Daring to Make a Stand for God
Today’s verses teach me about “Biblical Buts". Biblical buts? Yes, we all have buts. Some are small, but most are usually pretty big. Although some may be bigger than others, we all have them. Some are so big that others try to hide behind them. Some of us use them more than others do. In any case, they always end up getting in the way. Let’s take a look at some buts.
But I can’t do it.
But I’m too old or too young.
But I don’t have an education.
But I don’t have enough money
But I’m too busy.
But I don’t have the time.
But I don’t have the experience.
But I’ve failed before.
But I’m not religious.
But I don’t think God could love me.
But I think someone else could do it better.
But I’m in the wrong job
But I’m in bad health
But I’ve been through so much
WHAT KIND OF BUTS WERE YOU THINKING OF?
We all use our “buts” as an excuse to avoid doing something.
Let’s take a look at a verse in the bible where the Master (who represented God), called people to come to celebrate with Him, but those He called were held back by their “BUTS.”
“15When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God."
16Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'
18"But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'
19"Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'
20"Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'
21"The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
22" 'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'
23"Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. 24I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.'." Luke 14:15-24 NIV, emphasis mine.
In Jesus’ day it was customary to send out 2 invitations when large banquets were prepared.
The first invitation was to announce what day the event was going to occur.
The other invitation was to tell the invited guests that everything was ready.
In this parable, the man who gave the banquet that Jesus is referring to is God. God is preparing a huge feast for us and has sent out the invitations. Once the Lord has the banquet ready, he’ll send out the final invitation. What will your response be?
The excuses that those who are invited to the banquet made back then are really the same excuses we use today.
“But, I’m too busy with work.”
The first guy says, “I just bought a field and I need to go check it out.” In other words, “But I’ve got work to do. I’ve got business to tend too. ” He got his priorities mixed up and although he
”But, I’m too busy with life.”
The second guy says, “I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out.” I got too many things to do. It is like saying, “I just got a new car, I’ve worked hard all week, and I’ve got to go try it out.” Our priorities are all upside down. We get enthusiastic over new experiences and things and we skip the celebration of Christ.
“But, I’m too busy with family.”
The last one says ’I just got married, so I can’t come.’ It doesn’t’ sound too bad to me. The third guy makes it appear that he is trying to prioritize his wife and as a result, cannot come to the master’s banquet. Here he is putting a human relationship over his heavenly one. How many times do we do the same thing?
Why haven’t you gone to the party?
You have been invited to the party, so why haven’t you gone? What is your excuse? In this passage, after those who were invited turned down the opportunity to be at the party, the Master put out an invitation to everyone who would come. THOSE WHO MISSED THE PARTY AND THE INVITATION WEREN’T PAYING ATTENTION TO WHO WAS INVITING THEM!
All of those who made excuses knew the “certain man”. All of those who made excuses were invited to the party. All of those who made excuses had the blessings of God available to them, but missed it because they had other things to do.
This passage teaches me that just because I know God and said a prayer to receive Him does not mean that I will automatically receive all of His blessings.
Just because I know He wants to bless me, does not mean that I will step into and receive those blessings.
I have to LOOK FOR AND STEP INTO GOD’S BLESSINGS.
LAST WEEK WAS WATER BAPTISM AT OUR CHURCH – WERE ANY OF YOU BAPTIZED? LET’S GIVE THEM A HAND…
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FLOWER LEI during my baptism – A big Plumeria lei was made for me by my friends. When they put it on me, it smelled great. No matter who I hugged; tall, short, smelly, ugly, skinny, whatever.
Do you know what I noticed?
They all smelled great! Why? The aroma didn’t come from them, but from me. That is what my attitude is like.
I can choose to put on a sweet plumeria lei, and no matter who I encounter or where I go, I will see God working. I could also decide to put on a lei made of smelly fish or dirty socks! Guess what people would smell like if that is what I did? They’d stink. No matter if they were tall, short, skinny, fat, ugly, or whatever, they’d smell awful!!!
With our attitudes, we get to choose whether we see God or not! SEE GOD HAS ALREADY INVITED YOU TO BE IN THE PARTY WITH HIM, BUT YOU HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT ATTITIDE YOU WILL BRING!
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“Stump The Fishing Guy.”
That was the challenge we read while we were walking in the mall. A long line of kids were waiting to try to “stump the Fishing Guy.” An elderly gentleman (the Fishing Guy) sat at a small table with a blue permanent pen, a black permanent pen, lots of paper, and a smile on his face.
