It's Just a Test

In my Bible reading today I was struck by a comment inserted in the story of the feeding of the five thousand (John 6). It says:

Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.

Then Philip went on to try and solve the puzzle. What I find interesting is that Jesus already knew the answer. He knew exactly what his plan was. He knew exactly how he was going to feed the large crowd. But he threw the problem at Philip, just to see what he would say. And after Philip gives his attempt at a solution, Jesus goes ahead with his plan and feeds over five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish.

God continues to work in this same way in our lives today. He already knows what He is going to do. But He wants to involve us in the process. He wants us to build our faith, and trust Him for what seems impossible to us. Of course, nothing is impossible with God. But we tend to forget this. When faced with a problem, do you try to figure it out on your own? Or do you turn to the one who already has the answer, trusting Him for the solution?

I pray that we can remember this simple fact as we face circumstances in our lives. Jesus is testing us, for He already knows what He would do.

Mid-Life, One Month to Live, or High Gas Prices?

Why is it that we always feel like we need to justify everything we do? Do you know what I mean? Why can't we ever just do something, just because?

I have been wanting to buy a motorcycle for about 10 years. It looks like fun, they sound cool, I just thought it would be fun to drive. So for about 6 or 7 years I worked on convincing Nancy that I should have one. And it took that long.

Then about a month ago, after taking out a second mortgage to fill up the gas tank in my pick-up truck, I did some simple math. If I had a motorcycle that got 50 mpg, and drove the truck 80% less, I would save over $150 a month! Within a year the motorcycle would pay for itself! So I 'justified' my decision by saying that I was going to save money on gas.

We just started a brand new series at church (www.southbrookchurch.com) called "One Month to Live." What would you do if you knew you only had one month to live? Would you change anything? Would you go out and do something you've always wanted to, but never did? Maybe having a motorcycle is partly that for me. What if I decided to just play it safe, and never try the motorcycle thing?

So I did it! I found a great deal on a used bike on Craigslist. I bought it, I got my permit, and now I can cruise the streets on my new wheels. It's great - I love it!

Just don't ask me why. I'm not sure if it's my age, or if it's part of the answer to One Month to Live, or if it's really just as simple and practical as saving money on gas. I just did it because I wanted to!

Visions from God

Wednesday nights have been a lot of fun lately. I am teaching through the book of Joshua. So much amazing stuff happens in that book! Last night we looked at chapters 5 & 6, dealing with the purification of the people and the fall of Jericho.

Before they attack Jericho, Joshua is visited by Jesus in a pre-human form (the commander of the army of the LORD). Jesus give Joshua some very specific orders on how to conquer the city of Jericho:

Joshua 6:2-5 2 But the LORD said to Joshua, "I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. 3 You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. 4 Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram's horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. 5 When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams' horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town."

Joshua had to be thinking this was insane. Just march around the city? That's it? But Joshua took what the LORD instructed back to the people. They listened, and obeyed! I have to admit that if my leader came back with news like this I'd have to wonder if maybe he had lost his mind! But the people listened and obeyed! Why? Because they believed that Joshua was their God-given leader, and they had committed to follow him and obey whatever God commanded through him.

As I was teaching on this, I said: "If Pastor Rob stood up on a Sunday morning and told us that God had given him a vision...if God had told him to lead us on a march around our property, that on the seventh day a building would miraculously appear...would we have enough faith to believe him? Do you really trust your lead pastor? Do you really believe that God has placed him in a position of authority over you?"

Then after the service my friend Jim came up and said: "What if God had given Pastor Rob a vision...that people who come to Southbrook Church-who call Southbrook their church-should all join a LifeGroup, start tithing regularly, come to church regularly, and maintain a regular quiet time with God. Would we believe that God had really told him this? Would we trust God enough to follow the leader that has been placed in authority over us?"

The thing is, God has already given Pastor Rob a vision. That vision already exists, that people who attend Southbrook Church will submit to this vision: join a small group, tithe, come to church regularly, and have a quiet time with the Lord. The question is, do you believe it? Do you trust God enough to follow the vision placed before us?

"Lord, may those who call Southbrook home get on board with what God has called us to do. May we be convicted and convinced that you want us, all of us, and nothing less. May we commit to the vision placed before us, grabbing ahold and never letting go."