The Telephone

Tony Evans, Pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Texas, spoke of being on an elevator in a high-rise building. He didn’t like riding elevators because he worried that something would go wrong.  One day it did.  The car he was riding in got stuck in between floors.   He noted that some of the people in the car became frantic. They began to beat on the door hoping to get someone’s attention. Others began to yell in the hopes that their voices would get someone on the surrounding floors to come to the aid. But nobody heard their noise or their cries. Then Evans quietly made his way to the front of the car, opened a little door in the wall and pulled out a telephone. Immediately he was connected with someone on the outside. He didn’t need to beat on the wall to get their attention. He didn’t need to speak loudly in the phone to receive their help. He could have whispered and they would have heard him.

Anger and yelling did nothing to get those people out of the elevator.   Instead, patience and self-control solved the problem.  The Bible talks about this very thing...

“Better to be patient than powerful;

    better to have self-control than to conquer a city.”  Proverbs 16:32

In any relationship, anger and lack of self-control hurt the ability to honestly communicate.  When one side is afraid of making the other mad for fear of setting off an emotional volcano...there is an issue...and before long, all meaningful communication stops.   If we are going to have deeper relationships, we must be in control of our temper...not over-reacting to a situation or a remark.  By doing so, we create an environment where both sides are equally heard... honesty and trust thrive... and God-honoring solutions are reached.

Waiting?

Getting up early to go to the gym isn’t always easy… but it helps me stay healthy. Prioritizing my family… spending wisely… reading vs. watching TV… quiet time with God… all of these are opportunities for growth that I have to intentionally decide beforehand what I’m going to do or else derail God’s plan for my life.

But many don’t choose the best way for their lives. They tend to delay discipline and embrace passivity.

Life is so much better when we pre-determine those decisions. What will we do when things get inconvenient, tough, unmanageable, or challenging? Why delay doing what’s right?

What are you waiting for?

Are you waiting for God to be generous in your life? Begin the habit of giving with the right heart... Paul said, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 2 Cor. 9:7

Are you waiting for God to answer your prayer? Remember that His timing is always perfect... He is never late... or early... or forgetful. Sometimes the answer is wait a little longer... I have something better than you can imagine. Jesus said, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

Are you waiting to have the time? Do you have more duties than daylight? Remember, you have the same 24 hours a day that the disciples had... that Einstein had... that everyone who has ever lived on planet Earth had.. it’s what you do with those precious minutes that matters! Paul said, “Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.” Ephesians 5:16

The situation may never be perfect. You may never feel adequately prepared. You may think your under equipped, ill-resourced, and the wrong person for the job. You’re in good company:

Jonah, Moses, Gideon, Rahab, Esther... the list goes on...

But today, God has tapped you on the shoulder. He wants you to make that positive change in your life. Share your story with your office. Defuse the situation with your family. Be the husband or wife you were designed to be. Give your child another chance. Move forward...no, leap forward.

Today… refuse to live the life you think you deserve and start living the one you were created for.

The situation may not look perfect... but don’t wait. God’s got your back.

Waiting For God

I once read a story about a young naval ensign on his first assignment.   He was given the responsibility of preparing the ship for launch… and he was nervous.  Remembering everything he’d learned in training, the young sailor yelled commands and readied the vessel for the voyage.  He accomplished his tasks in record time… and with a proud voice… gave the order to leave the dock.  Soon after they were out into open water, the ensign received a message.  It was from the captain.  It read “My personal congratulations upon completing your underway preparation exercise according to the book and with amazing speed. But next time, you might wait until your captain is aboard before setting off.”

Oops… Ever make that mistake?  Have you ever been so anxious and excited that you forgot to put first things first?  Many do… In fact, many take off and do things in their lives without waiting for God to be a part of it.  Isaiah 40:31 says to do otherwise:  “But they who wait upon the Lord will get new strength. They will rise up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weak.”   Is it ok to be excited?  Ready?  Prepared to set the direction for our lives?  Yes!  However, if we do so without making sure God is onboard first, we will grow tired and quickly drift off course.   Seek God first.  Wait on Him to answer.  And then proceed… and it will be smooth sailing the whole way.  

Chances

“The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”  2 Peter 3:9

      Thomas Edison is well known for many inventions.  None may be as well-known or important as the electric light bulb.  This combination of metal and glass revolutionized the lifestyle of the entire world.  Today, we can buy multiple bulbs at the store of all sizes and wattages.  However, the first bulbs were not so easily made...in fact it took a team of men an entire 24 hour day to produce one bulb.   The story goes that Edison handed one of these early bulbs to a young boy helper to carry up the stairs.  Obviously, the boy tried his best to be careful with this priceless object.  He watched every single step... but at the second to last stair, he tripped.  The bulb slipped from his grasp and shattered to the floor.  An entire day...hundreds of man-hours...gone.

     Some of us are in the same boat.  It seems that no matter how hard we try, our lives seem to shatter.   We don’t mean to hurt people with our words... or disappoint our family... or give in to that addiction... or let our quiet time with God lapse... it just happens.   We may feel like giving up.   We may feel like we aren’t usable by God anymore... shattered, broken, and useless.  If you feel like (or have felt like) that, then today’s verse was written specifically for you...

