By Gobel Brockman
I enjoy Facebook and Twitter. There are many things about it that I like. I've been able to make new friends and reconnect with old ones. I get to show off my grandkids, make some feeble attempts at humor, and most importantly, share my faith in Jesus Christ. But there is one aspect of social networking that I could easily do without: those who feel that their drama should be everyone's drama. Facebook and Twitter are prime examples that some things should remain "my little secret." I think the thing that I find the most interesting is how upset people can get over the simplest of things. (I've occasionally wondered if a few people weren't under the impression that the Bubonic Plague is attached to Facebook game requests.)
There is a rather obscure verse of Scripture in the Old Testament that I think we would all do well to memorize. A few years ago people were wearing WWJD bracelets, but I actually thought about having a bracelet made with this verse on it. It's found in Jeremiah 12:5:
"If the footmen have wearied you, how will you contend with horses?"
There have been many times over the years when I've been going through a minor issue that was causing me stress and uneasiness, and I would remember this verse. I've always thought of it as a question of, "If something this minor can cause you problems, what are you going to do when a major problem comes along?" To be honest, I think one of my biggest regrets in life is the amount of time I've spent (better read wasted) being worried or upset about things that in all honesty really weren't that important. I dare say that I'm not alone in that. If we were honest I believe we'd have to admit that a lot of the stress we've allowed in our lives really didn't match whatever issue it was that caused it.
The reason I'm talking about this is I'm convinced that we as Christians need to stop battling "footmen" because we are about to encounter some "horses." There was a time when calling yourself a Christian wasn't that much of an issue. Times are changing. Things that we would never would have expected to face 20-30 years ago are now standing at our front door. I honestly believe we're about to see some things in America that will test our faith and our commitment to Christ. Simply put, it's time for us to toughen up and learn that there are bigger battles ahead of us than getting game requests on Facebook or getting poor service at a $20 a plate restaurant. When the Apostle Paul spoke of spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6 he was talking about a struggle of faith and perseverance that we all have to fight. It's a battle that's going to drive us into our prayers closets and into our Bibles. The good news is that it's also a battle that Christ has already won. We just need to remain faithful and, as Paul said in another verse, "fight the good fight of faith." What I'm saying is that it's time for us to stop "majoring in the minor" and recognize what real spiritual warfare is all about.
Let me put it another way - Stand strong in the Lord and don't be a drama queen. That tiara doesn't look good on anybody.
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Sunday, October 19, 2014
I'm Afraid Of You Being Fearful
By Gobel Brockman
Once upon a time (which means this isn't a true story) there was a young man who did everything he could to take care of himself, because he was afraid of dying. He ate only organic food, drank eight 8-oz glasses of water per day, went to bed every night at the same time, and exercised regularly. Yet despite all of his efforts, he died in his early twenties.
He was hit by a car while jogging.
It seems it's impossible to turn on the TV without someone trying to scare you. The current culprit is Ebola, but it's just the latest in a long line of villains. If it's not a disease, it's a terrorist group. Horrible economic news. Unpredictable weather. And all of it is presented by newscasters with stern faces and an "It's the end of the world!" tone in their voices.
I want to be careful not to be misunderstood here. We should take care of ourselves, and we need to be aware of what's going on in our world. What I'm talking about this week is the amount of fear I see in some people. The sad thing is, church people aren't exempt from it. I remember in the late 80's when a little book came out about how the rapture was going to happen at a specific time in 1988. The only thing that bothered me more than someone trying to set a date for the Lord's return was the amount of fear I saw in some of the people who believed it. The very thing that I Thessalonians 4 says should be a comfort to the church became a source of concern and worry for many.
What I'm talking about is what Jesus said in Luke 18:8 - "When the Son of Man returns, will he find faith on the earth?" Will He find people who are truly trusting Him? In a world full of things that want to scare us - and even things we should be aware of - will He find people who have a simple trust that God has everything under control? Will we be people who will have the faith that as Christians, God will ultimately take care of us?
