“When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”
–1 Samuel 15:13-14

Saul was the man. The king of Israel. But Saul had a Saul problem, just like you and I have a me problem. Not me as in me, but me as in you. Without God at the center, we’re all our own worst enemies. Saul was at the center of Saul. He was given an instruction to obliterate the Amalekites, to completely wipe out everything on two and four legs and leave nothing breathing. But something else rang in Saul’s ears: “To the victor go the spoils.” He saw an opportunity to increase his wealth by keeping the best of the animals to add to his own, and also a chance to make a political play by keeping the Amalekite king alive–something he could later leverage if ever needed for his royal gain. So he took them: the opportunity, the agenda and God’s law into his own hands, molding to whatever suited Saul first and God second.

Big no-no there. And Samuel, one of God’s prophets, called him out on it. Big time. In front of all his soldiers, all his royal subjects. Saul tried to play it off. But Samuel wasn’t playing. Neither was God.

Ever been in Saul’s shoes? Trust me, we all have. And it’s a baaaaaad thing when our sheep start bleating our disobedience. Here’s where our table landed with these questions:

1. What stands out to you from these verses?
For all of us it was the lie, the front that Saul tried to put up. Also the fact of the prideful ownership he showed with the “I have” done God’s will—it was meant as a cover up, but even if it was genuine, it was a boastful statement. Also how there are consequences to everything we do, and no matter how hard we try to cover up the wrong things, they always come back to bite us in the rear.

2. Is there such a thing as “partial” obedience?
Only if there’s such a thing as partially killing someone, telling a partial lie, paying partial taxes, being partially drunk or partially pregnant. The answer would be a resounding “NO.” Though one guy mentioned that vacuuming the family room for his wife who asked him to clean the house while she was gone was considered partial obedience.

3. Have you ever hidden something from someone you loved? Explain.
You mean like deleting files in your computer history folder? Or hiding receipts from the country club or your past hunting/fishing trip? No, of course not. Never. Actually, what we discussed here was when we exposed light to things done in secret, how that seemed to lessen the hold whatever it was had on us. Light exposes everything, and darkness can’t overcome it.

4. What is a “partitioned life”? Do you partition some areas of your life to yourself? Why?
A partitioned life is one where we live for ourselves. We create boxes like “provision” or “hanging with the guys” or “Saturday night” or “it’s just business.” And we do this to rationalize and justify our actions, to make us feel better, and because we’re putting oursevles at the center of our universe, not God. We also do this because we’re idiots. If only we had some kind of bat signal that flashed in the sky as a warning when we’re partioning—maybe more of a baaaaa signal instead. I know that’s bad, and the second time I’ve used it in this post already. No more, I promise. There’s enough bleating sheep going on as it is.

Until next week, don’t do what Saul did, and we’ll tackle the next thing we guys do but probably shouldn’t.

“Establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.”
Psalm 90:17

1. Read the verse out loud. What stands out to you?

6. How are you investing your days in things that last?

We all want to count for something. Even though the title of this post relates to one of my favorite bands from Down Under, the song that comes to mind with this topic is “Time” by Pink Floyd. Every time I hear the line of the lyrics that goes, “And then one day you find ten years has got behind you, no one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun… The time is gone, the song is over, thought I’d something more to say,” I start thinking how much I don’t want that for my life. But how do I ensure that? How do I make my life matter? That’s where this morning at UNC and the verse centered, and here’s the discussion we had at our table:

1. What stood out in the verse to us was that only God can truly ensure that the work we do will be established. Also, that it appears to be a plea for significance. As men, especially as we near our mid-life, we want what we do to count for something, that it’s not all wasted effort. Considering that Moses wrote this verse, it really makes you wonder how he could ask such a request… I mean, he only liberated the Israelites from slavery, delivered the Ten Commandments to them and led them to the cusp of the Promised Land. Yet still, like all of us, he knew that without God behind our efforts, it’s all for naught.

2. One of us wanted to be a farmer, growing up near his grandparent’s farm. Another dreamed of being a movie director. Body builder and comic book makers were also mentioned. I always wanted to play centerfield in the Big Leagues. It’s safe to say neither of us fully realized these dreams. But hey, there’s still time, right?

