One Thing

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press

toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:13-14

Multitasking: the performance of multiple tasks at one given time; the work of applying proper focus upon several responsibilities that must be done concurrently; the stressful labor of giving oversight to multiple demands or events at the same time.

In a world that continues to operate at internet speeds, the idea of multitasking is something that many of us can relate to. In makes no difference if we are in an office environment, a stay at home mom, a construction site, a health clinic or hospital, or if we are a staff member at a local church. We all know what it means to multitask, and we all know how mentally and emotionally draining it can be when our we are pulled in different directions and forced to focus on several demands at one time. In fact, after years of study, psychologists, medical doctors, and even human resources specialists in the business world are saying that multitasking is detrimental to an individuals overall health, and to their long range productivity.

This revelation should come as no surprise to us who are serious students of the word of God. In the Old Testament, Moses was a man with a full plate. He was providing critical leadership to the Jewish people following their exodus out of the land of Egypt. When his father-in-law, Jethro, saw the incredible load that Moses was seeking to carry, he confronted him in a loving and firm way: "The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself." (Exodus 18:17-18) He then counseled Moses to select able men who would become rulers over a certain number of people, to judge matters that would arise between them. There would be other rulers, or judges, that would hear cases that could not be easily decided. If anything was too difficult for this hierarchy, or network, of leaders, then eventually Moses would hear the case and apply God's law to the situation. What was Jethro telling Moses? Multitasking will put you in an early grave!

Now I know that we cannot totally escape this reality of life. But at times we must take a healthy look at where we are physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually, especially when we seek to spread ourselves thin in order to cover a lot of bases. Recently, I was led of the Lord to do some evaluating on my own walk of faith in this journey of life. As I began to look carefully at what dominates my time, focus, and energy, I remembered the testimony of the Apostle Paul in Philippians chapter three. His saying "one thing I do" really began to intrigue me. As I meditated on this passage, I also looked at other verses of scripture that had the two words "one" and "thing" wedded together. This time of study proved to be very personal to me, and I hope it will be very profitable to me, and others, as well.

If you have been reading Seeking Him since its inception, or have taken the time to read all the posts chronologically, you understand how my heart has been recaptured and drawn back to my first love. Three years of having wandered in the wilderness was enough. God showed me that He still had a desire to use me in His kingdom activity, and it has been exciting and exhilarating to immerse myself again in the work of the gospel. In evaluating my life during the past few weeks, it has been easy to discover that three areas of life dominate my time: family, work, and ministry. Realizing that God was calling me to let something go in order to invest more time in ministry, I knew that He was not putting His finger on my family and telling me to let them go. My precious wife still loves me and has a long list of "honey-do" projects, and Apryl still relies upon us heavily in helping with Micah and Eli. So walking away from this incredible responsibility and delightful task was not what He was demanding. Therefore, the only item that His gaze could be fixed upon, and demanding some kind of change, was my work.

Realizing that the only way that I could serve as Paul did, with a more single focus, has caused me to inform my employer that I will conclude my time with his company toward the end of this year. He grew up in a pastor's home and understands the struggles of ministry. He is supportive of my decision, and I have enjoyed my years of working for him and his wife in their family business. I have no financial guarantees in the future, but that's fine with me. My family and I have been in similar situations before, and God has always been faithful. I learned a few years ago that to journey successfully on the pathway of faith is quite simple. All we have to do is hear Him when He speaks to us, then TRUST and OBEY. My goodness, someone ought to write a song about that!

Restoring Life

“Loose him, and let him go!” John 11:44

It would be impossible to somehow list the miracles of Jesus from being the least significant to the most dramatic. Each time we read about the Son of God doing something in the realm of the supernatural, it reminds us of the unique and wonderful qualities of this God-Man, as He lived a humble life marked by His unlimited authority.

