Recovering Demanders

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“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭100:1-5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This Psalm came to mind when I read this sentence in Breakfast with Bonhoeffer: “Fellowship can be entered when participants enter not as demanders but as thankful recipients.”

Many churchgoing people are recovering demanders. Some know it; others are still figuring it out. Were they to write a Psalm about how to enter church, it may quip, “I’ll enter so long as it suits me.” They may not say it, but they enter the court with expectations, maybe even unspoken demands.

Psalm 100 gives it’s own demands that can help recovering demanders:

  • Make a joyful noise – unashamedly
  • Serve with gladness – service has a way of producing thankfulness and squelching demanding
  • Come with singing – indicates coming with a participatory spirit rather than a sit-and-watch posture
  • Know the Lord is God – the focus is not on any human leader or human preferences
  • Enter with thanksgiving...Give thanks to Him – indicates entering already in a thankful spirit
  • Bless His name – this mindset puts the follower/the created/the child in the right position under their Leader/their Creator/their Father

Psalm 100 establishes a case plan for recovering demanders.

Bonhoeffer on Obedience & Submission

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Reading through Breakfast with Bonhoeffer thinking I’m not getting much. Then here come these quotes from chapters 7 & 8:

Bonhoeffer says Jesus calls us to a concrete faith. We can’t just have faith in general; we must take specific steps of faith – visible, concrete steps. And the steps can’t just be anything; they must be the steps Jesus tells us to take. We can take great risks, thinking they will please Jesus, but unless Jesus initiates them, they are faithless steps…Obedience doesn’t merely reflect faith; obedience leads to faith.

Bonhoeffer has convinced me that the number one reason so many of us are stuck in spiritual immaturity is that we commit to Christ rather than submit to Christ…Commitment still leaves us in control, deciding, according to our own agendas, when or where we’ll serve Jesus. Submission means we yield to the will of Christ and do what he tells us to do day in and day out, altering our lives in obedience to him and his word (Galatians 2:20).

I’m awake now.

Questions to meditate on: 

  1. Am I committed or submitted?
  2. What area in my life needs altering in obedience?
  3. What concrete steps of faith in my past can I look back on and see where my obedience led to faith?

Please leave any comments or stories that might encourage others with their obedience and submission.

7 Suggestions on Admitting “I Don’t Know”

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Today I listened to two leaders on #5leadershipquestions, episode 72, discuss admitting, “I don’t know,” to anyone you lead. One said it was the most freeing thing he says each week. The other replied that it is only freeing to the leader who is secure in their identity and calling.

So here are some thoughts on when and how to say it, and when and how not to say it:

  • As crazy as it might sound, practice saying it to yourself first before testing the waters with others.
  • The first person(s) you say it to should be trustworthy.
  • Say it when it’s honest; don’t say it when it’s revealing nonchalant laziness.
  • Say it with genuine desire to pursue finding the knowledge; don’t say it with a suggestive “Sorry ’bout your luck” quip.
  • Say it decisively, just like you would any other answer; don’t say it woefully.
  • Say it to create trust; don’t say it to belittle yourself.
  • Say it to test the freedom; don’t say it “just because.”

Have you worked through this already? Is this something that troubles you? Leave a comment with other suggestions or thoughts on these suggestions. 

You Might Be Proud

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If you get aggravated that there are too many handicapped parking spots at WalMart, you might be proud.

If you turn your nose up at the mom with the buggy-caged, screaming child at Publix, you might be proud.

If you believe, out loud or silently, that your education level determines your worth, you might be proud.

If you smile and nod while hearing advice but are only listening to the advice in your own head, you might be proud.

If you insist the TV channel is always determined by your mood or preference only, you might be proud.

If you ignore your aging parents because they only talk about things in their world, you might be proud.

If you are disgusted by humans who look/worship/talk/dress/pray/eat/do life differently than you, you might be proud.

If you write a blog pointing out other’s pride issues, you might be proud.

God is Much Smarter than I am

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This is a good thing to say, to admit, and to do it often.

The link above is to a recording of the song the FBCBradenton choir did this morning in church. And here’s why I say God is smarter than I am.

This song, Mercy Tree, was slated to be done before or on Easter. We weren’t ready at that point, so we rescheduled it for today. In my head, it seemed like it could come across as a little too late, repetitive, whatever. And even at rehearsal Wednesday night, I still wasn’t sure we should do it. But God showed up this morning. 

