"Trust Me"

Several months back, our pastor approached my wife with the idea of putting together a new website for our church. She readily agreed and began exploring the possibilities. Said exploration included consulting me, since I program computers by day. We eventually settled on a reasonable arrangement - she designs it, I code it. That's more or less what my day job consists of as well - people working separately on their own little parts and only communicating when necessary.

One flaw in this type of arrangement is that it can be painstakingly slow. I see it all the time at the office. We get the specs, we code it, we turn it in. The designer looks at what we've done and usually says that the result isn't what they wanted, so they change the specs and submit the project again. This cycle has the potential to continue indefinitely, because the process itself gets in the way. It's usually only when someone needs something done in a hurry that we actually talk for a while about the best way to do things.

After going through revision after revision after revision of banner pictures for the site, neither of us had come up with anything that worked well. The reason why should have been obvious to me, but it wasn't at the time. We weren't working together. I had my ideas, and she had hers, and the only point we could agree on was that what we had done up to then wasn't working.

Finally, in desperation, we spent about two hours last Sunday night around the same computer screen at the same time. By the time we were done, we actually had something that looked good. It didn't take a lot of knowledge or experience; it took communication and collaboration. Would you like to see what we did? Sorry! You'll have to wait until we're finished like everyone else. Oh sure, you can visit oxfordbaptist.net if you like, but all you'll see is an "under construction" message. Not to worry - I'll put the word out when the site goes live.

Yesterday, the Lord added a new facet to this lesson, which is the issue of trust. That is truly what this was all about. I wasn't trusting what she was doing on her own, and she wasn't trusting what I was doing on my own. She did her thing, I did mine, and it just didn't work. It was only by working together that our trust began to blossom. Likewise, any time we, as believers, act on our own ideas and take matters into our own hands without consulting our Heavenly Father, we demonstrate our lack of trust, and things fall apart. It seemed that, as I thought about this experience all throughout the day yesterday, He kept asking me the same question. "Why won't you trust me?"

One would think that, after having placed my faith and trust in Jesus to save me from eternal death, trusting Him for anything and everything else should be easy. It isn't, because I still live within sinful human flesh, in a sin-cursed world. Trusting God is something that requires continuous work on my part. He never promised me that it would be easy, and He never promised me that it wouldn't hurt occasionally. What He has promised me is that He will never steer me wrong. His will is perfect, and He knows what is best for me...much more so than I ever will on my own.

Father, forgive my stubbornness. Forgive my foolish retreat to my own will. Teach me new ways to trust in You today. Guide my steps, my thoughts, and my actions, that I may serve to glorify You. In the blessed name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." - Galations 5:16-17

"For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." - Romans 8:5-6

No Special Music? No Problem!

Ever since I started leading music for some of our Sunday evening services, it has seemed like every time I get up there, our scheduled special music number for the evening has been canceled. This time around was no exception. However, I at least had a few hours' advance notice about it this time. Our chorister called me that afternoon and told me that I could fill the time with whatever I wanted. I'm going to venture a guess and say that he learned a valuable lesson that evening. Leaving the option wide open like that can be a very dangerous thing to do.

I had a few things to consider in deciding what to do about this little problem. We have no children's activities while our evening service is held, so they're stuck in the auditorium with the adults for the entire hour. We also were holding our quarterly business meeting immediately after the evening service this time, so the kids would be stuck in there with us for longer than usual. I remember what it's like being a kid stuck in a pew while some boring adult drones on and on at the pulpit. It wasn't much fun for me, and I didn't get much out of the experience at the time. Bottom line - I had to get the kids involved somehow.

When the time came, I announced that we'd have a little singing competition between the two sides of the auditorium. I could see the color slowly drain from the chorister's face as I explained what I had in mind. Without waiting to see if there would be an objection, I started the left side off...

"Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah..."

And the right side answered...

"Praise ye the Lord!"

This turned out to be more fun than I could have anticipated. Seeing child-like joy spontaneously appear on the faces of many of the adults in the congregation as they jumped to their feet, sang out, sat down, and did it all over again made it all worthwhile. Upon taking the pulpit immediately thereafter, the pastor expressed his appreciation because everyone would be more likely to stay awake through his message. One brother even thanked me after the service for briefly taking him back to his Sunday school days.

The whole experience brought me a reminder of the "grass roots" of our faith. Jesus Himself said it in Mark 10:15. "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." That doesn't mean that we can only enter into His kingdom while we're still children. What it means is that it takes a child-like faith on our part to believe in Jesus Christ and His completed work on the cross.

As adults in the church, it's so easy for us to get caught up in all the different facets of church life. There's scheduling, singing, playing, studying, serving... The list goes on and on. Just occasionally, it helps to put all of that aside for a few moments and return to what makes all of this activity meaningful. It helps us to return to that one, simple truth upon which everything else rests, found in John 3:16.

