Following God

It's maybe the one part of the Christian life that I like the least. It's always nice to read my Bible and see how God says to live, learn God's standards for everything, and even become acutely familiar with the character and nature of God. But then it always comes back to me. I have to make practical application of Biblical principles in my own life.

On the surface, making practical application of Biblical principles might not seem like such an onerous task. Or maybe it is. It's not that I have trouble figuring out what to do with things like, "Thou shall not steal." Those are the easy ones. But take it down another level or two and try to figure out which company God wants me to send a resume to. Or how should I invest my IRA retirement funds? Which vehicle does God want me to buy? And when should I even be shopping for a new vehicle? Do I wait until the old one doesn't run any more?

It seems like we can walk a fine line between obedience and self-deception. I could, for instance, conclude that God wants to bless me with a nice new car. And that could be true. Or maybe it's not. It could be my selfishness deceiving me. I mean I can rationalize and justify nearly anything. Which diet does God want me to go on? Does God want me to diet at all? Is it okay to spend $180 per month on a health club when there are starving people in the world? Is cable TV an extravagant indulgence?

I had to roll over a 401K plan (retirement fund for those of you outside the U.S.) into a self-directed IRA (retirement fund) recently. When I met with the financial advisor at Fidelity, she asked me when I plan to retire. Honestly, I didn't have an answer. I simply don't know. I guess I'll retire whenever God says so. I don't find retirement in the Bible. So my assumption is that the modern day concept of retirement is not Biblical.

I expect to work until I drop dead, or at least until I can't work any more. But that doesn't mean I'll always work for pay. I would very much, for example, like to work for my church full time. But realizing that my church won't hire me and pay me, I assume I'd have to win the lottery or come up with my own funding some other way. Would that be Biblical? How would God feel about that? If I didn't need a salary to pay my bills and could devote myself to working at my church full time --- would I be doing so with God-honoring motives? Or would I be selfishly trying to magnify myself?

These are the questions that get harder to answer. There are rare times when I've prayed and asked God to "give me a sign." Maybe you've prayed a prayer like yourself. Did He? Did God give you a sign? If He did, when did you recognize that it was a sign from God?

Not long ago, I felt conflicted about some thinking in my career. Admittedly, I see myself as a proverbial tent maker - who just does secular work to fund ministry endeavors. So when changes appear on the horizon, I start praying for wisdom and discernment. This particular time, I asked God to give me a sign to affirm the answer I thought He was giving me in prayer. But now I find I'm seeing things that look and feel like signs from God. Unfortunately, I'm back in prayer to the Lord. "God, is this one of those signs I asked you for? Is that how you intended this, Lord?"

How can mankind be so dull or dense as to ask God for a sign and then wrestle with whether the signs are actually signs at all? Such is the dilemma of this piece of mankind that I see in the mirror. I'm reminded of King Solomon, who asked God for wisdom and became the wisest man to ever live. Did he ever have conflicted thoughts about whether he was operating inside of God's will?

You know, the older I get the more I realize that following God requires a uniquely intense focus. He's pretty easy to follow in the big things (i.e., "Thou shall not kill."). In the smaller things though, it seems that my mind wants to play God. My core competency of manipulation and control wants to kick in and direct my foot steps.

So my prayer is simply this, "Lord, let me not be deceived about who it is that I'm following. My heart and soul are yours and it is my intent to walk directly behind you wherever you go. Help me to discern that path. Lead me with a cloud by day and with fire by night. Let me not waste time trying to figure out where you're going or whether it's even you that I'm following. For when this prayer is answered, then I'll know that I've truly arrived. And I pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen."

Cliff Hanging

So I'm having coffee recently with a dear friend. He's a good bit older than me; quite a bit smarter than me too. Harvard graduate. University professor. Trained theologian. Ministry leader. This guy's a real pedigreed kind of guy.

We met when our kids went to the same school - and we both got sucked into the parent's association. That was years ago. Our kids don't go to the same school any more. But we've become dear friends. And our families have become close.

My friend and his wife are what you would call sold out for Jesus. They have literally re-arranged their whole lives in order to follow Jesus and His leading ways. Where has Jesus led them? They founded and run a global ministry to train pastors in central African countries (Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Rep. of Congo - to name a few).

Raising the special needs kids they've adopted and battling cancer at least twice have been part of the assignment as well. It has been a costly road for them. They've made extreme sacrifices financially and live more modestly than anyone would imagine. And they do it for the cause of Christ.

Now we're sitting in the local coffee shop getting caught up on each other's lives. Since we're so close, there's not much we don't talk about. And we get to the subject of money. We've both known some pretty difficult financial storms and have always been aware of each other's struggles in that area. When we start to examine where he's at right now, it is clear that the needs are met. The bills are paid that need to be paid. But the financial stresses in their lives are coming at them ... fast and furious.

At times, he shares, it seems overwhelming. Analogies come from both of our mouths as we try to make sense of what we think and feel in regard to our finances. Where is God taking us financially? What is God doing with our finances these days? How are we to respond to God when it comes to our finances? The questions are many.

We decide that it feels as if someone is stacking straw on the camel's back. And with each new bill (symbolized by blades of straw), we wonder if this next one will be the proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back." Yet the camel plods on - acknowledging the weight on its back - but somehow finding the strength and stamina to keep moving forward.

Finally my friend says, "We are fine. But we are hanging over the cliff. It seems to be where we live nowadays." So there it was ... the perfect metaphor. And as we examined it, we both looked at each other and said at the same time, "This is precisely where God wants us!" It is where God wants His people to live ... hanging over the edge of the cliff.

What is it like out there? Well, it's unnerving, to say the least. There's no cushion, no margin. There's never any extra for anything. So it's never a question of whether we'll sacrifice or not. It's just a matter of how much sacrifice we have to make and when we have to make it. It is sobering, but not frightening.

There's a peace about God's people who live hanging over the edge of the cliff. They know, from firsthand experience, that God will show up. He is the cliff. He is the canyon below the cliff. And He is the air through which we'd fall if we ever let go of the edge of that cliff.

You see, when God's people live life on God's terms, we tend to take risks. It's like stepping out of the boat without knowing how deep the water is, what kind of creatures might be in the water, how high the waves could get, how far away the boat will be or even whether or not I know how to swim. And still I get out of the boat. To follow God.

But when God's people step out of the proverbial boat, they find the true God of the universe. They find the God that cares, that shows up, that is faithful and trustworthy. So financially, hanging over the edge of the cliff means that I don't know how much money I'll have or how much money I'll need. But I know who God is and I trust him with both my financial resources and my financial responsibilities and needs.

I'm never sure if the money will be enough. But I'm always certain that God will be enough. I don't know if I'll have enough money, but I trust that God will either provide that much money - or He'll do amazing things with the bills that arrive on my doorstep. It's what life hanging over the edge of the cliff looks like.

So today I acquired a good refresher course in geography. I was reminded that life on the edge is not only where it's at --- but it's where God is at. Quite frankly, there's no place we'd rather be.