Content to just lay there?

I am going to ask a tough question today, but if we are truthful on this one, we may just realize a healing at the end. How long are we willing to live WITH our troubles before we ask God to get us out of those troubles? For some of us, it has taken us a long, long time to come to our knees, admitting we have been dealing with this 'trouble' longer than we ever should have. Trouble in the form of bitterness, anger issues, hurt feelings, or attitudes of deep regret and shame. While we are living WITH these 'troubles' we are 'hoping' for something to be different, but we don't really come out and aggressively seek our deliverance from them! It is time to admit we have been living 'with' them for way too long and we need God's help to finally move us from our 'placement' INSIDE those troubles.

Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! (John 5:2-9)

"I can't" are two words Jesus can deal with, but until we utter the ones that admit we actually want our healing, we aren't really ready for it! We might not be able to get ourselves from our 'placement' inside the trouble, but Jesus doesn't even need to change our 'placement' to begin the healing. He just needs to hear that we know we 'cannot' and he 'can'. Notice that the man was still on his mat beside the waters of Bethesda when Jesus asked him if he desired his healing. He had to admit he had no one to carry him to the water, but that didn't stop Jesus. Jesus told him to get up 'from where he was' and be healed. I think we might somehow believe our deliverance from the troubles we have endured for so long will require us to 'move' from here to there. Jesus just asks us to get up!

Too many of us stay right where we are, INSIDE the trouble we have endured a long time, making all kinds of excuses for why we cannot move FROM there. For this man, he remained paralyzed on his mat, beside the pool, with no one to carry him from here to there. For us, it could just be that we have lived with all this anger, bitterness, or feelings of deep hurt all because we think we have 'no one' to move us from here to there. The truth is that the 'one' who needs to move is us and we just haven't moved from being 'flat on our backs' to our knees in humble acknowledgement of our deep need. We just lay around in our 'self-pity', never realizing our healing is right there in front of us.

If we want our deliverance from INSIDE that troubling stuff today, we might just need to confess our need and stop making all the excuses for why we cannot be healed. Jesus gave some very specific actions the man needed to take - 'admit you need healing', 'get up', 'pick up your mat', and 'walk'. Our healing begins with confession - not the list of excuses. Our next actions should reveal we desire the change more than anything else in the world - get up and walk! We may have weak or wobbly steps at first, but when we finally move from our back to our knees, we may just be surprised at just how 'strong' that position make us! Just sayin!

Credibility is earned

God loves the pure-hearted and well-spoken; good leaders also delight in their friendship. God guards knowledge with a passion, but he’ll have nothing to do with deception. Young people are prone to foolishness and fads; the cure comes through tough-minded discipline. (Proverbs 22:11-12, 15)

A pure heart speaks of purity of emotions and intellect. Many of us struggle with this just because of all the "influence" we experience from the stuff working overtime to bombard our brains with "urgent" input. Guarding what gets IN affects what will indeed eventually come OUT. Gracious speech are the words which some might call "tactful" - marked by kindness, courtesy, and mercy. They reveal genuine compassion - pleasing and bringing "satisfaction" to the ears of the one hearing them. We see God speak often of the condition of the heart and the outflow of the mouth - linking the outflow to what has first been cultivated by what we take in. God gives the frequent warnings against laziness. To "guard" means we have to pay attention, on purpose, all of the time. Any form of laziness on our part will provide an opportunity for either an attack on our emotions, a wandering of our minds, or the relationship disasters caused by words spoken in haste or out of season. Laziness is any form of inactivity which has a negative outcome in our lives. You can judge if you are being "lazy" by the excuses you find yourself making when something happens, or when you are standing there empty-handed.

It is part of human nature to make excuses for our inactivity, especially when it is revealed by what we lack in some regard. Excuses have a way of making us look good in our own eyes, but they seldom change the opinion of the one hearing them. Excuses are just a subtle way of trying to shift the blame - or even remove it totally. Anytime we offer an excuse for our laziness, we are just trying to shift the blame for our lack of progress to someone else - or some circumstance "beyond our control". Excuses are just a way of revealing a lack of good judgment. When a life lacks prudence or good judgment, instruction and correction are needed in order to get that life back on course. Discipline actually assists us in moving away from a posture of laziness and into a posture of positive action once again. Folly is fun for a while, but eventually there is very little to show for our squandered time, talent, and treasure. It becomes excessively costly to make excuses for any length of time, because what is lost may never be able to be made up again.

