The Road Less Travelled

May 10, 2013 by journeyintolight

I have been grieving since I heard a couple of days ago that a man who has had a great influence on my life had died. He has been an inspiration and guide to me for over eight years through his books. His name is Dallas Willard.

One of his key teachings concerned the “Easy Yoke.”  He took this teaching from Matthew 11:28-30, where Jesus says, “My yoke is easy and My load is light.” His yoke for us is to take the road of his choosing depending on his guidance and help. Sadly, it is often a road less travelled.

Let me briefly illustrate.

Up until a month ago, I planned to self-publish a book without professional editing. I had received up until then a lot of good help, but it was not at the professional-level.

But I have changed my mind in the last month. I have chosen to take the road less travelled.

In the last month, God has made clear to me that this was his book, not mine. He also wants this book to be professionally edited so that it could do a good job in telling his message.

In addition, he wanted me to give up my ego and seek his glory on this journey. He also wanted me to learn from him about how to write better.

I feel like I am living “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24).“

So, why do we often not choose to take the road less travelled? Why do we choose to be weary and heavy-laden (Matthew 11:28)?  Why do we often take the hard road?

One big reason is that we would rather do life our way. We do not want to take the road that God has mapped out for us. We would rather take our own road without his help.

Another reason is that we do not rely on “ You are precious, you are honored and I love you” (Isaiah 43:4). As a result, we frantically seek achievement, reputation, and material things to meet these needs. But as the verse above says, we already have these things as gifts from God!

A third reason is that we often take responsibility for the results. We try to make it happen. We can’t trust that God will make it happen. We fail to “Come to Jesus and find rest for our souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

So, how to we take this road less travelled?

One suggestion is that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a prayer. We can come to Jesus and ask him to help us take on his yoke. We next trust what God promises, which is  “I am with you, I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you (Isaiah 41:10).

We then walk with Jesus on the road less travelled.

Rich Kehoe

Posted in Lordship | 2 Comments »

Can You Handle the Truth?

May 3, 2013 by journeyintolight

A couple of weeks ago I had a tooth ache so I went to a dentist to have it checked out. After he looked at the x-rays and examined where it hurt, he found nothing wrong.

As he was preparing the paperwork to send me to a root canal specialist, I asked if he thought that this pain could be caused by emotional stress.

He looked at me like I was from another planet. Of course not, it had to be something wrong with the tooth or root canal he told me.

I then explained that I had had a similar pain five years ago and it was not due to something being wrong with the tooth or root canal. I knew this because I had four root canals and one tooth pulled in that year chasing the pain that never went away. Only when I treated the pain as caused by emotional stress did it go away.

He wasn’t impressed.

I wondered if this was yet another example of someone not able to handle the truth.

Now, I am pretty sure it is. The pain is almost gone treating the cause as emotional stress.

I have also wondered if not handling the truth were behind some of the resistance I have met  as I have tried to teach others about spiritual formation that I learned in seminary. Grant you that some of the teachings and practices are new to a lot of churches, but that does not make them wrong?

Does it make any difference that they are biblical and have had a profound effect on my spiritual life? Evidently it makes no difference to some people. I suspect that they cannot handle the truth.

So, what is going on here? Why do we sometimes not handle the truth to our own peril?

There are a lot of reasons for this. I resisted the truth that I needed to work with God, and not for him for a long time. God says, “apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

This means that I cannot do anything of eternal value without depending on him. This hurts my pride. Therefore, I chose not to handle this truth for many years.

Another big reason we struggle with handling the truth is that it often conflicts with our traditions and habits. The pain of embracing new truth can be too great. So we “become old and foolish kings who no longer know how to receive instruction” (Ecclesiastes 4:13). We become set in our ways.

Yet, God wants us to change. He wants us to grow more like him. He wants us to handle the truth that our pride, complacency, and self-sufficiency need to go.

May we humble ourselves and ask God to “teach us to number our days that we present to You a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). This heart of wisdom comes from handling the truth (Psalm 51:6).

Posted in Truth | 1 Comment »

A Time to Rest

April 27, 2013 by journeyintolight

A Pastor at my church recently asked me if I wanted to work with him in the fall to bring a new ministry into the church. I felt excited about it, but at the same time I felt tired. I thought of all the extra work I would have to do.

Then another person in the church asked if I would help out in another ministry. The commitment would be just a few hours once in awhile.

At the same time, I began to notice physical signs of being stressed. I began to ponder what might be causing these feelings. I then thought of the many challenges I have had to face in the last few months. Several of them have yet to be overcome.

