If You Don’t Do It, Who Will?  

My wife and I recently watched a murder-mystery movie spotlighted by someone in law enforcement who bravely confronted the “bad guys” in town. Near the end of the film someone told this heroic main character something along these lines: “Now I understand why you do what you do. If you don’t do it, no one else will.”

I believe this has some degree of application to followers of Jesus as they confront the evil in this world and seek to do the good that God calls them to do. While we should be primarily motivated by our love for the Lord and our concern for others, we can also be driven by the knowledge that if we don’t carry out the work God has given us to do, it might not get done. Don’t misunderstand me. God’s ultimate purposes and work will be accomplished in this world. He will do as He has promised. His plans will come to fruition. However, the way in which He does it and the people He uses along the way hinge partly on our willingness to cooperate with Him and to be used by Him.

It is reminiscent of what was said to Queen Esther as she faced the situation in which an evil man had plotted to wipe out her people, the Jews. A close relative reminded her, “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13-14). Esther providentially found herself in a unique position to confront the evil and to save her people. If she didn’t do it, it might not get done, at least not at that time and in that manner. God ultimately would still protect His people somehow, but in the meantime Esther and others would be tragic casualties of her failure to act.

We can apply this principle to other biblical accounts. If Noah hadn’t built the ark, who would have? If David hadn’t confronted Goliath, it sure seemed like no one else was willing to do it. And if Jesus hadn’t gone to the cross to die for our sins, there was certainly no one else who was qualified and capable of paying that price. Only the spotless Lamb of God could do that particular work.

God has put each of us where we are for a reason. He has put us in this time in history. He has placed you in your family and may have providentially worked to put you in your specific community, workplace, and church. He has given you unique gifts and abilities. There may be people in your life that only you can reach as you show God’s love and share the good news of Christ with them. If you don’t do it, no one else will. There may be work to be done in service to the Lord that only you are in the position to accomplish. If you don’t do it, it may not get done. There is evil, injustice, and deception to confront in our day. If you don’t do it, who will?   

Let’s not miss opportunities to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives. Let’s not fail to be His voice, hands, and feet in this world. God has chosen to use people like you and me to continue the work that Jesus began. We need to be courageous and do it. Because if we don’t, it may be that nobody else will.

 

Pay Attention to God’s Wake-Up Call  

One morning recently I was awakened around 4:30 a.m. with the phone ringing. When that occurs, your mind immediately assumes that there is some kind of emergency, such as a health crisis for a member of the family or that something set off the alarm at our church building. As I anxiously answered the call, I heard a recorded announcement from our county that our area was under a freeze warning. You can imagine my reaction. I jumped out of bed, cried out for my wife to follow me, and we ran into our basement where we wrapped up in several blankets in order to protect ourselves from the dangerous cold. Of course not. Neither did I immediately rush outside to cover up any vulnerable blooming plants. Instead I hung up the phone in disgust and tried to get back to sleep. I assumed this warning call was the result of a mistake, because it certainly wasn’t what I considered an emergency deserving of waking people up in the middle of the night.

However, there are situations in which we need to be awakened. I believe the Lord would like to stir up a number of people today with a warning call. It might be similar to the one recorded in the book of Romans: “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry or drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:11-14).

 This warning reminds us that time is short. Not only is death drawing nearer for each of us, but the return of the Lord is getting closer all the time. We don’t know when these events will take place, but we know that our time here is limited. As it says, “the day is at hand.” Therefore we need to wake up and get busy. We need to get serious about turning away from anything in our lives that is hindering our relationship with the Lord. We need to give ourselves fully to Jesus, allowing Him to live in us and work through us. We need to pursue a life of holiness and service in completing the work Jesus has given us to do.

One of the problems is that many of us are sleeping – not just the unbelieving world but those who profess to be followers of Christ. We have grown complacent and comfortable in an ungodly atmosphere. We have allowed our senses to become dull to the awfulness of sin. We have substituted other things for a vital, growing relationship with Christ. We have become lazy in fulfilling our mission as proclaimers of the gospel, seekers of the lost, and witnesses for the Lord. We need to wake up!

Let’s consider this our wake-up call. We can either ignore it, make excuses for ourselves, and downplay the urgency of the matter, or we can let the Lord stir us up to action. Now is the time to get busy in becoming the kind of follower Jesus calls us to be. Now is the time to surrender completely to His will for our lives. Now is the time to serve Him and reach out in love to those around us. Don’t turn over and go back to sleep. It’s time to wake up and get going.