3. The question that was asked back was what is the definition of “achieve”? Does God want us to be so successful, making millions of dollars and have everything we touch turn to gold? Hmmm… where we landed was that what God wants us to achieve is probably quite different from what we want. As fathers, we all have kids, and want our kids to succeed. Sure, it’d be great for them to achieve success in this world (maybe even become a Major Leaguer one day), but what we really want for them is to “achieve” godliness and grow into adults who walk with the Lord. We all felt that our Heavenly Father put that in our hearts as parents, because regardless of our material success, it’s the same thing He wants for us.

Also, someone mentioned that “achieving” may just be part of the process, and not the end result. If we do things the way God wants us to, it may not net the big bounty by earthly standards in the end. But if we followed the path He set before us, then we have “achieved” according to Him.

4. It’s human nature for us to “direct” our hands to the areas where we can contribute and get successful results. But as believers, we must be in tune with God’s Spirit by digging into His Word, praying, communing with other believers and seeing where He leads—by doing that, we will be able to understand where we should point our hands.

5. The most obvious one to us as fathers was our children—they are our legacy, and can be more than just a testimony of us passing along our gene pool. They can also be a legacy of our faith that God allowed us to pour into their lives and cultivate into a fully committed follower of Christ. Other suggestions were serving others in some capacity through volunteering at church or with ministries, helping others, and investing in the lives of other kids or unbelievers through gifts, works, etc.

6. We ran out of time to fully answer this question, but by doing the things mentioned in #4 and #5, it will allow us to invest our days in the things that last.

“You turn men back to dust… teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Psalm 90:3, 12

1. Read the verse. What stands out to you?

6. List some things that are important to god. How did you come to your answers?

When’s the last time you considered how much sand you had left in the hourglass of life? For me, the only times I quantify the amount of time remaining is 1) When I wake up multiple times in the middle of the night, and with each opening of my eyes, I stare at the clock and say, “If I can just fall back asleep, I’ve got X number of hours of sleep before my alarm goes off, 2) When I’m on a deadline and I’ve procrastinated until the ninth inning to get it started and I continually count down, “OK, I’ve got X number of hours left until I have to turn this in… so I’ve got plenty of time—I think I’ll get something to eat and watch this movie before I get started, and 3) When the Dolphins a nursing a one-point lead in the fourth quarter and they need the clock to wind down quickly before their AFC East rival can score.

I have to say numbering time in those ways won’t really give me a heart of wisdom. But by realizing all our days are numbered, and that we must make the most of them by investing in the important things before turning back to dust—that will give us a wise heart. Here’s what we chewed on at our table:

1. This is one those verses that puts the (in)signficance of our lives in full view. We are nothing but dust (Bill and Ted once put it quite so eloquently). We’re flesh and bone now, but one day, we’ll be nothing but the ground from which we were once formed. And it’s God that turns us back–He determines our days. The first part of the verse is really nothing but a humility statement. The other thing that stood out at our table was that despite being only dust, we’re also sons of God, and that’s all that really matters in life. When we realize that, and that our days of walking the earth to live in such a way that reflects that fact are numbered, it makes us wise.

2. Spend time with our wives, take a nap, write something, watch Sportscenter or a movie, pursue big visionary ideas, get back in shape, go to Home Depot and open a new account with no payments and no interest until 2011 to buy a new riding lawn mower… those were all things we preferred to do…

3. …But our demands prevented us otherwise. We had loans to close, deadlines to meet, computers that need fixing, sales to make, ditches to be dug. One guy brought up that we’re always trading something for something else when it comes to time, whether it’s a demand for a preference or vice versa.

Another guy brought up the point of how do you define what a demand is–we decided it was something that causes us to feel like there’s an obligation. He also pointed out that what we might see as a demand or distraction, God can use it as an opportunity for us.

4. Faith, family, friends is where we pretty much landed. Work was also mentioned. No one mentioned their golf game, believe it or not.

5. You point your time towards important things by looking through the lens of being a steward of the time God gave you and using it with Him in mind, whatever that might be.

6. One guy had a great equation by determining things that are important to God… You take a demand, run it through a wisdom filter and out of that will come Truth which will propel you to an action.