One of my favorite Bible stories is the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendnego in the book of Daniel. They were told to bow down to a king's idol or they would be thrown into a fiery furnace. Their response was amazing: "Our God is able to deliver us. But even if He doesn't, we will not bow to your idol." They were thrown in the furnace, and God miraculously delivered them. But they were determined to maintain their faith in God regardless of whether they were delivered or not. That's faith in the face of fear. That's what I want to have.
What I'm saying this week is this: we're all going to die one day. (Read Hebrews 9:27) We live in a world full of scary things. But I absolutely refuse to live in fear. God wasn't surprised when Joseph was sold into slavery, when Daniel was thrown into a den of lions, or when Jesus was betrayed in the garden. He won't be surprised by anything that happens in your life or mine. ISIS, Ebola, nor anything else has ever caught Him off guard. Let's trust Him with every area of our lives and live in faith rather than fear.
God still has everything under control.
Once upon a time (which means this isn't a true story) there was a young man who did everything he could to take care of himself, because he was afraid of dying. He ate only organic food, drank eight 8-oz glasses of water per day, went to bed every night at the same time, and exercised regularly. Yet despite all of his efforts, he died in his early twenties.
He was hit by a car while jogging.
It seems it's impossible to turn on the TV without someone trying to scare you. The current culprit is Ebola, but it's just the latest in a long line of villains. If it's not a disease, it's a terrorist group. Horrible economic news. Unpredictable weather. And all of it is presented by newscasters with stern faces and an "It's the end of the world!" tone in their voices.
I want to be careful not to be misunderstood here. We should take care of ourselves, and we need to be aware of what's going on in our world. What I'm talking about this week is the amount of fear I see in some people. The sad thing is, church people aren't exempt from it. I remember in the late 80's when a little book came out about how the rapture was going to happen at a specific time in 1988. The only thing that bothered me more than someone trying to set a date for the Lord's return was the amount of fear I saw in some of the people who believed it. The very thing that I Thessalonians 4 says should be a comfort to the church became a source of concern and worry for many.
What I'm talking about is what Jesus said in Luke 18:8 - "When the Son of Man returns, will he find faith on the earth?" Will He find people who are truly trusting Him? In a world full of things that want to scare us - and even things we should be aware of - will He find people who have a simple trust that God has everything under control? Will we be people who will have the faith that as Christians, God will ultimately take care of us?
One of my favorite Bible stories is the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendnego in the book of Daniel. They were told to bow down to a king's idol or they would be thrown into a fiery furnace. Their response was amazing: "Our God is able to deliver us. But even if He doesn't, we will not bow to your idol." They were thrown in the furnace, and God miraculously delivered them. But they were determined to maintain their faith in God regardless of whether they were delivered or not. That's faith in the face of fear. That's what I want to have.
What I'm saying this week is this: we're all going to die one day. (Read Hebrews 9:27) We live in a world full of scary things. But I absolutely refuse to live in fear. God wasn't surprised when Joseph was sold into slavery, when Daniel was thrown into a den of lions, or when Jesus was betrayed in the garden. He won't be surprised by anything that happens in your life or mine. ISIS, Ebola, nor anything else has ever caught Him off guard. Let's trust Him with every area of our lives and live in faith rather than fear.
God still has everything under control.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Paying the Price
By Gobel Brockman
There's a story in the Old Testament book of I Samuel that I find fascinating. The people of Israel had turned their backs on God, and as a result God allowed the Philistines to defeat them and take the Ark of the Covenant captive. The ark contained the Ten Commandments and was to stay in the Holy of Holies, and it was symbolic of the presence of God in Israel. God immediately began striking the Philistines because of their keeping the ark. They finally realized that was the reason they were being afflicted. So they decided to send the ark back to Israel. They chose an unusual way to do it. They took two cows that had just given birth and separated them from their calves. They hitched the cows to a cart, and placed the ark on it and released them. They said, "If the cows go straight towards Israel with no guidance, we will know that God has afflicted us because of the ark. But if they simply go in any direction, we will know that it was just coincidence that all of this has come upon us." The cows were released, and they immediately headed towards Israel.
