Chapter 18
HIS WAYS FOR YOUR WAYS
Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.
HEBREWS 3:10 NIV
168 Checking the Foundation
Drink-spilling during meals was a Selcher brothers’ tradition in the 1950s. Our kitchen floor wasn’t level. The flow predictably whooshed toward my father, who sat at the south end of the table.
Fortunately, he’d quickly use the vinyl table covering as a dam. He blocked the spilling wave as it cascaded southeast toward the floor.
Our kitchen floor wasn’t level because the foundation under it wasn’t. Spilled drinks in our kitchen still flow southeast today.
If the foundation is wrong, the rest of the house won’t be right. The foundation on which you build matters. Is it trustworthy? Is it square?
In America, you can choose many foundations that aren’t square. The cement blocks that compose them include money, education, religion, eating for pleasure, politics, sports, alcohol, partying, relationships with others, and entertainment.
They can’t support a meaningful or satisfying life. Then he [Jesus] said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life doesn’t consist in an abundance of possessions" (Luke 12:15 NIV). Possessions can’t fill the empty place in your heart.
The one square, trustworthy foundation to build on is obeying God. “Be careful to follow every command I’m giving you today, so that you may [really] live and increase and may enter and possess the land the LORD promised on oath to your ancestors” (Deuteronomy 8:1 NIV, emphasis in brackets mine).
If life doesn’t feel square, check your foundation. Knowing what the Bible says isn’t a trustworthy, square foundation. Obeying it is.
Why is knowing what God says no substitute for obeying what God says today? Read Galatians 6.
169 Sort of Following Jesus
A television show described the behavior of polar bears. It showed a hormone-driven male in a hurry to pass on his genetic material.
With the best sense of smell of all animals, he detected a female’s tracks in the snow. He followed them. He put each of his paws where her paws had been. He eventually found her.
I’m guessing the videographer was the best man at the wedding! Before long, the male and female went their separate ways. He was no more committed to her than a Clydesdale horse is to a horsefly.
Watching him walk in those tracks got me thinking about following Jesus. You begin your spiritual journey passionately walking in Jesus’ tracks.
As time passes, you tend to lose enthusiasm and focus. You easily forget all He’s done for you and what you owe Him.
Trivial things replace Him. They deceivingly seem to radiate with a supernatural glow.
You channel your wholehearted devotion elsewhere. Your defining passion becomes something other than Jesus.
God isn’t content with half-hearted commitment. Wholehearted devotion is the fragrance of love. That’s what He wants!
“Sort of” following reveals a lack of trust in and respect for God (Numbers 14). Why do you wander away?
Male polar bears are independent creatures. They do what they want when they want, and where they want.
That describes the “hormonal drive” of your self-seeking nature. Every day is the best day to decide to follow Jesus.
In wedding vows, no bride wants to hear “sort of” instead of “I do.” God doesn’t either!
In what ways are you “sort of” following Jesus? How will you change that?
Read Ephesians 1.
170 Are You Following Jesus?
My father died in 2015. When I was growing up, he was the boss. My disobedience brought predictable unpleasantness.
We all ate what was served without comment. I learned from him how to tend the family garden and sell homegrown celery and strawberries.
I learned to drive a car his way. I admired, respected, and feared him. He taught me how to think and behave.
I wanted to be like him. His values are mine. I’m his disciple.
Similarly, following Jesus means He’s the boss and you imitate Him. You do what He says and does.
His values are yours. Disobedience brings the predictable unpleasantness of His discipline (Proverbs 3:12, Hebrews 12:6).
Following Jesus means, as He did, you deny your desires so you can love God and others (Luke 9:23). You serve God instead of material things (Matthew 6:24, 19:21).
You serve others sacrificially (Mark 10:45). You fish for people (Matthew 4:19). You care for His followers (John 21:17).
You don’t live in the darkness but in the light of life (John 8:12). You live shrewdly and innocently (Matthew 10:16). You’re clothed with power from on high to live on earth (Luke 24:49).
As the Father sent Jesus, He sends you (John 20:21). As Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1), so must you be (Ephesians 5:18).
His joy was Holy Spirit generated (Luke 10:21), and so is yours (Galatians 5:22). Jesus-like love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control characterize your life as the Holy Spirit empowers you (Galatians 5:22–23).