“For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.”
Psalm 90:4

Time flies when you’re having fun… or when you’re God. Actually, time doesn’t apply to Him—He’s beyond it’s bookends, seeing as He was, is and is to come. But not us. We’re stuck in it. And there’s only so much allotted on our behalf, which means we’ve got only so many opportunities associated with it. That perspective evolves over time even more. We think we’ve got all the time in the world to get something done in our youth, then as we get older, we try to cram as much as we can into the window that closes inch-by-inch with each day.

That’s the perspective we took while diving into the opportunity of answering the following questions:

1. Read the verse out loud. What stands out to you?
Just how irrelevant time is to God… a few quick hours, and it’s over. If you think about it from that perspective, Jesus has only been away from earth for two days now.

Things seem like forever–especially when you were young. Remember how long summer break used to last in elementary school? Or waiting to get back test results. Or getting to work while stuck in traffic. But in reality, through the eyes of God, those moments are nothing but a blink.

2. Describe a time when you took advantage of a great opportunity?
My answer was asking my wife to marry me before I started losing my hair. For another guy, it was unloading his beater of a car onto his brother at a small profit. Another guy shared how his wife had a job opportunity that brought them to Atlanta, and opened incredible doors beyond their professional careers. There were also examples given of times when we could share our testimonies to others.

3. What does an opportunity look like to you?
It’s a chance to advance something… whether it’s your career, your portfolio, your personal or spiritual life, or even your appetite, such as getting a free taco from Taco Bell during one of those “If Someone Hits a Home Run in the 5th Inning We Feed America” campaigns. Most importantly, though, an opportunity is a chance to advance the Kingdom.

4. How do you determine the value of an opportunity?
Our answers on this one shifted a bit, basically due to the question of whose perspective is involved. For the most part, the value is determined by what’s at stake, and what you have to gain from the opportunity. The greater the potential for payday, the more valuable that opportunity becomes. Perspecitve applies to an even greater degree here too when you factor in a worldly vs. eternal perspective. When an opportunity can have eternal significance, it becomes invaluable—there is no worth high enough that can be applied to something so weighty.

5. Is it possible that you miss opportunities because you are not seeing the whole picture?
Yes. And all the time. Someone brought up the Good Samaritan. Two religious figures passed by, focused completely on themselves and didn’t take advantage of the opportunity God provided to serve Him. When the focus is on us, rather than on God, it’s not only possible we will miss opportunities because we are not seeing the whole, eternal picture; it’s highly probable.

6. If time is short and opportunities are few, how do you know where to invest your time?
In things that have eternal significance. Being all dads, we talked about how much this applies to spending time and investing in our kids. Doing so builds bridges into their adulthood, and can even carry on into future generations. It means praying for opportunities to serve God and looking for where He can use you on a consistent basis as His spirit leads. It means turning off the ball game more often and tuning into His Word (unless it’s the Dolphins playing). It means bringing more purpose to your relationships at work beyond a bottom line. It means making your calendar not be about what’s in the mirror, but rather what’s beyond the reflection.

OK, I’m running out of time and missing opportunities—catch you next week.

“You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning—though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered.“

Psalm 90:5-6

Ah, yes… nothing gets you up and out of bed, ready to take on the world more than a verse like that! Though, who among us hasn’t felt dry and withered after the day has sucked away all the life we had in us when it first began? I know Moses intended this as an allegory to the brevity of life, but it’s easy to also see it as a microcosm of our individual experiences each day. Regardless, the point is plain and simple: Life is short, it goes by quickly. Compared to God, it’s nothing. Or if you’re an atheist reading that verse, you might think, “Life sucks, then you die.” Is there anything positive to take away from the hollowness of this part of the Psalm? Here’s where our table landed…

1. Read the verse out loud. What stands out to you?
The “You sweep men away” part stood out, in that there is nothing within our control as to exactly how long we take up real estate on this planet… well, unless your family doctor’s name rhymes with “traborkian.” Seriously, though, it’s God who has numbered our days. He alone knows when our lives began and when they will end. While some may find that disturbing, it’s comforting for those who believe that the God who was, and is and is to come has known about us since Day One of creation.

Also, the images of how brief this life is, illustrated by comparing it to grass that sprouts and dies each year (or stays brown if you don’t water enough in the summer), speaks quite loudly to how things can change in the blink of an eye.

2. Do you organize as if time were short? Explain.
I am the world’s worst procrastinator. I always get the job done, but the window is always a pretty tight spot. So yes, I’m always organizing as if time were short, because the time available always is short. It’s funny; another guy at the table is the same way (we justified it by stating we work better under pressure…).

