Fourth Quarter Lesson #9: Whom to Please?

One year ago today, I was packing the belongings in my house, having completed nine years of pastoring a wonderful church in Missouri. My pace of my life immediately slowed to a crawl for a period of time, and I had plenty of time to reflect, learn and grow.

I’m completing the report that I began earlier this year. I created a list of ten lessons derived from the Fourth Quarter of 2008, and "Lesson Nine" is stated as follows: “Pleasing Jesus is my primary passion.”

Pleasing Jesus has been a constant in my life, yet I’m still learning how to make it happen. I long and crave to please the Lord over any other relationship in my life, because ultimately, I will stand before Jesus on his throne, and I’ll have to account for the decisions I’ve made. Therefore, decisions in my personal life, my family relationships, and my ministerial relationships must be based upon the foundation of my relationship with Jesus.

On the flip-side, as a pastor, I’ve also dealt with the mysterious seduction to please people. From time to time, the pressure has been great, but I tried hard to strive to please Jesus.

So, who is Jesus to me? Well, of course I could give you a theologically astute answer to that question, but in this posting, I prefer to speak from my heart…

I know that I am loved by the Lord.
He desires me.
Nothing can separate me from that love.

He exudes grace and mercy.

He smiles at me.

He laughs with me.

He cries with me.

He understands my fears.

He restores my mind and emotions.

He doesn’t treat me the way my sins deserve.

He orders my steps.

He whispers to me in the darkness of night.

He sings over me in the light of the day.

He puts songs in my heart.

He gives me hope and a future.

He is my source of life and love.

He delivers me.

He blesses me.

He heals me.

Hopefully, this heart-felt list doesn’t come across trite or religious, because it’s true and sincere. Through the years, I’ve desired to please Jesus more and more, in spite of the opinions of others. No matter how strong the temptation might be to please man, and succumb to the will of those who dart in and out of my life, I can honestly say that (for the most part) I’ve sought to please God.

The truth is, though, as a pastor, I’ve heard chatter such as this on various occasions:

- “After all I’ve given to you, why would you make THAT decision?”

- “We’ve given so much to the church, so we’d like more of your time.”

- “I felt that due to our relationship, you would have given that position to me.”

So often, well-intentioned people would pressure me to PLEASE THEM in return for favors.

Pastors who are currently leading congregations will rarely say it, but we sometimes perceive impure motives behind congregant’s personal gifts, church donations, ministry leadership, influence, etc. The evidence of such is typically seen after the donation. The expectation is for a payback in the form of a decision, a sermon, position, public acclaim, personal time, or the enactment of a policy that will be in their favor.

Unfortunately, when we cave to this pressure, it simply amounts to seeking the approval of men, rather than God. And, if I seek the approval of men, I cannot be a servant of Christ.

Paul stated it well in Galatians 1:10: “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Ultimately, I’m working to please Jesus and only Jesus. The short-term benefits may not be evident, but the long-term impact will be eternal!!

Nope, I’m not a man-pleaser. I’m a God-pleaser!

Fourth Quarter Lesson #8: Patience?

The Fourth Quarter of last year was an incredibly "jolting" time for me. As reflected in the original post, I went from sprinting to standing still in one moment. It was followed by a period of deep, personal sorrow in the first quarter of this year, and renewal during the second quarter. Embarking on the third quarter has been a time of renewed passion and focus. I'm happier and more content than I've been in a LONG time!

First of all, I'd like to say that I've actually enjoyed NOT posting actively over the past few months. It's been an incredible time of refreshing and renewal for me. My writing has been exclusively on Twitter in the form of "micro-blogs", and in my personal journal. I do, though, feel the "itch" to begin writing again, so I'm picking up where I left off several weeks ago.

In today's post, I'm focusing on Lesson #8 from the fourth quarter of last year, and it is as follows: I have both more AND less patience. More patience with people in general, less patience with the "so-called Christians."

I'm not stating that I am IMpatient with people, but rather that I've learned to care a lot less about making myself a doormat for those who call themselves Christians, but who fail to practice the foundational command of our faith: "LOVE".

