Surrender

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August 16

Tuesday, August 16th, 2022

INSTALLMENT #1

The basis for The Trail by Ed Underwood (see my August 15 post) is that God’s will is not some thing that is mystical or otherworldly (my words). We make it out to be that way as we search here and there; throw out fleece after fleece; say “If this happens a certain way or time then I’ll know” and other ideas like that.

Proverbs 3:5-6 is clear: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Some translations say: “He will direct your paths.”

I think…(and this is my thought so blame me if you disagree  🙂 )…we have such trouble with knowing God’s will, and then even following it, because we like to have control. Different personalities look at life differently, and even having control differently. There are some who like to fly by the seat of their pants. Sort of like “go with the flow”. There are those who like to have some control. They enjoy the adventure but still want to kinda, sorta have some control. Then there are those who want to know every twist and turn, every nook and cranny of following Jesus. What’s next? What’s around the corner?

That phrase “He will direct your paths” is key. Why? Because it takes faith to follow. Like holding the hand of a parent, a child trusts his father/mother to lead him/her to safety or in the correct direction. There is security in that hand. The opposite of faith is control. How different it is for a child to hold the hand of their parent and go willingly vs holding the hand and constantly tugging or fighting. In most cases, the parent knows best (given our humanness); the child is wise to follow. “God doesn’t need your strength to guide you, but you do need His strength to recognize His guidance.” (p.14)

The reality is that we will never understand all that is ahead. God is not asking us to. But He is asking us to trust Him. Frankly, if I understand all that is ahead that puts me in the “I-am-God-category” and personally I am just not ready to say that! 🙂  Isaiah 42:8 (which I read this morning) says, “I am the Lord, that is My Name. I will not give my glory to another; nor My power to idols.”

Nope. God won’t share His place with anyone. That means I need to trust His wisdom and accept His strength.

First principle from My Trail: “God doesn’t need your strength to guide you, but you do need to trust His strength to recognize His guidance.”

“Father, help me to do as Proverbs 3 is telling me: not to rely on my own wisdom and strength, but on Yours. I’m not God; You are. Help me be willing to follow Your direction.”

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August 11

Thursday, August 11th, 2022

I confess. I’m guilty. After reading Luke 12 I can only say, “I’m guilty.”

I’m guilty of misplaced priorities.

I’m guilty of teaching/preaching/saying one thing but doing the opposite.

I’m guilty of living for this world and not another.

I’m guilty of mismanaging the little. (How then can I be trusted with the much?)

I’m guilty of not seeking God’s kingdom first.

I’m guilty of being so “here-focused” that I am seldom “there-focused.”

I’m guilty of worrying about my future, sometimes dwelling on it too much and lamenting financial mismanagment and a lack of preparation for retirement.

I’m guilty of greed, of not being satisfied with what I have.  (Can anyone say vehicles?)

I’m guilty of a heart divided.

After all that guilt there is only one way to assuage it. Jesus put it succinctly: “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one is affluent does his life consist of his possessions.”  (12:15 NASB2020)

Keep my priorities where they belong. Focus on Jesus. Pursue Him and His righteousness. Leave the future in His more than capable hands.

“There you have it Father. My manifesto about my future. Guilty? Yes. Forgiven? Most definitely. Re-focused on You? My desire. May it be with your strength and direction.”

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August 9

Tuesday, August 9th, 2022

Have you ever read a passage of Scripture-least you think you have-and not have it register? Then one time you read it and BAM! the light goes on. This morning was one of  those times.

The Scripture in the spotlight: Isaiah 37: 14-20. (Please take a moment  and read it).

Sennacherib (S), the Assyrian king, planned to invade Judah. He sent his lackeys to threaten and badger Hezekiah into surrendering and not trust God. God surely would not save them. Outgunned and out-manned, Hezekiah does something totally unusual: he takes the letter from S, reads it, then heads to the temple and lays it out before God. Then he prays. It was not an “I’m scared spitless and don’t know what to do” kind of prayer. It was simply a prayer that acknowledged God’s power and might, Hezekiah’s weakness against S, and his trust that God would save them.

