Am I Stuck?

I have gotten away from this for a while. Time to get back at it.

"At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"" - Mark 10:22-23

I recently watched an indie documentary on Netflix called Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things. As I sat and watched I was completely intrigued. I was intrigued by the fact that there are so many people in this documentary who were successfully climbing the corporate ladder and came to the realization that they were stuck. They were stuck in a cycle that they didn't ever expect to find themselves in and now weren't sure how to get themselves out of. A cycle that demanded, to stay relevant, they buy the latest tech and gadgets because theirs wasn't good enough. A cycle that demanded they work longer hours otherwise they would get overlooked for the next promotion. A cycle that made money and achievement more important than their own health and well being. A cycle that always demanded more.

The documentary ended and I proceeded to look around my basement and started to analyze the things that were there. I looked at the bookshelf with countless books that I haven't even opened or read. The TV stand with two drawers full of DVDs that I haven't watched in who knows how long. A Wii that sits unused taking up space, and 3 more piles of laundry that need to be done. I started to think about which of these things hold value in my life and who determined what that value was. Which led to questions like: What really are "the Important Things?" What makes something important? Why do we find value in it? Is that value monetary or sentimental? Whose was it before you owned it? Does it give you status? Is it a way to keep up with the Jones'? 

All of these questions seemed to lead to a greater question: Am I stuck? If so, what can be done?

Now, the point of this story is not for anyone to feel as though I am insisting that they get rid of all of their belongings. Nor is it to say that minimalism is the only way to go. However, if minimalism is your bread and butter then more power to you. The point of this story is to ask the question. Am I stuck? To which the answer is YES! But not necessarily in the way you think. It may be that you can relate to the people of this documentary and find yourself in a job that you don't like, or with so much stuff that you could have a block sale instead of a yard sale but that's not the kind of stuck I am talking about. I'm talking about a different kind of being stuck. A stuck that has a different set of consequences than a material version of stuck. A stuck that is a lifelong struggle with no end in site. Being stuck in the sin cycle.

This sin cycle is one that we are born into. Adam and Eve brought it into the world by disobeying God and it has been around ever since. It's the kind of stuck that can appear as though nothing is wrong. It can even appear to be a pretty good life. That my friends is the deception of sin. The comfortable and full life that everyone longs for. A fullness that looks full to those around you but actually is an emptiness that always leaves you thinking that more is necessary. An empty full.

The people in the documentary decided that enough was enough and took action. Some may say it was dramatic action but I will leave that decision up to you. They decided that they only wanted material things in their life that held value to them. Which looked different for each of them because only they could decide what value meant. And, when it comes to your personal belongings, that is the case for you also. However, it is not the case for your sin cycle. You don't have the power to just be done and give up sinning. Sorry! 

Thankfully God has that power and decided enough was enough. He took action by sending Jesus into the world to end that cycle of sin! He sent Jesus to show the world and everyone in it just how valuable they really are to the One who created everything. Valuable enough to warrant a death. The death of Jesus just so that you would know you are valuable and not stuck. No, you and I are free. 

We are freed from our empty bondage to sin because of what Christ has done for us on the cross. We are freed to know that we are of value to the one who created the world. We are freed to share the message that freedom is for any and everyone. We are free to be filled with the love of Christ and let others in on that valuable piece of information. We are not stuck. We are free!

Now as for me. Will I get rid of the extra stuff that I have in my basement? Only time will tell. But I know one thing. I am not stuck. I am not stuck in a sin cycle that leaves me empty and wanting more. I free to know that I am filled with the grace and forgiveness only God can give and that is a pretty full and freeing feeling.

“And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.” –Luke 11:46

            Sometimes I find myself getting into ruts. The most common of those is what I eat. To be fair I am kind of a picky eater so that already limits what I eat. For example, in college we had an all you can eat buffet every day and I found myself going to the same sandwich line for lunch and supper most days of the week unless they had chicken strips or an omelet bar. You just couldn’t pass those up. I just got into the habit or rut. To this day, my go to meal if I don’t know what to eat is always a sandwich. For some reason they just never get old. What are some of the ruts or habits that you have gotten into lately? Is it eating the same food for multiple meals in a row?  Is it binge watching Netflix after supper until you go to bed (if so you should watch White Collar, such a good show)? Or maybe the rut or habit is something you or I don’t really recognize.

