By Gobel Brockman
We don't hear too much about them anymore, but churches used to have evangelists come and hold "revival meetings." These folk were a special lot. They would leave their homes, go minister to complete strangers, and stay pretty much wherever the host church would put them. I remember one several years ago telling the following story:
"At this one particular church I spent the nights in the church basement. On the first morning, upon awakening I noticed a huge cobweb by my bed, so I knocked it down. This continued for several mornings. Judging from the size of the web I figured it was a pretty good sized spider. One night I finally decided enough was enough. I turned out the light and just laid there for a while. When I turned the light on, sure enough there he was, creating his web. I knocked him to the floor, stepped on him, and then went back to bed. When I got up the next morning, the cobweb wasn't there."
Let me get right to the point:
If we tolerate the spiders, we deserve the cobwebs.
Which leads me to this question - if you're fighting your way through a sticky situation right now (sorry, couldn't resist), is it because you're allowing the source of it free reign in your life? Yes, there are times that things come our way that we have no control over. Sometimes we face problems that we don't deserve. But let's be honest, sometimes we get into messes that could have been avoided if we would have learned our lesson the first time. The person who struggles with debt, finally gets everything paid off, and then goes right back to financial bondage. The person who leaves one bad relationship only to go into another. The life continuously harmed by drugs and alcohol. The list is endless - and so is the heartbreak. And I think we've all been guilty of it at some point in our lives. It's one thing to be invaded, but it's quite another to leave the front door open with written directions on the door to where you're at. So what's the answer?
Kill the spider.
The apostle Paul said this in Ephesians 4:27: "Do not give place to the devil." A short yet powerful verse. No compromise, no debate, no surrender. As a Christian, there is no place for his schemes in our lives. The Bible also says in James 4 "...resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Yes, it is God Who ultimately brings victory, but we must be willing participants in the battle instead of aiding and abetting the enemy. In other words:
If we want the cobwebs gone, we must be willing to confront the spider.
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Sunday, September 21, 2014
"Christian" Is Not Greek For "Tightwad"
By Gobel Brockman
I once heard blues legend BB King tell the following story:
"When I was a teenager, on Saturday mornings I would take my guitar down to one of the street corners in my town. I would start playing, and leave my guitar case open in case people wanted to give me some money. I soon noticed that when someone asked me to play a blues song, when I finished they would put some money in my case. When someone asked me to play a gospel song, when I finished they would thank me very politely and say, "Son, if you keep it up you're going to be great one day." I learned pretty quickly that if I was going to make any money at this, I was going to have to play the blues."
I think that's one of those "ouch, too true" moments. Sadly, Christians aren't always known as the "generous" type. Over the years I've heard several people that work in the food service industry say that Sunday was their least favorite day to work. Why? Because that's when the Christians would come in. They were usually very demanding, and horrible tippers. What makes this even more confusing is that most of them just came from church where they sang songs and heard sermons about the most generous Man Who ever walked this earth.
There is no way I can say everything I have to say about this in one blog. What I will say is this: if you are in a restaurant and your server provides great service, but you leave a really lousy tip, then the gospel tract you leave or Bible verse you write on the receipt will probably be pretty ineffective. Let me ask us all this: has God been generous with you? If God has forgiven your sins and given you new life, then I think the answer to that is pretty obvious. If that is the case then we are also called to be generous – with our time, talents, and yes, our cash. The Bible says in Proverbs 22:9, "He who has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor." We don't have to look very far to see people in need. What we have to do is begin to look at them with a bountiful eye.
Yes, I know that there are people who take advantage of other's generosity, but I also believe that there are genuine needs, and doing nothing when you can do something is equally wrong. As I have said before, no one can do everything, but everyone can do something. I will make it simple – we have been blessed, and we have been called to be a blessing. May God help us to open our eyes – and our wallets – to a hurting world. The Bible also says in Proverbs, "He who gives to the poor lends to the Lord." But I will also say this: it's not just money that we can be generous with. Sometimes people just need an open ear or a free shoulder to cry on. A few moments of your time. A simple act of kindness. Who knows what difference a few moments that we think we can't spare might make. I challenge us all to be open to ways that God can use us to be a blessing to someone this week.
