Chuck Locklear
fascinating characters, impactful books and messages
Follow the Directions
Some of us do well with directions… and others not so much. My oldest grandson is a Lego master. He is only eight, but regularly builds Lego sets designed for those 18 and above. He loves Legos. The directions are pictures. They are clear and straightforward. If the Bible was written in that way, perhaps, it would be easier to obey the teachings of Jesus.
This helps, but pictures would be easier.
We Love Rules
The truth is most of us love rules. They mark clearly defined boundaries for our lives. We want others to follow the rules as well. Have you ever sat behind someone at a traffic light with their right turn signal on. There is no sign saying, “Do not turn on red,” but they just sit there. Are you tempted to blow your car horn? Me too.
For those of us who like rules, we regret that Jesus did not give a simple set of directions. Do these twelve things and you will be fine. He mostly taught in parables, stories that we can use as a model for our lives. After his death and resurrection, he sent the Holy Spirit as a teacher, to guide us into the way of truth. This helps, but pictures would be easier.
Two Rules
Jesus did give us the great command, which consolidates all the Old Testament rules into “love God” and “love your neighbor.” Do these two things and you will fulfill the requirements of law. The Apostle Paul said it this way, “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8).
We are to love our spouses and children, our mothers and fathers, our extended family, those who live next to us and people with whom we work… even those who are difficult to love. Jesus even extended this expectation to our enemies. Yes, we are to love even our enemies. Wow, let that sink in a moment.
Making It Simple
If you have hate in your heart, you are not obeying the commands of Jesus. If you have unforgiveness in your heart, then, forgive. Say the words, even if you don’t feel it. Send a text. Make a phone call. If you say the words, you will begin to feel it. Forgiving doesn’t mean you have to trust. If someone has a history of hurting you, it is likely best not to trust them. But, you can forgive. Even if they don’t reciprocate, it doesn’t negate the healing affect for you.
So, love. That is how we can determine if we are obeying the teachings of Jesus. I can’t give you a set of pictures that make it simple. However, I do have a question: How well did you love today?
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35, NKJV
Prayer
Lord, may we teach our children to love as you love. Help us to model how to show love to each person encountered throughout their educational endeavors and in daily life. Amen.
Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear
Also, see Change Is Tough.
Happily Ever After
Hallmark movies are great! The theme is about falling in love. Spring, summer, fall, and winter — each season provides a new setting for a familiar plot. A young girl leaves the big city to visit a small town. She meets a young man. There is a conflict, making them hate each other. In the end, true love wins out and they live happily ever after.
Hallmark movies are always about one kind of love: romantic love. Is there any other kind? Yes! Though, as an English speaking people, we have a handicap in that we have only one word for love. This handicap can create confusion and misunderstanding. In Greek, there are multiple words for love. The New Testament, first written in Greek, describes three distinct categories of love and uses different words for each.
Romantic Love
First, the word eros refers to the category of love featured in Hallmark movies. It is infatuation, simply stated, physical or sexual attraction. It is a desire to be with a person continuously, morning, noon, and night. People commonly spoke the word eros at the time, but it is not found in the New Testament. However, we do see the concept of physical attraction (see Hebrews 13:4). Infatuation is strong but it doesn’t last and it fizzles out quickly. This is the kind of love most on display in romantic comedies, like Hallmark movies. Unfortunately, it is the reason that people say, “I’ve fallen out of love with you.” Infatuation is not meant to last. These people will spend their lives moving from one relationship to another. Eros is important, however, because without it we would not likely have enough babies born to keep the human race going. Young men and women, if you want “happily ever after,” you need a relationship based on love that is stronger than eros.
Brotherly Love
The second word to describe love is philos, which means warm affection or friendship. Philos is used in the New Testament to describe friendships and family relationships. This word is used in Matthew 10:37 to describe love for a father, mother, son, or daughter. Philos also describes the love of Jesus for his friend Lazarus (John 11:3) and for his disciple (John 20:2). This is also not the “happily after after” for which most people are looking.
Unconditional Love
The third word agapē describes sacrificial, unconditional love. The New Testament writers used agapē to express the highest kind of love. Agapē was not used commonly in everyday life. Actually, prior to the New Testament, agapē did not carry special significance as a higher form of love. In the New Testament , we first understand the uniqueness of God’s love for us as expressed through the gift of his son.
