Faith vs. Optimism

“Who knows, the Lord might be gracious to me.”                     

 —2 Samuel 12:22

From daily conversation, I would have guessed that there are more pessimists in the world than optimists. Someone comments as they dial the phone, “They probably won’t be home” or “They probably won’t answer.” When approaching a green traffic light, we moan, “It will probably turn red just as we get there.” Describing people in Winnie the Pooh terms, I would think there are many more Eeyores than Tiggers in this world. “Oh hum, I just knew I’d lose my tail today.”

The simplest research, however, reveals that humans tend to an optimistic group overall. Psychologists have established the fact that most people are actually irrationally positive. This phenomenon is called the optimism bias. Most people expect to live longer and be more successful than average, and we tend to underestimate the likelihood of getting a serious disease.

Although, I profess to be an optimist, I am not an irrational optimist who simply thinks all things just work out in the end. I read an anonymous joke recently, “An optimist fell from the top story of a skyscraper. As he passed the fourth story, he was overheard muttering, ‘So far, so good!’” Irrational optimism might be understood as a fatalistic belief that everyone, or at least you, will live happily ever after.

One of King David’s greatest contributions to the Christian faith story is optimistic faith. David demonstrated an optimism that God could be trusted to show up just when you needed Him most. It was not merely an optimistic bias that everyone experiences a fairytale ending but a belief that the God of the Bible, the God of creation, the Author of the plan of human salvation, will keep the promises of His word. God can be trusted and has our best interests in mind.

After David’s grievous sins of adultery, murder, and cover up, his child born to Bathsheba became fatally ill. David fasted and prayed while the child lived but quickly arose, cleaned up, and went into the Lord’s House to worship after the child died. When asked why he fasted and prayed, David replied, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me’” (2 Sam. 12:22). David showed optimistic faith in God. Even while he was being disciplined for terrible acts, he held the belief that God was good and might still be gracious to him.

Was it faith or optimism that prompted David to face the giant with five smooth stones and a sling? (1 Sam. 17:40) As David approached Goliath, he replied to Goliath’s challenge, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Sam. 17:45). Faith is the optimistic belief that God can be trusted in the difficulties and challenges of life. God is not a God who lives in a castle at the end of fairy tales. God is the God who sent His Son to be born into our broken world, walk in our sin-filled streets, and die on a criminal’s cross for you and me.

Faith is not merely an optimistic bias. Faith is putting our trust in the Lord, trusting our future to God as we walk in obedience to His will and His Word. Are you seeking relief from past deeds? Are you facing major challenges today? Call upon the Lord and trust Him to keep His Word. 

New Creation

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”     —2 Corinthians 5:17

Being from Punxsutawney (although I never actually lived in Punxsy, I did pastor in its outskirts for seven years), I was very interested when a movie came out in 1993 with the title,
Groundhog Day. For those who don’t know or maybe don’t care, Punxsutawney is the home of the world famous weather prognosticating groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil. In the movie, Bill Murray plays Phil Connors, an egocentric TV weatherman from Pittsburgh who must unwillingly report on the annual Groundhog Day festivities in Punxsutawney. Each morning he awakes to repeat the same day over and over again.

Several things made the movie entertaining for me: the comedic antics of Bill Murray, the romantic plot between Murray and his news producer played by Andie MacDowell, and the parallel between the movie’s silly plot and real life. In reality, much of life seems like we repeat the same day, same chores, and same problems day after day after day. The book of Ecclesiastes agrees, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun” (1:9). Many of the religious systems of the world have embraced the idea of re-incarnation to explain the way life appears to be.

I will admit that even as a Christian, many days of my life seem like I am repeating the same duties and activities. Yes, at times, I could agree with the writer of Ecclesiastes, “There is nothing new under the sun.” But, out of my relationship with God through Jesus Christ, I see something new almost every day. On the days I don’t see newness, I am probably to blame for not paying attention or for being preoccupied with some selfish trouble of my own. The creative

God who made the universe and all of us lives in me and every other Christian believer by the Holy Spirit.

My summer has been a repeat of many other ones, too busy. But even in the busyness, if I face life with my spiritual eyes open, many new things come into view. Last week, I watched karaoke at a wedding reception. It was awesome. Why didn’t anybody think of that sooner? This weekend I go fishing at Raystown Lake with three new fishing buddies. Who knows, we may even catch a striper or two. Last week I got to pray with a young boy to receive Christ in morning worship. It doesn’t get any better than that. To my surprise, at this writing, I have received two responses to my offer to give away Bible storybooks from last week’s article. As long as I don’t focus on troubles and boredom, life is full of surprises.

