Patiently Procrastinating

I'm all for "waiting on the LORD".
It's a valid reason for not acting too quickly.
And I know all too well the heartache of not listening to that still, small voice.

But, there is a difference between waiting and delaying.
And if we're not careful, what we call patience can easily slip into procrastination. 

Patience: 
An ability or willingness to suppress restlessness
Steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity

Procrastination:
Put off; postpone; impede process or progress

There. Is. A. Difference.

A common verse used to back this idea of waiting on the LORD is Psalm 46:10:
“Be still, and know that I am God." (ESV)

Yes.
But I don't believe being still means being stagnant.

That phrase, "be still" could also be translated: 
Let Go, Let Be, Relax

Sometimes, it's not that God wants us to stop acting, but rather to start listening.
To relax and know (trust and believe) that he is God.
To start following and stop trying to figure it out.

Does that mean there is no value in stopping and listening to what the Holy Spirit is whispering? Absolutely not! Honestly, we all could use more of this.

But I am suggesting that we can become far too focused on being practical, and not nearly willing enough to risk what really doesn't matter anyway.

As Perry Noble says, "Sometimes prayer is just an excuse to not do what God is already asking us to do."

Relaxation doesn't always equal the absence of action.
It's possible to be still and striving.
To work and wait.
To patiently progress.

I believe there is often wisdom in waiting.
That it's often in the season of waiting that we learn wisdom.
But we must be careful that "wisdom" isn't an excuse for delayed obedience. 
Because delayed obedience is simply disobedience.

- Just a Thought -

Chariots, Comments and Compliments

Some trust in chariots, others in horses,
    but we trust the Lord our God.
- Psalm 20:7 -

I've never owned a horse.
I've never even ridden in a chariot, much less, owned one.
But somehow, I don't think that's the point of this passage (could be wrong).

Even though I've never been in a position of national or military leadership (or any other scenario that would justify my riding in a chariot), I've certainly been in a position of misplaced trust. 
I've found confidence in circumstance.
In Chariots.

I don't know much about chariots, but what I do know is that they're not the point here. 
This isn't about chariots and horses, but rather what they represent.
At this point in history, if you had chariots and horses, it meant you were fit for battle. 
And the more you had, the greater your chance of dominance.
And as Solomon so accurately stated, "Nothing under the sun is truly new."
Then and now, mankind has always had (and always will have) the desire to be dominant.
Then and now, mankind has always had (and always will have) the desire to be elevated.
(Perhaps this is why Jesus so aptly taught the value of denying ourselves.)

I find this to be a daily battle.
Who doesn't want their ego stroked?
Who doesn't want an elevated sense of self-worth?
Even if your deepest desire is self-denial, it's still a daily grind (Luke 9:23).

And in this "Tell me I'm pretty" // "Look at me" // "Selfie" day and age, it's rampant.

What are people saying about me?
How does this make me look?
Does my hustle hang with theirs?
Does my anointing (for the church community) answer theirs?

Chariots may physically be a thing of the past, but I believe they are still very much present.
On our screens.
In our conversations.

How's that?
Comments and Compliments.

What are people saying about me?
How does this make me look?
Does my hustle hang with theirs?
Does my anointing (for the church community) answer theirs?

Every. Day.

We all place our trust in something.
You are doing it right now.
If you're sitting as you read this, you're trusting whatever structure currently supporting you not to crumble. 
If you're standing, same thing.
You may not even realize you're trusting.
But that's the beauty of trust.
When it's true, doubt stays far.
Its proven itself trustworthy.
And as a result, its provided you with confidence.

So the question then becomes, "What/Whom are you placing your trust in?"
Intentionally.
Mindlessly.
What/Whom is the source of your confidence?

If it's horses and chariots, your dominance will become your demise.

Horses can’t bring victory;
    they can’t save by their strength.
- Psalm 33:17 -

Comments and Compliments. 
They come. 
They crumble.
They're circumstantial.
They're conditional.

