Faith

“What if we led great lives, not by doing great things, but by doing good things over and over and over?”

 –Jeff Manion, from Satisfied

“I want to do something great!” For all of the pessimism surrounding this generation, what makes me optimistic is an insatiable desire among so many to do something great. The status quo just won’t do. YOLO. This is the only shot we have, and we want the world to be changed because of our presence. Just giving a few dollars and not cussing or having sex before marriage is not cutting it anymore. This generation wants to be a change agent in the world. Greatness is the goal. I get it…I want to do something great. I want to do something huge. I want the name of Jesus to be proclaimed in a way that it never has before. I want to see God do something in this generation that the world has never seen. I just can’t accept that I was created in the image of God, yet God is ok with me just being mediocre. Here is the positive side of the coin when it comes to our desire to do something great…our goals and dreams in life will ultimately shape our actions and our identity. No goals and dreams usually equates to a mediocre life. I don’t want that. I hope you don’t either.

But let me say a few words to those of us who desire to do something great…

Your desire to do something great for God does not mean God is obligated to fulfill your desire.

God does not need you to do something great for Him to be great. His majesty, power, and fame were already sealed before you entered the world. Long before you entered the world. So, here is what that means for you…if you want to do great things for God, you better check yourself at the door and make sure your desire is not to make yourself great.

This is the issue with greatness (the negative side of the coin). It is desirable on the surface, but I am worried some people say they want to do great things for God, but they actually want people to glorify them and they just attach God’s name to it. They want to determine what great things they will do for God and then ask God to endorse it, but let’s remember that God can’t be tricked or deceived. Real quick, because I know many of you have short attention spans, let me give you two gut checkers to determine whether you want to glorify God or glorify yourself…READY?! Let’s go!

1.) You desire to do something great, but you keep getting frustrated because God has not met your desire.

Ever had that conversation with God? “God, I am praying everyday that you would make your name known through me in ways it never has before.” Maybe you have been praying it for years, and nothing has happened. Remember: God does not need you to make His name great. That is already taken care of. He is God. Now, I understand your prayer (and it is not that your request is evil), but let me ask you a question…

Does your frustration with God reveal anything about your desire? Just ask honestly.

Maybe you see friends around you that have planted churches and grown exponentially. Maybe you know somebody that has started a non-profit and this ministry is doing great things. Maybe somebody you know has started a Bible study and it just continues to grow. Is this your mentality…”God, these individuals are doing great things, but why have you done nothing through me?” I only ask because this is my struggle. I am guilty of comparative analysis. I analyze situations and people that are doing great things and start to wonder why them and not me? Be careful about allowing this to permeate your heart and mind. Comparative analysis is VERY destructive.

Or, maybe this is your problem.

2.) You want to do something great, but you never want to do anything good

Can we really expect an all-powerful and sovereign God to put us on a platform that reaches thousands if we fail to be obedient to Him in the small things? I mean really? Would God’s name be glorified in that? I believe the path to doing great things is tread on the road of doing good things. In other words, great things occur through the compilation of doing good things for weeks, months, and years.

If you are not willing to do things when the only person who can pat you on the back is God, stop expecting God to put you in a position to influence thousands. To simplify…if you are unwilling to minister to your neighbor across the street, stop expecting God to allow you to minister to an entire church. If you are unwilling to help the man on the side of the road, stop expecting God to allow you to start non-profits or plant churches. If you are unwilling to wake up early in the morning or spend time late at night on your knees with God when NOBODY else is around, stop expecting God to position you to do something great.

I think too many people wait years for God to do something great through them, and they fail to realize (or maybe they refuse to realize) that God is presenting them with opportunities to do something good everyday.  We miss those opportunities to do good because we are waiting for something great, not realizing that the road to being great is paved with small acts of doing good.

Let me wrap this up…my goal here is not to discourage you if you have large dreams. I am encouraged by the number of Christ followers today that have huge plans and huge dreams. Dream BIG! Dream REALLY BIG! Pursue those dreams! But remember: God is not going to position you to influence hundreds or thousands if you are going to get the glory. Remember: just because you want to do something big and great for God does not mean God is obligated to fulfill your request. And remember: You are deceived and self-centered if you desire to do something great, but have no desire to do anything good.

I love you all! To God be the glory forever. Amen!