I'd have to say that all of my life (considering that I've grown up in church and have always lived in a ministry home), I've felt the obligation to repeatedly expose myself to the relentless and often cannibalistic attacks from people in the church. It's like having a pet dog that bites you while you're stroking it, but you keep going back again and again to stroke it ... and keep getting bit. It doesn't make much sense, does it?

If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. (Galatians 5:15 NIV)

I finally came to my senses during this time and realized there is no value in THAT twisted form of patience. It is completely and utterly destructive. People like that are best kept at a distance. They can be loved and cared for at a distance, but there's no reason to allow them to be close. I base this opinion upon the relational methods of Jesus and his accusers / critics. Bless them, don't return their curses, and be on you way. (I Peter 3:9)

Instead, I've wholeheartedly embraced true patience. I'm more patient with my wife, with my children, with my friends, with the Christians who at least attempt to live by the principles in Galatians 5, with lost people who don't know any better and with myself.

Yes, I believe the best part is that I'm much more patient with myself. As a "performance driven" type of person, I have always tended to be the most impatient with myself. My wife can certainly attest to that fact.

But I have come to the conclusion that until I learn to become patient with myself, and occasionally give myself a break, I'll never be able to live in patience toward others around me.

It's been so cool to observe this happening in my life. I've SO enjoyed watching my patience grow toward my family, and then move outward toward those whom I interface with.

It's healthy.

It's satisfying.

It's a peaceful way to live!!

"God, continue to give me even more (and less) patience!!"

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Fourth Quarter Lesson #7: "Suffering is (gulp) Spiritual"

The Fourth Quarter of 2008 was a defining period for me. To address it, I created a list of Ten Lessons Learned During the Fourth Quarter (accessible through this link).

Today, I'm addressing Lesson #7: "The suffering of Jesus and the suffering of his followers has strong parallels."

I put off writing this post for several weeks, in that it has simply been spiritually and emotionally challenging to write it. The parallel of the suffering of Jesus and the suffering of his followers is a topic that's not often taught, and when it hits home in a very personal way, there's a LOT to sort through.

In the Bible, Peter explains this parallel when he said, "It is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps." (1 Peter 2:19, 21 NIV)

Note the phrase, "to this you were called". This life will be peppered with "unjust suffering" as a part of our CALLING! Honestly, I have no recollection of a Bible College instructor sharing about this "calling". The truth is that we are called to suffer, like Jesus suffered. To take this truth a step further, we are called to UNJUST suffering (much like what Jesus faced).

As I researched the original text of this passage, I discovered it states, if I'm going to walk in the true calling of God, certain things will occur in my life. I will at times find myself in a bad plight and it will be unjust, undeserved, and not of my own making. BUT, it's okay, because Jesus suffered as well, and he did it for ME! Since HE blazed the trail of unjust suffering for me, I MUST FOLLOW. It's my calling to do so.

Isn't that exciting?

No. Not at all. In fact, it really stinks!

So, how am I supposed to respond when I am suffering? Well, naturally, I look to the example of Jesus! Easy. Right?

No, again.

It's much easier said than done.

So, if suffering is spiritual, what's the specific spiritual value of it?

After searching the scriptures over and over to discover the answer to this, I came to the simple conclusion that the spiritual value of suffering is the result of obedience.

Isn't that exciting?

Not at first glance.

Really, it's best to look at what Hebrews 5:8 states: "Even though he was God's own son, he learned through his sufferings to be obedient. 'He learned obedience from what He suffered.'"

The Bible makes it clear that obedience was the lesson Jesus needed to learn that resulted from walking through his trials. Hmmmmmm, I guess this means that I need to learn obedience, also.

In its original language, this term "obedience" also speaks of submission. So... It appears I need to learn more about submission. Actually, what this also makes me do is examine the antonyms of these terms and see how disobedience and rebellion might be working in my life. As I do so, I can begin to see the spiritual beauty in suffering.

I suffer.

I learn.

I change.

I refuse to let any form of suffering defeat me.

Regarding Jesus, there was no power of hell nor scheme of man that could defeat him. Jesus was not defeated, but strengthened. I am not defeated, but I am stronger. Actually, I'm much stronger.

