JUNE 30, 2017

“Success has always been the greatest liar - and the "work" itself is a success; the great statesman, the conqueror, the discoverer is disguised by his creations, often beyond recognition; the "work," whether of the artist or the philosopher, invents the man who has created it, who is supposed to have create it; "great men," as they are venerated, are subsequent pieces of wretched minor fiction” 
― Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil

JOB 19-20

13“He has alienated my family from me;

my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.

14My relatives have gone away;

my closest friends have forgotten me.

15My guests and my female servants count me a foreigner;

they look on me as on a stranger.

16I summon my servant, but he does not answer,

though I beg him with my own mouth.

17My breath is offensive to my wife;

I am loathsome to my own family.

18Even the little boys scorn me;

when I appear, they ridicule me.

19All my intimate friends detest me;

those I love have turned against me.

20I am nothing but skin and bones;

I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.^a(19:13-20)

ACTS 9:23-43

23After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, 24but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

26When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews,^a but they tried to kill him. 30When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

31Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

JOURNAL 

Paul now embraces this new path without hesitation or reservation. He plunges right in and doesn't bother with public opinion and what people would think. He has made a 180 degree shift to the point that people are having a difficult time with the shift. 

Paul has one purpose and one purpose only. He appears to have no backup plan and is intent on preaching the gospel without reservation wherever God sends him.  His life is now being threatened but that does not deter him. He is a man on a mission from God. He has said goodbye to the past and is leaving the future to God. His focus is solely, squarely on the day and moment in which he is living.

This is to be the life of the believer. Sold out to God's mission and purposes. Ignoring what is socially acceptable and just plowing the path that God calls me to plow. No matter the danger or the pain or the suffering. Dive in and let God deal with the results. 

The 23 Psalm seems to say it best...

1The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

2He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

3he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths

for his name’s sake.

4Even though I walk

through the darkest valley,^a

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6Surely your goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

PSALM 23

JUNE 29, 2017

“The comfort zone is a psychological state in which one feels familiar, safe, at ease, and secure.

If you always do what is easy and choose the path of least resistance, you never step outside your comfort zone. Great things don’t come from comfort zones.” 
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

JOB 16-18

1My spirit is broken,

my days are cut short,

the grave awaits me.

2Surely mockers surround me;

my eyes must dwell on their hostility.(17:1-2)

ACTS 9:1-22

11The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

13“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

15But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

17Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

JOURNAL 

The way out is through...Everything about scripture is counterintuitive...the reality is that most things in life are that way as well. So often in my own life I have looked for the easy way out...in many way I have longed for it at times. When you encounter suffering and pain...the logical choice is to avoid it or remedy the pain as quickly as possible. However most often the true way out of pain is to go through more pain. The way out of suffering is to suffer. 

Job is in the place where the only thing that looks appealing is an end to his suffering. His heart is broken, he feels betrayed, he is all alone, no one understands and things seem to just keep getting worse. So what's the answer? Escape, manipulation, capitulation...? Nope...the answer is to keep suffering, the answer is to keep wading through. This seems crazy, yet it is the path of God, it is the path of Christ and it is the path of the Kingdom.

What's interesting is that it is also the path of true Greatness. For true greatness only happens through testing, pain and suffering. True greatness only happens when an individual endures immeasurable pain and sees it through to the other side. Any great accomplishment is only great because of the price paid to achieve it.  The price of pain and suffering. 

Here, God saddles Paul with this gift...as a result Paul will be transformed, yet his transformation comes through his suffering...16I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

2Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^a whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

JAMES 1:2-4

JUNE 28, 2017

“Lack of confidence, sometimes alternating with unrealistic dreams of heroic success, often leads to procrastination, and many studies suggest that procrastinators are self-handicappers: rather than risk failure, they prefer to create conditions that make success impossible, a reflex that of course creates a vicious cycle.” 
― James Surowiecki

JOB 13-15

1“Mortals, born of woman,

are of few days and full of trouble.

2They spring up like flowers and wither away;

like fleeting shadows, they do not endure.(14:1-2)

ACTS 8:26-40

26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian^a eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

30Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

31“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

JOURNAL 

Job is discouraged and is in essence throwing a fit and dismissing his purpose and his life...I get it, there are many times I have been there myself, yet I had not experienced the tragedies of Job. He is angry and in despair and it only makes it worse that his closest friends keep at him trying to get him to admit what sin he committed to cause all of his troubles. 

Here is the stark reality of life. Troubles are just part of life, whether we cause them or are impacted by them...they just are part of our existence. I should constantly be probing to see if I am in error...if I have succumbed to to sin. That is the essence of self-awareness and humility. But just because something terrible happens doesn't mean it was a result of my sin. 

So how am I to live? I believe the only way to really live is to live life in obedience to the spirit of God...no matter where that takes me. No matter what suffering or success ensues. I don't follow God to live a problem free life. I follow God because I believe doing so is the best way to live this life. I believe that doing so will help me become the best version of me. I believe doing so will also help others become the best versions of themselves. In the end I believe it will ultimately build God's kingdom..."on earth as it is in Heaven."

9“This, then, is how you should pray:

“ ‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

10your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

11Give us today our daily bread.

12And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13And lead us not into temptation,^a

but deliver us from the evil one.^b ’

MATTHEW 6:9-13

JUNE 27, 2017

“Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” 
― Denis Waitley

JOB 10-12

13“To God belong wisdom and power;

counsel and understanding are his.

14What he tears down cannot be rebuilt;

those he imprisons cannot be released.

