Who Am I?

Have you ever considered what your individual role in the Kingdom of God might actually turn out to be? I know none of us can ever be certain about such things. Still, my mind often wonders about my role. Usually, such wondering occurs during those periods in my life when my humanity seems to overwhelm my spirituality. In other words, it occurs when I'm not feeling so confident about who I am and what I'm doing. I suspect that others aren't always so confident that they know who I am and what I'm doing either! I was reading the other day the story of Elijah and the widow (1 Kings 17). God had called the prophet Elijah out into the wilderness and had the ravens feed him. Now God was moving him to a village and would use a widow to feed him. Elijah found the widow and moved in with her. She did what he told her to do and the food never ran out. She would feed Elijah, her son, and herself. And miraculously she never ran out of food. (Truly it was miraculous!) Then her son got sick and died. Elijah took the dead child away and privately prayed over and even laid on top of the boy. And answering Elijah's prayer, God returned life to the child. Upon learning that Elijah had indeed raised her child from the dead, the widow said to Elijah, "Now I know for sure that you are a man of God and that the Lord truly speaks through you." The Lord has never, to my knowledge, involved me in any of those food miracles where people keep eating and eating and the food never runs out. And I don't know that God will ever use me to raise someone from the dead. (Although if He did, I certainly wouldn't mind!) But I have to confess that one of the strongest desires I can ever remember having is to truly be a man of God whom the Lord truly speaks through. When I was a young man, I had strong desires and fantasies, really. They were to be cool and popular. They were to be rich and powerful. I wanted to have stuff. I wanted to be admired by others. I wanted to make a big difference. Later, as I began to own my brokenness, I wanted to be forgiven. I wanted to repent. As I began to mature in Christ, I wanted to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. And today, I want to be a man of God through whom God speaks. Frankly, that yearning surprises me. I'm not sure where it comes from. But I'm certain that it's there. This unmistakable desire brews within me. And I wonder why. What exactly is a "man of God?" Isn't that just a man of whom God approves? Or is it something deeper? And through what kind of men does God speak? I learned some time ago that I had foolishly spent much of my youth and adulthood focused on what I would do or what I would have. But it turned out that it is considerably more important to focus on who I would be. So this paradigm shift occurred and changed how I think about things. Fortunately, my desires have changed. I find myself centered squarely on being instead of doing or having. So whom can I be? Of all the definitions ascribed to being, I find the definition "man of God" to be the most attractive. As I paint a picture in my mind, he is a virtuous man. He is a humble man. He is a man after God's own heart - learns from his mistakes and repents of his sins. He isn't afraid to dance and sing before the Lord. At times he can be a bit brave too ... stepping out in faith when others would call him foolish. Now maybe I'm full of myself. Or maybe I'm a little bit out of touch with reality. But when I speak, I oftentimes have the impression and understanding that I'm speaking for the Lord. By that, I mean that His words are running through me. What's coming out of my mouth are not my words. They have to be His. Why? Because I'm not smart enough to think those words up on my own! But what kinds of words do that ... come out of your mouth through some kind of divine appointment? Words of encouragement. Words of exhortation. Even words of rebuke. So it gets to be that I'm not encouraging, exhorting or rebuking. But rather the Lord is doing those things through me. I feel sometimes as if I'm just sitting on the sidelines watching this go on. Often it's a pretty good show too! As I write this today, I find my eyes welling up with tears. I consider the power of those words that the Lord puts in me and draws out of me, and it humbles me. It is at these points when I know without a doubt that there is God and that He is everything the Bible says He is. It is a good place to be. The further I got in my own spiritual journey, I find there is nothing I yearn for more than to submit myself humbly before the Lord. To be owned and used by this God provides the greatest compensation of any role I've ever played. Frankly, it's way better than having or doing --- which is what I always thought would be the ideal. This past week I was talking to Pastor J. Don George of Calvary Church in Irving, Texas (http://calvarychurch.cc/our_founding_pastor.php). I used to work for him and learned several things about healthy churches there. Anyway, he'd recently visited with Maude Aimee Humbard. For those of you who don't know her, she is the widow of Rex Humbard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_Humbard) - a popular evangelist of my parents' time. Anyway, Pastor George mentioned his visit with Mrs. Humbard and my mind immediately flashed back to something. When I was in my early teens, I attended a service at Humbard's church, and his wife sang a song. I got a cassette tape of that song and played it over and over again. In fact, my family went camping and I would take that tape with me, listening to it as we drove, before I slept, or just about any other time. I would hear it at least a dozen times a day. Don't ask me why, but I found it to be captivating and almost magnetic and listened to it intently for several months. Now I hadn't thought about Mrs. Humbard or that song in decades. But when Pastor George mentioned Mrs. Humbard's name, that song, its lyrics and music came flooding back to fill my mind. What kind of song would do such a thing? It's called "More About Jesus," by Eliza E. Hewitt (music by John R. Sweney). If you'd like to hear it, go to http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/m/o/morabout.htm. Consider these lyrics that somehow captured a 14-year-old boy's heart many years ago: More About Jesus More about Jesus would I know, More of His grace to others show; More of His saving fullness see, More of His love Who died for me. More, more about Jesus, More, more about Jesus; More of His saving fullness see, More of His love Who died for me. More about Jesus let me learn, More of His holy will discern; Spirit of God, my teacher be, Show the things of Christ to me. (Chorus) More about Jesus; in His Word, Holding communion with my Lord; Hearing His voice in every line, Making each faithful saying mine. (Chorus) More about Jesus; on His throne, Riches in glory all His own; More of His kingdom's sure increase; More of His coming, Prince of Peace. (Chorus) I'm looking at these words today and I am frankly stunned that they could have had such a profound pull on a teen-aged heart. Let's be honest here, I wasn't that spiritual as a teen-ager. But today, these words that were planted in my soul have become nothing less than the true cry of my heart. There is nothing in life that I could want more ... than more about and more of Jesus. Is that the definition of a "man of God?" Is that the thing that the widow saw in Elijah ... a man so firmly connected to God that the miracles and words of God flowed through Him? You know, I often don't feel as if I'm good enough for my own aspirations. Sometimes, as I said, my humanity - and its sinful nature - overwhelms my spirituality. But I can't deny the truth that God has my heart. You've maybe heard it said that someone "has your back." Well, it's even better when the King of the universe has your heart. For it is then that you are truly a man (or woman) of God. And it is then that this amazing God can really speak through you.

