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Sep
A Called Person
Jeremiah 1:4-10 (NIV)
The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5″Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
6″Ah, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.”
7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10See, today I appoint you…
Here we have what is commonly referred to as a “call.” If I were to ask you about your call you would probably have a difficult time answering such a “spiritual” question. But it is not nearly as complicated as you might think.
Basically, God made Jeremiah with a purpose and He will take responsibility for fulfilling it. Your life is no different than Jeremiah. God has created you with a purpose. He is just as committed to completing the purpose He has for you as He was for Jeremiah. Let that sink in! He is just as committed to you as He was to Jeremiah!
We simply have to arrange our lives accordingly. The scene unfolds quite normally—just in the way you might expect. God comes to Jeremiah and declares the fact that He made him. He reminds Jeremiah that He knows him, intimately.
Let those words in verse 5 be spoken to you:
“Before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart…”
Those words are almost instantly met with resistance. Ahhhh… God you’ve got the wrong person. I am too young, too old, too shy, too dumb, too whatever excuse you decide to place in this space. God is going to interrupt you for He knows exactly what excuse will roll off of your tongue. He formed you and He knows you. What we begin to see is that we are not called to fulfill God’s purposes in our own strength and resourcefulness. We are to trust in His.
Do you see how this ends? God told Jeremiah I have appointed you. He tells you the same thing this morning. I have appointed this day and this hour. I have appointed you for this exact time for this exact purpose. Today will be one more day in which God’s purposes are fulfilled in your life. What we must do is to stop, listen and watch to see where He wants to use us.
Lord, I do not feel like a called person. I have my list of reasons why I am not effective for you… but you already know them. I confess my excuses as a lack of faith in Your ability to fulfill Your purposes. I ask for You to reveal to me what my life is for. Give me the patience to discover this as I pursue You. Give me the faith to believe that You have appointed me… Help me to see this today. Amen.
- Why do you often find it difficult to see yourself as someone who is “called” by God to make His name known?
- How could seeing yourself as a “called” person influence your willingness to let God transform your heart through your One Word? As you reflect on your One Word journey, where is one place God could use you to make His name known?
Are you looking for a way to keep your word in front of you all year long? Register for a My One Word account! One of the key features of a MOW account is an online Word Journal that allows you to capture your thoughts to reflective questions like you see above. You can go back at any time to read your completed journals to see how God has been moving in your life through your word in 2010. If you already have an account, the questions from this blog have been posted to your Word Journal — log in to your account to start your Word Journal today!
Sep
The Next Right Thing
In a few days, my beloved Boston Red Sox’s will be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. As I try to recover from the sting of this reality, I comfort myself by reflecting on the greatest comeback of all-time. Any serious baseball fan knows that being down 0-3 in a 7 game playoff series means certain defeat. The team facing elimination might pull a fluke win or two to make things interesting, but they never manage to pull off 4 straight W’s. So, back in 2004 when the Boston Red Sox’s found themselves with their backs against the wall it would have been easy to just shut it down early and give up.
The cards were stacked against them. They were facing the Evil Empire (New York Yankees). Their pitching ace (Curt Schilling) was limping to the mound injured. On top of having the Curse of the Bambino hanging over their heads, they also had thoughts of Bill Buckner running through their minds. History was not on their side.
Yet, instead of calling for the next morning’s tee time or planning their family’s vacation, they decided to “reverse the curse.” How? Instead of being consumed by the huge obstacle they faced, they took hold of the mindset of just trying to win the “next inning.” It seems cliché, but there is plenty of truth in taking it one game at a time.
For many of us, integrity and how we live our lives seem so far apart that we think attaining a Godly character is a lost cause. There is so much we need to work on that we don’t have the slightest clue where to start. However, if the Red Sox’s can reverse over 100 years of bad history, there is hope for our character yet. In terms of integrity, it is about playing the next point by just doing the “next right thing.”
What the next right thing is will be different for everybody. Each of us has places in our lives where we are more prone to forgo our integrity to feel loved, valued and accepted. Doing whatever it takes to meet those needs almost becomes second nature. Most of the time we act without even thinking. When we allow our lives to remain unchecked, these reflex actions build upon each other and can lead to enormous regret and hurt. They also reveal our true character and shine light on the things we truly value. The question that we must wrestle with is whether the things we label as our convictions truly matches up to our words and actions.
Integrity doesn’t come easy. In our quest for a life defined by integrity, we must possess perseverance, hope and courage. There are many who want to be a man/woman of character, but are reluctant to put in the effort needed for this to occur. They exchange integrity for the easy life. Others keep themselves so busy that they have absolutely no time to examine the matters of the heart. However, what most of us are guilty of is arranging our circumstances so we appear to be people of integrity. We are so quick to throw in the towel when God is looking for people who are willing to stay in something that matters: our spiritual formation.