He turned water into wine at the suggestion of His loving mother. He blessed and broke a little boy’s lunch and fed over 5,000 men (not counting the women and children). He calmed troubled waters by speaking to the howling wind, “Peace! Be still.” He anointed blinded eyes with mud made from His own spittle, and those eyes began scanning the wonder of God’s creation with 20/20 vision. He caused the rotting, putrefying flesh of the isolated leper to become as soft and beautiful as a newborn child. The leper’s song was changed from “Unclean, unclean” to “Jesus Loves Me” as he ran excitedly back home to embrace his family. And He stood against the enemy of our souls, casting out those fallen spirits who occupied and were destroying the lives of those who had been demon possessed. These are but a few examples of the authority of Christ displayed for us in the Gospels. Yet there are three miracles that truly must captivate our attention when we consider the greatness of His power, and they all have to deal with the trauma of death.

In Mark 5:21-43, we have the account of a twelve year old girl, the daughter of Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagogue, probably Capernaum, where Jesus had established his ministry headquarters. We do not know the reason for her sickness, but it was severe enough that this man went looking for Jesus as He was returning from a trip across the Sea of Galilee. Jesus immediately began to go with this man to his home, but the journey was interrupted by a diseased woman with an issue of blood. When word came that the girl had died, Jesus would not allow the sad news to prevent Him from going to see her. Ridiculed by those who had gathered to mourn her passing, Jesus chose a few of His disciples, and along with the girl’s parents, entered into the privacy of her room and called out her name to a restoration of life! She who had been enveloped in death for a few brief moments was alive again – Praise the Lord!

Looking at Luke 7:11-17, we find the story of a frightened widow in the town of Nain who was burying her only son. This young man would be the sole provider of financial security for this woman, and now he was dead. Was his death a result of some horrible disease, or the shocking reality of a violent accident? We do not know the answers to these questions, but we do know the result of the Lord’s presence that day. He stopped the funeral procession, put his hand on the open coffin, and spoke softly to the young man, who immediately sat up and began talking to his bewildered and excited mother. Death had been a reality for this young man perhaps for several hours, if not overnight, and now was only a memory as he danced again in the sunlight of divine love!

The testimony of Lazarus in John 11:1-44 is a little different. This man was not twelve years old or in the maturing years of early adulthood. Lazarus would have been considered middle aged, if not in the beginning of his senior adult years. When Jesus finally arrived on the scene, Lazarus was far beyond experiencing death for a few brief minutes or even a collection of hours. Horrified when Jesus commanded that the stone should be rolled away from the place of his burial, Lazarus’ sister, Martha, protested that he had been dead for several days, and there would be a horrible stink coming forth from his decaying corpse. Nevertheless, the stone was removed, and following a prayer to His Heavenly Father, Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” The Bible says that the man who had been dead suddenly appeared in the opening of his death chamber still wrapped in his grave clothes. Wow! Then the words of instruction from the lips of our Lord to those who observed this incredible miracle, “Loose him, and let him go.”

Jesus was, and is, the giver of life. Divine life springs forth from spiritual death when He calls our name in redemption. But He is also the restorer of life. When our life of faith seems to have experienced some sort of horrible disease or tragic accident, resulting in death, He can call our names like no other. And when He does, life is restored. My journey is not unique. Life can often be described as two steps forward, and one step back. Since I began chronically telling of my personal adventure in this format, more and more of His grace is being realized as I obey His directives. During the month of February, I was privileged to be with a church in North Carolina for a deacon and staff retreat, along with their spouses, and then a revival campaign with the entire congregation. It has probably been at least ten years since I’ve been so honored to lead such an important event in the life of a church, and it was quite a thrill. Numerous decisions were made each night as the Holy Spirit worked among many who were seeking Him.

Now I have begun a new ministry in my home church as Staff Evangelist. I will be assisting our Pastor in numerous ways to strengthen and grow our church family, including preaching during our Sunday night gatherings when I am not on mission with Him in other locations. In some ways, I sense the Lord’s voice has said to others concerning me, “Loose him, and let him go!” I pray that the best is yet to come! AMEN!!