But despite our best efforts to excuse our faults, where we ultimately landed is that it’s proactively organizing as if time were short that’s really the target here. That’s something we should all do. And one of these days, I’m going to get around to doing that!

3. Do you agree with the statement: Since time is short, opportunities are few? Explain.
Yes. Unless you are a maggot born in a manure plant–then you’ve got 24 hours containing a plethora of choices. For the rest of us, there’s not many windows open to us in the brevity of our existence.

4. How do you determine the value of an opportunity?
We danced around this question some. Initially, the value was determined by the end result, what we get out of it for ourselves. But it didn’t take long before we all landed on the thought that the value of an opportunity should be determined on the impact it makes for the Kingdom. If the opportunity is only for this life, it’s just as fleeting as that grass that sprouts, withers and dies. There’s no significance to it. But if it has eternal reach, then it becomes invaluable. Those are the opportunities of which we should make the most in this life.

5. List some things that pull you away from things that are important. What are you going to do about these?
“Ourselves,” was pretty much the consensus. During the wrap time where different tables share answers, a bunch of specifics were mentioned that hit the mark: laziness, pride, selfishness, worry, fear, money, lust, work, religion, entertainment, TV, sports… pretty much anything that’s not aligned with Truth.

So, it’s not all bad news - that verse isn’t exactly a Debbie Downer - it’s really just having the right perspective. Life is short, so as Paul tells us in Colossians, “Make the most of every opportunity.”

“Teach us to number our days, that we might gain a heart of wisdom”
Psalm 90:12

Another New Year… where did the time go? Wasn’t it just a couple of weeks ago when that last January rolled around? Didn’t the New England Patriots fail to go undefeated by losing in the Super Bowl just moments ago? Does it not seem like all the presidential campaigning just got started? (Well, no, that certainly went on for a very, very long time–I’m glad it’s finally over).

Time certainly flies, regardless of whether or not you’re having fun. And with each page turn of the calendar, it only seems to go by more and more quickly. I’m sure this new series will go by fast as well, but hopefully, it will give us insight into how we can take care of the business at hand and be good stewards of the time we’ve been given. Since I’m really pressed for time today, let’s just jump right into the table questions.

1. Have you ever made a New Year’s Resolution? How did it go?
One guy at our table said he makes them all the time, rather than once a year as a means of goal-setting. The consensus at our table was that no New Year’s Resolutions are ever made, and most of us hadn’t seen the other side of midnight on January 1 in quite some time. I guess you could say the only New Year’s Resolution we make is not to make any. Call us fuddy duddies if you will.

2. Do you ever count your days? When?
Some did, some didn’t. Mostly, our remaining days are really only considered on milestones, such as the 30th, 40th or 50th birthday–especially when you reach those half-way points of your family’s typical life expectancy. When we start wearing all the gold chains, buy the sports car and look into hair replacement you’ll know that we’ve REALLY started counting our days.

Interestingly enough, there are several life expectancy calculators out there that will give you an estimate for how much longer you have left to live. You can access one here: http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/calcs/n_expect/main.asp

And just for the record, I have 49 more years left…

3. How does counting your days help make things make sense?
We talked about how it gives you an eternal perspective of life. When you look at things through that lens, you realize that your life here on this earth is limited, and that your life is part of a larger story going on. You understand that all things work according to God’s timeline, not yours. When you try to make life adjust to your schedule, it can be quite frustrating because it rarely ever cooperates. That’s why timing is best left to heavenly hands.

4. Read the verse out loud. Why do you think Moses asked God to help his people number their days?
To make us wise in how we should live. To not procrastinate. To make the most of every moment. To make every second of every day count for something.

5. What benefit do you receive from numbering your days? Why is this important?
You understand that tomorrow is not guaranteed. It makes you consider what you would do differently. One guy mentioned that if you were told you had X number of days left to live, would you be satisfied with how you’d spent your time? Would you do anything different with how you’re living? He followed his response by sharing how he recently went to a funeral of a man where person after person shared about this man’s life, his spiritual accomplishments, his impact for the Kingdom, how each day he lived for God.

That’s why it’s important to keep your days numbered. To gain a heart of a wisdom, to consider each new day a gift, and live each moment for the Lord.

