What a hassle

I consider my ministry to be the evangelist to the couch potato. Just as Peter was sent to Jews and Paul was sent to Gentiles, I believe I am sent to the lazy and self-centered. I was raised by a TV set for the most part. My parents both worked and did not get home from their terrible jobs until 5 or 6 in the evening. This meant that I spent much of my time alone after school. For my own safety, I was expected to let myself in and then stay in until my parents got home. Such is the life of a "latch key kid." It's not a bad life. It's certainly better than some who come home to abusive parents. It's better than having no parents at all. The only real drawback is you develop some bad habits that tend to follow you through the rest of your life.

For one thing, must of us are kinda chubby. Not all of us are morbidly obese but most of us carry an extra 15 to 50 extra pounds. We didn't develop a fondness for running and jumping and climbing and swinging and swimming that some kids did because we didn't do a whole lot of it. Now in our adult years, it just doesn't look like a lot of fun.

Another bad habit we develop is this notion that we are the center of the universe. We didn't get put into many situations where we had to share. There was no one else around to change the TV channel or play with the toys. We had it all to ourselves. Therefore, we didn't learn how to get along with people. It was easier to just avoid other people so we could have the toys to ourselves. And that is the worst habit of all the we develop. We always look for and take the easiest route.

Jesus told us not to always take the path of least resistance. But taking the path with resistance might entail meeting with resistance. What if we are not prepared to overcome that resistance? What if we encountered something that required us to (gulp) work hard? What if something came up that prevented us from getting back to the couch? What if something didn't come easy? Then what do we do? If it involves more commitment and effort than a few minutes concentration, we lose interest. If it requires taking ridicule or criticism, we are definitely not interested. We can't risk having our feelings hurt. In fact, we don't want anything bad enough to work for it. And now, after nearly a lifetime of being dissatisfied with life I am ready to make some changes. I am ready to repent of the sins that have done the most damage in my life. And I don't think I'm the only one.

I think there are millions of us out there. We're not bad or mean people but we don't have a great deal of depth to our character. If the going gets tough, we typically get lost. We don't have much appreciation for hard work. We don't know what it means to hang tough. We've never given ourselves to a goal and committed everything we have to accomplishing it. In fact, we don't even think in those terms. We don't understand what a sentence like that really means. It may be better to look at this group by contrast. Let me explain my people in terms of what we aren't.

We are not the people that stand on the podium with the Gold Medals at the Olympics. We are not the people whose name is on the office door or building or street or city or country. We are not the people whose name is on the invention or patent. We do not have our names on albums or marquees or movies or TV shows. We are not the names you'll find in the record books. All of these achievements require great effort and sacrifice. We do not make sacrifices or great efforts. We sit comfortably and applaud others as THEY do great things. And then wonder why life seems so pointless and empty. The central imperative in our lives is the comfort of our flesh. This is our great aim in life and this is our great sin.

Aside from this lack of willingness to work hard, there is another reason we never rise above our own mediocrity. Most of us have never been trained to be brave. Most of us don't know how to stand up to a bully. Most of us don't know the glory of courage because it is rarely required of us. Most of don't know that if we just stood up like a man and took a few shots, we'd live to tell about it. Most of us don't know how much pain or discomfort we can actually take. For instance, I have never dared to want something so badly that losing it would crush me.

I have never risked the kind of disappointment that would leave me crippled. I have cowardly lived outside the arena of really living. I have been unwilling to put in the effort when things get tough and I've protected myself from disappointment by not wanting anything so badly that could potentially destroy me if I lost it. I have launched into a thousand different enterprises but have never risked everything to make sure one of them succeeds. But not anymore.

Those days are over. I have come to a realization that what my life lacks is not resources or insight or revelation. What it lacks is real purpose. There are very few things in my life I wouldn't drop and walk away from if it became too much trouble. Outside of my faith and my marriage and my dogs, I can't think of anything I'd put any extra effort into. So what do I have to show for a life spent like this? Not much. No legacy. No lasting impact on the world. Nothing to distinguish my existence from anyone else's.

This should not be. I have been uniquely created and great works have been prepared in advance for me to do. Lord show me how to get from where I am to where I am supposed to be. Lord, lead me to these great works you have prepared for me. I repent of my laziness and self-worship. I want to live the life you bought for me and I'm willing to put in the effort it takes to lay hold of that life. Ephesians 2:10 assures me that I am your workmanship, you have made me and you have prepared good works for me to do. Lord, I am reporting for duty today. I want to give my life real substance and meaning. I want to do the work you have called me to do and I'm willing to crawl off the couch to get started. Where do I start?

