MEDIOCRE

September 2009
The dictionary defines mediocre as “of average quality: neither good nor bad; ordinary.” Some of the synonyms are: uninspired, unremarkable, undistinguished, unexceptional, unexciting and forgettable.

Did you hear all those words that started with “un?” Just to be sure of the meaning of “un” I looked that up as well. The dictionary says it means “not” or “opposite.” Not inspired. Not remarkable. Not exceptional. Not exciting.

My research didn’t end there. If mediocre was the opposite of these other things I wanted to be sure what these other things were. Inspired is defined as “guided by or as if by a divine or supernatural influence.” The word distinguished means “important or superior.” Exceptional is “out of the ordinary or unusual.” Among its varied definitions exciting means “stirring.”

Mediocre, then, means that I, if I am the one being described as mediocre, am none of those things. Is it any wonder that just saying the word makes my skin crawl and the hair stand up on the back of my neck?! There has never been a time in my life when the thought of being “average” didn’t arouse such feelings in me. I have known people in my lifetime who were or are okay with the middle of the road and I don’t mean for this to be a criticism of them. I just can’t be one of them.

It was Andy Warhol who said that every individual would someday have their 15 minutes of fame. That is not what I am talking about either. I am not interested in being famous. And, according to the world’s definition, I am not interested in being successful either. According to the world, success is big houses, expensive cars and lots of money. It’s not that I am opposed to those things; it’s just that they aren’t worth my life. It’s not success that I am after but rather significance. I have to know that my life matters. This drive to significance that I am talking about is, as Dallas Williard says, “a simple extension of the creative impulse of God that gave us being.” My hunger for significance is simply an indication of who I am and why I am here.

What has me encouraged of late is an awareness, maybe for the first time, that my hunger for significance isn’t about me or making a name for myself. I have a tremendous desire to make Jesus famous. It is not about me. It is about Him. I am not always the brightest crayon in the box but I do eventually get it. And I think that I got it. The best way I know how to make Him famous is for my life to be an accurate reflection of His. Paul tells us in the book of Romans that the goal of every Christ follower is to be conformed to His image. That really makes it pretty simple. At least the understanding of the task is simple - while the carrying out of the task is sometimes anything but.

If I am going to be like Him it is absolutely essential that I know Him. Just knowing about Him is not enough. I must know Him. In his letter to the Philippians, the great apostle said that the goal of his life was to know Christ. Paul arguably knew him better than any other person who ever lived and yet he said his goal was “to know Him.” I simply want to say amen to that.

I recently heard a song by a recording artist named Matthew West. The name of the song is “Motions.” What the song gives to us is an understanding of the futility of just going through the motions instead of living our lives in pursuit of God. It has been said that Christianity was never intended to be defined by its disciplines but rather by its passion. If mediocrity is anything, it is passionless.

The words of this song continue to ring in my ears and my heart. I don’t want to spend my whole life asking what if I had given everything instead of going through the motions. This is a burning in my soul that won’t go away. And I don’t want to go away.

I would like my headstone to read, “He was never mediocre.”

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WHAT ARE YOU LIVING FOR?

August 2009
I am writing this while sitting in my room at the Circus Circus Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. My wife and I are here for a conference so we decided to make a little vacation of it as well. Earlier today we ventured over to the area where they have the live Circus acts. If you are not familiar with Circus Circus, it is a hotel-casino that actually has world-class circus acts. They have everything from jugglers to trapeze artists. The act that we saw today was one of the aerial silk acts. It was an amazing display of strength, grace and agility. I am not a gambler but in order to get to the circus area I had to walk through the gaming area of the casino. I saw row after row of slot machines with patrons dutifully inserting their money and pulling the handle (or in most cases just pushing the button to spin the wheels). And beyond that were the craps tables and roulette wheels. Farther in were all the blackjack tables. Hundreds of people there all with a common goal, trying to hit the jackpot. The interesting thing was that nobody looked as if they were having a good time.

