As I announced last Sunday, Cindy and I hope to be in San Antonio this Sunday where we look forward to watching our youngest daughter graduate from the University of Texas Health Science Center with a Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy science. Beth Miles has graciously agreed to facilitate the class discussion for this week.
The lesson from Andy Stanley is another good one. It is about money and spending habits. Andy mentions that many, if not most of the serious issues brought to his office for counseling deal with one of two topics: sex or money. According to Andy, sex or money drive many of the conflicts, failures, and regrets that we experience in life. Andy says that the reason God says so much about money in His Word is that our attitude and behavior toward money has everything to do with our devotion to Him. Andy refers to Matthew 6:24. The scripture simply spells out the fact, we cannot serve both God and money. Money, in our society, is seen as the pursuit of wealth or the pursuit of security. In either case, the pursuit of wealth or the pursuit of security reflect a lack of confidence and devotion to the God of the Universe to supply all our needs and to keep us safe.
Andy says that we need guardrails on BOTH sides of the road when it comes to money. One one side of the road is the ditch that contains the danger of consumerism--in which we spend every dime that comes our way. On the other side of the road is the ditch that contains the danger of hoarding--in which we feel compelled to save everything that we possibly can because we cannot trust God to take care of our future needs. According to Andy, both ditches are very self-centered and result in living as if there is no God. Both ditches or both lifestyles are consummed by greed. Greed is difficult to see in the mirror, but many of us suffer from this condition--either to support our uncontrolled spending or our incessant need to save for the future.
Andy mentions that for most Americans, God is like the back-up finance plan. God wants to be the master and ruler of your life. The chief competitor with God being master and ruler is "your stuff."
Andy Stanley suggests a spending plan that looks like this:
1. GIVE--the first 10% of your income should be given to the Lord (this could be more than 10%, but at least 10% should be given)
2. SAVE--the next 10% of your revenue should be saved
3. LIVE--live on 80% of your available revenue
A plan such as the one outlined above provides adequate guardrails to be sure that you are using your money in a Godly manner.
Matthew 6:32 spells out the fact that God knows our needs. Do you really belive that God knows and cares about our needs? Don't let money steal your peace or your joy.
REMINDER: Sunday School swimming party and lunch at Emerald Forest Swimming Pool on June 5 after church. Come on down for a great time with the class and with the kids.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
"Me and the Mrs"--May 15, 2011
Our lesson with Andy Stanley today included comments from his wife Sandra as they discussed several areas of marriage and family life and the guardrails they have built in their own relationship and family. Andy mentioned that the guardrail principle is found in Proverbs 27:12: "The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it." Andy argues that the prudent Christian, the wise man will be able to discern threats and danger to his life and lifestyle and will take refuge or will build guardrails to prevent him from reaching the abyss or the point of disaster. Andy says that we need guardrails in every area where we have an appetite or desires. This would include the financial arena--our spending, saving, and giving habits, sexual integrity--our visual, physical, and emotional desires, family time and commitment to family, and any other area where we may experience temptation.
I felt like many of you would relate to this week's lesson because it makes reference to the season of life in which many of you find yourselves. You are trying to raise young children and attempting to spend quality time and meet their needs. At the same time, you are trying to build successful careers and you are trying to earn comfortable livings for your families. These goals often create contradictory demands on your time and energy.
One of the most important things I heard in the lesson today was the comment which Andy quoted from a seminar that he and Sandra once attended. "Kids are a welcome addition to the family. However, we should be striving for a marriage-centered family, NOT a child-centered family." In my opinion, this is one of the biggest mistakes made by young Christian families. Given our love for our kids and our desire to see them excel in all endeavors, we often tend to make them the center of the universe, and if not the universe, at least the center of our family. This creates pressure on the marriage and the family and does not do justice to the child. As Andy Stanley said in today's lesson, the greatest gift one can give to their children is a great marriage. As such, you and your spouse need to take time to nurture your marriage. This includes periodic date nights, trips together in which the kids are not involved, frequent breaks in which the parents have the opportunity to talk, re-group, and enjoy a short respite from the challenges of responding to young children all day and all night long.