- Consider the area in which you struggle with integrity the most when it comes to reflecting your One Word. What is the “next right thing” to do in order to reflect this characteristic in your life?
- Read Romans 5:1-5. Why are courage, perseverance and hope key elements in the battle to become the type of person God made you to be? How have you seen this cycle (perseverance producing hope) play out in your own life?
Are you looking for a way to keep your word in front of you all year long? Register for a My One Word account! One of the key features of a MOW account is an online Word Journal that allows you to capture your thoughts to reflective questions like you see above. You can go back at any time to read your completed journals to see how God has been moving in your life through your word in 2010. If you already have an account, the questions from this blog have been posted to your Word Journal — log in to your account to start your Word Journal today!
Sep
Tackling Your Opponent
To the chagrin of my wife, football is back and better than ever. Yesterday I escaped to my man cave and watched football from sunrise to sunset. There is just something about football that speaks to my heart. Like most men, as a little boy I dreamed of making it to the NFL. Unfortunately, my career peeked in middle school. My one shinning moment on the gridiron took place while I was playing Pop Warner football in 6th grade.
During the final practice before our first game, the team engaged in tackling drills. When it came to my turn, I looked up to see my opponent, an 11 year old, grown man-child who weighed as much as a grizzly bear and had the facial hair to prove it. Being less than 5 feet tall and a hundred pounds soaking wet, I attempted to sneak my way to the back of the line. The defensive coordinator would have none of it and gave me an earful about what he had taught us about leverage. Reluctantly, I got into my stance and ran full force at Goliath with my eyes closed fully expecting to get leveled. Yet, when I opened my eyes I was on the ground with my arms wrapped around my opponent. Glory was mine. Against all odds, I tackled the grizzly man-child.
Unfortunately, my mom, attending her first practice, bolted from the stands and quickly squashed any hope I had of a football career. Fearful that her baby would get hurt or killed, she forced me to hand in my helmet. This doesn’t take away from the moment or the truth that discipline produces results. My moment of glory speaks to our tendency to shrink away from the challenges before us. I can’t blame my mom for her reaction. Her motherly instinct kicked in. But, I have to be honest. Before tackling Goliath, everything in me was contemplating faking a leg cramp so I wouldn’t have to face my opponent.
Doubt about overcoming obstacles doesn’t just occur on the football field. It carries over to our own personal growth and having our One Word embedded into our character. When the coach calls your name, it takes you awhile to catch your breath and take that first step. All the questions of whether you are up for the challenge run through your mind. The voices of failure, condemnation and doubt are shouting loudly. The fear you are feeling is evident to everyone, including your coach so he grabs you by the facemask and reminds you that the question has already been answered: you have what it takes.
We can walk into the huddle with confidence because we already know the outcome: Christ has conquered death. Scripture, God’s word, speaks to this point time and time again. You have been bought with a price and you belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). You have been redeemed and forgiven (Colossians 1:14). Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35-39). You can be confident that the good work God has begun in you will be completed (Philippians 1:6). God hasn’t given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). If you beat your body, you can make it your slave (1 Corinthians 9:24-25 and 1 Thessalonians 4:4).
After trusting that God believes in you, the next step in penetrating your fortress of status quo and complacency is by creating disciplines that encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and begin to walk with integrity. Throughout the book of Proverbs, we see how discipline leads to wisdom (3:11-13), knowledge (12:1), understanding (15:32), and a way of life (6:23). The point of disciplines is to do something you can do in order to do something you can’t do. Disciplines must remain disciplines for a period of time. This consistency enables them to become habits and then reflexes. Eventually, they are dissolved into your character.
Becoming a person who embodies their One Word does not take place over night. It is a result of taking responsibility for your integrity and character. The key to growth is to be relentless in your walk with God and pursuit of wisdom. Wisdom keeps us focused while integrity protects our path (Proverbs 2:1-15). It is instruction and wisdom that produces this way of honor in us. This is how we glorify God and tackle the obstacles before us.
- If remaining connected to God is what enables character to take root in our lives, how would you describe your current connection? How would you describe your pursuit of wisdom?
- Our character develops more profoundly during difficult times where distress, pain and frustration are present. What challenging situation is God using to shape your character right now?
Are you looking for a way to keep your word in front of you all year long? Register for a My One Word account! One of the key features of a MOW account is an online Word Journal that allows you to capture your thoughts to reflective questions like you see above. You can go back at any time to read your completed journals to see how God has been moving in your life through your word in 2010. If you already have an account, the questions from this blog have been posted to your Word Journal — log in to your account to start your Word Journal today!