God's Why

I've been thinking about WHY God came in Jesus to save us. It's overwhelming, really, in the best kind of way. Want to join me? Read on, friend, and pause to ponder, even if you already know all about it. Let it hit you anew.

WHY would God do what He did for us?

LOVE.

When's the last time you thought about what COMMENDS means? 

It's like, "HERE, look, this is FOR YOU--and it's REALLY, REALLY GOOD!"


And now this:

"But God commends His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,

Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 (WEB)

This next one may be familiar, yes, but always fresh, and it's FOR ANYONE. Don't let anybody tell you it's not for some! Read it again, s l o w l y, like it's the first time.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son,

that WHOEVER believes in Him should not perish,

but have eternal life." John 3:16 *

And, by the way, Jesus said eternal life is knowing Him--John 17:3.

Ok, I absolutely love the word LAVISH!

"See how great a love the Father has bestowed [lavished NIV] on us,

that we should be called children of God;

and such WE ARE." I John 3:1

Don't worry that you're not worthy of being His child; Jesus fixed our mess. 

If YOU will believe, HE will make you family. He put it in writing, in John 1.

And we didn't have to be lovable first. NOPE!

" ...For God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us,

that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.

In this is love, not that we loved God,

but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

I John 4:8-10.

I KNOW, I KNOW, propitiation.... not a word we use everyday, but it means Jesus sacrificing His life for us did ALL we need for God to forgive us--and not punish us--for our sin wrecking our relationship with Him. He literally CANCELLED/OBLITERATED the record of our wrongs for forever. (Thinking there of Colossians 2:13-14.) You've maybe heard the phrase, "He takes away our sin"? (Like in John 1:29.) Well, that's it, exactly! And, yeah, IT IS HUGE.

KINDNESS.

HE REALLY IS THAT GOOD.

"But when the KINDNESS of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,

He saved us,

NOT on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness,

BUT according to His mercy,

by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs

according to the hope of eternal life." Titus 3:4-7

Seriously, heirs!

COMPASSION.


IF YOU EVER WONDERED IF HE CARES, WONDER NO MORE. Consider Matthew 9:36:

"And seeing the multitudes,

He felt compassion for them

because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd."

TENDER MERCY.

"TENDER MERCY." Just let the meaning of "tender" envelop you for a moment.


And now, Luke 1:78:

" ...because of the tender mercy of our God,

with which the Sunrise [that's Jesus] from on high shall visits us,

to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Ah, yes, peace. The hope is indeed real.

If you're feeling lost, harassed, helpless, distressed, or downcast, or just in need of some tender compassion, the LOVE of God made a way to give you a beyond imagining relationship with Himself as the best Father ever. When Jesus willingly died at the hands of His enemies and rose to live again, He put everything in place to reconcile you with God, for you to be forgiven for everything you've ever done wrong and to be accepted by Him.  He'll give you a reason to live and His power to lead, love, and protect you forever.

It's all yours for the asking, yours simply for the believing.  What are you waiting for?

Loved.

"See how great a love the Father has lavished on us, 

that we should be called children of God."

 I John 3:1

How should we measure our worth?  How do we measure our worth?   Unfortunately, the answer to those two questions isn't always the same.

Have you ever measured your worth by your problems or by your performance?  I have.  And then I have to remind myself that it's not an accurate measure.

My worth will never be accurately measured by my problems or by my performance.  Nor am I accurately assessed by the reviews I receive from others, whether face-to-face or Facebook likes.  

The only accurate measure of my worth is based on who I am in Christ.  Jesus sees the real me, the real you, yet was willing to die to redeem us.  Every single one of the flaws I wish to hide from others are known to Him, and still He loves me.  Still He died to redeem me.  Still He calls me His friend.  Greater still, He invites me into His family.   He chooses to make His home in me.  He chooses to include me in His plans for His kingdom and for His world.