Later in the afternoon we left our hotel for the conference and stopped at a little Italian restaurant for dinner. Probably the best Italian food I have ever eaten. While we were eating there was a television on in the background. It was showing the World Series of Poker. I didn’t spend much time watching it but I did make one observation. None of the participants appeared to be enjoying themselves.

About an hour later we arrived at our conference. The contrast between all of the people that I had observed earlier in the day and the people attending the conference was amazing. Here I sat with several thousand people who were having a wonderful time and they, too, were trying to hit a “jackpot” of sorts. This was a large auditorium full of people who were there to get all that they could from God. People listening intently to a speaker tell about her life and experiences in Africa and how her life was so rich. Not because of what she was getting but rather because of what she was giving. She and her husband had poured out their lives, as others have done, in a foreign land, giving of themselves to people who could never begin to repay them. And they were happy.

As I sat there listening I heard her tell of times of being beaten, threatened, jailed and persecuted in other ways. She was working with “throw away” kids…and AIDS victims…and lepers…and, well, you name it. Her life was often in danger. Sometimes from the diseases that she was encountering and sometimes from those hostile to her work and message. She was living life to the fullest because she had found something worth giving her life for.

It occurred to me as I sat there that if you haven’t found something worth dying for then you have never found anything worth living for.

What are you living for?

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KEEP YOUR FORK…

July 2009
There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live, so as she was getting her things "in order." She contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. The woman also requested to be buried with her favorite Bible. Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

"There's one more thing," she said excitedly.

"What's that?" came the pastor's reply.

"This is very important," the woman continued. "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand." The pastor stood looking at the woman, not knowing quite what to say.

"That surprises you, doesn't it?" the woman asked.

"Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor.

The woman explained. "In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie: something wonderful, and with substance! So, I just want people to see me there in the casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder, "What's with the fork?"
Then, I want you to tell them:

"Keep your fork....The best is yet to come."

The pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman good-bye.
He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She KNEW that something better was coming. At the funeral people were walking by the woman's casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing and her favorite Bible and the fork placed in her right hand.

Over and over, the pastor heard the question, "What's with the fork?" And over and over he smiled. During his message, the pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. The pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either.
He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you that the best is yet to come.
Sometimes we get so busy just attending to the demands of everyday life that we forget that this life is not all there is. Jesus told his followers that though His Father had created many dwelling places that He, Himself, was preparing a special, eternal dwelling place for those who put their trust in Him. Keep a fork close by to remind yourself that, according to the Bible, the reason God has ordained eternity is to make sure that He has enough time to show you how much He loves you.

The best is yet to come.

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WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?

June 2009
Have you ever had anyone ask you that question? And depending on where the emphasis was it could either be just a simple inquisitive question or a challenge to your integrity. “What are you looking at,” means something entirely different than “What are YOU looking at.” The really amazing thing is that what you are seeing can be entirely different than what you are looking at. Do I have you completely confused now?
Have you ever seen one of those things that they call “Magic Eye” pictures. That’s the picture that when you first look at it, it just looks like a bunch of lines and squiggles. After you stare at it intently for a while – moving it closer or farther away from your face – a picture “magically” comes into focus. Seeing the hidden picture is easier for some than for others and there are some people that cannot see the hidden picture no matter how hard they try.
I believe the same thing is true in the realm of the spiritual. In Isaiah chapter six we see the picture of two Seraphim (angelic like created beings) speaking to one another and they are saying of the Lord, “The whole earth is full of His glory.” I read these words, got up from my desk, walked over to the window and looked out and said, “I don’t see it.” So if the Bible says it is so but my eyes tell me it isn’t then where is the problem? Is the problem with my eyes or the Bible?”
There is an old saying, “you can’t see the forest for the trees.” I think that we may be on to something here. Life is a lot like the forest or our magic eye picture. Sometimes we have to change our perspective or our focus in order to see what is really important.
In the sixth chapter of 2 Kings there is a fascinating story about the prophet Elisha and his servant. Elisha had incurred the wrath of the pagan king so the king had sent out an army to capture him. In the morning when the servant went out to get water he saw that the entire area had been surrounded by soldiers and he naturally feared for his life. He went back into the house and, in a panic, asked Elisha what they were going to do. Elisha’s response was a simple prayer for his servant. “Open his eyes so that he can see that those that are for us are more than those that are against us.” Immediately the servants eyes were opened and he saw horses and chariots of fire all around. He needed a change of perspective in order to see the hidden picture,
Hebrews 11:27, speaking of Moses, says “By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.” It requires supernatural vision to see that which is invisible. It worked for Elisha and his servant. It worked for Moses. It worked for Paul. As a matter of fact, Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians, that he makes it his practice to continually focus on the invisible because it is unchangeable. Just as it worked for all these others, it will work for you, too.
Instead of focusing on the sin focus, on the savior. Instead of focusing on the dilemma, focus on the deliverer. Instead of focusing on the chaos, focus on Christ. Instead of focusing on lack,focus on the one who loves you so much that He died for you.
I have a saying on my office wall; “See things as they could be, not the way they have always been or the way you expect them to be.”
The whole earth IS filled with His glory. Will you see it?