 

How Hungry Are You for Righteousness?  

On our Caribbean cruise I mentioned previously, our sixteen-year-old grandson took full advantage of the opportunity to feed his hunger. Not only did he make good use of the buffets and the ice cream machine, but when we gathered in the dining room for the evening meals, he often ordered two or three of the main entrees. That was in addition to an appetizer and a dessert, all of which he thoroughly devoured. His hunger seemed never to be satisfied as he fed it the whole time we were on the ship.

Let’s pray that we would possess that kind of constant and fierce hunger for the Lord and for the work He wants to do in our lives. Jesus said in one of those well-known beatitudes He voiced during His Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).  He was referring to a spiritual hunger – including the deep desire for more holiness and Christlikeness to be present in our lives. Are we hungering and thirsting for righteousness today?

 Maybe you heard about recent events at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. A chapel service there continued for several weeks in the form of a continuous time of worship, prayer, and testimony. I won’t try to put a label on what happened, but it appears that God used it to change some hearts and lives. It seemed to stir up a hunger in people’s hearts for drawing closer to God, evidenced by many people flocking to that location to participate in this experience. While I appreciate those who made that journey, the good news is that we don’t have to go searching for God in one particular location. If we will hunger and thirst for Him, He can meet us right where we are. He can move mightily in your life and in your church. There can be a revival and outpouring of God’s Spirit right in our midst. However, I believe one of the keys is that we truly need to be hungering for it. We need to want it more than we want anything else. How thirsty are you for a closer relationship with the Lord?

This beatitude comes with a couple of promises. First of all, Jesus says that we will be blessed if we will hunger and thirst after righteousness. I encourage you to put it to the test and see for yourself. Make it a greater priority to let God work in you to make you a more holy person. Ask Him to pour out His Spirit on you in a fresh and powerful way. Seek to become more like Jesus. Pray, fast, and ask the Lord to revive you. I believe God will bless you for it.

The other promise given is that we will be filled. God doesn’t hold righteousness out in front of us like a carrot on a stick, constantly moving it and keeping it out of our reach. If we truly seek it, God promises that we will be filled. He may not do it immediately or exactly as we imagine. Nevertheless, in some manner and at some time He will fill that hunger in our hearts.

The problem more often than not is that we are not hungering for such righteousness to the extent we should be. Many of us would probably say we would like to see revival, to draw closer to God, to be more holy, but are we so hungry and thirsty for it that we are earnestly seeking and praying for it?

Let’s pray that the Lord will instill more of a hunger in our souls for Him and for righteousness.

 

Be Adventurous in Following the Lord  

Recently we enjoyed a Caribbean cruise with one of our daughters and her family. During our trip the adults often used a phrase to encourage our grandchildren whenever they were hesitant to try a new or different experience. We reminded them to “be adventurous.” Although often preceded by some whining or outright refusals, they usually did well in eventually being willing to attempt something they weren’t sure they wanted to do. It resulted in our granddaughter gliding down the largest waterslide in North America, as well as holding a rather large live crab. They all tried some foods that were alien to their normal fare, often with mixed results as to whether or not they would eat it again. However, through one such adventurous dining experience, one of our grandsons discovered a new favorite food – asparagus.

If we would open our hearts and minds to it, I believe we would often hear the Lord encouraging us to be adventurous. It is all too easy to get comfortable in our routines and settled activities, even in our walk with Christ. We regularly feed on those favorite chapters of scripture, meditate on those familiar promises we have underlined in our Bibles, and listen only to the preachers and teachers we have sat under for decades. We rarely veer off from our normal pathway of serving the Lord or witnessing for Him. We have found good things that bless us, help us grow, suit our taste, and therefore we don’t often consider the possibility that there may be more the Lord wants us to experience.     

I am not suggesting change simply for the sake of change. Neither am I recommending that you neglect those tried-and-true means God uses to feed your soul or those areas in which He typically uses you to serve in His kingdom. Nevertheless, we need to be careful that we don’t get so settled in those activities that we aren’t willing to venture out in other areas when the Lord leads us to do so or opens a different door. Maybe we need to taste some other parts of the Bible from what we normally read. Maybe we need to expand our devotional time or add some new aspect to our prayer life. Maybe we need to tune in online to hear some additional good preaching or teaching. Maybe there are other avenues of service God wants us to explore or other ways He wants us to share our faith with others.