This truth matters every moment of every day.  It affects how I treat others in every way.  If I am insecure in my own feeling of worth, I cannot be free to love others without being distracted by my own needs for affirmation.  All of life can descend to being about propping me up.

The truth is, though, that my worth does not depend on my surrounding, my challenges, my family or friends, my failures, or my successes.

"God demonstrates His own love toward us, 

in that while we were yet sinners, 

Christ died for us."  

Romans 5:8

When I realize I am loved that much, by the One who matters most, I am set free to love, and not just to love from my own limited storehouse, but to love as a pipeline of God's love, forever connected to His unquenchable supply.

"Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God."

[Yes, but what about when life is hard?  What then?]

"And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulatons, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint… [Why?] ...because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy spirit who was given to us."  Romans 5:1-5

Feeling, (no, not just feeling), KNOWING I am loved,

Carol

P.S.  Why don't you go love somebody who needs to hear this!

Inexpressible Joy

(Second in a series on Joy.
For Part One, click here.)

“I will see you again,

and your heart will rejoice,

and no one takes your joy away from you.”

—Jesus, recorded in John 16:22

Yes, but some days, life is just really hard.  And we can find ourselves wondering whether it’s really true that no one can take our joy away.  Are you sometimes tempted to be suspicious that the reassurance Jesus gave might have been just for Jesus’ apostles?  That’s when I go again to read what Peter had to say about it.

To those who have received a faith like "ours"

Peter, by the way, is the one who explicitly explained, as recorded in Acts 15:7-12, that God made no distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles, cleansing both their hearts by faith, that God gave His Holy Spirit to the Gentiles, just as He did to the Jews, and that Jew and Gentile alike are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus.  That means me, too.  And that means you.  Peter is also the one who was one of Jesus’ closest friends while Jesus walked on earth, and the same one who addresses his second letter to the ones “who have received a faith of the same kind as ours…”  (II Peter 1:1)  That means me, too.  And, yes, it means you.

So this is what Peter—one of, as he says, the “eyewitnesses of His majesty”—writes to scattered Christians about hope and joy…

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 

In this you greatly REJOICE, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

And though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with JOY inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” 

I Peter 1:3-9

There is no doubt that, for Peter, the living hope secured in Jesus’ resurrection meant great joy—glorious, inexpressible joy.  Great, glorious, and inexpressible joy, even in the face of various trials for a little while now.  But beyond his own powerful testimony, what grips me most is that there is also no doubt that he meant that this joy was indeed for us, too!  He specifically addresses these powerful words to those who have not seen Him, but love Him, to those who do not see Him now, but believe in Him.  That most certainly means me.  And it means this joy is meant for you, too!

Yes, it is true for us, too, that there is nothing we will ever face that the resurrection of Jesus does not put into perspective!  Nothing that can overshadow the joy of our inheritance, the inheritance that will not fade, the inheritance reserved for us, who are protected by the power of God.

Peter, who saw Him alive, was convinced that this salvation puts everything into perspective…

“…Fix your hope COMPLETELY 

on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

 … And after you have suffered for a little while, 

the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, 

will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

 … Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  

To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity.  Amen.”  

I Peter 1:13; 5:10; II Peter 5:18

With great Joy,

Carol

Unstealable Joy

“These things I have spoken to you,

that My JOY may be in you,

and that your JOY may be made full.”

—Jesus, in John 15:11

Been pondering John 16:16-22…where Jesus tells His disciples (just before His arrest) that in a little while they wouldn’t see Him, and then, in a little while, they would.  Understandably, they got confused.

I WILL see you again
Jesus, of course, picked up on it, and further explained.  They would be very sad, He said, but their sorrow would be turned to joy.  Unhesitatingly, He declared, “I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice.”  Jesus knew He was going to be taken away to die, yes, but not against His will.  He was pursuing the very purpose for which He had come, and which He knew did not ultimately end in their separation.  He was no helpless victim; He was, in fact, even now predicting His victory—with certainty. 

