Category Archives: General

I cannot think of a better way to kick off the season of THANKSGIVING than with a message of giving thanks from the Word of God.

Take a moment to contemplate and answer the following three questions:

1. Would you describe yourself as a person who spends more time in a posture of THANKSGIVING or a posture of COMPLAINING?
2. How would those closest to you answer this question about you?
3. If the answer to question #2 does not start with the letter “T” then what changes do you need to make in your life right now so that you may be known by better fruit?

Regardless of your answers, I think we all would agree that we could use a little more of the fruit of THANKSGIVING in our lives and a lot less of the fruit of COMPLAINING!  Regardless of how well life is working for us right now we have a tendency to look at what is not working well.  This has been the story of God’s people from the beginning.  After having been set free from over 400 years of bondage in Egypt, the Israelites were marked more by the fruit of COMPLAINING than THANKSGIVING.  You would have thought after having witnessed the hand of God deliver the ten supernatural plagues on Egypt and after marching right on through the Red Sea without ever getting wet, that THANKSGIVING would have risen up to heaven like smoke billowing up from a furnace.  However, it was not.  Instead of giving thanks they whined, grumbled, and complained every step of the way. In the following verse, the psalmist gives us the cure for COMPLAINING and the key to living a life of continual THANKSGIVING.

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

Psalm 107:8

When we focus more on God than we do ourselves, we find that we live in a posture of THANKSGIVING rather than COMPLAINING.  Take a moment to think about all that God has done for you.  And I am not even talking about the “BIG” things such as redemption, justification, adoption, eternal life, and the like.  Think about the eyes that are reading this blog right now.  God gave you your sight.  Think about the mind that is processing this blog right now.  God gave you your mental capacity.  Think about the breath you just took or the beating of your heart.  God gave you the gift of life.  What do you have that you have not been given?  Consider, in a sense, that the more you have the more you are in debt to the One who has given it to you.  The only thing you have that God did not give to you is your sin.  You own all of that!!!

So, as we begin our season of thanksgiving together, let us resolve to be someone who is known by others for a heart of THANKSGIVING rather than a head of COMPLAINING.  To be sure, this blog post may not find you in a season of great prosperity.  Perhaps sickness and disease are testing the outer edges of your health plan.  Maybe this time of year brings back memories of some great loss in your life.  This is the result of living in a fallen and broken world with other fallen and broken people.  Yet, in all of it you have a God whose love sought you, caught you, and bought you with the precious blood of the Lamb.

Write down today’s verse and put it up somewhere.  Put it up on your refrigerator.  Put in up on your bathroom mirror.  Attach it to the sun visor in your car.  Or even better, take some time to memorize it and meditate on it when you lie down, when you get up, and when you walk throughout your day (Deut. 6:7).  The more you focus on the steadfast love of God and the wondrous works He has done for you, the more your life will be defined by the fruit of THANKSGIVING rather than COMPLAINING.  I promise you this…a little effort now in keeping this verse before you will return multiple rewards not only during this season of thanksgiving, but throughout the rest of your journey toward the Celestial City.

This is the gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT…AMEN!

Oscar Wilde once said, “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you place the blame!”

The Guinness Book of World Records recently awarded Blaming the title of the world’s “Oldest Game.”  The Blame Game began in the Garden of Eden, played by the first two sinners.  The original blame was actually worth double points, because Adam blamed both Eve and God for his act of cosmic rebellion!  Adam blamed Eve for giving him the fruit from the forbidden tree, followed by a more subtle blaming of God for giving him Eve in the first place.  And we have been blaming ever since.

This game has become so popular that back in 1999 MTV aired a 30-minute game show entitled “The Blame Game.”  In a fictional courtroom setting, two “ex’s” were pitted against each other to ultimately decide who was to blame for the breakdown and breakup of their relationship.  The saddest aspect of the world’s oldest game is everybody plays and nobody wins. 

We cast blame for countless reasons.  We fear taking responsibility when something goes wrong, so we blame . . . just like Adam did in the Garden.  We seek the applause of man, so we blame others for our shortcomings, seeking to cast a better light on ourselves.  We blame parents for the way they raised us.  We blame coaches for the way they coached us.  We blame teachers for the way they taught us.  We blame the environment in which we were raised.  We blame the economy.  We blame the government.  Because we are sinners by both nature and by habit, blame is a part of everyday life.  Blame is simply part of our DNA. 

