Is the Name of the Lord ALWAYS Blessed?

“Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” -Job 1:20-21

Job had an incredible testimony.  People knew him to be a man of character and integrity.  God looked into his heart and agreed.  He was so confident in Job’s love for Him that He actually went bragging to the “old accuser” about His servant.  Satan wasn’t convinced, though.  He thought Job’s comfortable life was the substance of his right living and challenged God to take His hand of blessing and protection from him.  God agreed and soon Job lost his possessions, his children and his health.

I couldn’t imagine the depth of those losses.  Just about my only hope for sanity would be the support of my wife.  I truly feel like we could get through anything together (with the Lord’s strength, of course).  But then Job lost that support as his wife told him, “Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die.”

Recently, I sang in church, “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord” and the song really put that statement in perspective.  Talk about insult to injury!  The final verse says,

Then his wife came before him to voice her opinion.  She said, “You should end it.  Just curse God and die.”  Job rose from the ashes and looked toward the heavens.  He brushed back the tears from his eyes.  And he said, “The Lord giveth, He taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”

I can just imagine Satan smiling as Job’s wife gave those terrible words.  This must be the straw that breaks the camel’s back!  There’s no surviving this onslaught.  Certainly, Job would be cursing God to His face.  But it didn’t happen.  Sure, as you read on in the book of Job, he had many, many questions for God.  But he never charged God foolishly.

Here’s a man who hit rock bottom.  His situation was so hideously dire that his friends were absolutely speechless when they first saw him.  He could take an honest look at his life and KNOW that he didn’t deserve what he was going through.  Goodness, I’ve had some less-than-desirable “trials” in my life, but nothing approaching what Job went through.  I’m not so sure I could’ve made it.

And that really convicts me.  I’ve got some things to work on.

Help Wanted

“Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” -Matt. 9:37-38

We are in a crisis.

A crisis much more pressing than the global recession.  There’s a world-wide harvest that’s ripe for the picking.  It’s vast, almost overwhelming.  But the crisis is not in the enormity of the harvest.  The problem lies in the number of laborers going out to reap.  The world isn’t in need of another lawyer.  The world isn’t in need of more nurses, truck drivers or sports figures.  There’s a harvest that’s going to be left out in the field.  Either it will rot away and die or be devoured by scavenging beasts.

Help wanted signs are rarely seen, nowadays.  But when they are posted prominently on a business door or window, it tells the world that there is a need.  And an opportunity.  The sad reality is that most Christians will acknowledge the need presented by the white harvest, but not look at it as an opportunity.  A tremendous opportunity to give so that others may go.

Or an even bigger opportunity to go themselves.

My church’s Missions Conference is coming up.  I have been praying BIG.  Every year I pray that someone will surrender their lives to go to the harvest.  Certainly, it thrills my soul when one of my teens gives their lives to God’s work.  But I’ve been praying specifically for God to get a hold of an adult in our church.  Someone with an established family, ready to be sent out.   A man making a comfortable living, willing to surrender the life he’s known for 20+ years to go into the harvest.  God can do that.

I’ve given my life.  I’m willing to go.  I want to go.  But I’m called to stay.  Not every Christian is called to go to the mission field, but every Christian should struggle with the possibility.  Every Christian should spend some time weeping at an altar, begging God to let them go.  There are over six billion people in this world and the night’s coming.  We are in a crisis.

We should act like it.

The Rock

No, I’m not talking about my right bicep (the left one is pretty impressive, too).

A man had a weird dream.  He woke up one morning, walked to the front door, and found a ginormous rock sitting there.  God told him to push on the rock.  So he pushed with all his might.  He pushed and pushed but it just wouldn’t budge.

“Lord, I can’t move the thing.  It’s too heavy!”

But he was told to keep pushing.  So he pushed for the rest of that day and finally went to bed exhausted.  He resumed his work in the morning and found the same fruitless results.  No movement whatsover.  He issued his complaint to God, but was told to continue pushing.  So he pushed for another day.  Days became weeks, weeks became months.  Finally, he had his fill.

“Lord, I can’t do it!  I can’t move that rock!”

He was told to go to a mirror.  He did so and was shocked at the sight.  In the many months of pushing and straining, he had built up so much muscle.  His shoulders, arms, legs were all so much stronger.  It was then that he realized God never told him to move the rock.  He was only told to push the rock.

II Corinthians 4:17 says, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”

Try to look at your obstacles as opportunities.  The things that seem to be standing in your way are simply opportunities for you to learn and grow.  You only build muscle through resistance.  So it is in our spiritual lives.  We need a certain amount of resistance to strengthen us, to build our faith.  Remember, II Cor. 4:17 says our “light affliction … worketh for us …”.

