Posted on

Turn “Have To” into “Get To”

There were a lot of words we simply weren’t allowed to say when I was a kid. You know the ones… chances are they are the same ones you weren’t allowed to say. Over time they eased up on certain words- crap, dang it, the usual “replacement” words. One word we were always allowed to say but never wanted to was “Obey”. Let’s face it, it’s just not fun. It’s not cool. It’s definitely not sexy.

But only as I got older did I see a pattern connected to obedience. Every. Single. Time… it was followed by a blessing. There was never a moment this didn’t occur. Sometimes you had to look for the blessing. It wasn’t always something huge or significant. But there was always something that could easily be viewed as a blessing on the other side of obedience.

Such was the case recently at home. I have a couple of young men in my home and one tested this with great force. He was met with greater force. I’m certainly not one to back down from confrontation. The short version of the story goes like this: When I married my wife, I put a few rules in place for the children that were designed to teach and protect. Sometimes, as we all know, kids need to be protected from themselves. Their maturity, and sometimes lack thereof, isn’t always able to withstand the things they are faced with. One particular rule was forgotten and subsequently broken. Here comes the “force” part- to which I had to issue an apology for later. Once we were composed, I reminded him of the rule that he forgot. He replied that he hated the stupid rule but that he would follow it. My wife’s statement to me at the time was, “what do you think about that?!” My reply was, “I think it’s great!” My immediate impression was that it was great that he would follow it, regardless if he liked or not because it reminded me of someone. Someone I knew very well. No, not me.

Not once, not twice, (yes, I love Lionel Richie too) but THREE TIMES Jesus told God he didn’t want to go through with the execution. He asked His Father… in today’s vernacular, “If you have a different plan, let’s do that! I have a couple of ideas… you want to hear them? No? umm… ok. Whatever you want.” Jesus simply DID NOT like his Dad’s idea. God didn’t ask Him to like it though. He just asked Him to obey it. There’s that awful word again. As we now know, Jesus went ahead and obeyed. The rest changed history, our calendar and our lives.

Following my instruction to obey the rule and following his disapproval, I checked in with him to see how things were going. He stated to me that the coolest thing happened. He was asked to do some labor work for a relative in exchange for money. He showed up, fulfilled his commitment to do the work asked. But when he showed up, the relative said that he no longer needed him. The cool part was that he paid him anyway. He said “it’s not a big thing, but it’s pretty cool.” I told him that it actually is a big thing because this means God is still batting 1000. A blessing followed obedience.

The key here is that Father knows best. He protects us from ourselves. He asks us for obedience. What happens often is we find ourselves not wanting to, so we simply don’t. Thinking that it’s either all or none. Either I like it and do it or I don’t like it and don’t do it. God is perfectly fine with you not liking it… as long as you obey it. We, as parents, also have to be that way. We have to be ok with them not liking our rules and demands. They are individuals. They have their own desires. All of this is ok as long as they still obey. Eventually, their desires become much more aligned with your desires and also God’s desires. This takes time, repetition, and consistency. But in time, the “have to” leads to “get to” and it all starts with obedience.

One example of this is when we first decide to give our lives to God. We don’t really know what to do. So someone says, read this and show up here and we’ll talk about it. It’s pretty uncomfortable. You don’t really know that many people, if anyone. Eventually, doing what you are instructed becomes something you do on your own because you now have a relationship. Your “have to” became a “get to”.

Another example of this is before Jennifer and I were married, she made a decision to change churches. She felt strongly that God was leading her out of one and to another. Her children didn’t like this at all. They went kicking and screaming… but they went. Eventually they were craving Sundays… at this new church. The “have to” became “get to”… oh and they were blessed because of it. Big G still hitting home runs.

This is tough for both kids and adults. Wives, God has given you specific guidelines of obedience regarding your husbands. Husbands, God has given you specific guidelines regarding your wives. Parents, we’ve been given instruction that requires obedience regarding our children. And not that much of it is fun. But it’s necessary to stay in God’s order.

I get it. It’s no fun. But try it and then look to see what God does. We do have to be careful though. We don’t want to get in to a position where we are doing something for our Creator in order to get something in return. At the same time, He does always reward obedience. If you throw a ball in the air, it’s going to come down. If you obey God, you WILL be blessed.

Stay Classy GP!

Grainger

Posted on

From Authentic to Revolutionary

This time of year, I go to the store and there’s candy, baskets, and bunnies everywhere… and I LOVE them all. I shouldn’t love all that candy, but I do. But it’s particularly easy to get in to the fun children’s stuff, the Easter egg hunts, the super cute outfits, watching kids having the time of their life, and lose sight of what this holiday represents for many.