And He told them something else I find especially momentous.  “I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and NO ONE TAKES YOUR JOY AWAY FROM YOU.”

Nothing compares
After witnessing the death of Jesus—and experiencing such heart-breaking separation from Him—seeing their precious Savior and Friend resurrected brought joy that defied description.  He predicted that it would be for them as it is for a mother who forgets the anguish of labor in the midst of the overwhelming joy over her child’s birth—and it was.

Truly, after seeing His death, nothing would ever seem as bad as losing Jesus had seemed to them.  Nothing else could ever be as terrible to them.  Nothing could be that dark ever again.  And this, their crushing grief at His death, had been turned to rejoicing when they saw Him alive again.  Now nothing they could ever face in the future could take the joy of knowing Him alive.  Once they had seen the risen Christ, absolutely nothing could take their joy away!  Life for them would never be the same!

Have you seen Him alive?
What about for me?  And what about for you?  Do you know the risen Savior?  If we, through the eyes of faith, have "seen" Jesus alive, then there is nothing we could ever face that His resurrection does not put into perspective.  Once we have seen Him alive, there is nothing that should seem to us impossible, nothing unredeemable, nothing so dark that His resurrected life cannot illumine!  He has promised to never leave us as orphans, to never desert us or forsake us.  Once His Holy Spirit lives in us; we can never experience the agony of separation from Him or from His love.

“For I am convinced

that neither death, nor life, nor angels,

nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come,

nor powers, nor height, nor depth,

nor any other created thing,

shall be able to separate us from the love of God,

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39

According to the One who resolutely declared, “I will see you again,” no one can take our joy away!

Is it any wonder that the fruit of the Spirit has always been joy?  (See Galatians 5:22.)

Joyously giving thanks to the Father (Colossians 1:11-12),

Carol

P.S. READ MORE on this one-of-a-kind joy in Part 2 Inexpressible Joy.

The Prequel to Family Forever

So this is what lead up to the previous post…

Some days, life is just hard.  “Lord, I need You more than ever.”  And He meets me where I am, comforts me, heals me, fills me back up.  It was one of those days.  He met me initially in Luke 22 & 23.  I was feeling really weary (…the details don’t matter so much, and I’m sure you have personal wearying things of your own…) and I needed time in my Father’s arms.  Here’s a window into what happened.  (Backdrop: Luke 22& 23)

My sympathetic high priest

Lord, You faced tremendous stress even from a human perspective, not to mention the fact that You were going to bear the sins of the whole world.  Humanly speaking alone, it must have been awful, knowing that one of Your own was going to betray You, totally stab You in the back.  And then the ones You had poured so much into, the ones who, on all the earth, were closest to Your heart and most understood Your ways, got into an argument about which of them was the greatest.  How incredibly discouraging after all You had taught them.  Then, to know that Simon Peter was going to deny You, not once, not twice, but three times before morning.  On top of that, You knew their lives were about to get much, much harder very soon.

Were they up to it?  NO.  Would Your power in them sustain them?  YES. 

You cried and sweat blood as You fervently prayed about what You knew was coming to secure our redemption.  Your best friends couldn’t even stay awake to support You.  Then Judas came, and Peter lost His temper with the sword.  The priests, who acted as mediator between God (not realizing it was You) and the people, rejected the God to whom they prayed when He (You) stood before them.  Your ears heard Peter insist He didn’t even know anything about You.

I look to You

Friend and foe alike piled distress high upon You.   Made fun of, beaten, put through sham trials, and turned over by a spineless Pilate to the Jews to be crucified, You took it all.  For me.  To redeem me.  So I could be Your friend.  (John 15:12-15)  So You could be my Father.

