Are you a person who lives by the adage, “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today” or do you flip that around and say, “Why do today what can be put off until tomorrow”?

We live in a world of procrastinators. Cats never seem to be in any hurry to do anything. The same can sometimes be said of us. We push so much off until tomorrow. But so often, the proverbial “tomorrow” never comes. Have you ever waited until the day before an assignment is due to begin working on it? You need to get bloodwork done, but you keep putting it off. I am sure that today card stores will be full of men, many with panicked looks on their faces, scrambling to find a Valentine’s Day card. You keep finding better things to do than go through the boxes in the basement and get rid of years’ worth of accumulated junk. You put off calling a loved one until one day it is too late.

Pablo Picasso once said, “Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.” We live in a world of procrastinators. The word procrastinate comes from the Latin verb “procrastinare” which means deferred until tomorrow. Most of us eventually do the things we need to do; we just seem to usually put them off or wait until the last minute.

When our daughters were growing up, my wife and I would regularly ask them to do certain things. “Please clean your room.” That meant clean your room right now. Other times, it might have sounded like this: “On Saturday, please clean you room.” When God gives a command without any specific day or time, I believe he is desiring whatever it is he commanded to be done immediately. Instant obedience is the only kind of obedience there is. Delayed obedience is really nothing more than disobedience.

And when our daughters pushed back on something we asked of them, we tried not to simply say, “Do it because I say so.” We gave them an explanation, to hopefully help them understand our reasoning. There were times, however, when we felt they would not at that moment understand, so “do it because I say so” meant something like this: “Trust me on this, it is for your own good.” And sometimes what God asks us to do simply makes no sense. But we can always rest assured that it is for our own good and the good of others.       

When Jesus visited Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew as they were fishing, He invited them to become his disciples. In Matthew 4:19 we see Jesus say, “Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people.” Did the two men ask to go home and think about it for a few days before giving Jesus an answer? You be the judge; here is what we read in v.20 – “At once they left their nets and followed him.” In the very next verse, we again see Jesus extend an invitation, this time to James and John, to join Him. They too “immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.”

We find these words in Psalm 119:60 – “As soon as you command, I do what you say (CEV).”

It might be okay to procrastinate on doing certain things, but when it comes to responding to God, the only way to be obedient is to obey Him, completely and without delay.

What is God calling you to do that you keep putting off?

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Do you consider yourself moody? Are you someone who fluctuates like the choppy ocean, rising and falling as the tides change? Or instead, are you unchanging like a calm sea, flat with hardly any movement? While it is true that some of us are choppy oceans and others of us are calm seas, it is also true that we all have some degree of mood swings. Our mood swings are primarily driven by our circumstances.

Our contentment also fluctuates with our mood. Contentment is different than happiness. Happiness is simply a momentary experience whereas contentment is a long-lasting feeling accompanied by peacefulness and satisfaction. When our circumstances are favorable, we tend to be content, but as soon as life does not go our way, contentment often turns to discomfort, that feeling of being unsettled and restless. Our mood drops.

Contentment that comes from people or things only lasts as long those people or things are good to us and for us. Those ever-changing mood swings seem unavoidable. But one of the many benefits of having a real relationship with Jesus is that we do not have to live that way. No matter how crazy that sounds, it is possible. We can learn to be content in all things.

The apostle Paul wrote that he had a thorn in his flesh. I do not think that Paul literally meant a sharp-pointed part of a plant had penetrated his skin, causing pain. Instead, I believe Paul was saying that he had some sort of affliction, one he does not describe in any detail other than to say it was a thorn. He pleaded with God three times for this affliction to be removed, but God failed to remove it and said this to Paul – “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9a).

Not the answer Paul probably wanted to hear. Not the answer we want either when we take our afflictions, our struggles, our crappy life circumstances, our discontent, to God. But look how Paul responds – “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9b-10).

I believe Paul was saying to himself, and to you and me, to rely on God’s wisdom and strength in our times of discontent, dark moods, sufferings, thorns. It comes down to submitting our circumstances to God and trusting that He is working out his plan in and through them.

In Romans, Paul also tells us this – “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5).

Rejoice in my sufferings, you have got to be kidding me. The Greek word used here for rejoice is not our modern understanding of the word, to show great joy or delight. Instead, it is pointing to a confidence that we can have, knowing that God is able to use our unfavorable circumstances to help us mature in our faith, making us more like Jesus.

So, when you find yourself with unfavorable circumstances, submit it to the Lord and trust that He is helping you grow in the contentment that only comes from Him. It would sure be nice if it was voilà, and just like that, perfect holy contentment forever. But I have not experienced it like that. It is a journey. The more I submit and trust, the more lasting contentment I find, even in this discontented world in which we live.   

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We all know people who start well but always seem to end poorly. Somewhere between the starting line and the finish line, something went wrong, causing a poor finish. I was a sprinter in my younger days. How I started the race was important but running a smart race and ending well most determined whether or not I won the race.

