Just What Are You Seeking?, Pt. 3

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Just What Are You Seeking?, Pt. 3

Part 3, Prioritize, then Prioritize Again, and Finally Prioritize Your Priorities

October 18, 2024 • Central Baptist Church

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October 18, 2024

Just What Are You Seeking?

Part 3, Prioritize, then Prioritize Again, and Finally Prioritize Your Priorities

Our theme for this month is “Just What Are You Seeking?”. In our first installment, we readily admitted that life can become a hamster wheel of frenetic activity, without us even trying to make it so. In part two we tried to get a view of the big picture, by understanding first how we even got INTO the picture. In short, we are here on purpose, …a Divine Purpose.

Today, we dive into the nitty-gritty of our theme and consider the importance of daily decisions in developing our life philosophies, i.e., our world views, and consequently, our life pathways. And we do this with the humorous title, “Prioritize, Then Prioritize Again, and Finally Prioritize Your Priorities”. Here is reality: our thinking and decisions shape our lives, and we just don’t have enough time to do it all!

But this is not some astute revelation from human philosophy! No, long ago God inspired this concept in the mind of Solomon, and he penned Proverbs 23:7: For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…, and also Proverbs 4:23, Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Here is God’s warning in a nutshell: be careful what you believe, be more careful with who you follow, and be decidedly careful with what you devote your life to, because it will, as poet Robert Frost explained, “make all the difference”. [1] To use a road-trip analogy, the decision to follow one highway over another will produce different scenery, a totally different experience, and a completely different outcome! And… life is a one-way trip. Yes, you can turn around and head in a different direction, but the time you spend on the bumpy road is used up; you can’t get it back.

The Apostle Paul readily admitted the obvious: he had not attained spiritual maturity and he had a LOT of baggage! He spent a good part of his life believing he was pleasing God by disrupting true Christianity and persecuting Christ’s genuine followers. But on the dusty roadway just outside Damascus, Saul-the-Persecutor was confronted personally by Jesus Christ, and suddenly he found himself on a new life-quest. He had been seeking the approval of God through a traditional, but dead, works-based religion. Now he had found the approval of God in repentance and faith in the Risen Son of God, Jesus the Christ.

Consequently, Paul expressed the importance of prioritization when he penned Philippians 3:12-14, …thisone thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Undaunted, and now with even more haste, he pressed onward to make what was important to Jesus Christ, important in his life.

Confronted with the urgent Truth, Paul became a focused man. When Paul found Truth with a capital “T”, he prioritized his priorities. He became highly focused, even driven, and the rest of his life was consumed with just one objective: to preach the Gospel, win souls, and advance the Kingdom of God! Paul found the real meaning of life, and therefore at the end of his life’s road he could write… Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing (2 Timothy 4:8).

Friends, are you on the right road?

God bless and consider!

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_Not_Taken

Just What Are You Seeking?, Pt. 2

October 11, 2024 • Central Baptist Church

October 11, 2024 Just What Are You Seeking? Pt. 2, How Did I Get Here? Our theme for this month is “Just What Are You Seeking?”, and last week we admitted that life can become a hamster wheel of frenetic activity, without us even trying to make it so. To use an analogy, it seems that life is a vacuum, and it is this world’s job to fill it up! Yes, if there is one thing that almost every human being on this planet would agree on, it is the seeming urgency of this temporal life. All who are not lying semi-conscious in a hospital or a nursing facility, are usually calendar-bound, with many goals, obligations, desires, and demands. Here in Part 2, “How Did I Get Here?”, we want to start putting life in perspective. We will step back and get our heads out of the frenetic details of life, so that we might see a bigger picture. To use another analogy, we want to get out of the trees and underbrush so we can see and consider the forest. And to understand the big picture, we need to know FIRST how we even got INTO the picture! Our post-modern society has thrown out rationality, reality, and Truth-with-a-capital-T. We see our societies crumbling as decency, civility, morality, and even common sense, are thrown beneath the so-called “wheels” of progress and “enlightenment”. We’ve been told one huge lie for so long, and with such volume, and with such frequency, that we now believe our own fable. Intellectualism is a very prideful sin! So where did you and I come from? And I’m not talking about the cabbage patch. Actually, anyone older than 13 probably knows how we arrived on the planet: we came out from between our mother’s knees. So, what I’m asking is how did all of this get started? Are we just chance collocations of atoms? Are we just cosmic accidents, with no higher meaning and purpose but to fertilize the soil when we die and go out of existence? That is what the so-called intellectuals would have us swallow. The problem is that this fantastic fable does not fit with our physical and spiritual realities. Biological life is so intricate, so beautiful, and so complicated and precise, that our common sense tells us that only a Grand Designer could be the Cause of this beautiful tapestry. And then there is the spiritual aspect of human life! Deep inside, we seek answers to the meaning and purpose FOR our sentience! Are we self-aware and transcendent, only so we can fertilize cemetery lawns and feed fungus? The spiritual question of, “How did I get here?” or “Where did I come from?”, can only be satisfactorily answered by the One Who designed us, the One Who made us to fellowship with Him and enjoy His eternal love, and the One Who deserves our praise and worship because of simply WHO HE IS! God says in His revealed, inspired, and preserved Word, the Bible, that human beings are the apex of His creation, a special spiritual creation made in His physical image (i.e., the image of the God-Man Jesus) and tripartite likeness (body, soul, and spirit). You and I are more than a body, and our purpose on this 3rd rock from the Sun is not to just eat and drink, be merry, and die! First, we are here to find a relationship with our Creator God through a spiritual re-birth called salvation. Second, we are here to enjoy the meaning that He gives to us in this physical life, and to spread that good news—called the Gospel—to our friends and neighbors. Third, we are here to fellowship with God in the Person of Jesus Christ, for all eternity. You and I got here on purpose. We are part of a plan so grand and awesome that our minds can’t begin to wrap around it. It’s high time we wake out of our sleep of unbelief and acknowledge our Creator. Only then will we start to discover the purpose and meaning that He intends for our eternal existence. God bless and consider!

