How to Make Someone Feel Insignificant in 5 Minutes

Who is the person here that is speaking ignorantly and making good plans turn into stupid ones?  Man up!  See if you can answer any of these questions.  Where were you when the earth was made?  How was it decided how big the earth should be or how far from the sun it should be.  Did you shape it out of nothing when nothing but space and stars existed?  Did you make the ocean or decide where to place the land and then make the different continents.  Do you know how to make the clouds form and keep the earth from flooding?  Can you snap and make the sunrise?  Have you stayed evil by causing it to be exposed by light?  Didn’t think so…

Imagine if you had any of these abilities or accomplishments on your resume!  Well obviously no one can claim this and feel pretty stupid if they tried.  Just reading this and think about our finite ability makes us realize how weak and frail we actually are.  That is exactly how Job (pronounced Jōb) felt when God asked him these questions.  You may not know the biblical story of Job, but he was a wealthy man who suddenly had disaster strike him and take away everything.  He went from Hero to Zero in a day.  And then he had great friends come and tell him that the reason this happened was cause he did some terrible evil.  In the midst of this Job insisted his innocence and just wanted an audience with God because he knew that some advocate would plead his innocence and he just wanted to ask God “why?”.  After  a while of this God shows up and asks Job these questions.  Talk about being crushed in minutes.

You know the ironic thing about God’s response to Job in chapters 38-42?  He never gives him a reason.  Job never finds out why it all happened.  But Job learned one thing; God is in control and that is all we need to know.  Why is the wrong question and is irrelevant.  God is in control and has a much bigger picture in mind.  It is not about us and we are just created beings there to bring God glory.  We need to stop being so self focused and selfish and trust God to work all things out to accomplish His ultimate will.  As some of you may have already figured out, the book of Romans is the answer to Job’s question.  We do have an advocate in Jesus Christ.  He is the one that daily intercedes on our behalf before the Father.  Compared to God we are not innocent at all, yet He gives us an advocate in Jesus Christ.

This is the passage we looked at in YMI‘s staff meeting this morning.  It was a good reminder as we face many situations in life and ministry that we deem unfair.  Whether it is a church partner dropping the ball on what was promised or a group wanting to change your agreement.  Or kids dropping from your mission team or a co-worker not coming through for you and creating extra work.  Or a relationship you have in your life is not what you expected it to be or creates conflict.  The wrong question is why.  The right question is God how are you using this and how should I respond?  I know you are in control and that I am just a piece of the puzzle so please help me to have your perspective.  This also helps relieve the stress of the feeling of needing to be in control   Cause when life seems rockiest we know we are out of control and can rest in the sense that God is in control!   As you face life’s challenges realize that God is so much bigger.

 

Job 38:1-13 

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements–surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’? “Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? 

Radical or Counter Cultural

Have you ever wanted to change the world?  To walk down the street and everyone knows you has the trend setter and the changer of culture?  As a small boy, I use to dream of that.  I wanted to be a difference maker and game changer.  As I got older, I realized how unrealistic that is but, I also learned that if I wanted to make a difference, I couldn’t let society dictate my actions.  As a staff here at YMI we have been studding sacrifice and we topped it off by reading the popular book by David Platt, “Radical“.  I had read this book before, but this time it took on new meaning to me.

Let me explain.  The last 3 years, I started  serving at Youth Missions International full time.  I have trained over 500 youth in how to share their faith in the world that they live.  The most common issue that I see is that youth get focused on the desires of the culture around them.  It screams “be your own person and prove you can be successful”.  They feel the pressure and yet they don’t even know how to answer who they are and more importantly who God says they are.

On top of that, I have learned to value what Paul talks about in Philippians 4 about being content in excess and in want.  When he says he can do all things through Christ, in context he is saying he can be content in what ever situation because of Christ.  This has encouraged me as I have discovered what is a need and what is a want as I have been a faith supported missionary.  Learning to trust God and never seeing Him fail.

As I put these two things together, I realized exactly what Platt is saying, the “American Dream” is killing our faith.  We have become complacent   We get so focused on the temporal and about the next step that we miss the importance of sacrifice and what it means to give till it hurts.  The Christian cannot expect to live a comfortable life if they plan to engage in mission.  Everything is at stake and so we must be willing to sacrifice all.  But the more I read the scriptures the more I realize that this isn’t radical, but it is what should be normal.  We should be the most loving compassionate people we know.  We should be the most sacrificial and truth speaking individuals around.  We should be the most generous humans that have walked the earth.  We have been given everything so we should give everything.  That is what Jesus calls us to.  That is what Paul teaches.  This is what Peter lived.  That is true Christianity; it isn’t radical, but it is counter cultural.