You know what I get tired of…God taking my perception of something and completely crushing it. This is what makes living in this world so difficult if you are a follower of Jesus. It is not like God’s desires and the world’s desires do not like each other but agree to shake hands. God’s desires and the world’s desires are like two girls in middle school fighting over the same boy. When one girl sees the other, they each walk a different direction (then at the end of the day the guy dumps them both and they look like fools…but that’s besides the point). This friction between the pursuits of the world and the pursuits of God can be difficult for us to navigate. Let’s be real…all of us like the pursuits of the world on some level. There is something attractive about these desires and pursuits. We like the money. We like the spotlight. We like the attention. We like the security and the comfort. There is nothing fun about being a servant or putting others before yourself. I am with you. I get it. If we spend our lives serving other people and if we spend our lives making ourselves less, most of us will feel like we wasted our life. Then on top of that, even when we do help other people God wants us to do this in secret? “But God, if nobody knows what I am doing, how will I get the glory?” Maybe that’s the point…

So, I was reading Exodus 31 a few days ago, and I ran across something really interesting. Most of us have heard of the infamous Bible characters Oholiab and Bezalel. Anybody recall these two individuals? Me neither… But two things about these men were striking to me: 1.) The Israelites had really hideous names, 2.) the Bible says they were “filled with the Spirit of God.” This is important. Take note of this. This is the first time the Bible records an individual being “filled with the Spirit of God.” Because most of us know the dynamics of the relationship between God and the Israelites in the Old Testament, we could reasonably conclude if God fills an individual with his spirit, the task to follow must be uber important. Let’s start guessing.

Oholiab and Bezalel are going to single-handedly kill thousands of threatening foes. NO?! Alright, maybe they are going to be God’s prophetic voices for revival and renewal amongst the Israelite people. NO?! Maybe they are going to fly?! I give up…

Here is what the Bible says…

See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, TO DEVISE ARTISTIC DESIGNS, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you. (emphasis added)

-Exodus 31:2-6

They are going to be filled with God’s spirit to (wait for it, wait for it)…devise artistic designs. WHAT?!

See, this is where I just do not get God. Why would He fill somebody with his spirit, the Spirit of infinite power and wisdom, to design stuff? My warped logic assumes the first time God fills somebody with his spirit, this individual would conquer nations or turn the hearts of God’s people back to Him, or something else really awesome. But artistic designs, come on God!

You know why this story is not preached or discussed in churches today…nobody really wants to be filled with God’s spirit to design stuff. It is not a desirable ministry to have. I guarantee if the passage read, “I have filled Oholiab and Bezalel with the spirit of God to conquer all the nations that are in your path,” we would talk a lot of about these two men. They would be on the walls in our children’s ministry. They would be discussed alongside “some of the greats” like David and Moses and Noah. The applications are endless because it would make sense to us that the power of God is used to do something we perceive as powerful and miraculous.  Once again God takes our perception of something and crushes it.

Here is the reality…if we wrestle with this passage, we must accept the implications…God does not always call us to the tasks that are “desirable” (I use the term in a very worldly sense, of course). He calls us to the tasks that will advance His kingdom. Once again we are reminded our lives are about glorifying God, not ourselves. We do not like that. I think if we are real (and I am in the boat with you) we would say we want to determine our ministry and ask God to bless it. We want to tell God what we are going to do and then ask Him to fill us with his Spirit. The problem is God does not work like that.

I think we are doing it wrong. We want to be on large platforms preaching to the world. We want to have our name plastered on walls and pasted in newspapers. We want people to look at us and tell us we are awesome. We want people to think the kingdom of God would suffer a setback if we were to leave or pass away. Anybody can design stuff. We want to do something great.

That is exactly the problem. What Oholiab and Bezalel were called to do was great in the eyes of the Lord.

Maybe it is time for us to stop allowing the world to define for us what is great.

If God has called you to do something that something is the single greatest thing you can do for the Kingdom. I think our struggle is not in discerning God’s calling for our lives, but in accepting the calling. The world might look at your calling and conclude it is insignificant or unimportant. But let’s remember…importance in the world and importance in the Kingdom are almost always at complete odds with one another.

So, here is my challenge to you…seek God and his calling for your life. Put away all your selfish desires when doing this. If your calling is to love special needs children, then love them well. If your calling is to spend time with homeless and needy people, do it well. If your calling is to raise your children, raise them in the Lord and raise them well. Maybe your calling is to be a beacon of light in your workplace. If so, shine the light and shine it well. Maybe your calling is to disciple and minister to a small church in a small town. Minister and disciple well. God calls people to do all sorts of stuff so HIS name will be given glory. Some of us might be like Joshua and lead the Israelites into the land God promised them. We need Joshuas. Some of us might be like Aaron and present sacrifices and offerings to the Lord on behalf of the people of God. We need Aarons. Some of us might be like Oholiab and Bezalel and be filled with the spirit of God to “devise artistic designs.” We need these individuals as well.

