The Highest

If you are a partner at Heartland Church I hope you were able to attend the service today.  Our HC Kids knocked it out of the park with a great skit, followed by a song that was worthy of American Idol.  The mens' quartet was phenomenal -- as always (good old fashioned gospel!).  And, during second service one of our youth leaders baptized both his mother and his older sister.  How cool is that?

But, just a week before Christmas, the message today was not really much of a Christmas message.  There was no talk of mangers, wise men or even the miracle of the virgin birth.  There was no discussion of Advent or its meaning.  There was no talk about the true meaning of Christmas, or the obligatory outcry against its commercialization.

Instead, the message was about keeping the most important thing ... well, the most important thing.  It was asking us why it is, indeed how it is possible, that we can get more excited about winning a prize or seeing our favorite player win the Heisman Trophy than we are about the fact that God came to earth in human form and died on the cross for our sins.

The message was about being grateful for how blessed we are instead of feeling entitled.  It was about having an attitude of gratitude for the things we take for granted and have come to expect, and not just for the unexpected blessings.  And ultimately, the message was about having the right perspective.

A couple of months ago we started (or maybe restarted?) a mens' Bible study at HC.  (We meet every Saturday at 7:30 a.m. if you are interested in joining us.)  It is an awesome feeling to stand in the trenches  with other men as we struggle to understand what it means to put God first in our lives and then endeavor to live it.

Our Saturday mornings together and this latest message series have reminded me of a simple but profound realization I had a number of years ago.  As I was getting more involved in the church and more serious about my faith, I actually took the time to try to understand and count the cost following Jesus.  See Luke 14:28 - 30.

The more I began to understand the cost of truly following Jesus, the more I wanted to have confidence in my faith.  During this time, I read Lee Strobel's "The Case for Christ", along with books and articles by other apologists to satisfy myself that there was a rational basis for my faith in Jesus.  In other words, I wanted to know that faith in Jesus was more than a good feeling.  I wanted to know that my faith was intellectually supportable.  I wanted to be sure.

And the reason I wanted to be sure was this:  I came to the realization that if the Bible was true, if Jesus really was the Son of God, if Jesus really died on the cross for our sins, if His way was the right way, and in fact the only way, then everything about my life had to change.  I realized that my attitudes had to change.  I realized that my relationships had to change.  I realized that my priorities had to change.  I realized that basically the way I looked at the world had to change -- that I needed to learn to see the world as God sees the world.

It seems like I have been working at making those changes for a long time now, but sometimes I think myself a slow learner.  Or perhaps I'm just too reluctant to loosen my grip on some of the things that putting God first means I need to give up.  I am sure I could come up with a pretty long list, but one of the things I have been too reluctant to give up has been "worry."  For example, I have been far too worried for far too long about what God's plan for my future looks like.  I have worried about what unpleasant things might be waiting for me around the next corner (despite whatever perceptions you might have, ministry, is not necessarily always either glamorous or easy!).

But, I am happy to say that I am getting better.  I am learning to trust Him more.  I am learning to look forward to the blessings that He has waiting for me around the next corner -- even if I don't quite know what they look like right now -- instead of fearing the hard things that lie ahead.  I am realizing more and more that the "unpleasant" things usually have a purpose.  I am beginning to see that those things I like the least about my new life in Christ are usually the things that help me grow, that make me more effective, and ultimately that strengthen my faith.

The bottom line is this:  I have a great family, a great career, and a great church.  But above all, I serve a great God!  I am incredibly blessed.  You are too.