Just 3 Questions that will change your life

“Breaking my neck in an auto accident … caused me to reexamine my marriage my faith, and how I planned to spend the rest of my years.  As I lay strapped to a backboard awaiting word on whether a major artery had been punctured – in which case… I had mere minutes to live – I could only think of three questions worth pondering:  Who do I love? What have I done with my life? Am I ready for whatever comes next?”  (The Question That Never Goes Away, Why?,  2013, Zondervan, Philip Yancey)   That paragraph would not leave my mind after I read it.

Who do I love?

Jesus told us the right answer for that question. ”Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39, NIV)  Most Christians learned that in the first days of their Sunday School or discipleship classes. But, do we put those two loves in the first place of daily life?  When the end is near, I do not think that loving your motorcycle, your reputation, or your pleasure will be enough, do you?

What have I done with my life?

Legacy is a word I think about from time to time.  My name will not grace a bridge or library! It won’t even be a footnote in history books. But, is that really what the question is about? Jesus taught that the real work is done for people, building lives!  At the Judgment some will this: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”  Will it be because they have built great cathedrals, written dozens of books, or amassed a fortune?  I think you already know the answer, don’t you? “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ . . . ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:40, NIV)  He is saying – put people first!

The work of Jesus is not reserved for pastors and those employed by charitable organizations. His work of building people is in great demand in your neighborhood, extended family, and place of employment, too.  We are tempted to think that there will be another season in life when ‘service’ will be easier, when there will be fewer demands of us.  “The tyranny of the urgent will keep us from doing the important things” unless we let the Spirit show us the world around us through His eyes.

Am I ready for whatever comes next?

I know what is next – eternity!  Jesus stood with Lazarus’ sisters and told them (and us) this: “I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all.”  For some even the thought of dying is grim, frightening, to be avoided at all costs. How foolish that is.  Mortality is a fact. 100% of people die.  The fear is removed by the promise of eternal life.  I hope your assurance is not misplaced in church membership, baptism, or personal morality.  Each of those choices are commendable.  The door of Heaven will not open to us because of what we have done. Our ‘welcome home’ is based on Who we know! Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life.”  (John 14)  Do you know Him beyond the walls of your church, in a way that goes deeper than the creed, as Savior, Lord, and Master?

Yancey’s revelation came in a crisis and he has been blessed with additional years to refine the answers to those questions.  I do not want to wait until I’m staring at the finish line to ask them, do you? I want to live today as if it were the last one here on earth – no loving word left unspoken, no time wasted on sin or selfishness, passionately seeking to know my Savior.

The word from the Word sums it up:
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:1-3, NKJV)

“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.” (1 John 3:14, NKJV)

“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” (1 John 3:18-20, NKJV)  “And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.” (1 John 3:23, NKJV)

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I went sky divin’!

I went rocky mountain climbing!

I went 2.7 seconds

On a bull named Fu Man Chu!

And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,

And gave forgiveness I’d been denying.

And he said “Some day I hope you get the chance

To live like you were dying!”

Like tomorrow was a gift,

And you’ve got eternity to think about.

What you’d do with it?

What did I do with it?

• Tim McGraw

Live Like You Were Dying

Faith? Do you possess it?

Is your ‘faith’ healthy? Let me explore the question with you. No, I am not asking if Christianity is in good shape or even  if your local congregation is thriving.  Is there evidence of faith in God, hope in Christ, and fullness of the Spirit that others can see?  What we claim as our ‘faith’ is revealed by what we do! Our profession of faith in Jesus Christ is confirmed, not by our confession alone, but by daily choices that reveal our true convictions.

Mark tells us that when Jesus’ fame was beginning to spread as He did God’s work at one point He went back to His hometown. Despite the evidence, the people there would not accept Him as a Man full of God’s Spirit. "When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them." (Mark 6:2-5, NIV)  His ability to share God’s blessing with them was shut down by their refusal to exercise real faith.  To the people in that little village He was just Mary’s son, the carpenter.

Who is He to you?  Is He just ‘the good Teacher?’  Is He the Savior for Heaven, but not the Lord of life? Like the people of Jesus’ hometown, most of us have gaps in our faith that we do not see in ourselves!  We may find faith to trust Him with for our financial needs and yet fail to trust Him to forgive us some sin of our past.  We may be able to live with total assurance of Heaven and yet live with terrible anxiety about tomorrow. Mature, healthy faith creates a beautiful wholeness. Inconsistencies disappear and an admirable, rock solid, Christ-centered, life emerges like a butterfly from a cocoon.  

So, how does a Christian gain faith that is beautiful and whole?

We ask for it!  
Faith is a gift of God.  The Holy Spirit works in us to draw us to God, to cause us to desire Him and to live in a way that pleases Him.  A man who was in desperate need came to Jesus seeking healing for his tormented son.  He realized that the most basic need he had was for greater faith and his prayer was direct - "I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!"  (Mark 9.24)   We must not pretend to own a greater faith than we do.  Such hypocrisy blocks us from asking for the very thing we need most in time of need - the gift of faith.

We inform our minds with godly truth! 

The fertile soil of a strong, life changing faith, is the Scripture.  In the pages of the Bible, God is revealed to us.   When our minds are shaped around God, when we understand the world with a spiritual view, faith grows.   The Psalmist said, "I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." (Psalm 119:11, NLT)   What does he mean?   That he had taken time to integrate the truth of God's Word into his thought life so that his actions would be consistent with faith.

We invite the Spirit to school us, to develop faith.  