 Too often we are more committed to playing it safe rather than stepping out in faith to follow the Lord. If they hadn’t been willing to be adventurous, Abraham wouldn’t have left home to go to the land God promised to give him, Noah wouldn’t have built an ark, David wouldn’t have faced off with Goliath, Peter wouldn’t have walked out to Jesus on the water, and so many other opportunities would have been missed.

Let’s not miss out on what God has in store for us by refusing to consider anything that doesn’t fit in with what we are accustomed to. Jesus calls us to follow Him. Sometimes that will involve doing what we are familiar with and comfortable doing. Other times it will involve venturing out into unfamiliar territory, trying new things, stretching ourselves, and facing difficult challenges.

Be adventurous and you might find yourself experiencing even greater growth, joy, and blessing in your walk with the Lord. You might find even better ways God can use you in doing the work of His kingdom.

So don’t allow fear or the risk of discomfort hold you back when the Lord is leading you in the direction of something new and different. Hear His words of encouragement – “Be adventurous.”

 

Putting God First Is More than a Slogan  

I have noticed a recent ad campaign by a local news station. They will mention one of the many municipalities in our metropolitan area by name while declaring that they are putting that particular community first. When I initially saw one of those TV spots, I wondered why they singled out that specific town. However, it wasn’t long before I saw another commercial making the same claim about a different locality, and then another. They are obviously attempting to make the residents of that designated area in each ad feel like this news station is making them a priority. However, how can they be putting all of these communities first? And if they did, wouldn’t that put them all on the same level? If everyone is first, doesn’t that mean that none of them are really special? It doesn’t make sense and detracts from the whole idea of giving greater attention to the needs of these communities.

I am afraid some of us have been guilty at times of doing something similar concerning our priorities in life, especially in relation to the Lord. The Bible makes it clear that He is to be first in our lives. Jesus told His followers to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). He also made it clear that we must love Him more than we love our families, and even our own lives, or we cannot be His disciple (see Luke 14:26). Jesus also confirmed that the greatest commandment we’ve been given is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). These scriptures and others suggest it should be the testimony of those who follow Jesus, “I am putting the Lord first.”

However, there are other things that compete for that top spot in our lives. Often, while claiming to be putting God first, we still try to put these other aspects of our lives as our main priority as well. “I need to put my family first – my spouse – my children. Family comes first.” “I need to put my work first – I need to provide for my family.” “I have to put myself first. No one else is going to look after me, I have to look out for number one. Pursuing my own happiness and fulfillment has to be my main priority.” Other competitors might include our favorite sports team, our hobby, or some other big interest in our lives. Don’t get me wrong. Many of those other aspects of life can be very important. Some of them need to be priorities in our lives. However, there can only be one number one. There can only be one top priority. Not everything or even several things can really be first in our lives. We are fooling ourselves if we are claiming to be putting God first while allowing other aspects of our lives to be just as important or on an equal basis with Him.

If we will be faithful to give the Lord the preeminence He deserves, He will take care of all those other significant aspects of our lives. If He is our top priority, we will be better able to be a blessing to our families. If we seek God first, He promises to provide for our needs. If we love Him with all our hearts, we will find what we need to have a meaningful and fulfilling life. All those other things in our lives will fall into their proper place if we will put the Lord first.

Let’s make “Jesus first” more than our pious-sounding slogan. Let’s seek to make it a reality.    

 

Jesus Is Both Inclusive and Exclusive  

It is not unusual to hear the word “inclusive” used to describe Jesus these days. It is certainly true that while Jesus lived and ministered on this earth, He included many people whom others in His day refused to have anything to do with. Everyone fell within the scope of His love. He reached out to women, Samaritans, Gentiles, Romans, lepers, servants, and those who were considered immoral. No one was excluded from being a potential member of God’s kingdom in Jesus’ sight.

However, many today are emphasizing the concept of Jesus’ being inclusive as a way to justify accepting people who claim to follow Jesus but who are not submitting to what He says about becoming a true believer. They want us to acknowledge adherents of other religions as being equally in a right relationship with God even though they don’t believe in Jesus as God’s Son who died on the cross as the sacrifice for our sins. They want us to welcome others into the fold of Christ not as fellow repentant sinners, but as those who are proud of their immorality and who insist on others accepting it and even celebrating it.