If you are at a place in life where you are whole-heartedly seeking the Lord, but you feel like your task is unimportant, Oholiab and Bezalel should remind you God does not have to put a platform under somebody’s feet and place them in front of thousands of people for his name to be glorified. Fulfill your calling…and do it well.

I love you all. To God be the glory forever. Amen!

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”  –Benjamin Franklin

I say it every year…this is the year I am going to read through the Bible. This is the year I am going to read 50 books. This is the year I am going to set goals and follow through on every one of them. Then, February comes. I know…I have been there. The initial passion for the plan subsides and life gets busy. So, here we go again with a new year and most of us are setting goals for the year that will last three or four weeks. I am not taking a shot at your failure to follow through on what you have promised yourself you will do…I am just stating a fact. I am in the same boat with you.

I was thinking recently…why do we set goals? What makes us want to set goals for our lives? Maybe it is because we know we are not reaching our full potential. Maybe it is because we want to make a difference in the world. Maybe it is because we want to live the only earthly life we have to the fullest. All of these answers are true and good, but I believe the real answer is found in something deeper and more significant. Not that the answers above are too shallow, but there is something more meaningful to our desire to plan and set goals…I believe we are hardwired by our Creator to succeed by planning. Think about it…God plans. From the beginning, He had a plan for the redemption of the world. God did not just hover around for thousands of years and then one day look at the other members of the Trinity and the angels and say,

“Jesus, it is time to go. Angels, you need to find someway to tell some people on earth Jesus is coming…figure it out. Holy Spirit, you need to have a role in this thing too…I am not sure what it is because I have not thought much about it, but we cannot leave you out. Alright guys and neuter beings, let’s do this. Ready…Break!”

This sounds ridiculous, right?! Excuse my crazy parallel, but if we were in charge of finding the right time to send Jesus and redeem the world, this would probably be our approach. Let’s face it: most of us are poor planners and even worse executors of our plans. I want to challenge you to change the way you think of planning. I want to challenge you to think of planning as necessary. I want to challenge you to think of planning as essential…God planned out every intricate detail of Jesus’s arrival because he wanted the Savior’s entrance to be perfect…and it was. If we desire to reflect the image of our Creator, we are missing something if we fail to plan and set goals.

“Hey, check this out…I decided yesterday I am going to get in my car and ride aimlessly until I see a sign that looks appealing as a final destination or until something hits me in the face as a good place to land. How long will it take? Who knows…maybe days or weeks. But I know I am supposed to be somewhere and I know I cannot stay here, so I am going to ride.”

‘Tis life for a lot of us. We hop in our car and ride around the roads of our life hoping to end up somewhere, but most of us never do. In the process, we waste a lot of gas and time. Then life is over. Wow, that sounds really somber. I apologize.

Remember: time is a non-renewable resource. It is the most valuable resource we have because we cannot get it back. Almost everything our society places value on we can create more of (or earth can naturally create more of). This is not true with time. If you or I waste a day, it is impossible for us to get it back. It is gone forever. Here is a good question to ask yourself…”Am I being a good steward of my time? Am I investing my time well?” Can I be frank with you (notice the pun…it is intended), I do not think watching inordinate amounts of television is really investing time. Neither is spending inordinate amounts of time playing Xbox or watching Netflix. These things are not inherently bad, but when a large portion of your free time is spent on yourself, there is a problem.  And here is a dirty little secret…if you do not plan how you will spend your day, you will default to something meaningless and insignificant. I have seen it too many times in my own life.

One more thing then I am done…

Satan is going to tell you planning is a waste of time. Satan is going to tell you goal setting is ridiculous…but be careful about listening to Satan. Jesus says he is the father of lies (John 8:44), and this makes sense because SATAN PLANS TOO (see Luke 4:13). He left Jesus in the wilderness until an “opportune” time. In other words, he planned the times when he would visit again. Satan knows if you refuse to plan, you will live a life of normalcy and not make much impact on the world. He is cool with that. Normalcy is a scheme of Satan.