Having said that, it is important to understand that our family needs our time also. Therefore, it is critically important that BOTH parents develop strategies that allow them to spend quality time with young children. Sandra quoted a great scripture from Nehemiah in describing how she had to prioritize and was forced to turn down some opportunities to ensure sufficient family time together. The scripture was Nehemiah 6:3: "I am doing a great thing and I cannot come down." Nehemiah was focused on a great work and he refused to be distracted from this great work. Likewise, you are doing a great work with your children. Each of us should commit ourselves to focusing on this great work and refuse to be distracted by outside distractions.
Join us again next week when Andy discusses our financial habits.
REMINDER: MARK THE DATE!!! OUR AFTER CHURCH SWIMMING PARTY IS SCHEDULED AT THE EMERALD FOREST POOL ON JUNE 5, 2011. EVERYONE IS ASKED TO BRING A LUNCH AND DESSERT. WE HAVE SET UP TABLES IN THE PAST AND SHARED DISHES AND ENJOYED LUNCH AND FELLOWSHIP INSIDE THE CLUBHOUSE. THE POOL WILL BE OPEN FROM 12:45 P.M.--2:45 P.M. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY THERE.
I felt like many of you would relate to this week's lesson because it makes reference to the season of life in which many of you find yourselves. You are trying to raise young children and attempting to spend quality time and meet their needs. At the same time, you are trying to build successful careers and you are trying to earn comfortable livings for your families. These goals often create contradictory demands on your time and energy.
One of the most important things I heard in the lesson today was the comment which Andy quoted from a seminar that he and Sandra once attended. "Kids are a welcome addition to the family. However, we should be striving for a marriage-centered family, NOT a child-centered family." In my opinion, this is one of the biggest mistakes made by young Christian families. Given our love for our kids and our desire to see them excel in all endeavors, we often tend to make them the center of the universe, and if not the universe, at least the center of our family. This creates pressure on the marriage and the family and does not do justice to the child. As Andy Stanley said in today's lesson, the greatest gift one can give to their children is a great marriage. As such, you and your spouse need to take time to nurture your marriage. This includes periodic date nights, trips together in which the kids are not involved, frequent breaks in which the parents have the opportunity to talk, re-group, and enjoy a short respite from the challenges of responding to young children all day and all night long.
Having said that, it is important to understand that our family needs our time also. Therefore, it is critically important that BOTH parents develop strategies that allow them to spend quality time with young children. Sandra quoted a great scripture from Nehemiah in describing how she had to prioritize and was forced to turn down some opportunities to ensure sufficient family time together. The scripture was Nehemiah 6:3: "I am doing a great thing and I cannot come down." Nehemiah was focused on a great work and he refused to be distracted from this great work. Likewise, you are doing a great work with your children. Each of us should commit ourselves to focusing on this great work and refuse to be distracted by outside distractions.
Join us again next week when Andy discusses our financial habits.
REMINDER: MARK THE DATE!!! OUR AFTER CHURCH SWIMMING PARTY IS SCHEDULED AT THE EMERALD FOREST POOL ON JUNE 5, 2011. EVERYONE IS ASKED TO BRING A LUNCH AND DESSERT. WE HAVE SET UP TABLES IN THE PAST AND SHARED DISHES AND ENJOYED LUNCH AND FELLOWSHIP INSIDE THE CLUBHOUSE. THE POOL WILL BE OPEN FROM 12:45 P.M.--2:45 P.M. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY THERE.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Guardrails: "Flee, Baby, Flee!"
It is official. Our after church swimming party has been changed to June 5, 2011. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us at the Emerald Forest Swimming Pool after church on Sunday, June 5. Everyone is asked to bring a lunch and dessert to the clubhouse. We will eat lunch and the pool will open at 12:45 p.m.--2:45 p.m. The pool folks have instructed us to keep food away from the pool area, so we will need to do our eating and drinking inside the clubhouse. Bring the kids for a great time of fellowship.
This week's lesson was about sexual temptation. Andy Stanley referred to 1 Corinthians 6:18 in which Paul warns us: "Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body." Andy Stanley explained that this one sin is responsible for many of the problems in our culture and society. It is the reason for broken families and young children who live in single parent homes rather than in homes with a mom and dad, it is one of the reasons for our high rate of poverty, it contributes to our problems in education, it is one of the drivers of our prison population increase, and it is a contributor in almost every malady that we experience as a culture and society.
