It’s a God-thing

It’s a God-thing

I’ve never been the greatest fan of this phrase. I’m not totally opposed to it either , however. I guess it just always seemed to me a little too slang for it to be worthy of my God. Perhaps I am guilty at times of religious snobbery. I googled the phrase “It’s a God thing” and found some interesting links. It is apparently the title of a song, production company and apparel company. Someone asked what it was supposed to mean on a forum-type website. I even found a sermon entitled “7 Ways To Tell If It’s a God Thing.”
So, maybe it’s not a bad phrase to use but it’s just used so much that we forget the exercise behind. Or maybe we think it’s just something that is exercised on occasion or something we should acknowledge in good or bad times in our church groups. I’ve thought about this a great deal lately. If I wanted to use that phrase, I could point to numerous occasions over the last year where God has clearly worked things out in only the complete and sovereign way that He can. I have literally been in awe and at times left speechless at some of the things I have seen God do this year. But mentally, I walk away and leave God in the God-thing. After all, He’s really good at it. —and that’s exactly what God’s people Israel were so good at doing.
In Isaiah’s list of woes to the people of Israel, he warned them of this. In chapter 5 verses 12 and 13 he says,

12And the harp, and the viol, the tablet, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of The Lord, neither consider the operation of His hands. 13Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

These people had a tremendous history of watching God do awesome and mighty acts. Many of them had even witnessed some in their own time. But that’s exactly where they left Him.They didn’t take Him to work, or leave room for Him in their celebrations, so when the enemy came, they were easily defeated. It was the consequence for thier forgetfulness of God and they were warned it would happen.
So where does that leave me? I think I like the phrase….if I can remember to use it all the time. Those awe-inspiring, speechless acts that He does for me are a God thing. But so is that desert, the rough day at work, the bills you have to pay, your family’s poor health, changing life circumstances, the unemployment line, etc. EVERYTHING is a God thing, meaning that when something happens to us, it has a divine purpose to mold us into Christlikeness. So, I acknowledge God as the reason for my celebration and the defining purpose behind my darkness and defeat, I acknowledge Him as the giver of my health and the guardian of my sickness, the giver of my wealth and the one who knows of my need understanding that all along the way He is shaping me to be more like Christ. When I forget to this, I begin to spiritually starve and dry up from thirst and that (I have to say it!) is NOT a God thing, but a me thing.

Where Every Successful Christian Walk Begins–and Ends!

I have thought for some time now about what this first post should contain. No doubt this first post will be here for a while as I begin my deputation and focus on getting my ministry started, so I wanted it to be an introduction to some of the things that the Lord has taught me as He has taken me away for this year to prepare for this wonderful journey He plans to lead me on. I also want it to be an encouragement to anyone who may come across it.

What I’ve been led to is a concept that shaped the beginning of this journey, that defines the current struggles on this journey, and that I suspect will be the factor that determines how fruitful this journey of the Christian walk will end. It is all wrapped up in one simple word—submission.
I’ve learned that I, as well as a lot of other believers, think we have submission down. After all, after years of singing that old Sunday school song O-B-E-D-I-E-N-C-E, we can all define it—doing what the Lord commands happily and immediately. So we head to church every Sunday, sing our hearts out, fellowship, drink out of our “I Love Jesus” mugs at work on Monday so everyone knows, and then we go home to our happy little families, content with the idea that we are totally submitted to God. All along, however, many of us have added one word to that definition—logically. Obedience is doing what the Lord commands happily, immediately, and logically. At least this is what many of us would like to think.
Let’s consider a few Biblical examples. Moses paints a beautifully clear picture of the human struggle with submission, which, recounted in Exodus 3 and 4, gives amazing insight into God’s response to this human struggle. The excuses of Moses were that he was inadequate, he wouldn’t be believed by Israel or Egypt, and he wasn’t eloquent enough to communicate the message. I have to applaud Moses here. Each of his excuses is logical. If each of these things were true, then Moses was not qualified. Notice that God’s response to each of these claims was patience with an answer. God lovingly and patiently provided Moses with an answer to each of his supposed inadequacies. When was God’s anger aroused? Not until Exodus 4:13 when the true spirit behind all of Moses’s logical reasoning was revealed. Moses just asked the Lord to send someone else. Isn’t that what is behind all of our logical arguments that are really just smart-sounding excuses? “Anyone but me, Lord. I just don’t see how I can.”
Consider Jonah. Now I think Jonah was a pretty smart man, and I’m often amazed at how quick we are to be so hard him. The man simply did not want to go to a city that was known for capturing enemies of the state and impaling them alive to die a slow death or flaying them alive piece by piece like a fish. Jonah did not want to tell these people that they would be destroyed in judgment if they didn’t repent. I can’t think of a more logical response. But when Jonah tried to flee on his excuses, he was basically telling God to send someone else. Again, God showed His patience and mercy and delivered Jonah in the most amazing of ways to Nineveh. Yet, the last we hear of Jonah is that he is a very angry man because he will not yield to God’s plan but instead folds his arms and sits in a corner, declaring that God should have shown His favor on some other people.
Then we come to the two men at the end of Luke 9 in verses 59 and 61. Both men were directly asked by Christ to follow Him. Neither man declined but instead asked if they could do something else first. Each man had logical reasons to get their list done first—and each man received a rebuke from his Savior. Certainly taking care of your family’s affairs to ensure your inheritance and saying goodbye to loved ones can’t be too much to ask! But what we are really saying with those actions is, “Lord, send someone else—at least until I can get around to it.”
This is what the Lord has taught me. Obedience is NOT submission. Obedience is the outward result of a submissive spirit, the logical corollary, if you will, to a submissive heart. But we all agree that we can obey without submitting. Submission is yielding. I believe that God has set the order of logic and that He is a God of logic, but submission is realizing that, as a finite being, my logic is often skewed when compared to that of in infinite, omniscient God. Submission is yielding to the fact that I don’t have it figured out. It is yielding to Him even when there can be no logical reason for why He may want your move, or your health, or your financial situation, or your child, or your spouse, or your daily agenda. Obedience is letting go of these things—submission means no white knuckles when handing them over!
What turns your knuckles white at the thought of having to give it up? It may be on the list above, or you may have filled that in already with your own situations. If you can’t think of anything, it may be time to get alone with God and beg Him to show you that thing. If you can lose your hold of that thing or person or idea, you will be able to cling more tightly to Him. It will be the beginning of a wonderful journey, but only because it is our guaranteed end and the vehicle that will happily bring us to that end!