Human behavior on an elevator is quite predictable, if not amusing. Since living on the 7th floor, I have had time each day to observe it. First of all, we don’t have much patience. As soon as we enter, we hit the button to close the door. Why does five seconds feel like an eternity in an elevator? Moreover, you should see how many times we push the button while waiting on the elevator to arrive in the first place! We are seemingly convinced the elevator is ignoring us. Perhaps we fear rejection.
Also, we do not like being forced into closed spaces with strangers. We try to position ourselves as far as possible away from others. To avoid eye contact, we all face the door and watch the numbers go down. If the elevator stops short of our intended destination, we become visibly uncomfortable and annoyed. We hate interruptions. Perhaps we fear the unknown or that which we can’t control.
Others must think me strange here for looking around and observing elevator psyche. I really broke a cardinal rule since, this week, I have made it a point to say “hello” to others in the elevator. It seems jarring to most, as they are accustomed to silence. I made one poor old woman jump.
It’s just…something in me has been wondering if, by passively wasting opportunities on an elevator to share a friendly smile, a simple hello, or a helping hand, we are willingly forsaking the wisdom of saints like Mother Theresa: “We can do no great things; only small things with great love.”
…
It is a real temptation to view my time here like a simple elevator ride. I know I won’t be here forever, as my initial contract is only for a year. So, I could see my season here as a passing one—a transient ride from the last destination to the next one.
The problem becomes, if I am simply going down the elevator, everything else will go down too. My passion will go down. My commitment will go down. My love will go down. And I will just be counting down the days. We all acknowledge (and rebuke) this kind of emotional roller coaster when we say things like: “To keep from feeling down, we must keep our spirits up!”
A dear friend once told me: “If you go somewhere, be there.” I was reminded of that again when I read Psalm 139, concerning the presence of the Lord: “If I go up to heavens, you are there. If I go down to the grave, you are there.” It seems the Lord never wastes a season in making Himself known.
As Fritz Ridenour writes, in his book How to Be a Christian without Being Religious, “Religions reach up toward God. Christianity is God reaching down to man.” Greater by the day, I also don’t want to waste this season of reaching out to others.
This past month has been difficult at our hakwon (academy). We have watched one-third of our enrollment leave English Village for other after-school academies. The reasons are unclear to me, making it more difficult at times. I do know that trust is at a premium in Korean society, and we just opened eight months ago. One “wrong move,” as you experience a mass exodus. When trust goes down, numbers go down.
It has made me reflect on my commitment and how I am using each day to share the love of Jesus with the students. There have been several students suddenly leave now without a chance at saying goodbye. As they go, I hope they are blessed. If nothing else, I pray they experienced relationship with a teacher who tries to display his friendship with God.
So as it stands: I don’t desire to just go through the motions. I want to be here, for however long the Lord has me here. Every day, on that elevator, I hope to bring a little light when the door opens to my Korean neighbors, and I genuinely ask: “Going down?”
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Short Prayers
I was reminded again this week of Jesus’ prayer in John 12:27-28, when he says: “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” I found myself convicted that I still love my own comfort more than I love the glory of God. I far too often pray, “Lord, get me out of this situation!” I far too little pray, “Lord, bring glory to Your name!”
I also marveled at God’s swift answer to that prayer: Father, glorify your name. “Then a voice came from heaven: ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’” Wow. It is such a short prayer. Yet it is powerful to elicit an immediate response from heaven.
After thinking further upon last week’s post (saying more by saying less), I stumbled upon a verse concerning prayer. Jesus taught His disciples: “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Matthew 6:7).
I found this verse to have a few nuances worth exploring. First, it cautions against mindless, faithless, insincere praying. There is no use blabbering on to God without thought or care. Our prayers then amount to false promises in the end. “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2).
We may at times lose track in prayer and forget what we are asking and seeking. A prayer list or journal can help in this way, to prevent rambling, wandering, and trailing off. It can also encourage us to pray “without losing heart,” over time. In another sense, we may discover that we simply do not have words to express what we want to say. At that point, it is better to be still in His presence and let the Spirit do His searching and groaning work (Romans 8:26-27).