John 3:16 uses agapē to describe God’s love for us, “God so loved the world. . .” (KJV). Interestingly, the scripture most used as a reading during wedding ceremonies, 1 Corinthians 13, uses the word Agapē for love. In this chapter, the Apostle Paul illustrates agapē with some very practice examples of self-sacrificing love.
To say that agapē is the highest form of love is not trivializing the other kinds of love. I, for one, am glad that God created sexual love (eros) to be expressed between husbands and wives. I’m also happy that he created us to be connected to friends and our community with philos. It is important to affirm both romantic love and friendship love as meaningful. All love comes from God, because “God is love” (1 John 4:16). Whether that love is romantic or the bond between friends, love that is genuine comes from God. We love others best by loving him first.
Love One Another
At the last supper, Jesus gave his followers a new command “Love one another.” He went on to explain that this was how we would be distinctive from the world. . . not by our clothing or our how we wear our hair, but by our love. In this important passage, Jesus said, ”As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35, NIV). The word used for love in John is the verb form of agapē. We are to love as he loved us.
Romantic love doesn’t result in happily ever after. Only the love demonstrated by Jesus does. If we love one another with agapē love, even our partners, we will have lasting love in our lives. We won’t need to fall in love over and over again. We will love and be loved. People will see us as different. This is true love, even better than a Hallmark movie.
Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear
Also, see Unconditional Love.
The Meaning of Resilience
We can have joy during the storms of life and develop resilience. But, what is the meaning of resilience? We can find the meaning of this word by looking at the life of the Apostle Paul.
When we are first introduced to Saul, later to become Paul, he was persecuting people of “the Way” (Acts 9:1-2, NIV). After his conversion, Paul would come to epitomize the “Way Marked by Joy.” Yes, joy marked this movement, but it didn’t mean things were easy. We learn about Paul’s story in the book of Acts, written by Luke and dedicated to Theophilus.
Who Was Theophilus?
Theories abound as to the identity of the “Most Excellent Theophilus,” the person to whom both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles are addressed. I like the theory that claims he is Titus Flavius Sabinus, a converted Roman official and older brother of future Roman Emperor Vespasian. In gratitude for his kindness during Paul’s imprisonment, Luke made a dedication, proclaiming Sabinus to be a “friend of God.” Theophilus translates “Friend of God” in Greek. This makes sense as Luke was present with Paul during these events. The theory goes that Luke assigned him the name, Theophilus, as an honor and to protect Sabinus from the persecution of Christians under the tyrannical rule of the Emperor Nero.
Paul needed someone to have his back, given the consequences of his courageous witness to Jesus’ resurrection and the Gospel. Paul had made powerful enemies in Jerusalem. He appealed his case as a Roman citizen, and was transferred to Caesarea, the provincial capital, where he was held for two years. Defiant, trusting that his life was lived as a gift to Christ, Paul had a resilience that left him free to serve with abandon.
Sailing Across the Mediterranean
From Caesarea, Paul was sent across the Mediterranean to Rome. However, even during a violent storm at sea, the joy of the Lord was Paul’s strength. Paul didn’t shrink from the storm, but instead sought to advise the captain through his centurion guard (Acts 28:1-10). The captain did not follow his advice and the ship crashed on the small island of Malta. The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners, including Paul, so they would not escape, but the centurion, who valued Paul’s warning about the storm, intervened.
The people of Malta treated the castaways hospitably, making a large fire, because it was raining and cold. However, tough times for Paul continued. While he was gathering wood, to throw on the fire, the heat panicked a viper hidden in the sticks. It struck Paul, latching onto his hand. Ah, sweet justice – saved from the sea, karma gets him in the end the islanders thought. Perhaps, Paul was a murderer, and the goddess Themis (Justice) or the Fates (her children) had not allowed him to live. Alas, Paul was no believer in fate. He shook the snake off and returned to his service of Christ. Now, the islanders thought Paul was a God.
Resiliency In Action
Paul’s resilience allowed him to summon spiritual strength that helped him face the storms of life, allowing him to continue to serve. This is the meaning of resilience. Without guile, Paul preached to the stunned Maltese and responded to their cries for help, praying for them and healing their sick.
Countering cynicism, following the way of joy invites us to walk a path blazed in exemplary fashion by the early church whose stories embody a new life lived believing and demonstrating the power of Jesus’ resurrection. This way does not negate but challenges sorrow and injustice. It invites us to greater resilience in the midst of trouble, neither pretending trouble does not exist, nor giving up hope that we must give over to despair.
