Many of us don’t think about it much, but less than a century ago there were probably several mule drawn plows still in use around Russellville. Perhaps the 43 By-pass has obliterated a field that once belonged to a Mr. Hester. His harnessed mule, old Francis, who could “gee” and “haw” with the best of them, would pull that plow, while old man Hester used his weight and strength to guide the plow and make that blade dig. Together they filled that field with straight rows of fresh turned earth in preparation for spring planting. There’s a simple romantic beauty to such a memory. But I imagine when Mr. Hester’s father cleared that field and plowed it for the first time simplicity wasn’t in his vocabulary. Rocks, roots and stumps hidden under never turned earth made plowing a backbreaking chore. The best way to find all the roots and stumps and rocks was to start plowing until you hit something, and then stop long enough to clear it. Then get back behind the plow and keep on going.
Most of us have seen or heard preachers preach, teach and sell books on prayer. Many preachers have their own idea on how to make prayer work. I agree that prayer is important. It’s a vital part to our walk of faith. But I’ve discovered something that most ministers don’t tell you. Prayer is work. Prayer is a discipline that must be consistent, and regular and honest, even when it doesn’t seem fruitful. I’ve discovered that prayer is much like plowing, and the field is my spiritual life. But it isn’t as easy as using one of the modern expensive machines with an air-conditioned cab. It’s more like using Mr. Hester’s plow pulled by old Francis.
The spiritual stumps, rocks and roots I keep finding are all the weaknesses and failures God wants to help me overcome. When I pray, and life seems to get more difficult as a result, I must not think prayer is not working. I’ve only hit a spiritual stump. There’s something in my life that doesn’t belong…perhaps it’s improper pride, or bitterness, or just plain laziness. Whatever it is, it’s always something that’s dangerous to my spiritual health. It’s always something that would certainly brand me as a public hypocrite if it were known to anyone else but God and myself. It must be removed if I am ever to grow. It must be removed if my life as His disciple is ever to be blessed.
We can effectively tie two Scripture references together: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?…First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.” and “Pray without ceasing.”
If our prayers are to be fruitful, if they are going to be heard by God, then prayer must be like a plow. It must become a discipline of work that is consistent, and regular and honest, even when it doesn’t seem fruitful. As we remain diligent and faithful, our prayers will produce fruit. God has promised it. I know that if old man Hester had quit plowing after finding that first big rock, his family would have starved to death.
That illustrates a simple point. If prayer is ever neglected for multiple seasons in a Christian’s life, beginning the practice of prayer, or returning to prayer may not guarantee immediate “goose bump” blessings. Prayer is just like a plow. Praying can seem much like work (Mark 9:20-29). In the spiritual soil of the untilled heart, it will reveal pain, sin, weakness, and every other “unexpected surprise” one could imagine. Victory over that buried stump, or hidden stone, may seem impossible, but practice of prayer in the presence of our Lord is the only way to victory.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
What goes around, comes around.
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Galatians 6:7
While walking the dog, just the other day, I met a new neighbor who happened to be in a conversational mood. I greeted him enthusiastically, but I could tell something was bothering him. He immediately volunteered more information than I asked for. He was so flabbergasted at how rude people were to each other…especially young people being rude toward adults. He mentioned an incident he saw in the grocery store when a young boy about the age of 9 or 10 back-talked his mother using 4 letter words. The mother seemed to just ignore it. My neighbor couldn’t understand how America had fallen so far.
He soon calmed down, and seemed glad to have it off his chest, and I asked some questions in order to get better acquainted. Now, a preacher can’t help but ask the obvious questions about spiritual matters. Of course, as most people living in the buckle of the Bible belt, he believed in Jesus. And when asked where he attended church, he came back with an answer we’ve all heard more times than we can count…“I don’t go to church. The church is full of hypocrites, and I don’t want to be a hypocrite! Why, I can take my Bible and go down to the river bank and read my Bible while I’m fishin’ and be a better Christian without going to church!” After the conversation finished I was walking back home, it struck me that this man had managed to answer his own question. He had wondered how America could have fallen so far. Then he boldly testified that the authority of the church was irrelevant to him.
The Bible, even God Himself, promises that those who disobey His Word would have their sins visited upon their children to the third and forth generation (Deuteronomy 5:9). Is it possible that the lack of respect Christians have given to the church and her authority is manifested in this present generation in more visible disrespect to all authority? The Bible says that Jesus gave His Church the keys of authority to bind things and loose things on earth in such a way that they are recognized in the courts of heaven (Matthew 16:19). We have lost the meaning and implication to that authority. Church has become more of a social outlet. We may profess that the Bible is true, but we really don’t believe every word and that is manifested in the way we respond to what is taught or preached at church. Our children have watched the leaders of the church mishandle the authority, and they’ve watched mom & dad disrespect the authority of the church and the Bible. It may appear that we are getting away with it, but we are not. Why shouldn’t this generation express their disrespect similarly?
