bobyoungresources.com

I have been accused of being a perfectionist. I like to do things well, I want to do things right. I am demanding–of myself and of others (perhaps too much of others). But I do not see myself as a perfectionist. It would be more accurate to say that I am a maximalist.
Especially in matters of Christianity, perfectionism is a dead-end approach. The “too hard” gospel leads to perfectionism and legalism. The “too soft” gospel leads to a false liberty and freedom. I am saved by grace; I am not saved by works. I will not receive my reward because I live a good Christian life. (I was amazed to hear this statement at a recent funeral.)
But these observations do not say that my actions are unimportant. I am committed to works of faith, not works of merit. I am committed to faithful obedience. I must do the best I can—that is the nature of loyalty and faithfulness. I cannot shortcut my faith response to Jesus my Lord. I do not rest in grace as an excuse for anything less than my best. I do not ask how little I can get by with. I will give everything I can; that is total commitment. The total commitment folks of the late 1990s were right in teaching, but wrong in practice. Christianity requires maximum commitment—anything less than my maximum fails to meet the Bible definitions of authentic discipleship.

Here we are in Act 21 (the twenty-first century).

The drama continues to unfold.  The good guys are fighting the bad guys.  Sometimes you can’t tell who is on which side (no black hats and white hats).  We are not the audience–we are on stage.  It is a crazy drama like none you have ever seen.  There are backstage prompters to give you the right lines and actions; there are also backstage prompters who are trying to get you do the wrong thing or say the wrong line.

When this act is over and the curtain falls (or when you exit the stage prematurely and permanently), only one question will matter.  Which side were you on?  Some players on the stage try to avoid being on any side.  They want to say their lines and go through the actions without engaging the fact that this drama is about an ongoing battle.  They think that avoiding taking sides will somehow get them through their “role” without harm.  Of course, that is one of the great deceptions of this drama:  some of the actors on stage don’t know what is going on and what to do.

Do something today (and tomorrow, and every day) to show which side you’re on (and to remind yourself as well).  In the first little place I preached in Arkansas, Brother McCullough came to church every time the doors were open.  He sat down at the front and adjusted his hearing aid all the way through the Bible classes and worship.  The hearing aid often squealed shrill-ly.   One time, someone asked him if he heard much of what was going on.  He admitted it was difficult.  The questioner continued, “Then why do you come so faithfully.”  His response:  “I want to make sure people know which side I’m on!”

A MinEmergent devotional I received recently contained a quote from Philip Gulley’s book, If the Church Were Christian. I have inserted an editing suggestion in brackets. Consider whether your Christian life is balanced between believing and action, remembering that James 2 says they go hand in hand, and that neither is sufficient without the other.

“This is the great irony of Christ’s Church–a significant number of its members care more about believing certain things about Jesus, than following his an example of love and service. If the church were Christian, mirroring the compassion of Jesus would be more important than [equally important as–by] echoing the orthodoxy that has built up around him.”

“Do not render your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but render yourselves to God as those alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments of righteousness.” (Rom. 6:13).

How shall we translate the little Greek word paristemi? The KJV uses yield; the NET translates present; the NIV uses offer. The word means “to place at the disposal of another.” In the text above, I used yet another option and translated the word as render. But I like the word “yield”.

I know what a yield sign means on the roadways. The sign means that I have to yield right-of-way if someone else is coming. If there is no “interference” I can proceed as planned. The word “yield” paints a vivid picture. Of course, we must always offer or yield ourselves to God, but the word “yield” addresses a special circumstance.

Most days, my will and the will of my God run the same way. I want what God wants; God wants what I want. When one experiences such agreement, it is a measure of Christian growth and maturity. When my will and the will of God are going the same direction, “yield” is a meaningless concept. Our paths never cross; there are no intersections where my will conflicts with the will of God.

But in my life, and in the life of every Christian, there are occasions when my will and the will of God are not the same. What I want and what God wants are different. God’s will and my will are in conflict. It may seem a very small thing. Perhaps company came and I just don’t want the hassle and confrontation of telling them worshiping God is more important than their visit. Maybe it’s the first weekend of vacation and I want to reach my destination quickly in order to enjoy my time off. Maybe it’s a fishing trip, or a ski trip, or the first day of hunting season, or….you can fill in the blank.

Let me tell you what you must do. When your will and the will of God conflict, you must honor the will of God. That is the only way you can honor the instruction to “yield.” No yielding is involved when your will and God’s will are running parallel. Only when there is a conflict does “yielding” come into play. When God’s will says one thing, and your will says another, the Bible tells you, “Yield!” That means stop in your tracks, and let God’s will have the right-of-way.

