No longer all that strong

Yesterday we began to look at embracing change before it becomes a requirement to change. While we all know we resist change in various ways, we ALL resist it sometimes. The more comfortable we become with some choice we are making, the easier it is for us to make that choice time and time again. The more we desire to change that choice, the harder it can become. Hence, we need Jesus and the Holy Spirit to help us embrace change. Good change is encouraged - change that still leaves us somewhere short of the 'bullseye' in a spiritual sense just isn't cutting it. Change to be like Jesus - don't change to be like the world around you!

Don’t change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you inside with a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to understand and accept what God wants for you. You will be able to know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect. (Romans 12:2)

Knowing what is good is probably easier than we might think since we are given lots of examples in scripture, have the Holy Spirit to help guide our conscience, and even have God's Word to help us sort out good from bad. Choosing to do good all of the time isn't easy because we have this little thing called the 'will' that gets in the way at times. We struggle at the level of our 'willpower' so many times. We somehow think our own power will be enough to bring about right choices, but then we find ourselves falling somewhere short of those right choices.

The human will is not sufficient to resist temptation, though. Try as we might, we somehow choose things that make us 'feel good' but may not be the lasting kind of 'good feeling' that comes when we make a choice to live in obedience to the revealed will of God. Like it or not, life on this earth will always involve a struggle between our will (influenced by the things this world says will be 'good' for us) and God's will (bringing us out of this world's pursuits and into the pursuits of his Kingdom life). Willpower seldom produces 'internal' change - it is temporary, usually influenced by our feelings, and is often produces some other form of conflict within us.

God's will isn't just going to one day 'manifest' in our lives. We must make active choices to resist the things that are temporary or fleeting and choose rather to pursue that which remains, is well-founded, and has a transformational aspect - the things God offers through is Son, Jesus Christ. Living in a way that actually 'craves' internal change in the areas of our character that don't actually help us make right choices is not for the 'strong willed'. In fact, those who are willing to admit their will is weak are those God can transform the easiest! Just sayin!

What is your impact?

You are bigger than your job, that bank account, or the followers you have amassed on social media. The people you impact are much more powerful than the things you accomplish in this lifetime. View others as more important than yourselves and you might just see just how big your impact can be. There is nothing wrong with having a good career, or a solid bank account. The issue comes when we make these the goal and not just one of the 'means' by which we allow God to accomplish great things in and through our lives!

Even the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom. Even the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. Brothers and sisters, God chose you to be his. Think about that! Not many of you were wise in the way the world judges wisdom. Not many of you had great influence, and not many of you came from important families. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. He chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. (I Corinthians 1:25-27)

God chooses differently than we do, doesn't he? We want a good chance of winning the game, so we choose those skilled in running the ball, executing the plays, and challenging the opponent. We want to grow our investments, so we choose to align our capital in places where it will have the greatest growth opportunity, not always knowing what is behind the companies we are backing by those investments. God chooses the weak - not the strong. Why? Maybe it is because the 'strong' are relying on the wrong thing in life to make it through tough stuff. That makes sense, but why does God choose the foolish to confound the wise?

That doesn't make sense, does it? If we take the literal meaning of foolish, then we wonder why God would take those who show a lack of good sense, judgment, and discretion and do anything good at all through their lives! What is being said here is that God takes what others view as 'insignificant' and uses it to bring glory to his name. We are each 'insignificant' in one way or another and God choose to use us exactly where we are and as we are for his glory. This is what God does - he uses the weak to defeat the strong and the insignificant to tear down the proud.

The impact we have on people begins with the impact God has in our lives. The more we take his grace in, the more we will find our impact in this world. Our impact isn't in what we accomplish, but in what God accomplishes first IN us and then THROUGH us. Just sayin!

Principle 1: The Poor and Weak Cannot Be Ignored

Wouldn't it be nice if someone gave us a list of principles to incorporate into our lives which would help us to walk uprightly and consistently find favor in the eyes of God?  Well, guess what - Solomon did that for us!  He gave us a list of 30 principles to guide us along the way.  Here is what he had to say as he introduced them:   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 to those who sent you.  (Proverbs 22:17-21 MSG) Now, if someone is willing to take the time to outline these principles for us with the intention of making sure our foundation is trust in God, doesn't it seem like we should probably explore these principles and see how we can incorporate them into our lives?  In fact, when we begin to outline these for ourselves, we find they will provide a foundation by which we will be held accountable for our actions.  Now, that is something we all need!

Don’t walk on the poor just because they’re poor, and don’t use your position to crush the weak, because God will come to their defense; the life you took, he’ll take from you and give back to them.  (Proverbs 22:22-23 MSG)

Principle number one deals with the "poor" and the "weak" and our attitude toward them.  It seems odd that Solomon would start with how we deal with the poor and the attitude of heart we truthfully have toward their need, but if we examine this one closely, we might just see this as an appropriate place to begin.  He is pointing us toward our heart attitude - how we see ourselves in comparison to others and how we use that perception to either meet or ignore the needs of those around us.  God's command to us is to love him first, then to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.  How we view another in "comparison" to how we view ourselves can tell us a lot about our attitude of heart.  If we see ourselves as more fortunate, better positioned, or even "above" another, we have some work which needs to be done in our hearts. No man or woman created by our heavenly Father has any better or worse "position" in God's eyes.  We are all his creation - we all have needs - our needs just differ.  To judge another by their "position" or their intensity of "need" is just not what God wanted any of us to do.  Rather, he wants us to be sensitive to the needs of others - regardless of their "status" in this life.

When we see another's need as something we have an opportunity to meet, we are serving that individual as Christ would expect us to.  When that need is outside of our ability to meet in the material, physical, or emotional sense, then we still have an opportunity and obligation to bring that need before the throne of God on behalf of that individual.  There are varying degrees of being "poor" and / or "weak".  Being "poor" simply means we are lacking in something we have need of - it could be material (such as finances), physical (such as a place to live), emotional (such as a friend to walk alongside us), or even spiritual (such as when we just need someone to help us connect with God on a matter).  To ignore the needs of anyone who has a "lack of what is needed" is to "walk on them" as scripture puts it.  When we walk on another, we are treating them as though their need is beneath us - not important to us or to the Christian community at large.

We all have varying degrees of weakness, as well.  To ignore another's weakness is to open many a door to issues within our community.  For example, if I know your weakness to be a struggle with alcohol and I continually offer you a glass of wine when we dine together, I am being insensitive to your area of weakness in your life.  You may be in the process of being redeemed from your struggle with alcohol, but my insensitivity to your "former" area of weakness is really showing an attitude of being uncaring.  We have an obligation to understand the areas of weakness another may struggle with in life - for only then may we step up to be an encouragement and a life-line for their healing and recovery.

Yes, we have "poor" and "weak" all around us and at times, the finger points at us, as well.  Our attitude of heart is manifest in how well we interpret their need and our responsiveness to meet that need if it is within our ability.  If not, then we are at least under an obligation to bring their need before God for his intervention.  What Solomon starts with is the sense of "community" we all need to build - not ignoring anyone within our influence.  If we maintain a heart ready to reach out to those in need or just simply weak in some respect, we are standing ready to serve as Christ's ambassadors.  This indeed is what will thrill the heart of God.  Just sayin!