Steve May, Author at Steve May

A Chance to Make a Difference

I read an interesting story in the Tampa Bay paper a few years back. It’s about Andy Law, a young man living in Hudson, Florida.

One morning, as Andy was reading the daily news over coffee, he came across a story that shocked him. Joseph Prudente, a sixty-six year old man in nearby Beacon Woods had gone to jail — for the crime of having a brown lawn. No kidding. A brown lawn.

Joseph had received notices from the local homeowners association that his grass wasn’t green enough for community standards. Facing health problems and struggling financially, Joseph overlooked the notices. He could barely make his mortgage payment; lawn care was a luxury beyond his means.

So the homeowner’s association did what was in their power: they filed a court order against him and had him arrested — without the option of posting bail.

Here’s where Andy comes in. He had troubles of his own. His business was failing, he was on the verge of losing his own house, and he was considering bankruptcy. But as he read Joseph Prudente’s story, Andy decided that something must be done.

He began calling friends to help out. Soon the Prudente’s yard was full of working volunteers.

During the day, others dropped off gifts. Another man came to repair the sprinkler. Andy borrowed some lawn equipment and convinced a nursery to donate sod.

By sundown, their work was done: the yard was covered with new green grass, trimmed with red mulch, flowers, and the sprinkler was working again.

As the work was completed, there was a sudden, thick downpour. Joseph’s wife, Jennifer, stood in the rain with her arms open wide. “Our luck is changing,” she said.

The next day Joseph was released from jail. Though he still faced fines and court costs, he is now a free man … as long his grass stays the right shade of green.

From my perspective, this story is more about Andy than it is about Joseph. Yes, it’s outrageous that you can go to jail for having brown grass, and I realize there are those who will see only this aspect of the story.

More impressive, however, is the fact that one young man, also down on his luck, put his own problems on the back burner long enough to make a difference in someone else’s life.

This is an example of Paul’s words in Philippians being put into practice: “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4)

Maybe we should consider which of our worries we can put aside today, and how we can use our time and resources to make a difference in the lives of others.

Keeping the Vessel Full

The early 20th century tent-revivalist Billy Sunday once said:

“The only way to keep a broken vessel full is to keep it always under the tap.”

The truth is that we’re all broken. Or, at the very least, chipped and cracked. In order for our lives to remain full of what matters most, we need to stand in the stream as often as possible, for as long as possible, allowing the fountain of God’s presence to fill us to overflowing.

This applies to your devotional life, to be sure. It applies to countless others areas as well.

Consider some of the ways we keep our vessel full each day:

• Seeking the company of those who build you up, rather than those who tear you down.

• Listening to uplifting music — or a sermon — rather than an angry online rant.

• Spending time in the Word before turning to your newsfeed.

• Speaking to others in a way that edifies, rather than seeking to criticize.

• Watching films and videos that offer a message of hope, rather than despair.

Our many chips and cracks ensure that we need to be filled again and again, throughout the day, day-after-day-after- day. It won’t happen by accident. To be filled, we need to take the intentional step to position ourselves beneath the tap in every way we can.

In his prayer for the church in Ephesus, he asked that they would “be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19)

Today we can say this prayer for ourselves. And we can strive to answer it for others.

Your Best Argument

Albert Schweitzer was a theologian, humanitarian, musician, and medical missionary.

For many years he was also the target of a great deal of criticism. Some didn’t like his theology, others didn’t like his way of ministering to the poor and caring for the sick. So, naturally, they talked bad about him.

Instead of explaining himself or campaigning for himself or debating with the naysayers, he just kept working.

In a letter to a friend, he explained his reasoning:

“I decided that I would make my life my argument.”

As you no doubt know, over the course of time he won the argument. He did, ultimately, get the recognition he deserved, including a Nobel Peace Prize. He wasn’t perfect, his theology wasn’t perfect, his methodology wasn’t perfect — but he decided that he wouldn’t spend his life promoting himself or defending himself. He left that to others, preferring to let his life, his work, and his actions speak for themselves.

I guess he remembered the words of Solomon…

Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips. (Proverbs 27:2)

Schweitzer also once said (quoted here):

“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.”

When it comes to setting a good example, no one can claim a perfect track record. Especially in this day and age, when your slightest misstep has the potential to go viral.

But what if — for today — we took Schweitzer’s words to heart? What if we were to say: I will make this day my argument. Today I will seek to influence others not with an abundance of words, not with a series of lectures, but with a living example of what the Christian life should be.

It takes longer to influence others with your life, to be sure. But the impact of your example goes far deeper than your words ever will.

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12)

Things We Ought to Say

Several years ago I heard someone ask: “If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say?

… And why are you waiting?”

In the movie Love Actually, Hugh Grant’s character makes the observation, “When the planes hit the twin towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge. They were all messages of love.”

Many of us spend too much time thinking of things we’d like to say — how we would like to tell that person what we really think, how he/she needs to get his/her life in order.