According to Salvador Maddi, author of Resilience at Work, resilience may be strengthened where our commitments, sense of control, and challenges overlap. Paul’s sense of commitment came from his purpose to give witness to the Gospel. This gave him a sense of control that he could live confident of his trust in God. He then was free to face challenges with courage.
Personal Mission Statement
We can do the same in our daily lives. To do so, start by making a list of what you value most, turning this list into a personal mission statement. Hopefully, your mission statement includes a commitment to serving Jesus. Next, when you feel challenged about your life being out of control, try this technique. Make a list of the things that you are tolerating. These are the things you feel you “have” to live with. Stretch yourself. Don’t list just a few things. Push yourself to list 25 or more things you are tolerating. Then, come up with a plan to address two of them. Even acting on only two will put you on a path toward getting things back in order. You’ll be surprised that your entire attitude will change.
Paul epitomizes the “Way Marked by Joy,” a way also filled with challenges. Like him, we can develop resilience during the storms of life. If you are not feeling challenged about anything, you might need to open up and make yourself vulnerable. It is likely time to take a risk. Listen to the voice of God and let God trouble your spirit. I am confident that God has big plans for you.
by Dr. Dave Milam & Chuck Locklear:
Copyright © 2019 Chuck Locklear
Also, see How to Be Happy.
Forward-moving Faith
One of my favorite photos is of my daughter, Chandler, and I riding with two grandchildren, Juliet and Lachlan, on the 1913 carousel at Greenfield Village. Hand-carved animals provide the rides for the kids. Juliet sat on a white pony and Lachlan on a walrus. Chandler and I stood close as they circled under bright lights, with an ornate canopy glittering overhead. It was a grand experience, motivation for forward-moving faith.
…perfect doesn’t exist in this life.
Spinning is fun on a carousel, but not for our faith walk. How often do we pray, “God, let me use my gifts and talents to serve the Lord?” Then, when he speaks to us, we are afraid to move ahead. He confirms the opportunity through his Word and by the witness of trustworthy believers. Yet, comfort holds us back. There are many excuses for not moving forward.
Keep Moving Forward
This past Saturday was proof that when we trust the Lord and move forward in faith, he shows up. It was the first games of the WarrenHope Basketball season. It was a grand experience. We had hundreds of k-4th grade players, some confident, but most nervous. We had bleachers full of parents, and 40-plus volunteers, but it wasn’t really about basketball; it was about ministry. It was about churches from different denominations coming together to provide reconciliation and healing to a forgotten part of our city.
This project started with me coaching 3rd grade girls basketball, a year ago. I remember my daughter asking, “Dad, Juliet [my granddaughter] really wants to play basketball, but they don’t have enough coaches.” I had complained to Lizzy, “I haven’t played basketball in forty years. Will I even remember the rules?” It didn’t matter; these third grade girls knew almost nothing about basketball.
A goal for the coaches was to share Bible lessons during practices. I remember my shock when I asked the question, “How many of you know of the Apostle Paul?” Of ten girls, only one raised their hand, my granddaughter. Sadly, these girls also knew nothing about the hope found in the Word of God either.
Voice of God
At the end of that season, God spoke to me, “You need to start a league in South Warren, where your church is located.” I had many objections: my church is small, I don’t even enjoy watching basketball, and we have no gym. So, I put it out of my mind. But, God brought it back up.
This past summer, I got invited to the Alliance of Warren Evangelicals leadership meeting. At this meeting, the group decided to stop doing some activities that did not align with the mission. Then, the question came up, “If not these, then what?” Of course, I suggested Upward Basketball. They were intrigued and tasked me with reporting fully at our September meeting. I did and they said the project would need a leader. Then, I had an out-of-body experience at which I heard myself saying, “I’ll do it.”
Many Obstracles
God answered the gym problem by opening the door to using the Owen-Jax Center, a Parks and Recreation building with a beautifully restored gym that has sat idle since the pandemic. It sounded like an opportunity too good to be true. It was. The Parks and Recreation director put up a lot of restrictions on the use of the building and, at one point, even booked a middle school basketball game into our opening night.
I had people let me down too. One person, whom I counted on, became upset because things were not working out perfectly. He said to me, “Let’s delay this thing until we are better prepared. I said to him, “If we don’t do it now, we won’t do it at all.” Yes, it is tempting to delay until timing is better, but the truth is perfect doesn’t exist in this life.
