Myron Speaks

“Then Peter said to him, “We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get?” Jesus replied, “I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.” Matthew 19:27-30 (NLT)

Do you ever wonder if the things we are obtaining in this life, material possessions, education, accolades, acknowledgment, position, the dreaded “respect,” matter to God?

Megan West Mullins passed along to me a great word that God gave to her as He woke her at 3:00 am this morning…about me. I had shared dealing with some hurt and flawed feelings (which are scary and oftentimes misleading things) of not being appreciated and my efforts and actions not being remembered. God’s questions through her to me were:

Me – Look what I did for you?

God – “See how I used you.”

God: “They won’t remember. I do!”

God: “What did you do it all for? Them or Me?”

The hard answer is, Lord, I did this in your name but for my recognition and honor. Painful to write.

So, as I enter another day and season, I write meekly and cautiously, Father please continue to use me even though I am so flawed, so needy, so insecure, so seeking the accolades of those equally broken and equally needing, seeking, striving. Through our brokenness Dad, use us to build and advance your Kingdom. Matthew 6:10.

Peter asked, “what will we get.” Jesus answered, ‘100X as much in return.’ I have received 100 x 100 in return for the ways God has and continues to use me, despite my human limitations. I am grateful that Jesus patiently looks at me, rubs his nail-scarred hands and says “Dad, I would do it all again for him.” Today know that God the Father, the Omnipotent Creator of all things would sacrifice His perfect Son for we, His imperfect children. He would die all over again for you, but thankfully His death was necessary only once for our eternity if we trust and follow Him.

Great story that I borrowed.

“A seminary professor was vacationing with his wife in Gatlinburg , TN. One morning, they were eating breakfast at a little restaurant, hoping to enjoy a quiet, family meal. While they were waiting for their food, they noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to table, visiting with the guests. The professor leaned over and whispered to his wife, ‘I hope he doesn’t come over here.’ But sure enough, the man did come over to their table.

‘Where are you folks from?’ he asked in a friendly voice.

‘ Oklahoma ,’ they answered.

‘Great to have you here in Tennessee ,’ the stranger said.. ‘What do you do for a living?’

‘I teach at a seminary,’ he replied.

‘Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you? Well, I’ve got a really great story for you.’ And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair and sat down at the table with the couple.

The professor groaned and thought to himself, ‘Great … Just what I need ….another preacher story!’

The man started, ‘See that mountain over there? (pointing out the restaurant window). Not far from the base of that mountain, there was a boy born to an unwed mother. He had a hard time growing up, because every place he went, he was always asked the same question, ‘Hey boy, Who’s your daddy?’ Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people would ask the same question, ‘Who’s your daddy?’

He would hide at recess and lunch time from other students. He would avoid going in to stores because that question hurt him so bad. ‘When he was about 12 years old, a new preacher came to his church. He would always go in late and slip out early to avoid hearing the question, ‘Who’s your daddy?’

But one day, the new preacher said the benediction so fast that he got caught and had to walk out with the crowd.

Just about the time he got to the back door, the new preacher, not knowing anything about him, put his hand on his shoulder and asked him, ‘Son, who’s your daddy?’

The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in the church looking at him Now everyone would finally know the answer to the question, ‘Who’s your daddy?’

‘This new preacher, though, sensed the situation around him and using discernment that only the Holy Spirit could give, said the following to that scared little boy.. ‘Wait a minute! I know who you are! I see the family resemblance now, You are a child of God.’

With that he patted the boy on his shoulder and said, ‘Boy, you’ve got a great inheritance. Go and claim it.’

‘With that, the boy smiled for the first time in a long time and walked out the door a changed person. He was never the same again. Whenever anybody asked him, ‘Who’s your Daddy?’ he’d just tell them , ‘I’m a Child of God..”

The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and said, ‘Isn’t that a great story?’

The professor responded that it really was a great story!

As the man turned to leave, he said, ‘You know, if that new preacher hadn’t told me that I was one of God’s children, I probably never would have amounted to anything!’ And he walked away..

The seminary professor and his wife were stunned. He called the waitress over & asked her, ‘Do you know who that man was — the one who just left that was sitting at our table?’

