H.A.L.T.
"Jacob, quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished."
"First, sell me your birthright."
"Look, I’m about to die, what good is a birthright to me?"
"Swear to me first."
"So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright" (Genesis 25:29-34).
Do you remember this sobering account of how Esau, in a hungry, shortsighted moment exchanged both his birthright and his father’s blessing for a bowl of stew? It’s a shocking story and a sobering reminder to never allow momentary hunger to jeopardize our future. For any of us to sin in ways that could damage or destroy our character or our legacy, we first have to forget who we are, and then we have to lose sight of our true priorities in life. No one in their right mind would trade a birthright for a bowl of beans, and yet people do it all the time—they do it because, like Esau, they allow their hunger to skew their thinking. A good rule of thumb to remember is that any time we are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired we should H.A.L.T. and carefully consider the consequences of our actions and decisions.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
On-Site Dreamers
“Behold, the dreamer!” That’s what Joseph’s brothers said about him when he approached them from afar, and I hope it’s what they would say about you and me. Whether they’re dreaming of civil rights, women’s suffrage, revival for a generation, cures for ailments, or healing for interpersonal relationships, dreamers are God’s change agents in the world. Indeed, nothing significant happens until someone starts to dream. Rev. H.B. London Jr., (the vice-president of pastoral ministries at Focus on the Family) says, “What God wants every church to become must start as a compelling dream for an on-site dreamer.” His sentiment certainly extends beyond a congregation and applies to each of us in our personal lives, too—we must be God’s on-site dreamers for ourselves, our loved ones, and for our communities. What could God do with a roomful of dreamers? What could He accomplish with a group of people who carried His dreams of possibility and then married them with hard work, passion, and determination? Let’s be those people. Let’s rekindle the God-given dream inside us; let’s dream past our pain, our setbacks, the enemy’s lies, and our own perceived shortcomings. He placed us where we are to be the catalysts for His agenda, so let’s start dreaming it, and let’s never forget the angel Gabriel’s words to Mary, “Nothing is impossible with God.”
“Behold, the dreamer!” That’s what Joseph’s brothers said about him when he approached them from afar, and I hope it’s what they would say about you and me. Whether they’re dreaming of civil rights, women’s suffrage, revival for a generation, cures for ailments, or healing for interpersonal relationships, dreamers are God’s change agents in the world. Indeed, nothing significant happens until someone starts to dream. Rev. H.B. London Jr., (the vice-president of pastoral ministries at Focus on the Family) says, “What God wants every church to become must start as a compelling dream for an on-site dreamer.” His sentiment certainly extends beyond a congregation and applies to each of us in our personal lives, too—we must be God’s on-site dreamers for ourselves, our loved ones, and for our communities. What could God do with a roomful of dreamers? What could He accomplish with a group of people who carried His dreams of possibility and then married them with hard work, passion, and determination? Let’s be those people. Let’s rekindle the God-given dream inside us; let’s dream past our pain, our setbacks, the enemy’s lies, and our own perceived shortcomings. He placed us where we are to be the catalysts for His agenda, so let’s start dreaming it, and let’s never forget the angel Gabriel’s words to Mary, “Nothing is impossible with God.”
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Preoccupied with the Preciousness of Others
The Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," is possibly the most widely quoted wise saying in the world. Parents tell it to their children, teachers present it as the standard for classroom etiquette, businesses quote variations of it on their reader boards, and we all know that it’s good, sound advice. What we sometimes forget though is that it is far MORE than good, sound advice. When Jesus gave the Golden Rule in His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:12, He said: "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets." He didn’t say, "for this is the best way to live" or "for this will minimize the problems you’ll face." He said, "For this is the Law and the Prophets." In other words, all of those commandments and teachings from the Old Testament have the Golden Rule as both their source and their objective. How well do we do at fulfilling it? How preoccupied are we with the preciousness of others? It’s a simple rule, so simple we teach it to our pre-schoolers, but it’s a rule that stretches us to the depths of our love, character, and devotion, and it’s a rule that’s worthy of our deepest efforts to fulfill.
The Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," is possibly the most widely quoted wise saying in the world. Parents tell it to their children, teachers present it as the standard for classroom etiquette, businesses quote variations of it on their reader boards, and we all know that it’s good, sound advice. What we sometimes forget though is that it is far MORE than good, sound advice. When Jesus gave the Golden Rule in His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:12, He said: "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets." He didn’t say, "for this is the best way to live" or "for this will minimize the problems you’ll face." He said, "For this is the Law and the Prophets." In other words, all of those commandments and teachings from the Old Testament have the Golden Rule as both their source and their objective. How well do we do at fulfilling it? How preoccupied are we with the preciousness of others? It’s a simple rule, so simple we teach it to our pre-schoolers, but it’s a rule that stretches us to the depths of our love, character, and devotion, and it’s a rule that’s worthy of our deepest efforts to fulfill.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Eyes that See
"Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear." That’s what Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 13:16, and I hope that’s what He would say to you and me as we enter a New Year together. Eight times in the Gospels Jesus said, "He who has ears, let him hear," and His implication was unmistakable—sometimes we can hear without really hearing, and we can see without really seeing.
"Eyes to see and ears to hear." These are some of our greatest needs, because without seeing eyes and hearing ears relationships can decay, wonder and mystery can disappear, revelation can be missed, and a noble purpose from God can begin to feel like drudgery. Let’s make it a collective New Year’s prayer that God would give us fresh eyes and ears to see where He is at work, to hear what He is saying, and to perceive how He would want us to respond.
Do you remember Jesus’ words to Nathaniel at the outset of his calling when He said to him, "You will see greater things than these"? I’m sure Nathaniel would testify that when we see what we’re supposed to see and then act on what we are shown, miraculous results can occur.
"Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear." That’s what Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 13:16, and I hope that’s what He would say to you and me as we enter a New Year together. Eight times in the Gospels Jesus said, "He who has ears, let him hear," and His implication was unmistakable—sometimes we can hear without really hearing, and we can see without really seeing.
"Eyes to see and ears to hear." These are some of our greatest needs, because without seeing eyes and hearing ears relationships can decay, wonder and mystery can disappear, revelation can be missed, and a noble purpose from God can begin to feel like drudgery. Let’s make it a collective New Year’s prayer that God would give us fresh eyes and ears to see where He is at work, to hear what He is saying, and to perceive how He would want us to respond.
Do you remember Jesus’ words to Nathaniel at the outset of his calling when He said to him, "You will see greater things than these"? I’m sure Nathaniel would testify that when we see what we’re supposed to see and then act on what we are shown, miraculous results can occur.
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