What is the challenge? Each child who wanted to stump the “Fishing Guy”, would take the blue pen and doodle on a large piece of paper. They would draw circles, squares, triangles, or just scribble lines on the paper and the “Fishing Guy”, would finish the drawing.
What is the catch? With the additions from the “Fishing Guy”, every drawing the child started would end up having something to do with fishing. Squares would be turned to Blowfish, triangles turned into the front beaks of a fish (or nose or whatever you call the front of a fish’s face), and scribbled lines into fishing hooks, nets, or fishing lines. Whatever anyone drew in front of “Fishing Guy” became the start of a brilliant sketch about fishing!
As I watched as my kids standing in line to draw and stump the “Fishing Guy”, it was like the Lord spoke to me saying that I should be the “God Guy.” “What Lord? I don’t get it.” I felt Him put on my heart, “Ty, you see that man, how no matter what is in front of him, how messy the drawing is, how weird it looks, or how awkward it may appear, his eyes are trained to see something about fishing and to draw it out. I want you to be the kind of guy that no matter what is in front of you, how messy the situations are, how weird things get, or how awkward life may appear, that your eyes are so well trained to see Me at work, and that you can always draw my blessings out.”
In the end, I didn’t see anyone really stump the “Fishing Guy”. Sure there were some drawings that took him longer. Sure there were some that he paused to think about. But in the end, everything that came before him was somehow transformed into a fishing image. I believe that God is saying that in the end, nothing should stump the “God Guy.” Everything that comes before me must somehow be transformed into a lesson and a blessing from God Most High.
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Before we left Hilo, I was learning how to fish. Just dabbling a little bit. To this day, I have caught several different types of seaweed, but seem to have the best luck catching fish at KTA.
Here is something I have noticed about fish however. Although the fish has lived in the ocean, the salt-water, for its entire life, do you know what we often sprinkle onto its meat when we eat it? We need to sprinkle salt on it to bring out the flavor.
How interesting, even though the fish has been marinating in salt-water for its entire life, none of the salt got on the inside of it to flavor its meat.
It’s outward circumstance, did not change its insides. If God can do that for fish, how many of you think that He can do that for each of us as well?
Each of us has been placed in the middle of a world filled with desert times and challenges all around.
Although we must endure challenges on the outside, God allows us to guard our hearts and strengthen ourselves, on the inside.
The men in the story missed the Master’s blessings because there were other things more important to them. The Master said, “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.” In other words, all are welcome! All are invited! All have the opportunity to receive the blessings of God if we make it a priority. All have the chance to be in fellowship with God, if we are willing to lay aside our buts. Excuses don’t matter much to the master. What matters is whether or now we are willing to come and lay down our buts, so that we can be a part of God’s blessing.
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(this portion is quote from Max Lucado)
Once there was a man whose life was one of misery. The days were cloudy, and the nights were long. Henry didn’t want to be unhappy, but he was. With the passing of the years, his life had changed. His children were grown. The neighborhood was different. The city seemed harsher.
He was unhappy. He decided to ask his minister what was wrong.
“Am I unhappy for some sin I have committed?”
“Yes,” the wise pastor replied. “You have sinned.”
“And what might that sin be?”
“Ignorance,” came the reply. “The sin of ignorance. One of your neighbors is the Messiah in disguise, and you have not seen him.”
The old man left the office stunned. “The Messiah is one of my neighbors?” He began to think who it might be.
Tom the butcher? No, he’s too lazy. Mary, my cousin down the street? No, too much pride. Aaron the paperboy? No, too indulgent. The man was confounded. Every person he knew had defects. But one was the Messiah. He began to look for Him.
He began to notice things he hadn’t seen. The grocer often carried sacks to the cars of older ladies. Maybe he is the Messiah. The officer at the corner always had a smile for the kids. Could it be? And the young couple who’d moved next door. How kind they are to their cat. Maybe one of them …
With time he saw things in people he’d never seen. And with time his outlook began to change. The bounce returned to his step. His eyes took on a friendly sparkle. When others spoke he listened. After all, he might be listening to the Messiah. When anyone asked for help, he responded; after all this might be the Messiah needing assistance.
The change of attitude was so significant that someone asked him why he was so happy. “I don’t know,” he answered. “All I know is that things changed when I started looking for God.”
Now, that’s curious. The old man saw Jesus because he didn’t know what he looked like. The people in Jesus’ day missed him because they thought they did.
How are things looking in your neighborhood? Are you still seeing God and are you still amazed at Him?
Forgive the many times Lord that I have made other things be a priority over You. May I always be, no, may I always MAKE myself available to You because You are my priority. Amen.