Old Relevance

What do you think about the Old Testament in light of the New Testament? I suspect that we often read the New Testament and view that as if it is what really applies most to modern-day Christians. We tend to view the Old Testament as more of a history lesson … powerful, but not so much for modern day living. If that is the case, it’s a sad one.

The Old Testament is just so much more than a collection of historical accounts of what happened in “Bible times” (whatever those times are). For starters, it reveals much about the character and nature of God. The priorities and views of God are laid out for us in explicit detail. If you want to know God, I don’t think there’s a better place to start than at the beginning of His Word.

Perhaps one of the most overlooked facets of the Old Testament is that there are numerous enduring truths in it. In fact, it is chock full of them! They are timeless truths that endure through the ages and through the generations.

What was said centuries ago is just as relevant today as it was then. The 33^rd chapter of Ezekiel, for example, has some profound statements for modern-day application. Let me show you what I mean.

Ezekiel 33:7-9
“I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.”

Think about what God is saying here. He’s speaking to the appointed shepherd (the equivalent of today’s pastor). And God tells this pastor to listen and warn the sheep. It’s not a suggestion either. He says if the shepherd doesn’t warn the sheep – the pastor doesn’t warn the congregation, the blood of their death from sin will be on his (the pastor’s) hands! Pastors should be forewarned. In fact, I think this should be printed on the back of every ordination certificate that gets issued.

Ezekiel 33:11

“'As surely as I live’, declares the Sovereign LORD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways!’”

We’ve always been told that God is not willing that even one should be lost. That has always been true. God will destroy the wicked that do not repent of their sinful ways and turn to Him. But He doesn’t like to have to do it. So it’s an urgent warning, from God, “Don’t make me destroy you!”

Ezekiel 33:12-16

“'The righteousness of the righteous man will not save him when he disobeys, and the wickedness of the wicked man will not cause him to fall when he turns from it.”

Essentially God is confirming a point that most contemporary Christians seem to miss. The point is that no matter how good of a person you are, you won’t be saved because you were “basically a good person.” Similarly, no matter how bad you’ve been, once you turn to God your past cannot condemn you. Again, it’s a message that many of us even today struggle to embrace.

“The righteous man, if he sins, will not be allowed to live because of his former righteousness.' If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but then he trusts in his righteousness and does evil, none of the righteous things he has done will be remembered; he will die for the evil he has done. And if I say to the wicked man, 'You will surely die,' but he then turns away from his sin and does what is just and right - if he gives back what he took in pledge for a loan, returns what he has stolen, follows the decrees that give life, and does no evil, he will surely live; he will not die. None of the sins he has committed will be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he will surely live.”

