Wasted

Consider the following excerpt from a New York Times article that was composed on July 8, 2008:

The average American spent 127 hours of time with TV in May, up from 121 hours in May 2007; and 26 hours on the Internet, up from 24 hours last year. More than 282 million people watch television in a given month and nearly 162 million use the Internet.

This tells us that the average American spends 4.1 hours a day in front of the television, while over 1 hour per day is spent surfing the internet--a total of 5.1 hours spent staring into a box on a daily basis. Let's throw in a few more numbers to make this even more interesting. If the average American sleeps 8 hours per day and works 8 hours per day, 2.9 hours are left over for meals. If you factor in 1.5 hours for the meals, the average American is left with 1.4 hours a day for activities such as prayer, reading, exercise, family time, and face-to-face social interaction.

We wonder why our marriages are suffering. We wonder what happened to our neighborhood front porch culture. We miss Mayberry. And we, as the American church, wonder why we are not seeing more sinners saved. Where is the joy of our salvation?

Could it be that we are wasting our lives on empty distractions? You can discover a lot about a man by observing how his time is spent. The fact of the matter is that we spend more time fixated upon a box in a zombie-like state than we do pressing into the presence of God and advancing His Kingdom. We have no excuse. We need to change.

A Message From The Womb

All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!

Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother's breasts. On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother's womb you have been my God. Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help.
-Psalm 22:7-11

About 7 years ago, God chose Samuel Armas to deliver one of the most powerful messages the world has ever heard. Paradigms were, and continue to be shattered. Lives were, and continue to be changed. It is very rare that a message is used to move souls in such a way; to cause us to HOPE in such a manner that the foundations of hell are shaken; to create a movement.

Who is Samuel Armas? Is he a well-known political figure? No. Is he highly educated? Not so much as a high school diploma. Is he a gifted orator? His vocabulary is small and he can barely read and write. Is he a famous athlete? He struggles to make a layup.

I would be thinking the same thing, if I were you: "How is it possible that a man like Samuel Armas could deliver such a revolutionary message? Shouldn't he be in grade school learning how to speak and write?" Yes, he very well should be. Actually, he is doing just that. Samuel Armas is 7 years old.

Your next objection: "So how could he possibly deliver this message 7 years ago? He was not even born yet!" Exactly.

Sometimes, our actions speak louder than our words. Sometimes, our actions melt hearts. Sometimes, our actions educate others. Sometimes, our actions create hope. Our world is changed in the process.

"Samuel Armas made more of an impact on this world before he was born than most of us make in a lifetime" (Michael Clancy). Please read this article NOW in order to gain further understanding. It is to your great disadvantage if you do not.

It can be easy to lose hope in the midst of darkness. We are surrounded by evil. We are assaulted by nightmarish realities every time we watch, or read the news. War. Rape. Kidnappings. School shootings. Terrorism. The Holocaust. Nuclear weaponry. Aids. Genocide.

Abortion often gets swept under the rug. It is apparently not as serious. It is definitely not a crime. In fact, it is an individual right, isn't it? We are only talking about a fetus, right? "It" isn't alive. "It" cannot speak for itself, can it?

Or, can it?? Hear now the message of Samuel...

Copyright Michael Clancy 1999
Used by Permission

"Where there is life, there is hope." This is a fairly common assertion. Yet I am under the conviction that the heroic message of Samuel Armas is much more accurate:

"Where there is Hope, there is life."

Indeed. May we cling to our Hope this day, for He will surely prevail. And there will be no more tears. Please check out this powerful video clip. Note that neither the picture, nor this video clip are of abortions. They are premature births. The picture is real. The video clip was taken from the television series, House.

A Refreshing Message

This is a message that relates to the previous post on the confirmation of God's love. It was given by Paul Washer. The text is Song of Solomon 4:7-6:2.

God does not just tolerate us in our disobedience. He YEARNS for us. His discipline is filled to the brim with yearning for us. Not because we are worthy, but because of His infinite love.

I pray that this message may minister to those who are weary and to those who feel that God is merely tolerating them because He is bound by His justice. Please listen. Be refreshed. Carve out 1.5 hours. Do nothing but listen, meditate, and pray.

Lesson from Discipline #3: Confirmation

Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, "Arise, go to Ninevah, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me." But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.
Jonah 1:1-4

And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.
Jonah 2:10

So Jonah arose and went to Ninevah...
Jonah 3:3a

The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
-Proverbs 16:9

Some of us are more like Jonah than others. I would fall into that category. Fear expressing itself in a desire for comfort, correctness, certainty; ultimately the worship of self. This is the core motive of disobedience. We desire what is best for us. What is safe. What is sure. What is prestigious; what brings us the most glory in the eyes of men. We worship the man in the mirror.