“It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters….” (Matthew 10:25 NIV). Following Jesus inevitably results in becoming more like Him.
In what ways is your life more Jesus-like than it was a year ago?
Read Ephesians 2.
171 Thumbs up from God
About 55–60 years ago while we worked on my uncle’s farm, my dad sometimes flashed hand signals. He used them to direct my brothers and me from a distance.
We had a better chance of winning the lottery (even though it didn’t yet exist) than correctly interpreting those signals. Our collective denseness didn’t make him happy. A thumbs-up was never one of his signals!
God’s “hand” summarizes how He relates to us. Generally, His hand is either heavy on or gracious toward us (thumbs-down or thumbs-up).
It’s not random. It’s conditional on our receptiveness to Him. The Philistines experienced God’s heavy hand because they took the Ark of the Covenant from Israel (1 Samuel 5:7, 5:11, and 6:5).
The LORD stretches out His hand in judgment against those who reject His ways (Isaiah 31:3). God’s eternal thumbs-down goes to those who unrepentantly rebel against Him.
Hebrews 10:31 ( NIV) spells out the fearful consequences of that settled choice: “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Those who steadfastly refuse to receive God’s provision for their sin (Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection in their place), will experience God’s heavy hand of judgment forever.
On the other hand, God blesses what the obedient put their hand to (Deuteronomy 12:7, 18; 14:29; 15:10, 18; 16:15; 23:20; 24:19; 28:8 and 30:9).
His gracious hand was on obedient Ezra (Ezra 7:6, 9, 28) and Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2:8, 18). It’s on everyone who looks to Him (Ezra 8:22).
Faith and obedience or unbelief and disobedience—it’s our choice. Accordingly, God’s response is either thumbs-up or thumbs-down. It’s much easier to understand than my dad’s hand signals.
Imagine the joy of getting a thumbs-up from God at the end of today!
What do you need to do to receive it? Read Ephesians 3.
172 Time Travel
History marches to the drumbeat of God’s timing. Life is most fulfilling when you do too.
God is in control of what happens and when. The timing of events is purposeful.
Jesus died for the ungodly at just the right time (Romans 5:6). Jesus said, “My time is not yet here” (John 7:6 NIV). The Father would take Him up into heaven at an appointed time (Luke 9:51).
How can you march in step with God’s timing as you relate to your past, present, and future? How can you maximize your positive influence during your brief hike down life’s path?
You must learn from your past without its failures and regrets paralyzing you. A personal failure taught me people are a higher priority than my projects. I changed my priorities. I moved on. I want to learn from the past, but not camp there.
Remembering God’s past faithfulness fortifies you to live fearlessly in the present. God told Israel to remember the time of their departure from Egypt all the days of their lives (Deuteronomy 16:3). They were to remember His love, power, and faithfulness.
When the gales of worry assail, you can escape their gusts in Him who is your refuge and strength in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). “He will be a sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; The fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure” (Isaiah 33:6 NIV). If you fear Him, you don’t need to fear anything else.
Your priorities in a God-centered present are to love Him with all your being, to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37–38), and to love other believers as Jesus has loved you (John 13:34–35). As you seek His kingdom and righteousness first, He provides everything you need (Matthew 6:33).
He blesses you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all you need, you will abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8). Doing good works is part of your job description.
You can’t do that well if you adopt and get cozy with the values of your culture. “Live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear” (1 Peter 1:17 NIV).
Watching the ball during a drive helps golfers hit it far and straight. Focusing on loving and serving God today prepares you to love and serve Him even more tomorrow. It keeps you on the straight and narrow path.
A key time travel question is, “What decision should I make or what action should I take now that would be best for the distant future?”
To harvest zucchini a month from now, I must protect the plant from stem borers today even though I’m tired. What’s best for tomorrow is usually not what’s the easiest today.
How could consistently asking and answering, “What is best for the long haul?” help you make wise decisions? Read Ephesians 4.
173 LED Living
The world is incredibly interconnected. Today’s choices and actions affect others near and far. Littering is convenient. But it creates a mess for someone else to clean up.
Clearing the Amazon rainforest for farmland and pastures makes billions of people breathe less easily and sweat more profusely.
Flushing medications down the toilet pollutes someone else’s drinking water.
Excessively fertilizing crops in Ohio creates algae blooms on Lake Erie.