If I am a follower of Jesus, if I am in Christ, then I not only experience something new every day, but I myself am a new creation. The old gospel song says, “He’s still workin’ on me, to make me what I ought to be.” Yes, God is still working on me. I am a work in progress. Every day, if I allow the Spirit to have His way, God takes out more of the old and puts in more of the new. 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God...” Not only do I get to see new things, I get to experience God working in and through my life. You can too if you will allow God to make your life new. God is a perfect gentleman. He will not force His way into your life, but the moment you open your life to His love and grace through Jesus Christ, God’s creative Holy Spirit begins to make all things new.

Help the Children

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”  —Luke 18:16

My son and I played and practiced a lot of baseball together, and we designed and built a lot of projects together. I still love spending time with him today, but I missed out on one important thing I wished we would have done more often. As he was growing up in his early teen years, I remember feeling that he wasn’t embracing my values as readily as I hoped he would. Although, he never really rebelled terribly, I risked it all and asked him the ultimate question.

I said to my son, “Ryan, you know I love you, right? Have you ever seen anything false in my life where my actions didn’t live up to my words?” These were set up questions, because if he said, “No,” then I would ask him why he did not follow my example more closely or behave better. Well, if you are going to risk your honor and ask such questions of a teenager, be prepared for the answer. Ryan thought awhile—I was thinking I got him—but then said, “You always preach about personal and family devotions, but we don’t read the Bible together very often.” Ouch!

To my wife’s and my defense, we did read the Egermeier's Bible Story Book the whole way through after meals for a long period of time, We also tried different family, children, and teen devotional books but the whining of our children, the challenge of our schedules, and sheer exhaustion of life often made it easier to skip Bible reading with our children. After all, they were in church multiple times each week. No excuses!

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them.” If I rewrote this in the positive, it might read, “Let the little children come to me and help them get closer.” One of the best ways to help our children get closer to Jesus is spending time with them reading the Bible. I have noticed many successful parents and some of the most Christ-like children are those who spend time reading God’s Word together. When the children are young, read short Bible stories to them and as they grow older, involve them in taking turns reading as a family. One family read the entire Bible together in the one year plan by reading three chapters every night after supper and 5 chapters on Sundays after dinner. It was a transformational year for them all.

Looking to my bookshelf, I located that same Egermeier’s Bible Story Book. The paperback cover is slightly tattered, but looking on the presentation page, I see it was presented to my daughter in 1982 (she would have been 4), by her Uncle Allen and Aunt Christi. Thank you, Allen and Christi. That gift was one of the highpoints in the devotional life of my small children at the time.

In an article a few months ago, I offered to give anyone a Bible who didn’t have one, but no one contacted the church to take me up on the offer. Either no one took me seriously or everyone who read the article could afford or already had a Bible if they wanted one. I am making the same offer for the Egermeier’s Bible Story Book. It follows the Biblical text closely and is a great way to introduce Bible reading to young children. If you cannot afford one and would like one, please contact me through the church website below. I’ll see that you get one. Won’t you help the children, your children, get closer to Jesus?

Doing One Thing

“But one thing I do.”  —Philippians 3:13

Most of you have heard the song written by Lee Hays and Peter Seeger, “If I had a Hammer.” However, many of you may not know it was originally performed in 1949 in support of the communist party leaders in America who were on trial in Federal Court. It was later made famous by the trio of Peter, Paul, and Mary in the 1960s as a theme song for the American Civil Rights movement.

The hammer song states that if I had a hammer, I’d hammer in the morning, evening, and all over this land. I’d hammer out danger, warning and love between brothers and sisters. (I know the grammar and logic of the song doesn’t quite fit, but the poetic message comes through loud and clear.) The song implies, if what I do best is ring a bell or sing a song, then I’d ring my bell or sing my song morning and evening all over the land.

In our new member class at Oakland, I share how God intends every member to be a minister, how every ministry is important and necessary, and everyone is a “10” in some specific area. We all have a unique contribution to make. If you and I had only one thing we could do, what would it be? How are we making our unique contribution to this life on earth?