"When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." (James 1:3-4, NLT)    In The Message, that passage reads - "You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way." (James 1:3-4, The Message)     When life kicks you around, when people fail you, when the future looks dark, when to all appearances there is no way to turn for relief- you are in the school of faith!   You can relinquish control, quiet your soul, and put yourself in God's care, OR you can kick, scream, and create your own solution.

We keep the focus on Jesus, not ourselves!

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” the inspired writer says. (Heb 12:2) You cannot ‘work up’ more faith! I cannot make you believe. Faith grows with devotion.  The Greek text (the New Testament’s original language) has a slightly different connotation than we might think. “Author” comes to us from a word that means “captain, prince, leader.”  Jesus is the Captain of Faith. He is leading the way, calling the cadence for our lives. IF we walk in step with Him, faith grows.  “Perfecter” is a word that tells us that His faith is complete and worthy.  We can aspire to be like Him!

If you choose to exercise faith, God will make a way.   It might not be the way you would choose, but it will be the way that brings honor to Him. Don't be alarmed if you find yourself in anguish when your faith is being formed.  Even Jesus was pressed to the limit.  When He faced the Cross, He prayed for release, but then released Himself to God's plans, not with resignation to fate, but with a faith surrender to His Father's will!

There is no easy road in the life of faith.   The natural man craves security, affirmation, and vindication of self!   The spiritual man is secure in the Spirit, affirmed by God, and is willing to wait for Heaven's revelation.

It's a faith thing!

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‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,

Just to take Him at His word.

Just in simple faith to plunge me,

‘neath healing, cleansing flood.

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!

How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er.

Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus –

O for grace to trust Him more!

-public domain

When prayers are hard and words fail

In the quiet darkness of the early morning, I prayed …  well, I tried to pray.  My habit, in those first moments the day, is to offer simple prayers about the immediate concerns of the particular day, the needs of the people I know.  Those ‘first light prayers’ come more from my heart than my mind. But this morning, I awakened to stormy emotions: anger, raw and unfocused; sorrow that rested like a boulder on my chest.  I wanted to pray but there were no words that seemed right.  So, I simply breathed “Jesus,” that Name, again and again.

The Spirit directs us to "Pray without ceasing!" (1 Thess. 5:17) In obedience to Him, we can discipline our heart and focus outside of our pain or preoccupation.  We can overcome the tumultuous emotions, the hiss of the Devil, and the sneers of the world that try to keep us from talking with our Abba.  When God says, "pray all the time,” He is not asking us to only say nice prayers, or short prayers, or long prayers, or beautiful prayers.   God wants us to keep those lines of communication open.  Prayers, even the fumbling ones, even the simplest “Jesus,”  allows us to enter the sweet fellowship that is the one thing we need most to quiet our fearful hearts and calm our angry minds!

In another passage, the Word instructs us that we must not "worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel." (Philippians 4:6-7, CEV)

When prayer is difficult, there things we can (should I say must?) do.

Use the words of another!

When words fail me, I turn to the Psalms or a borrow a song.  An old hymn came to my mind as I tried to shape tumbling feelings into coherent prayer this morning. 
From the far recesses of my memories, I could hear the echoes of the voice of Ethel Waters singing:

"When the storms of life are raging, stand by me.

When the storms of life are raging, stand by me.

When the world is pounding me, like a ship upon the sea;

Lord who rules the wind and water, stand by me."

Let others pray for you!
Pick up the phone and ask a friend to lead as you murmur in agreement.  In church, ask a circle of friends to carry you to the Lord and soak in their prayers as you listen.

Pray simply, using a single phrase!
When tempted, I might pray over and over, "Purify my heart."
When standing near a suffering saint, I sometimes repeat, "Lord, have mercy."
Even the name of Jesus, whispered to Him reverently, again and again, is a prayer.

Let the Spirit lead!
We can kneel and be still.  We can stand and open our hands to receive from Him, a wordless expression of prayer.  We whisper, “come, Holy Spirit,” and wait. The Word gives this promise of His Advocacy on our behalf. "The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will." (Romans 8:26-27, NLT)

When we pray, we open up our lives to the power of God and, in ways that defy our understanding, we become co-laborers in His work of building His Kingdom here on earth. Pray first, not last. Pray often, not seldom. Pray boldly, not tentatively. Pray faithfully, knowing that He is faithful, even when you cannot discern His ways or hear His voice.

Here are some words from the Word.  Oh, may the Spirit of God make them His Living Words for us today.

"But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you. Hear my prayer, O LORD, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping.
For I dwell with you as an alien, a stranger, as all my fathers were." (Psalm 39:12, NIV)

"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book." (Psalm 56:8, NLT)
"I will fulfill my vows to you, O God, and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help.
For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping.
So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light." (Psalm 56:12-13, NLT)
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Sweet Hour Of Prayer

Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer,

That calls me from a world of care,

And bids me at my Father's throne,

Make all my wants and wishes known.

In seasons of distress and grief,

My soul has often found relief.

And oft escaped the tempter's snare,

By thy return, sweet hour of prayer.

Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer,

Thy wings shall my petition bear,

To Him whose truth and faithfulness,

Engage the waiting soul to bless.

And since He bids me seek His face,

Believe His Word and trust His grace,

I'll cast on Him my ev'ry care,

And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer.

William Batchelder Bradbury | William W. Walford

© Words: Public Domain

Jerry D. Scott, Pastor

FAITH DISCOVERY CHURCH

www.FaithDiscovery.com