In 1988, Robert Fulghum published his best-selling book, Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Recently, somebody suggested another book title: Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Noah. For example…
• Don’t miss the boat.
• Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark.
• Stay fit. When you’re 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something big.
• Don’t listen to critics; just do the job that needs to be done.
• Build your future on high ground.
• For safety’s sake, travel in pairs.
• Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
• When you’re stressed, float a while.
• Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
• No matter the storm, when you are with God, there’s always a rainbow waiting. (Source unknown; submitted by Jon Mutchler, Ferndale, Washington; www.PreachingToday.com)
I like that, because it comes from somebody with a positive attitude, and attitude is very important when it comes to facing the storms of life. Warren Wiersbe put it this way: “Outlook determines outcome; attitude determines action.”
So what kind of attitude does it take for me to live the kind of life worth living even with its storms? What outlook do I need not just to weather life’s storms, but to be useful and do something significant with my life in the midst of those storms?
Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to 1 Peter 1, 1 Peter 1, where God through the Apostle Peter gives some advice to a group of believers going through the rough waters of Nero’s persecution.
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. (NIV)
If we’re going to live lives worth living today, then we must…
ANTICIPATE GOD’S GRACE TOMORROW.
We must be fully confident of our Heavenly Father’s favor. We must be totally assured of our Lord’s unconditional love and undeserved blessings, all of which He will bring to us when Jesus comes again. In other words, we must be wholly optimistic. We must live life with an eager anticipation of the joys ahead from a Father who loves us unconditionally.
I remember when I was a little boy growing up, my father would make periodic business trips to Huntsville, Alabama, or to Southern California, sometimes for weeks at a time. Those were not always easy times for our family, but when my dad returned home from each trip, he always brought a special gift for each of us, his children. I remember thinking, “Dad’s gone on another trip! I wonder what he will bring me this time when he comes back.” You see, it was the anticipation of those gifts that helped us endure his absence and almost enjoy the fact that he had been away.
In the same way, as we anticipate the grace to be brought to us when Jesus returns, we too can endure and almost enjoy the time He is away. It’s that kind of optimism that will help us live well even in times of stress.
Just a few years ago (2004), Fox News reported on a study that came from the Archives of General Psychiatry. Researchers studied 1,000 people aged 65-85 trying to determine the importance of a positive attitude in dealing with life. After almost 10 years of follow-up, these researchers found that people who described themselves as optimistic had a 55 percent lower risk of death from all causes and a 23 percent lower risk of heart-related death.
The study found that optimistic people tend to be more physically active, drink less, and smoke less. They also cope with stress more effectively. (E. Giltay, Archives of General Psychiatry, November 2004, vol. 61, pp. 1126-1135; www. foxnews.com/story/0,2933,137312,00.html)
Our attitude makes a crucial difference in dealing with life, and we as believers in Christ have every reason to be optimistic. Our future is guaranteed! We have an incorruptible inheritance and the power of God protecting us until we get to glory (1 Peter 1:4-5).
But sometimes our glorious future is hard to see, isn’t it, especially when our days are dark? That’s why, we need to discipline our minds. We need to control our thoughts in order to be optimistic especially when the outlook seems bleak.
Verse 13 says, “Prepare your minds” – literally, gird up the loins of your mind. In Bible days, when a man went to work, he picked up the end of his long robe, pulled it between his legs, and tucked it into his belt. That’s what it means to “gird up your loins,” and that’s the picture we have here of the mental preparation it takes for us to think positively in a world so full of negativity. Today, we might say, “roll up your sleeves for mental action” (Swanson).
A positive attitude takes some preparation and self-control, verse 13 says. Now, the word for “self-control” literally means to be sober-minded, or to be clear-headed. Vance Havner once said, “You can’t be optimistic with a misty optic.” It takes a clear head to be optimistic. It takes a sober mind to be full of hope when everybody else is full of despair.