     We serve a patient God.  While we do face consequences for poor choices, God waits for us to understand what we have done, claim responsibility for it, and pray that we would be forgiven.  This last step, repentance, is critical in our relationship with God.  Not only do we have to know that we’ve hurt someone, we need to own it, and seek genuine forgiveness through prayer from our Heavenly Father.   Scripture says that when we do, He excuses us and separates us from our sin as far as the East is from the West... the past is forgotten and we can move forward and grow in Christ.   God wants us to live lives of strength and security...not meekness and guilt.  Repentance for our past is a big step on the road to our God-potential.  

     Edison’s assistant’s story didn’t end with the broken bulb.  In fact, when the next bulb was completed... a whole day later... who was it that got to carry the bulb upstairs?  That same young assistant.  This time the bulb arrived intact.  That boy got a second chance and it changed his life.  Your second chance is one prayer of forgiveness away...  are you ready?

On Board

I once read a story about a young naval ensign on his first assignment.   He was given the responsibility of preparing the ship for launch… and he was nervous.  Remembering everything he’d learned in training, the young sailor yelled commands and readied the vessel for the voyage.  He accomplished his tasks in record time… and with a proud voice… gave the order to leave the dock.  Soon after they were out into open water, the ensign received a message.  It was from the captain.  It read “My personal congratulations upon completing your underway preparation exercise according to the book and with amazing speed. But next time, you might wait until your captain is aboard before setting off.”

Oops… Ever make that mistake?  Have you ever been so anxious and excited that you forgot to put first things first?  Many do… In fact, many take off and do things in their lives without waiting for God to be a part of it.  Isaiah 40:31 says to do otherwise:  “But they who wait upon the Lord will get new strength. They will rise up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weak.”   Is it ok to be excited?  Ready?  Prepared to set the direction for our lives?  Yes!  However, if we do so without making sure God is onboard first, we will grow tired and quickly drift off course.   Seek God first.  Wait on Him to answer.  And then proceed… and it will be smooth sailing the whole way. 

Self Control?

Tony Evans, Pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Texas, spoke of being on an elevator in a high-rise building. He didn’t like riding elevators because he worried that something would go wrong.  One day it did.  The car he was riding in got stuck in between floors.   He noted that some of the people in the car became frantic. They began to beat on the door hoping to get someone’s attention. Others began to yell in the hopes that their voices would get someone on the surrounding floors to come to the aid. But nobody heard their noise or their cries. Then Evans quietly made his way to the front of the car, opened a little door in the wall and pulled out a telephone. Immediately he was connected with someone on the outside. He didn’t need to beat on the wall to get their attention. He didn’t need to speak loudly in the phone to receive their help. He could have whispered and they would have heard him.

Anger and yelling did nothing to get those people out of the elevator.   Instead, patience and self-control solved the problem.  The Bible talks about this very thing...

“Better to be patient than powerful;

    better to have self-control than to conquer a city.”  Proverbs 16:32

In any relationship, anger and lack of self-control hurt the ability to honestly communicate.  When one side is afraid of making the other mad for fear of setting off an emotional volcano...there is an issue...and before long, all meaningful communication stops.   If we are going to have deeper relationships, we must be in control of our temper...not over-reacting to a situation or a remark.  By doing so, we create an environment where both sides are equally heard... honesty and trust thrive... and God-honoring solutions are reached. 

Noise or Understanding

Winston Churchill once said, "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."

Have you ever thought about how much time we spend listening?   Whether it be in a business meeting, a relationship, or even with God?  There are many people today that hear every word... quickly respond... and then have to apologize and repair damage because they didn’t think through the possible consequences of their answer.  Active listening is something we have to choose to do...but did you know it something God wants us to do as well?  In the book of James, Chapter 1 and verse 19 it says this:  

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,”

Proverbs 18:13 puts it another more direct way...

“Spouting off before listening to the facts

    is both shameful and foolish.”

It’s much better to spend your time thinking through an answer than mending a fence or repairing relationship damage.  Sometimes you only have one chance to choose the right response in a situation... Be courageous!  Choose to think it through first and answer second... you’ll always be glad you did.  Remember,  two people talking just create noise... one person talking while the other listens creates deeper understanding and connection.  

Microwave?

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”  Romans 12:12

Because of erosion, the historic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was in peril of washing into the Atlantic Ocean. So Congress appropriated $12 million for the National Park service to move it 2900 feet to safety.

With a combination of care, expertise, patience and raw power, The Expert House Movers of Sharptown, Maryland moved the 208 foot tall, 9.7 million pound structure to its current home. The option of moving the lighthouse was first proposed in April of 1982, but the light wasn’t lit at its new location until November 13, 1999. 17 years of study and 23 days of moving later.  Why did it take so long?

Because big moves take time.   So often we want God to make huge sweeping changes in our lives overnight.  What God is sometimes doing is making changes inch by inch over time.  The result will come... and God knows where the best place for us to end up is (and the best time for us to get there).  We just have to stay patient and allow Him to work in our lives.