The wise have learned the importance of living BEYOND excuses. Their life has found a path of consistency - consistent people reveal a credibility in their actions and speech. The wise have learned the importance of having God's word close at hand. This is accomplished by consistent study and exposure to the truths which begin to settle deep within - taking root where excuses once held ground. The word is not only instructional in nature, but it is "prodding". By it, we are moved into action when inactivity beckons us. They recognize the ability of God's word to bring us to a place of trust. Inactivity will produce nothing of this sort in our lives, for we cannot trust a crumbling foundation. That which is maintained will remain strong - that which is allowed to just "coast" or "be on auto-pilot" will eventually crumble. The word is filled with all kinds of advice and knowledge - but it must be mined. This is where the rub comes for the lazy - there is work involved in mining. Effort has to be expended to both lay a good foundation and to maintain it. As long as we make excuses and complain about the effort, we will never be developing deeper trust. Trust is based on truth - truth is mined from God's word.

Listen carefully to my wisdom; take to heart what I can teach you. You’ll treasure its sweetness deep within; you’ll give it bold expression in your speech. To make sure your foundation is trust in God, I’m laying it all out right now just for you. I’m giving you thirty sterling principles—tested guidelines to live by. Believe me—these are truths that work and will keep you accountable... (Proverbs 22:17-21) Listening requires being attentive - on purpose, in the moment. Taking teaching to heart requires getting up off our fannies and doing what the word says. The promise to those who are willing to move beyond excuses - a bold expression in what we proclaim with our mouths - because what comes out has first been purposefully put in! When we stop making excuses for how "tough" it is to understand God's word, truthfully beginning to explore what we can understand right now, allowing God to unfold what we just "don't get", we will be developing a foundation by which our actions begin to change. We come to a place of realizing the truths contained in the Word are actually reliable - they are tested and can be counted on to produce what they are intended to produce. Some will build our faith; others will challenge us to lay down our pride, while others will hold us accountable for either our inaction or our improper action. This is probably the biggest reason why we avoid the word of God - we don't want to be held accountable. It is also the reason we need to make a beeline to it without haste! Just sayin!

Me? Not me!

If you are like me in the slightest, you may have found yourself on one occasion or another telling God why you aren't the most qualified for whatever it is he is asking you to do. You and I are not that dissimilar when it comes to occasionally making excuses for what we see to be a list of 'impossibilities' in our character when faced with what appears to be insurmountable odds or things we just find hard to do. I am an introvert by nature, so whoever thought I'd fill a pulpit, or stand in front of a classroom teaching? From the very first time, there was this little argument going on between God and I - you know, the one that goes something like: "Me?" "You couldn't mean me!" "I don't know the slightest about..."  Yup, that's the one. The one where we admit we know very little and possess even less in the way of ever accomplishing whatever it is that God wants to do with us. Maybe you have also been like me, hearing quite clearly from him that all of 'my' qualifications aren't the ones he is looking for!

"Don't think you need a lot of extra equipment for this. You are the equipment..." Then they were on the road. They preached with joyful urgency that life can be radically different; right and left they sent the demons packing; they brought wellness to the sick, anointing their bodies, healing their spirits. (Mark 6:8-9; 12-13)

The disciples are being sent out in pairs to begin to reach out to those in need. Their goal is to preach that the Kingdom of God is at hand and to heal the sick - setting the captive free. Before they go, Jesus takes a moment to give them their "marching orders". The first thing he focuses on is that very quickly displayed human tendency to tell God we don't have what we need to accomplish what it is that he is asking us to do. Jesus tells them not to be concerned about the "equipment" to perform the tasks ahead - letting them know in no uncertain terms that THEY are the equipment God needs and plans to use. It matters not what their 'pedigree' or 'degree' - he chooses to use the foolish to confound the wise, the simple to reveal the amazing, and the sinner to reveal the means to salvation.

This is an important message for us to receive - WE are the equipment God intends to use. It is not the fancy church buildings, the elaborately designed expensive outreaches to the community, or the mega-bucks sound system we might invest in so the message is heard. It is, and has always been, we HUMAN BEINGS that God uses as instruments to touch other HUMAN BEINGS. God knows our tendency to make excuses for what we view as a "lack" of ability on our parts - citing reason after reason for us not being able to reach out with the message of hope to those in need. Rather than allow us to focus on those excuses, he reminds us clearly - wherever he is, there is no thing lacking!

God has no other plan. We are his one and only plan. If we don't step up to the plan he has devised, the message is not going out as he intended - each of us with our unique ability to touch our own unique peer group. Yes, the rocks could cry out, but honestly, how many would rather hear the message from us? You know what it sound like when an orchestra of instruments like the oboe, violin, cymbals, french horns, flutes, etc., all play in unison. It is a thing of beauty - the unity of sound (each unique in its own way) bring forth a beautiful result. The oboe alone is not very graceful, nor is the cymbal, but put all together and playing in just the right timing, now that is a thing of beauty. That is what God has in mind for us - each "playing his/her own part" - each displaying the beauty God has place in each of us.

