Turning Down $12 Million

Gil Meche turned down $12 million dollars last week, for one simple reason.  He said he doesn't deserve it.  A pitcher for the Kansas City Royals, he finished out last season 0-5, and his career with the Royals is 29-39 games.  When asked why he made his choice, he said, “When I signed my contract, my main goal was to earn it.”

I find with rewards, we have two equally wrong attitudes with God.  We either feel we deserve whatever we can get from God or we shouldn't receive anything at all.  Sometimes the attitude is one of living our lives however we choose, then wondering why God doesn't bless us in every way.  In Jeremiah 7, God equates this to being a robber.   We take what isn't earned through deeds or relationship and expect the rewards of knowing God to be ours.

Sometimes we try to earn what God has for us.  This is an equally frustrating attitude.  Like Meche, we pitch less than average with God's standards.  The ball falls short of home plate.  If we wait for receive God's blessings until we deserve them, we will never have them.  So what can we do?

Its a mistake to expect God's treasures and demand them.  It is also a mistake to try to earn them.  There is no way to merit God's favor.  Your place on the team is guaranteed by God who paid the price for what you receive on the Cross.  You can't earn what Christ has bought for you nor can you demand what Christ freely gives.  It can only be had through relationship.  When you believe, accept what Jesus has done for you, the riches of Christ become your inheritance.

You don't need to rob God nor do you have to turn down what He offers.  He gives you a better country, a home which can never been taken away.  You need to find what He gives through your relationship with Him.   We need to think of our heavenly country as Meche does of his home state. He says, "Everywhere I’ve been in the country, for some reason, this is the place I can’t get away from.”

Kings in Disguise

     

 In the 8^th century, caliphs in Arabia would don disguises and take to the streets they ruled.  Unsuspecting people would find themselves in a sudden faceoff with the justice of their king or an unexpected touch of his grace.  In an act of historical imitation, King Abdullah II of Jordan is known for his collection of fake beards, curly wigs, and colorful costumes.  He has filed tax returns, walked among vendors, and sampled life from a different view while in disguise.  Once he pulled up in a rental car with a video camera and interviewed people as a TV correspondent.  He has appeared as an old man signing up for health care.  Looking for the King has become almost like a search for appearances of Elvis in Jordan.

     I’ve met people who think of God as a King Abdullah.  Not with God disguising himself as people, but through circumstances.  However, it is never the surprise of grace they are looking for.  People wait for God to appear to rap their knuckles, take away their joy, and bring them misery.   They expect God to draw of His mask and be a terrifying lion and never a gentle lamb.  Others see only a God of mercy, who hold no one to accountability and overlooks every transgression, while opening loving arms as.   He is never a lion and always a lamb.

     God finds disguises unnecessary.  He declares He is everywhere. We’re the ones who place the Grocho Marx glasses on Him and hope we can forget He is there.  As to His character, He is both the Lion and the Lamb.  He is the King.  He is the Savior.  Never is He one over the other.  He holds you accountable and asks you to follow Him.  And when we fall short of the expectations of the King,  He points you to the cross and price paid. 

And so tremble at the fact your salvation was bought by the Lion who is also the Lamb.

Ducks

     Monday night, I found myself inside a take 'n bake pizza store.  I had called my order in and the person told me it would be a wait because of how behind they were.  I waited awhile before going in only to find no other customers there.  Surprised it was a ghost town, I was about to mention how on the phone they told me they were super busy when the young lady at the counter looked excited and said, "What's the score?"
     I glanced behind me to see who had followed me in the store, but there was no one.  "Score?" I said.
     "Yes, the game....?" She said this as if it was the most obvious thing in the world to know.  "You are watching it?"
     "Ummm...no," I said.
     "Oh.  Here's your order, thanks for coming."
     I felt out of it.  I asked the two teens in my truck what sporting event was taking place and they gave the same look as the pizza clerk, sighed and told me it was the College Championship Football game.  Without my knowledge, Oregon and Auburn were locked in a tight contest, which would end only in the finally seconds with a field goal from Auburn.
     I can see those reading this shaking your heads at my football ignorance.   But I wonder if you realize how many contests are in fierce battles around you and the competition and score are out of your sight.
     A couple in a garden once had a friendly conversation with a snake.  A discussion of theology led to an open mindedness, a snack, and the world was changed.  It took awhile for them to realize there was a game and the score didn't end in their favor.
     Spiritual battles surround us, ignored, unseen, and often we are contestants who are unaware of our own participation in the fray.   The Apostle Peter gives this advice "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." (1 Peter 5:8-9)  Know what is happening around you.
     And for all my friends who are Duck fans.  I did read all about the game.  Does that count?
     

Dear Christina...

     Once again the sinfulness of people has touched a child.  The hearts of many are poured out towards you and your family who have lost you much too early.  I find it upsetting to know now your service is  the target of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka.  This group, which is neither Baptist or a true church, chooses to gain attention by waging hateful protests at funerals of soldiers and now wants to do the same as your 9 years on earth are remembered by those who love you.
     I wonder how a man claiming to be a pastor and committed to the Word of God can so quickly pass over verses which call him to mourn with those who mourn.  And while you are no enemy of him, even if he so chooses to think this way, he is commanded to love his enemies.
     Christin Gilmer embodies a spirit of compassion I admire. She is organizing "angel action" for your service.  First envisioned by Colorado resident Romaine Patterson, Gilmer plans to have people wear 8x10 angels wings and surround your friends and families so they may focus on you, rather than the protests of faux Christians.  When I last read, 42 people had volunteered on Facebook to build wings for you.  Your community is donating the money and materials for the wings.
     As I read your story I'm reminded of a poet who tended to his son, badly wounded in the Civil War.  He wrote, "In despair, I bowed my head.  'There is no peace on earth' I said." But as he reflected on the greatness of God he remembered, "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep.  The wrong will fail; the right prevail, with peace on earth, goodwill towards men.
   May the celebration of your life be remembered in light of the gracious God who remembers each of us; who understands the loss of a child, because He gave His only Son.  May His people rise up and stand for truth in a way which nullifies the voice of those who falsely speak in His name and shows the love of the King who welcomes us to a better Kingdom.
  If I could be there this week, I would wear a pair of wings for you.

The Man With the Golden Voice

  It's common to find people with cardboard signs on street corners.  While most are looking for a handout, it's the creativity of the signs which interests me.  I once saw two boys soliciting money for Kung Fu lessons so they could become pirates.  This past week a motorist noticed a homeless man asking for help declaring he had the "God given gift of a great voice."  In exchange for a dollar, the motorist took out his video camera and asked the man to say something for his money.  The video, posted on You Tube, has changed the life of Ted Williams, the man with the sign.  (see the video here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6kI_u3ho_c)
   Williams interest in radio began at 14 years old.  He went to school to become a broadcaster, but alcohol and cocaine brought his life to a disastrous place and he found himself living in a tent and reduced to begging for his basic needs.  After the posting of the video and the airing of his voice, Williams has become an overnight celebrity, displaying a golden voice which is now the subject of 250 job offers.

  It's amazing the power of a voice.  Many voices contend for attention and each person chooses which voice will receive notice.  Friends, the media, and conscience compete with God who speaks into the frenzy offering what is best.  Jesus says in John 10:27:  "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."  For now, Williams has the ear of many and may this be a chance for him to begin a new life.  For those who choose to listen to the Great Shepherd, there is also an adventure waiting, one just needs to listen and follow Him.