            I know as someone who is in ministry full time I get in ruts. I do too many bible studies in a row that include movies, or play too many of the same games too often, but I think it is something that we get used to. Another habit that we can find ourselves falling into is teaching or telling people how terrible and sinful they are. Now this may not be intentional but it can be harmful. If we find ourselves continually giving people the law and telling them where they fall short we are just burdening and bogging them down which is not the ministry we are called to. In fact the message of the gospel is quite the opposite. In Matthew 11 Jesus specifically says “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Christ’s message isn’t that of how horribly sinful we are, it is of how much Christ has loved us to remove our sins from us. The message of forgiveness should be burden lifting, not burden bearing. We, as God’s tools, are used to be a hand up to those who are down and out. So let’s be in the business of digging people out of the holes they find themselves in and not adding to the weight they are under.

QOTD: Are you in the business of weighing people down, or helping people up?

“No man is indispensable. God’s work goes uninterrupted. The instruments are changed but the Master-had is the same, and lays one tool aside and takes another out of the tool-chest as he will.” –Alexander MacLaren

“…but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.” –James 5:12

            Think of a time when you have been told yes. That might have been to buy a new toy, car, house, or maybe a trip that you were told you could attend. Now think of a time when you were told no. Maybe that was when you wanted to stay at a friend’s house for the night or when you applied for a promotion at work and didn’t get it. How did those situations make you feel? The yes probably made you happy for a little while, and the no probably made you upset for a time as well.

            Now think of a time when you were told yes and then the answer really was no, like when you get offered a job right out of college and then they call back and say that those jobs are no longer available or when you make plans with a friend and then they back out at the last minute because something more important came up. When those things happen you feel like you have been cheated or aren’t very valued as a friend. Maybe you have experienced the opposite when a no really meant yes. When you’ve asked for something and you have been repeatedly told no but they buy it for you anyway or when you beg long enough for something that you end up getting it.

            When yeses are yes and noes are no, life may seem unfair but you learn to understand that people mean what they say. They don’t go changing their mind or giving in to whatever the situation has been. They are honest and keep their word, and as frustrating as that can be, when you look back on the situation you generally notice that the person was trying to do what they thought was best for you and you can’t be stay angry because they were truthful with you. But when people’s yeses and noes get mixed up or are opposite you don’t really know what to think. There is a certain ambiguity to the situation that you are in and you never know what the answer will be until you get there. Honesty and clarity come into question and you begin to wonder if people are really looking out for you or if they are trying to just keep you from things.

            Thankfully with God His yeses are yes and His noes are noes. We don’t have to wonder if He really means it when He says if you believe you will be forgiven, or when He says He rose from the grave, we can know and understand that those things happened. Sometimes however we get another message and that is to wait. It’s not a no and it’s not a yes… yet. It will be one or the other, when He decides the time is right. So be reminded this morning that God is faithful to answering your requests in His time and His way, because He has a history of honesty.

QOTD: What do your yes’ and no’s mean when you say them? Do people believe you?

“Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn't have the power to say yes.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

“I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

–Acts 20:24

            So for those of you who know me, you probably have a pretty good idea that I am not a big runner. I don’t find it enjoyable as some do to go out and run until I am tired because that would stop at the end of the driveway. The only time you will see me running is when it is involved in another sport like softball or Frisbee, and even then you will see me puffing and needing a break. A few years ago when my brother was in cross country he and some of his team mates did this race in Des Moines Iowa called Living History Farms. It is about a 7 mile run with some creek crossings and hot stew and food at the finish line.

I had gone to watch him run this race a couple of times and got it in my head that I was going to do it. I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could even accomplish something like that. So the next year both my wife and I signed up and decided that we were going to do it. Well I told you how much I enjoy running so you can imagine how much I trained. That’s right, unless I was playing some sort of intramural at college I don’t think I trained one bit. Anyway, the race starts and it was alright (except for almost getting run over by a deer). Then after the first mile or so I realized what we had gotten into, but we signed up and were going to finish it. I mean there was hot stew waiting for us. There were some times that I wasn’t sure we were going to finish the run and it was one of the most physically taxing things I have ever done but I am glad to say that I did finish. Now I just try to keep the crazy ideas to shorter 5k obstacle races like the Warrior Dash.

I am sure thankful that we have a God who doesn’t get a crazy idea in His head and just goes with it to see what happens. He knows the path that we are going to take through life, our ups and downs, our joys and sorrows, and He knows when our race will come to an end. What He starts, He completes including sending His son Jesus to take our place on the cross. At any point He could have told Jesus to forget it and come home because they aren’t worth it, but He didn’t. He sent Him to the cross so that we could finish our course of faith can end in heaven with Him.