And if you're walking down the street and hear a musician playing, remember that they can't take your compliments to the store and buy groceries with them.
I once heard blues legend BB King tell the following story:
"When I was a teenager, on Saturday mornings I would take my guitar down to one of the street corners in my town. I would start playing, and leave my guitar case open in case people wanted to give me some money. I soon noticed that when someone asked me to play a blues song, when I finished they would put some money in my case. When someone asked me to play a gospel song, when I finished they would thank me very politely and say, "Son, if you keep it up you're going to be great one day." I learned pretty quickly that if I was going to make any money at this, I was going to have to play the blues."
I think that's one of those "ouch, too true" moments. Sadly, Christians aren't always known as the "generous" type. Over the years I've heard several people that work in the food service industry say that Sunday was their least favorite day to work. Why? Because that's when the Christians would come in. They were usually very demanding, and horrible tippers. What makes this even more confusing is that most of them just came from church where they sang songs and heard sermons about the most generous Man Who ever walked this earth.
There is no way I can say everything I have to say about this in one blog. What I will say is this: if you are in a restaurant and your server provides great service, but you leave a really lousy tip, then the gospel tract you leave or Bible verse you write on the receipt will probably be pretty ineffective. Let me ask us all this: has God been generous with you? If God has forgiven your sins and given you new life, then I think the answer to that is pretty obvious. If that is the case then we are also called to be generous – with our time, talents, and yes, our cash. The Bible says in Proverbs 22:9, "He who has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor." We don't have to look very far to see people in need. What we have to do is begin to look at them with a bountiful eye.
Yes, I know that there are people who take advantage of other's generosity, but I also believe that there are genuine needs, and doing nothing when you can do something is equally wrong. As I have said before, no one can do everything, but everyone can do something. I will make it simple – we have been blessed, and we have been called to be a blessing. May God help us to open our eyes – and our wallets – to a hurting world. The Bible also says in Proverbs, "He who gives to the poor lends to the Lord." But I will also say this: it's not just money that we can be generous with. Sometimes people just need an open ear or a free shoulder to cry on. A few moments of your time. A simple act of kindness. Who knows what difference a few moments that we think we can't spare might make. I challenge us all to be open to ways that God can use us to be a blessing to someone this week.
And if you're walking down the street and hear a musician playing, remember that they can't take your compliments to the store and buy groceries with them.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Are You Guardin' Your Garden?
By Gobel Brockman
Back in the late 90's my family and I were the victims of a home invasion, while we were at home sitting in our living room.
It was hilarious.
It was a Friday evening. We were sitting in the living room watching TV when our front door opened unexpectedly and a guy in his mid to late 20's that we had never seen before walked in. That was bad enough, but to make matters worse he was wearing nothing but "tightie whities." (Yep, you read that right.) I immediately jumped up and said, "You got the wrong house, man!" to which he replied/slurred, "Nuh I don't..." It was obvious that he was, shall we say, "over the legal limit." I led him out the door and started walking him on the porch, and I think it sobered him up just enough to realize what he had done. He apologized and kept saying, "I don't wanna fight you, man!" I told him, "We're not going to fight. We're cool." In a few minutes we found out that he had just moved into the house behind us, and in his inebriated state thought he was at his house. His mother soon came and got him. Crisis averted. I said it was hilarious, and looking back on it, it is. But in those first few seconds 'hilarious' was the last word I would have used. All I knew was that a stranger walked into my house in his underwear, and my wife and kids were there. I'm not a fighter at all - my last punch thrown was as a freshman in what was just a "heat of the moment" fight during a backyard football game - but I was getting that guy out of my house NOW. I know any husband and father would have thought the same way.
In the Genesis account of creation, the Bible says that God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden "...to dress it and keep it." In the original text the word for 'keep' means "to guard; be a watchman." Adam was given the task to 'guard' what God had given him. You and I have been given the same charge over our lives and hearts. In II Timothy 1:14 Paul told Timothy, "By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you." (Italics mine.) The same applies to us. God has given us much and done many things for us and in us, and we are called to guard it. It is our responsibility to keep a watch over what we allow into our lives and keep out anything that would damage it. With that in mind, let me ask us all some pretty serious questions:
What do our minds dwell on in our down times?
What kind of TV programs and music do we spend our time on?
