Category: Living Deep

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.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning once said, “Light tomorrow with today.”

I think she’s talking about planting a certain type of seed: doing things each day — even when today is a little dark — to ensure that tomorrow is a little brighter.

This would include, for example, continuing to put money in your savings account even when things are tight financially right now. Or continuing to give your best effort at work even when your future with the company is uncertain. Or continuing to nurture a relationship that might not survive the current storm.

Regardless of what you’re going through today, you need to continue to plant seeds for tomorrow. Sometimes it feels futile — the future has a way of appearing all too uncertain — but we can trust in God’s goodness.

Isaiah promises:

God will greatly bless his people. Wherever they plant seed, bountiful crops will spring up. (Isaiah 32:20)

Henry Drummond tells the story of two artists who were commissioned to paint a picture depicting perfect peace.

The first artist painted a landscape with a mountain lake: calm, quiet, serene.

The second artist painted a violent waterfall crashing down on jagged rocks, but next to it was a slender birch tree, with a single fragile branch stretched out over the water.

In the fork of the branch was a bird’s nest. Lying in the nest, untroubled, even glistening from the spray of waterfall, was a small bird fast asleep.

This is peace. It’s not the absence of crashing waves, it’s the security of the nest in the midst of the turbulence.

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. (Isaiah 26:3 NKJV)

Our challenge today is to look not at the waves, but to find our place of peace in God’s presence.

Mel Fisher spent his life diving for buried treasure.

In the late 1960’s he began a quest for the priceless treasure cargo of the fabled lost Spanish galleon Atocha. Every day, for more than 16 years, Mel, his wife, his children, and his band of “Treasure Salvors” explored the waters off the coast of Florida, in search of riches.

He motivated his team and kept the dream alive by beginning each day’s hunt with the cry: “Today’s the day!”

After more than 16 years of searching, that day arrived. On July 20, 1985 Mel Fisher’s team discovered the Atocha, containing a treasure worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The days of sporadic paychecks and living hand-to-mouth were over for Mel and his team.

OUR SEARCH FOR TREASURE

Solomon tells us that if we’ll search for wisdom the same way Mel searched for riches, we’ll find an even greater reward: the knowledge of God.

The Bible makes the bold promise that within its pages you can discover foundational truths upon which you can build your marriage, your career, your family, your finances, your friendships, your relationship to God, and every aspect of your life.

And the best part is: these truths aren’t elusive. It doesn’t take 16 years to find treasure. When you search the Bible for God’s direction for your life, you can make a new discovery every day.

On one day you’ll be reminded of someone you need to forgive; on another day you’ll get insight in how to deal with a problem at work; on another day you’ll become aware of a sin you need to confess, and on and on.

When you open the pages of your Bible, you can truly say, “Today’s the Day!”

We haven’t been put on earth to stumble in the dark. God’s light is available. He speaks to us each day, giving us the direction we need, if we will only search for it.

In speaking of wisdom for daily living, Solomon said…

If you look for it as silver, and search for it as hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:4-5)

I received a brochure a while back from a company specializing in resilient furniture: simple, sturdy, water resistant tables and chairs — not fancy in any way, but built to last.

They’re not cheap either; a plain white folding chair is about $90.

They’re not as pretty as the office chairs I buy at the discount store for much less money — but those chairs, as I am reminded every time I have to replace one, don’t have a long life-span.

There’s something to be said for basic, unadorned resiliency: the ability to get through, get over, and thrive after trauma, trials and tribulations.

In this sense, sturdy beats stylish every time.

USA Weekend did a cover story a few years ago on the subject of resiliency, asking the question, “Why do some people bounce and others break?”

The article noted how some who experience trauma withdraw into a shell, while others facing the same crisis not only bounce back, but bounce back stronger than ever before. It talked about how resiliency is being studied in universities and taught in corporate seminars.

Resiliency, the article said, could become the most important skill of the 21st century.

Why do some people break down while others bounce back?

Unlike furniture, I don’t think it has to do with our design. A chair can only be as strong as it was made to be. It can’t decide to grow stronger; neither can it decide to give up.

We, on the other hand, have access to support beyond ourselves. Our “design” — our emotional make-up resulting from parental and societal influences — can be overcome. A person who is, by nature, weak and easily discouraged doesn’t have to stay that way.

There’s a verse in Philippians that is so often quoted its meaning is sometimes overlooked. Paul is talking about being able to face hard times as well as good times, and he states confidently, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

Resilience often comes down to a decision: from whose strength will I draw — my own, or God’s? The promise of Scripture is that if you will look to God for strength, he will give it to you.

I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)

A Stanford University study in 1994 revealed that happy people and unhappy people tend to have similar life experiences. It’s not that happy people experience one success after another, and unhappy people experience one failure after another. Their lives are pretty much the same in that respect.