15If he holds back the waters, there is drought;

if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.

16To him belong strength and insight;

both deceived and deceiver are his.

17He leads rulers away stripped

and makes fools of judges.

18He takes off the shackles put on by kings

and ties a loincloth^b around their waist.

19He leads priests away stripped

and overthrows officials long established.

20He silences the lips of trusted advisers

and takes away the discernment of elders.

21He pours contempt on nobles

and disarms the mighty.

22He reveals the deep things of darkness

and brings utter darkness into the light.

23He makes nations great, and destroys them;

he enlarges nations, and disperses them.

24He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason;

he makes them wander in a trackless waste.

25They grope in darkness with no light;

he makes them stagger like drunkards.(10:13-25)

ACTS 8:1-25

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

JOURNAL 

How is it that Saul becomes Paul and writes most of the rest of the New Testament? How is this possible? Because God is God. He can turn the tables and make an evil murderer into a saint. God can change the heart in the blinking of an eye. This is his world, this is his Kingdom. I get to participate in it for a short while. 

That is the crazy thing about God and his word. It does not fit some neat, clean formula for success. It is messy and unpredictable and seemingly unfair. Stephen is stoned while Saul goes on to seek to destroy the church. Job suffers as his friends and wife heap insults on him. Yet that's just part of the story...just like my own life. I can't look at part of it and make judgements on all of it.

The way through is to go through...don't try to avoid or skip around the tough parts. Just like reading the Bible...some parts are extremely boring and seem pointless, other parts are confusing and seem discouraging. Yet when it all comes together it is perfect...but the only way to see that is to go through it...page by page, story by story. 

To get to live today is a gift and it is my opportunity. Embrace it and see it as the gift that it is...look at it honestly, it will contain pain and suffering and conflict...yet pushing through it will bring joy and contentment. This is God's promise.

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and his understanding no one can fathom.

29He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

30Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

31but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

ISAIAH 40:28-31

JUNE 26, 2017

...This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be rememberèd-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
~ Shakespeare, Henry V

JOB 7-9

32“He is not a mere mortal like me that I might answer him,

that we might confront each other in court.

33If only there were someone to mediate between us,

someone to bring us together,

34someone to remove God’s rod from me,

so that his terror would frighten me no more.

35Then I would speak up without fear of him,

but as it now stands with me, I cannot.(9:32-35)

ACTS 7:44-60

54When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56“Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

57At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

JOURNAL 

Job asks for a mediator in his suffering and Stephen sees Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven.  Conflict is part of this life...almost as if it is the fuel and the basis of all meaning. Thinking about this...is this not the reason sports are such a huge part of our world? Deep in our hearts I believe we know that conflict and seeking to overcome is what gives life purpose and meaning. If I seek to avoid it then in essence I begin to avoid my own purpose and the fulfillment of my existence. 

I don't think this means that I unnecessarily create conflict. To create it for any reason other than advancing God's kingdom would be contrary to God's purposes. However conflict is necessary, things need to be confronted. If I look at this with my boys, I must engage in a way that often creates conflict, however it is for the purpose of helping them become Men and helping them to fight their own battles against selfishness, laziness, greed etc. 

In many ways  I have seen conflict as something to avoid rather than a necessary tool for communication and bettering the world. It is necessary and must be waded through in righteous ways. It creates opportunities for love, forgiveness, humility, growth etc. While it is part of some really awful things that have happened in this world it is also the means of some really wonderful things and ultimately our peace and salvation. Conflict is not the issue...the issue is the heart and spirit of those involved.  

There is great joy in resolving conflict...however avoiding it does not bring resolution. For Stephen to capitulate and soft-pedal his response would have probably preserved his life, but that would not have solved the ultimate issue...the heart of Saul...who was standing by holding the coats.

 8And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

2 CORINTHIANS 9:8

JUNE 25, 2017

 “The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That's real glory. Thats the essence of it.” 
― Vince Lombardi Jr.

“There are no secrets to success: don’t waste time looking for them. Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty to those for whom you work, and persistence.” 
― Colin Powell

JOB 1-6

6One day the angels^a came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan^b also came with them. 7The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”

8Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

9“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. 10“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

12The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”

Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.(1:6-12)

ACTS 7:1-43

1Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”

2To this he replied: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran. 3‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’^a

JOURNAL 

Here in these passages are two men who have done nothing wrong...to the contrary they are doing everything right...yet they are about to get pummeled. Job is given to the hands of Satan and will lose everything but his life. Stephen is about to be stoned. 

What does this tell me about trusting in God and obeying him. It says that worldly success is not a guarantee. It says that my life will be used for his glory but it might be at the expense of success and accolades in this world. It just depends on how God wants to use it. 

Or to the contrary it may include riches and wealth and worldly success. The point is it won't really matter...what will matter is the joy that I will receive from obeying and living my life as an Outpost of the Kingdom of God. To give my life as an offering...a living sacrifice...is to take my eyes off the approval of man and focus my eyes on the love of God. It is to see that right here, right now I am blessed with life, with opportunity to worship God and obey him. What does that look like? I think it is different for everyone but I know it is a passionate, joyful active existence that pushes the envelope of what I consider possible. 

I think it must be an existence that stretches the boundaries of what I feel I can do and accomplish. I think it must be a life that honors my gifts and talents and seeks to multiply them. I think it must be a life that inspires courage and respect from my children and close friends. This is not to be a life of passive contemplation, but rather a life of active engagement. 

1Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

ROMANS 12:1-2