Living in a broken world, one more fractured every day, it is hard to stay on track and not find ourselves getting derailed. It takes great determination and focus. It takes saying yes when yes is required, and no when no is required, regardless of the blowback by others. It takes living a life guided by rule and reign of Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. It takes a clear sense of your purpose and calling. It takes a teachable, humble, and obedient heart. It takes the help of others. It takes an infusion of intentionality and effort to not allow the trappings of the world to gain hold in our life. In other words, it is not easy.

The apostle Paul gives us a model for running a good race, and for finishing well. In Philippians, he compares the Christian life to a race. Before continuing, either grab your Bible and read Philippians 3:12-14 or click here to read the passage. [As a side note: I used this biblical text as the basis for my very first sermon preached, some twenty-five years ago.]

I see v.12 talking about attitude. Paul realizes that his Christian conversion helped him to re-prioritize his life. It gave him a new assessment of his goals and an overwhelming desire to know Jesus more fully. Paul knows he must continue to pursue the plan God has laid out for him. Paul knows that it is not himself who supplies the resources to “press on,” but rather it will be Jesus who supplies those resources, energized by the Spirit.

In v.13 the emphasis is on focus. Again, Paul does not claim to have obtained his final goal – a full knowledge of Jesus and conformity to Him. The “one thing” he talks about is his passion for living the Christian life. Running a race that involves the relentless centering of his focus and energy on the course ahead of him. It involves effort, being focused on becoming more like Jesus. Forgetting does not mean wiping his past from his memory but instead, a conscious effort to not allow it to absorb his attention and slow his progress.

And finally, in v.14, we are called to stretch. Paul compares the Christian life to pressing on and stretching for the finish line. “Pressing on” is not easy and requires pushing past his comfort zone, ignoring the pain. This prize referred to is not simply eternal life. It is that but also dying to that self-centered life that is natural to all of us and our willingness to press on in living, and sharing, our new Christ-centered life.

The Christian life is not easy. It is hard to have the right attitude, to stay focused, and to keep stretching (pressing on), when most of the culture pushes us in the opposite direction. It is hard to have, and keep, Jesus in every aspect of our lives.

We find these words in 2 Timothy – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (4:7).

So, right now, either for the first time, or the umpteenth time, ask Jesus to be the center of your life, submit fully to Him, and then do not look back. Commit to not just running the race but running it well, running it to win, finishing well!

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We are just hours away from the kickoff of Super Bowl LIX, arguably the biggest sporting event of the year. This year’s game, being played at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, is between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Swifties, oh sorry, I mean Chiefs, who are hoping to become the first team to three-peat in the Super Bowl era. The Green Bay Packers are the only team to win three NFL championships in a row. They won the NFL championship in 1965 and then won the first two Super Bowls in 1966 and 1967.

The game that we now know as the Super Bowl was created as part of the 1966 merger agreement between the NFL and the competing league, AFL. The game was originally called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The Super Bowl moniker was adopted in 1969, Super Bowl III, in which “Broadway” Joe Namath guaranteed his New York Jets would beat the NFL’s Baltimore Colts, and did so 16-7.  

Not only will more than one hundred million viewers watch the game on television, the amount of food and beverage consumed is second only to Thanksgiving for food consumed in one day. According to the National Chicken Council, Americans will consume well in excess of one billion chicken wings on Super Bowl Sunday. Those wings, along with cold cut subs, pizza, chili, and potato chips and dip, will be washed down with more than 300 million gallons of beer. Not surprisingly, antacid sales dramatically increase on the Monday following the big game.   

You might be a fan of one of the two teams, maybe you are simply enjoy the game of football, it could be you watch the game just to see the commercials, or possibly you are looking forward to the halftime show headlined by Kendrick Lamar. It was in the early 1990s that pop music acts began to perform at halftime, first with New Kids On The Block in 1991 and then Gloria Estefan the following year, but it wasn’t until Michael Jackson took the stage in 1993 that the halftime show began to morph into the spectacle it is today. It was during 2004 halftime show that the world witnessed Janet Jackson’s infamous “wardrobe malfunction.”  

During this year’s Super Bowl, ordinary people will turn fanatical and pour every ounce of their existence into cheering for their team. Not only that, but many will also be dressed from head to toe in their team’s logo gear. But when the game is over, and the last chicken wing is eaten and the last swig of beer swallowed, these fanatics become ordinary people again, with ordinary lives, ordinary families, ordinary jobs. The word “fan,” shortened version of fanatic, is defined as an “a person who is extremely enthusiastic about or devoted to some interest or activity.”

Sadly, many of us relate to Jesus that same way. For an hour or so when we go to church or small group meetings we are like those fans during the Super Bowl; we go wild for Jesus, but when the service is over, we go home and become “normal” again.

