Looking to Calvary

Would you turn down a winning lottery ticket? Would you not accept a gift from someone? Sometimes, we turn down what’s good for us, without even knowing it until it is too late.

Both of my parents spent most of their lives teaching music. They spent many hours patiently trying to help young boys or girls master the art of playing an instrument. When my dad died, many of those boys and girls, now adults came to his funeral expressing their condolences.

I was taken back by what many of them said, “I wished I had stayed with it. I wish my mom and dad had not allowed me to quit. I would give anything if I could play music!” They had regrets, because they realized they had given up a gift they now wished they had kept.

Jesus in his most famous sermon, the Sermon on the Mount gave eight statements about being blessed. Being blessed is like receiving a gift. But too often, believers are like those children who give up taking music lessons, they find the practice of their faith difficult, boring, or tedious and so they give it up, forfeiting the gift of being blessed.

If you are older than 40, the name Benjamin Spock is probably familiar. It was Dr. Spock that told an entire generation of parents to take it easy, don't discipline your children but allow them to express themselves. Discipline, he told us, would warp a child's fragile ego. Millions of parents followed this guru of child development. However, before his death Dr. Spock made an amazing discovery: He was wrong!

In fact, he said: "We have reared a generation of brats. Parents aren't firm enough with their children for fear of losing their love or incurring their resentment. This is a cruel deprivation that we have imposed on mothers and fathers. Of course, we did it with the best of intentions. We didn't realize until it was too late, how our know-it-all attitude was undermining the self assurance of parents." Oops!

Discipline is very important in practicing, whether it’s music, sports or your faith.  Tom Landry, the former football coach of the Dallas Cowboys, said, “The job of a football coach is to make men do what they don’t want to do, in order to achieve what they’ve always wanted to be.”

Practicing your faith, by reading God’s word, going to church regularly, studying the bible, fasting, spending time alone, mediating on God’s word, doing acts of service, sharing your faith with others, are all acts of spiritual discipline. Practicing them allows us to receive God’s blessing.

Wouldn’t it be a shame if someday, we say,” I wish I had stayed with it. I wish someone had made me keep at it!” When we turn away from the practice and discipline of faith, we turn down a gift and a blessing from God. It’s the season of Lent, why not start practicing today! There is a free gift waiting!

Blessings,

Pastor Tom