Yes, I’m aware Jesus didn’t die in the spring. I’m aware this was originally a pagan holiday celebrating the god of fertility (hence the bunnies). At some point, the Christian church began celebrating the resurrection on this day. I’m not sure exactly when and it’s irrelevant for the sake of this article. What’s important is what happened, and more importantly, the legitimacy of it.

I’m not going to go deep in to this, but I will touch on it. The execution itself is extremely important. First, it was reserved for the vilest of criminals. Not all criminals received this treatment, only the worst. When pinned to the wood, they were completely naked. As they were dying, the guards would put a wooden plank under their feet so that they could lift themselves up and gain more air and live longer. The guards would do this so that the torture and agony would last longer. Insanely cruel but true. Then after some time, they would break their legs so they couldn’t stand up and would usually die soon after. This was the case with Jesus and the two criminals by his side. They were particularly concerned that this would go in to the Sabbath day and they couldn’t have that. They had to follow God’s law… I know, crazy! So they set out to end this execution. The guards were instructed to break their legs. The 2 guys on each side of Jesus were indeed alive when they got there. So their legs were broken by the guards. This is where it gets pretty interesting.

Jesus was already dead. As a result, they didn’t break his legs- fulfilling one prophecy (Psalm 34:20). Instead, they stuck a spear in his side to make sure he was dead- fulfilling another prophecy (Zechariah 12:10). Then it just keeps getting stranger.

Because of the nature of crucifixions and the condition the corpse was in once it was completed, and because of who was up there, no one ever asked for proper burials afterwards. The body was usually in such bad shape that you sometimes couldn’t even make out who it was. This makes the next series of events very significant.

First, Joseph of Arimathea gets the guts to approach Pilate and ask for Jesus’ body. Pilate could have, and maybe would have under normal circumstances, struck him dead just for asking for a criminal’s body. But this was no normal circumstance and Joseph was no normal guy. Joseph was a big dog in the Sanhedrin- Yeah, the group that turned Jesus over to Pilate. Joseph did not agree nor consent to this act. So this wasn’t just some unknown figure. This guy had pull and money. Pilate couldn’t believe that 1- Joseph of Arimathea was the one asking and 2- that someone of his position would care. Another interesting piece is that Nicodemus, another member of the Sanhedrin, wanted to help prepare the burial. No one asks for criminals bodies, especially not people in high places of power.

With this alone, Pilate became concerned. He was also concerned his wife was right. Listen up men, they usually are! Haha! So first, Pilate confirms with another guard that Jesus is dead. He then realizes that if Jesus’ body disappears that the conspiracy will continue and many will doubt he ever died. He’s also aware that grave robbing is a big thing in this time. Joseph assures him that he has a space that will be used and it requires many strong men to move the entrance rock. So the next day, after high priests and Pharisees request, Pilate orders guards to seal and watch the tomb.

It is worth nothing that another important piece of the legitimacy of this story is that the people who wrote eyewitness accounts of the events of Jesus were willing to die in an effort to spread the good news of this Messiah. I’ve never met anyone willing to be tortured for a lie. I’ve never even heard of this. That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, it’s just so incredibly rare, if true. Almost all of the disciples were murdered in torturous fashion; hung upside down on a cross, beaten to death with a club, skinned alive until death, impaled, and sawed in half. No one endures this for a lie or a rumor. One would only do this if they witnessed the existence of a miraculous change in history.

Looking at this story, here’s what becomes so important to me. There were so many moving parts making sure that Jesus was dead. Making sure that everyone knew he was dead. Making sure he stayed dead. Making sure the word got out that this “deceiver” was just that, a dead nobody, just like all the false prophets before. This means…. Yep… this means that his death was very legitimate. This really happened and there many, many witnesses to this.

This is huge… don’t miss it. This was a real guy, in a real country, suffering real pain. He suffered this for one reason and one reason only. To please and obey his Father (not necessarily in that order). Our salvation was a result of His obedience. Remember, he had recently asked if there was another way. Pleaded with God. He knew what was coming and didn’t want to do it. He had an opportunity to decline. He could have just went his own way. He didn’t, knowing what was about to happen. We have to make sure we see who Jesus really was and that he is more than the boss of the Easter bunny. He’s more than some cute picture on a wall. He’s more than a word to say when you’re mad at someone. He’s a man. A real man that changed our calendar. Our lives.

But what happens next is where Jesus becomes separate from all other gods and religions. Every other “god” is still in their grave. You can dig them up today. He still holds the record for greatest disappearing act of all time. His dad is still the author of the #1 best-selling book of ALL TIME! This was made possible by the adversaries that sought to extinguish a fire- yet they only drenched it in fuel. So this Easter, remember: Because His death is authentic, His Resurrection is Revolutionary.