Andy suggests several guardrails to help keep us from stepping into the abyss of sexual sin. He suggests that married people never travel with members of the opposite sex, that married people never eat a meal with members of the opposite sex, and that employers not hire members of the opposite sex because they are cute and need a job. He also encourages married people to never counsel members of the opposite sex. As we discussed the guardrails that Andy proposed, some of our class felt that some of these guardrails were a bit too conservative. Because some of us work in fields where there are large percentages of members of the opposite sex, some of these guardrails could present real limitations in our work.
Andy argues that the consequences of sexual sin are so great that it is an area of life that must be carefully guarded and protected. Flee, baby, flee! He argued that if we bump up against one of the guardrails he proposed, there would be little or no consequence. However, if we go past the guardrail and should slip into the abyss of sexual sin, the consequences are profound not only for us personally, but for our families and loved ones as well.
Whether you agree with the guardrails that Andy proposed or whether you prefer to set your own guardrails in this area of life, we probably can all agree that we do need guardrails and we do need to be sure that we are protecting our sexual integrity. Guardrails are designed to stop us before we get into an area where we will be injured or suffer negative consequences. If you don't buy Andy's guardrails this week, I hope you will consider your own guardrails in this area of life. Divorces, broken homes, single parent families, unsupervised children, and children who suffer the loss of one parent and the regular presence of one side of the family are all part of the price that adults impose on their family when they make bad decisions in this arena of life.
Come join us next week as Andy Stanley's wife, Sandra joins him on stage to further discuss and describe guardrails. In the meantime, have a great week and try to stay off the guardrails.
This week's lesson was about sexual temptation. Andy Stanley referred to 1 Corinthians 6:18 in which Paul warns us: "Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body." Andy Stanley explained that this one sin is responsible for many of the problems in our culture and society. It is the reason for broken families and young children who live in single parent homes rather than in homes with a mom and dad, it is one of the reasons for our high rate of poverty, it contributes to our problems in education, it is one of the drivers of our prison population increase, and it is a contributor in almost every malady that we experience as a culture and society.
Andy suggests several guardrails to help keep us from stepping into the abyss of sexual sin. He suggests that married people never travel with members of the opposite sex, that married people never eat a meal with members of the opposite sex, and that employers not hire members of the opposite sex because they are cute and need a job. He also encourages married people to never counsel members of the opposite sex. As we discussed the guardrails that Andy proposed, some of our class felt that some of these guardrails were a bit too conservative. Because some of us work in fields where there are large percentages of members of the opposite sex, some of these guardrails could present real limitations in our work.
Andy argues that the consequences of sexual sin are so great that it is an area of life that must be carefully guarded and protected. Flee, baby, flee! He argued that if we bump up against one of the guardrails he proposed, there would be little or no consequence. However, if we go past the guardrail and should slip into the abyss of sexual sin, the consequences are profound not only for us personally, but for our families and loved ones as well.
Whether you agree with the guardrails that Andy proposed or whether you prefer to set your own guardrails in this area of life, we probably can all agree that we do need guardrails and we do need to be sure that we are protecting our sexual integrity. Guardrails are designed to stop us before we get into an area where we will be injured or suffer negative consequences. If you don't buy Andy's guardrails this week, I hope you will consider your own guardrails in this area of life. Divorces, broken homes, single parent families, unsupervised children, and children who suffer the loss of one parent and the regular presence of one side of the family are all part of the price that adults impose on their family when they make bad decisions in this arena of life.
Come join us next week as Andy Stanley's wife, Sandra joins him on stage to further discuss and describe guardrails. In the meantime, have a great week and try to stay off the guardrails.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Guardrails: Why Can't We Be Friends?
Save Another Date
Earlier this week, I sent an e-mail message to Sunday School Members asking you to save the date, May 15, for an after-church swimming party at Emerald Forest Pool. Since that time, we have learned that several of our families have conflicts on that date. So, in order to try to find a time that will accommodate most of our schedules, we are going to see if the swimming pool folks will allow us to change the date to Sunday, June 5. If so, we will reschedule the Sunday School Social for June 5, 2011. We will let you know as soon as we find out if the pool folks will allow us to change dates. We have already paid money and we will ask them to allow us to transfer to another date without additional cost.