I decided right then that this summer needed to be a time for me to rest. I needed to pay attention to the stress within me and care for my soul. I can’t give much when I am exhausted within.

But I hate to rest. I hate to experience the painful feeling within when I slow down and pay attention to them. Often I would rather run from my feelings and stay busy. Therefore, I struggle to rest.

Yet, God says that there is a time for every event under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1). This means that there is a time to rest. God does not want us to work all of the time. This rest could be for a few hours a week or a slowed-down summer.

Yet, we often resist rest. We often resist rest because we can’t conqueror and earn the praise of others and acceptance by ourselves.

I read a book several years ago called When I Rest I Feel Guilty. The author felt that he had to be busy all the time to be a worthwhile person. Many of us feel the same way. So, we don’t rest.

God encourages us to “Cease striving and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). It seems that some of us resist the idea that we need his help and refuse to face our limitations. We choose to try to muscle our way through life in the illusion that we can make life work without God. So, we don’t rest.

We would be wise to follow God into his green pastures and quiet waters (Psalm 23). We would be wise to allow him to restore our souls as we rest.

So, how do you feel about rest? Do you think it is a waste of time or a little scary?

Ask God to show you if you need more rest. If you do, ask him to give you the courage to rest and how to best do it.

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Do You Live Like an Agnostic?

April 20, 2013 by journeyintolight

I was having breakfast with a friend the other day when he said to me, “I think I am an agnostic. I know what the Bible says, but I do not sense that God is with me during the day. It seems like he leaves me to my own wits and wisdom to make life work.”

I was stunned! How could he say such things? Yet, I think there is a lot of truth in what he said about the way we live much of the time.

I had a second conversation with another friend this week regarding how a church business meeting had been conducted. He told me that the purpose of the meeting was to plan for the future. Yet, there seemed to be little prayer and seeking God through his Word influencing the meeting. He could see little difference between this planning meeting and one that would have been done in a secular business.

Both of these conversations show how difficult it is for us to include God in our daily lives. We were born to leave God out of our lives. We also have been trained to leave God out of our lives.  Our families, friends, culture, and bad habits often steer us away from living life with God.

This is sad. God deeply desires our companionship through the day. He says we can do nothing of eternal value without him (John 15:5). He also says that to partner with him through the day is good for us,  “for My yoke is easy and My load is light” (Matthew 11:30).

But what do we do about it? What do we do with our strong desire and commitment to go through a day without seeking his help?

God says to commit this giant autonomy problem to him and he will help us change (Psalm 55:22). He also promises that as we live our day allowing him to help us we will experience his love, peace, and joy (Galatians 5:22). We grow hungrier for his presence when we “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).

So, do you live like an agnostic? If you do, do you realize what you are missing? Let God into your day. Let him help you face your problems at work and at home. Let him guide and give you the strength to live life with him.

Posted in Faith | 4 Comments »

Can You Handle Success?

April 9, 2013 by journeyintolight

 

I have started a new ministry in the last year and have written a book. I have worked hard to succeed. Both the ministry and the book are trying to help people to grow into a deeper and richer relationship with God. It is exciting and God is blessing!

Lately, it has dawned on me that I may not be ready for success. There is some evidence to suspect that success may get me distracted off my higher priority commitments. These are commitments like my relationship with God and my family relationships. Now, my prayers are, “Lord don’t make me any more successful that I can handle!” “Change me so that I can handle success.”

We all dream of being successful. We want to make an impact on the world. We often want to make a lot of money and live in a big house. We want people to think that we are smart and to respect us. We want to raise good kids and have a great marriage. Then, we will be successful.

But will we be? Do we really know what success is? Will pursuing success cause us to fail at life?

So many of the successful people in the Bible did not handle success well. Solomon enjoyed much success, but ended a disillusioned and bitter old man. David was the greatest ruler Israel ever had, yet at the height of his success he became a murderer and adulterer. Uzziah became powerful as the king of Judah, but then acted proudly and corruptly and his life ended in disgrace.

God warned Israel of success. He warned them not to forget him and become proud when they achieved success in the Promised Land. He did not want them to take credit for the success that he gave them. He warned them “you shall perish, because you would not listen to the voice of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8: 14-20).

So, can you handle success? I heard it said that for every 100 people who can handle failure, only one can handle success.