So, here is my challenge to you: Set goals for the year. Have a plan for your day (I use this productivity schedule to help me invest my time in meaningful ways and stay focused). Have a plan for the year. Have a plan for the next five years. Have a plan for the next ten years. Then take time and map out that plan. You can say this is being structured and rigid, and I say yes and no. It is very structured, but only as rigid as you allow. But remember, we are made in the image of God, and our God is pretty structured. In your planning, do not become so rigid that you do not allow plans to be adapted and changed, but also do not become so flexible that you allow everything to take precedent over your goals and plans.

When we plan we reflect the image of our Creator.

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I love you all. To God be the glory forever. Amen!

I remember when the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) craze hit in the mid 1990s. Everybody was wearing the bands, and even though they were the opposite of chic, I will admit I had a couple. But what always baffled me were the people that wore ten bands all the way up their forearm because they wanted people to know they were real tight with Jesus. Everyone else thought they looked like a rainbow colored totem pole. At the time when the WWJD concept started sweeping through American churches, it was a good thing. I believe people can benefit from having items they keep on them that serve as reminders of what and who they represent. I will have to say, however, from a personal perspective I rarely used the wristband as a blockade to keep me from being a bad person, and more times than not I was embarrassed to wear the bracelet because I thought someone might make fun of me. At that time in my life, I was much more concerned with being accepted by my peers than being affirmed by God.

Slowly, the WWJD wristbands got old and out-dated, but for those of us that are followers of Jesus, the question continues to permeate our thoughts and actions. What Would Jesus Do? I wonder if any of you ever ask that question when you are faced with ethical and moral dilemmas in life? It can be a very healthy question to ask, but it can also be a very dangerous question to ask. Now, some of you are ready to cry foul and give up on me as a Christian, but I want to encourage you to think seriously about this question. Allow me to highlight a few issues…

1.) YOU ARE LIMITED IN YOUR UNDERSTANDING AND YOU ARE ATTEMPTING TO ANSWER A QUESTION ABOUT A GOD WHO HAS UNLIMITED KNOWLEDGE. 

I need to start with a disclaimer: There are certainly situations and circumstances where the life Jesus modeled on earth gives us a clear answer to the question we might be asking (i.e., Do we need to love our neighbor? Do we need to cheat on our spouse?, etc.). We have no problem answering those questions, but other times we are faced with difficult questions and no explicit answer from the life of Jesus or the Bible to provide us an answer. At this point, we are no longer asking What Would Jesus Do?, but What Do We Think Jesus Would Do? Two completely different questions. Now, Jesus knows the CORRECT answer to every question (if an answer even exists), but you, on the other hand, do not have the correct answer to every question. That would make you God. So, inevitably you are bound to distort the ethos of Jesus because you believe he would handle a situation exactly like you would handle it. At this point, it is necessary to make an important point…YOU AND JESUS ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE THE SAME ANSWER TO EVERY QUESTION. Let me say it another way.

If you and Jesus answer every question the same way in regards to politics, finances, life choices, etc., you are probably being influenced more by your own desires and aspirations than the desires and aspirations of Jesus.

Be very careful about trying to mold Jesus around your own selfish desires, and thus forcing him to think just like you. Read through the life and ministry of Jesus and note how many times Jesus befuddled the people he was around because they expected him to say or do a certain thing and he did something different.

You are limited in knowledge and understanding and Jesus is not…approach situations with this in mind.

2.) IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ANSWER A QUESTION ABOUT GOD WITHOUT DIVORCING YOURSELF FROM THE SURROUNDING CULTURE. 

Culture is a powerful shaping element. I have made the statement before that culture does not have to define you, but it is going to shape you. I have spent the majority of my life in Mississippi, and it has shaped my personality and my thought pattern. It has shaped my vernacular and my dialect. If someone from the south goes to New York for vacation, it does not take much investigative work to figure out that person is not a native. Conversely, if I am walking down the street and someone bumps into me without saying, “Excuse me,” I know they are either a jerk or from the north (the two are mutually exclusive, so please, my northern brothers, do not take offense).

Because we are shaped by our surroundings, there is an element of our surroundings that factors into our understanding of Jesus. So, if you are from the south you most likely believe Jesus is a conservative that votes a certain way because you cannot imagine Jesus advocating a social party that is pro-choice (not understanding that there are people all across the board in all arenas). Take the Civil War as an example. When I was taking a class at Harding School of Theology recently, one of things I found fascinating was that religious leaders of both the South and the North thought God was fighting for them. I look back at that with disgust and ask myself how people in the South could ever think God would fight for a group of people that believed in the ownership of slaves and prejudice. Let’s be honest, even though I am not questioning their devotion to the Lord, I am saying there was financial and economical incentive for them maintaining slaves and oppressing certain people groups. Our surroundings affect how we think Jesus would handle situations.