I would be among the first to agree that the church has problems. The church has been hypocritical because the church has been very lax in holding her people accountable to spiritual authority. If scripture is correct, and I certainly believe it is, the trouble we have been experiencing with our rebellious “generation gap” is the result of our own refusal to submit to authority, particularly God’s authority.
While walking the dog, just the other day, I met a new neighbor who happened to be in a conversational mood. I greeted him enthusiastically, but I could tell something was bothering him. He immediately volunteered more information than I asked for. He was so flabbergasted at how rude people were to each other…especially young people being rude toward adults. He mentioned an incident he saw in the grocery store when a young boy about the age of 9 or 10 back-talked his mother using 4 letter words. The mother seemed to just ignore it. My neighbor couldn’t understand how America had fallen so far.
He soon calmed down, and seemed glad to have it off his chest, and I asked some questions in order to get better acquainted. Now, a preacher can’t help but ask the obvious questions about spiritual matters. Of course, as most people living in the buckle of the Bible belt, he believed in Jesus. And when asked where he attended church, he came back with an answer we’ve all heard more times than we can count…“I don’t go to church. The church is full of hypocrites, and I don’t want to be a hypocrite! Why, I can take my Bible and go down to the river bank and read my Bible while I’m fishin’ and be a better Christian without going to church!” After the conversation finished I was walking back home, it struck me that this man had managed to answer his own question. He had wondered how America could have fallen so far. Then he boldly testified that the authority of the church was irrelevant to him.
The Bible, even God Himself, promises that those who disobey His Word would have their sins visited upon their children to the third and forth generation (Deuteronomy 5:9). Is it possible that the lack of respect Christians have given to the church and her authority is manifested in this present generation in more visible disrespect to all authority? The Bible says that Jesus gave His Church the keys of authority to bind things and loose things on earth in such a way that they are recognized in the courts of heaven (Matthew 16:19). We have lost the meaning and implication to that authority. Church has become more of a social outlet. We may profess that the Bible is true, but we really don’t believe every word and that is manifested in the way we respond to what is taught or preached at church. Our children have watched the leaders of the church mishandle the authority, and they’ve watched mom & dad disrespect the authority of the church and the Bible. It may appear that we are getting away with it, but we are not. Why shouldn’t this generation express their disrespect similarly?
I would be among the first to agree that the church has problems. The church has been hypocritical because the church has been very lax in holding her people accountable to spiritual authority. If scripture is correct, and I certainly believe it is, the trouble we have been experiencing with our rebellious “generation gap” is the result of our own refusal to submit to authority, particularly God’s authority.
Who does God think He is?
The frazzled bride doubted she’d make it through the wedding. Not because of cold feet or last minute regret, but because the rushed planning and the detailed demands of preparation had taken a heavy toll on her stamina. She was a nervous wreck. Confiding in her minister for advice, he suggested she focus on one thing at a time. “When you get ready to walk that aisle, look at the floor where you will place your next step. Focus on the aisle. Halfway down, look up to the altar. Once you reach the front of the church, look at your groom. Look at the aisle, then the altar, and then at your husband-to-be, look at him.” The bride was encouraged by that advice. As she walked the aisle, she reminded herself to focus on the aisle…the altar…then him. As she moved down the aisle, she left a wake of grins and quiet chuckles. The congregation could hear her whisper “I’ll…altar…him. I’ll…altar…him.”
The story causes us to smile a little, but it illustrates a problem many need to see. Each person’s perception of God is too often too personal. Everyone who believes in one God has a bad habit, in their own thinking, of making God easy to get along with. People who believe in Him tend to fashion Him into an agreeable deity.
The Christian church is described in Scripture as the Bride of Christ. Is it possible that this heavenly Bride thinks she may move closer to God by thinking, “I’ll altar Him?” The church is fractured into countless denominations. Some Christians would argue that God is Baptist, or Presbyterian, or Methodist.
A few weeks before last November’s election, Democrats and Republicans were literally arguing over who loved God more. Is God politically conservative of liberal?
It’s been said that Jews, Muslims and Christian’s worship the same God. So we must ask, is God Jewish? Is He Muslim? Is He Christian? We appear to be arguing among ourselves, just who does God think He is? While we argue, the atheists and skeptics watch and determine that the source to all our fighting is the common denominator…their solution is to throw out God.
We do not have a right to fashion God in our image. We have no right to altar God in order to affirm our self esteem. When we do that, we set ourselves as center of everything…we become gods. Even I need to repent of thinking of God as a Presbyterian, but then I’m faced with the challenge of finding out who God really is. And He does reward those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
Jeremiah 9:23-24 Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. for in these I delight," says the LORD.
The story causes us to smile a little, but it illustrates a problem many need to see. Each person’s perception of God is too often too personal. Everyone who believes in one God has a bad habit, in their own thinking, of making God easy to get along with. People who believe in Him tend to fashion Him into an agreeable deity.