Suffering HAS NOT defeated me and it WILL NOT defeat me. The devil's scheme didn't work with Jesus and it won't work on me, either.


One of the most beautiful lessons on obedience I've learned through this suffering is to keep my mouth shut when the critics howl. Recently, I put the verse below to memory, and it's served me well:
"Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you." (Proverbs 9:7-8 NIV)
- hmmmm.... no wonder I've had my fair share of "haters".


Last year, after a particularly arduous period of suffering, I adopted a biblical prayer of vindication. This prayer is very holy, because through these words, I turned the entire situation over to the Lord and now I hold no resentment: A Psalm of David


So, from now on, I will "see the cross as a suffering romance. It is a bloody Calvary beauty.
We see the unseen.
We subdue by submitting.
We win by losing.
We are made grand by making ourselves little.
We come in first by becoming last.
We are honored by being humble.
We fill up with God by emptying out ourselves.
We become wise by being fools.
We possess all things by having nothing.
We wax strong by being weak.
We find life by losing ourselves in others.
We live by dying."
quoted from: So Beautiful by Leonard Sweet



As silver in a crucible and gold in a pan, so our lives are assayed by God. Proverbs 17:3 (The Message)

Fourth Quarter Lesson #6: "New Faith Levels"

During the Fourth Quarter of last year, I took a sabbatical from ministry work. It was a deeply refreshing and revealing time for me personally, relationally and spiritually. Reflecting on that experience, I created a list of Ten Lessons Learned During the Fourth Quarter of last year (accessible through this link).

I've been taking the time to expound on each of these "ten lessons", and in this post, I'm discussing statement #6: "FAITH must be engaged at completely new levels for personal growth."

As long as I'm on this earth, I must be in growth mode if I'm going to be of any value to God's Kingdom. So, continual growth is critical! But, to grow, God gives me new FAITH challenges to experience and to walk through.

I've preached and taught about faith on innumerable occasions, so I can't even begin to exhaust the topic in this post. What I'm attempting to discuss, though, is how FAITH has played a leading role in my recent journey.

Last Sunday, I was preaching about Moses at the shore of the Red Sea, driven there by his faith in the voice of God. Moses had no clue HOW God was going to rescue him out of the corner he and children of Israel were wedged into. All Moses knew was that he had a word and a promise from the Lord, so he took action on that word, even though it made absolutely no logical sense.

In that God-ordained jam, Moses became the object verbal assaults, the faith of the people collapsed, and I can only imagine how jittery he may have felt at that moment.

What I love about Moses, is that in the midst of that jam, he spoke some incredible words of wisdom and faith. Still not knowing HOW God would fix the situation, here's what happened:

Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:13-14)

In my attempt to visualize this moment, I searched the internet for an image of Moses standing beside the UNparted Red Sea, proclaiming some "crazy" words of faith in front of the massive jeering crowd.

Unfortunately, I don't believe an artists rendering of that moment in history actually exists. I assume that it wouldn't be very marketable because we tend to focus upon, applaud, and study the spectacular, rather than examining the crisis predicating the miracle.

If I were an artist, I would create such a painting. For it is at THAT moment, that Moses stood the tallest in his faith. THAT is the Moses I can relate to.

In many ways, this is what my journey has resembled over the past several months. God spoke a clear word to me, I proclaimed that word and took action upon it, and I'm standing at the shore of my "Red Sea", waiting for more instruction and revelation.

On this journey, I've been reminded that faith is action, faith is following the word, faith is doing the "crazy" things that God commands, regardless of how it may be perceived. Faith is continuing to proclaim victory, even though I have no idea how things will turn out. Faith is not fearing Pharaoh, and faith is focusing on one person: Jesus!

By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. (Hebrews 11:27)

Today, I'm walking in a completely new dimension of faith like I've never experienced. It involves refusing to do what my flesh and wandering mind tells me to do, but to stand firm and to keep declaring God's word over my life and my family.

God wants me to grow, so he forces me operate in a completely new dimension of FAITH. I'm growing ... and that's a GOOD thing!