A Door of Divine Opportunity

“A great and effective door has opened to me!” I Corinthians 16:9

It is quite thrilling when we recognize that God is doing something unique and wonderful. It is even more thrilling when we realize that He is giving us the opportunity to join His activity. The Apostle Paul had just concluded a season of ministry in the city of Corinth. He had labored faithfully there for some eighteen months before ending what we call his second missionary journey as he began the arduous journey back towards Jerusalem. Paul passed through the city of Ephesus as he traveled, and he told the believers that he would return to them if it proved to be the Lord’s will (Acts 18:19-21).

 

Well, it certainly proved to be God’s plan for this man to return, and when he did, he experienced some of his most fruitful ministry. After straightening out some poor doctrine concerning the Holy Spirit and believer’s baptism, Paul spoke boldly among the Jews in the synagogue for three months. When opposition began to rise against his teaching, he was able to secure a place in the school of Tyrannus (who was either a Jewish rabbi, or perhaps a Greek philosopher, and a well known and respected teacher with his own “private” school) and continue his ministry for the next two years. This door of opportunity gave Paul a safe space to teach, lecture, mentor and disciple both Jews and Greeks on a daily basis. As a result, the Bible says “the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.” (Acts 19:20)  No wonder Paul said to the Corinthians that a great and effective door has opened to me!

As I write these words, God is uniquely opening a wonderful door of ministry opportunity for me as well. I may not encounter what Paul did so many years ago in the exciting city of Ephesus, but I am no less delighted to be involved in a deeper commitment as the Staff Evangelist to our home congregation, Friendship Baptist Church (www.friendshipsturgis.com). This wonderful church is the place of numerous spiritual encounters that have shaped our lives for God’s glory during the formative years of our marriage. Tammy and I never envisioned our being blessed with this opportunity when we returned to this area several years ago, yet this door has opened for us and we are gladly walking through it. Please pray for us as we officially begin on March 1^st in this new ministerial role. Our sincere hope and prayer is to experience spiritual fruit like we’ve never seen before. To God be the glory!

Eternal Truth for Daily Living

 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In

all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
 

It is sad when some verses of scripture remain out of sight and forgotten except for those certain, special occasions connected with the calendar. Such is the plight of Proverbs 3:5-6, which is normally pulled out during the excitement of spring time and high school graduation, then gently put away until another graduating class needs some kind of spiritual enlightenment before donning their caps and gowns. How tragic and sad that we treat the dynamic authority of God’s word with such carelessness, for the truth found in this passage is not a one-time shot in the arm to inoculate us against making foolish life choices before going to college. No, beloved, these verses should be contemplated frequently, not occasionally, for we need this wise council throughout our lives, not just during one particular chapter.

Moving into an arena of the unknown is always intimidating. Realizing that God was showing me that His call upon my life had not been trashed or discarded, I knew that I needed to make adjustments to His leadership. Without knowing the outcome, we are often challenged to start walking when He hasn’t even revealed the destination! If you don’t believe me, reacquaint yourself with the journey of Abraham as found in Hebrews 11:8. “Walk by faith, and not by sight” is the admonition of scripture, and such a lifestyle is not for the faint of heart. (Thinking still of Abraham, leaving your homeland is really nothing when compared to God's command to travel to a certain mountain and thrust a knife into your beloved son.)

Beloved, faith living is often a bold course of action that looks stupid and foolish to the unenlightened and misinformed. Never allow the sharp frowns and stinging criticism of those whose greatest desire is to conquer the American dream and live for the present pleasures of a hell-bound world divert your focus. When you and I abandon ourselves to His leadership, we should be prepared to chunk our good old common-sense right out the door as well. The Bible says that we should not lean upon “our own understanding” when seeking to implement His will. Our journey will be complicated enough without thrusting what we see, hear, think or feel into the equation. So beware of the one who often gives us the greatest problem in successfully navigating His chosen pathway, and that one is us!

I do not know all that my family and I will encounter in this new year, but I do know that our God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. If you don’t believe me, read Ephesians 3:20, and believe Him!