We’ve only got two more days until the next UNC… see you then and there.

Two are better than one.

That’s true when it comes to dollar bills, championships for your team, new episodes of Lost and barbecue sandwiches. And if you live in Utah, add wives to the list. That doesn’t apply to black eyes, late payments, and visits to the dentist in the same month.

But Solomon wasn’t talking about any of those things… Though he could certainly make an educated claim about the wives aspect. No, he was talking about friends. The guys who are at your side. Your wingmen. The dudes who outside of your wife, are always there for you. You can call them any time of the night, they listen when you need to rant, and can give you the gut check you need when you’re out of touch with reality. It may sting, but they know you need it, so they swing away. And you accept it because of who they are.

Sol’s dad David had one in Jonathan. Maverick had Goose. Lloyd Christmas had Harry. And despite his name, even the Lone Ranger had one in Tonto… Which leads me to my next point.

Culture tells us that (besides being idiots) real men need to be macho lone rangers who can go it on their own in life. They don’t need help from anybody or any thing. Otherwise, they’re soft. Weak. But the wisest man to have ever lived (who had many wives despite not living in Utah) had a much, much different perspective when it comes to having a band of brothers in your life that influence how you live:

Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:

If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

1. Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 out loud. What stands out to you?

The good return–a couple of guys pointed out that having influencers in your life and people who hold you accountable lead to something good in the end. It’s not in vain.

“But pity the man…” The New Revised Mr. T Translation would go something like this: “I pity the fool who has no men in his life, because if he gets in trouble, he’s toast.” So many guys don’t have this aspect in their lives, and they suffer from it. It’s tricky though, because most of them don’t even realize they need it until they’ve experienced it (kind of like HD).

2. Describe a time someone helped you up in a big way.

It was interesting… everyone at the table bought into this concept of two are better than one, so there were way too many stories to tell here. But I’ll share one that happened later that evening. It just so happened that my once-a-month accountability group was meeting the night after UNC. I was sharing an ordeal that’s been going on in my life, and how God brought something that potentially might help, but that I really didn’t want to do. They pretty much set me straight. Funny thing is, my wife said the same thing. So it’s worthwhile having guys who can confirm what your better half thinks. Well… some times :).

3. List some things that get in the way of authenticity:

Pride. Pride. Pride. Pride. We don’t want to let our guard down, so we hide behind an image that veils what’s really lurking inside us. One we think is acceptible. Did I mention pride?

Time, effort, concerted desire, laziness, business, inconvenience. But pride’s the big one.

4. Do you believe men need the fellowship of other men? How and when?

Yes and all the time. That wasn’t always the case, but once experienced, none of us could see how a believer can fully walk with the Lord to the degree He desires for us without having that band of brothers in your life. David had his Mighty Men. Solomon had a counsel of many. Jesus had his 12. Paul had Barny, Tim and couple of Greek-named guys. Why should we think that we need it any different?

5. What role does God play in your connection to men?

Without Him, it’s a tailgating session, a hunting club or bowling league. Add God to the mix, and walls get flattened and real life-change starts happening. Authentic connections are born and ground-breaking community begins.

6. What role do men play in your relationship with God?

A very significant one. From the guys at the table, to monthly groups that help sharpen our lives as husbands, fathers and followers of Christ. It’s kind of like AMEX–don’t go through life without it.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this
world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the
world.”   John 16:33

I have to admit that Dan’s newsletter this week and his set-up for our discussion at the tables really struck “home” for me!   You see….. I have been a trouble-avoider!  Some would say a non-confronter.  For various reasons I have chosen since childhood to base my significance and identity on the opinions of others.  It was so important for me to be liked (or loved) by everyone!  And in order to be liked by everyone I had to please them…….And in order to please them I had to stuff my frustrations, my feelings of rejection and my anger……….and when anger gets stuffed it will build up like hot lava in a volcano!  We have all experienced the “eruption” of “hot anger” that eventually comes out when someone has reached their “boiling point!”  Talk about trouble…..!  Well, just know that God has continued to pursue me in various ways, and yes, there has been trouble!!  And lots of it!  Not because He enjoyed seeing me squirm but because He loves me and knew that “trouble” was the best medicine for me.

