All These Things

Matthew 6:33 reads, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. " (NASB)  Most of us are familiar with this passage.  In context, the "things" Jesus is referring to are the daily needs that for many of us can be a source of anxiety.  Things like food, drink, clothing, shelter, etc.  Jesus is explaining to the crowd that has gathered to hear Him preach that such anxieties are ultimately symptoms of a lack of faith in God The Father, Who loves us more than anything else in all of Creation.  Like any loving father, our Heavenly Father wants to meet our needs, and we can trust Him to do so.

Beyond just a lack of faith, anxiety can come from a lack of understanding who God is.  If we don't know Him as "father" or "provider," or we do not understand that His very nature is love, then how can we trust Him in those ways?

Of course the Jews who were listening to Jesus preach understood what the Scriptures said about God, or at least they thought they did.  They knew the stories of God's love and provision for their ancestors.  But there were none alive who had experienced those events firsthand, and it had been 400 years since the last Prophet of God had walked among them.  Their land was occupied by a harsh, corrupt and godless enemy.  It must have been tough to have faith.  But there was evidence of God's character all around, and this is what Jesus exhorted them to see anew with fresh eyes: the birds of the air.  The lilies of the field.

A few days ago a good friend shared the following quote from Paul Washer on Facebook:

"A church ought to be seeker friendly, but the church ought to recognize there is only one Seeker. His name is God! - and if you want to be friendly to someone, if you want to accommodate someone, accommodate Him and His glory, even if it is rejected by everyone else."

After reading this, it occurred to me that the simple concept of seeking God first -- and His righteousness and His Kingdom -- while trusting Him to provide for all of the secondary needs can apply to more than just our anxieties about our daily physical needs.  It can be applied directly to our services of worship.

As church leaders, myself included, we are often so focused on and concerned about things that should be secondary, that we forget to put first things first.  So many congregations around the world, and especially in the U.S., strive to be "seeker friendly."  There are dozens if not scores of books and articles written on "seeker sensitivity" and how to build a "seeker service."  Essentially the "seeker service" makes the worship service an evangelism activity, a mission field within the walls of the church building.  The flip side of that coin is the "feed the flock" approach.  The idea here is that worship services are for church members, or at least for those who already have a relationship with God, and that evangelism -- reaching "seekers" -- should happen outside of that context.  We should always be polite and welcoming, the "feed the flock" proponent would say, but the focus is on those who already believe, teaching them and encouraging them; empowering them for the week ahead.

I respectfully submit to you that both of these approaches miss the mark.  We call our services "worship" services. Who is our worship for?  It's not for me.  It's not for you.  It's not even for someone "seeking" for God, truth, or some sort of greater meaning in life.  Our worship is for God.  Our services of worship should be for God.  Our focus should be on Him.  He alone deserves our praise, and worship.  All honor and glory are His.

Does this mean the flock goes unfed?  Of course not!  As we worship God in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:23-24), and we enter into His presence, how can we not be "fed?"  As we sing the very Words of Scripture, recite them together, hear them preached and expounded upon, how could we not be Spiritually nourished?  We're nourished out of the abundant overflow of our worship of our Living God!

When we focus on worshiping God, will the seeker fail to find what he's looking for?  Of course not!  He'll find exactly what his heart has been longing for all along: the palpable presence of a living God who inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3)!  He'll find love, acceptance, and fellowship in a body united in one purpose, the purpose for which we were all created: to worship the One True God.

If we focus on seekers, then God is not our primary our focus.  The flock goes unfed and God is robbed of at least a portion of the worship He is due.

If we focus on the flock, then God is not our primary focus.  The seeker feels like an alien: out of place, tolerated, but not quite welcome.  And God is robbed of at least a portion of the worship He is due.

But if we focus first on worshiping God (I would even suggest we focus only on worshiping God), God receives the full measure of worship that He is due (at least as much as we can give Him hindered by this flesh as we're spinning on this fallen globe).   And as we worship, the Spirit responds.  The flock is fed.  Seekers find what they are looking for.

When we seek Him first, all of the other "things" are added.

Pretty Little, Deadly Little Lies

Our enemy is subtle.  The Bible describes him as a lion (1 Peter 5:8), and for good reason.  Lions will chase prey across an open savanna if they have to, but they prefer to use stealth, hunting at night or ambushing from the cover of tall grass.  This is why Peter admonishes us to be "alert and of sober mind."  One of the enemy's most insidious tactics is to mask his lies with the ring of truth so that they go unnoticed until they have taken root.  He takes advantage of our fallen human natures, playing on our sense of self-worth, our hunger for encouragement, our need to feel empowered.  If we're not careful, even well-meaning Believers can fall for these traps and end up boldly proclaiming lies that directly contradict the truth of God's Word, holding them up for all to see, and calling them "wisdom." 

Social media is full of such lies, often in pretty infographic format.  On the surface they can seem positive, and encouraging, but looks can be deceiving.  Remember the Turkish Delight the White Witch gave to Edward in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe?  Satisfying and sweet to taste, but designed to keep Edward's mind off of his siblings and on the Witch.  And to keep him coming back for more.

Some recent examples I've seen:

1.  "You're enough.  You are so enough."  No, you're not.  But that's NOT bad news!  It's part of the Good News!  We were all created on purpose to be insufficient in ourselves, because God desires a relationship with us wherein He completes us.  God is our sufficiency.  God is more than enough (2 Cor 9), and we can do all things through Christ (the very Word of God) who gives us strength (Phil 4:13).  If we want to encourage others when they are feeling overwhelmed and insufficient, we should be pointing them to the One who is sufficient, and not back to themselves where they will eventually only find failure once again. 

