Day One       Recognition

A couple of years ago Andrea took Caleb to a University of Oklahoma football game. She and Caleb arrived somewhat late and had a difficult time finding their seat in the midst of the standing crowd.  A young boy scout eventually led them to their seat where they began to watch the game.  It was not long before Andrea had entered into a conversation with the lady seated next to her.  They spoke of make up, hair styles, clothes, purses, and many other game related topics.

 

“Now, did Bobby give you these tickets?” the lady asked Andrea.

 

Andrea said yes, since my father, Bob Anthony, had given us the tickets.  She did find it strange that this woman not only knew Bob but that she was calling him “Bobby.”  But, the conversation was enjoyable so she did not question.

 

I was at home during all of this and in the middle of the game I received a phone call from my sister who was supposed to be sitting next to Andrea and Caleb.

 

“Why are Andrea and Caleb not sitting with us?” she inquired.  I did not have any idea what was going on as she continued, “I saw her in the next section over and she was visiting with some woman.  I’ve been trying to call her but she must not be hearing her phone.  I thought maybe she couldn’t find us.  I don’t see her anymore so if she calls let her know she is one section from where she is supposed to be”

 

At about this time Andrea did beep in.  “I’m so embarrassed!” she began to explain.  “I have been sitting next to this woman and just realized that I am in the wrong section.  This woman kept talking about Bobby and I thought it was your dad but it turns out that she was talking about her husband, Bobby Stoops!”

 

Andrea later told me that she had enjoyed her conversation so much but that if she had realized she was visiting with the coach’s wife she probably would not have felt so free to visit and share.  She also said that if she had known who she was visiting with, she would have had a better understanding of who “Bobby” was and is.

 

If she had recognized who she was visiting with then her interaction would have been totally different.  Sometimes recognition can hinder us from true and real interaction but sometimes true recognition allows us total freedom in our interactions.

 

Our interaction with God is of this nature.  When we have true recognition of who He is, then we are free to fully and honestly relate to and with Him.

 

Look at the interaction of the Samaritan woman in John 4.  Notice how the manner in which this woman related to Christ changed as she began to get a glimpse of who He was.  Where was their interaction headed in the beginning and where did it end?

 

What made the difference in the interaction?

 

How does recognizing who God is change the way you interact with Him?

 

What do you need to do to better understand and recognize who He is in order to enable you to fully relate to Him?

 

Day Two      No Need

“How do you spell “dot”?  Lily asked one morning years ago.

 

“D.O.T.” I replied.

 

A little time later she approached Andrea, “How do you spell “com”?

 

After a discussion of clarification Andrea said, “C.O.M.”

 

“It just won’t work!” we soon heard Lily yell out in frustration.  Andrea went over to her to discover the reason for her aggravation.

                                   

“I want to go to www.disney.com on the internet and it just won’t work,” she said as she rubbed the tears off of her face.  She had the brought the Disney Magazine with her to the computer to learn how to spell “Disney” and then asked for our help with the “Dot” and the “Com”.

 

She thought she could do it without us, but found that her understanding of the dot com address was a bit off course.

 

It is nice to be needed.

 

A couple of months ago we walked in the kitchen to find Isaiah staring intently at the back cover of his “Bibleman” DVD case.  He had the computer on and was typing something as he looked at the case. “I’m going to the Bibleman web site,” he announced, and soon he was there.  He did not need our help, he understood the whole “dot com” stuff and was ready to ride the wave.

 

Andrea and I both found ourselves impressed that he had this all figured out but also a little disappointed that he no longer needed us….at least for this.

 

We have a natural desire to be needed.  It gives us a sense of worth and even stability.  If someone needs us then we think we have a purpose for being here.  Often times relationships are built completely upon the need one person has for the other.  When this need diminishes the glue holding the relationship together dissolves as well. 

 

Our relationship with God is a relationship that has the element of need although that was not the founding purpose.  Read Acts 17:24-25 and see what God says about His need for us.

 

Who is in need in our relationship with God?

 

Do you think this is why God developed the relationship from creation?

 

No, God initiated His relationship with us because He desires to relate to us.  He accepts our position of need and His love for us is consistent and strong enough to fill that need.  It is o.k for us to need Him, but we must understand that He does not need us…….we wants and desires relationship with us!  He knows how needy we are and He still desires to relate to us. Our need does not puff Him up or make Him feel important, God is God, He is important and does not need our affirmation in any way to prove that.  He relates to us because of His great love for us.