Not only did He get the glory through this song, but unbeknownst to me, it spoke to our guest speaker and went right along with his message.

So thank you, God. You are more than amazing. Always on time. Infinitely smarter.

Finishing Well

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In his conclusion of It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over, R.T. Kendall listed the following ten principles to follow in order to finish well:

  1. Put yourself totally under Holy Scripture
  2. Be accountable to reliable people
  3. Be squeaky clean regarding finances 
  4. Maintain sexual purity
  5. Come to terms with jealousy you feel by another person’s gifts or popularity
  6. Be willing to not get the credit for what you do
  7. Always keep your word
  8. Live in total forgiveness
  9. Be a thankful person
  10. Maintain a strong personal prayer life; spend much time alone with God

  

The Power of the Truth

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I’m nearing the end of R.T. Kendall’s It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over.

Section three of the book focuses on God’s faithfulness. Chapter 13 is entitled “Vindication.”

Vindication means to have your name cleared. It means to be exonerated from a false accusation, to be absolved from blame. It can mean that your reputation is restored, that your integrity and judgment are extolled by the same people who sincerely thought you had been unwise or untruthful.

Kendall points out scripture that declares we don’t need to seek our own vindication; God will do it for us. The challenge is to wait for it, for Him.

Kendall asked this question that grabbed my attention:

Has it ever crossed your mind that God is the most unvindicated person in the universe? Have you ever wondered why God does not vindicate himself when he could surely do so? Why does God not clear his name now-if He wants me to believe he exists?

Kendall then referenced the lives of Jesus and Job. Jesus did not seek vindication after He resurrected. He certainly could have found those who mocked him and eventually carried out His death and demand vindication; instead, He only visited with those who sought the truth, to show them the power of the truth. Job eventually did seek vindication after his friends drove him there; God’s questions brought him face to face with the reality and power of the truth also.

Truth is, God isn’t after vindication; He will eventually clear His name, but He is more after us knowing and seeking truth. Therein lies all vindication.

Entertainment or Service?

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I heard a global ministry leader say this on a podcast (#5leadershipquestions) today:

A spiritual gift is not given for entertainment but for service.

When believers get that understanding of why God gave them what they have, then they are able to know better what to do with the gifts they have.

If you think your musical talent was given to you for applause, you will never fully achieve the service God intended.

If you pursue a teaching platform in order to draw bigger crowds to hear your great vocabulary or wit, the shallow foundation of your teaching ministry will eventually crumble.

If you use your hospitality gift to the max just for the pat on the back, your tank will run empty when the pats end.

Knowing your gifts is one thing. Knowing why you have them is quite another. Get there and the what question is much more easily answered.

How do you make sure your gifts are used for service and not entertainment? Leave a comment.

“She’s a black hole”

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I asked my massage therapist today this question: “If you worked all day on the same body type, would it make you more or less tired?” Here’s his reply:

It’s not about the body type that determines how tired I am at the end of the day. When people get on my table, they bring a certain energy with them. Some people just drain you. Others give back, and more, what you are giving to them. I have one client that makes me tired. It has nothing to do with her body type. She’s just a black hole.

He has a point. Which begs this question: how does one work to be more of a giver than a taker?

10 suggestions:

  • Listen more
  • Ask questions
  • Give less opinions, particularly unsought ones
  • Show appreciation
  • Pause more
  • Refuse to complain about anything
  • Offer solutions 
  • Admit weakness
  • Confess wrongdoing
  • Compliment

These are things I work on. How do you work to be a giver not a taker-not a black hole? Leave a comment about your giving.

Today, I Witnessed Love

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I witnessed love today in a hospital room.

I witnessed love today as a dad pulled his son around in a red wagon on the hospital fifth floor distracting him from his hunger before his surgery.

I witnessed love today as that dad tried to find a chart to show his son’s flat line that finally got the doctor’s attention.

I witnessed love today as the mom who birthed this son one year ago tomorrow stood holding him until he fell asleep.

I witnessed love today as another mom and dad offered to carry the burden of their scared friends.

I witnessed love today as both mom and dad said, “This just got real,” after the doctor left the room before surgery.

I witnessed love today as this toddler was placed in the arms of His creator through prayer.

I witnessed love today when what was projected to take around two hours only took 30 minutes with a perfect outcome.

Today, I witnessed love.