“Trophy…” (by Mel McGuire)

I played team sports as a child. At the end of every season, the top three teams would have a ceremony where they would be recognized for their achievements and each player would receive a trophy.

The team that won the most, or earned first place, got the biggest trophy. Made sense to me. Now as an adult, I see kids receiving trophies merely for participating. Some sports do not keep score, do not establish a winner (or loser), and everyone receives the same reward regardless of how well they perform.

I think sometimes believers think God is giving out participation trophies. We often act like there is no benefit to “winning”, just showing up and “trying” ought to be enough to win the prize.

In sports there is a price to pay in order to win the ultimate prize. It involves sacrifice, pain, overcoming adversity, and actually performing at a high level at the right time. While there may be some good fortune involved for sure, no team wins the highest prize without doing the work.

The participation trophy is probably okay for beginners, for novices, or for children. Adults, professionals, and maturing believers should not expect such from God. If we are honest, we would all prefer not to have to do all that it takes to win, as long as we receive the winner’s prize. But neither God, nor real life, hands out such a trophy.

We want the ring without the seventh game victory, the cup without the season-long struggle, the title without the fight, the applause without the adversity. We want the result without the work.

As believers, we want His power but not His persecution, His life without our death, His insight without His intimacy, and His Crown without His character. We cannot have His will without His way, nor His voice without His word.

We would all love to do what he did without having to become what he was. Think about that. We want the title of overcomer without actually overcoming anything. We are called more than conquerors, yet often refuse to fight, much less win.

God’s grace and His mercy are always available to us, not so we can do just enough to “make it in”, but to demonstrate to the world that He is alive and still reigns over this world! God is a champion! He wants to be in first place in your life.

When God is your champion, He gets your best. You give Him the biggest trophy of all…your life! Your heart, mind, soul, strength…it all goes to give Him the glory! When we do that, we recognize Him as Lord of all, King of kings, Almighty God.

When we don’t we are basically offering Him a participation trophy, the same reward as everyone else in our life. REALLY??

He has given us everything we need to win, to overcome, to conquer. Win the fight, win the race…win the trophy, the top prize: Not just life, but eternal life!

“Deep…” (by Mel McGuire)

I was having a discussion recently about the frustration that comes when others do not (or cannot) share your passion, commitment, dedication, or depth about something. Not that we are all so deep that no one can hang with us, but some people are simply not going to match or exceed your level of involvement or capacity to care. You’re too deep.

This particular conversation centered around spiritual things and ministry related things, but I believe the principle the Lord shared with me applies to a variety of situations. Everybody will not go deep, or at least as deep, as you in certain circumstances.

The difference between snorkeling and SCUBA diving is illustrated in the two images. The SCUBA diver is deep and while a snorkeler can go deep…they cannot remain there any longer than they can effectively hold their breath.

At some point, they will have to return to the surface. Snorkelers usually swim in shallow water, occasionally diving under water for a short period of time. They must be able to return to the surface in order to breathe. They can go deep, but they cannot stay deep.

SCUBA divers are equipped to go deep and stay deep. Of course, they take their air with them, but it allows them remain underwater for extended periods of time. They may see a snorkeler, may even hang with them for a minute to two…but then the snorkeler must return to the surface.

So it is in ministry or other endeavors where people do not have equal commitment or passion. Everyone is not equipped or even interested in SCUBA diving. It takes longer to certify, requires more training, carries more risk, and takes more effort. Most people are content to snorkel.

When it comes to actually swimming in the ocean, I am a snorkeler. “Jaws” convinced me long ago, I had no God ordained reason to be that far under water for that length of time. I own that. In other areas of my life, I am a SCUBA diver and I own that too. I have some friends who can go deep and stay deep with me, and I have some friends who “snorkel” in those areas.

The bible tells us that “deep calls unto deep” and there are “the deep things of God” that some will explore and experience…but not everyone. That is fine. Snorkelers who remain under too long could drown. We have all seen folks fall away because they “got in over their head”. They needed to return to the surface.

