Summer Is Over...What Do I Do Now?

It’s hard to acknowledge that summer is over. Whether it was enjoyed or wasted, it still has come to an end. Can you believe it? Doesn’t it always feel like we just got started? Look around in the stores, see the school supplies, sit behind that school bus on the ride home, and come back to reality. Yes, summer has gone. But don’t forget it just yet! Think for a moment…take an evaluation…how was your summer? Was it a bunch of fun or full of boredom? Did you accomplish things or did you waste it? Was it a summer worth remembering or a time you quickly want to forget?

More importantly, what did God think of your summer? Was the summer of 2014 a step forward or a step backward for you spiritually? When it comes to your spiritual life there is no such thing as standing still. You are either growing or dying; moving forward or backward. How would you rate this summer in your relationship with God? How would God rate it?

Often times, because we are sinners, there are regrets we have or things we should have done more, and even things we shouldn’t have done. Summer is a time most people do things out of the ordinary. We all get out of routine, off our schedule and more. Many Christians admit they fall into a summer slump where they go backward in their spiritual life. Whatever the case, don’t lose hope. Remember that God is a God of forgiveness. He wants you to get up, and start over. Consider these verses:

“For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again…” –Proverbs 24:16

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” –I John 1:9

“Let us search and try our ways,
and turn again to the Lord.” –Lamentations 3:40

“The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion;
slow to anger, and of great mercy.” –Psalm 145:8

“The Lord upholdeth all that fall,
and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.” –Psalm 145:14

From time to time we get out of routine and stop reading our Bibles, or being faithful to a service, or we start back doing something we promised the Lord we’d stop. Is it better to stay down when we’ve fallen and give up? Or would it be more pleasing to God and helpful for us to get up again and start afresh? If we read the passages above and study further in Scripture on the forgiveness and faithfulness of God, we will no doubt have our answer.

Let us never lose hope, give up, or quit. Let’s take a quick evaluation and if there is something we are lacking, may we jump up and get with it once again. Occasionally, this is necessary and we all must do it. So I ask again…how was your summer? If God was pleased, then wonderful! Carry on! If He was not, and convicts you about a particular issue, then confess it, forsake it, and get back up!

It’s scriptural, it’s right to do, but will you do it? As always, it’s your choice.

Lack Ye Anything?

      I remember several different times in my life where I have seen someone else with an item I don't have, and at that moment, I desire what they have or I feel like I am missing out if I don't have that item. (Don't think of me as a bad person, you have been there too) This item may have been some electronic item, some fancy watch or pair of shoes, or more than likely, a fancy automobile such as a Ferrari, Aston-Martin, Porsche, etc. Regardless of what that item is, you look at the same type of item you own and feel like what you have is not good enough or is not nice enough. Jesus alluded to this to His disciples by asking them a question:

And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. – Luke 22:35 

     Jesus wanted His disciples to look back and remember when he sent them out to teach, to preach, and to heal people with diseases and infirmities (Luke 10:1-12). He wanted them to look back and see just how good He was to them at that moment. He wanted them to remember that He was all that they needed. He wanted them to remember how HE provided for them during their time of service. 

     As I was reading this passage a few days ago in my personal devotions, the Lord brought the analogy from the first paragraph into my mind and convicted me of my lack of faith that He would provide. He convicted me of just how petty I am to think all that He has given me is not enough. He asked me the exact same question that He asked His disciples almost 2,000 years ago. He asked me it one time after I read it; and after I looked around at my bedroom or after I walked around my apartment,  He asked me it again: "Donnie, lack ye anything?" So often, I am guilty of thinking that I am missing out on certain luxuries or certain privileges. I am not able to go to the fanciest restaurants; I am not able to drive the nicest cars; I am not able to take the grandest vacations to the best places in the world; I am not able to have a Rolex or have clothes from Nordstroms. This so often gets me discouraged or it gets me a little envious or covetous. 

     Even though I do not have everything this world can offer me, I possess what God wants me to have. I am not missing out on anything by serving God. Teenager, friend, you will not miss out on anything by serving God. God can ask you the same question He asked his disciples and myself: "_________________, lack ye anything?" Even though this world has "more" to offer me materially or financially, what do I possess now that I can say, "it is enough" or "God, I am not lacking:"

1) His Presence is Enough
     God lives and indwells me. Wherever I go, He is there with me. Nothing can separate me from His presence. I could lose everything I own, still have God, and that will be enough.
2) His Power in Enough
     God loves to work on behalf of His people. If I had all this world had to offer by way of possessions or by way of finances, I truly believe I would miss out on seeing God's power come through. I believe I would miss out on the "deals" He lets me find. I would miss out on the answers to prayer He gives me when I believe and trust in Him and His Word. I would miss out on seeing God come through because I would be so caught up in what I possess or what my wealth can buy me. His power is enough.
3) His Plan is Enough
     Living according to the calling and plan God has for your life is the only life worth living. So many teenagers and adults think that God's calling will be to the back side of the desert with no electricity, running water, or air conditioning. If that is the plan God has for you, then that will be the happiest place for you to be. Being able to wake up every day and knowing that you are in the center of God's will is enough to keep you going. 
4) His Person is Enough 
      As the song goes, "more than amazing, more than marvelous, more than miraculous, could ever be...That's what Jesus is to me." We serve such an amazing God, and knowing this God in a personal way and having His person become real to you through every circumstance of life is enough.