The main gist of the passage, though, is an apparent rebuke against using (pagan) ritual chants and “magical” incantations in a vain attempt to invoke the divine. More recently, mystics have proffered “breath prayers” as a way to connect with God. They take phrases (some from the Bible) and recommend repeating them, until you feel “enveloped in His presence.” There is much debate over the place of meditation techniques such as yoga in Christian spiritual formation. I do not desire to enter into that debate here.
I will say that I took issue with the Prayer of Jabez movement when stores offered up coins and key chains as seeming lucky charms. The prayer was often removed from its context and no longer offered in faith. It is, for the record, an amazing scriptural prayer. Yet, people began using it as a means to try to get what they wanted from God.
Instead, I have been benefiting greatly from what I will call “biblical short prayers.” I do not mean the repeated use of a phrase to enter into some kind of meditative trance. On the contrary, I mean the “word made flesh” in daily life. Inevitably, I become busy at some point. And I may not have much time or be able to kneel down and pray. But I still desire to maintain a real sense of God’s presence and to honor His command to pray without ceasing, even in the chaos of the week. It is at that time I can offer aloud to God a short, simple prayer that is rooted in His word. I have found that a few words offered up quickly from even small faith does bear fruit, both in and through my life.
Jesus once prayed to the Father: “Sanctify them in the truth; your Word is truth” (John 17:17). There is great power in hiding the Word in our hearts. The Word never returns void. And, offering up the short prayers recorded in scripture can likewise sanctify us.
Some of the short prayers I have been offering up in faith at various times, when desiring similar things or in similar situations to their biblical context, include the following:
“Father, glorify your name” – based on the prayer of Jesus in John 12:28
“Please show me your glory.” – based on the prayer of Moses in Exodus 33:18
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” – based on the prayer of the tax collector in Luke 18:13
“I believe; help my unbelief!” – based on the prayer of the father of the demon-afflicted boy in Mark 9:24
“Lord, save me!” – based on the plea of Peter in Matthew 14:30
“Lord, help me.” – based on the request of the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:25
“Come, Lord Jesus!” – based on prayer of John in Revelation 22:20
…
The Psalms are filled with the prayers of David including –
For understanding: “Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (119:18)
For holiness: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord” (19:14)
For integrity: “Search me, O God, and know my heart!” (139:23)
For singular purpose: “Unite my heart to fear your name” (86:11)
…
I am also given to adapt the prayers of the heroes of faith for my own life:
“You must increase, I must decrease” – from John the Baptist in John 3:30
“I am powerless, and I don’t know what to do. But my eyes are on You” – from Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:12
“I ask for wisdom and knowledge to lead these people” – from Solomon in 2 Chronicles 1:10
…
We should rightly consider again the prayer of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:10.
Plus we can never go wrong with the prayer that His Son taught us to pray in Matthew 6:9-13.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
I also marveled at God’s swift answer to that prayer: Father, glorify your name. “Then a voice came from heaven: ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’” Wow. It is such a short prayer. Yet it is powerful to elicit an immediate response from heaven.
After thinking further upon last week’s post (saying more by saying less), I stumbled upon a verse concerning prayer. Jesus taught His disciples: “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Matthew 6:7).
I found this verse to have a few nuances worth exploring. First, it cautions against mindless, faithless, insincere praying. There is no use blabbering on to God without thought or care. Our prayers then amount to false promises in the end. “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2).
We may at times lose track in prayer and forget what we are asking and seeking. A prayer list or journal can help in this way, to prevent rambling, wandering, and trailing off. It can also encourage us to pray “without losing heart,” over time. In another sense, we may discover that we simply do not have words to express what we want to say. At that point, it is better to be still in His presence and let the Spirit do His searching and groaning work (Romans 8:26-27).
The main gist of the passage, though, is an apparent rebuke against using (pagan) ritual chants and “magical” incantations in a vain attempt to invoke the divine. More recently, mystics have proffered “breath prayers” as a way to connect with God. They take phrases (some from the Bible) and recommend repeating them, until you feel “enveloped in His presence.” There is much debate over the place of meditation techniques such as yoga in Christian spiritual formation. I do not desire to enter into that debate here.
I will say that I took issue with the Prayer of Jabez movement when stores offered up coins and key chains as seeming lucky charms. The prayer was often removed from its context and no longer offered in faith. It is, for the record, an amazing scriptural prayer. Yet, people began using it as a means to try to get what they wanted from God.