The waitress grinned and said, ‘Of course. Everybody here knows him. That’s Ben Hooper. He’s governor of Tennessee !’

Someone in your life today needs a reminder that they’re one of God’s children!

‘The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of God stands forever.’ ~~Isaiah

YOU’RE ONE OF GOD’S CHILDREN!!!”

“…When they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.” Exodus 4:31 (NLT)

The Israelites worshiped God in their misery because He was concerned about them. Job worshiped God when his children, his livestock and his assets were wiped out in a single afternoon. David worshiped God when his son died. Through misery, loss and death, God calls us to worship Him with the same vigor that we do in times of plenty.

The Israelites were God’s chosen people, even during this time of misery and arguably became one of the greatest nation’s on earth. Job was considered one of the most righteous men on earth and God restored him numerous times over because he was steadfast in the face of what most of us would call unjust suffering. David was called “a man after God’s own heart” despite his sin with Bathsheba and the devious steps he took that caused her husband, Uriah to be killed (who arguably was a good man and great leader by what is written of his actions in the Bible.).

So the question becomes, how, why and when do we worship? I think worship has been defined in recent decades as an event that makes us feel better, releasing dopamine from our brain to create a euphoric feeling for some period of time. And this is a key and needed part of worship.

Worship as a noun is described as “the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity. “the worship of God” As a verb worship is “show reverence and adoration for (a deity); honor with religious rites.”

Over the past few years, the Holy Spirit has awakened me more times than I can count at 2:00 am and directed me to go into our living room and listen, learn and trust. The overriding message in the hundreds of early morning lessons has been; regardless of circumstance, worship God the Father. Our Father in Heaven is our Dad of eternity whose desire for our best is born out through the worship that we give to him.

Think of it this way, as we eat vegetables, fruits and meat and couple with healthy living, our bodies thrive. Very much the same as we seek the face of God through Bible study, through prayer, through relationship with brothers and sisters in Christ (the Church), through belonging and involvement with a local church, through WORSHIP, we thrive because our spirit, our heart and our mind and in harmony with the One who created us. We thrive.

Regardless of circumstance, worship Him. If you are in a season of drought, spiritual, relational, financial, health, any…worship Him. If Dad in Heaven has taught me nothing else, He has taught me that He loves me most in times where I feel the greatest need, because I allow Him closest to me when I am most vulnerable. Worship Him in everything you do today and make this your life habit. He desires more than anything else to love you, to bless you, to walk closely with you and to see you experience the marvelous plans that he has for your life.

There were 28 generations from King David to Jesus. In Acts 13:22 the statement (paraphrased) included ‘…a man after my own heart, he will do everything I want him to do,’ referencing David. As fathers, husbands, leaders in our home and community, a litmus test for our lives is what will the generations after us look like. There are no coincidences with God and there was a plan and purpose that through David, 1000 (+ or -) years later the Son of the King of Kings would be born on this earth to a lowly girl and her carpenter fiancé, whose character, commitment and belief still reflected his ancestor of 28 generations prior. Joseph too did everything that God wanted him to do. Think it doesn’t matter if your taking your kids to church? What will your lineage and legacy say? God says who you are now will be reflected for generations to come.

Ever wonder how Potiphar’s wife felt when she learned that Joseph had been put in charge of all Egypt by Pharaoh?

A couple of takeaways. Regardless of your position, your power or your prestige, be kind and respectful to the person standing in front of you, serving you, working for you, needing you. God has a magnificent plan for their lives that very well might directly impact your life. Jeremiah 29:11-14

Secondly, when you are entrusted by God to do anything in His name, great or small, leave the vengeance and desire to get even to Him. We’re not good at meting out justice because of the log sticking out of our own eye. Romans 12:17-20

Joseph sat in the prison a full 2 years after he told the baker and the wine taster’s dreams. While in prison, the jailer entrusted the oversight of the jail to Joseph, a prisoner. When Jeremiah prophesied verse 29:11 to the Jews, the plans were 70 years out. He told them to build houses and settle in and make a life in Babylon until God’s timing was met.

God is telling us to have impact through the way we live our lives now, in our current situation, regardless of what we dream or desire. His plans are our perfect plans and our pursuit of His plans play out best when we live daily lives committed to seeking righteousness through our actions and our hearts.

