I messed up

Thomas Jefferson lived by one principle: "Whenever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching." While it isn't a direct quote from the Bible, the principle sure is! All the world watches to see how the children of God will respond in times of need, crisis, and even peaceful repose. Why? They want to know if you will handle life differently because Jesus dwells within you.

Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge. (Proverbs 18:15)

Robert Half reminds us, "When one teaches, two learn." For me to teach anything, share any of the truths God has revealed to me, I have to learn them first. Do I learn them all fully before I share them? No, but when truth becomes alive to me, you bet I am going to share it! Be ready to learn, no matter the day or the hour. This is how I operate - when God speaks, I want to be ready to listen. How about you?

Do some of God's teachings come at a time when I am busy with other stuff? Yes, and if I don't slow down long enough to acknowledge it, I will lose it. If we go through life at a break-neck speed, we might miss more than one lesson God is teaching. We may not see the example set for us in another's actions. Are the greatest lessons always taught from the pulpit? Not hardly! Some of the hardest, but most profound lessons are learned at the moment we make the dumbest mistakes.

Remember: The 'teachable' do a whole lot of 'teaching'. What do others 'learn' from you? Do they learn of the faithfulness of grace? Do they see the wisdom of humility? Do they understand the importance of confession? These are truthfully what I would label as everyday kind of lessons. As we stumble through our day, we might find there are times to admit we didn't do things very well. Do we just do that silently, afraid someone might think poorly of us if we were to share it with another? They already saw us mess up - why not also let them see how a righteous man or woman deals with that 'mess up' in a godly manner? Just askin...

Let's get silly, shall we?

The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It’s written, I’ll turn conventional wisdom on its head, I’ll expose so-called experts as shams. So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn’t God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered stupid—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation. (I Corinthians 1:8)

Ever wonder why I take the time to record some thoughts on my scripture study each day? It is simple - God chose scripture to fill our lives with hope, direction, and even a little laughter from time to time. I rejoice in knowing I can turn to scripture whenever I want - some don't have this privilege. I delight in discovering some 'new' truth that encourages my soul. I cry at times because of the conviction it brings into the depths of my being. I even laugh when I consider the folly of those who would challenge a holy God and expect to stand up against his power. Yes, to some the gospel message seems a little antiquated or even a little silly, but to me it is the hope of my day. How about you? Does scripture uplift you? Do you find it brings you a little conviction from time to time? Then it is doing exactly what it is intended to do!

We could look into those books in the self-help sections of our bookstores and libraries, but I have to tell you I have tried doing what some of them have proposed and haven't been all that 'helped' by their 'wisdom'. Sure, I changed a little here and there, but by sheer will-power and certainly not by the grace of God! Self-help is just that - it is your 'flawed and imperfect self' attempting to pick up some of the pieces our lives are in and put them back together. If you ever heard the nursery rhyme about Humpty Dumpty and all the kings men trying to put him back again, then you have an apt picture of what it is like to attempt to use our earthly wisdom to accomplish what only the divine can complete! 

I think God is kind of cool at times when I see how he uses what others think is unusable to do something quite amazing right in the midst of a bunch of naysayers. I also think he is wise in his choice of vessel - choosing what others consider a 'cast-off' or 'worthless' object to bring great glory to his name. Why does God choose what others might consider a 'cast-off' for his purposes? Maybe it is their availability, or perhaps it is their simple trust in him because of what they already know they DON'T possess in themselves. God isn't asking us to take only the 'strong' or 'worthy' stuff in our lives and put it into his hands for his use - he also asks us to take what we might otherwise consider 'worthless' or as worthy nothing more than being a 'cast-off'. 

The beginning of all things begins by beginning. That isn't a profound truth, but stop for a moment to consider what you have never 'begun' because you didn't know where to 'begin'. What kept you from taking the first step toward it? You didn't realize WHERE to begin or WHAT to do once you did. That's where God's truths can be most helpful - where our 'self-help' plans end and his 'wisdom of the ages' comes into play in our lives. We don't possess all the wisdom, so to exclude God's wisdom from our lives by limiting ourselves to our 'self-help' plans is kind of silly. God uses what seems like silliness to some to bring out great things in another. Ever wonder why hearing someone explain what God has revealed to them from scripture helps you to actually take the first step? It is because of the 'silliness' of sharing his wisdom instead of just our own. Just sayin!

Preach it!