So . . . have you been playing the blame game lately?  Have you been blaming others?  Perhaps you’ve been on the receiving end of blame?  To be sure, blame marks every one of our horizontal relationships with other people.  And at times it marks our vertical relationship with God as we, like Adam, blame God for our lot in life.  At the deepest level, participation in the blame game is nothing more than a sinful attempt to rewrite a portion of our story so we can make ourselves look better to others and feel better about ourselves.   

And there is absolutely no need for it! All those who are in Christ stand before God blameless, because Jesus took their blame.  This is the great exchange; sinners stand sinless before a holy God because the One who knew no sin became sin for us. 

Jude, the brother of James and the half brother of Jesus, gave us a compelling reason for refusing to participate in any aspect of the blame game:

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever.  Amen. (Jude 24-25)

Notice the word blameless and how it is applied to the believer.  The believer is blameless today in the sight of God because of what Jesus did on the cross—paying the penalty for every sin, past, present, and still to come.  The believer is clothed in the righteousness of Christ and stands blameless before God, in spite of living a life that is worthy of unending blame.  Jesus has made us blameless before God, setting us in the seat of holy honor, without spot or stain.  Meditate on the word blameless for a moment, and you will see just how remarkable it is when it is applied to you! 

Jude gives to us one of the most incredible promises in all of sacred Scripture.  Blame has been nailed to that dirty tree.  Blame for the believer is as far as the east is from the west.  Jesus became our blame, making us blameless before God.  Blame was washed clean in the blood of the Lamb, making every believer blameless.

The next time you have an opportunity to play the blame game, flatly refuse to take it!  Don’t blame others, regardless of what has happened, and don’t let it bother you if others blame you.  Jesus climbed Golgotha’s Hill and ended the blame game for every child born of grace, exchanging our unending blame for His unimaginable blessing. 

This is the gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

From the third chapter of Genesis on, the Bible makes it clear that we are BROKEN PEOPLE living in BROKEN PLACES.  Everything is out of whack from the way God intended it to be.  There is sickness, mourning, pain, suffering, and ultimately death.  So what’s the use in going on as BROKEN PEOPLE living in BROKEN PLACES?  Because God is in both BROKEN PEOPLE and BROKEN PLACES.   

BROKEN PLACES 

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.  (Romans 8:20-22) 

When Adam and Eve fell, the whole cosmos fell.  The world is now broken, which means we live in BROKEN PLACES, no matter what they may look like with the naked eye.  The world is marked by confusion and chaos, and darkness covers the land.  Yet, instead of starting over with a brand new creation, God is in the process of making all things new.  God is bringing His light into BROKEN PLACES, which means He is using these BROKEN PLACES in the process of cosmic renewal. 

Painful providence is God’s servant.  Sickness is God’s servant.  Mourning is God’s servant.  Pain is God’s servant.  Suffering is God’s servant.  Death is God’s servant.  As Charles Spurgeon once said, “Omnipotence has servants everywhere.”  God is using BROKEN PLACES to mend BROKEN PEOPLE just like you and me.

BROKEN PEOPLE

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

(Isaiah 61:1-3)

Jesus entered into this broken world to bind the brokenhearted and to set the captives free.  Jesus is mending BROKEN PEOPLE and BROKEN PLACES.  He brings hope to the hopeless . . . joy to the joyless . . . grace to the graceless.  Paul recounted that “He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.  For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). 

What an amazing promise from God to BROKEN PEOPLE living in BROKEN PLACES—that His grace is sufficient.  Regardless of the BROKEN PLACE this finds you in today, and regardless how much longer God has you traveling on your road of brokenness, God has promised to mend BROKEN PEOPLE . . . and that includes you!

This is the gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

When you hear the word “stewardship,” what comes to mind?  If you are like most Christians, you think of the three T’s—Time, Talent, and Treasure—over which God has called us to exercise good stewardship.  But did you ever think about stewardship as it relates to the storms and struggles of life?  Since God is causing “all things to work together for good to those who love God,” as Romans 8:28 attests, then we have a great responsibility to be good stewards of the storms and struggles of life that He sends our way (Lamentations 3:38).