“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’”
—2 Corinthians 12:9
Life is full of challenges, or a better way to look at it is… one grand experience after another. We must keep moving forward. The truth is that I’ve had few days as perfect as that day riding on the 1913 carousel. Ha, actually, it was far from a perfect day. It was hot, the kids were crabby, and I was hungry. The photo doesn’t portray those details, only smiling faces. But, it is a grand memory. Perhaps, with time, Upward Basketball will be a grand memory too.
Also see, Don’t Hesitate.
Fear Is a Big Bully
A recent tragedy in my family got me thinking about the subject of fear.
Fear is unwilling to share the heart with happiness. Do you ever see the two together? Can someone be happy and afraid at the same time? Fear is a big bully: brash, loud, and unproductive. Yet, we allow fear so much control over our lives. Happiness would be a much better companion.
Storms
There is a famous painting, the Storm on the Sea of Galilee, painted in 1633 by the Dutch Golden Age painter Rembrandt. The account of this storm is found in Matthew 8: 23-27. Matthew remembered the pouncing tempest and carefully chose his words to convey the emotions and fear of the moment. While Matthew was not a fisherman, many of the disciples were. They were familiar with storms on the sea of Galilee, but yet everyone in the boat was fearful…except one. Jesus slept comfortably. He was not afraid. Jesus knew something that we need to learn, something that applies to the storms in our lives. God is in control! He has the power to calm the storm. But, also, this story is a not-so-subtle reminder that getting on board with Jesus can mean getting soaked. Yes, Christ-followers can contract malaria, bury children, and battle addiction and illness. Yes, we will face fear.
This brings me to a couple of basic questions. Why is life filled with so much trouble? And, what makes pain and anguish different for Christians? This life is filled with trouble because we live in a world that has been defiled by sin. This was not God’s plan. We were set on this course by Adam and Eve. However, God has put into action a solution for this condition. Jesus came, lived and died, to reconcile mankind to God.
As Christians, we have access to the Father because of his Son. We can have faith in the promises of God, because of the life of Jesus.
Do Not Fear
The Lord never promised we would not see storms in our lives. As a matter of fact, Jesus told us to expect trouble. However, he has promised that he will be with us in the storm. He will never leave his children alone in the midst of trouble. With perseverance, we will overcome. This is just as true today as it was in that Storm on the Sea of Galilee.
“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
Luke 12:32
Copyright © 2020 Chuck Locklear
Also, see A Promise Of Blessing.
The Lord’s Prayer
“Stop banging your head against the wall.” How many times have we tried to force something to happen . . . something beyond our control? Sometimes we need to learn when it is time to stop banging and trust God. Sometimes, when our efforts seem fruitless, we need to turn our will over to God. We are reminded of this in the Lord’s Prayer.
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.”
Hebrews 4:16
Forcing Our Will
For me, that doesn’t always happen so quickly. I turn to God only after I am too dizzy, from banging my head against the wall, to go on. Yes, I have tried many times to force my will on situations far beyond my control. Is this true of you as well? We need to pray, “Teach me, Lord, to ask for your help first, not last.” We must learn to approach his throne, ask in the name of Jesus, and leave it with him . . . something, easier said than done.
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our day bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Matthew 6:7-13
Good Gifts
When we pray we are speaking to our father. He doesn’t want fancy words and vain repetition. We won’t impress him with our vocabulary. He wants to hear our hearts. In Matthew 7:11, Jesus says, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
Our heavenly father desires to give us good gifts. He wants to hear us ask for what we need. As a father and now as a grandfather, I can tell you that when one of my little ones ask for something, it melts my heart. I will move heaven and earth to give them what they request. This is how it is with our heavenly father. Jesus said ask anything in my name and it will be done for you. Yes, you heard that right: anything.
Big Needs
The needs of our city are bigger than me and way beyond my control. I am confident, however, that if we pray as Jesus taught in the Lord’s Prayer, we will see miracles. We will have many testimonies to what God has done in our little section of the world. So, stop banging and turn to God first.
Also, see God’s Will.
Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear
Think Spring
I wish it were spring. While the days are getting longer, it is still cold outside where I live. In Spring, our spirits are filled with the hope of new possibilities. We are ready to take on and achieve new goals. Here in Michigan, it is not quite “seed starting time.” However, give it a few months and we’ll be ready to start planting.