What about gossip and backbiting?
How do we respond to authority?
How content are we with what we have? Are we always wanting more?
Do the words we speak reflect our stated faith?
I could go on, but you get the point. When something opens the front door in our lives that can bring damage to what we have received from God, we need to stand up against it and get it out immediately. If that means stopping someone from gossiping to you, turning the channel, or getting control of your thought life, it needs to be done. God has done too much for me to allow it to be damaged, and I'm sure you feel the same. The Bible says that Satan seeks "...to steal, kill, and destroy..." and we need to learn the seriousness of that. As Christians, we are in a war. We are told in Ephesians 6 how to fight and win this war. Part of that battle is recognizing that the enemy can attack at any moment.
Don't let him walk through the front door.
Back in the late 90's my family and I were the victims of a home invasion, while we were at home sitting in our living room.
It was hilarious.
It was a Friday evening. We were sitting in the living room watching TV when our front door opened unexpectedly and a guy in his mid to late 20's that we had never seen before walked in. That was bad enough, but to make matters worse he was wearing nothing but "tightie whities." (Yep, you read that right.) I immediately jumped up and said, "You got the wrong house, man!" to which he replied/slurred, "Nuh I don't..." It was obvious that he was, shall we say, "over the legal limit." I led him out the door and started walking him on the porch, and I think it sobered him up just enough to realize what he had done. He apologized and kept saying, "I don't wanna fight you, man!" I told him, "We're not going to fight. We're cool." In a few minutes we found out that he had just moved into the house behind us, and in his inebriated state thought he was at his house. His mother soon came and got him. Crisis averted. I said it was hilarious, and looking back on it, it is. But in those first few seconds 'hilarious' was the last word I would have used. All I knew was that a stranger walked into my house in his underwear, and my wife and kids were there. I'm not a fighter at all - my last punch thrown was as a freshman in what was just a "heat of the moment" fight during a backyard football game - but I was getting that guy out of my house NOW. I know any husband and father would have thought the same way.
In the Genesis account of creation, the Bible says that God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden "...to dress it and keep it." In the original text the word for 'keep' means "to guard; be a watchman." Adam was given the task to 'guard' what God had given him. You and I have been given the same charge over our lives and hearts. In II Timothy 1:14 Paul told Timothy, "By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you." (Italics mine.) The same applies to us. God has given us much and done many things for us and in us, and we are called to guard it. It is our responsibility to keep a watch over what we allow into our lives and keep out anything that would damage it. With that in mind, let me ask us all some pretty serious questions:
What do our minds dwell on in our down times?
What kind of TV programs and music do we spend our time on?
What about gossip and backbiting?
How do we respond to authority?
How content are we with what we have? Are we always wanting more?
Do the words we speak reflect our stated faith?
I could go on, but you get the point. When something opens the front door in our lives that can bring damage to what we have received from God, we need to stand up against it and get it out immediately. If that means stopping someone from gossiping to you, turning the channel, or getting control of your thought life, it needs to be done. God has done too much for me to allow it to be damaged, and I'm sure you feel the same. The Bible says that Satan seeks "...to steal, kill, and destroy..." and we need to learn the seriousness of that. As Christians, we are in a war. We are told in Ephesians 6 how to fight and win this war. Part of that battle is recognizing that the enemy can attack at any moment.
Don't let him walk through the front door.
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Kick Your Shoes Off and Sit a Spell....
By Gobel Brockman
There is a personality trait I have that others may find annoying. (Who am I kidding - I have many traits that people find annoying.) But the one I want to mention this week is that I can be a very "fidgety" person. I'm constantly moving. If I'm sitting, I am moving my feet, my legs, my hands. If I have to sit for very long I get very uncomfortable. I used to pastor a church where we videotaped the services. Watching myself during the song service could be tiring. It didn't matter if we were doing an up-tempo song like Victory In Jesus or a quiet song like My Jesus I Love Thee - I would stand there moving non-stop throughout the whole song service. (Occasionally I would fast-forward the tape and make it look like I had dance moves that would make boy bands jealous.) To this day if someone tells me to "sit still" the part of me that is still human wants to turn around and give them a Three Stooges eye poke. Some have the need for speed - I have the need to fidget.