“As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20-21 (NLT)

Aren’t you glad that Joseph did not discount the message from God? That his faith was strong enough to push aside his pride, ego, human need for acceptance, pursuit of social prestige and simply, humbly, quietly accept the Holy Spirit’s message and anointing on his life.

As I work with God’s amazing men through Fight Club Men, one of the key things we deal with is setting aside our pride and seeking God’s purpose and plan. Joseph understood the beautiful gift that Mary was to him. His life partner who would make him better in every way. He stepped outside the social norms of the day, shedding his pride, accepting that his job was to be Mary’s partner, supporter, protector, encourager and example of faith for his soon to be wife and their family.

What God has for each of us doesn’t always smack us in the face. Our willingness to accept, trust and obey are the foundations upon which God will build His temple in and through us as He did through Joseph in this seminal moment in human history.

“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Luke 1:30-33 (NLT)

I often wonder how Mary interpreted her pregnancy with Jesus. Did she dream of significant increase in worldly position and prominence as her son reigned over Israel forever? Did she have visions of an earthly kingdom, defined in greatness by mankind’s standards. Would she have have approached her pregnancy with such joy and anticipation if she knew that in 33 short years her beloved son would be brutally murdered because of jealously, fear, greed…sin?

Jeremiah 29:11 is a favorite for most every Christian that I know because of the plans God has for us to give us a future and a hope. Many of us are surprised to learn that this plan had a 70 year birthing timeline. Did Mary understand? I don’t know. She did have faith to take another step each day into the marvelous, eternal plans that God had for her? God’s plans are likely not your plans and maybe not even your desires…they are better. Trust Him. Seek His Will for you in this season and seasons to come. They are marvelous, “…they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

“26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.” Romans 8:26-27 (NLT)

Take heart that the Holy Spirit is pleading on our behalf to the God of all creation, who knew us and knew you would be in this very moment before time began. We are never alone when we are in relationship with God and the power of the Trinity works, petitions, loves and protects on our behalf. Walk boldly into what God has for you in this season of your life.

You are not alone.

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

I am thankful today (and every day) for the gift of eternal life, offered freely to me through the death and resurrection of the Son of the Omnipotent Creator of all things. I am thankful for the opportunities given to me in this life. I am grateful for the thousands of people who have poured into me and made my life a tapestry full of color, kindness, care, love, encouragement and purpose.

I am thankful for my life partner, my best friend, my closest confidant, Megan. I am thankful for the three greatest gifts of my life, Benton, Malia and Kensley and the challenges they present that cause me to strive to be a worthy and good dad. I am thankful for the gift of laughter in our family and our extended family/friends and the memories of laughing around camp fires, kitchen islands, broken down cars, food attempts gone wrong, devastating events overcome by laughing…life. Thank You, Father for the gift of laughter.

I am thankful for my/our Christian brothers and sisters who are friends and extended family. I am thankful for a life filled with failures, some successes, always next, hope for the future, respect for the past, understanding of and in purpose. I am thankful to have lived long enough to gain greatest joy through giving and sharing. I am thankful that God allows me to thrive in my health despite being diagnosed with Type-II diabetes 16 years ago.

I am thankful for the roads that I have traveled because they allow me to better understand those like me who have come to the Father or are in need of the Father’s love because of the brokenness caused by their life travels. I am thankful to know how loud a dry falling leaf can be as it cascades down from its place of hierarchy and joins the pallet of leaves that blankets the forest floor. I am thankful to have witnessed the epic battles that occur between squirrels as they chase one another for hours, fighting over a single nut or tree, while dozens of trees and thousands of nuts surround.

I am thankful for God teaching me that joy is lasting and happiness fleeting. I am thankful for all my/our stuff, but more thankful for the journey and effort that was needed to acquire the stuff. And it’s just stuff! I am thankful that I am privileged to spend another year having my 88 year-old father in my life. I am thankful for life. For hope. For joy. For God’s promises.

If you have read this far, I am so very thankful for you and your impact on my life. You matter to me and to every person whose life you come into contact. You are appreciated.

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