Stay Classy GP!

Grainger

Posted on

Giving is ALWAYS for the Giver

Giving is ALWAYS for the giver. Receiving is ALWAYS a burden. Once we understand this basic principal, we can proceed with caution. We are all quick to receive. Gimme gimme gimme. We are usually reluctant to give, unless someone is watching. But here’s the problem…

I’ll never forget the time we rescued an Australian Shepherd puppy. He was too young to have done anything that he was born to do. We put in an ad to place him and a farmer calls. We take him to the farm to meet the farmer. The puppy sees the herd of cattle and starts panting and wagging his tail. Keep in mind that there’s a very slim chance he’s ever seen a cow in his young life. We disclaim to the farmer that he may take some time to be trained because he’s never been out of a suburban neighborhood that we know of. The farmer then looks to him and says, “Go ahead boy!” he looks up at us as if to ask permission. We say “Go!” He takes off like lightening and immediately successfully herds the cattle where the farmer wanted them. He was born to do this. He never had to be taught. It was purely innate in him. We don’t have to be taught to give. It’s innate in us. It causes all types of things to happen. Science tells us that giving, no matter how big or small, releases endorphins in our brain. There’s a reason. The Creator made us that way. This explains a parents’ delight in watching their children open Christmas presents. Parents benefit more than the child. The Bible actually says “Give and it will be given back, pressed down, shaken together and running over”…in Red letters, btw. So the measure in which we give will be given back. But what about receiving?

This is where the whole conversation gets tough. We like to receive things. I know I do. But what we have to understand is that if we’re receiving something, it’s usually because we lack it. Once we receive what we lack, it instantly becomes a burden until it is used correctly. One example of this that is familiar to me is when someone in a visible position receives compliments. They are showered with, “you’re the best singer in the world!” or “you are so awesome!” So far there’s nothing wrong. What they do with those compliments is the key. If they choose to wear them, thereby believing that they are the reason for the compliments, then the problem begins. But if they collect it to the side and later, in the quiet place, offer them to God saying, “Hey, look what they said about you”, then the compliment is no longer a burden.

See, we weren’t meant for that much praise. We weren’t designed to receive. We were designed to give. I personally believe this is what killed Elvis. He didn’t know what to do with all the accolades and began believing that he was the reason for the success, instead of believing that God was the reason for it all. There were times in his life that he gave God credit. He even recorded true Gospel records later in life. But he was never consistent in offering the praise in the proper direction. So next time someone is offering something, make sure you’re able to use it, or distribute it correctly before agreeing. Remember though, sometimes it’s necessary to receive what someone is giving just to
make sure you’re not robbing them of a blessing. But again, making sure that you use the gift properly or it will become and remain a burden.

Something that was previously mentioned is the fact that we only give if someone is watching. Why is that? What is it that makes us need to be recognized for our giving? The answer is quite simple, yet very complex. The simple answer is that we don’t fully understand who we are in Christ. If we knew exactly who God says we are and bought into that, we wouldn’t need anyone else to pat us on the back for doing what God calls us to do on a daily basis. After healing the man with leprosy, Jesus told him not to tell anyone who did this. Why would He do that? Because he understood this principal and as a result, his genuine concern was for the welfare of this man and not His self-promotion.

So knowing all of this, why is it so tough to just give? I’m as guilty, if not more guilty than anyone reading this. We could talk all day about the various answers to this question but it comes down to one primary thing. We simply don’t trust God. We believe that we must hang on to what we have for fear that we’ll never have it again. But God said “give and it will be given back to you”… so why don’t we just give? Trust. Lack of trust also stems from a need for control. If you’ve lived a chaotic life, full of dysfunction, having never been in control of anything that happened to you, you feel the need to be in total control of your life from here on. Sometimes, trusting God means not being in total control. (Lord have mercy! Now I know what mt father means when he says that he often preaches to an audience of one-himself). I didn’t grow up in dysfunction. But I still struggle with trusting immensely. The fact remains, once we trust, giving follows. And what follows that… is the coolest chapter of your life.

Lastly as a side note, I’ve, all too often, heard ministers referring to Tithes as generosity. The two are not related. Proper perspective is everything. Tithe is obedience. Malachi 3:8. What you give above that is generosity. So when reviewing this, don’t consider tithe as giving. It’s relinquishing what wasn’t yours in the first place. Giving is above and beyond that. Well, this was going great until I said that. HA! Truth is truth. I didn’t make it up. I just scribed it down.
Giving is ALWAYS for the giver.