Whether is a concept that requires a certain amount of depth like fasting or sacrifice, or a level of commitment that goes beyond one’s ability to “hold their breath” …everyone is not going to be able to go deep.

Prayer, Worship, Giving, Serving, Teaching, Hospitality, Study of the Word…these are all examples where all of us should be willing to get in the water. But some will snorkel while others will SCUBA. Deep is calling…who will answer?

“Bunker…” (by Mel McGuire)

I play golf. When you play golf, eventually you will find yourself in a bunker. As difficult as hitting a golf ball can be…it is a completely different task to escape a bunker.

A bunker is designed to slow your progress and normally you will lose distance when hitting out of a bunker. There are four things you should do to get out of a bunker.

First, you must bend your knees, get low and stay low through the shot. Second, you must open your club face, meaning point it more towards the sky. Third, you must use the sand to get the ball out. Finally, you must follow through on your swing.

These are the fundamentals of escaping a bunker and minimizing your damage. The spiritual parallels are amazingly similar for those times in our lives when we find ourselves in a bunker.

First we must bend our knees. Humble yourself and acknowledge your mistake(s). Pray and ask for forgiveness and stay low until you are safely out of trouble. This seems simple enough, but often times because we did not keep our head down on the prior swing…is the reason we landed in the bunker in the first place.

Second, we must turn our face skyward. The Psalmist said he will lift up his eyes to the hills where his help comes from, his help comes from the Lord. We must look to the Lord, His way, His word, for our help.

In golf, opening the club face adds loft, which makes it easier to get the ball up…which is necessary to clear the lip or edge of a bunker. Turning your face skyward allows you to lift your problem to the Lord.

Third we must not target the ball, but the sand that holds the ball. In golf, a good bunker player will aim a few inches behind the ball. They will hit the sand and use the sand to throw the ball out of trouble.

We are not fighting a natural battle, but a spiritual one. So the ball is not our problem, the sand is. So when we attack the sand, the situation or circumstance that is hindering us, we can actually use the circumstance to help get us out of trouble.

Changing our circumstance is a result of prayer, speaking God’s word, and changing our behaviors. When we do that, God can take that which our enemy meant for our detriment, and use it for our good. This is where testimonies begin…in the sand!

Finally, we must follow through with everything God says, so we can get out and stay out of trouble. Often time’s golfers are not convinced it will take a full swing, a hard swing, a complete swing to hit a golf ball just a few yards to escape trouble. So, they don’t commit, and stop the swing short…and leave themselves in the bunker.

So too, we as believers sometimes think, “it don’t take all that”, and we do not trust God to deliver us, so we do not follow through…and we find ourselves still trapped.

Get low, turn your face skyward, use the sand to your advantage, and follow through completely. Good golfers do not fear bunkers, nor should strong Christians fear traps, for they know, like a good golfer, there is a way to escape!

“New Horizons…” (by Mel McGuire)

Image converted using ifftoany

The news was recently dominated by pictures of Pluto and its moon by the space probe “New Horizons” as it did a flyby as the culmination of a nine and a half year journey…to do a flyby and take pictures of Pluto and its moon.

While everyone was aghast at the most detailed images of Pluto we have ever known…I was struck by the length of the journey. I immediately thought, “what would be my reaction if God told me He was sending me on a nine plus year journey?” That it would take over nine years for me to fulfill my purpose, to reach my goal?

New Horizons launched in January of 2006. It took some images of Jupiter and then they shut it down. For most of its journey to its destination, towards its purpose…New Horizons was in “hibernation mode”.

They woke it up occasionally, perhaps once a year, to make sure everything they would need worked. Once confirmed…back to hibernation. But someone had to monitor and evaluate it constantly, even though it would be years before it could do what it was designed and built to do.

It had to be built to withstand the environment of deep space and have enough energy to get to Pluto. It had to maintain the ability to transmit its collected data back to its designers on earth. Deep stuff to us engineering minded folks!

For many of us, God has a purpose, a destiny that is not immediately known or revealed. He gives us gifts, talents, and abilities that He shows us and others…and then He shuts us down. There is a time, a season, and a people that He wants us to reach. But our journey only serves to get us there.

