Hurry Up and Wait

But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.

-- Micah 7:7

Call it a milestone of age and maturity: it's that longing we all eventually get for "the good old days." They were the times when life was slower, folks knew their neighbors and the world's troubles were thousands of miles away. But maybe like fine wine, memories too get better with age. Consider Otto Bettmann's sobering paperback The Good Old Days -- They Were Terrible! It explains why this so-called Golden Era was only good for a privileged few and why it was unrelentingly difficult for most. Pollution, crime, tainted food and drug addiction were actually common in 19th Century America.

(Some things never seem to change.)

Does this mean that today's Age of Convenience is really the best of times? We live in a 24/7 world of hurry -- one of instant communications, Walmart Supercenters and microwave popcorn. And just about anything we want is literally available to us at the click of a mouse. But take another look and you'll discover that we're not always on the move. Efficiency experts report that on average each day, a person spends an estimated 45 to 62 minutes waiting. That covers common tasks like waiting in line at the bank, waiting at the restaurant for the waiter to take your order, and even waiting for your car to fill up at the gas pump. (All-in-all, that’s about three years of waiting by the time we reach age 70!)

Few people like to wait, and multi-tasking to make the most of down-time has become a valued life skill. But the fact is that waiting isn't always a waste. It’s actually an essential part of God's plan for our lives; it's that process that enables us to become. This concept might be difficult to grasp because the human viewpoint of time differs greatly from that of our Creator. Thankfully, the Apostle Peter helps to put it into perspective: "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends," he wrote. "To the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day."

As Christ-followers, we must understand that what happens while we're waiting is often more important than what we're waiting for. Ask anyone who has spent grueling hours at the hospital contemplating the health and future of a loved one. Did their soul-searching experience bring a closer dependence on God? It should have. After all, it's when we're so humbled and powerless that we realize we can do nothing on our own.

So maybe our never-stop, 24/7 world actually revolves around waiting. Let's therefore make the most of our time in God's Waiting Room -- a place where we can look for ways and opportunities to say yes to Him with a sense of expectancy and hope.

"Be still, and know that I am God," He tells us through Psalm 46:10. "I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

What If...

You came near when I called you, and you said, "Do not fear."

-- Lamentations 3:57

Recently, a well-known insurance company ran a series of television commercials that asked viewers to ponder a small – yet profound – question: “What if?”

What if you get sick and can’t work? What if you get married and have triplets? What if you die and your family can’t live without your lost income? The company’s commercials were effective reminders that real-life situations have real-life implications. And if you’re not prepared (such as with the right insurance coverage), you really might have something to fear. After all, millions of people endure serious illnesses and injuries every year, and a person’s financial needs tend to correspond to their changing life issues. And we can’t forget the most obvious “What if.” Unless Jesus returns during our lifetimes, every one of us will die one day. The mortality rate is 100 percent. And no one gets out of here alive.

The sad reality is that we live in a scary world full of violence, disease, death and economic uncertainty. It’s been that way for centuries. And Christ-followers aren’t immune from any of it. But we do have an answer to facing the gnawing fears that grip so many who don’t know the Son of God as their personal Savior. It’s His supernatural peace that defies all human understanding.

“I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give,” Jesus reminds us in John 14:27. “It isn't like the peace that this world can give. So don't be worried or afraid.”

Jesus also says that when we say yes to Him and become His followers, He’s always right there by our side. That’s reassuring news. And the Bible (God’s Word to us) also provides more practical advice for addressing life’s most daunting challenges. First, we should face our fears with other believers rather than going it alone. And like an Olympic athlete preparing his or her body for gold medal competition, we must remain spiritually prepared for our opposition. That means depending on God and His power rather than on self-reliance. Finally – and above all – we must always follow God’s call and do His will (regardless of the world’s consequences). It’s often a scary proposition. But that’s because God demonstrates His power and goodness by choosing folks to do the things they never could accomplish on their own. Consider how young David must have felt when God selected him to slay the 8-foot-tall Philistine warrior, Goliath?