You emptied Yourself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  You humbled Yourself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  (Philippians 2:7-8)

My Lord, I am going to fix my eyes on You, the author and perfecter of my faith, You, who for the joy set before You endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  I will consider You, who endured such hostility by sinners against Yourself, so that I will not grow weary and lose heart.  (Hebrews 12:2-3)

Thank you for reminding me that sometimes I, too, must go through hard times for a greater purpose, maybe known only to You for now.  Yet none of my troubles even touch the depth of what You went through for us.  You kept Your eyes on Your purpose, on the joy to come.  Help me to do the same.  I know You can understand anything I face.  You have been tempted in every way like I have, and You overcame.  You can sympathize with me, and You comfort me like the precious Father You are.  (Hebrews 2:18)  I will hold fast my faith.  I will hold fast the confession of my hope.  I will draw near to You, to your throne of grace, confident that I will find Your mercy and grace to help me in my time of need.  (Hebrews 4:14-16)

I will not lose heart

And I now have the words to the verses for a song I’ve been writing, though there really aren't words adequate to describe these two incredibly amazing aspects of His mercy and grace--refreshing forgiveness and free access to the Father.  (If you have my CD, you will recognize the words in the chorus.)

(Verse 1) Mercy, mercy for me, for me…

How can…how can it be…it be?

You covered my sin;  (Hebrews 7:25-27; 9:11-14; 10:10-18)

You took me in—to Your family.  (Romans 8:14-17)

Now I stand without blame;  (Jude 24,25)

You took my shame;

You see me holy, beyond reproach.  (Colossians 1:21-23)

(Verse 2) Mercy, mercy for me, for me…

How can…how can it be…it be?

Forgiven is just the start;

Now You fill my heart—with unquenchable joy.  (John 16:22)

Your mercy and grace

For each day of the race

Is my confident hope at Your throne.  (Hebrews 4:14-16)

(Chorus)  O Holy God, Your blood paid my ransom;

You mercy redeemed me; I’m forgiven and free!

Once and for all, your blood gives me life.  (Hebrews 9:11-12)

Your life indestructible lives now in me!  (Acts 2:24; Hebrews 7:16; Galatians 2:20)

(Tag) I will hold fast; I will draw near;

I put my hope in You, the ever faithful One.  (Hebrews 6:19; 10:19-23)

What about you?

Friend, He died and rose for you, too, to offer you legal status: forgiven and loving sonship forever!  Will you believe it?  If you want to know more, write to me at unsmotherabledelight@gmail.com.

Do you already know Him, but feel like your joy has been hijacked?  I can’t give you some pat answer formula because there isn’t one.  But we do have His word that He will hear you.  Use your words; pour out your heart before Him, and trust that He, the real and living God, will respond in just the way you need.  The fruit of His Spirit always has been and always will be joy and peace.

Trust in Him at all times, O people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us.

Psalm 62:8

The Invisible Man--Out Of The Way Of His Message

The message in today's installment is very
dear to my heart;
to say that the testimony of this 'invisible' man has been an inspiration
 doesn't go nearly far enough.  
I know, though, that he would only want us
 to see right past him to his Lord and ours.

(Part 7 of the Beyond Trophies Series)

I want to share with you the story of someone you may have heard of, who was likely one of the most effective communicators of all time.  He predates all the current competitors in the league, so it’s probably okay for me to use at least his first name.  Though his life was tragically cut short at an early age, I honestly believe that, in that short life, he significantly affected the course of history from his small corner of the world.

Undaunted

You know I’ve been encouraging you to rely on God to direct what you should choose to speak about. Well, this young man did just that.  To say that John’s speech topics sparked discussion would be understatement.  Serious controversy would be more like it, yet he was totally undaunted.  He knew when he had a topic that the Lord wanted out in the open.

Though his audience’s reaction was consistently mixed, he never let the negative bias get to him.  He was willing to trust God with the outcomes.  He actually had some pretty serious heavyweights from his community judge his speeches, but he honestly wasn’t intimidated by what they might think.