So how do we do it?  We submit, surrender, and share our struggles and storms with our Savior.  Listen, when you are facing the storms and struggles in this life, you have to take your experience and resulting feelings somewhere!  Some men and women bottle them up inside until the day they explode, leaving a trail of discouraged, damaged, and even destroyed relationships in their wake.  Others snap and snarl at everyone in earshot.  There is a price that must be paid for poor stewardship of the storms and struggles in life, and frequently the price is paid by those around us, the very ones God has given to us to cherish, love, and nurture.

But this is not for you!  There is a better way to exercise good stewardship over our storms and struggles, and the weeping prophet Jeremiah provides us the model:

O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed.  I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me.  (Jeremiah 20:7)

Jeremiah knew where to turn in the midst of his storm, and his painful prayer should produce profound comfort for you and me.  Jeremiah was in the midst of a season of struggle; he felt deceived, betrayed, overwhelmed, he had become the object of ridicule by the ungodly, and what did he do?

First, let’s notice what he did not do.  Jeremiah did not bottle his feelings up inside, like many of us do, only to blow up and bury all those around him.  He did not snap and snarl at everyone within earshot.  He took his pain to God.  And that, dear reader, is the key to being a good steward of the storms and struggles of life.  They must be taken to the only One who can do something about it . . . the One who has ultimately sent it to you for your good and His glory. 

The same prophet who gave us the great promise from God about a future plan of purpose and prosperity (Jeremiah 29:11) also gave us this picture of crying out to God during a season of intense spiritual struggle.  This should be a source of great encouragement to us; we are not alone, and our struggles are not unique to us.  Everyone struggles, even great prophets! 

The very best stewards of the storms and struggles in this life stand in the shadow of the cross.  Deceived . . . betrayed . . . overwhelmed . . . the object of ridicule?  Lay it all at the foot of the cross.  Jesus is able to do for you what no one else can do; He gives you a place to bring every storm and struggle.   

So what have you been doing in this area?  What would those closest to you say you do with your storms and struggles?  Is there anyone in your life right now to whom you need to confess your poor stewardship and ask for forgiveness?  Remember, Jesus paid the price in full for your faults and failures, and you are still the object of His desire.  There is no need to minimize . . . no need to cover up . . . no need to hide in fear.  The One you call Lord and Savior opens doors no man can shut and shuts doors no man can open.     

This is the gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

During our K.I.C.K. (Karate In Christ’s Kingdom) class we ask the students, as they are in a seated stretching position, “How low can you go?”  To which they respond, “Super low sir!”  It’s a great question to sharpen their focus on giving their absolute best during this phase of class.  This is also a great question to encourage us in our walk with Christ; the answer is a source of unimaginable comfort for every Christian, because it testifies to His unconditional care. 

Moses declared, “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.  And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, Destroy!” (Deuteronomy 33:27.)  Wow!  When the eternal God is your dwelling place, no matter how low you go, His everlasting arms are UNDERNEATH you.

If you have been walking with Christ for any length of time, you can certainly testify to seasons where you were brought very low.  And yet, regardless of how low you went, UNDERNEATH you were His everlasting arms. 

• Sinking in stress . . . UNDERNEATH you are His everlasting arms
• Submerged in sin . . . UNDERNEATH you are His everlasting arms
• Drowning in debt . . . UNDERNEATH you are His everlasting arms
• Descending into discouragement . . . UNDERNEATH you are His everlasting arms
• Cast down in your career . . . UNDERNEATH you are His everlasting arms
• Crushed in conflict . . . UNDERNEATH you are His everlasting arms
• Falling into faithlessness . . . UNDERNEATH you are His everlasting arms
• Immersed in impurity . . . UNDERNEATH you are His everlasting arms

Beloved, regardless of how far you fall, you cannot fall out of His everlasting arms of loving care and comfort.  Remember this, God’s arm is not short.  He can reach all the way and He can reach everybody.  You are never beyond the reach of His everlasting arms.  “If I make my bed in Sheol,” David exulted, “you are there!” (Psalm 139:8.)

You might be thinking, “Pastor Tommy, you just don’t know what I have done!”  You’re right, I don’t know what you have been doing, but He does.  And in spite of whatever you have done, in spite all you have ever done, He has given you the promise that you will never sink so low in this life that you are no longer resting in the strength of His everlasting arms. 

