By Gobel Brockman
You pull up to the speaker, place your order, pull around to the first (or second) window, give them your money, and get your heart attack on a.... I mean food. It's all over in a matter of minutes. Say what you will about McDonald's, but they have created a customer-friendly business model that allows them to remain profitable even when economic times are bad. They offer relatively easy-in easy-out access, food that is within the budget of most, and quick service for a world in a hurry. Brilliant.
Running a business like that makes sense. The problem is I think it's helped create a mindset in some that that's the way God should do things. We pull in and place our order, expect it to cost us little or nothing, and expect the product delivered in a matter of moments. I refer to it as having a "McChristian" mindset. There's one huge problem with that way of thinking, however:
God's not McDonald's.
Think of it this way:
McDonald's: Easy-in access.
God: There's only one way. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me."
McDonald's: Place your order. If you want to special order something, no problem.
God: He's not a fast food place. You cannot "have it your way." (Different burger joint, but you get the idea.) If Jesus had to say to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemene "Your will be done", so do we.
McDonald's: Their prices fit almost anyone's budget.
God: We're told that if we want to be His disciples, we have to pick up our cross and follow Him. That's a price most won't pay.
McDonald's: The whole process takes only a few moments.
God: We're told in the Book of Isaiah that "those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength..." (Emphasis added.)
I want to focus on that last one for a moment. We've lost the ability (or the patience) to wait on God's timing. The thing is, people waiting on God is found throughout the Bible. Israel had to wait 430 years to be delivered from Egyptian bondage. David had to wait several years and endure many battles before being given the kingdom he was promised. The disciples were told to go to Jerusalem and "Wait for the promise of the Father..." You see, God's interested in more than quickly filling an order - He's interested in developing men and women of character who'll have faith that God has everything under control no matter how long the answer takes. He wants to have a people that see life as a journey of faith, daily growing in our knowledge of Him. I look at it this way: McDonald's is interested in getting you in and getting you out ASAP. God's interested in you sticking around with Him - for eternity. So just bring it down a notch and let Him do it His way.
As an added bonus, His way won't clog your arteries either. Sorry McDonald's.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Saturday, January 18, 2014
I'm Tired Of Talking About Myself. What Do You Think Of Me?
By Gobel Brockman
There's an old story of a lady in a particular church who was always causing problems. She was the type of person who couldn't see her own problems, but was an expert in telling you about yours. She had the gift of "Immaculate Perception" - she saw everything the way God did, from major life issues to the little mundane things that no one cared about but her. She was a Pastor's worst nightmare. One of her favorite things was to tell people how they were dressed wrong - including the Pastor. Every Sunday as she was leaving the church, she would let him know that his tie was too long. Finally he had had enough. He stuck a pair of scissors in his pocket and waited as she prepared to leave. Sure enough, she mentioned the tie. He pulled the scissors out of his pocket and handed them to her. He then said, "Sister, cut the tie to the length you think it should be, and next Sunday I'll have something to go by." Surprisingly, she did. After cutting the tie she handed the scissors back to him. Then, with a slight, almost sinister smile, he said, "OK, now it's my turn. Stick out your tongue."
The story may or may not be true, but the lessons it contains are. Among them:
We may think we're an expert on things, but fail to realize we're the only one that thinks so.
We may have trouble seeing our own faults, but to others they're glaringly obvious.
We're entitled to our opinions. Sometimes, they need to stay our little secret.
Correcting people may be necessary sometimes, but always remember that we're told to do it in a spirit of meekness, remembering our own weaknesses. It probably wouldn't hurt to also remember that there are some that are more than happy to return the favor.
What got me thinking along these lines is a Scripture found in I Corinthians 10:12 - "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." Proverbs 16:18 goes right along with this: "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." It's easy for us to fall into the trap of the lady in the story - "I'm all right. I've got my act together. Me and 'The Big Guy' got it going on..." The danger in that is where you give the credit for the good. I once read an interesting quote about humility: As soon as you think you have it, you lose it.