We cannot underestimate how dangerous and destructive it is to tell someone that they have what they need to survive and succeed in and of themselves.  Apart from God we can do nothing! (John 15:5), and therein lies the diabolical nature of this lie.  There is no ability to do good in our flesh (Romans 7:18).  I cannot help but wonder how many suicides have been committed because a person at the end of their rope went back to the well of themselves for what they needed to go on, only to come up dry once again.  

But praise be to God that God's very name means "More Than Enough" (El Shaddai).  Let's point one another to the One who can give living water from which we can drink and never thirst again (John 4 & 7).  Let's point people not themselves, which can never be enough, but rather to El Shaddai, Who is always more than enough.

2.  "Follow your heart."  Really?  Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that "the heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked."  Is that what we should be following?  Your heart will lie to you every time, and inevitably it will take you down a path of wickedness, because ultimately our hearts are selfish.  Our hearts, when left to their own devices, seek self-satisfaction and self-preservation.  Contrast this with God, who calls us to put others first, and risk our very lives for His sake and the sake of the Kingdom.  It is God's Spirit we need to listen to and follow.  Don't follow your heart, follow Christ!  Seek first after God, His Kingdom, and His Righteousness (Matthew 6:33). 

In fact God, Himself, is looking for people after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).  Ironically, when we encourage someone to "follow their heart," it's usually because we want to help ease their sense of dissatisfaction.  But Scripture is clear that we are only truly satisfied when we seek God and His righteousness (Psalm 37:4, Psalm 16, 17, 63, Matthew 5:6, etc.). 

I could go on and on...hopefully you get the idea.  Do you see the subtlety of these lies?  Some reading this will undoubtedly say that I'm overreacting, and that these things I'm talking about are no big deal.  But they are a big deal.  Any time a lie that contradicts God's Truth is planted in a mind and points to self and away from God, it's a victory for the enemy and for humanism, and a step away from God on a path that leads to death.  God calls us to "demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Cor 10:5).

I know that going forward, before I click "share" on that encouraging platitude with the pretty picture in the background, I'll ask myself: is this in line with God's Word?  Or does it "set itself up against the knowledge of God?"  And of course to be able to answer that question, I must be in God's Word daily, allowing the Holy Spirit to hide it my heart (Psalm 119:11) so that when I come across these, subtle, pretty lies I can stop and say, "Hey, now wait a minute..." :)

Cars, Marriage, and Hindsight

I think it's interesting how the faux pas of our youth (things we felt were pretty traumatic at the time) can become funny nostalgic tales years later, especially when extended family gather together ("...Remember that one time when you..." "...Yeah, that was hilarious!"). One of our family's favorites involves a '69 Olds Cutlass and my 19 year-old, scatterbrained self's complete lack of responsibility. I knew that the radiator cap seal was failing. I kept telling myself I needed to remember to pick up a new one (all of about $10 at Autozone back in '92). But I put it off. There was always something "better" to do with the $10. Like put gas in the tank. Or try and stretch it into a (very) cheap date.

Cut to one day in the heat of summer in Tucson, AZ, in stop & go traffic on I-10. Engine starts to overheat, and I'm about a mile from the next exit, going about 10 mph at best. I turn on the heater full blast in an effort to siphon some of the heat away from the engine. Steam is pouring from under the hood. Finally the engine dies. I manage to roll out of traffic to the shoulder. When my Dad shows up to tow me home, we find that the engine had gotten so hot that the spark plugs had melted and fused to the engine block! My beloved car was toast. I ended up taking $50 for the salvage yard to take it off my hands. :(

If I had just spent the $10 lousy dollars the first time I realized the radiator cap was failing, I could very well still have that car. Or at least driven it for a few more years and gotten more than $50 when I finally let it go. I say I loved that car. But did I really? I had (still have) affection for it when I take the time to think about that. But honestly, if I really loved the car wouldn't I have replaced the radiator cap? Wouldn't I have taken better care of it, if I really loved it? Love, after all, is proven by action, not words or even emotions. Love is a verb. It's something you do. If you do nothing, you do not love.

What's my point? Waiting until someone brings up divorce before getting marriage counseling is like waiting until your engine has caught on fire before deciding to replace a faulty radiator cap. Barring a miracle, it's too late. Do you love your spouse? Do you value your marriage? Do you love your kids enough that you do not want to fracture the fundamental core of their sense of security and well-being, namely the belief that mommy and daddy love each other and will always be there as an unbreakable unit? If so, pour into it NOW. Take action NOW, demonstrate your love for the one you said you wanted to share your life with -- become One Flesh with -- NOW, before it's melted, seized up, and only good for the junkyard.

Attend a marriage seminar or retreat NOW, while things are good or at the very earliest signs that maybe they are not as good as you thought. Pray together NOW. Seek out counseling NOW and equip yourself to be a good husband or wife NOW so you can avoid disaster. Lay aside your needs, expectations, and distractions and focus on your spouse's needs and desires without any agenda other than loving them. Are you questioning your spouse's love for you? Start showering them with reasons to love you and watch what happens!

Most importantly, enlist the help of God and the power of the Holy Spirit NOW to help you do what you cannot do on your own, which is to place your spouses needs before your own EVERY DAY with no strings attached, and trust that he or she will do the same for you.

Take action now. Because the last thing you any of us want to add to our list of youthful mistakes is "marriage."  And unlike cautionary tales of teenage car trouble, stories of divorce, betrayal, heartache, shame, and broken families aren't nearly as amusing at family gatherings.