Paul, the missionary evangelist and the human author of half of the books of the New Testament, wrote, “But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” (Phil. 3:13). Paul’s one thing was to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, the non-Jews. Paul had a past. He persecuted the church with such zeal that he arrested Christians and had Christians put to death. But at his conversion on the Damascus Road and immediately following, God called him to proclaim to the Gentiles the very message and faith he sought to destroy. God said of Paul, “This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel” (Acts 9:15).

Paul did this one thing with great intensity. He forgot his past and pressed forward to do what God called him to do. Paul spent the rest of his life, traveling the known world preaching Jesus as the Son of God and planting churches. He was stoned (with rocks) and left for dead only to get up and return to the city to preach some more. “They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city” (Acts 14:19-20). They imprisoned him in Jerusalem, he appealed to Caesar and took his case to Rome and preached to governors, kings, soldiers and fellow prisoners along the way. Nothing stopped Paul from doing his one thing.

If you only had one note to play in the symphony, one line to give in the play, or one event to compete in the Olympics of life, what would that be? If you and I don’t give our unique contribution, someone else may step in and fill the gap, but there will be a void in your family, your church, and the world. Paul said, “This one thing I do.” One goal for our lives should be to discover our one thing and give it back to God as an offering of love. 

Salvation is Free

“Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?”  —Isaiah 55:2

As I stood in line at the food court at the City Town Mall in Charleston, WV, a sloppily dressed man with perspiration-soaked shirt slid a sandwich baggy full of coins along the counter next to me. I paid for my meal and noticed the cook filling a small plastic glass with ice water for the man beside me. The man preparing to fish through his bag of coins asked, “How much?” The cook waved him off and said, “It’s OK, take it. It’s nothing. Just go.”

As I ate my meal, I noticed this man carrying his empty plastic glass to another restaurant counter. The cashier took his glass, filled it with water, and returned it to him. I can only guess what he said to the cashier for I was too far away to hear and his back was toward me, but I read the cashier’s lips, “A quarter.” He fished twenty-five cents out of his bag and paid for his water. I watched with keen interest as he sauntered through the mall sipping his water. I couldn’t help but think, “Surely, there is a water fountain or bathroom sink in this huge mall where water is free.”

You may have heard the statement, “The best things in life are free.” I believe not only are the best things free but the most satisfying and lasting things in life are free. Many of this world’s things are extremely expensive. Why else would companies spend billions of dollars on advertising to entice us to purchase their widgets and gadgets? How fulfilling do our ipods, ipads, nooks, smart phones, motorcycles, clothes, cars, and Xboxes make our lives? We wait in line to spend our last bag of coins for the latest and greatest thing only to find it is outdated the moment the money leaves our hands.

The Book of Isaiah has been considered by many to be the 5^th Gospel, the Good News of Jesus from the Old Testament. Isaiah 55 calls all of us who are morally and spiritually bankrupt to come to God and buy life sustaining nourishment without money and without cost (55:1).  Before I became a believer, I struggled to understand how salvation could be free. I read verses like Romans 6:23 and Ephesians 2:8. “The gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Although I understood what the words of the Bible said, I somehow believed deep in my being it couldn’t be true. I had to pay my way, earn God’s acceptance. In those days, I must have looked to God like the poor man at the mall paying his last coin for water at the counter of life when there is within reach a supply of pure, free, and life-giving water.

A couple days later I took a walk through the mall after lunch. I searched out the directory map to locate the restrooms. Although I did not find a water fountain, I found the restrooms directly below the food court where clean water was available free at the sink. That man spent some of his last coins for water he could have had free in abundance. Do you see a parallel in your life? Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?”(Isaiah 55:2) You have been paying for things in this life that do not satisfy while God reaches out to you and invites you to “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost” (Isaiah 55:1). Jesus invites you to freely come to God through Him. It’s actually not free. Jesus paid for your salvation with His life’s blood, but it’s free to you and me.

Words of Life

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”  —Proverbs 14:12

As I write, I am spending five days at a church conference in the beautiful city of Charleston, West Virginia. I arrived at the dinner hour on Monday and parked at the Town Center Mall parking garage in time to eat a bite and get to my first meeting. Charleston’s down town area has been rejuvenated into a beautiful two city block, three story mall. As I road the elevator to the third floor food court, I asked someone the quickest way to the Civic Center. They immediately told me to go in the direction opposite from the Chik-fil-A restaurant.