On the other hand, supporting a child in Haiti significantly improves that child’s health and future.
Sending a Christmas Child shoebox brings a smile and an unforgettable day to a child.
Volunteering at a food bank helps feed the hungry. LED living maximizes your positive impact on others. So, what is it?
An LED bulb lasts fifty times longer and is 90 percent more efficient than an incandescent bulb. The latter releases 90 percent of the energy it consumes as heat.1
While consuming little electricity, LEDs produce light for a very long time. LED living is minimizing consumption while maximizing giving.
That’s how Jesus lived! He could have dwelt in a king’s palace. But He had “no place to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20 NIV). He didn’t come to earth for others to serve Him. He came to serve and to sacrifice His life for you (Mark 10:45).
The Apostle Paul described himself as “poor but making many rich” (2 Corinthians 6:10 NIV).
LED living is living simply. It’s humbly considering and acting on what’s best for others, not just what’s best for you (Philippians 2:3–4). Living on less allows you to give more over the long haul.
How could LED living bring more joy to you and others?
Read Ephesians 5.
174 Payback Snapback
Payback is an angry, automatic revenge reaction toward those who’ve hurt you. It’s doing to them what they’ve done to you. But revenge snaps back at you.
Arthur was mad. I stole the basketball from him two or three times. It happened during a middle school pickup basketball game during a school lunch break.
Eight feet away, he whipped the ball at me hard. I didn’t expect it. I didn’t react at all. The ball hit my knee. It bounced back to hit Arthur squarely in the face. That’s how payback snapback often works.
Not only that, but revenge is also hazardous to your health! Emotional and physical reactions after committing an act of vengeance often include negative moods and depression, increasing psychosomatic illnesses, greater stress, and decreased heart health.1
Counter-revenge attacks often follow. The person exacting revenge thinks the act was fair considering the offense. The one who was attacked thinks it was way over the top.
Without forgiveness, the cycle of revenge and counter-revenge continues unabated. Present-day examples include the relationships between the Israelis and Palestinians and the Shi’ites and Sunnis.
Samson and the Philistines played the revenge and counter-revenge game. Both defended their vengeance as doing to the other what the other had done to them (Judges 15:10–11). Samson died for it as did thousands of Philistines.
Revenge isn’t God’s way. “Don’t take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19 NIV).
When I was a kid, I shot a BB gun at a can about forty feet away. One BB bounced back and struck my forehead. Payback snaps back!
When has payback snapped back in your life? What have you learned from that? Read Ephesians 6.
175 How to be Remembered
When you’re dead and gone, what will people remember about you? It might not be what you think.
My brother, Sam, has been an excellent dentist for many years. Recently, a friend told me a story about him. My friend’s wife had a dental appointment with my brother twenty-plus years ago. She had to drive about ten miles to get to his office.
She discovered her cat had made the journey with her when she arrived. It was under the hood of the car. My brother interrupted his dentistry to rescue the cat. When she was in emotional distress, my brother helped her.
My friend didn’t tell me a story about my brother’s dental expertise. He remembered an act of unexpected kindness. It happened during an emotionally challenging time for his wife.
When you help others during their emotional thunderstorms, they won’t forget you.
My brother has done a wonderful job caring for my teeth since I was in my twenties. What I remember most, however, are when I’ve had plumbing or other emergencies, and he was there to help.
I saw the same truth in my pastoral ministry. I’ve spent more than 15,000 hours preparing and delivering sermons. Congregations don’t remember the details of any of them.
But they never forget the 30 minutes I spent with them in the intensive care unit. They recall my presence in their hospital room. People don’t forget your acts of unexpected kindness during an emotional crisis.
Even more importantly, God remembers them. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me’ … The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’” (Matthew 25:34–36, 40 NIV).
If you want people and God to remember you, you know what to do!
What will you do today that others will remember? Read Philippians 1.
176 How to Make a Difference Tomorrow
In the summer of 2018, I harvested enough green beans to supply our family with fifty-two meals. Rewind twenty-three years.
What’s now a garden was then a “lawn.” Appropriately, Weed Eater made my mower. The yard was mostly weeds!
About 1997, I dug up part of the yard. I began improving the soil’s fertility with organic matter. I removed more than one thousand pounds of quartz rocks.
Over twenty years I created an eight-hundred-square-foot garden. Today’s work can make a difference tomorrow.
