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."

Jesus' Purpose

Why did Jesus come to earth?

What was His reason for being or stated purpose of His life?

I know, I know ... you're probably thinking to yourself something like, "Duh!" Everyone knows that Jesus came to save us from sin and death. Right? Well, that is true. But sometimes we need to look beyond the truth. Occasionally there is a higher truth. I definitely believe that is the case here.

So why did Jesus come to earth? If He was living a "purpose-driven life," what exactly was His purpose?

You might find a variety of answers depending on whom you ask and where you look. Some might be quick to point out that the purpose of Jesus' life was to die for our sins; even Jesus said He came to "give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45).

Others might say that Jesus came to "seek and to save what was lost." (Luke 19:10) Still others might point to Jesus as the miracle worker (John 10:25 or John 14:11), or explain that Jesus came to "do the will of the Father." (John 6:38 or Hebrews 10:7)

None of these answers would be wrong. but I believe the reason that stands out as uniting them all would be that Jesus came to do the will of the Father. So the next question is naturally going to be, "What is the will of the Father?"

Has Jesus said anything else that might give us an explanation of why He came that would also unite these various reasons into a more concise statement of purpose that defines the Father's will? "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." (Luke 4:43) Could this be the Father's will for Jesus? Is the primary reason Jesus came to make known the good news of the kingdom of God?

The best news is that God's kingdom has come. It's already here. the announcement of this message is more important than doing miracles - miracles are just evidence of the facts. Jesus seeks the lost that they might be included in God's kingdom - which has already come. His death on the cross made it possible for us to be accepted into His kingdom - where we belong.

Everything Jesus said and did seems to revolve around the announcement of the good news about God's kingdom. If this was Jesus' purpose, then as His followers could we have any lesser purpose?

Here's the thing - we so often talk about what Jesus did for us. But we need to consider what He did for the Father. (He obeyed Him.) And if we are true Christ-followers, then we need to order our lives so that our purpose aligns with His.

Yes, Jesus died for our sins. But even before He made it about us, He made it about His Father. And that is precisely where we need to take it. My purpose isn't about anything but the will of the Father.

Obama's Wallet is Telling

Preachers have always told us that you can see what someone really believes if you look at their checkbook and their day planner. In other other words, don't listen to what they say - look at what they do. I never paid much attention to that, but as I've gotten older, I began to realize that it's backed by a very strong truth in human nature: people don't always do what they say, but they will always do what they believe. And so yesterday's news on the Obamas was very sad for me.

Barack and Michelle Obama made public their tax returns for the years 2000-2006. (They issued a challenge to Bill and Hillary Clinton to do the same thing.) I'm not sure why tax returns are such a big deal for presidential candidates, but they are telling about the beliefs of these individuals.

True Christians have, for centuries, tithed faithfully - giving at least 10% of their household incomes to the church or otherwise to the work of the Lord (i.e. Christian organizations and missions). Obama has been running for president on a platform of Christianity. He's told us that he had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ and has been a Christ-follower ever since. His tax returns seem to suggest otherwise.

From 2000-2004, the Obamas took in over $1.2 million in household income. That's an average of $244,529 annually over those five years. Their giving to all charity during those years? Just $10,770, or less than 1% of of their income. Folks, these are not generous people. Heck, they are not even obedient people!

When the press questioned this, an Obama spokesman said, "As new parents who were paying off ... student loans, giving ... was as generous as they could be at the time." Could that be true of Christ-followers? I hate to be difficult, but folks, I'm not buying this one. I know people who have two kids, student loans and make only a fraction of what the Obamas make. They still tithe. Children and student loans don't prevent one from being obedient to God.

In 2005, the Obamas' income shot up to almost $1.671 million - and their giving shot up to $77,315. That was 4.63% of their income, almost half what it would have taken to tithe as Christians obedient to God. In 2007, the Obamas' income was only $991,296 and they gave $60,307 to charity. That was just over 6% of their income. I guess the good news is that as they have become more wealthy (the above photo was taken while Barack was relaxing at the Ritz Carlton in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands), they are becoming more generous. Perhaps if this trend continues, they will become truly obedient to Christ!

I don't like taking pot shots at anyone. But this man is asking me to trust him for a lot. Before any of us can really trust someone, we have to know them. I don't think I really know who Barack Obama is. And the troubling thing is that what I do know makes me think he isn't who he says he is.

So Mr. Obama, I'd really like to vote for you. But can you tell me who you really are?