Some trust in chariots, others in horses,
    but we trust the Lord our God.
- Psalm 20:7 -

If your confidence is in comments and compliments, you'll never be consistently confident.

The grass dies and the flowers fall,
    but the word of our God will live forever.
- Isaiah 40:8 - 

There is only one source of consistent confidence. 
His Name is Christ.

Double-Parked Lies

Pulling into the parking lot, I began scoping out which space I would choose.

Opting for the back row and calling upon my reverse parking skills, I made the maneuver.

Then things got interesting...

As I began to back in, I noticed the car next to me seemed unusually far away.

Wondering if I had misjudged, I pulled forward and tried again.

Same thing.

Commence opening car door to double-check yellow boundary lines.

Good to go.

"What's the problem?"

I received my answer as I stepped out of the car: 

The other car was double-parked.    

Interesting how the actions of others can lead us to second-guess our own.

But the truth is, the actions of others are never a foolproof measuring stick.  

This double-parked car caused me to second-guess my parking job.

But it wasn't me who was wrong.

I trusted the lines.

And truth be told, there is only one set of lines that will never lead you astray.

They're the guideLINES that have be around for centuries.

And they're spelled B.I.B.L.E.

Don't use someone else's life to judge your own.

Use the lines. 

Following Fallout

You know the frustration of being asked to do something that's "not your job"?
"Dahh, why did they ask me to do this?"
"It's not my responsibility."
"I have enough on my plate."

Well, I have good news for you: 
There is a God who wants to take stuff of your plate.
Sounds good right?

Here's the deal.
God doesn't ask you to do anything that he cannot do in and through you.
Notice I didn't say "anything that you can't do".
The reason you feel like you can't do it is because you can't.
You're carrying what you were never meant to.

To put it simply:
Our job is to follow. 
His job is to worry about the fallout.

How do I know?

25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God[e] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

- Matthew 6 - 

Jesus again makes his point four chapters later as he is commissioning his disciples:

9 “Don’t take any money in your money belts—no gold, silver, or even copper coins.10 Don’t carry a traveler’s bag with a change of clothes and sandals or even a walking stick. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed...

18 You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me.[e] 19 When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. 20 For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

21 “A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. 22 And all nations will hate you because you are my followers.[f] But everyone who endures to the end will be saved...

28 “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.[j] 29 What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin[k]? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. 30 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

32 “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven...

38 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. 39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.

- Matthew 10 -

Our job is to follow. 
His job is to worry about the fallout (the adverse side effects or results of a situation).

Choose to follow.
Let him do the worrying.

Pharisee Philosophy

Just because they're offended doesn't mean you're wrong.

1-2 After that, Pharisees and religion scholars came to Jesus all the way from Jerusalem, criticizing, “Why do your disciples play fast and loose with the rules?”

3-9 But Jesus put it right back on them. “Why do you use your rules to play fast and loose with God’s commands? God clearly says, ‘Respect your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone denouncing father or mother should be killed.’ But you weasel around that by saying, ‘Whoever wants to, can say to father and mother, What I owed to you I’ve given to God.’ That can hardly be called respecting a parent. You cancel God’s command by your rules. Frauds! Isaiah’s prophecy of you hit the bull’s-eye:

These people make a big show of saying the right thing,
    but their heart isn’t in it.
They act like they’re worshiping me,
    but they don’t mean it.
They just use me as a cover
    for teaching whatever suits their fancy.”

10-11 He then called the crowd together and said, “Listen, and take this to heart. It’s not what you swallow that pollutes your life, but what you vomit up.”

12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?”

13-14 Jesus shrugged it off. “Every tree that wasn’t planted by my Father in heaven will be pulled up by its roots. Forget them. They are blind men leading blind men. When a blind man leads a blind man, they both end up in the ditch.”

- Matthew 15:1-14 (MSG & NLT) -
- Isaiah 29:13 -