This blog will cover two weeks of information, so I’ll jump right in.
Have your heart before the Lord:
1993 was a monumental year for me. I served Ovilla Road Baptist Church (my home church) as the youth pastor, and things were going well. Yes, I made typical immature decisions and acted like many of the youth I was leading, but the Lord was at work in our students. However, the Lord was stirring me that He was at work in me and would be making a change in my life. I was single, living at home with my parents, fully employed, and full of zeal.
In April of that year, I traveled to visit an extensive traveling ministry about overseeing their international youth ministry. They offered me the lead position where I would travel over 48 weeks of the year, preach to large student gatherings, and write curriculum. I sincerely felt like this was “it.” However, through the “silence,” I declined that opportunity and decided to “stay on at Ephesus” (ORBC) and trust the Lord for my future.
In October of that year, a friend, Ken Sheldon, invited me to speak at Umpqua Valley Christian School in Roseburg for a “Spiritual Emphasis Week.” Ken was the superintendent at UVC and attended ORBC for several years before moving to Roseburg. That was nothing short of amazing. I don’t have time to detail how the Lord showed up, but it was like a revival you’d read about in a history book. When I got on the plane, I felt like I had left home. The Lord began to stir me to “take no bag or money with you,” and seemed to be moving me to Roseburg.
When I got home, I informed my pastor, Nick Harris, about this, and he asked if we could take a month to pray, fast, and seek the Lord over this. He encouraged me to ask other spiritual mentors about this decision. One of those was my best friend’s soon-to-be father-in-law. His name was Mickey Moriarity. Mickey was a wonderful pastor, but he was also a successful businessman. More importantly, he was among the godliest men I’ve ever met. Mickey invited me over to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a Coke to talk. I’ll never forget his advice. He asked, “Are you scared of moving to Oregon?” “Yes,” I replied. Then he said, “David, as long as I’ve known you, your heart has always been towards the Lord, and if you keep your heart before the Lord, no matter where you go, He will meet you there.” And then he said, “If it doesn’t work out, you can always come home.” With that, he prayed for me, and I was totally at peace about moving to Oregon.
Sometimes, God’s word does not tell us which direction we need to take (e.g., which college to attend, which job to take, or which decision to make). In those times, the best thing we can do is put our hearts before the Lord, make a decision, and go, trusting that God will meet us.
This doesn’t mean we’re presumptuous, haphazard, or sloppy, nor does it mean we ignore clear biblical principles. But sometimes, we get “paralysis by analysis” and don’t act in faith or trust in God’s goodness.
Mickey was a great friend and gave me great advice. And guess what? The Lord sure met me in Roseburg, and I never went back home because it’s here.
Enforcer vs. Doer
James 4:11 says, “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?”
In this context, James wrote about the danger of speaking evil against each other and judging one another. His concern was that when we do this, we are not doers of the “perfect law,” which is to love our neighbor as ourselves, but we have become enforcers of the law. You can almost feel James’s perplexed look at us when we do this, when he asks, “Who are you to judge your neighbor?” because you’re not God.
This got me thinking about the Church (big C) and my heart. Many times I find myself frustrated with the way Christians have acted or decisions they’ve made (I don’t think I’m the only one). When this happens, I usually try to find a way to help people obey God’s principles and help them change. But I get worried, fearful, and impatient when they don’t. This text exposes why that happens. I’m attempting to play a role (Judge and enforcer of the law) that I’m not supposed to play. My job is to love my neighbor as myself, which means to reveal God’s law and commands to them if they have strayed (James 5:19-20). God’s job is to enforce His word and transform their hearts. He’s the judge, I’m not.
Now, think about how often you get impatient with others’ actions (your kids’, friends’, or boss). Think how critical you are of others’ decisions (“that’s unwise,” “wrong,” “sinful,” etc.). Think of how you’ve tried to “impress” upon others the seriousness of their sin or how you’ve attempted to help them see their lack of wisdom. Are there moments you’ve played the role of enforcer, rather than doer?
The danger of wealth and success:
One of the areas I briefly discussed on Sunday was the danger of forgetting God amid success and wealth. I brought that up because when I read the Bible, I don’t see the Lord condemning wealth. In fact, I see moments when he made His people very successful and wealthy, but warned them about forgetting Him when that happened (Abraham, Israel heading into the Promised Land, which is why he exiled them from their Promised Land). Further, I see men like King David, who took a census, because he became proud of his power and strength.
The Lord cautions us about this because when success and wealth happen, it is easy to forget how we got there and who got us there. Wealth and success can blind us to our needs and inadequacies. We begin to think, “We’ve arrived,” or “We’ve done it on our own,” without keeping our hearts in a humble posture before God and others.
It’s one of my significant concerns for our church. By His mercy and grace, the Lord made CLF a Christ-worshipping, loving, caring church. Yes, we’ve worked hard, but His grace has worked within us. If we forget this, we will become proud, critical, and suspicious of others and will not love Christ or others in a way that advances His gospel. I pray that no matter our size (small, big, or whatever), we will maintain a posture of humble gratitude and service to our glorious King!
To be honest, I believe we’re doing this well, and I’m eager for us to keep improving.
Cheap Seats:
- I’m a sucker for great outfield defense. Watch this one: https://www.mlb.com/video/zach-brzykcy-in-play-out-s-to-lars-nootbaar?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share
- And another: https://x.com/mlb/status/1922081117110186190?s=46&t=ANRRmEDhNWbghelISD7Rvw
- Honestly, I don’t know why the centerfielder was there, but this is crazy: https://www.mlb.com/news/red-sox-rob-homer-with-tipped-catch-between-two-outfielders
- I’ve never been tossed from a game, and I hope never to get tossed. But this is funny: https://www.mlb.com/news/torey-lovullo-ejects-umpires-vs-giants
Have a great week!
Christ is King!
In Christ,
Dave York