Instead, I have been benefiting greatly from what I will call “biblical short prayers.” I do not mean the repeated use of a phrase to enter into some kind of meditative trance. On the contrary, I mean the “word made flesh” in daily life. Inevitably, I become busy at some point. And I may not have much time or be able to kneel down and pray. But I still desire to maintain a real sense of God’s presence and to honor His command to pray without ceasing, even in the chaos of the week. It is at that time I can offer aloud to God a short, simple prayer that is rooted in His word. I have found that a few words offered up quickly from even small faith does bear fruit, both in and through my life.
Jesus once prayed to the Father: “Sanctify them in the truth; your Word is truth” (John 17:17). There is great power in hiding the Word in our hearts. The Word never returns void. And, offering up the short prayers recorded in scripture can likewise sanctify us.
Some of the short prayers I have been offering up in faith at various times, when desiring similar things or in similar situations to their biblical context, include the following:
“Father, glorify your name” – based on the prayer of Jesus in John 12:28
“Please show me your glory.” – based on the prayer of Moses in Exodus 33:18
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” – based on the prayer of the tax collector in Luke 18:13
“I believe; help my unbelief!” – based on the prayer of the father of the demon-afflicted boy in Mark 9:24
“Lord, save me!” – based on the plea of Peter in Matthew 14:30
“Lord, help me.” – based on the request of the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:25
“Come, Lord Jesus!” – based on prayer of John in Revelation 22:20
…
The Psalms are filled with the prayers of David including –
For understanding: “Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (119:18)
For holiness: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord” (19:14)
For integrity: “Search me, O God, and know my heart!” (139:23)
For singular purpose: “Unite my heart to fear your name” (86:11)
…
I am also given to adapt the prayers of the heroes of faith for my own life:
“You must increase, I must decrease” – from John the Baptist in John 3:30
“I am powerless, and I don’t know what to do. But my eyes are on You” – from Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:12
“I ask for wisdom and knowledge to lead these people” – from Solomon in 2 Chronicles 1:10
…
We should rightly consider again the prayer of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:10.
Plus we can never go wrong with the prayer that His Son taught us to pray in Matthew 6:9-13.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
The Great Editor
Jesus, says Hebrews 12:2, is the “author” or founder of our faith. He is writing our story. He is also the “finisher” or perfecter of that story. He will complete what He has started. And He is free to edit out anything we try to add in. Jesus has sovereign rights as the Great Editor.
…
I have a tendency, especially when preaching, to say too much. It has been properly diagnosed as “logorrhea” or “verbal dysentery.” I now believe Jesus seeks to cure me.
Several years back, a godly church member named Joel called me up and offered to bring lunch to my office. He said he also wanted to discuss my recent sermon series. After arriving, he got straight to the point: “Paul, you have a problem. I know, because I had a similar problem. You talk way too fast, and you speak way too long. It makes your message lose its power.” Though it stung at first—I am so thankful he loved me enough to share this. It has honed the way I seek to communicate.
After our discussion, I sought further counsel on the issue. My friend Jerry echoed the sentiments. He offered up pride as a reason for my apparent need to keep on preaching. He suggested a lack of trust in the Spirit’s power to finish what He begins.
From this, I set out to study more on what the Bible had to say. It is not silent on the topic. When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent (Proverbs 10:19). More than just in preaching, the heart of the matter is — saying too much can be a foolish thing, leading to sin. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words (Ecclesiastes 5:3).
Moreover, we will be judged for the words we speak. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak (Matthew 12:36). The way of wisdom is, as follows: Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger (James 1:19).
When Jesus was caught in the crossfire of the religious leaders, he exemplified such wisdom. They said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him (John 8:4-9). There is definitely something to be said for the “man of few words.”
The Village Church has posted manuscripts of all my past sermons there on their website. It has been a humbling exercise to read over them even now, to pray and ask: “Lord, what would you have me to edit out?”
I also think back to the days following 9/11, when the economic downturn impacted giving to radio ministries. One of my favorite preachers is Joseph Stowell, former president of Moody Bible. His radio program was forced to take a 15-minute time slot, as opposed to the usual 30-minute offering.
During this season, he reflected: “I have been required to ask myself—if I only have 15 minutes to share, what will I say that communicates the truth of God in love and power? It has made me submit every word I speak to the Spirit of God. I have learned to say more by saying less. And it has been the most fruitful preaching of my career.” Indeed, his messages carried at least twice the impact in half the time. The intentionality of the sermons brought richness and clarity.