Tobacco Seedbeds
Many of you know that I own 10 acres of my grandfather’s tobacco farm. According to my Uncle Grover, setting up tobacco seedbeds in the spring wasn’t the biggest job on the farm. To plant 40 acres, you needed six seedbeds, of about 8-feet wide by 50-feet long. The work started by breaking up the ground with a mule pulling a turning plow. The next step was to use a harrowing rake drawn behind the mule to level the ground and break up clods of soil. With this done, the farmer digs a small ditch, about eight inches deep, around each bed in order to drain off excess water.
With everything ready, the seed was scattered onto the soil and covered with a thin cotton sheet sewn exactly to fit each seedbed. The sheet was propped up in the center to allow the seedlings to grow freely. The sheet was thin enough to allow the sun light and rain in, but also provided a measure of protection for the growing seedlings. Then, the farmer waits about six weeks for the seedlings to mature. However, the work isn’t done, each bed required almost constant weeding.
A Spooked Horse
My Uncle Grover did not like using a horse to work a field. A horse would rear up too easily. A mule had a much better temperament for this type of work. My uncle remembered one time his dad sent him to pickup a hay rake at a neighbors farm. He had the gear hooked behind a horse, and they were making their way on a path through the woods to the neighbor’s farm. Something spooked the horse. It reared up, turned around, and headed back toward home at a run.
It was all my uncle could do to stay on the back of that horse as tree branches hit him in the head as he ducked from side-to-side. When my uncle and the horse broke out of the woods, he could see his dad and a brother working out in the field. They saw the out-of-control horse and came running toward the spooked animal, which caused the horse to make a sharp turn, throwing my uncle to the ground. When he hit the ground, it knocked the breath out of him. It was a frightening experience at best. My uncle said he hasn’t rode another horse to this day.
Run with a Clear Goal
“Seed starting” is an important goal of Spring. Importantly, the Apostle Paul was intrigued with running and encouraged the Christ-followers in his day to run with a compelling and clear goal in mind (1 Cor. 9:24-26).
There are many reasons to get discouraged, but it is important to stay focused on our goals. Paul instructs us to deny ourselves of things that might keep us from winning the race. We must run straight to the goal with purpose in every step.
Our race has eternal consequences. We are not just shadow-boxing or playing around. Let’s re-commit this new year to run the race to win. Yes, “think spring,” but stay focused. Perhaps, I’ll even be able to talk my uncle into getting back on a horse.
Also, see It’s Spring!
Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear
Finding Purpose
Have you ever felt “goaded” into something. The word goad is not commonly used today. The phrase “kicking against the goads” refers to the practice of farmers goading their oxen in the fields. A goad is a spiked stick for driving cattle or oxen. It directs their work and provides purpose. What is your purpose?
A Good Example
Sometimes the ox would kick at the goad. When this happened, the goad would stab into the flesh and the pain would remind the animal of its purpose. The Apostle Paul is a good example of someone who was being goaded. God got his attention on the road to Damascus. “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 26:14).
All of Paul’s life God had been goading him in the direction of his purpose. However, Paul was resisting God’s purpose, trying to do what he thought was best for his life. Perhaps, this is how many of us respond to life. Are you directing your time and energy into pursuing your own desires? Perhaps, it is time to stop “kicking against the goads.”
Purpose?
When we surrender and open our hearts to God’s purpose, he will make his calling clear.
For me, I have been called to more than one purpose over my lifetime. I was called to teach Sunday school when I was 17 years old. . . and I did that faithfully. Perhaps, my greatest calling has been as a father. In this calling, I have made the greatest difference in this world. My legacy lives on in my children and grandchildren. People that have experienced the love of God are shining light into the darkness of our world. My work was a calling. I have been an educator, principal, and pastor. In each of these roles I have pursued God’s purpose and daily asked for God’s direction.
How Powerful is Faith?
On one occasion, Jesus taught his disciples saying, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).
I can hear you thinking, “Easy for him to say. He is the son of God.” “I’ve not seen any mountains moving in my life.” We all experience tragedies and hardships in life that can challenge our faith. The truth is, to some degree, we are all affected by a lack of faith. This reminds me of the story in the Gospel of Mark where Jesus healed a little body at the request of his father. The father pleaded with Jesus saying, “If you can, please heal my son.” Jesus’ response is amazing:
“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. I can almost hear the sarcasm in Jesus’ voice.