Once again, I will ask the question in light of everything that has been stated: "____________________, lack ye any thing." Knowing that the prior four things are enough, the answer to the question is the same answer the disciples gave...NOTHING!

Routine or Relationship

     I had the privilege to grow up in the home of a sergeant in the United States Army. If there is anything you can say my home had growing up, it was discipline and structure. My dad would not settle for anything done half-heartedly or half-effort. He wanted everything done the best that it could be done; if I did not do it up to his standards, I would then have to go back and re-do the job until he was pleased. This not only applied to the work I did with him around our house, but it also applied to anything I did with him while at church. I remember so many times trying to rush through a job whether it was vacuuming or cleaning windows and him sending me back to do it again because he knew I either rushed through it, I did not care about how I worked, or I did not really want to do the job anyways. In spite of all my present grumbling and complaining, my dad was teaching me a very valuable lesson which I still hold on to today in the work I do or the work that someone else does under my watch. That lesson was to do your work because you love Christ and want to please Him instead of just doing a job because my dad told me to do it. He told me so often that we were doing what we were doing for Christ and not for men. As an older person now, I have put that lesson that my dad taught me into a saying that I use often and one that I teach to the teens of my youth group. That is, "Do what I do for Christ out of a Relationship with Christ and not out of a Routine for Christ." All I do in the Christian life should be because I love Christ and not because it is on my to-do-list. 
     You might think that I am not for to-do-lists or routines. That is a wrong thought; I am for routine. I am for to-do-lists. My pastor gives me a to-do-list and tells me to have a routine for different items. Routine and discipline are important and needed, but they ought not be the main reason we do what we do in the Christian life. Two verses in the Bible that come to mind to help emphasize this truth are:

"So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do." -Luke 17:10

"Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." -Revelation 2:4

     When we do what we do out of a routine, we basically just do what is needed. In other words, to quote Jesus, we do "our duty." If we as Christians just do our duty to do what we are commanded, we are unprofitable to Christ. Christ has called us to an abundant life. Christ has called us to a life above normal, above status quo, above duty only, above a routine. He has called us to a life far greater than ourselves. To live this life the right way, we cannot just do a duty or routine. 
     Jesus scolded a church for their lack of a relationship. He praised them highly for their stand, their service, and their spirit; but he rebuked them because they lost their love. They became more concerned with their reputation and their routine of doing right that they neglected and disregarded their relationship. They lost their love for the Saviour. They got so busy doing right that they forgot the One Who is Right. Do not let your routine take precedent over your relationship. I have a relationship with my wife so I want to do everything I can to make her happy and pleased. I do this though not for my benefit but for hers. Our relationship with Christ is no different. We do what we do out of love for His benefit and to please Him rather than pleasing ourselves. May God help all of us guard against having a routine instead of having a relationship in the days and months ahead. I truly believe that more Christians can make a greater difference in this world if they truly do what they do out of a right motive.      

Wasted Days

"Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” Jonah 1:17

One of the most well-known stories in the Bible is the tale of “Jonah and the Whale.” Even the youngest of us can give an account of the man who ran from God, was swallowed by a great big fish, and subsequently spent three gloomy days and nights in its belly. (Matthew 12:40) Familiarity with this Bible story is so remarkable that even many unbelievers know the drastic consequences of poor Jonah’s disobedience.

As we read through the book that bears his name, we may find many lessons that can be applied to our Christian lives. In the first chapter, we see Jonah’s divine call from his Lord: “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me” (Jonah 1:7). However, the man escaped to Joppa where he boarded a ship on its way to Tarshish. Because of Jonah’s disobedience, God caused a great fish to swallow him. For three days and nights, the would-be prophet was imprisoned in its belly. Perhaps this predicament appeals to your adventurous side, but I wouldn’t want to be trapped in the belly of a whale for one second, let alone three days!

God later used Jonah to see revival in the influential city of Nineveh, but one must remember that three days were wasted prior to that spiritual eclipse. Keep in mind that the city of Nineveh was so enormous that it would take the average person three days just to walk around the perimeter. Countless events—wrong deeds that could have been righted, deaths, and more—would have taken place in that busy city during Jonah’s detention in the whale’s belly. I wonder how many people died and went to hell because of his disobedience? I wonder how many lives could have been salvaged, had he obeyed the first time?