Here God continues to drive that same point home. No matter how bad you are, there’s always hope --- if you’ll turn from your sinful ways. Similarly, no matter how good you are, you should never trust in your own righteousness. Your own goodness will never be enough to save you. (Any questions?)

Ezekiel 33:18-20

“If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, he will die for it. And if a wicked man turns away from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live by doing so. … I will judge each of you according to his own ways.”

And the point continues. Did you know God could be so verbose to drive home a critical point? By now you might be tempted to think, “Lord, give it a rest! I get your point already!” But do we? Do we get the point? Just how cognizant are we of the fact that we will all face a judgment day with the Lord?

Ezekiel 33:30-33

"As for you, son of man, your countrymen are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, 'Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD.' My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain.”

Oh this one is my favorite part. It’s where God acknowledges that people are drawn to good speakers. They’ll fill the church pews and maybe even the financial coffers of the church. But that doesn’t mean that they’ll put into practice whatever the preacher has preached. Seriously, this was true thousands of years ago. And it is true today. Go figure.

“Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.”

So God continues that point and basically says to the preacher, “Don’t kid yourself. People are drawn to you (and/or your church) because you’re an attraction.” Unfortunately, God was supposed to be the attraction.

We have way too many preachers today who are the drawing card for the church. We have too many programs, good coffee, comfortable seats, etc. that are the drawing cards. Sadly, people aren’t drawn because they seek God and want to know His ways. They hear. They just don’t do.

"When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them."

Finally God acknowledges that when the people are lost – when the judgment day arrives – the truth will be revealed. They will know that a prophet (today’s pastor) was among them. And they will realize that they should have listened to him.

We’ve got thousands of modern day prophets preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus Christ all over the world. Who is listening to them? It is the obligation of the prophet to call the people to repentance. And God intends to hold each prophet accountable for executing his (or her) own calling.

But God also tells us that we aren’t responsible for the sometimes dismal outcome. Rather the prophet is responsible for his obedience. And it may only be at the end of time that his or her true calling as a prophet is recognized by the people he or she was called to lead.

The Old Testament reveals so much about today. And its revelations are such that none of us can afford to miss them.

So, what Old Testament truth is enduring in your life today?

Serving God - NAKED?

Have you ever read things in the Bible that really just make you cringe? Actually there are many things that make me cringe. They range from convition about my sin to the wrath of my God ... and everything in between. But there is one chapter in the Bible that just makes me stand in awe. It is Isaiah 20. Have you ever read that chapter?

I'll paraphrase here, but God told Isaiah, "take off your clothes and sandals," and Isaiah did it, going about naked. (Isaiah 20:1-2)

It's not too onerous yet. God wanted Isaiah naked. No big deal. But read the next part.

Then the Lord said, My servant, Isaiah, has been walking around naked and barefoot for three years. This is a sign, a symbol of the terrible troubles I will bring ... (Isaiah 20:3)

Can you just imagine! Isaiah, one of the greatest prophets to ever walk the face of the earth. Spiritually mature. A follower of God in every way. This was a good man, who dedicated his life to serving God. He already had some pretty nasty work to do. Prophets, by definition, are unpopular and scorned by everyone --- except those who don't know them.

But to make a point, God has Isaiah strip naked and walk around, without even a pair of sandals --- for three years! I don't know about you, but when I think about dedicating my life to God and serving His every whim, examples like this are sobering!

Jesus told us to "count the cost." He said there would be a price to pay for being His chosen people. Do you suppose most of us can have any clue what that means? I suspect that our dear brother Isaiah had a much more acute comprehension of what that means than any of us could ever acquire.

Crossing the Red Sea, almost sacrificing your beloved son, slaying a giant with a sling-shot, having a virgin birth. Quite frankly, I wonder how those things stack up to being made to walk around naked for three years --- just so God can make a point with some sinners.

Frankly, I wonder if I could be strong enough to do it with a glad heart. Let me just go ahead and confess that I think I'd be arguing with God. "Come on, Lord! Why can't you just write in stone tablets? Moses didn't have to run around naked in front of everyone. This isn't fair!"

What is the cost of serving God? What is He asking you and I to do? I don't know about you, but Isaiah 20 helps me put it in perspective. Whatever God asks me to do, I think I will just say, "Yes, sir!" and consider myself fortunate.