So who cares if the rock doesn’t move?  Yeah, it’s just sitting there, but if you keep pushing, it’s working for you!

Weak

How ’bout another campaign break?  To follow my “Quest to be the Best Famous Fan” campaign, click on the category, “A Famous Summer”.

The survivors of our Prayer Lock-In. We started with 35 and only lost four sluggards--errr, precious prayer warriors. And, I must say, we look pretty good for 5:45 am!

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” -II Cor. 12:9-10

I’m really tired.  And it’s a pretty inconvenient time to be tired right now.  Summer Camp really snuck up on me this year.  We moved it a week earlier and I didn’t account for that as I started my big push to put everything together a couple weeks ago.  I try to be completely done with my camp stuff a full week before hand, so I can have a chance to chillax and get spiritually re-focused.  Putting so much time, effort and energy into the program can throw things out of whack.  Don’t get me wrong, I am commited to having a sharp, well-run program, but the program isn’t the end.  It is a means to an end.  The end is to impact young people for eternity.  To see them give their lives fully to Christ.  But all this creating ice breakers, searching for varieties of kickball, and shopping for first aid essentials, can turn one into a programming robot.  My teens don’t need a programming robot.  They need a leader with the power of God on his life.

But I didn’t get that one-week break this time around.  It’s my own fault.  Shoulda paid better attention.  Two weeks ago, I was coming home exhausted from Family Camp.  Then I just really hit the ground running and haven’t really had a break.  At the beginning of this week, we attended a two night Youth Conference in Harbor City.  Getting back home after midnight both nights really didn’t help matters, but the spiritual impact was worth it.  And, of course, our Prayer Lock-In Thursday night/Friday morning made for a less-than-profitable day at the office on Friday (managed to get a bit of work done after about a three hour nap).  So, yeah …

I’m tired.

Camp is Monday.  That means running around, late nights, early mornings, energizing the crowd, mediating this problem, clarifying that problem, running around some more … and I’m already tired.  Let’s face it, right now … I’m weak. 

What a great place to be.

I say that without an ounce of sarcasm.  I say that fully trusting the Word of God.  It is in my weakness that God can truly show how strong He is.  His grace is sufficient, even when I’m lacking sleep.  His grace is sufficient, when I’ve run out of time.  His grace is sufficient, when I feel I’m out of my element.  It is when I come to the end of my own strength, intellect and experience, and acknowledge my complete and desperate need of Him, that the power of God is able to truly shine.  I just need to get out of the way.

And that’s easiest to do when I’m weak.

I’d really appreciate your prayers for this week of camp.

The Path to Knowing

 **The BarBeQuethMinistry! interrupts your regularly scheduled Famous Campaign to bring you this important message:**

“If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine …” -John 7:17a

I have a few pet-peeves.  I cringe at the sight of a misused their, there or they’re.  I’ve been on a life-long crusade to get mankind to pronounce caramel properly (what do people have against that poor second ”a”?).  It really bugs me when people munch on their finger nails.  Though I can actually enjoy watching someone biting their toe nails, but that’s a whole ‘nother post.  Probably a different blog altogether.

Then there’s the issue of shallow Christians.  I’m not talking about new converts who are taking those exciting first steps in their walk with God.  It’s the “pew warmers” that have been attending church for many years but are unwilling and unable to defend what they say they believe.  I’m not saying every Christian should be on the same level of a Doctor of Divinity who has studied Greek and Hebrew.  But the Bible does tell us to be “ready to give an answer of the hope” that is in us.

In John 7, Jesus Christ starts teaching during a feast and the religious crowd marvels.  They don’t remember seeing him at the seminary or school of the prophets.  How could someone so “regular” (all they knew was that he was a carpenter’s son) have so much knowledge of the scriptures?  And here Christ takes a challenge and turns it into a lesson to be passed on through the ages to get to “regular” people like you and me.

The key to understanding doctrine is not your I.Q..  There are no educational pre-requisites in order to attain biblical knowledge.  The key to knowing doctrine is obedience.  Look at John 7:17 up top one more time.  It is the heart that desires to do God’s will that is illumined by the glorious light of the scriptures. 

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” -Proverbs 1:7a

Why do you believe what you believe?  Can you really know that you have a home in heaven?  Is it truly the blood of Jesus Christ that washes away sins?  What does baptism have to do with anything?  Once saved, are you always saved?  Why did you vote that way?  You don’t have to be a theologian (whatever that means).  But you should be ready to answer.