He will wake up those gifts from time to time. To check on them, to remind us they are still present…but then He puts us back into hibernation mode. So often we get frustrated, knowing He has given us gifts, but not allowing us to use them as we see fit.

How sad it would have been had New Horizons used up all of its energy and imagery on the journey to Pluto, instead of saving it for Pluto, which was its purpose from the beginning.

Be careful and prayerful about when and with whom you share your gifts. Single people with a desire to be married…make sure you have something left for your mate…because it might take years. You good with that?

Teachers, preacher, pastors, and leaders…wait your turn! Do not be so quick to jump up in front of people because you saw Jupiter from a distance. Pluto is your goal, that is why you were sent.

The scientists rejoiced at the success of a years-long mission. I want God to rejoice in me as I complete the mission He sent me on years ago. I want Him to stir up the gift when the time is right, I don’t want to be wasted or spent until He says I am done.

“Camouflage…” (by Mel McGuire)

In the movie “Jurassic World”, the new villain is a dinosaur called “Indominus Rex”. The word indominus means “untamable”. It is a hybrid animal created from the DNA of a variety of other species, not all of them dinosaurs.

One of the features of this creature is the ability to camouflage itself, and when it demonstrates the trait…bad things happen. No one seemed to know the animal could do that, but part of its DNA came from a cuttlefish.

A cuttlefish (google it), has an extremely fast growth rate, which is why it was used to create the Indominus…but it also has the ability to camouflage itself, as a way of hiding, and to aid in hunting prey.

A tree frog was used in the creation as well. The frog shows great adaptability to extreme climates, a good thing…but it also has the ability to regulate and moderate its own body temperature, which the Indominus used to trick heat sensors and once again, avoid detection.

Finally, they put a GPS chip in the Indominus at a young age…but it removed the chip, at no small cost of pain to itself, to avoid being tracked. This all leads us to church.

Like a garage is built for cars, a church is built for believers. But, just like everything in a garage is NOT a car…everyone in church is not a true believer. Some folks are using camouflage to avoid detection and accountability.

To camouflage simply means to blend in for the purpose of hiding or concealing your presence. Many people come to church and take on the appearance of accelerated growth…they dress right, talk right, look the part… but they are in camouflage.

Whether they do it to avoid detection, or more ominously, to help them hunt prey…many unsuspecting believer has fallen victim to a church going “Indominus”.

When God tells us to be hot or cold, but NOT lukewarm…He may have had these folks in mind. By being lukewarm you blend in…warm enough to be convincing, but cold enough not to commit. Like the Indominus, beware the person who can always manage to avoid detection by heat sensors.

In church, the fervent prayers avail much…true worshipers go “in” during devotion, lovers of the word are “on fire” and excited about the written and spoken word. They stand out and they stand up. Commitment to His presence is a spiritual thermometer. That person you have got your eye on…are they real or in camouflage?

And lastly, beware of folks who refuse to be accountable…to anyone. They do not want to be tracked, followed, known, or understood. They live in fear of having their sin exposed, so they do whatever they can, even if it costs them dearly, to resist being accountable.

These traits are contrary to the nature of God and His kingdom. The Indominus has developed attributes that allow it to hide in plain sight, setting up its prey, or just simply avoiding detection.

Submit yourselves to God and allow Him to have true reign in your life. Test every spirit to see if it is of God or not. God has given us a sound mind, so let the mind of Christ be in you…so you can have sound discernment and can sniff out the Indominus in your midst and in YOUR life.

“Treadmill…” (by Mel McGuire)

My wife and I own a treadmill. It currently sits in a room in our house, and as of this writing, is still used on a regular basis. The last time I was on it, I had some time to reflect with the Lord. The subject of my reflection had to do with exerting effort and feeling like you were going nowhere.

You see, I had the treadmill set to run an exercise program, it changed speeds and inclines according to the program and all I had to do was walk. Well, after many minutes of walking, I noticed I was still in that same room.