Today's lesson was about the influence that "friends" can have on our lives. Andy made the point that we should have guardrails in our lives that warn us about the negative or inappropriate influences of those whom we consider to be friends. Andy's scripture this week was Proverbs 13:20: "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." Here are the five guardrails that Andy derived from this scripture:
Your conscience should light up when...
1. It dawns on you that your core group isn't moving in the direction you want your life to be moving. Indeed, it should concern you to the point that you do something about it before it becomes a problem...not wait until it becomes a problem.
2. You catch yourself pretending to be someone other than who you really are.
When your spouse says, "You act differently when you are around them," you should be very concerned.
3. You feel pressure to compromise. When what has never been a temptation before suddenly becomes a live option, it should scare you to death--not when you do the behavior, but when you feel the temptation.
4. You hear hourself saying, "I'll go, but I won't participate."
5. You hope the people you care about most don't find out where you've been or who you've been with.
Andy instructed us to never confuse compassion with wisdom. Compassion will never require you to make an unwise decision about yourself. When you use compassion or love as an excuse, you are lying to yourself and it is misguided compassion. There is no conflict between compassion and wisdom.
According to Andy Stanley, there is a lot of misguided compassion in our culture. The best thing you can do for a person you love is to stay on the safe side of the guardrail so you are healthy enough to help them when they crash. You become the "go to" person because you are healthy. Drawing back from that person may be the best act of friendship you ever express for that friend.
Let's face up to what we know is God's will for our life.
Prayer Request: Please pray for my Mom and Dad this week. Dad is dealing with kidney dialysis three times per week and his heart is in defibrilation with the top two chambers of his heart not functioning. He is scheduled to have a cardiac conversion this week. (Jimmy)
John Brick will be starting a trial this week that will mean long hours and stress for John and his family. Please pray for him and them this week also.
Have a great week.
Jimmy
Earlier this week, I sent an e-mail message to Sunday School Members asking you to save the date, May 15, for an after-church swimming party at Emerald Forest Pool. Since that time, we have learned that several of our families have conflicts on that date. So, in order to try to find a time that will accommodate most of our schedules, we are going to see if the swimming pool folks will allow us to change the date to Sunday, June 5. If so, we will reschedule the Sunday School Social for June 5, 2011. We will let you know as soon as we find out if the pool folks will allow us to change dates. We have already paid money and we will ask them to allow us to transfer to another date without additional cost.
Today's lesson was about the influence that "friends" can have on our lives. Andy made the point that we should have guardrails in our lives that warn us about the negative or inappropriate influences of those whom we consider to be friends. Andy's scripture this week was Proverbs 13:20: "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." Here are the five guardrails that Andy derived from this scripture:
Your conscience should light up when...
1. It dawns on you that your core group isn't moving in the direction you want your life to be moving. Indeed, it should concern you to the point that you do something about it before it becomes a problem...not wait until it becomes a problem.
2. You catch yourself pretending to be someone other than who you really are.
When your spouse says, "You act differently when you are around them," you should be very concerned.
3. You feel pressure to compromise. When what has never been a temptation before suddenly becomes a live option, it should scare you to death--not when you do the behavior, but when you feel the temptation.
4. You hear hourself saying, "I'll go, but I won't participate."
5. You hope the people you care about most don't find out where you've been or who you've been with.
Andy instructed us to never confuse compassion with wisdom. Compassion will never require you to make an unwise decision about yourself. When you use compassion or love as an excuse, you are lying to yourself and it is misguided compassion. There is no conflict between compassion and wisdom.
According to Andy Stanley, there is a lot of misguided compassion in our culture. The best thing you can do for a person you love is to stay on the safe side of the guardrail so you are healthy enough to help them when they crash. You become the "go to" person because you are healthy. Drawing back from that person may be the best act of friendship you ever express for that friend.
Let's face up to what we know is God's will for our life.
