You Can’t Give What Doesn’t Belong To You

This is a picture of my friend Stan’s truck.  It’s a one-of-kind 1941 Power Wagon that he built and customized himself.  It’s got 44-inch tires and a 400 horsepower Chevy 350 engine.  It’s a head-turner.  If you don’t turn your head, the train air horn will get your attention.

I’ve asked Stan if he would hand me the keys to it tomorrow.  He said he would, but imagine he’ll want them back. 

Now, how would it be if I had the keys in my hand and said, “Hey Stan, I’ve been thinking about it, praying about it, and I’ve really had God lead me to give you this truck.”  Knowing Stan, he’d probably smile at me, but then put his hand on my shoulder and say, “Bro, that truck ain’t yours to give.”  To which I would quickly return the keys their rightful owner.

When it comes to money, I frequently hear people say, “I give as I feel led.”  They think that sounds spiritual and godly, but it’s as ridiculous as me saying, “I love my wife as I feel led.”  It’s also impossible.

You can’t give what you doesn’t belong to you.

Don’t get me wrong, I not saying we shouldn’t give, but only after we’ve returned what doesn’t belong to us. 


“And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord.” (Leviticus 27:30, NKJV)

People can argue about tithing till the cows come home, but the fact is that everything we have belongs to the Lord.  We can’t GIVE what belongs to him, until we’ve RETURNED what belongs to him.  That’s a hugely important thing to understand. 

What’s amazing is all God asks that we return to him is a tenth of our increase.  Then he promises that the rest of the 90% will be blessed, so much so that we will have an abundance live on, and to give from. 

Maybe I can get Stan to give me a ride.  Listen for the horn.

Hi, my name is Amaryllis, and I own this room. #beauty #amaryllis #white #winter #011214

image

We’re Not Coming Back Here

image

He hadn’t been looking for any options, or ways out his life.  He was good at plowing fields and working hard.  He always had a sense of satisfaction from his labor.  Hard work has its rewards.  But God had something greater in store for Elisha.

Everyone knew who Elijah was, and what his special coat represented.  So what a shock it was to see the famous prophet walking towards Elisha in the middle of the field where he was plowing.  What was even more shocking was what happened next: Elijah draped his special coat over Elisha’s shoulders!

Elisha knew that this was something very special. He knew it was a God-given opportunity.  His mind raced.  All the years of farming, taking care of his family, enjoying God’s blessing in many areas, suddenly paled in comparison with what lay ahead.

The old prophet wasn’t waiting around for any conversations.   Elisha chased after him, but something caught his eye.  It was his oxen.  He couldn’t just leave them there.  And beyond the oxen, he could see his dad and mom, and little brother by their house.  He couldn’t just leave without saying goodbye.  Elijah agreed,


“Go ahead, do what you gotta do.  We’re not coming back here.”

So Elisha made his way back.  He disconnected the oxen from the plow and led them toward the house.  A flood of memories went through his mind.  But, Elijah’s words also went through his mind, “We’re not coming back here.” So final and harsh.  He would miss this place.

Reaching the house, trying to tell his family what had happened, his heart broke.  But he knew it was the right thing.  A God thing.  Then, as if controlled by an unseen force, Elisha broke apart the plow and started a fire with it, and then slaughtered his oxen.  He cooked the meat from the oxen and had one last meal with his family before running to catch up with the prophet.

Here’s a great lesson for all of God’s children.  For those of you going through the routines, being faithful in the small things, even satisfied with the blessings in your life up to this point. God is coming to where you’re at to tell you there is something more, something greater.

You know it’s true. 

You have felt deep down inside that God has destined you for something great.  You have had inklings and thoughts and dreams.  You’ve made some headway, and even had some sense of success, yet no big breakthroughs, so you’ve plodded on.

Now you are faced with either stepping forward into what God has, or remaining in the safe, well-worn, trusted place you’ve been in.

It’s either or.  Drastic.  Final.  No plan B. 

There will always be that temptation to long for the good ol’ days.  To go back to the comfort zones of the past.  You may even get good at rehearsing, “If all else fails, I could always go back to…”  But Jesus warns against this kind of thinking,


“No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)

Staying where you are may not ruin your life, but worse, it will waste it.  To experience the amazingly great things that God has for your life, you must walk away from all dependencies, prior understandings, and all other things in your past, and head into the amazingly great things that God has for your life.

Paul put it this way,


“…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:13-14)

Needless Trouble

I heard of a man named Herbert Jackson who, as a new missionary, was assigned a car that would only start with a push. After pondering his problem, Jackson devised a plan. He went to the school near his home and got permission to take some children out of class, and he had them push his car off to bump start it.  As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years.