One can take this concept a step further. Consider this illustration from my own experience. Most days, I can please God by doing what I want to do. I things I like doing are the things that please God. I can avoid the unpleasant things that would be good to do, but not enjoyable, and I can fill my life with things that are within the will of God. Suggestion: each day, or at least from time to time, do something you would rather not do but which you know God would be pleased for you to do. That is a demonstration that your heart is a yielded heart. That is an indication that God’s will is supreme in your life. That is a reminder of who is the Lord of your life.

If I read Romans 6 correctly, yielding is not an option, but a requirement. See how Paul applies this idea in verse 14. We never offer ourselves to any other Master—Satan, sin, or even self. No one or nothing else can be our master. We are not under law (asking if we can possibly get by with it), but under grace (seeking to respond with gratitude and our very best).

Is yours a submissive spirit? Are you always, in every circumstance, seeking to do God’s will? Are you yielded?

With apologies to Robert Fulghrum:  Everything I need to know, I learned from comtemplating Noah’s Ark.

11. When God is part of your plans, there’s always a rainbow waiting.
10. The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
9. When you’re stressed, float awhile.
8. Speed isn’t everything. Both the snails and the cheetahs got on board.
7. For safety’s sake, travel in pairs.
6. Build your future on high ground.
5. Don’t listen to critics; just do what needs to be done.
4. Stay fit. When you get old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
3. Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark.
2. Remember that we are all in the same boat.
1. Don’t miss the boat.

We saw an unusual sight yesterday morning.  In the eastern sky, a perfect circle rainbow framing the sun.  Some mornings I greet the dawn without really seeing much–I mean that not much registers.  How easily one misses the beauty of God’s creation.  How easily we take for granted the rising and setting of the sun–and many other aspects of God’s beauty.

 It seems that yesterday God was saying, “You want to know what you should see?  Let me frame it for you, let me point it out for you so that you can see clearly.  Look at the sun.”  And then it becomes clear–in seeing the light God provides in the sun, I think also of the Light of the World, the Son.

God, I hope I get it right today.  Help me get it right every day.  Help me fix my eyes on Jesus.  I humbly ask because of who Jesus is and what he has done, through him.

I get to spend far too much time in my car.  Sometimes I listen to tapes or CDs, more often I pray and meditate.  On longer trips in moments of extreme boredom, sometimes I see if I can find a Christian radio station.  I heard a song a few years ago that was new to me. I liked it because the words were meaningful and biblically rooted.  It included a phrase similar to this, “before the sun sets, God has a plan for your tomorrow.”

 When you awakened up this morning, you may not have had much planned for the day.  Or perhaps, your day was already over-filled with obligations and plans.  Regardless, the Christian faces the day with the awareness that God is the only one with a plan that matters.  God has a plan for you today.  God’s plan is consistent with his eternal purpose.  The question of my life and yours today is this: Will our lives fulfill God’s plan for us?

The financial markets ended 2011 relatively flat–no significant change, neither up nor down for the year. Along the way in 2011 investors experienced a lot of wild swings, but the ups and downs, gains and losses, pretty much netted zero. Informally, we might say that “it didn’t amount to much.”

I am not thinking about financial markets. I am thinking about our spiritual lives. Interesting comparison. The spiritual life is different, but the same. Spiritually, some ended the year up, some ended the year down, and some ended the year where they began. True of individuals. True of churches.

Think with me about the comparison and applications. The book of James poses the question of today’s title: What is your life? James’ response is that life is brief at best. Jesus spoke to the question of life when he spoke of gains and losses. What is life about? How does one measure life? What is gained if that of ultimate value is lost? What exchanges are you willing to make? Life is a series of gains and losses, a series of exchanges.

We come into this world with nothing. From a physical or temporal perspective, we will leave the same way. We brought nothing into this world; we will take nothing out. Along the way, we experience numerous gains and losses. A short list of things gained or lost might include family, friends, education, knowledge, wisdom, experiences, skills, faith…. You can make your own personal list. Some gains are a natural part of life; some gains are hard won. Some losses are inadvertent and unavoidable, some are a part of life’s normal shifts and changes. Many gains come as a result of sacrifices and the decision to give up something else.

Think not about a year, but about a life. What will be the net result of your life? Which priorities are worth pursuing? When all is said and done, what will you have said and done? It is not folly to give up what you cannot keep to obtain that which you cannot lose. Each day in 2012, I will exchange something I have (a day of life) for something else. The days of my life will be a combination of gains and losses. My goal is to end up with that of eternal, lasting value.