While waiting for them to finish speaking...

we should not be preparing our next sentence. The Lord gave me a new assignment today and I can't wait to try it. I've been mildly frustrated lately by the fact that my life and ministry are still in the holding pattern so I launched into a deeper study of His word. I have declared again that nothing is more important to me right now than seeking His kingdom and laying hold of the life He bought for me. In this pursuit, I came across a man named E.W. Kenyon. If you're not familiar with him, I suggest you seek out some of his writings. He wrote some Bible study courses and other materials which I'm already finding profitable. The Lord Himself, His Spirit that speaks to my inner man, has reminded me frequently that He is a rewarder of those who DILIGENTLY seek Him.(Hebrews 11:6) The Lord appreciates diligence on our part when we use it to find Him. He's gracious enough to give us insights and inspiration even when we fail to demonstrate diligence, how much more generous he must be when we purposely set out to please Him with our diligence. This is one of those precious gifts that we can offer up to Him.
So, as an act of diligence, I have started taking this advanced Bible Course by E.W. Kenyon. Lesson 3 is titled "Acting on the Word" and the lesson revolves around James 1:22 and Matt 7:24. Be a doer of the Word and be like the wise builder who built his house on solid ground.There are questions to be answered at the end of these lessons and as I was trying to answer one about how to walk in love, the Holy Spirit gave me a great idea. He showed me in my imagination what I should do the next time I have a chance to speak to someone.
The next time I have a conversation with someone, while they are talking, I will be praying this prayer: "Father, what do you want this person to know about you? What lie has kept them from fully trusting you? Give me the words to dispel the darkness in their understanding of you so they will turn to you." Instead of my usual practice of just waiting for them to stop talking so I can talk again, I'm going to be praying for and believing to receive words that will have a real impact on their lives. I trust that as I do that, I will start to gain a reputation that will please the Lord and the people in my environment. Word will start to spread about how people just seem to feel better after talking to me. They may not be able to express why they feel better, but they'll remember the feeling of relief or hope or inspiration or revelation. I trust that as I make a habit of this, people will be eager to talk to me and walk away from our encounters feeling refreshed in their spirits. I trust that as I faithfully use the words precisely dictated by the Holy Spirit, the people I encounter will feel better afterwards and not necessarily know why. All they will know is that they enjoyed speaking with me and will seek more opportunities to do so, which will give me more opportunities to speak love into their lives, which will make them more hungry for God. I also trust that while I'm tending to my Father's business in this practice, He will be looking after my interests. He will be giving me favor with men, He'll be opening doors and preparing a table for me in the presence of my enemy. I have decided that I will no longer try to look after my own best interests. It is no longer my goal to win a debate, display my own wit, promote my own popularity or defend my own goals. Henceforth, it is my goal to be a conduit for God into the lives of the people around me. I will be looking out for someone else's interest. I will be seeking their benefit, not my own. This is a radical new approach for me.
For years, for as longs as I can remember, I have gotten by in this world by being the funny guy. It will be a whole new experience for me I'm sure. To just drop my need for constant approval and ego strokes and focus in on the spiritual needs of someone else is a completely foreign impulse. Instead of being so preoccupied with my own emotional needs, I will be purposely striving to meet the spiritual needs of others. I sense that this will be very freeing to me. To be finally relieved from the burdensome duty of catering to this self-absorbed flesh sounds exhilarating. I am certain the Lord will richly reward me with the privilege of seeing the impact He can have on someone's life.
I'm thinking about some of my co-workers who are bound with self-hatred and I'm excited for them. I know the Lord is going to make the most of our time together and give me just the right phrase or illustration or reply that will make them aware of His presence and affection. I'm not necessarily expecting scripture verses. I'm expecting vernacular terms that have the most meaning to them. Phrases that will nestle into their memories and keep releasing faith into them. I know it won't be flattery because He despises that. I know it won't be condemnation because that is a weapon of the enemy. I think it might be something simple like a genuine compliment they can't dodge. I think it might be a reference to something benign that reminds them of a time in their past when they were closer to God. I am truly bubbling with excitement to see God in action like this. I am even more excited by the fact that I get to be a part of it all. I feel like God and I are up to something that no one else is aware of. I feel like I'm in cahoots with God and I'm going to see amazing transformations happen in their lives. Transformations that lead to great new works for the kingdom.
I can't wait to start reporting on these great transformations on this blog. Stay tuned.