God answers Hezekiah’s prayer through Isaiah. I like the words Isaiah says in verse 21: “Because you have prayer to me (God) about S…” God is acknowledging Hezekiah’s correct response to the threat.

Now watch the result. Verses 36-38 -> 185,000 Assyrians dead. Not by Hezekiah’s hand or his army. “The angel of the Lord went out and struck…” Hezekiah didn’t lift a finger. S went home in disgrace and was eventually assassinated by his own sons.

Hezekiah averted a disaster by going to God first. What a great lesson! Instead of moving in his own strength (to sure defeat); relying on his own army; or even surrendering to S, he went to God and laid it all out before Him.

There’s gotta be a lesson there! 🙂

“Father, may I not  fret and worry and scheme in my own strength. Let me bring it all before You, lay it all before You, and trust You implicitly. “

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August 8

Monday, August 8th, 2022

At this point in history, we who live in America have it fairly easy when it comes to following Jesus. True, Christianity is no longer the dominant worldview it used to be. But all in all, we are not China or North Korea or Iran/Iraq or India or some other hostile place. So following Jesus is still pretty non-confrontational and “safe.”

That’s what struck me as I read Luke 9 this morning.  On two separate occasions Jesus talks about what it will take to follow Him. These are not back-to-back incidents, but by my recollection days apart.

The first is in Luke 9: 23-27. (I’ll leave it up to you to read it). It is probably as familiar to you as it is to me. Jesus minces no words about what it will take to follow Him: “Deny…Take up…Follow…Give up.” Following Jesus is a full-time, full-on surrender to His rule in my life. Discipleship is not a “when-I-feel-like-it” experience.

The second, which comes at least 8 days later (v.28), is found in verses 57-62. It is what I will call “I will follow You but…” passage. You can read it for yourself. It seems to be a scene of “I will follow when it is convenient for me.”

I don’t think the scenes are unrelated or separate, except in time frame. What I mean by that is they supplement or amplify each other. “Deny…take up…follow…give up” sets the groundwork for Jesus saying, “It takes complete surrender to be Mine.”  The latter Scripture says, “There is no wasting time. Don’t put Him second. He wants me now.”

“Father, may I not hesitate to follow You. May my following involve being sold out to You without hesitation and completely.”

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August 4

Thursday, August 4th, 2022

Have you ever met someone who can’t seem to make up their mind? I love my wife but that tends to be her. Typical conversation on my day off (or even at other times):

  • Me: Where do you want to eat?
  • Her: I don’t care.
  • Me: I’ll ask again: where do you want to eat?
  • Her: I don’t care. You pick.
  • Me: Okay, let’s go to ____________.
  • Her: I don’t wan to go there.
  • Me: But you just said you didn’t care.

On and on it goes until I say, “I am not leaving this parking lot until you give me a place. You don’t like my suggestions, so you decide.” “But I don’t want to.” “Okay, let’s go to ___________.” “I don’t want to.”  (Frustration ensues)

There are also those who fixate on something and you just can’t get their mind turned. It is set in concrete.

Then there are those (like me) who have dreamed about something, maybe for years, realize it, then want to go back. In 2019 the church I pastor gifted us with a trip to Alaska. It had been on my bucket list for years. I want to go back and enjoy it again.  Jo doesn’t. Any takers?  🙂 🙂

The Apostle Paul probably seems like a man who couldn’t stay in one place very long. And he didn’t. Unless run out of town sooner, he normally stayed a year or two or three, but then moved on. It wasn’t dissatisfaction like many of us experience. You know…it gets old so we move on to “greener pastures.”

Paul moved on, but not because of that. He moved on because he believed that was his calling. Plant. Preach. Start a church. Prepare. Move on.