Do you truly know Jesus, or are you just going through the motions in a church somewhere, hoping to work your way into Heaven? In John chapter 3, Jesus tells us that this is impossible; we must be born again to enter Heaven. Paul's letter to the church in Rome describes this process in greater detail. We must humble ourselves before God, confess that we are helpless sinners, throw ourselves on His mercy, and receive His gift of life in Jesus Christ.

Have you ever found that child-like faith? Have you received Christ?

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." - John 3:16-18

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." - Romans 10:9-10

"Peace, Be Still"

One of the things I truly love about the Lord is that He has the wonderful ability to take an event in my life and do something completely unexpected with it. For example, He used my mission trip to Brazil last year to show me (among other things) exactly what it takes to be His servant, and that is total dependence on Him and submission to Him. Much to my surprise, I actually enjoyed learning that lesson. Once I put all the worldly-minded worries I had on His shoulders, I was free to discover and enjoy everything else He had in store for me over the course of that trip.

Last week, my family and I took a vacation to Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Quite honestly, I was disappointed that I would not be around for the events held at our home church during that time. However, I also recognized that I needed a break from the daily grind to prevent a burnout. Taking a pocketful of tracts with me, I figured that I would use the time to share Christ with people I encountered along the way. After all, I could always use more training in that respect.

God took my time away from Michigan in a totally different direction. As it turned out, I did not manage to talk about Jesus with one single person I met while I was gone. The doors just didn't open like I expected them to. I became more and more unsettled as the week progressed, knowing that my goal for the week was not getting accomplished. Toward the end of the week, the flaw in the plan became apparent to me. Did you catch it? Did you see the word "my"?

I had forgotten to seek His will first. I had my own agenda, and I had forgotten that what I want is not what matters. I had forgotten that life is not about me. God exposed my stubbornness and selfishness. He reminded me of my place as a servant. He reminded me that my purpose is solely to bring glory to Him, and that I should not seek to accomplish my own ends. In essence, He was telling me that everything has its appointed time, and that this was not that time.

By the way, it was HOT in Virginia that week! For the first four full days we were there, the high hit a hundred degrees or more. Friday evening, it finally rained. For the first time that whole week, we found ourselves with nothing to do. We all sat out on the back porch, watching it come down, as the temperature plummeted to a comfortable 75 degrees. As we sat, we found ourselves singing hymns of praise to our Lord. My wife and I both agreed that this was the best moment of our entire vacation.

Father, please forgive my impertinence. Forgive me for putting my own ideas first. Forgive me for failing to seek Your will. Thank you for reminding me why I was put on this earth. Thank you for the time of rest that You have given me. Thank you for teaching me that there are times when You want nothing more from me than to be at peace and bask in the presence of Your glory. In the name of Jesus my savior I pray. Amen.

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:" - Ecclesiastes 3:1

"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." - Psalm 46:10

!!! NOISE !!!

Over the past few years, I have become adept at eliminating noise from my life. When in doubt or in "overload", I tend to seek a quiet place. I have found that it helps me regain and maintain my center of calm.

Noise comes in many forms. It is not merely audible. For example, have you been to a shopping mall lately? It is a place that has turned into a constant bombardment of advertisements, flashy this-and-that, with every little nook and cranny having its own different style of music playing. Malls have become a melting pot of noise...and that's just one example.

One of Satan's weapons against our staying in communication with God is noise, and he has done his absolute best to ensure that noise is everywhere! Think about it. Do you carry a cell phone, ipod, blackberry, or some other electronic device on a consistent basis? Do you sit home and watch television? Do you spend a lot of time on your computer doing things that really won't make any difference in the world, like online gaming? Do you listen to the radio while you drive?

These things can occasionally be used for good, such as receiving helpful information like weather warnings and directions to the nearest police station. However, most of the time, these things only serve to distract us. They fill every moment that we're not actively doing something with garbage. They keep us from using these "filler" moments to commune with our Father in Heaven.

As I traveled to Virginia to begin my vacation over the last two days, I had a chance to observe how many people around me handle some of their "filler" moments. I saw kids at restaurant tables playing video games instead of talking to their parents. I saw impatient drivers behind me screaming into their cell phones. Even as I make this latest entry, I listen to the ridiculously loud noises coming from the unit next to us. It's a constant barrage of video game sounds, with many people in the room screaming at each other over the television.

How can people possibly relax amidst all this bedlam? The purpose of a vacation is to rid one's self of the noises of our regular daily lives, yet so many insist on taking all that noise with them. Why? My guess is that they think they need all these things because they have nothing else to fill their downtime with. They have no relationship with the Lord. They are lost, in need of a savior, like most of the world.

Please pray for me this week, that God will make me a light amidst all this spiritual darkness. Pray that His gospel will be shared successfully. Pray that He will give me the courage to be a bold witness for Him.

"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." - Matthew 10:16

"And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." - Ephesians 6:19-20