Fans cheer while followers learn from their teacher and then help in spreading the good news of that teacher. Jesus calls us to be more than fans. He calls us to be followers (disciples). The dictionary defines a disciple as “a pupil or follower of any teacher or school of learning, religion, art, etc. and one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrine of that teacher.” This person is a convinced adherent. So, in other words, a disciple of Jesus is someone who seeks His guidance, follows His plans, and then shares that goodness with everyone they meet.

So, today, be a fan of your favorite team and cheer like mad during the Super Bowl. Also, commit yourself to being a disciple of Jesus, allowing Him to change you and in the process begin to make you more like Him. Don’t just be a fan of Jesus, be His follower!

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I recently needed to buy some new blue jeans. My wife and I picked out several pairs and went off to the dressing room. Once in my little stall, I immediately put on one of the pairs I brought in with me. Even those they were my size, I struggled to get them on. I took that pair off and the next pair I tried on, same problem. It was then that I realized I had not taken off the jeans I had worn into the dressing room.

It would be foolish to try on new jeans simply by pulling them on over the old ones. They aren’t going to fit properly. You might be thinking, “Of course I would never do that.” But those of us that are followers of Jesus often try to fit the new life Jesus calls us to over our old life. And just like those new jeans, it will not fit, no matter how hard we try, no matter how hard we pull or wiggle our hips.

In Ephesians 4:22-24, the apostle Paul is encouraging his readers (and us today) to be renewed in mind and to live according to the new nature that God us making, an image in God’s likeness. This renewing comes by the power of the Holy Spirit when we submit our will to His. Here is what we read – “You were taught, with regard to your former self, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitudes of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

I think these verses tell us three things about this new self, this new nature. First, we are to completely discard the old self; put off the old self. The Greek word used here means “to lay aside.” He calls us to lay aside those old jeans, no matter how much we like them. Second, Paul calls us to a radical reorientation in both mind and spirit (made new in attitude). And lastly, this nature we have in Christ is completely new, not refurnished. Our old jeans are not to be patched or sewn; instead, they are thrown away and replaced by a brand new pair. Paul says that righteousness and holiness, which are qualities of God, are reproduced in his genuine worshippers. (In this context, “holiness” is free from contamination. This particular meaning is only found two places in the NT; here and Luke 1:75.)

This new self can only come under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We play a part in laying aside the old self, but without the Spirit’s transforming power, we are unable to change ourselves. David knew this — after being confronted by the prophet Nathan calling David to repentance after his adulteress affair and coverup, David cried out to God: “Create in me a clean (pure; as in not dirty) heart, O God, and renew a right spirit (new self) in me” (Psalm 51:10).

This new self is a new identity; one given to us by Jesus.

So, today I ask you: What “old jeans” do you need take off that are holding you back from being the new person God is desiring to make you into?

Dear Father, please put Your finger on those areas in our lives that are old and need to be made new. Help us throw off those things and in the process make us more like You. Amen

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Rodney Dangerfield regularly said, “I don’t get no respect” in his comedy routines. Respect is something we all desire. Think of that person in your life whom you deeply respect; that someone you look up to. It could be someone you know – family member, friend, teacher, coach, pastor, or co-worker. Or maybe that person is someone afar – world leader, business leader, celebrity, or athlete. You likely respect them because of what they have accomplished or how they conduct their life. This person is not someone simply respected because of who they are, but rather, they have earned your respect. Who are those people in your life?

It is also true that respect is fleeting. Sometimes the people we respect end up “unearning” our respect, for any number of reasons, some deserved, other not so deserved. Can you think of someone like that in your own life? Maybe you were that person to someone else. We are a culture that enjoys putting people upon pedestals and sadly we also get satisfaction from watching them fall off that pedestal and shatter into pieces.

While we mostly honor people for the things they say and do, we are called to honor God simply because He is God. In teaching us how the pray, Jesus starts off his prayer like this – “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9). The word hallowed is not one we typically use in everyday language, yet most modern version of the Bible retain it. It comes from the Greek word hagiazó, and is the passive voice of the verb, meaning “to treat as holy.”

Notice that Jesus does not begin by saying something along the lines of “Our Father in heaven, because you do good things, because You are faithful, because You are trustworthy, may You be honored.” Instead, Jesus acknowledges that the Name of God is hallowed, simply because of who God is. Jesus is saying, “Let your Name be holy.” What name? God’s Divine Name, his Personal Name, the name he revealed to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3. That name is YHWH, Yahweh, or the Latinized name, Jehovah (JeHoWaH).

God’s Name is holy because God is holy, not by what He does, but instead, because of who He is. In saying “hallowed by Your name,” Jesus is not referencing God’s reputation. He is instead calling us to recognize God and His Name to be holy, and someone who we can personally address as such, without fear of it being fleeting or temporary reverence.

So, while those people we respect occasionally lose our respect and shatter into pieces, you can forever be assured that God is worthy to be praised, simply because His name is hallowed. There is none like Him. Psalm 33:8 says this, “Let all the earth fear [convey a sense of wonder and delight, not wanting to disappoint] the LORD, let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!”

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