Decision
Make the decision to be all in. Hear the voice of God today and say, “Yes, Lord.” Maybe you don’t know exactly what that means, but, don’t worry, he will make it clear to you. You just have to surrender. It starts with a simple, “Yes.” God has a purpose for you.
“Everything is possible for one who believes.”Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9: 23-24)
Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear
Also, see With God All Things Are Possible.
Pride Goes Before a Fall
I take you back three hundred years, to a fireside, as my matrilineal ancestors considered whether their actions were “justified by God.” Today’s history lesson: Pride goes before a fall.
Turtledove
Wheat dumplings simmered in the metal pot over a fire. Nourourhquotkan watched the flames, deep in thought. Nourouhquotkan had taken the name John Pagett at the insistence of his clan leaders, who had urged everyone to take names of prestigious English colonists, thus, ensuring the respect of the English. He was the husband to Runehu’hu, which meant turtledove. He loved the sound that her name made as it rolled off the tongue, Rooneh-hoo’-hoo. However, to satisfy the ukuwana’?tha? (oodoo-wawnaw-ahk-tha-ahk) or clan mother, he took to calling her Jane.
John grimaced. “The English will not be satisfied until they have taken all our land and removed our bloodline from the earth.”
War In North Carolina
Jane shook her head. “This is nonsense. Your hatred for the English will only result in our destruction. Please do not drag us into the conflict with the English. The decisions made by the war captains will have far-reaching consequences for our people.”
She had a sense of foreboding that the coming events would lead to war in North Carolina. Jane feared that many of her mother’s clan would not survive, that many would end up as enslaved people. She did not know that this was her fate, and that her own husband would not survive. Jane knew that pride goes before a fall.
Does pride justify your actions?
John could feel it in his heart that revenge on the English was justified by Tarenhiawagen or God. He was truly “righting a wrong.” The actions of the English were against God. I can hear him saying, “I wasn’t raised that way,” as he railed against the abuses of the English toward his people. How could he mingle with people whose lifestyles so blatantly ran afoul of how he’d been reared?
What Do Your Value?
No matter the “right” things we do as Christians, they can only yield a temporary good feeling, too often tainted with pride, a bit of superiority, a dose of pity, rather than compassion. I can hear the voice of Jesus speaking to me . . . speaking to us. Your genes don’t constitute your salvation. It is my blood, not yours, that prepares you to sit at my table.
Learn from Jane, pride goes before a fall. It can lead to our destruction. We are not justified by our goodness. It is because of a savior that we are justified and can stand in the righteous presence of God.
“He [Jesus] said to them, ‘You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.’”
Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear
Also, see The Lost Colony of Roanoke.
God’s Will
If the good Lord’s willing and the creeks don’t rise . . . How many of you had a granny who said this? I did. Growing up in Stinkin Creek, Kentucky rising creeks were a real thing. They might prevent you from almost any commitment: visiting a relative, attending to church, going to the market. Praying for God’s will was more than words.
Creeks In the City?
Long after she moved to Detroit, my grandmother would still attach this condition to almost any commitment, “If the good Lord’s willing and the creeks don’t rise.” As a child, I thought this was strange. I did not know of any creeks around our neighborhood, and there was almost no chance of the Detroit River rising to the level that it would affect us. For my grandmother, this condition allowed her an “out” if something came up and she couldn’t fulfill a commitment. But, more importantly, it was a reminder to her, and everyone she spoke with, that the “Lord’s will” is what she wanted in her life.
I can hear my grandmother’s voice saying, “If the good Lord’s willing and the creeks don’t rise.” It was in her heart to align her words and actions with the will of God. If we align our requests with God’s will, we know that he hears us and will answer. For example, “God I know it is your will for this family to have a roof over their heads. Please show me how to make this possible.”
Change Our Focus
As we pray, that must be our focus. to see God’s will be done in our life, in our community, in the lives of our neighbors. I can hear some of you saying, “But, everything happens for a reason,” meaning it is out of our control. “God works everything according to his purpose.” This is not true! It is not God’s will that anyone should perish. The truth is that he gave us free will. We get to choose whether or not God’s will is done in our lives and in the lives of those around us.
Let’s choose to focus on God’s will. In so doing, we can have confidence that God hears us and will answer our prayers. We know that he has been faithful in the past and will show up on our behalves now. We don’t have to worry about “If the good Lord’s willing and the creeks don’t rise.” It is God’s will, but we have to do our part.
“Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Matthew 6:10
Also, see Advice From a Grandmother.
Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear
