Hall of Fame

If you're reading this you may or may not know how much of a sports fanatic I am.  Much to my wife's disdain I love watching almost any kind of sport that comes on T.V. and I especially love watching Sportscenter on ESPN.  Of all sports though, football and baseball top my list of favorites.  Like most, I enjoy watching excellence being exhibited on the field or court.  As a kid growing up in the 1980s I loved watching George Brett lead the Kansas City Royals to the playoffs every year and eventually the World Series Title in 1985.  His tenacity on the field and his eagle eye for hitting everything that was thrown his way made him a player for the ages and a first ballot Hall of Famer.  In football, I have been a fan of Tom Brady since the day he took over for Drew Bledsoe.  With a pile of records, 3 Super Bowl Rings, and statistics that are out of this world, he is sure to be a first ballot Hall of Famer when he retires.  Excellence is admired in sports.  Excellence is admired in all walks  of life.  We lift up the great communicators, we fight over our favorite politicians, we are in awe of the brilliant scientists, and we honor the great warriors of history.  There is no doubt, we love excellence.  And we therefore strive for excellence.  Do you know how much I would love to throw a football like Tom Brady?  Who doesn't want to have their name held high?  Who doesn't want to be famous?  Who wouldn't want to be in the Hall of Fame of something?  So....are you striving for excellence?  

More importantly are you striving for excellence in your faith.  Understand, you can seek the riches of this world.  You can seek fame in your home, your work place, your city, your school, your team, your state, even this world.  But what if instead of seeking this world's Halls of Fame, what if we sought the Hall of Fame mentioned in Hebrews 11.  From Abel and Enoch to Noah and Abraham, great men and women are named for their great steps (even leaps) of faith.  These heroes of the Faith experienced great and amazing things.  Some of which hurt, some of which were dangerous, some of which were risky, and some of which were just plain crazy.  But what got their name in this list is their willingness to put selfishness aside and follow God, no matter what the future held, because they had a deep and constant faith in Him.  I love verse 38:  "the world was not worthy of them."  WOW!!!

The author of Hebrews, after listing several giants of the faith, goes on to say beginning in verse 32:  "And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground."

 

Be warned....seeking a life of great faith is not always easy.  It will not always be comfortable for us.  It will not always be rewarding (as the world defines rewards).  It will not always be safe.  But it will be worth it.  George Brett and his legacy remains in Cooperstown, NY.  Noah, Moses, and Rahab and their legacy remain in the Holy Presence of God and will remain throughout eternity.  

So what will we all seek today?  Earthly fame or Godly faith?  World renown or the renown of Jesus Christ?  Today will you seek selfish gain or Godly sacrifice?

Image from:  http://www.garyt.com/work/brett.html

Image from:  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/specials/sportsman/2005/

Awe and Reverence

If you know me very long you will know that some things just aggravate me.

• Apathy frustrates me. 
• Anger saddens me.  (even my own)
• Complaining infuriates me.  
• Non-Compliance can get under my skin.
• Politics....well...I'm not going there.
• Trash Talking makes me want to punch someone.  
• Losing at anything makes me angry.  (See above comment on anger)
• Selfishness and Arrogance = YUCK

Yeah, there are some things that bother me.  You know what's so bad about this list - I see them in others but I also see them in myself.  These things really can bother me, but there is another one that I came across today that always gets me a little riled up.  

When we as Christians approach the throne of God with a flippant attitude.  I always tell my students about the guy that once prayed for a group of us and he prayed to JC. I was a new Christian, I didn't know who this guy was talking to.  Some Heavenly Rapper??? Apparently, it was Jesus Christ. (JC)  Now I confess to you I am a nerd of the first degree and there is not a cool bone in my body.  My hipbone isn't even HIP!!  But really??? The one who died on the cross for my sins - the one who is eternal - the one whose name is above all names - and we're going to call him JC? I don't think so.

Now for most of us, we don't pray to JC, and if you do...well...keep reading.  But, we so often approach God in the same attitude. We act like Jesus is just this cool, loving dude in Heaven and His daddy is Santa Claus and when we need Him we ask Him for stuff.  We pray every now and then, only when we need something.  We come to worship services at our church looking to be entertained as if we are the audience, when we should be coming to worship services to sing to the Audience of One.  So what if it's not our favorite song?  It's not for us anyway.  We are afraid to lift our hands in adoration because __________________ (insert one of the many reasons why).

We approach God with such flippancy, apathy, and familiarity.  Do we see any of the Godly men and women in the Bible approach him that way?  Do we see Jesus approach the Father that way? Indeed we can cry out to God “Abba Father” but let us not forget that it says in “Hebrews 12:28 - since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, (29) for our “God is a consuming fire.”

Approach the throne today with awe and reverence.  Wednesday Night and Sunday when you attend your local church (and I sure hope you do), worship Him with awe and reverence.  Do not worship yourself.  Study His word with awe and reverence.  

Big Screen Christians

I love my big screen T.V.  Granted....it is more than I truly need, but I do love it.  Dawn and I love watching T.V. together.  I am a sports fanatic and we love watching t.v. shows (I still miss LOST by the way) and movies.  After a long day of work, or a stressful day of life, we enjoy sitting back, kicking back, relaxing, and escaping from the troubles of the day.  We are indeed part of a Big Screen Society in America.  What concerns me is that this Big Screen Society has now taken over Christianity.  What I mean is that too many of us are sitting back, kicking back, relaxing, and waiting to enjoy the show.  We have made Christianity about us.  Entertain me.  Comfort me.  Please me.  Spend my money they way I want.  Coddle me.

Is that really what Christianity was meant to be?  Far from it.  God calls us to action.  God calls us to live a life in pursuit.  Pursuit of others.  Pursuit of Holiness.  Pursuit of HIM.  When Paul writes Timothy he tells the young pastor in 1 Timothy 6:11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.  Our lives should be in pursuit of the things of God.

Pursuit is an active word.  When I think of a pursuit I think of a manhunt.  Like the famous manhunts for John Wilkes Booth or Osama bin Laden, a pursuit is both intentional and intense.

So since I haven't blogged in well.....it's been too long to count....let's keep this simple.  Pursue the things of God today.  Pursue them intentionally and with intensity.  Sit back no longer.  Stand up and begin the pursuit and then enjoy the ride.  Stop sitting around waiting to be entertained and waiting to be coddled.  Take a stand today and pursue God.