I mention this because there is a Bible verse that I know by heart, but I find living it can be very difficult: Psalm 46:10 – "Be still and know that I am God." Be still. For people like me, that's easy to say but hard to do. And yet that verse is in Scripture, spoken under the direction of the Holy Spirit. "Be still, and know that I am God."
There's a story in the Bible that many of you are probably familiar with. Jesus visited the home of Martha and her sister Mary. The Bible says that Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, while Martha was "cumbered about much serving." She finally came to Jesus and said, "Master, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all of the work? Tell her to get up and help me." There's a question I've had for a long time about this story: did Jesus tell Martha to serve them, or was Martha just one of those people who thought she always had to be doing something? I wonder if Martha mumbled to herself, "Somebody has to feed this bunch, and I guess it has to be me."
What about you? Are you the type who sees a need and immediately jumps in head first? Do you ever find yourself in situations where you believe that "If I don't do it, nobody will?" And do you ever catch yourself "cumbered about much serving?" If so, I have a suggestion for you:
Be still. Just because something needs to be done doesn't necessarily mean you're supposed to be the one to do it.
A car out of gas won't get very far, regardless of how powerful the engine is. We're no different. There's a time to work for the Lord, and a time to just stop and know that He is the Lord. Sometimes God calls us to go, and sometimes He calls us to sit at His feet and just listen. Learn. Stop and recharge. Know that He is God. He doesn't just want your labor or your talent, He wants you. Your heart, your devotion, your love. I can pretty much guarantee you that when Mary stood up, she was ready to serve with a heart full of devotion for Jesus. You and I will be ready as well. There's a difference between business and busyness. Sometimes the Lord's business involves sitting at His feet. So take some time to sit at the feet of Jesus this week.
And don't fidget.
There is a personality trait I have that others may find annoying. (Who am I kidding - I have many traits that people find annoying.) But the one I want to mention this week is that I can be a very "fidgety" person. I'm constantly moving. If I'm sitting, I am moving my feet, my legs, my hands. If I have to sit for very long I get very uncomfortable. I used to pastor a church where we videotaped the services. Watching myself during the song service could be tiring. It didn't matter if we were doing an up-tempo song like Victory In Jesus or a quiet song like My Jesus I Love Thee - I would stand there moving non-stop throughout the whole song service. (Occasionally I would fast-forward the tape and make it look like I had dance moves that would make boy bands jealous.) To this day if someone tells me to "sit still" the part of me that is still human wants to turn around and give them a Three Stooges eye poke. Some have the need for speed - I have the need to fidget.
I mention this because there is a Bible verse that I know by heart, but I find living it can be very difficult: Psalm 46:10 – "Be still and know that I am God." Be still. For people like me, that's easy to say but hard to do. And yet that verse is in Scripture, spoken under the direction of the Holy Spirit. "Be still, and know that I am God."
There's a story in the Bible that many of you are probably familiar with. Jesus visited the home of Martha and her sister Mary. The Bible says that Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, while Martha was "cumbered about much serving." She finally came to Jesus and said, "Master, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all of the work? Tell her to get up and help me." There's a question I've had for a long time about this story: did Jesus tell Martha to serve them, or was Martha just one of those people who thought she always had to be doing something? I wonder if Martha mumbled to herself, "Somebody has to feed this bunch, and I guess it has to be me."
What about you? Are you the type who sees a need and immediately jumps in head first? Do you ever find yourself in situations where you believe that "If I don't do it, nobody will?" And do you ever catch yourself "cumbered about much serving?" If so, I have a suggestion for you:
Be still. Just because something needs to be done doesn't necessarily mean you're supposed to be the one to do it.
A car out of gas won't get very far, regardless of how powerful the engine is. We're no different. There's a time to work for the Lord, and a time to just stop and know that He is the Lord. Sometimes God calls us to go, and sometimes He calls us to sit at His feet and just listen. Learn. Stop and recharge. Know that He is God. He doesn't just want your labor or your talent, He wants you. Your heart, your devotion, your love. I can pretty much guarantee you that when Mary stood up, she was ready to serve with a heart full of devotion for Jesus. You and I will be ready as well. There's a difference between business and busyness. Sometimes the Lord's business involves sitting at His feet. So take some time to sit at the feet of Jesus this week.
And don't fidget.
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