bitterness

“Asa's heart was fully committed [to the LORD] all his life.”1

Old Testament Judah’s king sounds like quite the guy, doesn’t he? Yet, something goes terribly wrong late in his life.

He goes to war without consulting God and pays a big price for it. The Lord then tells Asa through a prophet that because of his monumental oversight he will be now be at war continuously, presumably for the rest of his life.2

Tragically, the king doesn’t react well to the Lord’s rebuke.

“Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison. At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people.”3

Then we read this:

“In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians.”4

A little bitter, are we?

So, how does someone who’s described as “fully committed to the Lord” turn out so messed up? Apparently, a rebuke from the Lord can do the trick. And, based on my personal ministry experience, things like health, financial and relationship problems can also trigger divine finger-pointing and a sinful attitude.

Even mature, well-grounded Christians have the option to turn on God vs. turning to Him when things get tough. Tragically, some—even “fully committed” ones—choose the former.

How about you? Does bitterness have a foothold in your otherwise impeccable spiritual life?

·         Are you angry at God because He’s disciplined or rebuked you?

·         Are you angry at God because of a health, relationship or financial problem?

·         Are you angry at God because your life stinks?

If you find yourself getting a little defensive right now, I encourage you to figure out why. Could it be that you harbor some underlying resentment towards God? Could it be that you have some unresolved issues, something that’s interfering with your relationship with your heavenly Father?

If so, here’s my advice: Deal with it. As in now.

Here are three things you need to know:

1.      God is not your enemy. On the contrary, He loves you and is your biggest ally.

2.      The Lord knows what He’s doing. Granted, in His sovereignty God allowed whatever’s happened to occur, but He’s the Creator of the universe and knows what He’s doing. Believe it.

3.      The Lord can take the tragedies and painful moments of life and use them for your ultimate good. Yep, that’s right, it even includes whatever has happened to you.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”5

Do you really want to be like King Asa? He got angry at God and was bitter until the day he died.

I say again: Do you really want to be like Asa, angry and bitter? I didn’t think so.

Then why not make peace with your heavenly Father today? Why not start by telling Him what you’re feeling, and that you don’t want to stay mad at Him. And that you don’t want to stay bitter.

If that’s as far as you can get today, so be it. And don’t expect your strong feelings to just magically go away. My hunch is it will take time.

But here’s your homework. Read the verse below again. And again. And again, until it’s in your very soul. That’s God’s promise to you, and you can count on it.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

1  2 Chronicles 15:17

2  2 Chronicles 16:9

3  2 Chronicles 16:10

4  2 Chronicles 16:12

5  Romans 8:28

life, continued

Suspicion

Hints, hints, everywhere we look,

Hard to ignore and hard to deny.

WebMD and Google Health,

All we can say is “Why of why?”

It isn’t the worst news,

Nor is it the best.

What to do, what to do?

Thank you, Jesus, for the rest.

Confirmation

Symptoms, symptoms, everywhere he looks,

Hard to ignore and hard to deny.

The doctor now confirms our fate,

All we can say is “Why of why?”

It isn’t the worst news,

Nor is it the best.

What to do, what to do?

Thank you, Jesus, for the rest.

Aftermath

Treatment, treatment, everywhere we look,

Hard to ignore and hard to deny.

Cold reality now sets in,

All we can say is “Why of why?”

It isn’t the worst news,

Nor is it the best.

What to do, what to do?

Thank you, Jesus, for the rest.

"My grace is sufficient for you.”1

1  2 Corinthians 12:9

have you said the words today?

So, how’s your day going? Good, bad or in between? Busy or kind of laid back?

However it’s going, I have a question for you: Have you thought about your heavenly Father today?

In case you’ve forgotten, He loves you. Very much.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”1

God sent His Son, Jesus, to planet earth to die on a cross for your sins. He loves you.

But that’s not all: He’s also faithfully watching over you, protecting you and providing for you. As in right now.

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."2  

The point of today’s blog entry is short and sweet, and oh how sweet it is: God loves you. Want to hear it again? God loves you.

What’s that? You want to hear it again? Okay. Last time. God loves you!

But we’re not finished.

When people love each other, it’s appropriate for them to express their feelings to one another. God’s done His part, but have you? Translated, have you told the Lord that you love Him today?

We’re not talking about Sunday at church or last week when you were in a real pinch, but today, for no reason except, well, you love Him and want to let Him know.

Need some help? Okay, how about taking the phrase below that comes from one of the Psalms and making it your own?

Go ahead, try it.

“I love you, oh Lord, my strength.”3

Hey, I’m wise to what you just did. You read it and that’s fine, and maybe you even made it your own, which was the point. But can I make a suggestion? How about saying it out loud?  The Lord hears whether it’s a silent prayer or an audible prayer, but I find that saying things out loud makes them more real and meaningful for the one who’s praying.

So what do you say, want to give it another try? Okay, here we go again, with meaning and out loud:

“I love you, oh Lord, my strength.”

Did you do it? If so, know this: Your heavenly Father is grinning from ear-to-ear. Just because His child—you—loves Him back.

God loves you. You love God.

How cool is that?

1  John 3:16

2  Hebrew 13:5

3  Psalm 18:1

stranger in the garden

I was walking in the garden in the cool of the day when I saw him. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place him.

Yet, for some reason I liked him. For some reason I trusted him.

“Hi, Chris,” he said with a big smile. “Beautiful day, isn’t it? Say, I was wondering what’s in the bag?”