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JUST AN OLD FASHIONED LOVE SONG…

May 2009
What is your favorite type of music? Do you prefer the oldies, blues, hip hop, jazz, classical or pop? Or maybe you prefer rap or hard rock. Oh, and I better not forget country. It doesn’t matter what your favorite style of music, if you listen to very much of it you are going to hear songs about love. It is the number one theme for every type of music ever written.

Love.

One song tells us that love makes the world go around. Another talks about the power of love. Another one says “You Light Up My Life,” while still another describes the one loved as “The Wind Beneath my Wings.” Johnny Cash says that because of his love “He Walks the Line.” Patsy Cline tells us that love makes her “Crazy,” and that she “Falls to Pieces.”

Another popular theme in love songs is the problem of unreturned, or one-sided, love. Hank Williams sings about “A Cold, Cold Heart,” and George Jones says “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” Whichever side of the story one might be on, the primary topic of all songs is love. The same is true of novels. There have been so many romance novels written that when I looked up the list of the top 100 titles there were 109 titles on it. It’s true. There were so many of them that they couldn’t even reduce the top 100 down to 100.

Would it surprise you to know that love is also the number one theme in the Bible? Sometimes I fear that when we read (if we read) the stories in the Old Testament we will get so caught up in the historical aspect of the people and all the wars that they fought, that we will forget that the primary theme of the book is love. The scarlet thread that weaves its way through the entire Word of God is the love that God has for all mankind.

Spend some time in the Psalms and discover God’s love not just for the chosen people but for all the people of the world. Follow Jesus as He walked the dusty roads of first century Palestine and experience His tender compassion as He sought to make the love of the Father known. Watch Him as He is brutally beaten by the Roman lictor using the cat of nine tails. See Him volunteer His hand to receive the spikes that nailed Him to the cross. Can you honestly tell me that He doesn’t love you?

When I was a little boy my father was a traveling preacher; an evangelist. My daddy had a great singing voice and he began and ended every series of meetings that he held with the same song. It was an old fashioned love song written by Fredrich Lehman in 1917.

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Refrain

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

The oldest love song of all is that God loves YOU. He loves you so much that He sent Jesus to pay the penalty for the sin in your life so you can enjoy eternity in heaven with Him.

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WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE?

April 2009
Christianity. Islam. Buddhism. New Age. Secular Humanism. Agnosticism. Atheism. Political Correctness. Darwin. Creationism. And on and on and on and on. There are so many competing views. What am I supposed to believe? And how can I know what is right? Does it really matter anyway? Aren’t all religions basically the same? Don’t all roads eventually lead to the same place? Isn’t the most important thing just being sincere?