Prayer Request: Please pray for my Mom and Dad this week. Dad is dealing with kidney dialysis three times per week and his heart is in defibrilation with the top two chambers of his heart not functioning. He is scheduled to have a cardiac conversion this week. (Jimmy)
John Brick will be starting a trial this week that will mean long hours and stress for John and his family. Please pray for him and them this week also.
Have a great week.
Jimmy
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Guardrails
This morning, Andy Stanley introduced a new series, "Guardrails." The series started out by showing pictures of guardrails. Indeed, Andy even had a bright, shiny, new guardrail installed on stage for this message series. Andy made the point that guardrails are designed to keep us from venturing off the road into a place that is dangerous and likely to cause serious injury, destruction, and even death. While we may experience a wreck if we hit a guardrail, the whole purpose of the guardrail is to prevent us from going into that space beyond the guardrail where catastrophic damage is almost certin to occur. A guardrail in our llife as described by Andy Stanley may be a subtle, quiet nudge to the ribs, a feeling of uncertainty, or that twinge of conscience regarding some action or comment that we are about to embark on or articulate. We will see in the coming weeks how we need guardrails around our marriages, how we need guardrails around our financial practices, guardrails around our relationships, and guardrails around many other aspects of our lives. I hope you will continue to join us during the next five weeks as we study ways to build guardrails around our lives.
REMEMBER--NO SUNDAY SCHOOL NEXT WEEK, APRIL 24, 2011
Congratulations to the Gunters on the arrival of their newest addition. Kathleen has set up a meal calendar. I hope we will all contribute to this effort to provide meals for the family while they transition into a new mouth to feed, diapers to change, and all the tasks that come with a new addition to the family. Here is the link at which you can sign up to provide meals.
http://www.carecalendar.org/logon/71956
The Calendar ID is 71956
The Security Code is: 8968
Have a great week.
Jimmy
REMEMBER--NO SUNDAY SCHOOL NEXT WEEK, APRIL 24, 2011
Congratulations to the Gunters on the arrival of their newest addition. Kathleen has set up a meal calendar. I hope we will all contribute to this effort to provide meals for the family while they transition into a new mouth to feed, diapers to change, and all the tasks that come with a new addition to the family. Here is the link at which you can sign up to provide meals.
http://www.carecalendar.org/logon/71956
The Calendar ID is 71956
The Security Code is: 8968
Have a great week.
Jimmy
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The Final Question
In this morning's lesson, Andy Stanley introduced us to the final question to ask when we are faced with a tough decision. As you will recall, the first question Andy taught us was to ask, "Am I being completely honest with myself?" Next, he suggested, "What story do I want to tell?" and then, last week, "Is there a tension to which I need to pay attention?"
Today, Andy talked about the Christian concept of deflecting or reflecting glory when it is presented to us. As Christians, we are not made to accept glory according to Andy. We are made to graciously recognize glory and then to pass it on to others and to our God in Heaven. Having seen him frequently in the last few weeks, we identified Coach Gary Blair as a good example of one who is able to do this well. On the other hand, those who seek to hoarde glory are often those individuals whom we identify as obnoxious or egotistical. Since our role should be one of deflection and reflection of glory....one of passing it on to others, Andy Stanley suggests that the fourth question we should be asking as we approach a major decision in our life is "Which option best honors God?" In other words, as I make this decision, which of the options that I choose will honor my God? How can I push the glory to God? Andy shared the example of Tony Dungy, the Super Bowl Winning Coach of the Indiannapolis Colts. As Tony realized that his team was about to win the Super Bowl, he realized also that, for a few brief seconds, he would be the center of attention for more than 90 million people around the world. He thought about words he could use to bring glory to God. As he responded to the commentator's questions on live television at the end of the Super Bowl, Tony found a way to give God the glory for this great success!
Andy made the point that we are not made to hoarde glory and that our glory is not something worth hoarding. We should pass it on to others, to friends and family, and most of all, we should pass it on to God. To God be the glory! Which of the options before me best honors God? Now, do you have a better idea about which solution to choose?
MORE OF ANDY STANLEY NEXT WEEK: Next week, we will begin a six week series by Andy Stanley called "Guardrails." Guardrails are all around and we seldom pay much attention to them--until someone hits one. The next series of lessons from Andy will address the guardrails we need in every area of our life. I hope you will be in Sunday School to join us as we study these Biblical truths.