QOTD: What does it mean to you that God finishes what He starts?

“Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: if you’re alive, it isn’t.”

–Richard Bac

“Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” –John 4:13-14

            What is water? If you think about it enough I am sure that you will be able to come up with an answer for that question. It’s two hydrogen molecules stuck with one oxygen molecule. Cool! But what does that mean? It means that there is a lot to it that I really don’t understand. All I know is that it gets pumped to my sinks, showers, dishwasher, washing machine, and freezer. It is something we can find in lakes and rivers, streams and creeks, oceans and rain. It can be one of the most peaceful things to see, like when a morning on the lake looks like you are boating on glass. Or when you are in certain areas of the world and you swim in it but you can see all the way through to the bottom. Water can also be one of the scariest things you will ever see. If you are out in a boat or on the ocean during a storm with giant swells and water is crashing into your boat. But water is also necessary to life. If you aren’t drinking enough water then you start getting dehydrated and your body starts making mistakes and not working properly.

            For many, water is just something that we need to survive but according to scripture it is also something we need for our spiritual well-being. It is in the process of baptism that we really see this change take place. We see people get reminded that because of what Jesus has done on the cross, we are then washed clean and don’t have to worry about our eternal lives. God uses water to remind us that He is the one who cleans us up and gets rid of our sins so that we can be with Him. When we drink from His water we will never become thirsty or tired. Now that’s my kind of water!

QOTD: How important is water to our everyday lives? How important is water to our spiritual lives?

“Water is the driving force of all nature” –Leonardo da Vinci

“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” –John 3:1-2

            I find this story of Nicodemus very interesting. Nicodemus was a guy who was well educated in the Old Testament, was called a teacher of Israel, and was pretty well off when it came to money and power at that time. This is a man who knew the prophesies of the Old Testament and was waiting along with everyone else for them to be fulfilled. So when Jesus showed up on the scene he was very interested to see if this man really was the fulfillment of what he had been reading and teaching about for many years. The thing that gets me is that he is afraid to talk to Jesus during the day time. Now I know that Jesus and His disciples weren’t always the most well-liked by the other leaders of the church because they were proclaiming a message of grace when everyone had grown up with the message of the law. But why would a leader of the church go at night to see Jesus?

            Here’s my thought and I think that others would agree with me. I think Nicodemus was afraid to express his faith in Jesus, and maybe wasn’t confident in what he actually believed yet. I think he was afraid of going and asking Jesus questions during the day because he didn’t want his fellow church leaders to see his questions and get suspicious about whether or not he was going behind their backs or against their teachings. And I am sure that this situation isn’t only applicable for Nicodemus but for many people today here in the US and around the world. They have questions about their faith but are too afraid to ask them because they don’t want family members in their lives getting angry at their questions or they aren’t sure enough in their faith to let others see that they think what Jesus has to offer can really make a difference in their lives. Whatever the case may be, let’s do our best to encourage and support those who are “night time” Christians so that they can become the “light time” message of Christ for others.

QOTD: Does your faith look like that of Nicodemus? What or who are you hiding it from? How can you help support someone today who does have a beginning faith like Nicodemus in this account?

“It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.” –John Steinbeck 

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” –John 3:30

            When you think about the world today what is everyone’s main goal? That would depend on which age group you are looking at right? If you are looking at the younger generation, they tend to want as many followers on Instagram or Twitter. When you look at the middle generation it is all about climbing the corporate ladder. How can they take that next step in their job or company to get a pay raise or gain a title. Then when you get to retirement and old age it is all about leaving a legacy that you can be remembered by. What do all of these things have in common? They are all about “me”. They are all focused on increasing our visibility or influence on the people around us. They are all about seeing where we can benefit the most and become the most popular. But was that the mission of Jesus? Was He all about going from town to town tooting His own horn and showing people the crazy awesome things He could do?

            No! Jesus was about the mission of showing His Father’s love to all of those around Him. He wasn’t worried about others seeing how great He was or how many followers He had. In fact, He would go to places that others wouldn’t, and visit people who others thought were disgusting or horrible. He would eat meals with those who were the least liked and the most ignored. He wasn’t worried about what His influence was because He knew that He had come with a purpose: To show the world God’s redemption story. He was decreasing to show His Father’s increase.

QOTD: How can you decrease today to show your Heavenly Father’s redemption story to the world?

“You cannot communicate complicated information to large groups of people. As you increase the number of people, you have to decrease the complexity of the information.” –Andy Stanley