He was a great one for analogies to illustrate his points, and I remember him talking about everything from marriage to gardening to snakes. 

In his day, he drew a pretty sizable audience for his speeches.  There aren’t many competition rooms that could hold the size audience that often gathered to hear him.

Powerful Humility

Perhaps the most amazing thing about John was that a speaker as gifted as he was would be so incredibly humble.  And his humility made him even more effective.

The best way to describe him might be that he totally got out of the way of his message.  Though singularly and unarguably effective, he regularly denied being somebody of importance.  It was as though he was so wrapped up and lost in his message that he became virtually invisible, and all you saw was his message.  It was never as if he were saying, “Look at me—I’m such a great speaker/actor!”  No, what came through was more like, “I’ve got the most awesome and important news to tell you, and it’s not about me!”  Then he simply delighted in telling it.

I don’t think it’s going to far too say that Jesus himself would say there was nobody greater.  It was clear that God had His hand on that boy from the time he was very small.  His godly parents had thought they could never have children, so when the man we know we know today as John the Baptist was born, his parents attracted quite a bit of attention because of their age, and their whole community wondered what this kid would turn out to be.  His dad spoke openly about how convinced he was that God was going to use their son in a mighty way to fulfill His purposes.

History proved his dad’s prophecy was right.  Since John’s tragic death, his story has been included in the biography of someone who became more famous than John—Someone whom the humble John claimed he himself wasn’t even worthy of untying the shoes of.   From the beginning, John’s message had actually been all about that other Someone, of whom John had willingly and joyfully said, “He must increase, and I must decrease.”  And though he knew it was only a matter of time before his audience would one by one begin to walk away to follow another, he pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Joy, Joy, Joy

John said he rejoiced greatly to hear the voice of Jesus.  He said his joy was made full just to be the friend of Jesus.

The greatest communicators have much in common with John.  They have a message worth sharing.  They’re willing to get out of the way of their message—so thrilled with their message that they lose themselves in the telling of it, and all the while it only makes them all the more effective.  Oh, that each of us would rejoice to be a humble message bearer on behalf of our Beloved Savior, willing to be so wrapped up in His message that we gladly become less visible so His life and His message through us can be revealed.

If you want to read more about the role John played in God’s plans, you can find excerpts of his story within the following chapters: Isaiah 40, Malachi 3 & 4, Matthew 3 & 11, Mark 1 & 6, Luke 1, 3, 7, 9, & 20, and John 1, 3, & 4.  That's where the details of this story came from.

Above Reproach

(Part 4 of the Beyond Trophies Series)

Just for fun, Part 4 starts with a delivery tip before I tell you about two debate teams you may know.

Would you like to take your vocal expression to the next level of excellence?  Then seek to let your audience HEAR your FACIAL EXPRESSIONS.  No, that wasn’t a typo.  Seriously, think about using your voice in such a way that, if part of your audience couldn’t see you, you could let them know what facial expression you were wearing just by the sound of your voice.  Sounds funny, I know, but thinking about using your voice this way can work wonders.  Ask someone to listen to you with his eyes shut and let you know if you’re getting the hang of it.

Now, about a bigger vision for debate . . . Remember when I asked you to consider going after lasting influence—for the sake of God’s kingdom priorities— instead of going after temporary trophies?

In Ephesians 4:1-3, the Apostle Paul entreats his readers to walk in a manner worthy of their calling, with humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness, diligently preserving the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  What does that look like in a debate round?  I want to tell you about the lasting influence of two debate teams.

I heard about the conduct of one these teams in a rather unusual place—in an impromptu speech round.  The topic was meekness, which the speaker defined as power appropriately under control, and one of the examples he used was a debate team.  The speaker explained that, though this team was very good and could easily tangle with the best teams, when they debated a less experienced team they appropriately held back and didn’t run every argument in the book.  This team understood that there was no need to mercilessly crush another team, and exemplified power under control.  I’d seen the team he was describing, and I knew he was right.