David Trueblood put it this way: The one who wants to be an accomplished athlete must discipline his body by regular exercise and a strict diet. Otherwise, he or she will not be free to excel on the playing field or the tracks. The athlete who fails to train rigorously denies himself the freedom to go over the bar at the desired height or to run with the desired speed and endurance. (David Elton Trueblood, The New Man for our Time, Harper Collins, January 1970; www.Preaching Today.com)
So it is in life. The discipline of daily time in the Word and in prayer helps us run with endurance the race God has marked out for us. If we want to live worthwhile lives, even in times of stress, then we must, through disciplined minds, anticipate the Father’s grace. Then 2nd, we must also…
IMITATE THE FATHER’S CHARACTER.
If we want to accomplish anything of significance in this life, we must be holy even as God our Father is holy. We must be different, special, set-apart from sin unto Him.
1 Peter 1:14-16 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (NIV)
The argument here is very simple. Children reflect the nature of their parents. So if we are God’s children, we should reflect God’s nature. We should not conform to our former, ignorant desires, i.e., those desires we had before we came to faith in Christ. Instead, we should conform to the holy character of our Heavenly Father in ALL we do.
You see, before we came to Christ, we were ignorant of His grace, and that ignorance led to indulgence.
The average American watches nearly 30 hours of TV every day. That adds up to 65 days of nonstop TV every year and 2 million commercials by the time we reach 65 years of age. Most of the commercials have a primary theme: this product will give you true happiness and deep satisfaction.
Now, if we were to rewrite the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, according to the worldview presented by TV commercials, here’s what one of our Catholic brothers suggested:
Blessed are those who fly to luxury vacation spots on tropical islands, where they lie in chaise lounge chairs, the only two people on an enormous white beach; for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are those who drink much beer, for they shall be surrounded by carefree, football-watching buddies and highly attractive, socially-gifted women in the first half of life; and they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are those who have the latest Smartphone, for they shall gaze on a screen swirling with color and shall get all the information they need just when they need it; and they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are those who have outstanding kids. Verily I say to you, highly blessed are those who have a golden Labrador retriever bounding along on that slow-motion-videoed day of playing with the kids in the park, for they shall be the envy of real families everywhere; and they shall be satisfied. (Catholic Education Resource Center, “Television Statistics and Sources”; www.PreachingToday.com)
Now, that’s a bunch of baloney, and we all know it, but people without Christ live as though it is true. They really don’t know any better, and in their spiritual ignorance, they indulge themselves, searching for happiness and satisfaction, but never finding it.
That’s life without Christ, but those of us who have trusted Christ have a different outlook on life. We are children of God. John 1:12 says, “To all who received [Christ], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (NIV)
When we received Christ, i.e., when we welcomed Him into our lives, God made us His children. At the very least, that means we have our Father’s nature within, and that allows us to begin the process of reflecting His holy nature in ALL we do.
You see, for the true believer in Christ, there is no such thing as “secular” and “sacred.” ALL of life is sacred. ALL of life is dedicated to God from our worship on Sunday to our work on Monday to our leisure on Saturday. The holy nature of God reflects itself in ALL we do if we are children of God, or so it should.
Just a few years ago (2004), Frank Gehry finished his landmark creation of the 274 million dollar Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Now, with all that money you’d expect the building to shine, and it does. The shimmering stainless steel concert hall is truly marvelous to see.
In fact, people living in a condominium facing the structure agreed that the view was glorious, but that glory became overpowering when the sun shone at midday. Portions of the gleaming concert hall reflected brilliantly into the windows of the condominium, and temperatures rose by as much as 15 degrees. This forced residents to get off their patios, draw the blinds and turn on the air conditioner, until the sunlight shifted.
Jacqueline Lagrone, who lives on the fourth floor of the Promenade Residences, said, “You couldn’t even see and then the furniture would get really hot. You would have to literally close the drapes, and you’d still feel warmth in the house.”