As Dan pointed out in the newsletter,  we avoid trouble because we think that “happiness” is the absence of trouble.  We attempt to control everything around us so that we can be “pain free”!  How is then that Paul can sing in prison,  consider is “troubles” gain and then finally state, unequivocally, that “suffering is a gift”?!!  So is trouble good or is it bad…..?  Fasten your seat belts….. because if you haven’t experienced much of it….maybe you should?  Don’t worry, if you haven’t found trouble yet….Jesus says you will…….because He knows that trouble is good if it breaks us and finally brings us into a close, intimate relationship with him!   Now that’s a real blessing!

Based on the following questions about John 16:33, here’s what we discussed at our table:

1. Read this verse out loud. What stands out to you?

We focused on “in me”….and the fact that Jesus was providing a key principle for experiencing peace, and that is…. by “resting in”, “by remaining or abiding in”, or staying in “close proximity to” Him, we can have an “un-troubled well-being” even in the midst of trouble!  We also focused on the fact that Jesus was “guaranteeing” that we would have trouble! This is a fact because we live in a “fallen” world and as long as we choose to be autonomous from God we will make selfish choices which produce consequences that impact everyone .   Someone commented that “take heart” stood out for them because it was Jesus’s way of saying “be courageous” and “be confident”.

2. What does trouble look like to you?

Trouble to us can take on many forms i.e.  affliction, bad or broken relationships, pain, suffering, death, sadness, etc.  As someone said……”The big dog visits everybody’s yard!”  On the other hand, we acknowledged that what often is perceived as trouble today is later perceived as a blessing because it forced us to face the fact that we are not really in control which in turn increased our dependence on God.

3.  Do you believe walking with God will bring you more trouble or less?  Explain.

In one sense we want to believe that we will be “blessed” if we are obedient.  That is…..that things will go well, that we will avoid problems and have lives devoid of major problems.  But we also had to remind ourselves of the troubles that all of the Apostles faced in spite of their radical obedience.  (Hmmmm……….. could troubles actually be good for us?)

4. Do you encourage other men to walk with God? How and when?

Yes, we sometimes encourage men to walk with God but perhaps not as often as we could.  We do this thru daily, weekly and monthly encounters in the marketplace, in our neighborhoods, via our phones and emailing.

5. Name some environments/places that encourage you to walk with God?

We encourage other men in places like our offices and our homes as well as strategic environments like UnC, Iron Man groups, one-on-one mentoring/discipling/counseling relationships, church sponsored small groups and neighborhood bible studies.

6. What does it mean to take heart?

We felt “to take heart” meant “don’t worry be happy”, be of good cheer, have courage and be confident in and trust in Me.

1. Read Matthew 16:21-24. What stands out to you?
2. List some “things of men” that influence you.
3. Why do these influence you?
4. When do the things of men and Satan’s interests align?
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?
5. What does the above verse mean to you, personally? Today?

“And now, the end is here and so I face the final curtain. My friend, I’ll say it clear, I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain. I’ve lived a life that’s full; I traveled each and every highway. And more, much more than this, I did it my way.”

I’ve never been much of a Sinatra guy because, 1) He’s way before my generation, 2) I’m not a fan of anything New York 3) I’m not Italian (though I sure do like Italian food) and 4) I don’t have blue eyes. Not that those are any prerequisites. But I just never identified with him much. (Maybe also because his real name was Francis, which was my grandmother’s middle name, and I didn’t think that was very manly).

There’s a strong correlation between our likes and our plans and the things with which we identify. Peter obviously identified himself with Jesus — or at least with what Jesus had going on during his three years of earthly ministry. One day late into that effort, Peter announced Jesus was the Christ, the son of God. Jesus acknowledged the statement, saying it was God who’d revealed that to Peter. That probably stroked Pete’s ego a little. He probably thought, hey, this guy’s about to establish something big here on this real estate. Forget the fishing business–I’ll leave that to my brother-in-law for good–I’m putting all my stock in this Jesus guy and the kingdom he’s about to build.

But then, just a few verses later, Jesus says something different. Something about him having to suffer, die and then raising again on the third day… Whatever all that meant, it didn’t line up with Pete’s plans. “No way, Jose–or son of Jose, rather,” Peter told Jesus. “I’m not going to let that happen. I’ve invested time here with you. You’ve got an empire to conquer, a new kingdom to create. We’re doing it my way!”

