The Cost of Unbelief

Readings for today: Proverbs 27-29

There is a cost to unbelief. I know we like to pretend otherwise but there is no neutral territory in this world. One is either enslaved to sin or set free by Christ. One is helpless in the face of their warped desires or one has had their desires transformed by the Holy Spirit. One is either confused and ignorant of the righteousness of God or one is filled with the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord. There are no other options. Not according to Proverbs.

We see this cost on display right now in our country. Proverbs 28:2 says, “When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability.” This is why character matters in our leaders. And not just any character will do. We need godly leaders. Leaders whose hearts have been transformed by the love of Christ and who extend that love out to others. Leaders who actively seek God’s counsel for wisdom and insight on how to tackle the massively complex problems that we are facing. Leaders who are unapologetic when it comes to standing for God’s truth as it is revealed through creation, science, Scripture, and the natural order of things. Leaders who are selfless and generous and honest and have integrity. Leaders who are not driven by the “will to power” but the “will to serve.”

Think of all the problems we face as as society. Political corruption at the highest levels. Social experiments when it comes to gender and sexuality. Astronomically high rates of depression and anxiety and suicidal ideation. Outbreaks of violence that far outpace any other country on earth. Massive rates of incarceration that disproportionately impacts communities of color and/or impoverished communities. An unsustainable, ever-widening gap between rich and poor. Significant rise in hate crimes across the board in almost every social group. And it seems like all our leaders can do is fiddle while Rome burns.

Solomon proposes a different way in the Proverbs. He reminds us of some important truths that could potentially turn the tide if we would submit our ways to God’s way. Listen to some of the examples from our reading today…

Proverbs 27 - He teaches us that anger and wrath and jealousy are all dangerous emotions not to be entertained. He teaches us to be humble rather than proud. He reminds us to plan wisely and take precautions for the future. And he encourages us receive rebukes from a friend as a blessing.

Proverbs 28 - He calls out those who rebel against God’s law. He He warns against corruption and immorality. He especially focuses on those who intentionally pursue evil and teach others to do the same. He reminds us of the danger of wicked people in places of influence and power. He challenges our greed and desire for ill-gotten wealth.

Proverbs 29 - He closes by casting a positive vision for a nation. He lifts up the virtues of humility, godliness, wisdom, justice, righteousness, compassion, discipline, and trusting in the Lord. Blessed is the nation led by leaders who treasure such things! Blessed are the communities whose people embrace such values.

Yesterday, the church I lead had the opportunity to bless our town. Each year we are invited to hold a worship service on the main stage of the main event of the year. The Parker Days Festival draws thousands from all over our state each year and the funds collected are essential for the operation of our local Chamber of Commerce. It is such a blessing to be asked to serve our town in this unique way and it’s something we don’t take for granted. As we worshipped, we prayed for our town and our leaders and the people in our community. We asked God to pour out His Spirit and draw us to Christ. We asked God to bring everyone to saving faith in His Son so our town might be blessed and thrive and flourish under His sovereign Lordship. Finally, we challenged each other to put into practice a lot of what Solomon has to say with the hope that as more and more people come to know Christ, the price we have to pay for unbelief in our community will go down. Make it so, Lord Jesus, make it so for the sake of your great Name and your great Glory!

Readings for tomorrow: Ecclesiastes 1-6

Good Leadership

Readings for today: Proverbs 21-24

What makes for good leadership? What’s the most important characteristic a good leader can cultivate? How should those of us who live under the authority of leaders, whether it be in the political or economic or educational or religious spheres, pray for them? How should we be interceding on their behalf before the Lord?

The most important quality of a good leader is humility. They are simply an instrument in God’s hands. They are a tool in God’s toolbox. As Proverbs 21:1 puts it in our reading today, “Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God.” Just as a stream doesn’t chart it’s own course but follows the contours of the land, so we are not the captains of our own destinies nor are we the masters of our own fates. There is so much beyond our control. So much going on in the world that we have little influence over. So much going on beneath the surface of even our own bodies that remains a mystery.

How many leaders get drunk on power? How many leaders abuse their position and authority? How many leaders exploit their resources? Sure, there are the easily identified examples. People who break the law or do horrible things. Their names are legion. Madoff. Epstein. Weinstein. Zacharias. Driscoll. The religious leaders who sexually abuse women and children. But what about the examples that are far more subtle? The ones that fly under the radar? What about someone like me? I am a leader in my home. How do my wife and children experience my leadership? I am a leader in my church. How those I work with, and among, experience my leadership? I am a leader in my denomination. How do my colleagues experience my leadership? Would any of them say Doug’s leadership is a “channel of water controlled by God?” Would any of them characterize me as a humble leader? I hope so.