As Disney officials looked for a way to dull the glare, they placed mesh blankets over the mirror-like steel. While this diminished the problem, everyone agreed that it looked terrible, and a more permanent solution was sought. (Jia-Rui Chong, “Disney Hall Glare Gets to Neighbors,” L.A. Times, 2-21-04; www.PreacingToday.com)
All too often, many of us try to tone down God’s demands and reduce the glare of his holiness so we can live more comfortably. But as God’s children, we don’t reduce the standards. Oh no! Instead, with God’s help, we let Him express His holy nature within and we begin to live out those standards to His honor and glory in ALL we do.
Now, it doesn’t happen all at once for the believer. It takes time for God’s holiness in us to work its way out; but over time, we should see a difference as we live our lives in dependence upon Him.
Bill White, pastor of outreach at Emmanuel Reformed Church in Paramount, California, talks about how it worked for a man in his church. Craig C. had been an alcoholic for more than a dozen years. He’d lost everything he had, including his wife and son, due to his selfishness and addiction. Things began to change after he gave his life to Christ, but he still fell regularly into his old habits. It didn’t help that he’d lost his well-paying job and was clerking at a local grocery store that was well stocked with all his favorite drinks. After a few years of going back and forth between Christ and the bottle, he finally cut the ties, and, out of obedience to Christ, quit his job.
With no income and hope only in Christ, he was in desperate condition. After an interview with a sheet metal company down the street from his new church, he cried out to God. “God, if you give me this job I will give you my first paycheck.” Surprisingly, he got the job.
Craig clearly remembers the day when he got his first paycheck. Stacks of bills needed to be paid. Penniless but determined, he endorsed it over to the church and walked it to the church office without waiting for the Sunday offering. That was the moment, he says, that changed his life because now he understood what it meant to trust God.
As of today, according to Pastor White, Craig has been sober for 25 years, he’s a manager at that sheet metal company, and he serves as an elder at his local church. (Bill White, www.PreachingToday.com)
If you want to live a life that really counts, even in the midst of trouble, then do what Craig did. Trust Christ with your life, and let Him begin to change you from the inside out. In other words, through faith in Christ, anticipate the Father’s grace; imitate the Father’s character. And finally, through faith in Christ…
RESPECT THE FATHER’S JUDGMENT AND LOVE.
Fear God who is your assessor and redeemer. Revere the Lord who will evaluate your work, but who also has paid a high price for your freedom.
1 Peter 1:17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. (NIV)
Now, this is not the evaluation of a judge in a court of law, looking to pass the appropriate sentence for crimes committed. No! This is the evaluation of a Father who loves His children, but who is also very fair with His children.
As believers in Christ, our sins have already been judged on the cross, and the Bible makes it very clear, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). If you have put your faith in Christ, you never need to fear that God will condemn you for your sins, because He has already condemned His own Son for your sins on the cross.
We don’t fear condemnation as children of God; but as children of God, we do fear disappointing Him. We do fear letting Him down, because there is coming a day when our Heavenly Father will evaluate every believer’s work done on this earth, not to condemn us for our sins, but to find something good to reward.
He wants to reward His children fairly and impartially, so respect His judgment.
Speaking to Believers, 1 Corinthians 5:10 says, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (NIV) – literally, whether good or worthless.
Some of our deeds are of great value, especially those done in dependence upon God for His glory and honor. Some of our deeds are of great value, but some of our deeds are worthless. They accomplish nothing of eternal value and will be quickly forgotten after we are gone.
Matt Emmons had the gold medal in sight. He was one shot away from claiming victory in the 2004 Olympic 50-meter three-position rifle event. He didn’t even need a bull’s-eye to win. His final shot merely needed to be on target.
Normally, the shot he made would have received a score of 8.1, more than enough for a gold medal. But in what was described as “an extremely rare mistake in elite competition,” Emmons fired at the wrong target. Standing in lane two, he fired at the target in lane three. His score for a good shot at the wrong target? – 0. Instead of a medal, Emmons ended up in eighth place. (David Mordkoff, American Emmons Misses Out on Gold by Firing at Wrong Target, www.Sports.Yahoo.com, 8-22-04; www.PreachingToday.com)
It doesn’t matter how accurate you are if you are aiming at the wrong goal. My friends, I’m afraid many of God’s children are going to get to the end of their lives and find that they have been aiming at the wrong goal. They have been aiming for a comfortable life, and they may have hit the bull’s eye, but there will be no medal. Oh, they’ll get into heaven because of their faith in Christ, but there will be no reward from a Father who will fairly evaluate the value of each one’s work.