They went as he commanded. They did what he commanded. Amazingly, his Spirit was right there, backing up everything they were doing - just as he had said. The simple fact of truth here is that we step out in obedience, God is right alongside to back up each one of us, and he doesn't focus on what we don't have - he focuses on what it is we do have - HIM. We never stand alone - never need to worry about the message we preach. They preached with joyful urgency. Why? Simply because they knew they had a message of hope - they had a message of grace. They had experienced first-hand that God's presence in their lives made their life radically different. That is what we have the ability to share - the radical life change of a life touched by the grace of God. There ought to be an urgency burning within each of us to share what it is that God has done in us. The grace of God is best embraced when the results can be demonstrated - and nothing demonstrates grace better than a changed life!

What were the results of their obedience? The Spirit of God intervened. The communities they touched were changed for the glory of God. Lives were impacted with the grace of God - healing and transforming lives. There is always an impact when God's kids step out in obedience - using what he gives and not limited by what they 'don't have'. It is impossible for things to remain the same. Lives will be changed. YOU are his instruments. Each of us begins to realize our true calling when we yield to the skilled direction of our Lord and Master. Just sayin!

But....but....but...

Ever find yourself paralyzed by fear? Considering something 'ominous' in front of you, with memories of what you once had behind you? These thoughts plague us and we find ourselves wondering if we can ever make it past the past and getting fully into the present. There isn't much hope of ever experiencing the 'newness' of the present until we let go of all the excuses we offer to attempt to stay connected with our past!

Attention, Israel! This very day you are crossing the Jordan to enter the land and dispossess nations that are much bigger and stronger than you are. You're going to find huge cities with sky-high fortress-walls and gigantic people, descendants of the Anakites—you've heard all about them; you've heard the saying, "No one can stand up to an Anakite."  Today know this: God, your God, is crossing the river ahead of you—he's a consuming fire. He will destroy the nations, he will put them under your power. You will dispossess them and very quickly wipe them out, just as God promised you would.  (Deuteronomy 9:1-3)

A blessed land for a chosen people - but not before some conditions were met. We find Israel spending 40 years wandering around the small wilderness region between Egypt's border and the land of Canaan - not a very long journey, but one that took them loads longer than it needed to simply because of their lack of trust and rebellion! After many years of aimless wandering, they finally stand ready to enter into the promises of God - but before they can possess what is promised, they must 'dispossess' some other stuff. Stronger armies, seemingly impenetrable fortresses, and giants await them as they take the first steps into what God had promised them.  If I were standing in their sandals, I'd be wondering if God had been kidding when he said he had "good stuff" for me just on the other side of the river!  I'd have wondered if God had maybe been a little mixed up in his attention to detail here. The things ahead of me would have made me a little skeptical, to say the least.

We sometimes find ourselves in similar circumstances, looking ahead, knowing we need to "make our move", and we are almost paralyzed by fear because of what lays just beyond the borders of where we are now and where we are headed. We might make excuses for our unwillingness to take the first step - focusing squarely on the insurmountable odds rather than the imperceptible strength of our God - pointing out each and every pitfall along the journey. Perhaps we have been asked to take steps toward something and away from something else.  It may be that God has been tugging at our heart, asking us to spend time and energy on something we find hard.  We look at what is just ahead and all we see is rock-solid walls that seem like they will never be penetrated.  We want to 'step out', but we only feel waves of paralyzing fear in face of past failures.  Wherever we find ourselves this morning, God is saying, "It is time to take the first step. Trust me to guide you."

We don't take those first steps alone. As the nation of Israel stood on the very edges of what God promised to them, God stood alongside.  GOD (Jehovah) - the unchanging one, the one who becomes all we need, the one holding us accountable - stands ready to go alongside.  God (Elohim) - the creator of all things, the possessor of absolute power and authority, the covenant keeping God - stands ready to exhibit his power on our behalf and not let one of his promises fall short of completion in our lives. Look at his position - he goes ahead of us to put under his power all that would stand in the way of our victory!  That means he is going ahead of us to bring understanding into our times of personal chaos and confusion.  He is going ahead of us into the fearful places of budding relationship and past failures.  He is the consuming fire - the fire that burns through our doubt and fear; the fire that illuminates our path; the God that creates newness where we can only see devastation.  

I know this passage refers to where Israel stood that day, but I believe it has meaning for us, as well. God is to be realized as both our unchanging one and our becoming one. He is the Alpha and Omega - the beginning of newness in our lives and the finisher of all that he promises. Walls may seem huge, and even impenetrable - holding us back from realizing what awaits us on the other side. There is no "wall" that can withstand his power or authority - no enemy can stand in the midst of his mighty acts on our behalf. Giants may loom over us - God stands taller and stronger than any giant standing in our way. Today is a day of new beginnings - it is definitely time to step out, God going ahead of us, preparing the way for us. Our part is to take the first step - his is to go ahead of us, driving out the giants and tearing down the walls. His part is to be all we need - our part is to be obedient to his voice. Is God urging you to step out today? If so, take the first step knowing whole-heartedly that he goes ahead of you! Just steppin!