Just What Are You Seeking?, Pt. 1

October 4, 2024 • Central Baptist Church

October 4, 2024 Just What Are You Seeking? Part 1, The Hamster Wheel of Life There is a poignant song in the soft pop genre sung by the late Harry Chapin[1] entitled Cats In the Cradle.[2] It’s the story of a father, busy with the intricacies and demands of life, and a new son who, as he grew, was determined to be just like his dad. Dad, busy with what seemed to be the pressures of life, didn’t have time to help the boy learn to walk or play catch. And just as the son prophesied, “I’m gonna be like him…”, it came to be. When the son was grown, and the dad retired, the son was busy with the seeming pressures of life and had no time for his father. He had learned to be just like his dad. Dad stepped off the hamster wheel and the boy took his place. The song evokes a lot of emotion because it speaks to a common dysfunction inside families as both dads and moms work, pay bills, and play… as their children grow up and leave home. Of course, the song's irony is that much of what dads and moms must do is indeed required. Parents can’t spend every waking moment with their children. As the lyrics go, there ARE planes to catch and bills to pay. There IS a lot to do. We all have experience with that hamster wheel called “life”. Some of our wheel-time is absolutely necessary, and then some, probably isn’t. The dilemma facing every parent is balance: balancing needs and wants, balancing work and play, balancing careers and families, … balancing life. Sometimes we must get alone, get quiet, and honestly ask ourselves, “Just what is it I am seeking in life?”, “What is life about?”, “What is my purpose?” Is our life to be just a hamster wheel of activity, of going into debt, working, paying for stuff, building up a 401k or IRA, eating, sleeping, growing old, and dying, and leaving an investment for our kids… all so the next generation can do the same? I suspect most people would answer, “No! Life isn’t just working, and paying, and eating, and dying… so that our kids can do the same!” But then comes the real angst as we quietly ask ourselves, “OK, so what IS life about? Just WHAT AM I SEEKING?” Our Creator, Jesus Christ, spoke to this common human angst. In His Sermon on the Mount, He asked a rhetorical question: Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? (Matthew 6:25). The implied and obvious answer is, “Of course!”. Life IS more than just securing enough food to stay alive and enough clothing and shelter to keep from freezing to death. Jesus focused our vision on the reason we even exist! He taught, …seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things (referring to the physical necessities of life) shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). You see, there is one more thing to balance that most people don’t even think about: we must balance the spiritual against the physical. Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:25-34 addresses that generation’s hamster wheel, i.e., their crazed angst over getting enough food and clothing. In Jesus’ day, the vast majority of the society worked for the food they ate THAT DAY! Each day was a challenge just to stay alive. In our day and culture, the basic necessities (e.g., food and clothing) don’t seem as pressing as the car and house payments, braces for the kid’s teeth, and paying for medical insurance! But it all reduces to the common denominator: the pressures of our physical life! Jesus’ point is that we are alive for a much higher purpose other than just filling our stomachs and paying the orthodontist. The purpose of life is to have a relationship with our Creator and to worship our Creator. The purpose of this life is to prepare for the next; to prepare for eternity! And we do that by reconciling our broken relationship with God through repentance and absolute faith in the Savior’s sacrifice. In Ephesians 2:7 Paul explained God’s intent for humanity: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. As author Cary Schmidt wrote, “You are more than a body; you will live forever somewhere; and God is on a divine rescue mission to make sure your ‘forever’ is safe with Him!” [3] Don’t wait until it’s too late to find out that you have spent your life taking care of the body, only to forfeit your soul for eternity. God bless and consider! [1] http://www.harrychapinmusic.com/http://www.harrychapinmusic.com https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/harry_chapinhttp://wikipedia.org/wiki/harry_chapin [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuwjnbjqr-chttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuwjnbjqr-c [3] http://caryschmidt.com/free-ebook-done/ https://strivingtogether.com/pages/done.html http://strivingtogether.com/template/downloads/done.pdf