Other times, we put God on our timetable and feel like He’s taking forever to do anything. 

“God, I’ve been praying for this for three weeks...  two years.... 15 years... and nothing’s happened yet!”

Sometimes, the change you are looking for in the situation is actually a change that is happening in you.  God knows what’s best for us.  Sometimes it isn’t what we are asking Him for.   We would be better served allowing the trial to make us stronger and more patient for future challenges.  

We pray... 

When the answer is “yes” we tend to be happy with God.

When the answer is “no” we tend to be angry with God.

When the answer is “wait” we tend to try to hurry God.

Or maybe worse... we try to take God out of the equation completely.  Why wait?  When we get impatient we follow bad advice, do things we wouldn’t normally do, and begin to doubt that God knows what He is doing. 

If you find yourself challenged in the area of patience, remember... God knows how what you are asking Him to do ends up.  He knows what’s best for you and the exact right way to put everything into motion.  

Resist the urge to put your faith in a microwave... we can’t speed up God.  His actions in your life will be purposeful, complete, and done at the perfect time... stay patient and wait... I’ll be praying for you as you do.    

Patience

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

“But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” Romans 8:25

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant” 1 Corinthians 13:4

“You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” James 5:8

“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,” Romans 5:3

“May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,” Colossians 1:11

“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.” James 5:7

“Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” Ecclesiastes 7:8

“I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary.” Revelation 2:3

Today... be patient.
Wait on God.
And when the storm blows over, you will be stronger. 
You will soar again... you will be free.

I'm praying for you.

Patient Not Powerful

Tony Evans, Pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Texas, spoke of being on an elevator in a high-rise building. He didn’t like riding elevators because he worried that something would go wrong.  One day it did.  The car he was riding in got stuck in between floors.   He noted that some of the people in the car became frantic. They began to beat on the door hoping to get someone’s attention. Others began to yell in the hopes that their voices would get someone on the surrounding floors to come to the aid. But nobody heard their noise or their cries. Then Evans quietly made his way to the front of the car, opened a little door in the wall and pulled out a telephone. Immediately he was connected with someone on the outside. He didn’t need to beat on the wall to get their attention. He didn’t need to speak loudly in the phone to receive their help. He could have whispered and they would have heard him.

Anger and yelling did nothing to get those people out of the elevator.   Instead, patience and self-control solved the problem.  The Bible talks about this very thing...

“Better to be patient than powerful;

    better to have self-control than to conquer a city.”  Proverbs 16:32

In any relationship, anger and lack of self-control hurt the ability to honestly communicate.  When one side is afraid of making the other mad for fear of setting off an emotional volcano...there is an issue...and before long, all meaningful communication stops.   If we are going to have deeper relationships, we must be in control of our temper...not over-reacting to a situation or a remark.  By doing so, we create an environment where both sides are equally heard... honesty and trust thrive... and God-honoring solutions are reached.  

Stuck Between Floors

Tony Evans, Pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Texas, spoke of being on an elevator in a high-rise building. He didn’t like riding elevators because he worried that something would go wrong.  One day it did.  The car he was riding in got stuck in between floors.   He noted that some of the people in the car became frantic. They began to beat on the door hoping to get someone’s attention. Others began to yell in the hopes that their voices would get someone on the surrounding floors to come to the aid. But nobody heard their noise or their cries. Then Evans quietly made his way to the front of the car, opened a little door in the wall and pulled out a telephone. Immediately he was connected with someone on the outside. He didn’t need to beat on the wall to get their attention. He didn’t need to speak loudly in the phone to receive their help. He could have whispered and they would have heard him.

Anger and yelling did nothing to get those people out of the elevator.   Instead, patience and self-control solved the problem.  The Bible talks about this very thing...

“Better to be patient than powerful;

    better to have self-control than to conquer a city.”  Proverbs 16:32

In any relationship, anger and lack of self-control hurt the ability to honestly communicate.  When one side is afraid of making the other mad for fear of setting off an emotional volcano...there is an issue...and before long, all meaningful communication stops.   If we are going to have deeper relationships, we must be in control of our temper...not over-reacting to a situation or a remark.  By doing so, we create an environment where both sides are equally heard... honesty and trust thrive... and God-honoring solutions are reached.  

Healthy Living

It has been said, “Being well is more than eliminating the negative. Rather, it requires the addition of the positive.” 

When I read that statement I thought of our walk with God. Many times we are tempted to read the Bible as a book of “don’t”s. I need to stop doing this... quit that... get rid of this habit or that behavior. And while there are many things God asks us not to include in our lives... only subtracting the bad leads to a life that is one-sided and lacking. Scripture tells us that alongside the “no”s, we have to have some God-honoring “yesses”. Colossians 3:10 says to “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.” Want to grow more like Christ? Be more spiritually healthy? Get rid of what is holding you back.. and in turn.. fill your heart with things like love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and patience. Out with what’s bad and in with what’s good. And before long both mind and heart will be healthier (and more Godly) than ever.