I was sweating, breathing harder, starting to “feel the burn” and beginning to count down the minutes to the end of my routine, but I hadn’t really gone anywhere. I was putting forth an effort, but it looked like I was staying in the same place.

This is the beauty of a treadmill; you can run or walk for miles and never leave the comfort of your own home. But I felt a slight sense of frustration. I had my music going, and I had the TV on, so I wasn’t bored from staring at the walls or listening to the sound of my own breathing. I realized that many times God uses treadmill experiences to “keep us in shape”.

How many times have you spent time in the word, or prayed on a consistent schedule, gone to church, paid your tithes, fasted (we do still fast don’t we?), or just worshipped privately…and felt like you were still in the same place?

You labored, you put forth the effort, you put in the time, but when you looked around, you were right where you started? This is why treadmills stop getting used, and this is precisely why many people “fall off” in their walk with the Lord.

God uses the treadmill to build up our endurance and our strength. He knows what lies ahead in our journey, and He has a program designed to get us to the end…all we have to do is keep walking.

If I can be faithful on the treadmill, I will be faithful in the race. He is teaching us to stay strong, to fight through pain and fatigue, in a situation where failure has no immediate consequence, on our treadmills. So that when the battle rages for real, when the race is for keeps, we know we can keep walking.

When I get off of the treadmill, my sweat is real, I really am tired and my endurance is really growing. It took me so many minutes to travel so many miles and that effort is not in vain. So too in the Lord, our labor is not in vain.

We learn that we can walk up any hill, pick up the pace when we need to, and keep walking. The treadmill experience allows us to grow by building the fundamentals…just put one foot in front of the other and keep walking.

So pray and keep praying, keep fasting and giving and reading His word. Keep doing good works and giving Him praise, even if you’re not moving, you are making progress.

God wants us to stay in spiritual shape and He uses treadmill experiences to keep us strong and make us stronger…just keep walking with Him, when He takes you off, you’ll be better off.

“Test Drive…” (by Mel McGuire)

I like cars. I especially like new cars. I can only afford one car at a time and herein lies my problem. If I could, I think I would replace my car way too often for something different. It might not necessarily be better, but it would be different. That is why I love the test drive.

I can go into a new car dealer, and with no intention of buying or leasing a new vehicle, take it on a test drive. Because it is a new car, I am careful with it. If I damage it, I don’t want to be responsible for it.

I am not looking for the commitment or responsibility of ownership, just the thrill of the test drive. I want to smell the new car smell, feel fresh leather seats, play with the knobs and buttons and test some of the performance limits. Then when I am done, return it to the dealer.

When I was single, the Lord cautioned me about too many “test drives”. Of course He was not referring to cars (well, at one point, He actually was), but people and relationships. Truth be told, He was talking about me and single women. He warned me about “test driving”, when I had no intention of making the commitment of ownership.

Nowadays, with the internet technology available to us, we can learn a lot about “cars” without ever going to a physical dealership. We can read about all the features, talk to others about their experiences with a particular “car” and even see videos and photos of a particular model. We can really do some test driving at the speed of the web.

Buying a car, (a real one this time) is a business decision. When all is said and done, you must pay for the right of owning that car. How it makes you feel and all that other stuff does not matter and it should not influence how much you pay. In fact the more detached you are the better business deal you can make.

The other test driving is NOT a business decision and we should not approach it as such, even though we often do. That is when “misunderstandings” occur and people get hurt.

God is not at all into you test driving His “cars”. You should be willing and able to make the full commitment before you go onto the lot kicking tires and looking up under the hood.

I’ve had car dealers tell me “I’m not in love with any of them”, but God IS in love with all of His “cars”. He will not ignore it when you treat his “cars” like a rental, abusing it in anyway, and just returning it in any old kind of condition. He treats each one like it is His only one and He knows when you mistreat them.

Single people, take care of each other, stop all this test driving and work on preparing yourself for the day when you can recognize the “car” God built just for you. When you know you won’t return it, you will take care of it from the beginning. Selah.