Leadership, Pt. 4

September 27, 2024 • Central Baptist Church

September 27, 2024 Leadership Pt. 4, The Perfect Leader This month we are talking about “Leadership”. In our first installment, we considered the concept of vision. A leader must have a goal or vision to work toward. Solomon said it like this, Where there is no vision (meaning a Divine instruction or revelation), the people perish… (Proverbs 29:18). Next, we considered the importance of implementation. A leader may know what they want to accomplish, and where they want to go, but do they know how to get there? Successful leaders need to know or figure out HOW to implement their vision. Jesus not only had a vision (a Divine plan or mission), but as The Creator, He knew how to implement His vision. Last week we visited the sad reality of leadership failures and how we are wise to follow Christ, and not politicians, economists, and philosophers. This segues us into the lesson climax entitled, The Perfect Leader. Our world has always been either 1) enamored with, or 2) in great fear of, their leaders. In ancient times, the potentates of Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, and Greece were formidable foes to their enemies and usually even fearful rulers to their own people. In recent history, we can populate a list of both good and bad leaders, men and women who have written significant chapters in our world history. But honestly, it is much easier to populate a list of the bad eggs than it is to think of those leaders who have benefitted our world society. On the bad side were men like the ruthless Mongol warlord Genghis Khan, Fascist dictators like Hitler and Mussolini, Communist revolutionaries like Marx and Engels and the dictators that took advantage of their corrupt socioeconomic philosophies, e.g., Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot. But now, take my challenge. Name some good leaders. Maybe Queen Esther? Maybe George Washington? Maybe Winston Churchill? Who else? Have I demonstrated my point? Naming good leaders, off the cuff is a bit harder, isn’t it? The reasons are simple: first, there have been far, far more bad leaders in our world’s history, and second, the term “good” is relative. What you and I call “good” is totally dependent upon our social, political, and spiritual worldviews. Consider also our last two presidents of the United States! These two men’s political and social philosophies are virtually polar opposites, and their presidencies have created more animosity and vitriolic fervor than any two back-to-back presidents in my memory. So, who IS the perfect leader? If we are honest, the perfect leader is the person who champions all of OUR causes, beliefs, and philosophies. The problem, of course, is that I’m as messed up as you are! Truly, As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one (Romans 3:10). When we look to political leaders, business leaders, environmental leaders, economic leaders, and even to religious leaders, to “save” us (and our planet) we are essentially putting our faith in another sinful, biased, and failure-prone human being. The only Perfect Leader that has ever lived, taught, and led is the Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God. He IS… The Way, The Life, and The Truth (John 14:6). And just consider what sinful humanity did to Him! The truth is that no sinful human being is going to usher in a utopia. Oh, one IS going to try! The Scriptures call him the Beast, the Man of Sin, and the Antichrist. This false Christ will rise in the end days as this world’s “savior” and the vast majority of humanity will champion his cause and follow his lead… right into eternal perdition! Jesus the “Christ” (meaning Anointed One, Messiah), was and will be, this World’s Perfect Leader. The only hope for our lost and decaying world is the soul salvation provided by Jesus’ First Advent sacrifice, and then the righteous judgment that is coming when Jesus returns as King and Judge at His Second Advent. King Jesus will rule and reign in total righteousness on this Earth for 1000 literal years and from a new world capital: Jerusalem. Friends, this World’s Perfect Leader is coming back! And here is the only question that remains: will He be your Savior or your Judge? As the Psalmist prophesied in Psalm 2:12, Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. God bless and consider!