Tell me: what will our Heavenly Father think about the value of your work? Are you at least aiming for the right goal? Please, don’t waste your life in empty, earthly pursuits. Instead, live your life with respect for our Heavenly Father’s evaluation yet to come.
Respect His judgment, but also respect His love. Respect the high price He paid so you could live a worthwhile life.
1 Peter 1:18-19 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (NIV)
God paid a high price to purchase our freedom from a wasted life, not the price of money, but the price of blood. And God paid the price with not just anybody’s blood, but with the precious blood of Christ…
1 Peter 1:20-21 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. (NIV)
Jesus is no ordinary person. He is the One God raised from the dead, put in the place of all authority, and made it possible for us to find hope and faith in Him.
In Decision magazine some time ago, Karen Morerod wrote about shopping in a store for a sweater. She was looking for one at minimal cost, so she went to the clearance rack. As she flipped through the sweaters, one caught her eye. It was the right color and the right size, and best of all, the price tag was marked $8.00. Without much more thought, Karen made her purchase.
At home she slipped on the sweater. Its texture was like silk. She had made her purchase so quickly that she hadn’t noticed how smooth and elegant the sweater was. Then she saw the original price tag: $124.00!
Karen writes, “I gasped. I had never owned any clothing of that value. I had come home with what I thought was a ‘cheap buy,’ but the original price was quite high. I had been oblivious to its value.”
Then Karen concludes her article with these words: “Just as with my sweater, I have often treated the power of Jesus’ blood like a ‘cheap purchase.’ [God’s] grace, though free to me, carried a high price tag – the life of his very own Son. (Karen R. Morerod, “Lesson Learned from a Sweater,” Decision, November 1999, p. 39; www.PreachingToday.com)
My friends, when we realize the price God paid to set us free from a wasted life, we can’t help but want to live lives worthy of such love.
Do you want your life to count for something worthwhile? Then anticipate the Father’s grace, imitate the Father’s character; and most of all, respect the Father’s judgment and love.
I close with this prayer from Dr. Robertson McQuilkin after he had retired as president of Columbia International University and came towards the end of his life.
“It’s sundown, Lord. The shadows of my life stretch back into the dimness of the years long spent. I fear not death, for that grim foe betrays himself at last, thrusting me forever into life: life with you, unsoiled and free.
“But I do fear. I fear the dark specter may come too soon— or do I mean too late? That I should end before I finish or finish, but not well. That I should stain your honor, shame your name, grieve your loving heart. Few, they tell me, finish well… Lord, let me get home before dark.
“The darkness of a spirit grown mean and small, fruit shriveled on the vine, bitter to the taste of my companions, burden to be borne by those brave few who love me still? No, Lord, let the fruit grow lush and sweet, a joy to all who taste; Spirit-sign of God at work, stronger, fuller, brighter at the end. Lord, let me get home before dark.
The darkness of tattered gifts, rust-locked, half-spent, or ill-spent, A life that once was used of God now set aside? Grief for glories gone or fretting for a task God never gave. Mourning in the hollow chambers of memory, Gazing on the faded banners of victories long gone? Cannot I run well until the end? Lord, let me get home before dark.
The outer me decays— I do not fret or ask reprieve. The ebbing strength but weans me from mother earth and grows me up for heaven. I do not cling to shadows cast by mortality. I do not patch the scaffold lent to build the real, eternal me. I do not clutch about me my cocoon, vainly struggling to hold hostage a free spirit pressing to be born. But will I reach the gate in lingering pain—body distorted, grotesque? Or will it be a mind wandering untethered among light fantasies or grim terrors?
Of your grace, Father, I humbly ask… Let me get home before dark. (Robertson McQuilkin, Let Me Get Home Before Dark; www.Preaching Today.com)