Who convinced you that you have fallen so far that He cannot reach you?  Don’t believe it!  It smells like smoke and comes from the pit of hell, as my friend Steve Brown likes to say.  Once His, always His, regardless of the times when we behave as if we are not His, as if we had never met Him and don’t even know Him.

Satan would like nothing better than to convince you that you have dug yourself so deep into the proverbial pit that you are beyond the reach of your God.  The accuser of the brethren knows he cannot take you out of the hand of your Redeemer, so he will do everything he can to mess with your mind.  Don’t let him do it!  Sin may take you so low that you cannot imagine anyone on the face of this earth as bad as you.  Fear not!  You’re in good company. 

The great apostle Paul said, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1 Timothy 1:15).  Marinating in the grace of God, Paul was overwhelmed by the realization that God chose to save him, knowing just how bad Paul was.  He was a persecutor of the church.  He was a blasphemer of God.  He was a hater of Christ.  He was the Pharisee who held the coats of those who stoned Stephen.  In spite of the deplorable depth of his sin, the everlasting arms of the King of kings were still UNDERNEATH him.  And it was those arms that lifted Paul out of the pit of persecution into the palace of preaching for the glory of Jesus.  The same everlasting arms that supported Paul are under you today. 

This is the gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Ever wonder why you are not completely content?  Notice that I did not ask, “Are you completely content?”  Broken people, living in a broken world with other broken people, coming out of broken pasts and moving into broken futures, inevitably struggle with contentment. 

• We struggle with contentment in our singleness . . . so we marry and find that we still struggle with contentment.
• We struggle with contentment in our current job . . . so we change jobs and find that we still struggle with contentment.
• We struggle with contentment at our current address . . . so we change neighborhoods and find that we still struggle with contentment. 
• We struggle with contentment with our church . . . so we change churches and find that we still struggle with contentment. 

So what is the key to contentment?  It is found in focusing your attention on your Savior rather than your stuff.  You can change the stuff of life and keep on changing the stuff of life and never find contentment.  Why?  Because contentment is never going to be found in the stuff of life!  The stuff of life was never designed to do for us what only our Savior can do for us, and that is both to give us and fill us with contentment.

Hebrews 13:5 instructs us, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”  To be sure, God gives us good gifts in this life.  He gives us family, friends, jobs, homes, and opportunities to put our talents and abilities into service.  The problem is not the things of this world.  The problem is in trying to get the things of this world to do what only Jesus can do for us! 

You see, the stuff of life comes and goes, but our Savior is always with us.  Jesus has promised to never leave us nor forsake us, even when we give Him every reason to do so.  In seasons of great success, as well as times of great sin, Jesus is with us every step of the way.  Jesus is with you in your lonely place and gives you comfort.  Jesus is with you in your empty place and fills you up.  Jesus is with you in your pain and gives you His peace.

The problem with discontent is never going to be solved by acquiring the stuff we do not have.  We are restless and discontented when we fail to find God to be all-sufficient for every season of life.  It is a fact that He is sufficient for our every need, and only when we realize, embrace, and live in this truth that we will experience true and lasting contentment—regardless of the circumstances we face in life.

This is the gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

 What do you need to be delivered from today?

• Critical spirit
• Impatience
• Angry outbursts
• Impure thoughts
• Addictive behavior 

Here is a passage about Peter that can give you the most incredible hope for divine deliverance, even in the face of utter hopelessness. 

About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church.  He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also.  This was during the days of Unleavened Bread.  And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.  So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.  Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison.  (Acts 12:1-6)

Notice with me the hopelessness of Peter’s situation.  Herod delivered him over to four squads of soldiers, working 6-hour shifts over a 24-hour day.  That means there were always four soldiers guarding one Peter at any given time throughout the day and night.  We find Peter sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and more sentries posted outside the door.

Two soldiers, two chains, two or more sentries . . . but not too much for God.  All of this was written to make it abundantly clear to us just how desperate Peter’s situation was.  What happened next is recorded for our instruction and comfort when we too, face trials that appear to be insurmountable. Peter was only one man, yes; but he was God’s man.

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell.  He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.”  And the chains fell off his hands.  And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.”  And he did so.  And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”  And he went out and followed him.  And he went out and followed him.  He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.  When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city.  It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. (Acts 12:7-10)

In one of the most hopeless situations recorded in all of sacred Scripture, Hope shows up.  God sent an angel, who led Peter out of his prison, not on wings like eagles, but walking, with calm confidence, on sandaled feet.  As they stood before the iron gate leading into the city, it opened of its own accord.  What an incredible divine deliverance!