Or we think of things we wished we’d said — I always think of a snappy comeback about a month after the fact, but that doesn’t prevent me from rehearsing it a time or two, you know, for future reference.

Instead, we should be thinking of things we ought to say — such as: “I love you … I thank God for you … You’re special to me … You make a difference in my life … I appreciate you.”

The first chapter of Philippians gives us a good example to follow. As Paul was facing what could have been his final days, he made it a point to share his heart with his friends…

(1:3) Every time I think of you, I give thanks to God for you.

(1:4) I always pray for you and I make my requests with a heart full of joy.

(1:7) It is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a very special place in my heart.

The odds are that today isn’t your last day on planet earth. But don’t use that as an excuse to put off saying that most important thing to one who needs to hear it.

Billy Graham

Just heard that Billy Graham passed away this morning. He was 99. One of his best quotes…

“Someday, you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.”

The Tides of Life

Norman Vincent Peale used to tell the story of a struggling businessman who reached a turning point in life after seeing a picture of a boat stuck in the sand. The caption said:

The Tide Always Comes Back.

We often make two common mistakes:

• When things are good, we think everything will always be good.

• When things are bad, we think everything will always be bad.

Both are wrong.

Life, and all it entails — your marriage and your ministry, your relationships and health and finances, your approval rating among those you serve and the success of each new endeavor — tends to cycle from peak to valley. As the old hymn says, there is an ebb and flow to life.

You can count one constant in all of this: God’s faithfulness. Your ability to survive the ebb comes down to your willingness to trust in his goodness, even when all you see is sand.

Today, whether your tide is in or out, lean on the faithfulness of God. Focus on his presence, and remember his promise. It will keep you singing as you go.

Be thankful for his goodness; be thankful for his mercy. For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. (Psalm 57:10)

Luck Has Nothing To Do With It

A while back I read about a research project investigating the phenomenon of luck.

It goes without saying that I don’t believe in luck. Neither, apparently, does Richard Wiseman, the psychologist that directed the study. (His book based on the study is called The Luck Factor: The Scientific Study of the Mind.)

After examining traits, beliefs and habits of people that could be characterized as either lucky or unlucky, Dr. Wiseman determined that “lucky” people tend to create their good fortune via four basic principles.

1. They know how to create and recognize good opportunities for themselves.

2. They make good intuitive decisions.

3. They have positive expectations.

4. Through resilience, they turn bad situations into good ones.

His conclusion is the same that most of us would come to: There’s no such thing as random good fortune or random misfortune. We create these things with our attitudes, our actions, and our expectations.

For this reason, there should be no such thing as an “unlucky” Christian.

What some call luck — positive experiences that work in your favor — is part of our inheritance.

We don’t call it luck, though. We call it being blessed.

It’s not the result of random fortune. It’s the result of living by faith and walking in obedience. As King David said: “Real help comes from God. Your blessing clothes your people!” (Psalm 3:8 The Message)

I encourage you, then, you to practice living faithfully with a sense of expectation. There’s nothing presumptuous about it. In fact, we’re called to do it.

We can live in joyful expectation of the goodness of God. And we can remember the words of Jesus:

“According to your faith will it be done to you.” (Matthew 9:29)

The Greatest Use of Life

William James said…

“The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast us.”

The overwhelming majority of things we do during the day are profoundly temporary. Driving here or there. Having a meal. Watching TV.

Even at work, what we do is more often about fixing yesterday’s problems than realizing tomorrow’s dreams.

So how do we bring a sense of the eternal into each day? How do we ensure we spend our lives building something that will outlast our time here on earth?

The only two things that last forever are the Word of God and people. If you want to build something in your life that will last, look for ways to connect these two.

Look for ways to speak God’s Word into the lives of others. This involves more than quoting Bible verses, though that is certainly part of it. It involves bringing the presence of God into every conversation.

Paul said…

But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. (1 Corinthians 14:3)

This kind of prophecy doesn’t require a microphone or a podium. In fact, it’s most effectively done one-on-one.

Try it today. In every conversation, ask yourself, “How can I help this person experience experience more of God’s strength? How can I encourage him or her to keep pressing on? What words can I use to help them feel the comfort of God’s Spirit?”

It may require only a sentence or two, but every time you do this you’ll be building something that will last for all eternity.

Refreshing Others

Three verses in Proverbs 11 address what has been called The Law of the Harvest (i.e. you reap what you sow).

• When you’re kind to others, you benefit yourself. (11:17)

• When you give freely, you gain even more. (11: 24)

• When you refresh others, you yourself are refreshed. (11: 25)

Conversely, Proverbs says that cruelty leads to trouble, and stinginess leads to poverty.

There’s no question that God wants to bless us; the Bible is full of such promises. But, first, God wants us to learn to give. That’s the key to the harvest: you give first, receive later.

Let’s forget for a moment how this may or may not apply to our finances, and think about how it applies to other areas of life.