The difference, the study concluded, is that the average unhappy person spends more than twice as much time thinking about unpleasant events in their lives, while happy people tend to think about things that will brighten their personal outlook.

In the book of Philippians, Paul never uses the word happiness, but he does talk about joy, and contentment, and the peace of God which passes all understanding — all of which are yours to experience.

How do you get there?

One key step centers around your thought life.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

For most of us, our life experiences aren’t all that different from the experiences of everyone else. The difference-making difference can be found in how we choose to think about each situation … and, ultimately, how we choose to respond.

What will be the focus of your thoughts today?

There’s a story about a man named Samsundar Balgobin who won first place in an international linguistics competition with his response to following challenge: “No English dictionary can adequately explain the difference between ‘complete’ and ‘finished.’ How would you explain the difference?”

Here’s his response:

“When a man marries the right woman, he is complete.
When he marries the wrong woman, he is finished.”

As the story goes, he received a five minute standing ovation, he was rewarded a trip around the world, and he was invited to dine with the Queen of England. No doubt the judges themselves were married, and knew firsthand just how accurate is this definition.

From a theological perspective, there’s also a difference between the two words. When Jesus cried out on the cross, “It is finished!” he was saying, in effect, “The power of sin is done away with. It is paid in full. It is gone forever. It cannot hurt you anymore.”

And when Paul said, “Ye are complete in him,” he was saying that the Jesus you received at salvation is all you need for your life in God. You have complete forgiveness in him. Your hope is complete. Your future is complete. Your purpose is complete. In him you have everything and lack nothing.

With Jesus, you’re complete and sin is finished.

Without him, we’re all finished.

“If you never ask, the answer is always no.”

The person who made this statement recently was talking to marketers about closing the sale. It got my attention because it also applies to our prayer life.

James said, “You do not have because you do not ask God.” (James 4:2)

More and more I see asklessness as the root of our problems.

True, James also said that we don’t receive because we sometimes ask with the wrong motives … but I’m convinced that the first part of the equation is the bigger obstacle for a good many of us.

The best way to solve this problem is with pen and paper and time spent in solitude.

Write down the things in your life that you have been dealing with on your own, that you have (inexplicably) neglected to pray about.

Then make a decision to bring these matters before the throne every day until they’re resolved.

You and I both know from history that it works.

Why we go through seasons of asklessness is a mystery for the ages.

American author once Iving Kristol said, “Being frustrated is disagreeable, but the real disasters of life begin when you get what you want.”

This is because what we want — or what we think we want — is often not what we really need to lead a fulfilled, meaningful life.

Eventually, the time comes when we realize that the trinket we worked so hard to acquire — or even the goal we sacrificed to reach — doesn’t bring the satisfaction we expected it could.

We then find ourselves asking, as so many have asked, “Is that all there is? Is this as good as it gets?”

Goals will always have a place in our lives, and accumulating possessions will always be part of the human experience, but we serve ourselves best the sooner we understand that these things will never be enough.

We serve ourselves best when we learn to say, as Augustine said, “O Lord, our heart is restless, until it finds its rest in thee.”

Where are you seeking your rest today? In a paycheck? In a relationship? In something you possess?

These may not be bad in and of themselves, but we must also remember that neither are they the finish line. There’s something better, something greater, something more meaningful to seek.

If your heart is restless today, take a moment to re-evaluate what you really want.

Strive today to say as David said, “My soul finds rest in God alone.” (Psalm 62:1)

Preaching editor Michael Duduit once asked Warren Wiersbe which one word of encouragement he would like to pass on to other preachers. Wiersbe said…

“Give your morning to God. Start your day with the Lord. Ministry is not what we do as much as what we are…If I didn’t spend time every day with the Lord and let him build me into what he wants, I couldn’t do what he wants. So my word would be that: Cultivate your spiritual roots. Give your morning to God.”

Some 90 years ago, as Notre Dame was preparing to play USC in college football, Fighting Irish coach Knute Rockne was aware that his opponent had a far better team, so he devised a plan to intimidate the Trojan players.

Rockne scoured the city of South Bend and hand-picked 100 of the largest men he could find–each at least six-foot-five and three hundred pounds. He put them in Fighting Irish uniforms and at game time marched them onto the field ahead of the real team. (Obviously, this was before the days of limited rosters and eligibility restrictions.)

As USC watched these giants line up on the sidelines, they forgot about their talent and their undefeated record, and they began mentally preparing themselves for a beating. Though none of the specially recruited men played during the game, their presence on the sidelines was enough to knock Southern Cal’s concentration off balance. Knute Rockne’s trick had worked; he had intimidated the Trojan players into giving up before the game even started, and Notre Dame won.

Our ‘opponent’ tries a similar trick. He tries to intimidate us by appearing larger than life– but we must remember that he, too, has been sidelined. John said, “Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

Don’t let your problems intimidate you. No matter how big the enemy may seem to be, remember that you have God’s power on your side. And he is greater.