Ever wonder why we have 'preachers'? Men and women, proclaiming the message of hope found in Christ Jesus - some share the message with regularity, while others are called upon at various intervals, but all 'preach' the message with clarity, certainty, and credibility. The truth is that God chose 'preaching' as the way to bring the message of salvation to a lost and hurting world - to a people with hurts, hang-ups, and habits that needed a way to find healing, deliverance, and stability in their lives. God chose what others may consider kind of silly as his means to deliver this message and he quite often chooses those who have been all bound up in their own issues to become the best of 'preachers'!

The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It’s written, I’ll turn conventional wisdom on its head, I’ll expose so-called experts as crackpots. So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn’t God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.  (1 Corinthians 1:18 MSG)

God chose preaching and in so doing, he chose preachers. Herein is something quite remarkable - God chooses to use words to help us understand his ways. He chooses examples given in illustration as a means of grasping our deliverance. Should it surprise us that he left us with 'words' to help guide our decisions? While there could have been many other things that would serve as a means of declaring who and what God is and has done for his creation, he knows perfectly well that we connect through words. We find meaning in them and they help us to experience things at a different level.

We can get very well educated by the study of words and miss the whole meaning of the message! The truth is that we need those in our lives who will consistently bring those words to life before us until we finally grasp the meaning! We need 'preachers' of the Word and we need their consistency. We need their illustrations and we need their honesty in sharing their own struggles with the discovery of the truths they have learned in their own lives. The Word of God is not up for anyone's own interpretation, but we do need those who are willing to prepare to bring it forth in a skilled manner.

All our fancy wisdom pales in comparison to one simple message of hope spoken from a life genuinely changed by the Word of God. It seems like we are 'hard' on preachers at times. We find fault with their sermons not having enough 'variety' and some even change churches because they are 'tired of the same old message'. Let me just caution us here - the message is never old! The message is always consistent and it is always powerful when it is delivered under the anointing of God's Spirit. The foolishness of 'the same old message' is that it is the only message that is really needed! There is but ONE God, ONE way to restored relationship with him, and ONE path to 'enlightenment' - Christ Jesus. It might seem like an odd way to get that message out to us, but God chose preaching. Just sayin!

One Teacher, Multiple Lessons

When one teaches, two learn.  (Robert Half)

21 Jesus and his companions now arrived at the town of Capernaum and on Saturday morning went into the Jewish place of worship—the synagogue—where he preached. 22 The congregation was surprised at his sermon because he spoke as an authority and didn’t try to prove his points by quoting others—quite unlike what they were used to hearing! (Mark 1:21-22 TLB)

They say any teacher really has to learn the subject matter prior to teaching it themselves. Does that mean I perfectly "get" every lesson down pat before I teach it and can replicate it time and time again without variation? Not hardly! It does means I learn a little more each time I teach it, though! It means I come closer to replicating the lesson without variation each time I revisit that lesson. It means there has been growth to some degree in my life. I am human, so my teaching isn't always my own - sometimes I reteach what I have learned from others - things that spoke truth into my life and helped me to grow in some area. Jesus taught from his own knowledge - because he is ALL knowledge. He surprised the people by his authority because they had never heard or seen anyone with so much "true" authority. As "ambassadors" of the message of truth God gives to each of us, we embody truth in some degree, based on how much of the lesson we have allowed to be worked out in our lives.

God's Word often "surprises us" no matter how many times we have heard or read the same passages. Why is that? I think it might just be that at certain times in our lives we are more "open" to it, seeing it through a different "lens" and therefore, we "get it" a little differently or clearer each time we are exposed to it. Does that mean the first "lesson" was not taught well? No, it just means we were open to learning it a different way, or to a different degree of understanding, the second or third or fourth time around. It doesn't make the first learning opportunity flawed in anyway because all learning is incremental. We don't become versed in quantum physics overnight! We first have to understand a little bit about particles - neutrons and protons. Then we have to understand how they react to each other, rely upon one another, act when in an electromagnetic field, etc. Right about at the point I said "neutrons and protons", I lost about half of you! Why? You have no desire or "need" to learn quantum physics!

Sometimes the lessons we are open to learning are those we need to learn the most. This is why scripture comes "alive" at times for us and at others that same passage is "good", but not as "rich" as it is when we need it most. Learning isn't about the "degree" to which we learn the lesson, it is about the openness of mind and heart to actually absorb and act upon what we are learning. The simplest lessons have been some of the richest and most meaningful in my own life. The more "grandiose" ones were good, but they didn't bring life change to the same degree some of the simpler ones did. To have learned what grace really is and what it truly does in my life - that was a harder lesson to learn, but in incremental steps, I have moved closer and closer to understanding the truth about grace. I have discovered no amount of "self effort" makes me right with God. No amount of "being good" is going to get me one step closer to heaven's doors. No "work" I do helps me overcome sin. All steps toward God are grace steps. All steps out of sin are there because God laid the paving stones of grace to help me walk away from it. 