If you have any or all of the above questions then I want you to know that there is hope for you. If you have read this column before then you know that it is written from a Christian point of view. It always will be. With that being said, I want to take a fair an honest look at some of the other systems of belief, or World Views, if you will. The process of establishing a world view is known as Apologetics. This is a term that generally is used with the process of defending the Christian faith but in reality it refers to defending any position. Apologetics, first, does not mean to say I am sorry. The word comes to us from the Greek word “apologia” which means “to answer back.” We find the word in 1 Peter 3:15 where he exhorts us to be prepared to give an answer back to anyone who asks us regarding our hope in Christ. But in the purest sense any system of belief defense is to offer an apologetic. It is the giving of an answer to anyone who wants to know why you believe what you believe.

One of the greatest Christian apologists in the world today is Dr. Ravi Zacharias. He has a radio ministry called, “Let My People Think.” Much of what I have learned, I learned from him. One of the most profound statements that he makes is “It is possible that all the religions of the world are wrong but it is not possible for all of them to be right.” Political correctness and post-modern thought tell us that what is true for one person may not be true for the next. If that were indeed the case then this article would be impossible for some people to read. I am claiming that each keystroke of my computer has a specific meaning. The letter “p” can only represent the letter “p.” I can’t possibly make you understand the precise plan for painting a portrait of a person if we don’t agree on the meaning of the letter “p.” Do see how absurd this can so easily become?

Truth has to be truth for everyone or it is not true for anyone.

Jesus made the most incredible claim while he was here on earth. He said, “I am the truth…” He did not say that he was some truth or a truth. He said that he was “THE” truth.

The subject of Apologetics is not one that can adequately be covered in a one or two page article written once a month. My purpose in this month’s article is to stir something up in you that will cause you to either want to know more, or at least will stir something up in you that will make you want to challenge my worldview. To that end I wish to offer an invitation to all to attend an upcoming class on Apologetics. Beginning the first Wednesday in May I am going to be teaching a weekly class on Apologetics at Harvest Christian Center. Harvest is located at 130 Third Street in Turlock. There is no cost to attend and it is open to anyone who wants to come. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers. If you have any questions, please go to: www.elrodministries.org

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THE PROBLEM IS NOT WITH GOD

March 2009
If you watch very much professional football then you have no doubt seen the guy that has the best job in the world. In the end zone during the extra point attempt or field goal try there is a guy holding up a sign that says John 3:16. It isn’t really his job but it sure seems like it because he is at so many games. John 3:16 is the most recognizable verse in the Bible. People who make no profession of faith in God at all know what John 3:16 says. You know what it says. “For God so loved the world that He gave…” It says more than that but those are the words that I want to look at for a few moments. For God so loved the world that He gave. When meditating on that verse a few days ago I zeroed in on the words “God gave.” It caused me to do a search through scripture for other times when God gave. The results of that search were astounding.

In Genesis 2 God gave man a wife (Pro. 18:22 says that’s a good thing), gave him
a garden to live in and gave him dominion over everything. In Genesis 21 God gave a one hundred year old man a son. In Genesis 28 God gave Abraham all the land that he could see. In Exodus God gave man rules to live by. Rules not designed to restrict but to protect. Repeatedly through the Word God gave man purpose for his life. In times of battle God gave His people victory when they were outnumbered, sometimes 100 to 1. He gave Solomon wisdom. God gave the land rain and caused it to prosper. Again and again we read the words “God gave.” He gave provision. He gave healing. In Numbers 21, when the people were being bitten by poisonous snakes because of their sin, God gave them a means by which they could be healed. He gave and gave and gave. By the time we get to the New Testament, where we find our text, God had a well established track record for giving.