Get up and get moving!

God values a pure heart and gracious speech.  A pure heart speaks of purity of emotions and intellect.  Most of us struggle with this just because of all the "influence" we experience from the stuff working overtime to bombard our brains with input.  Guarding what gets IN affects what will indeed eventually come OUT.  Gracious speech speaks of the words which some might call "tactful" - marked by kindness, courtesy, and mercy.  In other words, they reveal genuine compassion.  These words are pleasing and bring "satisfaction" to he ears of the one hearing them.  We see God speak often of the condition of the heart and the outflow of the mouth - linking the outflow to what has first been cultivated by what we take in.

God loves the pure-hearted and well-spoken; good leaders also delight in their friendship.  God guards knowledge with a passion, but he’ll have nothing to do with deception.  Young people are prone to foolishness and fads; the cure comes through tough-minded discipline.  (Proverbs 22:11-12, 15 MSG)

Sandwiched in between many of these proverbs for living, God intersperses the frequent warnings against laziness.  To "guard" means we have to pay attention, on purpose, all of the time.  Any form of laziness on our part will provide an opportunity for either an attack on our emotions, a wandering of our minds, or the relationship disasters caused by words spoken in haste, out of season, or just without thinking.  Laziness is really any form of inactivity which has a negative outcome in our lives.  You might be able to judge if you are being "lazy" by the excuses you find yourself making when something happens, or when you are standing there empty-handed.

It is part of human nature to make excuses for our inactivity, especially when it is revealed by what we lack in some regard.  Excuses have a way of making us look good in our own eyes, but they seldom change the opinion of the one hearing them.  Excuses are just a subtle way of trying to shift the blame - or even remove it totally - but seldom accomplish this very well.  Really, anytime we offer an excuse for our laziness, we are just trying to shift the blame for our lack of progress to someone else - or some circumstance "beyond our control".  Excuses are just a way of revealing a lack of good judgment.  

When a life lacks prudence or good judgment, instruction and correction are needed in order to get that life back on course.  Discipline actually assist us in moving away from our posture of laziness and into a posture of positive action once again.  Folly is fun for a while, but eventually there is very little to show for our squandered time, talent, and treasure.  It becomes excessively costly to make excuses for any length of time, because what is lost may never be able to be made up again.  

The wise are often those who are giving the undisciplined instruction.  Why? They have learned the importance of living BEYOND excuses.  Their life has found a path of consistency - consistent people reveal a credibility in their actions and speech.  The wise have learned the importance of having God's word close at hand.  This is accomplished by consistent study and exposure to the truths which begin to settle deep within - taking root where excuses once held ground.  The word is not only instructional in nature, but it is "prodding". By it, we are moved into action when inactivity beckons us.  

The wise also recognize the ability of God's word to bring us to a place of trust.  Inactivity will produce nothing of this sort in our lives, for we cannot trust a crumbling foundation.  That which is maintained will remain strong - that which is allowed to just "coast" will eventually crumble.  The word is filled with all kinds of advice and knowledge - but if must be mined.  This is where the rub comes for the lazy - there is work involved in mining.  Effort has to be expended to both lay a good foundation and to maintain it.  As long as we make excuses and complain about the effort, we will never be developing deeper trust.  Trust is based on truth - truth is mined from God's word.  

Listen carefully to my wisdom; take to heart what I can teach you.  You’ll treasure its sweetness deep within; you’ll give it bold expression in your speech.  To make sure your foundation is trust in God, I’m laying it all out right now just for you.  I’m giving you thirty sterling principles—tested guidelines to live by.  Believe me—these are truths that work, and will keep you accountable...  (Proverbs 22:17-21 MSG)

Listening requires being attentive - on purpose, in the moment.  Taking teaching to heart requires getting up off our fannies and doing what the word says.  The promise to those who are willing to move beyond excuses - a bold expression in what we proclaim with our mouths - because what comes out has first been put in!  Here's the best part - when we stop making excuses for how "tough" it is to understand God's word, truthfully beginning to explore what we can understand right now, then allowing God to unfold what we just "don't get", we will be developing a foundation by which our actions begin to change.

In turn, we come to a place of realizing the truths contained in the word are actually reliable - they are tested and can be counted on to produce what they are intended to produce.  Some will build our faith.  Others will challenge us to lay down our pride.  Still others will hold us accountable for either our inaction or our improper action.  This is probably the biggest reason why we avoid the word of God - we don't want to be held accountable.  It is also the reason we need to make a beeline to it without haste!  Just sayin!