I don't have to!

 “However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭16‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I'm in a group that is reading through the Bible and one member pointed out that there are always people who think the rules don't apply to them. I agree there are always those people but the truth is we all at some time are "those people." It may not apply to some things, but there are certain things in all of our lives where we too believe the rules don't apply to us. However, when it comes to the things of God, when we disobey eventually everything will go bad, everything will spoil and stink. 

We may get angry at others when they do their version of disobedience but we need to ask ourselves, where are we failing. We need to ask ourselves in reference to Jesus' command (Matthew 7:5), "Where is our log/sin?"

Photo by Anita Jankovic on Unsplash

Joseph, wrongly interpreted?

 

When we are introduced to Joseph in Genesis 37, we see a young man who I believe we too often picture in light of our own experiences and through the lens of children’s stories. However, the facts can be seen in more than one light. Here are the facts:

1. Joseph was 17

2. Joseph told his father how his brothers did something or things bad

3. Jacob loved his son more than the others (not Joseph’s fault by the way)

4. Jacob gave Joseph a special coat and he wore it (possible a sign Joseph would be Jacob’s firstborn heir)

5. Joseph’s brothers hated him (because of Jacob’s actions)

6. Joseph had two strange dreams he shared

7. Jacob sent Joseph out to check on his brothers and he went as told.  

8. Joseph’s brothers except Rueben wanted to kill Joseph

9. Joseph’s brothers except Rueben sold Joseph into slavery

These facts don’t make Joseph a hero, villain, brat, or saint. It is how we interpret them. I originally saw Joseph at this time on his life as a brat. However, someone once pointed out that nowhere in scripture is Joseph condemned for doing anything wrong. The person also pointed out that Joseph was in one way a picture of Christ in that Joseph pointed out the evil, was loved by His Father, promised to be the leader/ chosen one, and through suffering brought deliverance to Israel. This challenge caused me to see Joseph in a new light. 

Instead of the spoiled brat tattling on his brothers and lording over them what if there is a different story?

Joseph was new in the family business and at person risk blew the whistle on his brothers who were doing something horribly wrong which could have destroyed the business and his father’s reputation. Joseph was given the coat of may colors and wore it not as a sign of privilege but to show his father he appreciated the trust His father was showing in him. The brothers who were scoundrels hated the Joseph because he was living the way they knew they were supposed to.  Joseph shared dreams he instead knowing that dreams could be prophetic and was asking, “Could this really be true?” Jacob hearing this prophetic dream was upset. Jacob was the patriarch and master of the family so hearing God was going to demote him was upsetting. Jacob yelled at Joseph to remember his place. Joseph knowing his brothers were out to get him went to check on them in the middle in nowhere because his father sent him, even though he knew it was dangerous. Rueben the one person who had blown it in the past wanted to do right by his dad and rescue Joseph but was thwarted. 

This is a far different story then the spoiled brat story, but do have any reason to believe this version isn’t true other than our own desire to hold on to what we have thought or perhaps because we find ourselves like Joseph’s brothers sinful and jealous? 

Something to consider… 

Lean on Them

 

The song says, "Lean on me..." but the question I have to wonder is who do we lean on? Or maybe I should ask are we leaning on anyone? Most pastors and church leaders would say, "I'm leaning on Jesus," but verbally or mentally say, "I don't trust in people." 

Let's be honest for most of us as church leaders we have had people fail us. The natural thing to do is to give people control but like the guy teaching me in driving school forty years ago keep a brake on his side of the car. The idea of leaning on them is of course out of the question because "I'm the leader., The buck stops here., I have to answer for what happened." These may be true but it isn't the way we see Jesus doing it. He sent out his disciples and he leaned on them. He trusted them to prepare the donkey, prepare the upper room and many more things that aren't mentioned in scripture. He trusted them to stay awake and pray with him. Yes, they failed miserably on that one but God sent angels when men failed. So, are we trusting that God might send help if people fail, or are we creating a backup plan?

All of this musing comes from reviewing Bob Russell's book, After 50 Years of Ministry, 7 things I'd do differently and 7 things I'd do the same.  One chapter was titled,  I would build a team of highly qualified leaders and lean on them (Bob seems to like long titles in this book). I didn't reread the entire chapter as I was just doing a review of the lessons I learned before when I read it, and it struck a cord. Are we training and are we leaning? As pastors, we often do a good job on training but I'm not sure we do a great job on leaning. 

Let's be honest if we do and something goes wrong we catch the heat. I was practicing this in a church once and had a retired pastor inform me that I needed to do it myself. Yes in that instance the people had issues but if I had taken his advice I would have had to spend a lot of time and energy learning this area of work and then a lot of time doing it. It would have said to the people who were supposed to be in charge they weren't trusted or really needed. I did that once and ended up losing that person from doing anything. This time I took the criticism and didn't back down. The people in question never did rise to the level I would have liked but then again I was able to focus on work that was in the long run more important. The retired pastor and I still disagree on this, but as I reread Bob's book I see that the principle of training and trusting does work. It isn't a pie-in-the-sky ideal. Will things go wrong? Yes, but it's worth the effort. Besides, it does seem to be the example of Jesus and last I read He is the one we ought to be following.

Pastor Sam and I are trying to do this. We aren't always successful and there have been issues, but if we are going to be all God wants we have to let go, empower others, and lean on them. Will there be problems? You better believe it! In fact, I promise it. However, when the church is everyone doing the job that God has called and gifted them to do, it is a beautiful thing. Think about it this way, if I were a foot in the body of Christ I might be able to prepare your food, but it would be awkward, uncomfortable, and maybe a little disgusting. Will a hand do it better? Yes, will a hand always be perfect? No, but eventually the foot will fail if it keeps trying. So let's give grace to those taking on new roles, correct when needed, love at all times, and trust that God will supply when men fail. 

Photo by Milan Popovic on Unsplash
 

Out with the old and in with the new?

 

Out with the old and in with the new.

As the new year approaches many people see this as a great time to begin a new journey of one type or another. The idea of throwing out the old and going in a new direction for many is exciting. However, there is a danger in not stopping and examining what we have been doing. Perhaps there are things we can learn so we don't make the same mistakes. There is another possibility, we should do something new. 

A few years back I was asking God what I needed to do in the upcoming year. What I felt was God directing me to keep doing what we had been doing. I will be honest and say this didn't sound very exciting. I wanted something great and new to show off. However, When I looked through God's eyes and saw the truth I knew that I didn't need to do something new, I just needed to improve what I was already doing. As it turned out, it was the right choice. 

As you prepare for the coming year there are things that you may need to change, thinking you need to throw out and begin anew. However, maybe you just need to stand faithful where you are. Ask God and then follow even if it isn't into anything new. Perhaps you just need to stand fast. "having done everything, to stand. Stand firm then," Eph. 3 13b-14a