That is different from moving on due to being tired of the status quo or because of being tired of the place or even feeling like you’ve done all you can. Paul moved to take the message of Jesus to somewhere and to someone else because that was his calling.

Your calling may not be like Paul’s. Mine isn’t. But I do know that where I am, I need to be all there (to borrow Jim Eliot’s words). God put me-He put you-exactly where He wanted us. Be all there. Serve Him there. And if, or when, He says, “Move on” then do exactly that.

“Father, help me to be all Yours no matter where I am.”

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August 2

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2022

Control. It’s a matter of control.

For the past 6 Sundays- (this coming Sunday will be #7)- I have been preaching on 7 Cancers, or as they are commonly called, the Seven Deadly Sins. As I reflect on all of them, they come down to one word:

C. O. N. T. R. O. L.

Who controls me? Or what controls me? Whether talking about anger or jealousy, gluttony or lust, pride or greed, or sloth, it all comes down to control.

That came to my mind this morning as I read Isaiah 31:1- “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord!” 

That then brought to mind Psalm 20:7- “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” 

That drew me to Ephesians 5:18 where I am told to not allow any outside influence to control me or I could grieve/quench the Holy Spirit’s influence in my life.  The only influence who should have control is the Holy Spirit.

Again, it is a matter of control. Will I allow a substance, a priority, a circumstance, or some outside influence to have control over me?

“Father, may You be who I let control me. May I push away every imposter for the throne of my heart and exalt You and You only as my King.”

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July 11

Monday, July 11th, 2022

I’m probably not alone when I say that there are times when I wish God would just make Himself and His will very clearly known. Like “Here Bill! I want you to go this way” while either holding my hand (literally) or putting up a sign which says, “This way Bill.”

But He doesn’t work that way.

Not that there aren’t times He makes His will clearly known. And truthfully, that is most often after a struggle when bears itself out in heartfelt prayers, tears, sometime sleepless nights, and yes, even wrestling with God.

I thought about all of that as I read Isaiah 7. I’m not an expert in the OT by any stretch. Far from it. I more often scratch my head in a “say what?” mode than I do having a light bulb show up.

We can’t miss the significance of Isaiah 7 because of verse 14, but I’m a bit stumped of its relevance to the situation. Forgive me if I get a little lost. The way I understand it is that Ahaz was told my Isaiah to ask for a sign. Isaiah has told him to go against his enemies. When he doubts the wisdom of that, Ahaz is told to look for a sign.  He refuses.  Isaiah rebukes him then quotes verse 14.

That’s quite a sign! Ahaz doesn’t get it. Honestly, I’m not sure I do either. Not at that time.

I get its significance now because the sign is for us. In fact, I get that message loud and clear.  “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel.”  I’ve heard that somewhere before. 🙂

Now…if I could see just as clearly in my day to day life.

Note: after coming to the office I did a little study on this passage.  Rezin, the king of Syria and Pekah the king of Samaria resolved to remove Ahaz and to set up a puppet on the throne of Judah. So Isaiah, at God’s direction, confronts Ahaz and pleads with him not to find refuge in the Assyrians but to find his help and strength in Almighty God. A second time Isaiah went to Ahaz and Ahaz gave this pious, hypocritical reply (verse 12) to Isaiah.  It was then Isaiah gave this prophecy.  The second part of that prophecy (verse 16) is fulfilled within 3 years of Isaiah’s words. Rezin is slain by Tiglath-pileser and Pekah is slain by Hoshea, his successor.

The first part of that prophecy-the one we know-is a bit more difficult to understand its place. While Ahaz is told to ask for a sign (singular) the pronoun changes to plural (you) referring to the house of David.  The sign is given to the whole house of David as part of the Davidic covenant.  We know of its fulfillment in the birth of Jesus, which is repeated in Matthew 1:23 as part of the angel’s message to Joseph.

