my hand, and said, "God has given me a vision that there are too many people 'playing church'..." and proceeded to preach a sermon. He told me things that God was laying on his heart about my life. He was spot-on. It was as if he had been watching my life on closed-circuit TV. The thing was, while he was doing it he was bold almost to the point of being obnoxious. Even though every word he said was true, there was no way I was responding, simply because I just wanted him out of there.
As Christians, we are called to share our faith. Jesus said we were to "....go into all of the world and preach..." and that is a responsibility we should all embrace. However, there's something that we as Christians sometimes forget - a little thing called 'common sense'. It's one thing to stand for what you believe in, but another thing entirely to negate our message by presenting it with a wrong spirit or attitude. I've seen people be very confrontational in their witnessing, get no results, and walk away saying, "I guess the gospel offended them." I'm standing there thinking, "No, it wasn't the gospel that offended them, maybe it was your arrogant, condescending attitude." Yes, there is a time for boldness. Some people need to be confronted sometimes. But one thing that we need to focus on is the ability to read people where they are. Someone with a broken heart doesn't need confrontation, they need encouragement.
I compare it to fishing. If you want to catch a catfish, you don't put a spinner on the line and skim the surface. Catfish tend to stay toward the bottom. People are the same. Some people are ready. Some need work. Some, God has already been working on their hearts. Some have church-related hurts that we know nothing about. Good fisherman have taken the time to learn the fish's traits, baits they prefer, and times they're most likely to hit. "Fishers of men" would do well to do the same.
As we go out this week, let's remember that people out there need to hear about Jesus. Let's also remember that the WAY they hear it matters.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
When You Can't Get There From Here
By Gobel Brockman
There are few things that frustrate me more quickly or more intensely than a traffic jam on an interstate. Interstates are made for speed. You can set your cruise control and keep moving with no stop signs or interruptions. When something hinders that, it can be maddening for people like me. Several years ago we were heading to Florida for vacation. Around Cave City, Kentucky we were stopped on I-65 for over an hour. I don't mean we inched along, stop-and-go at 20 MPH; I mean stopped in the same spot. An hour later we were still parked at the same spot. On an interstate. Once we finally got moving I never did see what the holdup was, but at that point I needed a vacation from my vacation.
I think it's just the idea that you have a clear shot to your destination, but there's something beyond your control that's getting in your way. Someone, somewhere did something (beyond their control or not) that is affecting you and your ability to complete your trip. But in thinking about this, it brings to mind a Scripture found in Galatians 2:21:
"I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness comes by the law, then Christ died in vain."
"Frustrate grace". How do we do that? I think of it in terms of a journey. Grace has a goal in mind - reconciliation between us and God. Something gets in grace's way to keep us from receiving it. The frustrating part is WE are the very ones who place the roadblocks in the way.
What do I mean? Grace cannot be earned. We can never be 'good enough' to deserve God's favor. The Bible says that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Every time we try to 'earn' our salvation, we hinder the very grace that we need. I can't tell you how many people I've had tell me over the years that they wanted to give their lives to Christ, but had some things they needed to 'get right' first. There's where grace gets frustrated. If we could 'get right' on our own, we wouldn't need grace in the first place. The very reason Christ laid down His life on the cross is we can NEVER 'get right' with God on our own. Sin stands in the way, and our best efforts will never cleanse that. It took a perfect sacrifice and perfect grace. We can provide neither.
I'm not talking about living however we want and God's grace will cover it. I think you understand that. I'm saying that there is only one way to reach the destination of us being reconciled to God, and our efforts to 'help' that do nothing but make grace sit in a traffic jam. The price of salvation and grace has been paid, and we couldn't afford to pay it. Someone else paid it for us.
Be an exit, not a roadblock. Roadblocks are frustrating.
There are few things that frustrate me more quickly or more intensely than a traffic jam on an interstate. Interstates are made for speed. You can set your cruise control and keep moving with no stop signs or interruptions. When something hinders that, it can be maddening for people like me. Several years ago we were heading to Florida for vacation. Around Cave City, Kentucky we were stopped on I-65 for over an hour. I don't mean we inched along, stop-and-go at 20 MPH; I mean stopped in the same spot. An hour later we were still parked at the same spot. On an interstate. Once we finally got moving I never did see what the holdup was, but at that point I needed a vacation from my vacation.
I think it's just the idea that you have a clear shot to your destination, but there's something beyond your control that's getting in your way. Someone, somewhere did something (beyond their control or not) that is affecting you and your ability to complete your trip. But in thinking about this, it brings to mind a Scripture found in Galatians 2:21:
"I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness comes by the law, then Christ died in vain."
"Frustrate grace". How do we do that? I think of it in terms of a journey. Grace has a goal in mind - reconciliation between us and God. Something gets in grace's way to keep us from receiving it. The frustrating part is WE are the very ones who place the roadblocks in the way.
