Getting the Best Odds

/in , , /by

And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever. I John 2:17

Do you consider postage stamps gambling? If so, then I need to confess my gambling addiction. I dutifully enter the Consumer Reports and Publishing Clearing House sweepstakes. With the odds of winning $2,500 at 1:432,400, I’m not counting on it as part of my financial future!

The odds of getting struck by lightning in any given year is 1:1,222,00. Winning the Mega Millions lottery your odds are pretty good at 1:302,600,000. If you are a Delta pilot you can feel pretty good your odds of being killed in a plane crash are only 1:11,000,000. However, dying in a car accident is not so good at 1:107. Your chances of getting audited by the IRS however are pretty good at 1:220, especially if you file a return of $0 or more than $10 million.

Odds are something will happen in your life simply because you are alive. If you can think up something, chances are someone will place odds on the event. One interesting note about certain odds, there is one sure thing that currently stands at 1:1. Those guaranteed odds are on death. I know those odds seem to come as a surprise to many people but my best research confirms these odds. At some point, you will cash in on the death odds. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die.” (Ecc 3:1-2a)

Two things are worth considering about death. First, there are some things you can do to improve your odds before you finally cash in your life ticket. However, the more important component is what happens after death.

Where you live can delay death slightly. Americans average 79.05 years of life. You get a couple more years added onto the average if you are a woman. You can increase the life expectancy if you move to Hong Kong where you can live to be 85.16. However, it is best not to move to the Seychelles where the average age drops to 73.65.

What you eat can delay death slightly. The more legumes, whole grains, and nuts you eat add a few more years. However, I like the lady on the Smucker’s segment of The Today’s Show as they recognize those celebrating 100 years or older. When asked how she lived to be 100, her response was she always ate her dessert first! My kind of person.

There are plenty of suggestions on various websites that will help you increase your life expectancy. Going outside, hanging out with friends, exercising daily, lowering your stress, turning off your TV, getting more sleep, and even flossing daily helps. Interestingly there are several key things left off of the numerous lists that I read – I failed to see anything about working longer hours, having more money, or getting more likes on Facebook.

How you view life may not increase your life expectancy but it does make life worth living. Warren Smith shares a story about the rebuilding of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.  “I am fond of a story about the great English architect Sir Christopher Wren. One day, while re-building the magnificent St. Paul’s Cathedral after the Great London Fire of 1666, Wren walked anonymously among his workers – sort of a 17th century version of “Undercover Boss.”

 He asked three men building a wall what they were doing. The first answered: “I am cutting a stone.” The second said, “I am earning three shillings a day.” The third man stood up tall and proud. He answered, “I am helping Sir Christopher Wren build a great cathedral to the glory of God.”

The third man may not have had a significant role in the building of the cathedral but he knew he was part of something bigger than himself.  It was not in the task that he was doing that gave him his value, but the fact that he was part of something bigger. That something would ultimately be to glorify God.

The problem with trying to extend your life, no matter how commendable, is that you still don’t know the end. Jesus in the Parable of the Rich Landowner, who tried to store up earthly riches, heard the words, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” (Luke 12:20)

The nameless rich landowner did everything right in extending his life. He lived in the right place, had the best food, had a nice bank account, and was probably very religious yet he failed one thing: He didn’t have a relationship with God.

This brings us to the second part of the equation about death. It’s not what you have that matters at death, but who you know. If you know the right person, eternity is a breeze. Jesus said to anyone who will listen, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

God understood the dilemma of death and decided to tip the odds in our favor. Since God loved the world that He created he made a perfect plan. “He gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

Jesus understood the dilemma if we try to handle death by ourselves. He opens the gates of heaven for us simply “by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph 2:8-9) Pretty amazing, isn’t it!

Heaven is not a longshot, distorted odds, or unreachable when you have Jesus as your Savior. The end results: “after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.” –I Peter 5:10

You can have all the “best” earth has to offer but it will be poverty in comparison to heaven. The few extra years you get on earth from eating kale will pale against the beauty of heaven. What an amazing joy and hope we have as, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more—or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist.” –Rev 21:4

God is great,

Lord, teach us to pray!

/2 Comments/in , /by

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

Your kingdom come, your will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Matthew 6:9-13

You can almost picture Jesus smiling when one of the disciples asked him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” –Luke 11:1. You would think that all of Jesus’ disciples prayed and had heard others pray. It’s not as if the disciples didn’t know how to pray. They had listened to countless hours of prayers by the religious leaders. They had even listened as Jesus taught about prayer. However, something finally clicked in this one disciple’s soul for him to voice the question, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

For the first time, this disciple wanted what Jesus had in prayer. Maybe as he saw the simple intimacy with which Jesus prayed, that it touched him so deeply he wanted more. It most likely wasn’t about the words or ritual of prayer but the depth of a relationship that he saw in Jesus when he prayed.