Personally, I think it's good from time to time to remind ourselves that our next breath is in God's hands. I live because He gives me life. I can't take credit for any good that comes out of my life, because I've seen what my life was like when I left God out of the equation. If I've done any good it's only because God did it through me. And on those occasions where we may need to point out someone's error, let's first remind ourselves that we have a front row seat 24/7/365 to our own shortcomings. That should bring the meekness factor up a notch.
I close by telling you that one of my favorite promises in the Bible is that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6) This should give us all great encouragement. If we honor God in our lives, put Him first in everything, and give Him the glory for all, His grace becomes ours. I am very thankful for that.
After reading the story in the beginning, I'm also thankful I rarely wear ties.
There's an old story of a lady in a particular church who was always causing problems. She was the type of person who couldn't see her own problems, but was an expert in telling you about yours. She had the gift of "Immaculate Perception" - she saw everything the way God did, from major life issues to the little mundane things that no one cared about but her. She was a Pastor's worst nightmare. One of her favorite things was to tell people how they were dressed wrong - including the Pastor. Every Sunday as she was leaving the church, she would let him know that his tie was too long. Finally he had had enough. He stuck a pair of scissors in his pocket and waited as she prepared to leave. Sure enough, she mentioned the tie. He pulled the scissors out of his pocket and handed them to her. He then said, "Sister, cut the tie to the length you think it should be, and next Sunday I'll have something to go by." Surprisingly, she did. After cutting the tie she handed the scissors back to him. Then, with a slight, almost sinister smile, he said, "OK, now it's my turn. Stick out your tongue."
The story may or may not be true, but the lessons it contains are. Among them:
We may think we're an expert on things, but fail to realize we're the only one that thinks so.
We may have trouble seeing our own faults, but to others they're glaringly obvious.
We're entitled to our opinions. Sometimes, they need to stay our little secret.
Correcting people may be necessary sometimes, but always remember that we're told to do it in a spirit of meekness, remembering our own weaknesses. It probably wouldn't hurt to also remember that there are some that are more than happy to return the favor.
What got me thinking along these lines is a Scripture found in I Corinthians 10:12 - "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." Proverbs 16:18 goes right along with this: "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." It's easy for us to fall into the trap of the lady in the story - "I'm all right. I've got my act together. Me and 'The Big Guy' got it going on..." The danger in that is where you give the credit for the good. I once read an interesting quote about humility: As soon as you think you have it, you lose it.
Personally, I think it's good from time to time to remind ourselves that our next breath is in God's hands. I live because He gives me life. I can't take credit for any good that comes out of my life, because I've seen what my life was like when I left God out of the equation. If I've done any good it's only because God did it through me. And on those occasions where we may need to point out someone's error, let's first remind ourselves that we have a front row seat 24/7/365 to our own shortcomings. That should bring the meekness factor up a notch.
I close by telling you that one of my favorite promises in the Bible is that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6) This should give us all great encouragement. If we honor God in our lives, put Him first in everything, and give Him the glory for all, His grace becomes ours. I am very thankful for that.
After reading the story in the beginning, I'm also thankful I rarely wear ties.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
That Was Then, This Is Now
By Gobel Brockman
As I began to get older there was something I began to notice: every generation dislikes their teenagers. From the 50's "American Graffiti" teens with their drag races and cigarettes rolled up in their shirt sleeves, to the 60's "Hippie Movement", to the 70's pot-smoking, LSD-taking freaks, to the 80's "How can two people get in a car with all that hair poofed up?" to the 90's "wear-flannel-and-feel-sorry-for-yourself" generation. In every case the adults in those generations couldn't believe what happened to their kids. But here's the thing I've noticed: most of the 'crazy teens' grew up to be....responsible adults. Those who seemed so wild & crazy became successful students or productive workers, husbands and wives, caring and loving parents, and overall great citizens.
My point? They didn't let their past keep them from their futures.
In one way or another, we ALL have pasts. Some to greater degrees than others, but we all have things we wish we could do over. I know I certainly do. But we're in good company in that regard. The Bible is filled with stories of men and women who accomplished unbelievable things because they let God work through them. But all of those "heroes of the faith" had their own pasts:
Moses was a murderer.