Oh, make sure you don’t miss this!  The angel had to wake Peter by striking him on his side.  I don’t know about you, but if I was facing such a hopeless situation, I cannot imagine myself in a state of deep sleep.  Remember, Peter knew what had happened to James, the brother of John, who was killed with the sword; Peter surely expected that the same fate awaited him in the morning.  And yet we find Peter in a sound sleep.  To be sure, this is the peace that passes all understanding! 

Peter—the same Peter who had once been driven into ignominious retreat by a servant girl—now trusted so completely in his Lord that he was able to remain calm in the eye of the storm.  He knew that divine deliverance was ultimately on the way, whether it was his departure from prison or his passing from this life into the next.  So gospel-saturated was Peter that he was ready, willing, and able to receive whatever divine deliverance God sent his way.

Can the same be said about you?  Are you trusting in Jesus to deliver you from whatever you are facing today—in His time and in His way?  Divine deliverance is our ultimate destiny. 

This is the gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

There was a time when finding a priceless pearl was as difficult as it was dangerous.  Before the now-popular cultured pearl farms, where pearls are produced by implanting particles in oysters and then harvested in the billions every year, divers descended to depths of over 100 feet on a single breath, searching for the jackpot, the priceless pearl that would make them rich for life.  These divers were exposed to the dangers of the sea and hostile creatures in it.  And if that wasn’t bad enough, it was not uncommon for divers to black out and drown as a result of shallow water blackout when resurfacing from such depths. 

In the Parable of the Pearl of Great Value, Jesus was telling His audience about the great value of the Kingdom of Heaven, using a pearl as His object lesson. 

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

(Matthew 13:45-46)

Jesus was not suggesting that salvation can be purchased.  That would be completely inconsistent with the clear teaching of Scripture, which teaches that salvation is a gift of God (Romans 6:23).  We must remember that parables were designed to both reveal and conceal.  Some listeners would hear the story and think it was about nothing more than money.  The pearl merchant in the parable was on an unwavering quest to discover that which was most important to him, as it related to what he knew best—pearls—and without hesitation he gave up everything for it. 

So . . . what “pearl” have you been searching for lately?  Have you been in pursuit of a pearl of power, position, prestige, prosperity, pleasure, or a pain-free providence?  Perhaps the pearl of the applause of man reclines imperiously on the throne of your life.  Remember, whatever rules your heart shapes your life!

To be sure, there is only one “pearl” that is priceless and worthy of our pursuit, and His name is Jesus Christ.  What have you given up for Him?  Is there anything you are clutching with white knuckles, refusing to release it for your Savior?  Here is what the apostle Paul said regarding his one pearl of great value: “Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ” (Philippians 3:7).

Jesus made it clear in the Parable of the Pearl that the greatest treasure in the world is the Kingdom of Heaven.  When God is the object of our deepest desire, everything else in this life fades into the background.  As my friend and beloved Pastor Tullian likes to say, “Jesus plus nothing equals everything!”  You see, when you want Jesus more than anything else in this life, your perspective changes.  Your journey to the Celestial City becomes a joy, despite the rocky valleys you must navigate along the way.

Paul acknowledged that he had lost “all things” in his pursuit of Christ, but that he counted them “rubbish” compared to “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8).  When your greatest desire is, as was Paul’s, to “gain Christ and be found in him,” struggles become servants of our Savior.

Christian, prayerfully consider every “pearl” you have been diving for . . . driving for . . . dying for . . . and ask if that pursuit is really God’s best for you.  May the confession of your life be that your pearl of great value is found in Christ and Christ alone, regardless of the cost or circumstance. 

This is the gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Thomas Carlyle was a Scottish satirical writer, essayist, philosopher, historian, and teacher during the Victorian era.  He often spoke before large audiences.  One day, as he was preparing to leave his home to address a group, his mother asked him, “Where might you be going, Thomas?”

Thomas replied, “I’m going to tell the people what’s wrong with the world.”

“Aye, Thomas,” his mother responded, “But are you going to tell them what to do about it?”   