Humility is not thinking more highly of oneself than one ought, nor thinking less of oneself than one ought. It’s simply thinking of oneself less. This is what it means to submit in humility to God. To let Him control the “channels” of your life. To let Him guide and direct your steps. It means never promoting oneself. Never protecting oneself. Never serving oneself. It means being content to labor in obscurity. Embrace anonymity. And pursue insignificance. It means taking the lowest place at the Master’s table, letting Him raise you up in His time and according to His will. It means letting God “direct your life to whatever ends He chooses.”

Readings for tomorrow: 1 Kings 5-6, 2 Chronicles 2-3

Fact Check

Readings for today: Proverbs 17-20

The truth is almost impossible to discern these days. Every news story has an angle. Every commentator has an agenda. Every social media post has a slant. All of them designed for a particular audience. Just about every day, I scan the headlines of the BBC, CNN, and FoxNews. Sometimes I add in MSNBC as well. I read the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. I scroll through Twitter where I intentionally follow a diverse group of people from across the social, political, and religious spectrum. And while my sample size isn’t all that big, it’s also not small and the thing I’ve learned over the years is never take anything at face value. Make sure you try to listen and understand all the perspectives in play on a particular issue before you draw any conclusions. Where did I learn this from? King Solomon. Listen to how he puts it,

“The first speech in a court case is always convincing— until the cross-examination starts!” (Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭17‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

We have a tendency to believe the first thing we hear especially if it comes from a member of our tribe. We have a tendency to rush to judgment especially if it involves the member of a different tribe. Democrats accuse Republicans and Republicans accuse Democrats. Conservatives accuse Progressives and Progressives accuse Conservatives. Evangelicals accuse Exvangelicals and Exvangelicals accuse Evangelicals. Blacks accuse Whites and Whites accuse Blacks. Gays accuse Straights and Straights accuse Gays. The list is almost endless. Each side assuming the worst of the other. Each side only considering the evidence that fits their particular narrative. Each side accusing the other of operating in bad faith. It’s a brutal, vicious cycle that can only end one way. The complete and total destruction of the “other.” It’s why we see violence and hatred and outrage ratcheting up to dangerous levels. Because there can be no compromise with the enemy. The only righteous and just thing to do is destroy them.

The one who first states their case always seems so right until we get to hear the other side. As Christians, we are called to discern the truth. We must reject falsehoods or half-truths of any kind. We are not given the option to embrace that which supports our own personal tribal narrative. And we never operate in an underhanded, manipulative, deceitful way. We walk in the light as children of the light. We walk with complete honesty and transparency before the Lord and before the world. We listen before we speak. We make a complete investigation before we draw any conclusions. We never assume. And we always try to engage in good faith and with the best intentions. As of the writing of this blog, some 63% of Americans identity as Christians. That’s approximately 210 million people. Imagine the impact we could make if we would simply commit to follow Solomon’s advice from the Proverbs? Imagine how the spheres of politics, media, and mass culture would change if we would commit ourselves to seek the truth and speak the truth all in love?

Readings for tomorrow: None

Plans

Readings for today: Proverbs 13-16

“Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good; God probes for what is good.”

“Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place.”

“We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it.” (Proverbs‬ ‭16:2-3, 9‬ MSG)‬‬‬

A dear mentor of mine once gave me the best advice. “Doug”, he said, “I want you to remember something as you go to Wisconsin. You are not going to plant a church. You are going to get involved in what God is doing. Whatever church comes out of it will simply be a byproduct of you joining the Lord in His work in your city. Don’t ever forget this!” Unfortunately, that’s exactly what I did. My mentor was trying to keep me from making a massive mistake. He was trying to keep me from putting the cart before the horse. From putting my plans in front of God’s plan for my life. But in my arrogance and pride, I thought I had it figured out. My way was pure in my eyes. How could it get any more pure than planting a church for Jesus? My heart had already put together a plan but I failed to grasp that it would be the Lord who would establish my steps.

It is so easy for us to fall into this trap. To assume that because we are doing God’s work or engaged in ministry or taking care of our families or having success or because everything we touch is turning to gold on some level that God must be pleased. So we make more plans. We dream more dreams. We keep doing our thing and pretty soon, we forget all about God. We rarely consult Him. We rarely ask Him what He thinks. We rarely bring our plans before the Lord in prayer. And then disaster strikes. The market goes south. We run into roadblocks. We experience failure. And we cry out to God…what happened? Why me? What went wrong?