Today, Andy talked about the Christian concept of deflecting or reflecting glory when it is presented to us. As Christians, we are not made to accept glory according to Andy. We are made to graciously recognize glory and then to pass it on to others and to our God in Heaven. Having seen him frequently in the last few weeks, we identified Coach Gary Blair as a good example of one who is able to do this well. On the other hand, those who seek to hoarde glory are often those individuals whom we identify as obnoxious or egotistical. Since our role should be one of deflection and reflection of glory....one of passing it on to others, Andy Stanley suggests that the fourth question we should be asking as we approach a major decision in our life is "Which option best honors God?" In other words, as I make this decision, which of the options that I choose will honor my God? How can I push the glory to God? Andy shared the example of Tony Dungy, the Super Bowl Winning Coach of the Indiannapolis Colts. As Tony realized that his team was about to win the Super Bowl, he realized also that, for a few brief seconds, he would be the center of attention for more than 90 million people around the world. He thought about words he could use to bring glory to God. As he responded to the commentator's questions on live television at the end of the Super Bowl, Tony found a way to give God the glory for this great success!
Andy made the point that we are not made to hoarde glory and that our glory is not something worth hoarding. We should pass it on to others, to friends and family, and most of all, we should pass it on to God. To God be the glory! Which of the options before me best honors God? Now, do you have a better idea about which solution to choose?
MORE OF ANDY STANLEY NEXT WEEK: Next week, we will begin a six week series by Andy Stanley called "Guardrails." Guardrails are all around and we seldom pay much attention to them--until someone hits one. The next series of lessons from Andy will address the guardrails we need in every area of our life. I hope you will be in Sunday School to join us as we study these Biblical truths.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Pay Attention to the Tension
This morning, we hosted a class breakfast and a diaper shower for the newest member of the Gunter family. We enjoyed a great breakfast, good fellowship, and extended best wishes and prayed the Lord's blessings on Greg and Wendy Gunter and their family. Also, please keep in mind that our class has been invited to join the other Parents of Children class (Williams) in a Square Dance at the Family Life Center on April 9. Also, please pray for Jamee Brick's grandfather this week as he faces some crucial medical tests and she accompanies him.
Today's Lesson--This morning, we continued the Andy Stanley series, "Your Move." This series outlines four questions we should ask anytime we are facing a big decision in life--especially if the decision is unexpected or a decision that we really would prefer not to make. The first two questions that we discussed in previous weeks were: "Am I being completely honest with myself?" and "What story do I want to tell?" Today, we considered, "Is there a tension that needs my attention?"
Have you ever faced a major decision in which a little something in the back of your mind or heart kept raising a question or holding you back? Perhaps, there was a little question mark somewhere about whether or not this decision might involve something that's not entirely right ethically or morally? What do we do when that happens? We are pretty good salesmen and we often dismiss it by telling ourselves, "Everyone else is doing it," or "It's not really such a big deal," or "No one thinks that way anymore."
Many times, as we face a major decision and we begin to lean toward a particular option, we sense a degree of tension that is rooted in a particular moral or ethical issue. We might think of it as a "red flag" or a "twinge of conscience". In either case, something doesn't seem right and this causes us to pause. Sometimes, we don't sense the tension until someone else makes us aware of an issue or we might be aware of an issue and yet try to discount it or ignore it.