What I really find interesting about the story is this: when Israel saw the cart with the ark returning, they immediately began rejoicing. And what happened to the cows? The Israelites sacrificed them to God. They get separated from their newborn calves, hitched to a wagon and sent away, and when they get to their destination, they're killed. But what they did in the process was return the presence of God back to Israel. Which speaks a very powerful truth to all of us:
If we want to carry the presence of God in our lives, it's going to cost us.
Yes, salvation is free. Jesus paid the price on the cross with His blood. But we need to understand that obedience will cost us. Devotion to God does indeed have a price tag. Those cows carried the presence of God and it cost them everything. Jesus put it this way in the book of Luke: "You cannot be my disciple unless you love me more than father or mother, your wife and children, and your brothers and sisters. You cannot come with me unless you love me more than you love your own life. Unless you take up your cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple."
The history of the church is filled with men and women who paid for their faith with their finances, their homes, their safety, and even their lives. What if you and I are ever faced with those decisions? Is our faith in Jesus strong enough that we would be willing to pay that same price? We hear a lot of talk about revival. I talk a lot about revival. But I think we need to take time and realize what we're really asking for, because when the presence of God comes, there are sacrifices to be made. If we have any ideas that living in the presence of God in this day and age is nothing more than going to church on Sunday and floating around on a "joy cloud," then we need to learn what revival really is. It's leaving behind what we are comfortable with, putting our desires aside to live in His desires, and being willing to sacrifice anything and everything for the presence of God in our lives. But there's one more thing that it is: worth the price. Psalms 16:11 says that in His presence there is "fullness of joy."
Sounds like a fair deal to me.
There's a story in the Old Testament book of I Samuel that I find fascinating. The people of Israel had turned their backs on God, and as a result God allowed the Philistines to defeat them and take the Ark of the Covenant captive. The ark contained the Ten Commandments and was to stay in the Holy of Holies, and it was symbolic of the presence of God in Israel. God immediately began striking the Philistines because of their keeping the ark. They finally realized that was the reason they were being afflicted. So they decided to send the ark back to Israel. They chose an unusual way to do it. They took two cows that had just given birth and separated them from their calves. They hitched the cows to a cart, and placed the ark on it and released them. They said, "If the cows go straight towards Israel with no guidance, we will know that God has afflicted us because of the ark. But if they simply go in any direction, we will know that it was just coincidence that all of this has come upon us." The cows were released, and they immediately headed towards Israel.
What I really find interesting about the story is this: when Israel saw the cart with the ark returning, they immediately began rejoicing. And what happened to the cows? The Israelites sacrificed them to God. They get separated from their newborn calves, hitched to a wagon and sent away, and when they get to their destination, they're killed. But what they did in the process was return the presence of God back to Israel. Which speaks a very powerful truth to all of us:
If we want to carry the presence of God in our lives, it's going to cost us.
Yes, salvation is free. Jesus paid the price on the cross with His blood. But we need to understand that obedience will cost us. Devotion to God does indeed have a price tag. Those cows carried the presence of God and it cost them everything. Jesus put it this way in the book of Luke: "You cannot be my disciple unless you love me more than father or mother, your wife and children, and your brothers and sisters. You cannot come with me unless you love me more than you love your own life. Unless you take up your cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple."
The history of the church is filled with men and women who paid for their faith with their finances, their homes, their safety, and even their lives. What if you and I are ever faced with those decisions? Is our faith in Jesus strong enough that we would be willing to pay that same price? We hear a lot of talk about revival. I talk a lot about revival. But I think we need to take time and realize what we're really asking for, because when the presence of God comes, there are sacrifices to be made. If we have any ideas that living in the presence of God in this day and age is nothing more than going to church on Sunday and floating around on a "joy cloud," then we need to learn what revival really is. It's leaving behind what we are comfortable with, putting our desires aside to live in His desires, and being willing to sacrifice anything and everything for the presence of God in our lives. But there's one more thing that it is: worth the price. Psalms 16:11 says that in His presence there is "fullness of joy."
Sounds like a fair deal to me.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
The Water's Not Fine. Jump In Anyway.