Poor health forced Jackson to leave the mission field (he probably wore himself out pushing the car everywhere) and a new missionary came to replace him. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, “Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable.” He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson’s astonishment, the engine roared to life.

For two years needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting that power to work.

J. B. Phillips paraphrases Ephesians 1:19,


“How tremendous is the power available to us who believe in God.”

It’s one thing to know the saving power of Jesus, and it’s another thing to have His saving power flowing through us.  The Holy Spirit is the decided difference in making us stronger in our walk for the Lord and in making us more effective witnesses.

Let the Lord check under your hood…before you wear yourself out.

I pray the road you’re on today leads to a warm, loving place filled with people you love and who love you! Merry Christmas! #escondido @thecenterchurch

With my friend Isabella at Escondido Christian Preschool. #ecs #golions @thecenterchurch

image

Go to LAX and meet my friend

image

If I asked you, “Would you go and meet my friend at LAX?” but that was all I told you, you’d probably not be too willing, after all, LAX is a huge airport with thousands of people coming and going.  Although you could walk around the airport asking people, “Are you Pastor Joel’s friend?” the chances of finding the right person would be impossible.

But if I told you my friend is coming in on Alaska Airlines Flight 18, from The North Pole, arriving at 12:04 at gate 12 in terminal 2.  Then described him, “He weighs 300 pounds, he’ll have on a red suit trimmed with white fur and matching hat, wearing big black boots, carrying a big knapsack over his shoulder, and his name is Chris.”  Could you find him?

For over a thousand years prior to Jesus coming to earth, Godly men, led by the Spirit, had been writing about his coming.  They told where He was to be born.  They described the circumstances of His birth. They told us the city He would grow up in and the details of His life and ministry. They told us about his betrayal, death and resurrection. In all, over 300 details were given.

Peter writes,

“For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty… and so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”  (2 Peter 1:16, 19)

Not emotional.  Not subjective.  Not unclear, vague, debatable thoughts or fancies, but facts that have been confirmed over and over.  So much so, that people willingly gave their lives before they would deny them.

Why are we sheepish, timid, or ambiguous in our declaration of Jesus Christ?  He was who he said he was.  God has made it very clear how to find Him, what He’s like, what He does, and where and who He hangs out with.

My friend is at LAX, in fact He’s everywhere.  And you can find Him a lot easier than some big guy dressed in red named Chris, and when you do He’ll be you’re friend too.

image

A Dividing LIne Forever

 image

Sweetly and almost whispered, the carolers sing into the cold night’s air…

           
O little town of Bethlehem,
how still we see thee lie;
above thy deep and dreamless sleep
the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
the everlasting light;
the hopes and fears of all the years 
are met in thee tonight

Ever wonder about what “hopes and fears” are being referred to in this song?  Quite easily the “hopes” could be summarized in the various titles given to Jesus: the gentle shepherd; the prince of peace; the wonderful counselor.  Our savior.  Our Lord.  God with us.  These, and many more, describe the blessing and hope that has been given to us in Jesus Christ.

But what about the “fears”?  This striking contrast is magnified in light of these words of Jesus…


“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:34–39)

This almost a polar opposite mode of Jesus is further illustrated while performing his first miracle at the prompting of his mother (turning the water into wine at the wedding of Cana), Jesus says to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with me?” (John 2:4). 

Then even more surprising was Jesus’ harsh response to a Gentile woman who begged him to help her demon-possessed daughter.  Jesus rejects her saying, “It’s not good throw the children’s bread to the dogs” (Matthew 15:26).

And then once again we’re given a seemingly contradictory glimpse into Jesus when told that he went and “fashioned a whip out of cords and drove the people buying and selling out of the temple; and turned over the tables.” (John 2:15)

In the 6th century the modern calendar was developed thereby identifying history either prior to, or after the birth of Jesus Christ. “A.D.” refers to the Latin phrase, “anno Domini” meaning, “in the year of the Lord.”  The significance of this effects more than just record keeping, it designates in a powerful way that when Jesus Christ was born everything changed.

We no longer need to fear if God’s going to do something (even if all the wine is running out).  We no longer need to beg God in hope that he’ll answer (even if we are Gentile mother with a demon-possessed daughter).  And, we no longer need to worry about impressing God with giving or sacrificing (even if people in the temple are offering it to us).

Jesus is a dividing line.  He turns us away from the thinking of this world.  He closes the doors on self-dependence and hope in natural things. And demands that we lose our lives, but promises that in doing so we’ll find them.

The hopes and fears of all the years, are met in thee tonight…forever!

So amazed and thankful for @Rochelle_Tullius! Helping and inspiring us! @thecenterchurch #ecslions