Andy Stanley advises that when we sense such an issue, we should pause and allow it to rise up and become as big as it can before we make a decision. Otherwise, we might make a decision that will take us to a place that we later regret. He illustrates this concept with the story of David as revealed in 1 Samuel 24. Saul and three thousand men are looking for David to kill him. According to the scripture, Saul stopped to relieve himself and he entered a cave in which David and some of his men were hiding in the back of the cave. What are the chances that all of these events could have occurred coincidentally at the same time in the same place? Saul felt the urge to relieve himself at a specific time which caused him to select a specific cave out of dozens of caves in the mountains and this particular cave just happened to be the one in which David and some of his men were hiding. One can certainly understand how David's men must have thought "the stars are aligned" or "it's a God thing." In verse four, the men said to David, "This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, 'I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.'" Surely, this was God's hand at work? Yet, David felt this small twinge of doubt, this slight feeling of concern, this small debate of assurance. Was this God's hand? Had he delivered Saul into David's hand in this cave? Did God expect David to take Saul's life and to assume the kingship at this very time in this very place? David had reason to doubt. He crept toward the king with his dagger drawn but, when it came time to use the dagger, he silently cut a piece out of the king's robe. Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for even having cut a portion of the king's robe. He went out and bowed down to the king and explained that he was not Saul's enemy. The scripture tells us that David asked the Lord to be the judge between himself and Saul. We don't know what would have happened if David had taken Saul's life when he had the opportunity. But we do know that God blessed him and opened the door for David to become ruler without David raising a hand against Saul. Indeed, seven chapters later in the scripture, we see Saul being slain in battle. At a critical point in his life, David could have exacted revenge upon someone who had mistreated him, but he wisely chose not to. His example reminds us to "pay attention to the tension."
Whether it is a twinge of guilt, or the Lord speaks through our conscience, or the Holy Spirit causes us to question the ethics or morality of an issue, we need to always ask, "Is there a tension that needs my attention?"
Today's Lesson--This morning, we continued the Andy Stanley series, "Your Move." This series outlines four questions we should ask anytime we are facing a big decision in life--especially if the decision is unexpected or a decision that we really would prefer not to make. The first two questions that we discussed in previous weeks were: "Am I being completely honest with myself?" and "What story do I want to tell?" Today, we considered, "Is there a tension that needs my attention?"
Have you ever faced a major decision in which a little something in the back of your mind or heart kept raising a question or holding you back? Perhaps, there was a little question mark somewhere about whether or not this decision might involve something that's not entirely right ethically or morally? What do we do when that happens? We are pretty good salesmen and we often dismiss it by telling ourselves, "Everyone else is doing it," or "It's not really such a big deal," or "No one thinks that way anymore."
Many times, as we face a major decision and we begin to lean toward a particular option, we sense a degree of tension that is rooted in a particular moral or ethical issue. We might think of it as a "red flag" or a "twinge of conscience". In either case, something doesn't seem right and this causes us to pause. Sometimes, we don't sense the tension until someone else makes us aware of an issue or we might be aware of an issue and yet try to discount it or ignore it.
Andy Stanley advises that when we sense such an issue, we should pause and allow it to rise up and become as big as it can before we make a decision. Otherwise, we might make a decision that will take us to a place that we later regret. He illustrates this concept with the story of David as revealed in 1 Samuel 24. Saul and three thousand men are looking for David to kill him. According to the scripture, Saul stopped to relieve himself and he entered a cave in which David and some of his men were hiding in the back of the cave. What are the chances that all of these events could have occurred coincidentally at the same time in the same place? Saul felt the urge to relieve himself at a specific time which caused him to select a specific cave out of dozens of caves in the mountains and this particular cave just happened to be the one in which David and some of his men were hiding. One can certainly understand how David's men must have thought "the stars are aligned" or "it's a God thing." In verse four, the men said to David, "This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, 'I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.'" Surely, this was God's hand at work? Yet, David felt this small twinge of doubt, this slight feeling of concern, this small debate of assurance. Was this God's hand? Had he delivered Saul into David's hand in this cave? Did God expect David to take Saul's life and to assume the kingship at this very time in this very place? David had reason to doubt. He crept toward the king with his dagger drawn but, when it came time to use the dagger, he silently cut a piece out of the king's robe. Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for even having cut a portion of the king's robe. He went out and bowed down to the king and explained that he was not Saul's enemy. The scripture tells us that David asked the Lord to be the judge between himself and Saul. We don't know what would have happened if David had taken Saul's life when he had the opportunity. But we do know that God blessed him and opened the door for David to become ruler without David raising a hand against Saul. Indeed, seven chapters later in the scripture, we see Saul being slain in battle. At a critical point in his life, David could have exacted revenge upon someone who had mistreated him, but he wisely chose not to. His example reminds us to "pay attention to the tension."
Whether it is a twinge of guilt, or the Lord speaks through our conscience, or the Holy Spirit causes us to question the ethics or morality of an issue, we need to always ask, "Is there a tension that needs my attention?"
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