By Gobel Brockman
I'm not one of those people who thinks that every dream has to have a meaning (unless they mean "Don't have that third piece of pizza right before bed"), but I had one a few years ago that has always stuck with me:
In this dream, I was in a valley beside a very tall mountain. There was a river that ran beside the mountain that was flooded and running rapidly. Several people were trapped in the current. I was in the river with two or three other people fighting to rescue them. We were struggling and exhausted, but we were also working together well and being successful. We would get one person to the bank, then go back in for the next person. Even though it was a struggle, I remember a feeling of absolute joy in what we were doing. We were fighting, but we were also rejoicing. I then looked up and saw people on the mountain looking down and watching what was going on. What I remember is the looks on their faces: they were jealous of us. They we safe from the danger, but they were also "safe" from the joy that we were experiencing in seeing others saved.
Ministry can be messy at times. People sometimes get into situations where we want to ask, "What were you thinking?" There are other times when people are in horrible situations through no fault of their own. Regardless of how they got there, that's where they are, and that's where they need grace - and God. Taking grace to others where they are can be a battle, but seeing the Holy Spirit touch someone's life in an undeniable way brings a joy that I can't properly explain. There's a temptation to stay "on the mountain" where it's safe, but that's not where most hurting people are. I think of people who minister in Haiti, surrounded by disease and suffering. People involved in urban ministry, helping people bound by drugs and homelessness. It would be safer for them "on the mountain," but if you asked them I feel safe in saying that the joy in seeing others touched by God is worth the risk to them.
But here's a problem - too many times I catch myself "on the bank" being critical of those "in the river" instead of jumping in to help. I sometimes amaze myself at how easily I forget that once it was me in that river. God has been so long-suffering with me, and He calls me to express the same to others. How easily I forget.
I guess my point this week is this: if you know Christ as Savior, you received grace because you needed saved. Now that we know Him, He wants us "in the river" so others can be saved as well. While you're in there, always remember that at one point it was you. And know that there is incredible, indescribable joy in seeing others rescued, even though it can indeed be a struggle.
So jump in. It's not safe. But it's worth it.
I'm not one of those people who thinks that every dream has to have a meaning (unless they mean "Don't have that third piece of pizza right before bed"), but I had one a few years ago that has always stuck with me:
In this dream, I was in a valley beside a very tall mountain. There was a river that ran beside the mountain that was flooded and running rapidly. Several people were trapped in the current. I was in the river with two or three other people fighting to rescue them. We were struggling and exhausted, but we were also working together well and being successful. We would get one person to the bank, then go back in for the next person. Even though it was a struggle, I remember a feeling of absolute joy in what we were doing. We were fighting, but we were also rejoicing. I then looked up and saw people on the mountain looking down and watching what was going on. What I remember is the looks on their faces: they were jealous of us. They we safe from the danger, but they were also "safe" from the joy that we were experiencing in seeing others saved.
Ministry can be messy at times. People sometimes get into situations where we want to ask, "What were you thinking?" There are other times when people are in horrible situations through no fault of their own. Regardless of how they got there, that's where they are, and that's where they need grace - and God. Taking grace to others where they are can be a battle, but seeing the Holy Spirit touch someone's life in an undeniable way brings a joy that I can't properly explain. There's a temptation to stay "on the mountain" where it's safe, but that's not where most hurting people are. I think of people who minister in Haiti, surrounded by disease and suffering. People involved in urban ministry, helping people bound by drugs and homelessness. It would be safer for them "on the mountain," but if you asked them I feel safe in saying that the joy in seeing others touched by God is worth the risk to them.
But here's a problem - too many times I catch myself "on the bank" being critical of those "in the river" instead of jumping in to help. I sometimes amaze myself at how easily I forget that once it was me in that river. God has been so long-suffering with me, and He calls me to express the same to others. How easily I forget.
I guess my point this week is this: if you know Christ as Savior, you received grace because you needed saved. Now that we know Him, He wants us "in the river" so others can be saved as well. While you're in there, always remember that at one point it was you. And know that there is incredible, indescribable joy in seeing others rescued, even though it can indeed be a struggle.
So jump in. It's not safe. But it's worth it.
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