I hope I have not totally muddied the waters with this further explanation. 🙂

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June 28

Tuesday, June 28th, 2022

After I finished Revelation and my analysis of it (It started with the April 18th post), I did what I always do. I started reading the NT again, beginning with Matthew 1. It will be a challenge to finish it on or close to December 31. I am now in Matthew 23. This will be my first of two posts from that chapter.

Matthew 23: 1-12

My first inclination was to comment on the “do as I say not as I do” scenario we find ourselves in as Jesus confronts the Pharisees with their hypocritical double standards. But as I read further with that thought in mind, I came to these words in verses 10-12: “And do not be called leaders, for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest of you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”

Jesus is the Leader. My leader. The logical conclusion to that statement might look like this:

  • Jesus is the Leader.
  • Jesus is Greater than me.
  • Therefore, I am to be His servant.

Being a servant sounds simple, but it isn’t. It requires a dose of humility (for some of us more than a small one). It requires the willingness to raise others up and put myself down (not in false humility). My purpose is to make His Name great.

The Pharisees didn’t do that. They couldn’t! They were too busy promoting themselves and their own self-righteousness. That’s the whole gist of verses 4-7. Self-promotion can never promote the great Name of Jesus. Self-promotion can never honor, exalt, magnify, glorify and make great the Name of Jesus.

We are to live for the fame of His Name. I/we cannot do that when we are clamoring for the microphone.

MAKE GREAT HIS NAME!!

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June 21

Tuesday, June 21st, 2022

This past Sunday, as part of the Father’s Cay special the church had, one of the men used the father with the demon-possessed son. You can find his story in Mt. 17 and also in Mk. 9. It is the Mark 9 passage which is actually fuller with information and I’d like to use that one.

As Jesus, Peter, James and John made their way down from the Mount of Transfiguration, they were met by a swarm of people. Front and center was a father whose son was demon-possessed. He had begged and pleaded with the disciples to heal his son-to cast out the demon-but they were unable to. So the father tells Jesus what has been happening. Putting aside Jesus’ words about the faithlessness of the others, the father brings his son to Jesus and about that time the demon throws him on the ground and into convulsions. The conversation next is my point:

Jesus: “How long has this been happening?”

Father: “From childhood.”

Father: “But if you can do anything…” (emphasis mine)

Jesus: “IF? All things are possible to those who believe.”

Father: “I believe. Help my unbelief.”

Jesus heals his son.

Notice the exchange? “If?”  “I believe. Help my unbelief.”

That father is me sometimes. There are occasions when I bring very little faith to the table. I’m barely holding on. But He is willing to take what little faith I have and make it greater. I have often said, “He takes my #2 faith and make is a #8 or a #10 faith.”

Jesus builds faith; He doesn’t tear it down. If there is any tearing down, it is to tear down our self-sufficient “faith” and build a kingdom faith.

May your (and my) faith increase.

 

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June 20

Monday, June 20th, 2022

Surgery was a success so the doc says. It is 6 days in and in my mind the jury is still out. I know part of it is being a man. You know…I want healed yesterday. I want to feel better yesterday. I want to be able to ride my bike yesterday. But with him having to do more than he thought, this is to be expected.

Except in my mind.

I had visions of my last back surgery. The removal of a bone fragment on a nerve brought instant relief!! Maybe too instant in my mind. Not this time. It is going to take some time for my spine and legs to function normally.

That reminds me of today’s verse from Proverbs which I highlighted: “A man’s steps are ordained by the Lord; how then can a person understand his way?” (20:24 NASB20202)

Exactly! I have in my mind the way things ought to go or to be. God has something different in mind. The reality is that He will reveal His ways and His thoughts when it is His time. Not mine.

The lesson about my back is mine. The lesson from the Book and from the Father is God’s timing is right and true and will prevail. My steps are ordered by Him and I cannot know His way or timing.

“Father, help me to trust You. Help me know and trust that Your timing is always perfect.”

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