And then Jesus said something that made it sound like Peter identified not with Jesus, but with… Satan?

Here’s what we discussed at our table:

1. Several different things stood out: Peter’s boldness in rebuking Jesus, Jesus calling him out so harshly, Jesus pointing out the things of men–the stuff we prioritize with our limited view of things instead of seeking the things of God, Peter–whose name meant “the rock”–being called a different kind of stone–one that causes people to stumble instead of being a foundation on which the church would be built.
2. Fear. Pain–we have more fear of having to endure painful circumstances rather than dying itself. Personal peace and comfort–as a society, we are so addicted to being comforted and entertained with our lifestyles (a Western/American phenomenon). Providing for ourselves. Disappointing our friends and family. The list just went on and on! Or maybe a is more appropriate.
3. Because our eyes are not fixed on Jesus. We succumb to the mind games thrown our direction that distract us from focusing on the things of God. None of these things sustain us, but we get caught up in our emotions and think we’re missing out on something, causing those fruitless pursuits to influence our lives. That fruit in the garden still causes fruitlessness with us today.
4. When don’t they?!?! It doesn’t take much to get us off God’s will. Just a slight nudge, and then we’re off to others’ interests.
5. That our calling is counterintuitive to the world’s way of thinking. We must empty ourselves, pouring out our interests and filling ourselves up with what God wants. We must decrease, He must increase. We must not be of this world, but we must be in it, sharing God’s mercy, grace and love to those who have the things of men in mind.

Can you imagine what life might look like today if Peter had done it his way? If he’d followed Frank Sinatra’s ode to opting for the things of men–that stuff that we want, because we think we know better?

Sinatra’s song ends with a very interesting, very stubborn proclamation: “For what is a man, what has he got? If not himself, then he has naught. To say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels. The record shows I took the blows and did it my way! Yes, it was my way….”

As for me, I’ll gladly kneel before the One on the throne. As tough as it is, I’ll have “naught” in order to take up my cross and follow the Chairman of the Board (Universe, that is). I’ll ditch Burger King’s like-minded motto and opt for another one of Sinatra’s song lines: “I want to be a part of it…” God’s will, that is.

This concludes our 5th Dimension series–thanks for being a part!

Talk about the ultimate deceit…….! Take scripture….add or subtract a couple words here and there…or maybe take it out of context and presto…..the devil can slip “twisted” scripture right under your radar and have you believing what you heard was the truth!  This is what Satan did with Jesus when he tempted him after 40 days and 40 nights in the desert.  Could Jesus really trust God to sustain him?  Would He provide the necessary sustenance that Jesus needed?

As it turns out…it was the Word of God that Jesus “ate” that sustained him.  And every time Satan tried to appeal to any possible weaknesses that Jesus might have…. Jesus countered with the Truth.   And so can we!

Here’s what we discussed at our table:

1.)  Do you ever doubt that God will sustain you?  When and Why?

Yes, when we don’t fully trust Him.  When we start believing Satan’s lies! Because we base our view of God on our circumstances rather than on who He is and who we are in Christ.

2.)  What does provision look like to you?

Provision can cover the whole range from basic necessities like food and shelter to the extravagant desires of caviar and multiple mansions.  It depends on whether or not God is God in our lives or if some “idol” has taken his place.  This is a reflection on where we are in our spiritual development i.e.  the condition of our hearts and whether or not we think we are in control.

3.)  How has God provided for you this week?  What role did you play?

Yes, but when we cut through all of the layers of “me-me-me” what we discovered is that all we really have is our “next breath”!  In other words, God provides us with everything but we still need to do our part i.e. till the soil.

4.)  Read Genesis 3:14-23 out loud.  What stands out to you?

God said….and so it is.  Cursed…..the serpent and the ground( woman and man were judged).  God said “…man has become like one of us…..” This is plural and alludes to the Trinity.  Death became man’s ultimate consequence.  Man was banished from the garden but not abandoned.

5.)  What do we learn about God from this text?

God controls everything. Disobedience has consequences(sometimes long term). God is just. God is merciful…..he let Adam and Eve live!  Eventhough Man would have to work hard (judgment), he would be able to produce food that would sustain him (grace).  Inspite of their sin, God provided clothing to cover their shame. God loves us…always.