Now, while there may be no mechanism for your league to publicly recognize honorable behavior, don’t ever forget that people are watching you, even when you don’t realize it.  The debaters mentioned in the impromptu were amazed when I told them what I had heard.  And always remember that God is judging, too.  In His eyes, the real winners are the ones who debate in a manner worthy of their calling.

The next team I want to tell you about is a team that my children debated more times in two years than any other team—and they beat my children every single time.  But you know what?  This team inspired my children’s genuine respect, and not plots of revenge.  Why?  Because this team was polite and gracious, they ran legitimate arguments, they didn’t accuse their opponents of not responding to arguments when they actually had, they performed no tricky evidence twisting, and they directed no sarcastic and insulting low blows to opposing teams.  It reminded me of what Paul speaks of in Philippians 2:14—proving to be “children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world...”

Both teams I told you about are no longer in the league, but their influence is still there.  And I guarantee you that others will remember your conduct long after they remember how you placed.

So here’s your challenge:  I challenge you to conduct yourself in such a way that your former opponents become your fans even after you beat them out of outrounds.  Think it’s impossible?  I’ve seen it happen . . . more than once!

Next time:  Scissor Steps Steal the Show!

A Bigger Vision

(Part 3 of the Beyond Trophies Series)

Before I share the students’ stories I promised, I’ve got to lay down some foundation stones.  

I’ve been asking you to examine the reasons you pursue excellence.   In Matthew 6, Jesus points out that if we are doing the right things just to be noticed and honored by other people, then that’s all the reward we’re ever going to get.  Frankly, if an award is all we're after, then our vision is far too nearsighted.

We need a bigger, and honestly, a nobler reason to do what we do.  The apostle Paul encouraged his friends in Colossae to work heartily, “as FOR THE LORD rather than for men.”  He reminded them that it was really the Lord they were serving.  Paul was right; if you belong to God, then seeking your own fame was never your assignment.  Seeking God’s fame is.  And this is where it can get really exciting.

Here’s why.  Peter and James both point out that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”  (I Peter 5 and James 4)  And in II Chronicles 16:9, a prophet named Hanani explains something incredibly important to King Asa, “The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”  (Incidentally, the prophet goes on to explain to Asa that it had been a really foolish idea not to trust the Lord.)

But what has all this got to do with speech and debate, or the rest of life for that matter?  Well—are you willing to work for God’s fame and not your own?  Are you willing to be available to God and to trust that His power will accomplish His purposes through your life as you obey Him?  Will you make your heart completely His?

You need to know that if you’re in this life all for yourself, the Bible makes it pretty clear that you better not count on either His help or His reward.  On the other hand, if you are willing to make your heart completely His, then the Lord is ready to strongly support you, and the horizon of your adventure in the world of speech and debate (and the rest of life) is about to be greatly expanded!

Real Life

I’m going to tell you about two students who trusted the Lord with their speeches, who trusted that God was doing something far bigger than awards, but I need you to keep something in mind.  When we read the records of how God worked in people’s lives, whether in the Bible or somewhere else, the point of these accounts is not to put the people on a pedestal, but to point the spotlight on the faithful God they trusted.  Remember that these are just ordinary students who put their trust in The Extraordinary God.

The setting is NCFCA Nationals 2013, where a young lady was competing with a Persuasive speech about adoption.  She’d been praying all season that God would continue to use her speech for His purposes.  Turns out one of her judges had previously closed her heart to—and decided against—adoption, because of negative stories she had heard.   However, as she explained on her ballot—because of that speech, she was reconsidering her decision!

And in another competition room, same tournament . . . God was at work through another student.  When a young lady’s Open Interpretation speech got to finals, she was incredibly humbled and confessed that she felt so unworthy of being in finals.  But she and her mom believed that God must have a purpose for taking her speech to finals, and they prayed specifically that God would use her speech to touch someone’s heart and that He would bring the person to the round who really needed to hear it.  Guess what?  After the round, they met a woman in the restroom who told them how she had really needed to hear that speech—how it had shown her that, even in her own tough times, God was still showing her his mercy.