“We Christians cannot afford to waste one moment in this world”

Jesus Christ said, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” (John 9:4) We Christians cannot afford to waste one moment in this world. Circumstances—a harried driver unknowingly runs a red light or an otherwise healthy heart suddenly stops beating—can change in the blink of an eye; and, as a result, many step into eternity without knowing where they are headed. We do not have time to disobey God’s will—countless souls rely on “the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20).

I would hate to stand before our Lord one day, knowing that some or many of my days were wasted. How ashamed I would feel if He were to show me the souls I could have reached had I been obedient to Him. Let each of us do the best we can to make today and the days that follow not wasted days but, rather, ones full of “fruit that may abound.”

The Scariest Day of My Life

There have been a lot of scary days in my life! I once almost slid off the road in the snow; that was scary. One time, I couldn’t hear the soundtrack while directing the church choir on Easter Sunday… That was really scary, plus I felt like an idiot! I could tell story after story of when I’ve been freaked out at certain situations in my 24 years of life; but nothing will ever come close to that day, several months ago.

The scariest day of my life.

I had gone over to the office to work, like any other day. What a blessing it is to live in the church parsonage, right next to the church! I was sitting at my desk in my office, working on who know what, when my phone rang. It was mid-morning at the time. I saw it was my wife, so I answered it. She usually called me around that time to see how I was doing, what I wanted for lunch, etc.. I greeted her like I normally do, with a simple, “Hey babe, what’s up?” Her response was anything but happy. I don’t remember her exact words, but she began in extremely frantic tones to tell me that our son Donald Jr. was choking on something, and she couldn’t get it out.

Immediately I jumped up, ran out the door, jumped in our van, sped across the parking lot into our driveway, right over the lawn up to our front porch! I ran inside and heard her voice talking to someone. I followed her voice to the bedroom and saw her, giving my son the heimlich maneuver (she is a certified CNA, so she knows her stuff), with the phone between her ear and her shoulder, talking to the 911 operator, all while Donald was screaming, choking, vomiting, and crying. What an amazing woman! She didn’t freak out, start crying, or give up. She was strong and was doing everything she could to help him. I stood there for a second, wondering what I could even do. What could I do? I could be the one to freak out, but I decided that wasn’t the best option. I realized she was having a difficult time talking to the 911 operator, so I took the phone and began talking to them. I could hear in my wife’s voice the worry, concern, fear, and annoyance. Worry, concern, and fear for her child’s life; and annoyance at the 911 operator for asking so many questions. They know there’s an emergency! Why can’t they just shut up and send someone! I took the phone and left the room so I could hear and began answering questions. It seemed like an eternity went by! Suddenly, from the other room, my wife yelled, “It’s out!!”

What a relief!

It ended up being a lifesaver he had found in my side drawer. Thank God it was a lifesaver and not something else! Lifesavers were made with a hole in the middle to prevent losing your air supply. I told the 911 operator that we got it out, and he seemed just as relieved as me. He then said something that I don’t think I’ll ever forget as long as I live:

Help has been on the way since you called.

What a thought! Amidst all my worry and stress, help was on the way! Even when I didn’t realize it, help was on the way! When it seemed like my only help in sight wasn’t really helping, help was on the way! From the moment my wife connected with the 911 operator, unbeknownst to us, help was on the way!

We were annoyed because emergency services seemed like all they cared about was us answering their questions, and all we wanted was for them to send someone over. While we had that attitude, help was already on the way!

Donald was fine. A little upset, but fine. We decided no more lifesavers for him anymore 😑. As I pondered the day’s events later that evening, the words of the 911 operator rang through my mind:

Help’s been on the way since you called.

I suddenly began thinking of God in my life. So often I’ve prayed for a specific request, and I wait. Then I pray again, and wait. I pray and pray and pray, and it seems like God isn’t listening.

Where is my answer?
God, don’t you care?
I need this answer now!

Psalms 40:17
But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

Guess what? My answer comes. Maybe not when I thought it should’ve, but when GodKNEW it should. It’s like he tells me,

Help’s been on the way since you called!

My God know just what I need, when I need it. Maybe you’re going through a difficult time right now. Maybe you’re reading this, and something has come to your mind:

• Financial difficulty
• A child away from God
• An unsaved loved one
• Job trouble
• A struggling ministry
• Health problems
• Divorced parents
• A guilty past
• Fear of the unknown
• A broken marriage

Maybe you’ve prayed and asked God for help, but feel as if God isn’t listening. Read this:

Matthew 6:25-33
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air:for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

The 911 operator had a reason for all the questions he asked me. I didn’t understand it at the time. He wasn’t trying to annoy me, he was doing his job the right way. Help was already on the way! God has a reason for all that we go through in His will. We may not understand it, but we will one day. Remember, help’s been on the way since you called. God knows. Don’t worry! Let go and let God! When you’re done reading this, remind God how much you trust Him, and tell him that you know that He knows best!

When we talk to God and pray, help’s already on the way!