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who labor, labor in vain. Unless the Lord establishes our steps, we will stumble and fall. Unless the Lord has commissioned our work, it will fall apart. Unless the Lord is with us, our ways can never be pure. So how do we surrender our will to God? How can we live in such a way that allows God to direct our steps? When I was in Wisconsin, I picked back up a practice I had not done in years. It’s called the daily examen. It’s the simple practice of bringing the details of our day before the Lord each morning and night. Every morning when we wake up, we take our schedule of activities to God in prayer. We pay close attention to our hearts as we do. What makes us anxious today? What brings us peace? What are we excited about? Who are we energized to see? Who drains us just thinking about them? Why? What is the source of our fear? As we bring those things to God, we ask Him to make us aware of His abiding presence. We ask Him for wisdom to guide our conversations. Insight so we might know the next step to take. We ask Him to show us those things that lead to consolation and peace while also revealing to us those things that lead to desolation and pain. And then at the end of each day, we repeat the exercise as we look back. What went well? What was hard? Where did God make Himself known? What did God say along the way? Where did we sense God’s abiding presence? Where did He feel absent? Why? What did we learn? It doesn’t take that long and yet it can make a huge difference in helping us understand the difference between asking God for His plan or asking God to bless our plan for our lives.

Readings for tomorrow: Proverbs 17-20

Integrity of the Godly Life

Readings for today: Proverbs 9-12

“Worry weighs us down; a cheerful word picks us up.” (Prov. ‭12:25‬ MSG)‬‬‬

I know so many who struggle with crippling anxiety. They are young. They are old. They are men. They are women. They come from all different backgrounds. No one is immune. Many studies have been done attempting to pinpoint the source but the reality is there are a multiplicity of factors involved. Isolation. Despite tools like social media, people feel more disconnected than ever. Fewer and fewer report having a good friend. Someone they can call at 2AM if they have a need. This feeling of isolation leads to busyness as people fill up their schedules with all kinds of activities, longing to connect. But the opposite happens. The busier we become, the harder it is for us to connect and the more isolated we feel. Add to this all the stress we carry from our jobs, families, health, finances, etc. It’s actually not hard to see why we are so anxious.

Anxiety in a person’s heart does indeed weight them down. Saps them of their strength. Wears them out. Impacts their physical health. Their mental acuity. Their emotional stability. It hits every system in the body until we are debilitated. Unable to function on some level. So what’s the answer? Walking in integrity. “Honesty lives confident and carefree, but Shifty is sure to be exposed.” (Prov. ‭10:9‬ MSG) Now, at first blush, that may seem strange. Doesn’t integrity have to do with honesty? Are you suggesting if we just tell the truth, we’ll all be okay? Certainly that’s part of it. But integrity has a deeper meaning as well. Just as buildings have a “structural integrity” so do human beings. Strong lives are built on strong foundations. They are built on strong, godly habits that keep us secure. When we walk in integrity with the Lord, He becomes our stronghold. Our refuge. Our fortress. And we are able to put aside all anxious thoughts. When we make Christ the foundation of our life. When we build our daily lives around godly rhythms. Christ promises we will experience a peace that passes all understanding. ‬‬‬

So what are those godly rhythms? What does it mean to live with integrity before the Lord? It starts with humility. Humble submission to Christ. Surrendering to His Lordship over our lives. On this foundation, we layer daily prayer and reflection in the Scriptures. We layer in weekly worship with our church family. We layer in regular intentional time with a few Christian friends. It could be a mentor. A Bible study. A small group. And finally, we look for a place to serve our Lord. To give ourselves away for the sake of His Kingdom. These four spiritual practices become the four walls of a spiritual house that is strong and firm and secure because it is built in the Lord.

Readings for tomorrow: Proverbs 13-16

Made for Work

Readings for today: Proverbs 5-8

Human beings are made in God’s image and, as such, are made to work. When God created the heavens and the earth, He worked for six days and rested on the seventh, enshrining a sacred rhythm to life that we ignore to our own peril. When God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in a garden to work and to keep it. When God gave human beings their first command, it was to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and exercise dominion over all He has made.

After the Fall, our relationship with work became corrupt. First of all, work became incredibly difficult. The ground began to fight us. Creation went to war with us and resisted our efforts to tame her. This makes sense, of course, because our concept of “dominion” now became exploitative and tyrannical rather than symbiotic and harmonious. Second, work became an idol. So did rest. So some in our world never seem to stop working and others in our world never want to work at all. Some in our world love their work too much and others in our world see it as a necessary evil. Some in our world would choose to work while others would choose to never lift a hand.