If you think Jesus today would be waving an American flag, live in a gated neighborhood, be involved in an institutionalized church, take his kids to see Santa Claus, and travel all over the land participating in traveling team sports, maybe you are being more influenced by the culture around you than by the ethos of Jesus.

3.) IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO READ THE BIBLE OBJECTIVELY

I grew up hearing this phrase (or some derivative of it) from men in the pulpit, “Do not just take what I say as fact…go home and read (the Bible) for yourself.” What a novel statement, but the problem is most people are going to take what the preacher says as truth. After all, that is why he is the preacher. He should be trusted not to deliver false doctrines. This never eliminates the authority of Scripture and personal study, but the reality is this…we are shaped religiously by our upbringing. I am in a fellowship, Churches of Christ, that holds dearly to many of its traditions. I am proud of my heritage, but we have our issues. As I struggled through the journey to develop my own faith, I noticed many of the things we hold as essential truths are muddled interpretations of Scripture at best and misguided interpretations at worst. I have known men and women that have honestly believed everyone outside of our fellowship needs to be saved from their misguided interpretations of Scripture. Others have made claims that they have not changed their mind about anything related to God in years. I believe strongly in some core doctrines found in Scripture, but I also understand when I believe I have all the interpretations nailed down, I make a claim that I am God. That’s not good. I know how sinful I am. I make a terrible god.

If Jesus would interpret the Bible exactly the same way you would, you are probably influenced more by your surroundings than your Savior.

On a macro level, the WWJD question is good. It keeps us focused and it allows our thoughts to be conditioned by the ways and teachings of Jesus. Be careful, however, not to fall into the trap of thinking Jesus would answer every question the way you think he would. Give the almighty, all powerful, omniscient God more credit than that. It is on the micro level that the WWJD question becomes problematic and even dangerous.  As you journey through life, respond to situations with humility and a level of openness, accepting differing thought patterns and opinions. I think Solomon issues a statement that would be wise for us to grasp, “God is in heaven and you are on earth” (Ecc. 5:2). You are not God. You do not have all the answers. You are not omniscient. Pray to God for wisdom and understanding, but be cognizant of the reality that even the most knowledgable people still have their convictions undergirded by a layer of subjectivity.

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I love you all. To God be the glory forever. Amen!

Allow me to make a confession…there are days (and maybe weeks) in vocational ministry that seem monotonous. I will admit that most of the monotony is a product of my own downfalls and weaknesses. This is not to say those times are insignificant or unimportant, but it is to say in those times it is difficult to see what impact is being made for the Lord or what impact the Lord is making on me. There are times, however, when you feel the presence and impact of the Lord in your life and/or in your ministry in a very powerful way. In those times, you have that “mountaintop experience,” similar to what Peter, James, and John must have experienced when they witnessed Jesus being transfigured before their eyes. This past weekend I had a “mountaintop experience.”

In preparation for a youth event in Starkville, MS where I am speaking, I had the opportunity to sit down and have a discussion with Dr. John Perkins. John Perkins is one of the most highly esteemed voices in the world on reconciliation and justice. He speaks all across the globe to all groups of people. He has written several very powerful books, including Let Justice Roll Down, Follow Me To Freedom, and Leadership Revolution, among others. Dr. Perkins has eleven honorary doctorate degrees, and two universities have established John Perkins centers.

I actually was able to catch up with him as he returned from a trip in California and was preparing to speak at an event in Pennsylvania.  I wanted to post some of my conversation with Doc, as I asked him about his upbringing, his thoughts on the church and mission, and his view of God as it relates to the church’s effectiveness. I hope you grow as much from these clips as I did listening to him.

I started by asking Dr. Perkins about his upbringing, and how his upbringing has affected his theology and his views on justice and reconciliation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rNHI20btMk

I then asked Dr. Perkins a simple, yet profound and complex question…”What is the church?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhAj2UgxKFU

The final question I asked Dr. Perkins relates to the why a small view of God hinders the mission and effectiveness of the church.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koTnjbG3QgA

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I love you all. To God be the glory forever. Amen!