But what is success? How would God define success for us? This is what the Bible says:

  • Ø Success is doing whatever tasks God gives us, in his power, and for his honor and purposes (1 Corinthians 3: 10-15).
  • Ø Success is being content with our circumstances as we rely on God’s help (Philippians 4:12-13).
  • Ø Success is respecting God and keeping his commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

So, can you handle this kind of success?

Posted in Success | 1 Comment »

Accidents Do Happen

March 30, 2013 by journeyintolight

On Thursday of last week I was at a Writer’s Conference having a great time in the scenic mountains of Santa Cruz. My thoughts were filled with questions I had for my writing mentor who I was to meet with at 4. A few minutes before my appointment, as I was going down some outside steps, my foot missed the second step from the top.  The next thing I knew I had hit my head on the concrete at the bottom of the stairs.

As I lay there, being stared at by five pairs of eyeballs, I tried to assess the situation. I sensed that it would not be wise to stand up. Then, one of the pair of eyeballs begin looking me over in a knowing way. I hoped with all my heart that he would not find anything of concern.

We talked for a bit, and then he gave me a choice. One option was to go to the hospital in an ambulance and be checked out more closely. I didn’t want to do that! The other option was for him to take me to Urgent Care in a car and there be examined further. That sounded better!

At Urgent Care I was checked and probed again. This time it was a doctor doing the checking. The conclusion was mostly good, but she did declare that I had suffered a minor concussion. She indicated that this could lead to some serious complications in the next few days. However, she comforted me with saying that these complications were not likely.

It has now been nine days since the accident. I am grateful to God that these complications never happened. I also have nearly recovered from all my visible injuries. This even includes my black eye.

So, what did God have in mind when he allowed this accident? I certainly do not know all that he had in mind, but the following are my takeaways so far:

  • Gained wisdom in going down stairs.
  • Felt loved and protected by God. The injuries could have been much worse.
  • Reminded how fragile life is, and everything can change in a moment.
  • Experienced God’s love and concern through many people during this difficult time.
  • Know that God will bring good from the missed 4 o clock appointment, although I was deeply disappointed in not making it to the time (Romans 8:28).

Posted in Circumstances | Leave a Comment »

Sowing in Tears

March 8, 2013 by journeyintolight

“Sowing in tears” is hard for us to do (Psalm 126:5). It often leads to our giving up because it is just too painful. Even if God promises a harvest some day, there is still often painful sowing and waiting before results are seen.

A couple of months ago, I almost gave up. I had invested $10,000, 1,400 hours and nearly three years in writing a book. My harvest was only 26 copies sold. I wanted out. It was too embarrassing and too hard on how I felt regarding my self-worth.

So, I consulted the Lord for direction. His response was to continue writing. Even if there would never be much in the way of results, he would be pleased because I did it with him and for his purposes. Pleasing him would be enough harvest. Anything else would be frosting on the cake.

Therefore, I continue to write. He promises me that I will reap if I do not give up (Galatians 6:8). That reaping may be just pleasing him, but it could also include helping many Christians to deepen their love relationships with the Lord.

We must remember that God’s work in and through us often starts small (Matthew 13:31) and grows slowly . We need to be patient. God wants us to look to the prophets as our mentors in “suffering and patience” in doing God’s work (James 5:10). Much of the time they were in great pain and often missed the joy of stardom. Yet, they experienced the strength of God’s presence in their sowing in tears (Jeremiah 1:19).

If you are sowing in tears these days, may I encourage you that you are not wasting your time. “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (I Corinthians 15:58). Don’t let the lack of results fool you. Sow in tears till God clearly leads in another direction.

Application Exercise

What is a work that you are doing these days in which you feel like you are “sowing in tears”? Ask the Lord if he wants you to continue with this ministry or go in a different direction. What did he say?

Posted in Perseverance | Leave a Comment »

Broken Things

March 1, 2013 by journeyintolight

I told some church leaders this week that one of the biggest reasons I thought that God was using their church so much was because they were broken people. They knew they could not do it, but God could. They lived the truth that “when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

Someone once said, “God loves to use broken things.” One of the biggest obstacles that we have to being used by God is our determination to run from our brokenness. How can God use us if we refuse to acknowledge our brokenness and allow him to empower us?

We often refuse to accept the truth that we cannot do one thing that lasts for eternity without God using us. ”Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). But we continue striving to make things happen. We refuse to recognize that only God can make things happen. God tells us to “Ceasing striving and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

I think that many of us are deceived into thinking that we are strong, good, and capable people, all by ourselves. We think we can do great and mighty things, with just a little help from God. We often miss the truth that without God leading the way we are “miserable and poor and blind and naked” (Revelations 3:17) in accomplishing God’s work.