Here, I manuscript all of my sermons. This allows Pastor Lee to view it prior to delivery. On Sunday, I preach slowly, so that those learning English can better understand my words. Pastor Lee then offers a line-by-line Korean translation. Given the length of service, my sermon should not exceed 25 minutes. This means my manuscript can be about a page and a half—maximum. It has been a truly challenging process, yet with powerful results. I have been humbled.
More than sermons, Jesus wants to edit my daily life. Words are simply overflow of my heart. This week, I am preaching from Luke 10, the story of Mary and Martha. Martha was “distracted with much serving,” as well as “anxious and troubled by many things.” Yet Jesus says only one thing is necessary. He tells her to choose the good portion, which cannot be taken from her. He wants her to simply sit at His feet, and let all her frivolous worries fall upon the cutting room floor. The Great Editor wants to remind her of the simple truth of the gospel: By grace we have been saved through faith. And this is not our own doing. It is the gift of God.
I deem it only appropriate that I keep this blog post shorter than usual. I better stop now…lest I say too much.
…
I have a tendency, especially when preaching, to say too much. It has been properly diagnosed as “logorrhea” or “verbal dysentery.” I now believe Jesus seeks to cure me.
Several years back, a godly church member named Joel called me up and offered to bring lunch to my office. He said he also wanted to discuss my recent sermon series. After arriving, he got straight to the point: “Paul, you have a problem. I know, because I had a similar problem. You talk way too fast, and you speak way too long. It makes your message lose its power.” Though it stung at first—I am so thankful he loved me enough to share this. It has honed the way I seek to communicate.
After our discussion, I sought further counsel on the issue. My friend Jerry echoed the sentiments. He offered up pride as a reason for my apparent need to keep on preaching. He suggested a lack of trust in the Spirit’s power to finish what He begins.
From this, I set out to study more on what the Bible had to say. It is not silent on the topic. When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent (Proverbs 10:19). More than just in preaching, the heart of the matter is — saying too much can be a foolish thing, leading to sin. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words (Ecclesiastes 5:3).
Moreover, we will be judged for the words we speak. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak (Matthew 12:36). The way of wisdom is, as follows: Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger (James 1:19).
When Jesus was caught in the crossfire of the religious leaders, he exemplified such wisdom. They said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him (John 8:4-9). There is definitely something to be said for the “man of few words.”
The Village Church has posted manuscripts of all my past sermons there on their website. It has been a humbling exercise to read over them even now, to pray and ask: “Lord, what would you have me to edit out?”
I also think back to the days following 9/11, when the economic downturn impacted giving to radio ministries. One of my favorite preachers is Joseph Stowell, former president of Moody Bible. His radio program was forced to take a 15-minute time slot, as opposed to the usual 30-minute offering.
During this season, he reflected: “I have been required to ask myself—if I only have 15 minutes to share, what will I say that communicates the truth of God in love and power? It has made me submit every word I speak to the Spirit of God. I have learned to say more by saying less. And it has been the most fruitful preaching of my career.” Indeed, his messages carried at least twice the impact in half the time. The intentionality of the sermons brought richness and clarity.
Here, I manuscript all of my sermons. This allows Pastor Lee to view it prior to delivery. On Sunday, I preach slowly, so that those learning English can better understand my words. Pastor Lee then offers a line-by-line Korean translation. Given the length of service, my sermon should not exceed 25 minutes. This means my manuscript can be about a page and a half—maximum. It has been a truly challenging process, yet with powerful results. I have been humbled.
More than sermons, Jesus wants to edit my daily life. Words are simply overflow of my heart. This week, I am preaching from Luke 10, the story of Mary and Martha. Martha was “distracted with much serving,” as well as “anxious and troubled by many things.” Yet Jesus says only one thing is necessary. He tells her to choose the good portion, which cannot be taken from her. He wants her to simply sit at His feet, and let all her frivolous worries fall upon the cutting room floor. The Great Editor wants to remind her of the simple truth of the gospel: By grace we have been saved through faith. And this is not our own doing. It is the gift of God.
I deem it only appropriate that I keep this blog post shorter than usual. I better stop now…lest I say too much.
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