Yes, we live in a frightening world of what-ifs. But Christ-followers have nothing to fear because God is – and always has been – in control in every situation. Jesus’ disciples came to understand this reflection of His love and power the day they faced death in the stormy waters of Lake Galilee. "Master, Master! We are about to drown," they warned Jesus as He slept in their small boat. But Christ was unfazed: He simply got up and ordered the wind and waves to be calm.

And they did.

"Who is this?” the disciples asked in amazement. “He can give orders to the wind and the waves, and they obey him!"

Why not embrace the Answer to the disciples’ profound question? It’s only through Jesus that we can say yes without fear.

Inferiority Complex

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

-- Mark 10:27

If you’re even a casual sports fan, you’ve no doubt seen it dozens of times. It’s that “John 3:16” sign that at least one fan brings to the stadium:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

This simple sentence is really the Bible’s message in a nutshell. It’s the Gospel, which translated means “good news.” And good news it is! For Christ-followers, it means there’s no more reason to fear death. All our past, present and future failures won’t be held against us. And because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, all believers can look forward to endless days of unimaginable joy and celebration.

That’s great for after we’ve finished our short lives on Earth. But what about everything before then? What does God have to tell us about getting through the challenges of everyday life and following Him day by day? Well, here’s some more good news: God is for the little guy (and gal) who says “Yes” to Him and His plans – even when we feel inadequate or inferior. And we know that because it’s a consistent theme throughout both the Old and New Testaments.

Let’s look at some examples. There was Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his own brothers and unjustly imprisoned in Egypt. But God made him that powerful nation’s governor and used him to save Israel from famine. Mighty King David started out as an obscure shepherd boy. But God used him and his slingshot to slay Goliath – the fearsome 8-foot-tall leader of Israel’s arch enemy, the Philistines. Moses was a poor speaker who stuttered, yet God chose him to face Pharaoh, bring the Israelites out of slavery and lead them to the Promised Land. And let’s not forget the Apostle Peter. He was a lowly fisherman who actually disowned Jesus three times when things got tough. Yet God still picked him to lead the growing band of Christ-followers in Jerusalem and help spread the faith across the known world.

Today’s Christ-followers are like the heroes of the Bible in many ways. We’re imperfect human beings that can fail to hear God’s call or even decide to avoid or refuse it. We sometimes feel discouraged and abandoned when we don’t feel God’s presence. And our self-image is often one of inadequacy. But the truth is that God knows the plans He has for us. He also sees us for what we can become, not for who we are at the moment.

Saying yes to God starts with listening for His call and asking Him for the wisdom and power to discern His message and do His will. And as for all things with Christ-followers, it’s our God-provided faith in Jesus makes it possible.

“I am the vine, and you are the branches,” explains the Gardener. “If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me.”

The Big Picture

Do your work with enthusiasm. Work as if you were serving the Lord, not as if you were serving only men and women.

-- Ephesians 6:7

John Glenn accepted challenges that few would dare to even consider. The Ohio native joined the Marines, became a fighter pilot and completed nearly 150 combat missions in World War II and the Korean War. Glenn also set a world speed record as a military test pilot and later became an executive at Royal Crown Cola. Years later and still hungering for the challenges of public service, he successfully entered the cutthroat world of national politics through his 1974 election to the United States Senate.

Such accomplishments alone would shine bright on any resume or job application. But Glenn is best known for something else: saying yes to the challenge of becoming the first American to orbit the earth. Asked later what he was thinking as he sat high atop the NASA rocket that would blast him into space, he replied, "You're thinking you're sitting on top of the most complex machine ever built by man, with a million separate components, all supplied by the lowest bidder."

John Glenn's willingness to accept great challenges made him a national hero. But while most of us will never become a senator, travel to outer space or run a corporation, we'll still face crucial tests in life. They're challenges that demand hard answers. And the most important one of them all is whether or not to follow God's will and direction: to say yes to God.

God's call comes in many different forms and often touches our career, family, money or just about anything else we hold dear. His call can also defy human logic. Let's consider the famous Old Testament story about Abraham and Isaac. After years of fervent prayer, Abraham's wife Sarah finally became pregnant and gave birth to Isaac - even though the couple was very old. Abraham and Sarah were thrilled and grateful for their long-awaited child. But soon came God's call.

"Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah," God told Abraham. "Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

It was a shocking demand. But it also seemed senseless to Abraham because God would never ask for something so precious. (Or would He?)

Even so, Abraham obeyed God in faith, took Isaac to Moriah and built a sacrificial altar. But there's a happy ending to the story. Just as Abraham raised his knife to slay Isaac, one of God's angels called out.

"Don't hurt the boy or harm him in any way!" the angel said. "Now I know that you truly obey God, because you were willing to offer him your only son."

Venturing into the unknown can be scary under any circumstance. We need to remember, however, that God's plans and promises - the "Big Picture" - always extend beyond our immediate line of sight. Human knowledge is limited. But what we do know is that He'll always provide for us when we say yes to Him. And not necessarily with what we want or expect, but with what we really need.

Treasure Hunt

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

-- Isaiah 55:6

Have you ever considered what life would be like if we never had to work for anything? For instance, what would happen if we got straight A’s in school without ever studying? Or what if we received a high-paying job but had no real responsibilities?

Getting everything on a silver platter might be nice for a while. But without experiencing challenges, responsibilities and even tragedies, we can quickly become lazy, self-centered and ultimately fail to reap some of life’s greatest rewards. Just ask anyone who had to work their way through college or take a second or third job to pay the mortgage or send their child to a better school. It can be a struggle. But it can also pay off in the end.

Of course, let’s not forget that we can never work hard enough or do enough good deeds to earn our way into God’s good graces. It was only Jesus’ death on the cross that paid that high price. But as Christ-followers, it’s still up to us to live lives that reflect His love in action: in our community, in the workplace – and of course – right at home. It’s all part of our unique faith journeys.

Let’s now consider some of the very first Christ-followers – those who traveled hundreds of miles through deserts and rugged terrain just to meet Him. They were called the Magi, but you might know them better as the Wise Men or the Three Kings. It’s thought by some scholars that they were astrologers from Babylon (ancient Iraq) who were familiar with Old Testament prophesies about the Jewish people’s long-awaited Messiah. As God had planned it centuries earlier, a very special star appeared to them in the nighttime sky. It was a sign that was both astounding and unmistakable. It was the Magi’s roadmap for finding the king of Kings. And follow it and find Him they did!

The Magi’s journey holds lessons for modern day Christ-followers. The first is that following God can be dangerous and demanding. To reach their goal, the Wise Men had to cross miles of rugged, unpredictable terrain. Likewise, our faith journeys are full of hairpin turns and steep hills rather than smooth stretches of superhighway. But let’s ask ourselves: how often do we choose the easy way out of situations rather than doing the difficult (but right) thing?

The Magi’s long journey also reminds us that we’ll find Him if we search diligently through faith. After spotting Christ’s star in the sky, the Wise Men grasped their life-changing opportunity, stayed on the rough path and ultimately found the Savior. Yes, there really is treasure to be found in life if we’re willing to accept Jesus’ invitation and take the first step. Our hands are sure to get dirty. And we’ll get a scrape or two. But the incredible rewards will be worth the effort.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you,” Christ assures His followers. “For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Time to Reflect

But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners.

-- Romans 5:8

Want an eye-opening reminder of God’s greatness and power? Then look no further than the awe-inspiring images of distant stars and galaxies taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Launch into space in 1990 aboard the space shuttle Discovery, the Hubble Space Telescope can take crisp photos of incredibly distant objects because it orbits above Earth’s atmosphere – a barrier that can block and distort light reflected by the mirrors of conventional ground-based telescopes.

But you haven’t seen anything yet. Nine research organizations from the United States, Australia and South Korea recently joined forces to begin building the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT). And when the 80-foot GMT goes online in 2019 from its location in Chile, its seven huge mirrors will help produce images 10 times sharper than Hubble’s!

It takes just a tiny point of reflected light from a telescope’s mirror to change our notions about the universe. But when there are barriers – like the atmosphere – we can miss the big picture or be misled by a distorted image. This principle also applies to how we live out our lives. “I am the light of the world,” Jesus told the people. “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." As Christ-followers, our lives are to always reflect Jesus’ love in action. But we too face barriers. Our society teaches us to beat the competition, climb the corporate ladder and keep up with our neighbors (and then pass them by). We need the biggest, the best and the shiniest. And most of all, we can’t forget that it’s not bragging if we can back it up.

But Christ teaches a much different way: to be first, we must be last.

This bold perspective sheds a new light on things. And that’s just the point. How much better would this world be if His people were to adopt a servant’s attitude and put the interests of others before their own? Jesus answered this question through His own example. First, He willingly surrendered all the advantages He had as God’s only Son. He entered the world through the most humble of circumstances – a birth among farm animals in a less-than-tidy stable. When he grew older, he learned to make a living as a carpenter. Of course, Jesus could have lived in splendor as the King of Kings. But instead, He chose a nomadic existence for teaching God’s Good News of salvation to His people.

That’s quite a life lesson – one taught by the One with a humble servant’s heart. He’s the same One who came to serve rather than to be served. And He’s the only One whose sacrifice for our sakes is counted worthy.

So how can we mirror Christ’s life through our own lives? Jesus says it all starts by accepting Him as personal Lord and Savior. As He explained it to a respected religious leader centuries ago, we must be “born again.”

The fact is that we are nothing without Him and can do even less by ourselves. But through this brilliant Light of the World, all things are possible.

It's the Thought That Counts

Give him a generous farewell gift from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. Share with him some of the bounty with which the LORD your God has blessed you.

-- Deuteronomy 15:14

Now that Thanksgiving is over, retailers are determined to remind us that the clock is winding down on the gift-buying season. Just count the repetitious TV commercials and overwhelming Christmas catalogs. They’re everywhere. Even your E-mail in-box probably isn’t immune from the holiday onslaught.

But fear not. If you’re still looking for that perfect gift for that someone special, there’s no lack of choices, colors and price ranges. A quick trip online to Amazon.com proves that. But with money particularly tight these days for so many Americans, every purchase has to count. We need gifts that will make impressions. We need value. We want bang-for-the-buck.

There’s nothing wrong with trying to stretch a dollar. But let’s consider that a gift’s real value has much more to do with its meaning and the person behind it rather than just a Low Everyday Walmart price.

That’s certainly the case if we’re to believe what God’s telling us through the Bible. And what does He say about the characteristics of a super gift? And more to the point, what should we know about being a super gift-giver? The example of Jesus’ life and ministry holds the answers.

First, we need to give with an attitude of generosity – one that exceeds what we expect to receive. Our gifts should also affirm the value of the recipient. But most importantly, our gifts – whatever they might be – should be given out of love. When it comes to gift-giving, it really IS the thought that counts. (Your grandmother was right all along!)

So what are your thoughts, attitudes and motivations this Christmas season? And have you thought about sharing just a few of your blessings with someone you may have never met – maybe someone living around the world or just around the block?

Christmas is closer than you think. And the clock is ticking. So before you head to the mall, log onto Amazon.com or tune into the Home Shopping network, let’s follow the examples of Jesus, who was and is the ultimate gift-giver. His greatest present is the salvation He bought through His death on the cross. It was an incredibly expensive gift that can never be re-paid. But it’s a gift given freely out of love. And it’s ready for everyone who’s willing to open the package.