What do I mean? Grace cannot be earned. We can never be 'good enough' to deserve God's favor. The Bible says that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Every time we try to 'earn' our salvation, we hinder the very grace that we need. I can't tell you how many people I've had tell me over the years that they wanted to give their lives to Christ, but had some things they needed to 'get right' first. There's where grace gets frustrated. If we could 'get right' on our own, we wouldn't need grace in the first place. The very reason Christ laid down His life on the cross is we can NEVER 'get right' with God on our own. Sin stands in the way, and our best efforts will never cleanse that. It took a perfect sacrifice and perfect grace. We can provide neither.
I'm not talking about living however we want and God's grace will cover it. I think you understand that. I'm saying that there is only one way to reach the destination of us being reconciled to God, and our efforts to 'help' that do nothing but make grace sit in a traffic jam. The price of salvation and grace has been paid, and we couldn't afford to pay it. Someone else paid it for us.
Be an exit, not a roadblock. Roadblocks are frustrating.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Humility and How I Attained It
By Gobel Brockman
Have you ever had someone 'put you in your place'? Ever pointed out some one's fault to them, only to have them return the favor? There's a risk involved in voicing your opinion to others. It is said that Lady Nancy Astor once said to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, "Sir, if you were my husband I'd put poison in your tea!" To which Churchill replied, "Ma'am, if you were my wife I'd drink it!"
My parents used to refer to it as "getting too big for yer britches". Jesus referred to it another way. He said, "How can you get a splinter out of your brother's eye when there's a plank in your own? First remove the plank from your own eye, then you can see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother's." In another place He told us that when we're invited to a banquet, "...don't sit in the most honored place. Otherwise someone more honorable may come, and you are told to give place to them. Then with shame you must take the lowest seat. Instead, take the lowest seat when you come in, and the host may say to you, 'I have a better seat for you!' Then you will be honored among the guests."
What I'm talking about is our seemingly natural propensity to think more highly of ourselves and our opinions than we should. No one is right 100% of the time. We've all had opinions that have turned out wrong. Few things are more embarrassing than being publicly sure of yourself, only to find out later that you were totally wrong. Pride can be an ugly thing indeed. Humility on the other hand is a precious commodity. Yes, there are times to point out to someone that they're making a mistake. Doing that in love and with proper motivation is called being a friend. Doing it with an attitude of making them feel worse and making you feel better about yourself is arrogance. It's also sin. It's in those times that the Holy Spirit has a way of making us "take the lowest seat in the house."
Humility is the opposite of all of this, and it's what we should strive for. I've heard it said that humility isn't think less of yourself, it's just thinking less about yourself. When we put other's needs ahead of our own, and when we're more concerned about how much we care about others instead of how much they care about us, we begin to emulate the heart of God. And when our mindset is continually in this place, our 'correction' of others will be done the 'correct' way.
I'm not talking about all of this because of any recent issue I've encountered. I just wish to make the point that pride, self-righteousness and self-sufficiency are among the greatest barriers to us receiving from God all the wonderful things He has for us. To put in another way, before you threaten to poison someone's tea, make sure they wouldn't turn it into a Big Gulp just to get away from you.
Have you ever had someone 'put you in your place'? Ever pointed out some one's fault to them, only to have them return the favor? There's a risk involved in voicing your opinion to others. It is said that Lady Nancy Astor once said to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, "Sir, if you were my husband I'd put poison in your tea!" To which Churchill replied, "Ma'am, if you were my wife I'd drink it!"
My parents used to refer to it as "getting too big for yer britches". Jesus referred to it another way. He said, "How can you get a splinter out of your brother's eye when there's a plank in your own? First remove the plank from your own eye, then you can see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother's." In another place He told us that when we're invited to a banquet, "...don't sit in the most honored place. Otherwise someone more honorable may come, and you are told to give place to them. Then with shame you must take the lowest seat. Instead, take the lowest seat when you come in, and the host may say to you, 'I have a better seat for you!' Then you will be honored among the guests."
What I'm talking about is our seemingly natural propensity to think more highly of ourselves and our opinions than we should. No one is right 100% of the time. We've all had opinions that have turned out wrong. Few things are more embarrassing than being publicly sure of yourself, only to find out later that you were totally wrong. Pride can be an ugly thing indeed. Humility on the other hand is a precious commodity. Yes, there are times to point out to someone that they're making a mistake. Doing that in love and with proper motivation is called being a friend. Doing it with an attitude of making them feel worse and making you feel better about yourself is arrogance. It's also sin. It's in those times that the Holy Spirit has a way of making us "take the lowest seat in the house."
Humility is the opposite of all of this, and it's what we should strive for. I've heard it said that humility isn't think less of yourself, it's just thinking less about yourself. When we put other's needs ahead of our own, and when we're more concerned about how much we care about others instead of how much they care about us, we begin to emulate the heart of God. And when our mindset is continually in this place, our 'correction' of others will be done the 'correct' way.
I'm not talking about all of this because of any recent issue I've encountered. I just wish to make the point that pride, self-righteousness and self-sufficiency are among the greatest barriers to us receiving from God all the wonderful things He has for us. To put in another way, before you threaten to poison someone's tea, make sure they wouldn't turn it into a Big Gulp just to get away from you.
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