Those students will tell you that knowing that someone is going to think and live differently tomorrow because of what God gave you to share is worth far more than any trophy.

In the cases of these two students, God let them see a small glimpse of what He was doing through them, the ripple effect that extends far beyond the medals and trophies.  And while it’s true that we have no guarantee that we’ll get to see what He’s up to this side of heaven, He is still the same capable God and altogether worthy of our trust.  Will you trust Him?

Maybe you're thinking this sounds great for some speeches...but what about the world of debate?  Next time, real life examples of lasting influence for God’s priorities from the debate world.

Awards or Influence?

(Part 2 of the Beyond Trophies series,
 dedicated to my friends in Speech and Debate,

but you'll find the ideas apply in a much broader context.)

So if trophies have these troubling traits (See Part 1) and their thrill is only temporary at best, what else is there to pursue?

I really must start by letting you know that I’m all for excellence, so I don’t want you to think that if you replace trophies with another goal that you have to give up pursuing excellence.  Not at all!  No, I want to challenge you to consider the reason you pursue excellence.  Think about it this way—“For what purpose am I pursuing excellence?”

What if you were to choose to use your platform to do something that lasts longer than trophies?  And that lasts even longer than those great communication skills—valuable as they are—that the coaches are always promoting at the annual club kick-off meetings.

What if you gave a speech whose life didn’t end when you gave it for the last time--whether you take it all the way to a national competition or not?  And I don’t mean simply having it preserved on YouTube either.

Seriously, what if your speech could set something in motion in the hearts and minds of your listeners that would literally change their world?  What if, instead of temporary trophies, you went after lasting influence—for the sake of God’s kingdom priorities?  

I challenge you to ask God what speech He would like you to give.  Ask Him what He wants you to say.  Then write it (or cut it), give it, and then rest in the fact that, whether you earn a plastic trophy or not, you delivered a message that will outlast any first place trophy.  There is such a thing as treasure in heaven, and according to Jesus, it lasts.

The last time you give a speech doesn’t have to be the end.  Instead, it could be only the beginning!  Why?—Because if you give the speech God gave you to give, then somebody is going to go home and live differently tomorrow—and the day after that—because of something you said!

In case you’re wondering what this looks like in real tournament life, next time I’ll tell you what happened to some students you might even know.

The Trouble With Trophies

(Dedicated to my friends in competitive speech and debate,
this is Part 1 of the Beyond Trophies series.)

The Trouble with Trophies

First, they require dusting.

Second—a particular disappointment to girls—you can’t wear them.

Third—and this one is especially disappointing to the boys who are blessed with the greatest of appetites (as well as their mothers)—you can’t eat them.

Fourth, they are liable to break, especially the plastic ones, sometimes even before you get them off tournament grounds.

Fifth, you really can’t display very many of them without looking overly proud.

Last, and the worst trouble of all: they’re dated.

Why is the date so troublesome?  The date stares you in the face as a grim reminder that you are only the temporary champion.  Even if you took first place, you could be supplanted at the very next contest.  Realistically, the date is also there because before very long, not even you will remember when you did whatever it was you did.

The inscription of what you did is there on the trophy for the very same reason; long before she’s old and gray, unfortunate as it may seem, not even your mother will be able to remember the exact place you took.

Now I’ll be the first to admit that earning trophies is still fun, in spite of their troubling traits, but you just can’t get around the fact that the thrill is still temporary at best.  If you’ve set your sights on trophies, you can never be perfectly content.  Surely, there’s got to be more to competing.

Thankfully, there is more. 

That something more will be the subject of the next post.