Samson was a mighty man who wouldn't stop playing around with sin.
David was an adulterer who also had someone killed in battle to try to cover his sin.
Simon Peter spent three years watching Jesus do incredible things, then denied he even knew him at the first sign of trouble.
The list goes on, but you get the point. Everyone that God has used was used in spite of the past failures. Elijah was a powerful man of God who simply spoke the word and caused a 3 1/2 year drought. In James 5 the Bible says that Elijah was a man "of like passions just as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it didn't rain for 3 years and 6 months." That means he was just like us - same temptations, same doubts, same shortcomings. What made him different was he simply believed. In spite of whatever our pasts may be, if we simply believe we can see great things as well.
I was a messed-up teen. I got over it. Or should I say, God helped me get over it. So He has with many, many others. But regardless of when or where your past was, God is bigger. It doesn't have to define your future. That was then, this is now.
As I began to get older there was something I began to notice: every generation dislikes their teenagers. From the 50's "American Graffiti" teens with their drag races and cigarettes rolled up in their shirt sleeves, to the 60's "Hippie Movement", to the 70's pot-smoking, LSD-taking freaks, to the 80's "How can two people get in a car with all that hair poofed up?" to the 90's "wear-flannel-and-feel-sorry-for-yourself" generation. In every case the adults in those generations couldn't believe what happened to their kids. But here's the thing I've noticed: most of the 'crazy teens' grew up to be....responsible adults. Those who seemed so wild & crazy became successful students or productive workers, husbands and wives, caring and loving parents, and overall great citizens.
My point? They didn't let their past keep them from their futures.
In one way or another, we ALL have pasts. Some to greater degrees than others, but we all have things we wish we could do over. I know I certainly do. But we're in good company in that regard. The Bible is filled with stories of men and women who accomplished unbelievable things because they let God work through them. But all of those "heroes of the faith" had their own pasts:
Moses was a murderer.
Samson was a mighty man who wouldn't stop playing around with sin.
David was an adulterer who also had someone killed in battle to try to cover his sin.
Simon Peter spent three years watching Jesus do incredible things, then denied he even knew him at the first sign of trouble.
The list goes on, but you get the point. Everyone that God has used was used in spite of the past failures. Elijah was a powerful man of God who simply spoke the word and caused a 3 1/2 year drought. In James 5 the Bible says that Elijah was a man "of like passions just as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it didn't rain for 3 years and 6 months." That means he was just like us - same temptations, same doubts, same shortcomings. What made him different was he simply believed. In spite of whatever our pasts may be, if we simply believe we can see great things as well.
I was a messed-up teen. I got over it. Or should I say, God helped me get over it. So He has with many, many others. But regardless of when or where your past was, God is bigger. It doesn't have to define your future. That was then, this is now.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Don't Let Him Leave
By Gobel Brockman
"Elvis has left the building!"
This announcement was made at the end of Elvis Presley's concerts in an attempt to disperse the crowds. It was a simple way to let everyone know, "No more encores or curtain calls. No more 'Heartbreak Hotel'. No more pudgy guy in a too-tight sequined jumpsuit giving away scarves and wiping his sweat on your hankie. It's over, go home!" The phrase has now became a joke and a catchphrase. People say it when they clock out at work at the end of the day. Kelsey Grammer uses it as the last line of the theme song of his TV show.