This is why I love what Solomon has to say about work in today’s reading. “You lazy fool, look at an ant. Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two. Nobody has to tell it what to do. All summer it stores up food; at harvest it stockpiles provisions. So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing? How long before you get out of bed? A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, poverty your permanent houseguest!” (Proverbs‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬-‭11‬ ‭MSG‬‬) The ant doesn’t need direction. It doesn’t need anyone to tell it what to do. It is discerning enough to gather food in the right season and store it for the days when food will be scarce. It knows when to rise and when to sleep. It knows when to work and to rest. It doesn’t grow slothful or lazy. It recognizes that the welfare of the entire community is dependent to some extent on its work.

Over the years, I have counseled men and women on both sides of the equation when it came to work. For some, I have counseled them to slow down. To take a Sabbath. To make sure they have one day out of every seven to rest and worship and spend time with those they love doing the things they love. For others, I have counseled them to ramp up. To work harder. To stop trying to get by on the least amount of work possible but instead dedicate themselves to the work God has put in front of them so they can not only live a rich and full life themselves but they can bless others.

Culturally, we have a problem with work. Either we work too much or we work too little. Either we never turn it off or we are doing our best to get as many days off as possible. Either we never stop working or we try to retire as quickly as possible. Both of these betray God’s original design and lead only to heartbreak and pain. God’s command is clear. Six days shall you work and the seventh day you shall rest. Work as though you are working for the Lord rather than for yourself. Labor while you have strength in the right season and store up resources for yourself and those you love for when the seasons change and your strength fades. Commit yourself to God’s original mandate to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and be a good steward over all He has entrusted into your hands.

Readings for tomorrow: Proverbs 9-12

In Case of Emergency

Readings for today: Proverbs 1-4

So many people treat God like the fire hose in the wall at the office. “Just break glass in case of emergency.” We’re not really interested in a relationship with God. We’re not really interested in walking with God. We’re not really interested in having God as a part of our lives. But when things go wrong or significant mistakes are made or terribly tragic things happen, we not only expect Him to show up, we demand it. The problem is God doesn’t work that way. You can’t keep Him under glass. You can’t ignore Him until you need Him. You can’t even find Him if you’ve never truly sought Him. And none of this is God’s fault. It’s our senses that have dulled. It’s our sense of direction that is skewed. It’s our lack of intentionality in nurturing a relationship with God that comes back to bite us.

This is the message from Solomon today as he opens up the Book of Proverbs. “Because you hated Knowledge and had nothing to do with the Fear-of-God, Because you wouldn’t take my advice and brushed aside all my offers to train you, Well, you’ve made your bed—now lie in it; you wanted your own way—now, how do you like it? Don’t you see what happens, you simpletons, you idiots? Carelessness kills; complacency is murder. First pay attention to me, and then relax. Now you can take it easy—you’re in good hands.” (Proverbs‬ ‭1‬:‭29‬-‭33‬ ‭MSG‬‬) We talk a lot in my family with our kids about logical consequences. How the decisions we make or don’t make often come back to haunt us. I think of my daughter who decided to work only 20 hours a week one summer while in college. She had just enough to pay the bills but then an emergency came along and she was behind the eight ball. We had a hard conversation about why she rejected my advice to work forty hours so she could build a cushion. I think of my son who decided to ignore the oil light in his car. Instead of taking it in to get checked out, he kept driving it. Of course the engine seized up on him and left him stranded. Not only that but he still had payments to make on his loan. He was shocked when he found out those payments were still due! We’ve all experienced these things in our lives and the same is true when it comes to our relationship with God. If we listen to Him and learn from Him, we can relax. We can rest. We can have confidence we’re in good hands. If we choose to ignore Him or dismiss Him or reject Him, we will find ourselves feeling all alone when trouble comes.

This is why Solomon encourages us to cling to wisdom. He encourages us to make knowledge of God our close companion. He knows what it’s like to walk with God and sadly, he will find out what it’s like to not walk with God. Here are his words again from Proverbs 2:9-13, “So now you can pick out what’s true and fair, find all the good trails! Lady Wisdom will be your close friend, and Brother Knowledge your pleasant companion. Good Sense will scout ahead for danger, Insight will keep an eye out for you. They’ll keep you from making wrong turns, or following the bad directions.” Today, make it your aim to walk with God. Today, make it your goal to cultivate a greater awareness of His presence. Today, when given the choice, follow His ways and watch what happens in your life.

Readings for tomorrow: Proverbs 5-8