He was probably guilty of the very thing that Jesus had warned them about when praying. Jesus had told them, “when you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.”  Much like our modern idiom, “the light bulb went on in his brain,” he understood there was more to prayer than words only.

“Someone once approached a teacher and asked her how to cultivate a deeper prayer life. “Say the Lord’s Prayer,” she replied, “but take an hour to say it.” (author unknown)

Instead of hitting the gas and going from 0 to 30 seconds which is about the average for repeating the words to this model prayer, you need to slow down and let the prayer be the frame for your requests and worship. The slower you go the less you will see it as a rote prayer but as a life-giving pattern to enjoy communion with God. There may come mornings when you never get past the opening phrase, “Our Father” when you pray.

“The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer about God’s honor and glory. It is a prayer about God’s kingdom coming on earth as in heaven—which pretty much sums up what a lot of Christianity is all about. It’s a prayer for bread, for meeting the needs of every day. And it’s a prayer for rescue from evil.” –N.T. Wright

I am still learning to enjoy the beauty and intimacy of this prayer as the gift of grace that Jesus intended the prayer to be for my life. It may take the rest of my life but it will be worth the journey. Meister Eckhart once wrote that “if in your lifetime the only prayer you offer is Thanks, that would suffice.”

Could it be that the prayer Jesus taught us will suffice for our lifetime? There is nothing that will happen today that Jesus didn’t cover in this simple yet majestic prayer of faith. It is in the moments of intimacy and reverence with the Creator that we are invited to call him Father. We are invited to pray that God’s kingdom comes today on earth just like it is in heaven. How reassuring as we face some of our society’s problems. Jesus said to let God take care of our daily needs instead of being anxious about tomorrow. We can trust Him for our needs regardless of the state of the economy.  We are forgiven and forgiving which brings peace to our souls. We know we will often take the wrong path so we can boldly ask for help!

Don’t rush through the words that Jesus gave us. Slow down so you can enjoy the prayer. Rest in the prayer as you let the Holy Spirit form the words that are deep within you. Meditate upon each phrase as you allow it to shape your prayer requests for the day. Don’t get so focused on the format that you miss being with God and looking into His face.

Lord, it is about you, not about me but you let me make it about me until I finally understand it is all about you! You listen deeply to what I think are my needs even when they sound more like wants. You forgive me, now if only I can forgive others. In a world filled with evil, you wait patiently to guide me home safely. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

God is great,

 

Living in the Wilderness

/1 Comment/in , , /by

 

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. Mark 1:12-13

Rob Lundgren and his son were backpacking in Idaho’s Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness.  Lundgren remembers crawling into his nice warm sleeping bag that night but found himself startled awake after falling into the icy cold creek. Now wide awake at 8,000 feet and 20 degrees outside, he lives out a nightmare in the wilderness.  “I hadn’t sleepwalked in over 50 years, so it was the last thing on my mind…”

Lundgren found himself in a desperate situation, needing to be rescued. Others could identify with him based on headlines from the Backpacker magazine:

Bitten by a Rattlesnake

Mauled by a Grizzly

Stranded on a ledge

Lost in an Ice Cave

Mauled by a Mountain Lion

Life in the wilderness with all of its amazing beauty is also a place of unbelievable danger. Most of us have found ourselves awakened from a wonderful dream into a living nightmare.

Eugene Peterson said it well, “There are times, no matter how thoroughly we’re civilized, when we’re plunged into the wilderness—not a geographical wilderness but what I’m going to call a circumstantial wilderness. Everything is going along fine—and then suddenly we’re beside ourselves. We don’t know what’s going on within us or in another who is important to us; feelings erupt in us that call into question what we’ve never questioned before. There’s a radical change in our bodies, or our emotions, or our thinking, or our friends, or our job. We’re out of control. We’re in the wilderness.”

The list of our circumstantial wilderness experiences seems to be unlimited. We may find ourselves unemployed because the company reorganized. We may find ourselves in the hospital because a drunk driver ran a traffic light. We may find ourselves sitting in a funeral service from the death of a loved one. We may find ourselves_______, you fill in the blank for your wilderness.

A young David finds himself being driven into the wilderness by King Saul. David had learned some lessons about living in the wilderness but now he found himself facing new obstacles for his survival. What did David do? He turned to God. “You, God, are my God, I earnestly search for you.” (Psalm 63:1a)

“If you are chased into the wilderness when you are persecuted, do not be afraid as if you were all alone. Instead, rise up early in the morning and sing Psalm 63 to God knowing that he is there.” –Athanasius

Moses’ time in the wilderness prepared him to lead God’s people out of slavery and then found himself standing on holy ground (Exodus 3). Elijah fled to the wilderness fearful for his life only to find rest and renewal through the hand of God (I Kings 19).  Jesus found himself in the wilderness locked in battle with Satan but trusted God until “angels came and took care of Jesus.” (Matthew 4)

“I readily acknowledge that this circumstantial wilderness is a terrible, frightening, and dangerous place; but I also believe that it’s a place of beauty. In the wilderness we’re plunged into an awareness of danger and death; at the very same time we’re plunged, if we let ourselves be, into an awareness of the great mystery of God and the extraordinary preciousness of life.” –Eugene Peterson

Life in the wilderness can push us to our limits. We will all find ourselves living in the wilderness at some point in life. The question becomes, what will you do? The world offers a myriad of solutions yet each leads deeper into its own wilderness. Whether one takes the road of drugs, alcohol, materialism, or sexuality, you will find it is a road that leads to hopelessness, frustration, and lostness.