 

Day Three    He Knows

One of the most frustrating classes I took in seminary was a class called “Missiology.”  The frustration was not in the professor or the subject, I found both fascinating.  The subject was world missions and the professor was a gentleman who had served, along with his wife and family, as a missionary in the bush of Africa for over thirty years.  Not only was he informative and inspiring but he would also bring special speakers into the class who would enlighten us on the many wonderful works going on in the name of Christ around the world. We learned of feeding programs in the drought stricken areas of Africa, the work with refugees in the many war torn sections of the world, as well as the efforts to translate and communicate the gospel in the most remote parts of the world. I actually looked forward to going to this class.

 

The frustrating thing about the class was my classmates, my fellow seminarians.  Almost every class these students would take over the discussion to give their opinions and personal experiences related to missions.  The problem was that most of them had not truly been there, they had not been on the mission field to the extent this professor and his special speakers had been.  These students had been on a week, or even possibly as summer mission trip, and now they were the experts.  Most of them, however, had spent much time thinking about the subject and how it should be done and therefore felt the need to enlighten the world on the subject.

 

I have to admit that by mid semester I found myself purposely sitting on the back row and leaving once the students had taken over.

 

There is much to be learned when we allow ourselves to learn from the right persons.  There is much to be gained when we sit at the feet of the experts and truly listen.

 

Listening is not always our strong point as humans.  We want to contribute and be recognized as opposed to anonymously sitting and learning.

 

This is another true element in our relationship with God.  He is the expert and we have much to gain from listening and paying attention to Him.  What does Acts 17:26 say about the characteristic of God’s expertise?

 

How does your relationship with God reflect that He is the expert and you are the willing student?

 

Day Four      Understanding Value

Orthodontic retainers have caused us a certain amount of turmoil around our house over the past couple of years.  Last year, after we returned home a Friday night Parent’s Night Out at the church, Caleb realized that he was missing his retainer.  We turned the car and the house upside down looking for this gross and expensive piece of mouthware.  Finally, we gave up and accepted the fact that we would have to pay to get another one made.  On the following Monday afternoon I was walking out to my car at the church when I noticed something on the cement across the lot.  I walked over and found that this was the missing and much sought after retainer.  It had survived three days in the parking lot and was not even damaged by all the cars on that Sunday morning.  This happened a few more times with Caleb…he now has a permanent retainer glued into his mouth.

 

Now, Lily has a retainer.  It is bright pink and equally disgusting. We recently ate at the Boomerang restaurant and on the way home Lily realized that her retainer was not on her person. We quickly searched the car soon accepting the fact that it was most undoubtedly now in the Boomerang trashcan.  I called the restaurant and found out that the can of garbage had not yet been taken to the dumpster…this was a good sign.  When we got to the restaurant the manager insisted on going through the garbage himself and soon appeared with the pink retainer.  We are now huge Boomerang fans (we do assume as well that the manager went straight to wash his hands after rescuing our retainer).

 

I have noticed now, following that particular retainer incident, that Lily is much more careful with her retainer.  She is always aware of where it is and is very careful where she places it.  The search for her retainer has caused her to realize its value.

 

How does this relate to what God said in Acts 17:27?

 

What is our search for God?  What does it look like?

 

Is the search ever over?

 

How does it change our sense of value regarding our relationship with God?

 

Is God hiding?

 

How are you searching for God?

 

Day Five       Center of Life

William J. Murray says this of his mother, renowned atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair,

 

My mother was an evil person ... Not for removing prayer from America’s schools ... No ... She was just evil. She stole huge amounts of money. She misused the trust of people. She cheated children out of their parents’ inheritance. She cheated on her taxes and even stole from her own organizations. She once printed up phony stock certificates on her own printing press to try to take over another atheist publishing company. I could go on but I won’t. All the money my mother made in this manner stayed behind. It did not go with her. "For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out." I Timothy 6:7

 

This is the description of a person who has put “self” at the center of their life.  Everything they do is centered on themselves.  Many, if not most, humans are in this same place.  This includes a great many followers of Christ.  We fail to realize that we cannot have both self and Christ at the center of our lives.  While most do not end up in the desperate place that Madalyn Murry O’Hair ended up we do still wind up missing out on what it means to have Christ at the center of our life. 

 

Look at Acts 17:28.  What are the key elements of this verse?

 

How would you explain this verse today?

 

What is the basic application to you?

 

What is your “being”?

 

How does this verse instruct you to live?