After eating a wonderful grilled chicken salad, I headed for the Civic Center. Wanting to double check my directions, I ask a couple of teens if I was going the correct way toward the Civic Center. They debated among themselves and decided I was going the exact opposite direction. Yes, both were certain I needed to go the other way. I continued down to the first floor in the opposite direction toward the Civic Center. Just wanting to double check my route, I asked a pair of lady shoppers at the elevator which way was most direct to the Civic Center. I said, “I’m taking a poll on the way to the Civic Center. I have one saying this way and two others say that way.” Both ladies were convinced that the Starbucks sign faced away from the Center. I turned around another time and went the opposite direction. They were correct. Never doubt veteran shoppers.

I began to think about how we seek direction for our lives. We often take clues from entertainment media, friends, co-workers, relatives, and just about anyone who has an opinion as to which direction to take in life. Just like the directions I received from the Charleston shoppers, human insights are often incorrect and flawed. The scriptures tell us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Prov. 14:12, 16:25). Jesus, on the other hand, said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). If we really want to know the best way to go in this world, we should consult the One who created this world and life itself.

The statement may often be overused, but the Bible really is God’s road map and instruction manual for life. Paul encouraged Timothy, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:14-16). If one has lost their way, the Bible really does have the answers. We often wait, like I did at the mall, until we are lost before asking for direction.

I would suggest reading the Bible every day for direction and help. I could have read up on the down town area of Charleston before my arrival. Actually, I thought about it, but forgot my atlas and had to rely on my GPS to get me to my hotel and the Town Center Mall. If I would have read up on Civic Center and the Town Center Mall, I would have not gotten lost in the first place. Do you have a Bible? Have you read it lately? The Bible is truly God’s words of life. 

Shout Joyously

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.”   —Psalm 100:1

I go to more than my share of fireworks displays each summer. Watching my wife enjoy each fireworks display like it was her first is simply amazing. But, I wouldn’t call July Fourth’s fireworks display we took our two-year old granddaughter at Point Stadium amazing. We entered via the main gate and walked past the artillery cannons, which should have given us an idea of what was to come. After several barrages, Addi burst into screaming and uncontrollable outbursts of her own. After several back and forth barrages between Nanna and Pappy, we were all in tears when we finally exited the stadium.

The Thunder in the Valley fireworks were truly amazing for me this year but for a different reason. We watched from the Goodwill Store parking lot again this year, and as each rocket exploded in air, a shout went up from behind us. I am used to the typical “oohs” and “aahs,” but this was different. Soon the children in front of us were joining in. Each explosion brought another joyous shout. After several attempts to find the source, I located a lady a few cars behind us thoroughly enjoying the fireworks. At first I was slightly annoyed but didn’t know why. Soon, I realized that my annoyance was not because her shouts bothered me but because I was jealous. You see, I do not easily cast off my inhibitions and publicly display my feelings.

The Psalmist calls us, to “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth” (100:1). The “all the earth” phrase clearly indicates that I am included. I love to worship. I even occasionally lift up both arms in praise and worship to God, but I seldom shout. As many of you have heard me say, “I’m a crier, not a shouter.” When moved in worship I am more likely to mist up, even let a sob slip out, but not a shout.

When I first accepted Christ as my personal Savior at age 18, I knew without a doubt that God answered my prayers, forgave my sins, and came into my heart and life. I felt like a huge burden of sin and guilt had been lifted from my heart. A peace came over me that has never left. I think peace may be what most folks feel when they experience the assurance that their sins have been forgiven by God. Jesus paid it all. The Cross of Jesus, for me, became a symbol of my peace.

The joy of the Lord did not come immediately. Several years later, when I totally surrendered my life to Jesus asking Him to be the Lord (leader and boss) of my life, the joy of the Lord flooded my soul. Jesus said, “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit. As we receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and ask God to fill us with His Holy Spirit, there comes into our hearts a wellspring of joy. The Holy Spirit became for me not just a symbol but a present reality of the joy of the Lord.

I still don’t shout much, but I can enjoy worshipping with those who do. How is the joy level in your life? If you are a child of God, the joy of the Lord and the sweet and powerful presence of God’s Holy Spirit are available to you. Surrender your will and life to the Lordship of Jesus and ask for the fullness of His Holy Spirit. May the joy of the Lord become a spring of living water in your life, and may you have the courage and freedom to shout for joy to the Lord.