Two Foundations and One Outrageous Scam

About thirty years ago, I created and posted a sign on the outside of my college dorm room door.  On it was a quote from an unknown author:

Two Foundations for human enlightenment:

1) There is a God.

2) You are not Him.

The two Foundations were indeed relevant to our campus culture, particularly Foundation One, as the prevailing philosophy on campus was that the earth and everything on it came into being by random chance, and that no God had anything to do with it.  At that time, Foundation Two seemed almost so obviously true, in a literal sense, that it generated virtually no argument.  The "no God" folks that I knew weren't going so far as to claim divinity, simply that they were their own authority, responsible to no higher being.  So Foundation Two applied figuratively to our campus culture, but literally not so much.

From NO GOD to I'M GOD

Today, however, in a bizarre about-face, the philosophy rapidly rising in popularity in our culture is not one of "no God," but one of "everyone is God."  Today, to say, "You are not Him," is to contradict one of the most popular streams of thought.

Practically everywhere you turn, somebody's reading--or selling--a book about everyone and everything being divine.  Divine power in the rocks, in the trees, in spiders, in everyone.  TV hosts and magazine writers, too, are talking about "descending into themselves" (By the way, I find "descending"--meaning going down to an inferior or shameful level--to be an uncannily accurate description) to find their "true divine selves."  You can attend seminars that will teach you how to harness the ultimate source of goodness that supposedly already exists in everyone.

Incidentally, our family is currently in need of an internet domain name, and so far, almost every domain name we've come up with has already been claimed--and not just claimed, but claimed by someone disseminating the "you're divine; everything is one; everything is divine" message in one form or another.  It's everywhere.  Why?

An Open Door And A Scam

People are looking for solutions.  They are not happy with the way things are.  They know in their heart of hearts that they are not what they should be.  They long to be better--better friends, better employees, better spouses, better parents.  They are dissatisfied.  They are disillusioned with material success, and longing for a simpler, more satisfying life.  They want real joy.

The terrible tragedy of our day is that people are being told that the answer to their longing is inside themselves, when in reality, it is not.  That's exploitation.  That's dastardly unscrupulous.  That's a scam, plain and simple.  And it's not right.  People are being offered a sham solution to their deepest needs and being milked for a myth.  The real Enemy of the human soul knows people are empty and hurting and is offering them a lie.

Reality Check

The deeper we dig into ourselves, the more mess we find.  If we are willing to be honest, we don't find innate goodness, like some are telling us.  No, we find a frustrated self who, even in moments of wanting to do good, finds it impossible to perpetually sustain good intentions, let alone good behavior.  The solution to the human dilemma is not in uncovering some hidden divine self, but in acknowledging our real, hopelessly flawed, desperately wicked self and being transformed by the renewing power of the God who is entirely independent from us.  It's what the Bible calls being born again, and, incidentally, it's free.  You can't buy it or earn it, but God will transform you if you ask Him to.  It's what I wrote about in The Relentless Heart.

It's not a bad thing to admit that the human condition is hopeless on its own; it's actually an incredibly freeing relief to openly acknowledge what we already know from experience to be true.  The solution, then, is in having the corrupt nature we're born with cleansed by the resurrected Jesus Christ.  Then He works in us to remake us from the inside out.

Only the power of God can make us what we were meant to be, but we'll never find that power by looking inside our own selves.  Jesus Christ was the only true God, and He came to earth in a human body in order to literally give His life to make our permanent cleansing and forgiveness possible.  He proved He was God by coming back to life, and He is real and alive and willing to transform anyone who will ask and believe what He said. 

An Invitation To Real Life

Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.  I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep."  (Recorded in John 10:10, 11)

"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."

--Jesus (recorded in John 15:11)

Don't settle for a sham of a life, when a real, joyful life is available from Jesus.

Things have come full circle...
When I recently found my original sign with the Two Foundations (I have no idea why I still had it around after 30 years), our daughter, who was packing for college, wanted to take it with her.