We can learn at different paces, in different seasons, and in many different ways. The way we learn isn't too different, though. It occurs when we are "opened up" to learn. Sometimes this opening of ourselves is quite natural because there is a curiosity that drives us. At others, we need a little nudging because we don't exactly see ourselves as needing that lesson. Either way, the most instrumental way we come into knowledge is by realizing the authority of the one who is teaching that lesson - Christ! Just sayin!

What are you doing with what you have received?

Let God's word richly inhabit your lives - what a word picture!  First and foremost, there is this idea of actually giving God "admittance" into our time and space.  He need access if his word is to do the work it is designed to accomplish and he needs the time to do it!  Sure, God can do stuff instantly, but when he does, we often don't appreciate it quite as much - why? It might be because we received what we did just way too easily!  Some of the best things I have in my life are those that I had to work for the hardest - like my relationships with those I love.  It doesn't just always come easily to us to be involved in some relationships, so the work we put into them actually is a little tougher than one might think!  

Let the word of the Anointed One richly inhabit your lives. With all wisdom teach, counsel, and instruct one another. Sing the psalms, compose hymns and songs inspired by the Spirit, and keep on singing—sing to God from hearts full and spilling over with thankfulness. Surely, no matter what you are doing (speaking, writing, or working), do it all in the name of Jesus our Master, sending thanks through Him to God our Father. (Colossians 3:6-7 VOICE)

When God has both the access and time to work in our lives, he also looks for our attention. When someone inhabits something it carries the meaning of possessing whatever it is one inhabits.  If my cats used to take over a cardboard box when I placed it on the floor, they were telling me they now "inhabited" the box - it was no longer mine!  Maybe this is where we get the legal phrase: Possession is 9/10th of the law.  God doesn't compete for space - he asks for admittance, then he asks for the space, followed by taking the time to actually get to know each other.  If we read closely though, we will see that he doesn't come as one who is "needy" into our lives - making us even needier.  He comes as one who will "richly inhabit" our lives.  He brings what we lack and that which enriches us beyond measure.

This "inhabiting" of our lives is to cause something pretty profound to happen - we are to begin to reflect the goodness of God in our lives, so as to allow it to touch the lives of others. In allowing God's word to begin to inhabit our lives, there is a certain amount of godly wisdom which begins to permeate our minds and hearts.  That wisdom is to be used - not hoarded.  Wisdom is of no use unless it becomes that which we "apply" into our experiences and relationships.  We use it to teach, give counsel, and to instruct others - because it is intended to be shared, not squirreled away.

We teach - part of which is this whole process of demonstration.  Most of what I have learned in life hasn't been because I heard something, but because I saw it with my eyes and experienced it with my hands.  I am a visual learner, and I also learn by doing whatever it is I am attempting to learn.  There is power in demonstrating the wisdom of God we have been given when we spend time allowing his word to richly enrich our lives!  It often is the catalyst by which change is sparked in the lives of those around us.  Oftentimes I see something the way I'd like it to be long before it ever reaches that point!  This is how most of us actually make change - by seeing something the way it can be.

We counsel - a good deal of which is this whole idea of allowing enough consideration to be given to a matter that a more "educated" plan is formed.  In other words, we infuse into the circumstances of life enough consultation and instruction that a conclusion can be reached upon which we take action.  This is much of what counsel is in our lives - more than advice that sounds good, but advisement which actually provides some instruction which helps us make the choices which will better our circumstances.  For example, my employer arranges for the members of our retirement investing firm to come periodically to provide us with insight into how well we are doing with our retirement planning - his or her advice is helpful in allowing me to make right decisions on my investments.  I don't know the field as well as that planner does, so I rely upon their advice to assist me to direct my investments so I meet my goals.

We instruct - a great deal of which is simply the ability to bring disclosure of what has previously been hidden or unrecognized in a person's life.  Instruction is really a process of uncovering - the truth was always there, it just wasn't fully known or appreciated - nor was it clear how it should be applied.  We cannot really teach apart from demonstration, nor can we counsel apart from giving sound advisement.  We certainly cannot instruct without bringing revelation of what has previously been hidden!  God's word has a way of doing all three in our lives, but in turn, he expects us to take these three very skillfully utilized "tactics" into the relationships around us in order to better those individuals in much the same way as his word has bettered us.  Just sayin!