The Christian church is described in Scripture as the Bride of Christ. Is it possible that this heavenly Bride thinks she may move closer to God by thinking, “I’ll altar Him?” The church is fractured into countless denominations. Some Christians would argue that God is Baptist, or Presbyterian, or Methodist.
A few weeks before last November’s election, Democrats and Republicans were literally arguing over who loved God more. Is God politically conservative of liberal?
It’s been said that Jews, Muslims and Christian’s worship the same God. So we must ask, is God Jewish? Is He Muslim? Is He Christian? We appear to be arguing among ourselves, just who does God think He is? While we argue, the atheists and skeptics watch and determine that the source to all our fighting is the common denominator…their solution is to throw out God.
We do not have a right to fashion God in our image. We have no right to altar God in order to affirm our self esteem. When we do that, we set ourselves as center of everything…we become gods. Even I need to repent of thinking of God as a Presbyterian, but then I’m faced with the challenge of finding out who God really is. And He does reward those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
Jeremiah 9:23-24 Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. for in these I delight," says the LORD.
The Secret is out.
It is a common reality that the sons and daughters of pastors and ministers are often the wildest kids in the neighborhood. In the “industry” they are referred to as the “PK” or preacher’s kid. Nearly all of us have noticed them. Perhaps you’ve seen a preacher’s daughter dressed immodestly at the mall, or maybe you know a preacher’s son who was caught sleeping with a high school cheer leader. While the ministerial effort of so many pastors emphasizes clean and moral living, the lack of compliance in the lives of their own children seems to bear testimony to some “apparent” inconsistency, or even hypocrisy, within the preacher’s family. In the past, church members and neighbors, when seeing the preacher’s kid running with the wrong crowd, used to shake their heads and cluck their tongues and secretly blame the preacher, and only half way forgive him, for neglecting his own child. Has it always been the preacher’s fault and failure?
Pastors are always called shepherds, and their congregation is the flock. Scripture confirms this metaphor. When the flock gathers Sunday morning, we always see glad fellowship and singing. The shepherd feeds the flock with the spiritual nourishment of the Word of God. On the outside, everything looks good. The reality is this; sheep bite. Sheep often bite the shepherd. They are often known to complain, and gripe and fight among themselves. They tell their neighbors about their unhappiness with the church and wonder why the neighbors won't come worship with them.
If the pastor is worth his salt, he’ll bear all of this in a Christ like manner. He won’t strike back at the sheep. He’ll pray for them, and try to lead and guide and teach them. He’ll bear the scars and the hurt quietly, because that’s where Jesus, the Great Shepherd set the example. But the pastor/shepherd is human. He isn’t divine. Somewhere, he’s got to vent his own anxiety and pain. Often, it’s behind closed doors at home, with his wife while the children overhear.
So, the secret is out. Recent information posted on the website at PK International about adult children of pastors, offer some interesting insight to the problem of the wild PK. By their own testimony, many never blamed their ministerial parent for the disobedience during teen years. They blamed the flock. Watching daddy endure such pain from people who said they loved Jesus actually scared them away from the church. They decided, during their teen years that it just wasn’t worth the pain. They didn’t see any real love or joy in church life.
In the eighteenth chapter of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus warned His disciples, as He warns us; if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
We are human. We will inevitably disagree with one another. We all can’t always be right at the same time. But within the church community, we need to be very careful how we disagree and what we say, because there is always someone else watching. It may not be the PK. It may very well be our own child. The way we respond and behave may determine the path they take.
Pastors are always called shepherds, and their congregation is the flock. Scripture confirms this metaphor. When the flock gathers Sunday morning, we always see glad fellowship and singing. The shepherd feeds the flock with the spiritual nourishment of the Word of God. On the outside, everything looks good. The reality is this; sheep bite. Sheep often bite the shepherd. They are often known to complain, and gripe and fight among themselves. They tell their neighbors about their unhappiness with the church and wonder why the neighbors won't come worship with them.
If the pastor is worth his salt, he’ll bear all of this in a Christ like manner. He won’t strike back at the sheep. He’ll pray for them, and try to lead and guide and teach them. He’ll bear the scars and the hurt quietly, because that’s where Jesus, the Great Shepherd set the example. But the pastor/shepherd is human. He isn’t divine. Somewhere, he’s got to vent his own anxiety and pain. Often, it’s behind closed doors at home, with his wife while the children overhear.
So, the secret is out. Recent information posted on the website at PK International about adult children of pastors, offer some interesting insight to the problem of the wild PK. By their own testimony, many never blamed their ministerial parent for the disobedience during teen years. They blamed the flock. Watching daddy endure such pain from people who said they loved Jesus actually scared them away from the church. They decided, during their teen years that it just wasn’t worth the pain. They didn’t see any real love or joy in church life.
In the eighteenth chapter of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus warned His disciples, as He warns us; if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
We are human. We will inevitably disagree with one another. We all can’t always be right at the same time. But within the church community, we need to be very careful how we disagree and what we say, because there is always someone else watching. It may not be the PK. It may very well be our own child. The way we respond and behave may determine the path they take.
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