Driving Satan Crazy

In talking with a friend the other day he told me the story of how his laptop and cell phone were stolen while he was doing mission work in Mexico. You see, he was staying in a fairly nice house that had a lot of material possessions in it. But, the only things stolen that night were his laptop and cell phone. As he told me the story I looked at him and was like wow, that really stinks. He looked back at me and said, “Nope. I was like praise God!”

Yeah, that look you just got on your face was the one I gave him. That “Are you crazy?” look. He went on to say, “Absolutely, praise God. Praise God that Satan cares that much about me. That I am that much of a threat to him. That I scare him that much that he takes time out to try and rattle my cage. Praise God.”

Wow! I was completely shocked, convicted, and inspired all at the same time. How different my life would be if I approached everything from that standpoint. If I took the perspective of my friend. The challenges and struggles of life would seem much smaller and less burdensome if I looked at them as a blessing because it meant the amazing things God was doing through me were driving Satan crazy.

How do you look at the challenges and struggles that come into your life? Do they cause you to get angry and frustrated? Or do you praise God for them?

Churchy Words

I was listening to Ski’s sermon during worship last night and realized, no matter how hard to try, we still tend to use a lot of “churchy” words in worship. Two that we talked about last night, and Ski did a great job explaining were ‘grace’ and ‘mercy.’

I have to be honest. Growing up, I learned that grace was “God’s undeserved love” but I’m not sure I ever learned what mercy was. A couple of years ago I heard a gentleman giving a speech tell a great story describing the difference between those two words. Every time I hear either one of them, I think of that story. I’d like to share it with you.

One day a dad came home from work and said to his young son, “Let’s go get an ice cream cone.” The boy looked at his dad confused. He asked why they were going to get ice cream. You see, usually the boy had to earn such rewards. His dad said he wanted to teach him a lesson and ice cream was going to help.

So, the two headed out to get ice cream. As they were enjoying their treat, the dad said to his son. “You didn’t deserve this ice cream. You did nothing to earn it. Just as you do nothing to earn God’s love. In fact, you don’t deserve his love. But, he gives it to you anyway. That my son, is what we call grace.” The child nodded and smiled at his father. He said, “Dad, I like grace.”

The two finished their treat and headed home. Later in the evening the young boy got into trouble. He and his father both knew it was something he should be punished for. As the father prepared to dole out his son’s punishment he suddenly stopped. The boy looked at his father in disbelief. His father looked back at him and said, “Son. I’m going to teach you a different kind of lesson right now. You deserve this punishment. You did something wrong and you know the consequences. But, I’m not going to punish you.” The child looked at his father in amazement and simply said, “But I don’t understand, dad.” His father proceeded to explain that he was showing the boy mercy. “You see,” he said, “God’s mercy is when he doesn’t give us the punishment that we deserve. The ice cream you got earlier tonight was grace, it was something good you didn’t deserve. But not receiving this punishment that you do deserve, that’s mercy.”

The boy recalled in his mind the ice cream from earlier in the evening. He looked at his father with a big smile and said, “Dad, I LIKE grace. But I LOVE mercy.”

That story just helps lay out the difference as well as the meaning of those two words so clearly in my mind. In my opinion, they’re both great words. And they’re both words that can only be rooted in our Heavenly Father. Without his loving example we wouldn’t know what grace or mercy was like.

Tweets of the Week

It’s that time again – Tweets of the week. I had to go with six this week because there was just SO much to share.

@pwilson RT @MichaelHyatt: “If you are still here, then you have not completed your life’s purpose.” The Noticer by @AndyAndrews  {Get busy and let God use you to change the world!}

@andrew_statezny playing Yahtzee with my parents, E and @amystats over Skype video call {Wow. That’s just crazy to me. Technology can bring families together even over distances to do everything from engaging in conversation to playing Yahtzee. Just so cool!}

@loswhit When yr kids look back when facing the choice 2 chase their dream or live in normalcy, wht will yr actions have taught them? {I don’t have kids yet, but wow, this makes me think. What kind of example am I setting for others? What kind of example are you setting for others?}

@T_NutzIf you are going to doubt something in your life doubt your limitations!!! {I need to work on this one.}

@tonymorganlive” If you don’t love people, you can’t fake it.” -chris hodges {So true. Trust me, I’ve tried. You can respect everyone out of Christian love, but you’re not going to love everybody. Be real in who you are. Don’t be fake.}

@Astro_Mike From orbit: We see 16 sunrises and sunsets in 24 hrs, each one spectacular as the sun lights up the atmosphere in a spectrum of colors. {Just amazing that he is twittering from space. Again, what technology can do. I can only imagine the natural beauty up there.}

That Person

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying before: “Man is not an island.”

Well, let me tell you, I’ve tried, for much of my life, to prove that wrong. I am by nature an introvert. Most of the time I am much happier being by myself. While I enjoy people around people at times it takes a lot of energy out of me and after a few hours I’m usually exhausted. I love extroverts, I admire their ability to interact with people all of the time and not get tired, but that’s just not me.

Despite my best attempts though, I have been unsuccessful. In fact, as I’ve gotten older especially over the last 3 years or so, I realize more and more just how connected to other people I am and how much we all need each other. Others help us see and understand things about ourselves we can’t see for ourselves. They hold us accountable. They remind us who we are, what we believe, and what we’re all about. They bring us back down to earth when we’re flying too high and they help us up when we’re in the valleys.

At different seasons in my life I’ve had different people who, when I’m with them, make everything seem right with the world. I pray you can say the same. If not, even if you’re an introvert, I encourage you to find that person or even those people. That person who reminds you who you are and what you’re about. Who knows just the right thing to say, just the right thing to do, and helps life make sense when it gets cloudy.

We all need those people. Yes, I can admit that even I am not an island.

Rejuvinate

I’ve had the opportunity to spend a large part of this past week in and around the Seattle area of Washington state. If you’ve ever been there, you’ll understand how pitifully words and even photographs convey the natural beauty of the area. If you haven’t been there, I encourage you to put a visit on your “bucket list.”

I have been to Seattle a couple of times before and have never been disappointed. But, the weather this time was absolutely gorgeous. As I marveled at the mountains surrounding me on all sides as I drove on the freeway through downtown Seattle I had two thoughts. 1: I wondered if people who live there appreciate the beauty. 2: I marveled at what an amazing God and creator we have. So often we rush through life, checking off our to do lists, and doing what we do. But, every once in a while we get a chance to just sit and admire his beauty. I did that yesterday for several hours. Just sat at the beach watching the water, listening to the waves, feeling the cool breeze from the water balancing the warm sunshine, and admiring the mountains in the distance. I was thankful that my God created me with the ability to just sit and enjoy such natural beauty. That he uses such experiences to rejuvinate me and make everything seem right with the world. And I can tell you that my personal relationship with my Savior is much stronger after that rejuvination and sense of renewal.

What do you enjoy? What rejuvinates you? Take some time in the next few days to marvel at what an amazing God we have and be rejuvinated by his power and love.

From the Lips of Children

A Sunday school teacher asked her children as they were on the way to church service, “And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?” One bright little girl replied, “Because people are sleeping.” -Unknown

I pray this isn’t your church. If it is how are you going to fix it? God’s Word is powerful but it doesn’t no good if people don’t hear it because they’re sleeping or they’ve tuned out.