It's a humorous line. But for some reason it reminds me of a tragic story in the Bible. Samson had been chosen by God before he was even conceived to be a judge and deliverer for Israel. He had supernatural strength due to fulfilling the Nazarite vow that God had given his parents. Part of that vow was that he was never to cut his hair. But Samson, as they say, "had a thing for the ladies." He met one named Delilah who continually pressed him to find the secret of his strength. At first he totally deceived her, but she kept pressing, and little by little he got closer to telling her the truth. Finally, after continued pressure, he told her everything. "Cut my hair and my strength will be gone." That night she let him fall asleep in her lap, then called for men to come and cut his hair off. She then woke him and said, "The Philistines are upon you!" Samson replied, "I will arise and defeat them as before." But then comes one of the saddest Scriptures in the entire Bible:
"He knew not that the LORD had departed from him..." Judges 16:20
Samson played with temptation and lost. He lost his strength, he lost his eyes (the Philistines gouged them out) but most of all he lost the presence of God. But before we get too judgmental of Samson, how often do we do the same thing? Many times we forget the seriousness of sin, and that sin has consequences. We convince ourselves that we can go ahead and do or say what's on our hearts, then pacify ourselves by saying, "God understands." Yes, God DOES understand. He understands that sin brings death. (Read Romans 6:23.) It was the reason Jesus had to come and lay down His life for us. Humans, being born with a sin nature, always seem to want to see how close to fire we can get without being burned. Then when we do get burned, we want to blame everything but our own choices. But the worst part of all is that sin separates man from God. I don't just want God's presence in my life; I'm lost without it. We all are.
I look at it this way: we are in a battle. The Bible says the the Devil goes as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8). The best way I can put it is to think of it in terms of fighters in an arena. The best way to not get hurt in the fight is to stay out of the ring. The best way to defeat temptation and sin is not get so close to it that is has the upper hand. The Book of James says that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. Resist the Devil, he will flee from us. Resist, not engage. If we keep God's presence in our lives by continually drawing near to Him, the temptation to flirt with sin will be a lot easier to resist.
I don't want God to ever "leave the building" of my life. I hope you feel the same.
"Elvis has left the building!"
This announcement was made at the end of Elvis Presley's concerts in an attempt to disperse the crowds. It was a simple way to let everyone know, "No more encores or curtain calls. No more 'Heartbreak Hotel'. No more pudgy guy in a too-tight sequined jumpsuit giving away scarves and wiping his sweat on your hankie. It's over, go home!" The phrase has now became a joke and a catchphrase. People say it when they clock out at work at the end of the day. Kelsey Grammer uses it as the last line of the theme song of his TV show.
It's a humorous line. But for some reason it reminds me of a tragic story in the Bible. Samson had been chosen by God before he was even conceived to be a judge and deliverer for Israel. He had supernatural strength due to fulfilling the Nazarite vow that God had given his parents. Part of that vow was that he was never to cut his hair. But Samson, as they say, "had a thing for the ladies." He met one named Delilah who continually pressed him to find the secret of his strength. At first he totally deceived her, but she kept pressing, and little by little he got closer to telling her the truth. Finally, after continued pressure, he told her everything. "Cut my hair and my strength will be gone." That night she let him fall asleep in her lap, then called for men to come and cut his hair off. She then woke him and said, "The Philistines are upon you!" Samson replied, "I will arise and defeat them as before." But then comes one of the saddest Scriptures in the entire Bible:
"He knew not that the LORD had departed from him..." Judges 16:20
Samson played with temptation and lost. He lost his strength, he lost his eyes (the Philistines gouged them out) but most of all he lost the presence of God. But before we get too judgmental of Samson, how often do we do the same thing? Many times we forget the seriousness of sin, and that sin has consequences. We convince ourselves that we can go ahead and do or say what's on our hearts, then pacify ourselves by saying, "God understands." Yes, God DOES understand. He understands that sin brings death. (Read Romans 6:23.) It was the reason Jesus had to come and lay down His life for us. Humans, being born with a sin nature, always seem to want to see how close to fire we can get without being burned. Then when we do get burned, we want to blame everything but our own choices. But the worst part of all is that sin separates man from God. I don't just want God's presence in my life; I'm lost without it. We all are.
I look at it this way: we are in a battle. The Bible says the the Devil goes as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8). The best way I can put it is to think of it in terms of fighters in an arena. The best way to not get hurt in the fight is to stay out of the ring. The best way to defeat temptation and sin is not get so close to it that is has the upper hand. The Book of James says that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. Resist the Devil, he will flee from us. Resist, not engage. If we keep God's presence in our lives by continually drawing near to Him, the temptation to flirt with sin will be a lot easier to resist.
I don't want God to ever "leave the building" of my life. I hope you feel the same.
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