The book of Hebrews tells us that the New Testament, or Covenant, is a better covenant. The giving just gets better and better. We have already established that God gave His son. In Romans 8 Paul says, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? All things. What could be better than that?
Even though the Word tells us that God gives us all things you will probably agree with me that we don’t usually have “all things.” There’s the rub. How do we get from what the Word says to experiencing it in our day to day lives. God has been gracious enough to us to give us examples that we can understand. He calls Himself our Father because He knows that we can relate to a father. I have a father and I am a father. I know how much I enjoy giving things to my children. But there are times when I cannot because I don’t have the means. That is never an issue for God. There are other times that I cannot because if I gave them what they asked for it would be to their harm. Surely God is as wise as I. Then there are times the requirements for receiving have not been met. There have been many times in my own life when I know God wanted to give me something but I just didn’t meet the qualifications. God is a giver. He wants to give and give and give.

This much I know. If you are not receiving, the problem is not with God.

I RESOLVE TO...

February 2009
We are already one month into the new year. I have a theory about time. I believe that the older that you get, the faster time passes. That is the only thing that can account for it already being February. I just took down the Christmas decorations. It seems like I just put them up. This is the time that the new years resolutions are dropping like flies. Stephen Shapiro says that only 8% of the people succeed in keeping their new years resolutions. I am surprised, quite frankly, that the number is that high. What do you think the number one resolution is? If you said, “lose weight” then you are right. It is also the first one broken. Most people that resolve to eat differently in the new year have broken their resolution within the first week. Other “yearly” new year’s resolutions are better financial responsibility, more time with the kids, more attention to the spouse. Do any of these sound familiar to you? I, for one, can identify. I’ve probably made all of them at one time or another. And broken them.

For Christians the number one new year’s resolution is to read the Bible more. Usually the resolution is, “this year I am going to read the Bible through from cover to cover.” And to help us with this resolution there have been any number of thoughtful people who have compiled reading schedules to assist us in achieving our goal. The problem that typically occurs is that we get started, usually a day late (who reads on New Years Day?), so we already have to do double-duty to catch up. We do pretty good for a week or maybe two and then we get busy and miss a day and then two or three. By then discouragement sets in and we give up. At this point we usually go back to reading our Psalm-a-day. Usually 133 or 134 at 3 verses each or 123 or 125 with 4 or 5 verses. Or we go to the, “let the Bible drop open and read the first thing that our eyes fall on,” method. That method, by the way, is a very dangerous way for us to get our daily inspiration. But in any case we have managed to soothe our troubled minds a little because as Christians we know that we are “supposed” to read the Bible every day.

The “Sweet Singer of Israel,” King David, certainly understood the importance of the Word of God in our lives. In what is considered a masterpiece of literature, the 119th Psalm, David expresses, with clarity, his regard for the Word. In verse 11 he says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” In verse 89 he says, “Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” And in verse 105, one of the best known verses he says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” It seems to me that David was not finding it difficult to find time to spend in God’s Word. I think he was at least as busy as we are. He was, after all, the king and military leader of his nation. If he was able, in his busy schedule, to find time for the Word then why can’t we? I think the answer must lie in the importance that he placed on it. I don’t believe for a moment that the level of importance of the Word in his life had anything to do with duty or obligation and that, I think, may hold the key for us. David placed such a high priority on the Word in his life based on his relationship with the living God. He would no more consider not spending time in the Word than he would expect one of his soldiers to not spend time reading the letters that he received from the lover from whom he was separated. David always considered the Word of God as a personal love letter to him because he was deeply in love with the lover of his soul.

Might I suggest that if you are finding the Word a chore to do or a task to perform you should reconsider your personal relationship with God. He is passionately in love with you. Some of you reading this have a difficult time believing that but it are true none the less. It is a truth that screams to us from the Bible. In January’s article I challenged you to read the Song of Solomon, preferably in a modern translation. Did you do it? Why not? If you didn’t read it then do it now. If you did read it then take the time to read it again. Nothing will change your life more or make you hungry for the Word of God like finally understanding how much He really loves you.

I have been reading the Bible for 50 plus years now and it is more exciting now than it was when I first started. I never cease to be amazed that after all these years and all these readings that I keep finding new ‘stuff.’ It is more relevant than tomorrow’s newspaper, more exciting than the latest action flick and more passionate than any romance novel. It is, after all, God’s love letter to you.