One big reason that many of us are deceived is that we have been trained in moralism. This training leads us to believe we are pretty good in our own strength.  It leads us away from living in our brokenness. It leads us to refuse to accept the reality that “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit “ (Zechariah 4:6).

Peter was ready to be used by God when he was broken. He realized that he could not serve God in his own strength when he denied he knew Jesus three times (Luke 22:62) Then, God used him to lead 3,000 people to Christ.

What a gift God gives for us to know and accept our brokenness. May we be like Paul and embrace our brokenness (2 Corinthians 12:10). May we be deceived no longer. God wants to use broken things!

An Application Exercise

Thank God for the things in your life right now that make you feel broken. Ask God to use this brokenness to transform you and to minister to others.

 

Posted in Humility | Leave a Comment »

Let’s Get Practical!

February 9, 2013 by journeyintolight

Haven’t you learned a lot of things in life that you have never used? Doesn’t that frustrate you sometimes? For example, I have never used calculus outside of a classroom. How frustrating since it took so much time and energy to learn it. I am sure you have learned a lot that you makes you wonder what good was learning that?

The Bible teaches that when it comes to growing spiritually that learning the Bible without getting practical is stupid (James 1:22). Yet, some churches seem to park on Bible knowledge and keeping it abstract on purpose. I wonder if they fear the messy world of getting practical where routines and being comfortable get threatened.

I would rather learn an ounce of truth and apply a pound of application, than learn a pound of truth with an ounce of application. Yet, this does not seem to be the pattern in many churches. Perhaps, this is because of how pervasive intellectualism has gripped our society. We think that if we know, we will be. We skip getting practical.

Paul says get practical like him, as he gets practical like Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:1). Observing Paul living out of his knowledge in daily life imitating Jesus is how to get practical and become godly. We are not to stop at sermons and bible studies. If we refuse to get practical, we have missed the mark in living life in God’s power (Deuteronomy 5:29).

The source of getting practical is our hearts (Proverbs 4:23). We cannot get practical without God changing them. Out of who we are determines how practical we are in living like Jesus. May I encourage you to get practical by allowing God to take your knowledge and make it real in your heart. Your journey begins and continues with this prayer.

Posted in Application | Leave a Comment »

Stop Worrying!

February 1, 2013 by journeyintolight

“Stop worrying!” This really is good advice. The Bible says to stop it (Ecclesiastes 11:10). Doctors tell us to stop it. And our own common sense tells us to stop it. But how do we stop it?

A couple of days ago I had a periodic trip to the doctor to be checked over. As usual, I got anxious beforehand and worried that all might not be right. Even though I pegged my chances that all was right at 93%, I was still worried about that pesky 7% chance that all was not right.

I ask God to help me understand what I was thinking and believing about the upcoming doctor’s visit that was causing me worry. As usual, it was the same habit of putting my faith in getting good results. Instead, God impressed upon me to rely on him and his truth. Truth like he loves me, he is with me, he will support me regardless of results, and that he will work whatever happens to his and my good.

So, I clung to these truths, repeating them over and over to myself as I went to the doctor’s office. I ignored my fears within and kept my mind focused on the above truths. The result – I sensed his presence and I received a clean bill of health!

Many of us are skilled worriers. We have lifelong habits of relying on lies that trigger fear and worry within us. One of these common lies is that there is no God and that we have to be adequate in conquering all the challenges we face. Even when we believe that there is a God, we often prefer to handle the problems ourselves.

So, we worry and try to be God. We fail to realize that God did not make us to go it alone. “For man was born for trouble” (Job 5:7). We were made to need God’s help. That is why we feel peace when we bring God into our problems when we pray (Philippians 4:6-7).

We need to work with God in taking captive to the truth the lies that cause us to worry (2 Corinthians 10:5). Lies like we need to be perfect to be loved, we need to impress others to be an acceptable person, and that we must run from our pain instead of face it. All these are lies and when we rely on them, we often fear and worry.

So, to stop worrying, we need to develop some new thinking habits. When we start to worry, we need to stop and pray. When we start to indulge in a lie, we need to think about what is true, right, honorable, lovely, reputable, excellent and the praiseworthy as commanded by God (Philippians 4:8). And we need to rely on God to change our hearts so that we have the ability to stay focused on God to enable us to stop worrying! (Isaiah 26:3).

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