Because we live in a fallen, broken, sin-filled world, we are surrounded by fallen, broken, sin-filled people.  This, of course, makes it quite easy to find faults, from the frivolous to the fantastic.  I am convinced that some have the “gift” of fault-finding, forever filling their world and the people around them with nit-picking negativity that dims the light, deflates the sails, and drains the joy.

But this is not for you! 

Please don’t misunderstand me: constructive criticism and Christ-centered confrontation are often helpful and even quite necessary.  But godly correction must always be delivered in an environment that is designed to bless, not burden—to build up, not to tear down.  Remember, God-centered rebuke is the flip side of God-centered encouragement, and it is one of God’s great graces in the lives of His people. 

However, you and I have met “sour” saints who specialize in crafting the critical spirit.  They cannot get off the church parking lot after worship service without pointing out what was wrong with it . . .

·         The sermon was too long

·         The sanctuary was too cold

·         The lights were too bright

·         The music was too contemporary

·         The music was too traditional

·         The lady on my left must have used a whole bottle of perfume

·         The man to my right should have used a whole bottle of cologne

·         The person in front of me is always the one lifting his hands when we’re singing

·         The person behind me is always startling me with one of those unexpected “amen’s”

You have never met a person who was not flawed—including you!  So instead of looking for all that is wrong, broken, and not working, why not resolve to be counted among the faithful few who are good-finders rather than fault-finders?  Let us not be like the Pharisee who thanked God he was not like other men, making himself feel better by putting another down.  Rather, let us be like the tax collector who saw himself for what he truly is: the chief sinner. 

Here is a novel concept: find someone close to you doing something good, right, or beneficial and tell them so.  After they get over the initial shock, they will log it in their mental bank and at some future time when they need a little boost, they will draw on it. 

I want to take you to a portion of Scripture that was teaching a much deeper message from our Master, but it makes the point of good-finding.

A Sinful Woman Forgiven

One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

The Pharisee pointed to her past; Jesus pointed to her present.  The Pharisee focused on her problems; Jesus focused on her possibilities.  The Pharisee put her down; Jesus pulled her up.  This is the confession of the life of the Pharisee . . . and this is the confession of the life of Jesus. 

What is the confession of your life?  By God’s grace, may it be one that clearly identifies you as a good-finder. 

This is the gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Burn-out can be defined as an overwhelming feeling of physical, emotional, mental, and even spiritual exhaustion.  The causes are as limitless as the signs are ominous:

• Sickness
• Chronic fatigue
• Susceptibility to flu-like symptoms
• Angry outbursts
• Withdrawal

Is there an area in your life where are you dealing with a bit of burn-out?  Martha is one of the best examples of burn-out in all of sacred Scripture.  Luke 10:40 records that “Martha was distracted with much serving.”  Martha was doing a good thing.  In fact, she was doing the best thing: she was serving our Lord Jesus Christ.  But when her service for Jesus became more important than Jesus Himself, she had moved into the realm of burn-out.  Her service actually separated her from Jesus, rather than drawing them closer together.  What she did had become more important than who she was—a child of the Most High God.  Martha had placed her sense of identity in her service, not in her Savior.

Enter Mary. While Martha was frantically preparing a meal for her Lord, Mary was sitting contentedly on the floor at the feet of Jesus.  The difference between Mary and Martha is found in the simple fact that Mary knew her relationship with Jesus was more important than her service for Jesus.  Do you know this truth?  What does the confession of your life say?

Frazzled and frustrated, Martha cried out to Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Tell her then to help me.”  Jesus responded to Martha’s complaint, but His response was not directed at Mary; He spoke instead to Martha’s condition.  “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.  Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”  And herein lies the cure for burn-out, regardless of its cause:  sitting at the feet of Jesus!

I can tell you from personal experience as a minister that it is easy to get so wrapped up in serving that you forget your Savior.  Like the “energizer bunny,” you just keep going . . . and going . . . and going . . . and going . . . until one day you discover you’ve burned out!

Someone once said it is better to burn out than rust out.  I suppose if I had to choose between the two, I would choose to burn out.  I am not a “sideline” kind of guy.  But as Christians, we don’t have to choose between burning out and rusting out.  We simply need to remember what Mary remembered: our Savior is always more important than our service.  Wherever you might be facing a bit of burn-out right now, pause a moment and choose the “good portion,” as Mary did.  You will be far better able to face any of life’s challenges after sitting at His feet.

This is the gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!