Yeah, I know what some of you are thinking…majoring in the minors is a detrimental mindset to have. I will agree with you when the context is Christian ideology. Nothing is more damaging to the unity and progression of the church than individuals or groups of people focusing on trivial, insignificant issues in the life of a church at the expense of the larger mission. It will suck the life from even the most devout followers of Jesus. So, don’t worry, we are all on the same page there. What I am referring to instead is a mindset we should develop that hinges the successes or failures of life on a smaller, subset of decisions. In essence, success in life and faithfulness to God is rooted in the small decisions and not necessarily the large ones. Hear me out.

When I played football in high school, there was one coach that would come out every Monday before we started practice and say to us, “Fellas……..(there was always an extended, awkward pause here)…….if you want to succeed on Friday night, you have to succeed on Monday. You can’t expect to win on Friday if you don’t win on Monday” (imagine this in a very forte, raspy coach’s voice…then it really starts to come to life). Being a teenager, that sounded like the most ridiculous statement I had ever heard. I would never think to approach Monday like a Friday. Friday is when the lights come on. Friday is when thousands (alright maybe hundreds) of people are watching. Friday is when I get an opportunity to cement my place in Grenada High School folk lore (which doesn’t exist). Mondays?? Mondays are only good because they are four days from Friday. And I do not know about the rest of you, but the worst possible stuff always happened to me on Mondays. My coach, however, pushed us harder on Mondays in drills and scrimmages than any other day…and now I see why. He knew if he could get us to see the importance of winning the small battles, Friday night wins would come. And they did come.

How does this translate to everyday life? Let me make a statement I hope sticks with you.

“I believe both God AND Satan recognize the importance of the small decisions we make in everyday life.”

Let’s start with Satan. In my previous post, I talked about the schemes of Satan. He wants to destroy us. He is crafty and deceitful. He recognizes this fact to be true…most Christians are not going to fall for a trap if we can see it. So, instead Satan chooses to use a small series of traps that are less visible and might even be hidden in some form of truth (refer to 2 Cor. 11:14). Satan can destroy your life faster than the government spends money, but for Satan to gain control of your mind and heart, he must take control of the small, seemingly insignificant decisions. For the building to come crashing down, there must first be a crack.

Now, let’s turn to God. Let’s start here…the fact that the almighty, all powerful God of the universe would even consider human beings is the first (and most important) sign God “majors in the minors.” But then you go even deeper. Matthew 10:30 tells us God knows EXACTLY how many hairs we have on our head. What?! God even puts his stamp on the human body. One of the basic proteins responsible for holding us together (I understand this is not sound technical jargon for my doctors out there, so please bear with me) is called a laminin. What is striking about the laminin? Its structure and shape is that of a cross. God even wanted to place his fingerprints are something that human eyes can not even see. Let’s face it…the small things are important to God, and they also need to be important to us.

And this is where the problem arises. We live in a culture today that is irrefutably driven by results, and the results must be seen and the results must be seen NOW. Coaches are fired after one season if he or she loses a bunch of games. People are fired from jobs if the quarter’s profits are down. Unfortunately at times, ministers are even fired if sharp increases in attendance numbers and baptisms are not seen quickly. How can we not expect to buy into what the culture is selling? I understand it is hard, but here is the thing about “majoring in the minors”…it involves making decisions everyday that will not produce immediate fruit. My coach wanted to instill in us a mentality that focuses on the times when the lights are off just as much as when the lights are on. If we expect to be successful in this life and remain faithful to God, we must approach Monday morning the same way we approach Sunday morning. We must live out the same type of Christian life that we portray to others on Sunday morning, and we do this by developing good, healthy habits everyday. I hear teens say things like this often, “I just did not get anything out of this Bible study oR prayer or that speaker or devotional. I just do not see the importance of reading my Bible everyday.” What essentially they are saying is this…I did not see any visible results, so I stopped doing it. You can take what I am about to say to the bank.

“The seed you sow today might not produce fruit tomorrow, but it WILL produce fruit eventually.”

We must realize the importance of developing good habits and treating the minor decisions as major ones. Whether or not you decide to spend time alone with God everyday is a major decision. Whether or not you decide to spend time with God’s people as often as possible is a major decision. Whether or not you decide to put yourself in vulnerable positions is a major decision. How you decide to spend your free time. How you decide to love your spouse daily. How you decide to treat your parents and siblings. How you decide to respond to stress and anxiety. All of these decisions are important. The decision you make regarding the small situations and circumstances in life might not produce fruit tomorrow, but it will produce fruit eventually.

All of these minor, seemingly insignificant decisions ultimately determine our success in this life and our faithfulness to God. We have a God that takes the small things seriously. We have an adversary that take the small things seriously. I challenge you to major in the minors and see how your life begins to change.