Start again. Make a commitment again. Resolve again. And get into the Word.

January 2009

In the 47th chapter of Ezekiel there is a fascinating account of a vision that the prophet had. Beginning back in the 40th chapter Ezekiel encounters a heavenly being of some sort, and for the next seven chapters he is led on a detailed tour of the city. The man is carrying a measuring rod and, as he goes, he measures everything and explains the meaning to Ezekiel. Here in the 47th chapter we have beautiful imagery that has tremendous significance for us.

He is taken back to the entrance to the temple and he tells us that water is flowing out from under the threshold. Again the man begins to measure and, after he had gone 1750 feet the water, which had been a trickle at the beginning, is up to the ankles. He measures another 1750 feet and the water is now up to the knees. Another 1750 feet and the water is up to the loins, or waist. Again he measures 1750 feet and now the water is deep enough to swim in.

What, you are asking, does any of this have to do with me? I am so glad that you asked. There are a number of principles from this passage that apply to us and, as we begin a new year, it is absolutely crucial that we learn this stuff. The first principle that I want to look at is the Principle of Progression. God takes us where we are but He never leaves us there. Neither, however, does He expect us to attain perfection overnight. The increasing depth of the waters speaks to us of an ever growing relationship with God. When we first come to God we know almost nothing spiritually. We know that God loves us and that we are accepted. This is represented by the waters from under the threshold of the temple that are just a trickle.

When the next measurement is taken, we find that the water that began as a trickle is now water up to the ankles. The ankles speak to us of activity. We are growing in our knowledge of God and we are beginning to get active in our relationship with Him. We are reading the Word and praying. We are learning about some of the doctrines of the church. The next time the measurement is taken the water is up to the knees. Knees speak to us of mobility. If you doubt that, just talk to an ex-football player who has lost his knees to his sport and can barely get around any more. Or talk to a star running back who has experienced a knee injury and is struggling to regain the form he once had. What this means to us in the Kingdom Life is, as we learn more about the Kingdom, we understand that there are “things” for us to do as members of the family of God. We become spiritually mobile as we work with the children's program or sing in the church choir or begin sharing our witness with others as to what Christ has done in our lives.

One more measurement and now the waters are up to the loin or waist. This speaks to us of intimacy. As we continue to walk out our faith, we find ourselves in an incredible love relationship with the Creator of the universe. I have to tell you that, as long as I have been a Christian, it still boggles my mind to think that the Creator of the universe is madly in love with me. He is absolutely crazy about me. And He is crazy about you to. Take the time at the beginning of this New Year to read the Song of Solomon. Do yourself a favor and no matter what your favorite translation is, read it in either the The Message or The New Living translation. And read it the way it was intended to be read. It is an allegory of God’s love for you. Read it as such. Rejoice in it! And be amazed at how much the God of the universe loves you.

The last measurement takes us to waters too deep to wade in any longer. They are now waters to swim in. No longer is your relationship with your God a measured one, but it is now all-encompassing. He is in you and you are in Him. You have learned what Jesus was talking about in John 15 where He said anything is possible if you abide in Him and allow Him to abide in you. No more church as usual. No more “same ‘ol, same ‘ol.” This is John 10:10 life. Life in all its potential abundance. And that leads us to Principle number Two.

Principle Two that we learn from this passage in Ezekiel is that God is a God of increase. He is never a God of decrease. Decrease is not in His nature; therefore it is impossible for Him. He wants more for you. In every area of your life He wants more for you. In the little letter of Third John, He says that His desire for us is that we would prosper (increase) in health and wealth to the same extent that our soul prospers or increases. The increase is there for the taking. God wants it for you, but He is wise enough not to give it to you if you can’t handle it. And, despite any protestations on your part, if your spiritual life is not in a position of prosperity and increase, then you will not be able to handle the financial increase.

It’s a new year. A clean slate. Let’s determine to fill it with good. Grow in your relationship with God and allow Him to be the God of increase in your life that He so desperately wants to be.