We clench our fists and tell King Jesus that we are going to do it our way, often suppressing the truth that He is providing the very physical strength for us to do so. What incredible mercy! Someone once accurately stated, "Everything this side of hell is pure grace." We should be grateful to be alive, offering sacrifices of praise. Yet what do we sometimes offer in the wake of such mercy? Disobedience. What infinite mercy! Just to be alive today!

This infinite love of God does not stop at mercy. He also disciplines us and directs our steps, in spite of us. We receive loving discipline (if we are laying hold of the righteousness of Christ, alone), leading us to repentance and correction. He provides a straight and sure path, in spite of us. Grace! Our plans end where God's sovereignty begins.

Thomas Watson once said, "The providence of God is the Christian's diary." We often look forward to what God will provide. What I love about this quote is that it emphasizes hindsight reflection on what the Lord has already done.

It is in the midst of such reflection, in the wake of loving discipline, that our calling is sured, our paths are straightened, and a Father's jealous love for us is confirmed.

Lesson from Discipline #2: Wisdom

My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.
-Proverbs 3: 12-15

There is a blatant difference between education and wisdom. Education gives facts and theories. Wisdom provides true understanding. I am not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Education is needed; it compliments wisdom; it is a good thing. Yet where education ends at its goodness, wisdom begins with its greatness.

I have personally learned that there is no better classroom in which to learn of the Lord's wisdom than in the classroom of His loving discipline. There is a reason that He "reproves him whom He loves, as a father the son in whom he delights" (Prov. 3:12). It is also of no coincidence to find mention of the Lord's loving discipline within the context of a Proverbial passage on wisdom.

The facts and theories relating to my personal situation that I have learned over the years have been seared into my heart through the fires of discipline. There is now a heartfelt understanding of those facts. They are now more than facts and theories. They have become a part of who I am. In essence, it is wisdom that gives sight and clarity to the soul.

For example, I knew that the Lord disciplines his son in whom He delights. However, I could not possibly have understanding apart from the experience of it. Through this discipline, my soul sees God's love for it more clearly. And as my heart sees, with ever-increasing clarity, it produces fruit (Gal. 5) in ever-increasing measure. Praise God for discipline!

My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

Lesson from Discipline #1: Pangs

But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
-1 Timothy 6:8-10

How often do we find ourselves negotiating with King Jesus? It is a dangerous practice. We try to move the Immovable. "If you give me this...If you allow me to go to this place...If you allow me to do this, then I will do..."

You can fill in the blanks with disobedience. We should simply admit to King Jesus, "If you allow me to go here/do this/have this, I will most certainly be disobedient." What weakness! Do you know what the root is? Pride in the form of fear. We are scared, so we negotiate. We try to talk ourselves out of being on the front lines of Kingdom advancement. In most cases, it involves an exchange: Pain/uncertainty/risk, for comfort/financial stability/the American Dream.

It is here that I should speak to the casual reader who stumbles upon this cobwebbed, dust-covered blog. This entry is directed to those who call themselves men of God, MYSELF included. I am guilty. I have fallen into the very thing I speak against. Talk is cheap.

Let this be a challenge to those of you who are negotiating with King Jesus: Think long and hard before you choose to disobey. What you should consider most is the fact that He just might let you do it. Will the pangs be worth it?

The Devil Wears Prada

For those of you who actually still read this cobwebbed, apathetic blog, my wife and I just watched The Devil Wears Prada at the local discount theater. Those of you who know me realize that a movie that seems to encompass the glorification of steroid-injected vanity and the inescapable presence of man-eating women with a cheezy and predictable romantic subplot would hardly be my top choice of a movie to watch on my Saturday night. However, I found some good in it.

Not all that glitters is gold, yet gold glitters. How, then, are we to know what is truly golden? How are we to know for certain that the life we are living has substance; that it is more than a chasing after meaningless holograms? Answer: A life lived within the will and design of its Creator is a life lived the way it was meant to be lived.

What is the will of God? In a nutshell, the will of God is communicated by the Word of God. Therefore, if we are to truly live, we must live within the bounds He has given us in His Word. I believe that we often make this way too complicated. Feelings should not be the sole authority in our decision-making. The Word of God is the objective standard by which our lives should be lived. In these last days, God has spoken to us by His Son (Hebrews 1:1-10). And what communicates the Son? The Scriptures.

How FREEING this should be! If my life is being lived in light of Scripture, I am in His will. And, because I am living in obedience to Him, I enjoy Him more and glorify Him in the process. Right now, in this moment, I am in the will of God and I am free.

Jesus, all for Jesus,
All I am and have and ever hope to be.
Jesus, all for Jesus,
All I am and have and ever hope to be.

All of my ambitions, hopes and plans
I surrender these into Your hands.
All of my ambitions, hopes and plans
I surrender these into Your hands.

For it's only in Your will that I am free,
For it's only in Your will that I am free,
Jesus, all for Jesus,
All I am and have and ever hope to be.

-Robin Mark