Despite being taken aback because he knew my name, I said,” Oh, it’s all of my troubles, all of my problems. Health problems, financial problems, relationship problems, it’s all here. Fear, depression, discouragement, loneliness, you name it, it’s in here.”

“I see,” he said, still smiling. “I’m curious, though, why do you carry them around with you? Isn’t it kind of heavy?”

“Well, yeah, it is heavy,” I replied, “but…they’re my problems, so what else am I going to do with them?”

“Hmmm,” he said, obviously thinking about my dilemma for a moment. Then he asked another question. “So what do you do with your troubles and problems?”

“What do I do with them?” I asked. Shrugging my shoulders I said, “Well, mostly I worry about them. I mean, they are problems, right?”

“Yes, they are,” he replied. “Do you do anything else with your troubles, other than worry about them?”

“Well, sure,” I said, wondering where all this was going. “Naturally I try to solve them, you know, get rid of them.”

“I see,” he said, now smiling again. “So how’s that going?”

I should have gotten angry or defensive, but something about him was disarming. For some reason I liked the guy, even though I couldn’t place him. Even though he seemed kind of nosey, for some reason I trusted him.

So I was honest with him. “Not so hot,” I admitted. “I’m doing my best, but sometimes I think all I’m doing is making things worse.”

Then, sensing he might be able to help, I asked for his advice. “Do you have any suggestions for me?”

Now grinning ear-to-ear, he said, “I’ve been waiting for you to ask, Chris. I’m really, really glad you did. Why not give your problems and troubles to me?”

“You?” I asked, wondering how that was possible.

“Do you trust me?” he asked, now leaning close to me.

“Yeah…for some reason I do,” I replied. “I do.”

“Good,” he said, putting his arm around my shoulder. He explained everything as we walked together the rest of the way. In the garden. In the cool of the day.

And I cried.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”1

1  1 Peter 5:7

be at rest, oh my soul

Dried leaves, twigs and acorns crunch under my feet;

the music only ends when I reach my special place.

Be at rest, oh my soul, be at rest.

Water roars downstream, pushing its way past rocks and stumps;

a log is my seat and nature’s white noise fills my eardrums.

Be at rest, oh my soul, be at rest.

Cold winds blow against my face and into my hungry lungs;

my nostrils are filled with the aroma of the woods.

Be at rest, oh my soul, be at rest.

Squirrels and birds scurry all around me, friends one and all;

I have a front row seat to their chirping, hopping and playing.

Be at rest, oh my soul, be at rest.

Dried leaves, twigs and acorns crunch under my feet yet again;

the music only ends when I sadly, ever so sadly, step onto asphalt.

Be at rest, oh my soul, be at rest.

Quiet, so quiet, now back in the car;

my heavenly Father holds me close and rocks me to sleep.

Be at rest, oh my soul, be at rest.

pursuing excellence

As the coach and two high school girls ran by me on my morning walk in the woods, I smiled and shook my head in amazement. It’s early in the morning, the day after Thanksgiving and cross country season has just ended.

Yet what are these girls doing? They’re in training. For next year.

The rest of the team? Probably sleeping in after overeating yesterday. But not these two: They’re passionate about what they do and want to be the best.

I recognized both girls, not only because I often see them running at the park, but because they've received publicity as stars on the local high school team. In fact, both went to state this year.

But they’re not only high-achievers when it comes to cross country, they apparently have high aspirations in other areas of life. As they sprinted by, they were discussing a university’s graduate program.

So not only are they planning to go to college, they’re also apparently contemplating graduate school.

Why do some people excel when most of us just do okay, or maybe even a little better than okay? I’m not sure. I suspect things like personality, upbringing and inner drive all play a factor.

But for followers of Jesus, the ultimate motivation to excel isn’t any of those things. Instead, it comes from our desire to be all that we can be in order to please our heavenly Father.  

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”1

The context for that verse is the workplace, but I believe the principle is applicable in all areas of life, in whatever we do. The workplace, our home life, sporting activities, you name it.

“Whatever” we do.

·         So what are you doing right now? “Work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”

·         What will you be doing later today? “Work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”

·         What’s on the agenda for tomorrow? “Work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”

You get the idea.

Does that mean we have to get up early the day after Thanksgiving to go running in freezing temperatures? Maybe. That is, if we’re trying to excel in the area of high school cross country.

So how does this principle apply to your life? What are you involved with? Can you do better?

Whatever it is, I encourage you to not be satisfied with mediocrity. In fact, I even encourage you not to be satisfied with very good.

I encourage you to only be satisfied with excellence, with being the very best you can be.

And what’s our motivation? We’re trying to put a smile on the face of our heavenly Father, and in the process we’ll reach our full potential.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”

1  Colossians 3:23

a helping hand

She and her three-year-old got financial help, but I was the one who was helped the most.

After repairing her car the previous week, the single mom didn’t have anything left for gas or groceries. So she humbled herself and shared her need with me by phone. An hour later she had more than enough to get through the next week, and so did I.

I guess Jesus knew what He was talking about when He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive."1

I was blessed by sharing something with someone who needed help. I can still picture the grateful look on her face and the sincere thank you. And it helped that her son was absolutely adorable and thanked me as well with a smile and a handshake.

All of this brings me to today’s challenge: Who do you know that could use a helping hand? It might be financial help, a lift to the doctor’s office, a few hours away from the kids, or any number of things.

Seriously, please don’t blow this off. My hunch is someone in your sphere of influence could use a helping hand today. And it could be that no one else is willing or able to help, except for you.

So will you? Help, that is.

Take it from me, “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”

1  Acts 20:35