There is so much you can give to others. For example, you can give your family an uplifting start to each new day. Even if you wake up in a rotten mood, you can speak words of encouragement and thoughtfulness (or at least put a lid on your complaints), so that everyone else in the house has the chance to begin the day pleasantly. The same goes for your employees, staff, and everyone else that crosses your path.

Let’s practice this kind of generosity. Regardless of the kind of day you’re having today, freely give a good day to everyone you encounter. Offer encouragement. Share a compliment. Say what you have to say with gentleness. Speak words of faith, hope, and love.

It won’t just change the direction of your day, it will change the direction of your life.

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:25)

Songs in the Night

In his sermon Songs in the Night, Charles Spurgeon said…

“It is easy to sing when we can read the notes by daylight; but he is the skillful singer who can sing when there is not a ray of light by which to read — who sings from his heart, and not from a book that he can see, because he has no means of reading, save from that inward book of his own living spirit, whence notes of gratitude pour forth in songs of praise.”

This is what hope does. It gives us a song to sing, even when the night is long, even when the light is dim.

In the book of Philippians, as he languished in a Roman prison cell, Paul wrote some of the most optimistic, forward-looking words in all of Scripture.

(1:12) Everything that has happened to me here has helped spread the Good News.

(1:14) Because of my imprisonment, many of the Christians here have gained confidence and become more bold.

(1:19) I will continue to rejoice. For I know that as you pray for me and as the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will all turn out for my deliverance.

(1:21) For to me, living is for Christ, and dying is even better.

These aren’t the words of a doomed man. These are the words of a man convinced that the best is yet to come.

Paul believed the best about the future because he believed in a God that is good, and powerful, and merciful, and loving.

If this is our God, how is it possible not to be filled with hope?

Maybe today your days are dark and your nights are long … maybe there is no ray of light by which to read … this is the time to cling to the message of the coming season: We have reason to hope because Christ has come into the world bring peace and goodwill to all who will receive it.

And, as Paul reminds us, hope does not disappoint. It’s worth the emotional investment you make in daring to believe that the best is yet to come.

This is our hope.

An Infinite Number of God Moments

A few years ago a writer named A.J. Jacobs embarked on an adventure that would later become a best-selling book.

He resolved to live for one year according to all the laws and commandments of the Bible. The book became The Year of Living Biblically.

At the beginning of the project, he defined himself as an agnostic Jew — Jewish in name and heritage, but not in practice.

His objective was to follow all of the Old Testament laws to the letter — observing the Sabbath, cleansing rituals, the dietary restrictions, even to the extent that he didn’t shave or wear blended fabrics.

He also began to tithe, which he was surprised to discover felt really good: It feels good to be generous. It feels good to help people.

Jacobs also said, in his quest to obey all the Old Testament commandments, that he became overwhelmingly aware of a new sensation, one that he had hardly noticed before: Gratitude.

He began to feel thankful for every little detail of his life. He talked about getting on the elevator in his apartment building, and being with overcome with gratitude for the elevator. And he talked about being thankful to arrive home, thankful for his wife, thankful at the sight of his son.

He said that gratitude became something like an obsession with him, that throughout the day he kept saying to himself again and again, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

He wrote…

“It’s an odd way to live. But also kind of great and powerful. I’ve never before been so aware of the thousands of little good things, the thousands of things that go right every day.”

I don’t know what has happened in Mr. Jacobs’ life since he wrote this book. I don’t know where he is spiritually, but I do know that while he was on this journey, he discovered a principle of living that, if used everyday, can revolutionize your life.

It’s the principle of Gratitude. Being thankful enables you to recognize more and more the work of God in your life.

This reminds me of Milton’s quote …

“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.”

One definition of epiphany could be: experiencing a God-moment. An infinite number of them await your encounter — including more than a few today.

These God-moments begin with a heart prepared to say Thank You for every little thing.

The Value of Persistence

It’s no coincidence that so many books of the New Testament contain verses encouraging us to stay faithful in difficult times. Persistence is an essential characteristic for anyone who wants to succeed in the Christian life.

Rarely a month goes by that I don’t talk to someone who’s ready to throw in the towel on some aspect of their calling.

Sometimes it’s a volunteer weary of the extra work that comes with being a leader.

Sometimes it’s a pastor weary of not seeing measurable results.

Sometimes it’s a believer weary of the struggle to live a holy life.

This is what Paul referred to in the book of Galatians…

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap of harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

The season between sowing and reaping can sometimes be long. It can also be hot, dry and difficult. There are times for each of us when saying, “I quit” seems like the most attractive option.

During these times, we’ve got to remember the words of Scripture.

• Remember how Peter qualified trials with the phrase “for a little while.”

• Remember how James promised the crown of life to those who have stood the test.

• And remember Paul’s words about the harvest: it will come in at the proper time, if we do not give up.

Walt Disney once said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” That’s good business advice, and his success proves it.

It’s even better spiritual advice. In this sense, the “hell” we go through is temporary; God’s abundant blessings are waiting on the other side.

Keep going, then.