Moses, David, Elijah, Paul, John, Jesus, and a host of others used their time in their wilderness to grow, listen, learn, recover and prepare. Make the most of your time in your wilderness as you

Wait on God for deliverance – For God alone, my soul waits in silence – Psalm 62

Listen to God for deliverance – After the fire, there was a voice, a soft whisper – I Kings 19:12

Look toward God for deliverance- He hushed the storm to a gentle whisper – Psalm 107:29

Reflect upon God for deliverance – I wait for the LORD, my soul waits – Psalm 130:5

Worship God in your deliverance – Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him – Matt 4:10

Lord, I find myself in a wilderness that I didn’t choose. An overwhelming wilderness. A wilderness that makes me afraid. I know I can’t go it alone so please be my refuge, my strength, my rock. As you walk with me in this wilderness let me find in you the joy, hope, peace, and knowledge that only you can provide. Amen.

God is great,

 

 

Who knows? Perhaps you have come for such a time as this.

/4 Comments/in , /by

Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.” Esther 4:13-14

“Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy? A Republic, if you can keep it.” This famous quote was captured by Dr. James McHenry at the close of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 between Benjamin Franklin and Elizabeth Willing Powel. I dare say very few among the delegates would have envisioned the course this nation would take over the next centuries and decades.

Can we keep it? Each generation, including the current, has had to wrestle with this question. The question has forced us to look deep within ourselves and decide how we would respond. It is a question requiring an answer. It is a question asked of citizens as they struggle through a civil war, unite to fight wars against tyranny, live through economic depressions, face political turmoil, deal with cultural changes and seek to right social wrongs.  This 4th of July allows us again to look, reflect and ask, “What will it take to keep it”?

The Bible is filled with stories of how God has used the seemingly weak and politically powerless to turn the tide of events. Queen Esther is one such story as she finds herself on a course of history in which she has little or no control. She is forced into a marriage with King Ahasuerus, dependent upon Mordecai for guidance, and is fearful and doubtful. That is until she realizes that God can use her to make a difference.

Esther had quickly learned the royal ropes of protocol and knew what was expected of her. She understood that death awaited her as she astutely said, “if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—all alike are to be put to death.” Mordecai who has wisely guided Esther through the years now realizes he has no answer. “Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.”

Most likely every generation has looked at their situation and thought all was lost. Yet in that moment of hopelessness, God used someone or an event to spark a spiritually awakened nation. “If we give up on God and on our nation, we will obviously be unavailable to either. Then our spiritual and cultural pessimism becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.” Dr. Jim Denison

“Do I underestimate the difference it could make if I brought my petitions to another, greater King—one who welcomes me without protocol? —Izwe Nkosi.

It was to that greater King that Esther approached. Queen Esther allowed God to use her in whatever way to save her people. It was not a role Esther felt comfortable playing, a role she didn’t ask to play and yet finally came to terms with what she could do. She would come to the place where she could boldly say, “if I perish, I perish.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, imprisoned and later executed understood the significant role that a Christian can play in world events. He wrote in Ethics, “Do and dare what is right, not swayed by the whim of the moment. Bravely take hold of the real, not dallying now with what might be. Not in the flight of ideas but only in action is freedom. Make up your mind and come out into the tempest of living. God’s command is enough and your faith in him to sustain you. Then at last freedom will welcome your spirit among great rejoicing.”

As we celebrate Independence Day this year, let me paraphrase Esther 4:13-14 for us to think about.  Do not think that in your church membership you will escape any more than all the other citizens. For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the nation from another quarter, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to faith for just such a time as this. Are we available and open to what God may need for us to do?

“The rulers of the earth plot and scheme, forgetting that their lives are but a vapor, a passing mist; while Your word abides, unchanging; Your purposes, unthwarted. May no one miss their moment to find You; praise You; walk with You. Blessed are all who are called to be citizens of Heaven.” –Ryan Smith and Dan Wilt

We celebrate American independence today with a mixture of excitement and yet concerns, a mixture of thankfulness and yet fears of the future, a mixture of celebration and yet humility and a mixture of pride and yet brokenness.

“Revival cannot be organized, but we can set our sails to catch the wind from heaven when God chooses to blow upon His people once again.” –G. Campbell Morgan

Who knows? Perhaps this is the time that we set our sails to catch the wind from heaven to make a difference in this nation.

Who knows? Perhaps you have come for such a time as this.

God is great!