While Jesus was inclusive in inviting all to come to him, He was also exclusive in the sense that people had to be willing to accept Him and His way of salvation. Here are just a few examples of Jesus’ exclusiveness that many people today ignore or try to explain away.

  From the beginning of His ministry, Jesus preached the message, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). It wasn’t a message that “you are acceptable to God just as you are.” Jesus called people to repent – to change; to turn around. They couldn’t be included in His kingdom unless they were willing to acknowledge their sin and submit to God.

Jesus also declared, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). While Jesus loves everyone and reaches out to all, it is only those who are born again through faith in Him and through receiving His Spirit to come to live in their hearts who can know the reality of His kingdom.

Jesus made numerous statements about what an individual needed to do or else “he cannot be my disciple” (see Luke 14:25-33). Additionally, Jesus spoke about the fact that to enter into life and His kingdom was by a narrow gate, and that few people would find it. In contrast, He said, “Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it” (Matthew 7:13). Jesus loves everyone and gives them the opportunity to enter into a right relationship with Him, but many refuse to accept it and go the way of destruction. In a sense, Jesus doesn’t exclude them, they choose to exclude themselves.

In His parable about a wedding feast in Matthew 22, Jesus shows how inclusive He is, as the servants are sent out into the highways to invite as many as they found to the feast. Nevertheless, there were those who rejected the invitation and who “were not worthy” to be part of this event. Even someone who came to the feast was kicked out because he didn’t belong there.   

There are many other examples of Jesus revealing the exclusive nature of His kingdom, including His numerous references to everlasting punishment and His declaration that He is the way, the truth and the life.

Don’t be deceived by these twisted notions about Jesus being inclusive. Let’s be thankful Jesus’ love includes faulty people like you and me. However, at the same time His kingdom excludes those who refuse to believe in Him, repent of their sin, and submit to His will.

 

The Cross Is Still the Answer  

One morning I was doing the little online word puzzle I typically do each day, trying to figure out what that day’s five-letter word was. After two guesses I had determined three of the letters contained somewhere in the word while eliminating a number of others. As I prepared for my third guess, I concluded that the middle three letters were likely “ros.” I thought of numerous combinations of letters and options, but wasn’t coming up with any likely answer in light of the letters I still had left to work with. Suddenly it hit me – “cross.” I tried it, and it was the correct answer. Here I was, not only a follower of Christ but a preacher, yet the word “cross” didn’t even enter my mind for a while. Getting the answer in three tries isn’t bad, but I felt like hanging my head in shame that it took me so long to think of this word that is so vital to my faith.

The cross is the answer to many of life’s puzzling questions. When I refer to the cross, I am talking about how Jesus gave His life as the sacrifice for our sins, taking on Himself the punishment we each deserved, and satisfying the justice of a holy God. It was a pivotal event that answers key questions about God, the meaning of life, God’s love for us, Jesus’ purpose in coming to this earth, and especially the question about how we can get our hearts right with God. Christ’s sacrificial death is not only a central tenet of the Christian faith, but it is a primary component in dealing with so many issues we face in life.

However, many people are like I was as I worked that word puzzle. They think of a host of other options without giving any real consideration to the cross as the answer. It is not even on their radar. Others have thought about the cross, but have rejected it as a valid choice. It may not fit in with their worldly wisdom or their philosophy of religion. They may view it as some outdated, weird belief. There are even those who claim to be adherents of the Christian faith who have rejected the idea of the cross as being the answer to the questions about sin and salvation. They see salvation coming through loving others and treating people right. Such good works should be manifested in our lives, but they are not what saves us. They are the fruit that springs from our having been saved through faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Let’s be careful that we don’t allow ourselves to be deceived and drawn away into any of these ideas that would diminish the role of the cross and the death of Christ in our salvation. Listen closely to what is being taught and proclaimed about the cross by churches and ministers. Make sure it is Christ and Him crucified being preached and not simply some religion of the goodness of man or of our being saved through our good works.

Additionally, even though we may not reject the idea of Jesus dying for our sins, let’s not allow the significance of the cross to drift into the background of our faith. We can allow other things, even religious activities, to become more prominent in our lives to the point that we lose some of our affection for the cross or fail to give it the attention it deserves. Let’s keep cultivating the spirit expressed in a beloved hymn that declares no matter what others do, we will still cherish and cling to that old rugged cross.

Nothing can take the place of the cross. It is still the answer today.