Speed Dating?

This advertisement came in my email Inbox:

$17 for Speed Dating Admission with Date and Dash ($35 value)

Speed dating?

Date and dash?

You have to be kidding. That almost sounds like just dash to the Okay Corral to check out two Mr. Availables to choose from to dine with on Friday night. No worry though - if you discover he is not your type, just dash by again and choose bachelor number two!

Will relationships and dating be so cheapened?  

A Google search for “dating websites” turned up a mere 18,500,000 hits. 18 million!

While the hunger for love and relationship is as real and alive as in any generation, and there are now a dime a dozen websites ready to assist you to find love and rapport, may I make a suggestion? Let’s throttle down several gears.

I admit my bias of not being a fan of dating websites. These websites can promise much but deliver less than expected or hoped for. 

Here is another suggestion. Consider the simplicity of waiting on God. Of trusting that it’s no problem for God, the Creator of the universe, to bring along the right person at the right time for you if it is His will. And, in the normal course of living your life. And yes, I know how hard it is to wait. Sometimes there are no answers. Nor guarantees. However, waiting is not an enemy.

Consider that Jesus Christ had to wait on His Father. There were things that Jesus wanted to see happen during His time on earth, but He chose to wait on His Father’s timing. Why? Because Jesus, the Son of God, completely trusted His Father and lovingly yielded to His Father’s purposes and timing.

It’s fairly simple at the core. Keep coming back to the Father and trust Him with all of your longings and hopes. Often, it's not easy. But it is good and right and worth it in ways we do not fully see or understand.

Psalm 27:14 encourages and directs us: “Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.”  

Why Dandelions Thrive

With dandelion digger in hand, I moved into attack mode to eradicate the pesky dandelions from our yard.  And while I don’t care to lay eyes on another one anywhere in my yard, I wondered, why do they thrive so?

That eventual white ball of featherweight seeds ready to fly is one answer. Dandelions constantly proliferate.

Another answer is their root. The dandelion I pulled up a few days ago had a 9.5 inch root ! That equals more than 3 times the size of the plant. No wonder dandelions thrive and don’t go away easily. See any spiritual parallel?

What a picture of Psalm 1 that says blessed is the man (or woman) who delights in the Word of God and meditates on it day and night. For he will be like a tree planted by the water. A tree with deep roots. A tree full of leaves and loaded with fruit.

Where are your roots?  How deep are they? What do you delight in? If we are not in God’s Word regularly for ourselves (and obeying it), our roots cannot grow deep. Spiritual growth stagnates. And it will be much easier to live like the world.

Let's grow our roots in the right place.

A Shortage of Seeking Forgiveness

A veteran missionary friend, Dan, commented, “I’m amazed that Michelle sought you out to apologize. So few Christian leaders do that today.”

Now think about that for a minute.

Why is it “amazing” that Michelle, who serves in a Christian leadership position, sought me out to apologize when she had indeed sinned against me? How have some “leaders” often failed miserably in something this basic to our relationship with Christ and with others? And sadly, I doubt Michelle would have even apologized had not another colleague pointed out that what she said and did to me was wrong.

I certainly accepted Michelle’s apology, but it would have been nice for Michelle to have also asked for my forgiveness.

It is easy to rationalize or excuse our sin. I have at times. That greatly contributes to the shortage of seeking forgiveness.  

Often, we don’t seek forgiveness because we are not convicted of our sin. We are not convicted of our sin because we don’t look at God’s standards as the benchmark. Or we don’t listen to the Holy Spirit who convicts us. Or we may shamelessly excuse or deny or dismiss our being rude, unkind, jealous, boastful, arrogant, disrespectful, impatient, or envious. And God is grieved.

Numerous factors can contribute to the sad shortage of not seeking another’s forgiveness when we should. If we are not controlled by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), we will lack the genuine fruit of His Spirit— love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Or when we refuse to listen to the trusted person who lovingly confronts us, we often miss God’s greater work in our lives. For him who may think too highly of himself because of the position he holds, there can be much ungodly fallout.

In addition, if we neglect feeding our soul regularly from His Word and communing with our Lord, it becomes rather easy to live according to our flesh and like the world. We slide into justifying sin, perhaps becoming callous to it. The Word of God cleanses, renews, reveals, convicts, directs, teaches, and restores! Ephesians 6:17 describes God’s Word as our sword of the Spirit.

God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble (I Peter 5:5-6). Let’s respond to God, His Spirit, His Word and others as He convicts and leads us. Humble yourself. Seek forgiveness. That is the Christ-life.