God makes grass, weeds, and beans grow. That’s way above your pay grade.
In 1996 God was growing grass and weeds. I had no green beans in the freezer. Why? I didn’t do my part. I didn’t plant beans! Even if I had, it wasn’t an environment where beans could thrive.
You harvest what you plant (Galatians 6:7), but not immediately. The harvest is greatest if you provide a nurturing environment.
God can produce a harvest tomorrow from today’s loving words and deeds. But only if you sow them! It’s work!
“Let go and let God!” “God helps those who help themselves!” These two statements confusingly point in opposite directions. I’ve heard people say both of them. The Bible’s pages contain neither.
So, plant seeds and trust God to make them grow. Make a difference tomorrow by working today. Labor as if everything depends on you. Pray as if everything depends on God.
To reap a harvest tomorrow, what do you need to do today?
Read Philippians 2.
177 Heaven on Earth
Homer was born in 1920. His mental sharpness was far above the typical male his age. I’ve heard him explain why he believes in Jesus’ teachings. He says that if everyone lived according to them, we’d experience heaven on earth.
Well, human existence is anything but heaven on earth. So, what’s clogging the pipes? Why aren’t love, joy, peace, and truth universal?
The clogging agent is a greasy, sticky accumulation of billions of “I am” people. They’re trying to dethrone the One who identified himself as I Am (Exodus 3:14).
In other words, most of the problems in every generation stem from dependent human beings living their way. They function as if they weren’t accountable to their Creator. It happens in the church too.
You can usually get away with short-term self-interest without apparent consequences. You can thumb your nose at the God of the Universe. He seems not to notice. No immediate lightning strike from heaven zaps you.
God could’ve created a world where He metes out immediate justice for disobedience. He didn’t. He wants you to obey Him because you love Him (John 14:15). Not because you fear immediate punishment.
This freedom to love Him, however, has pipe-clogging possibilities. “When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people's hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong (Ecclesiastes 8:11 NIV).
It happened in the southern kingdom of Judah more than 2,500 years ago. “From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again, saying, ‘Obey me.’ But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep’” (Jeremiah 11:7–8 NIV).
Long-term, following the whims and stubbornness of your evil heart, brings painful consequences. They’re all out of proportion to the joys of your imagined independence.
Heaven on earth requires you to do something. A down payment of what will someday be universal love, joy, peace, and truth depends on living God’s way, not your own.
What do you find most difficult about listening and paying attention to God? Read Philippians 3.
178 What’s Your Secret?
I was working in my yard near the road. A car stopped on the far side of it about twenty-five feet away. A man I didn’t know put his window down. He complimented me on the appearance of my garden, which is close to the road. He asked, “What is your secret?”
I shrugged my shoulders. I didn’t know what to tell him. After he’d left, I thought about it. I concluded that if I had to pick just one thing it would be Miracle-Gro.
That’s far from the whole story. A plumber, carpenter, or doctor couldn’t identify one secret for success. Training and experience have stocked their toolboxes with dozens of tricks of the trade.
About a month after the garden inquiry, I went to a church as a guest preacher. The worship leader asked how old I was. He then guessed. He underestimated my age by about ten years.
When I told him my age, he asked, “What is your secret?” I responded that one must choose parents wisely. I was jokingly referring to the influence of heredity. I told him my father lived to 102 and his mother to 103.
Of course, aging is more complicated than just heredity. Diet, exercise, proper rest, and other elements also play a part. People long for single secret simplicity. But life is more complex than that.
Following Jesus has no easy button. I’d summarize it with the words of an old hymn. You must trust and obey Jesus. The question is, “How do you do that?”
Strong, fast, quick, and coordinated natural athletes excel effortlessly in sports. Natural artists can draw what they see. People like me draw stick figures of people.
You’re a natural sinner (Romans 7:14–20), not a natural Christian. Following Jesus is hard for all of us. It requires self-denial (Luke 9:23).
It includes learning a new way of life (Ephesians 2:1–4). It involves obedience (John 14:15), discipline (1 Corinthians 9:24), perseverance (James 1:12), and much more. I can’t answer all possible following Jesus questions. What I’ve learned about following Him over 50 years I have written in the resources on this website. I invite you to check it out.
What makes following Jesus hard for you? Read Philippians 4.