By Gobel Brockman
This week on Facebook I posted the story about how I got my first name, and how I'm often asked, 'What do you like to be called?' This got me to thinking about how many different things I've been called over the years: as a kid my family called me "Bub", a lot of people call me "Gobe", and I'm sure behind my back I've been called a lot of things! But I got to thinking about how we give nicknames to everything. I drive a Nissan Xterra that I sometimes call "Rex." BB King calls his guitar "Lucille". Spouses rarely call each other by their actual first names; if they do, they're probably mad.
I mention this because I was thinking about something that Jesus said in Matthew 7 - "Not everyone that calls me 'Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven; only those who do the will of My Father." It's one thing to SAY something about someone, it's another thing entirely to DO something. We all want to say good things about Jesus, we want to convince Him, ourselves, and others that we believe in Him. But He said in another Scripture, "Why do you call me 'Lord' and not do the things I say?" We can call Jesus 'Lord', 'Savior', or anything else we want, but the proof of our belief isn't in our words, but our LIVES.
He told a parable once: "A father had two sons. He told the first, 'go work in the field today. The son said, 'I will', but didn't. He told the same to other, he said, "I won't', but later repented and went. Which of the two did the father's will?" The point? TALK'S CHEAP. Terms of affection are nice, but meaningless if our actions don't follow. Someone can call their spouse 'Honey' all they want, but if they're being unfaithful, it's not only meaningless, it's tragic. How much more if we call Jesus 'Lord', then completely ignore His commands?
'Jesus is the sweetest name on earth' is the opening line of an old Christian song. It's true. May His name have true, genuine meaning to us all.
This is Gobel-Bub-Gobe signing off....
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
The Blame Game
By Gobel Brockman
It's fun listening to sports fans, especially when their favorite team loses. You can almost bet the farm you're going to hear this: "The referees were HORRIBLE!" But have you ever noticed that when their team wins, you never hear them say, "The referees did a great job tonight!" Why? We're always looking for something or someone to blame when things go wrong. We can't simply say, "My team didn't play well" or "The other team just played a great game tonight". No, when the outcome isn't to our liking, there HAS to be someone to blame.
It's not really our fault. (Pun intended.) It goes back to the Garden of Eden. God placed Adam and Eve there, and told them they could have anything there except the fruit of one tree. They partook of it anyway. When God confronted them about it, what was their response?
Adam - "The woman, which You gave me, gave it to me..."
Eve - "The serpent tricked me..."
So Adam blames Eve - and even God for giving her to him. Eve blames to serpent. And we've been doing it ever since. The problem is, they didn't get away with it. And neither will we. There's something that our society seemingly wants to get away from: personal responsibility. A well-known radio personality recently said this: "One problem with liberalism is that it wants life without consequence. And when there's no consequence, there's no virtue." The problem is, it's not going to happen. You and I WILL be held accountable for our lives. Maybe not by society, but certainly by God.
So how do we deal with all of this? I want to introduce you to three little words that are among the most liberating in the English language: I WAS WRONG. No excuses, no blaming others, I WAS WRONG. I messed up. I take full responsibility for what I did. The story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 illustrates this. Once he realized he was in a mess, he said, "I will arise and go to my father and say, I have sinned...". Have you messed up? Are there things in your life that are in shambles right now because of your actions or decisions? If so, there's hope. But it begins with you going to your Father and saying those three little words. You'll get nowhere until you do.
If you're looking for healing and forgiveness, go to the Father. But if you're looking for someone to blame, find a mirror.
It's fun listening to sports fans, especially when their favorite team loses. You can almost bet the farm you're going to hear this: "The referees were HORRIBLE!" But have you ever noticed that when their team wins, you never hear them say, "The referees did a great job tonight!" Why? We're always looking for something or someone to blame when things go wrong. We can't simply say, "My team didn't play well" or "The other team just played a great game tonight". No, when the outcome isn't to our liking, there HAS to be someone to blame.
It's not really our fault. (Pun intended.) It goes back to the Garden of Eden. God placed Adam and Eve there, and told them they could have anything there except the fruit of one tree. They partook of it anyway. When God confronted them about it, what was their response?
Adam - "The woman, which You gave me, gave it to me..."
Eve - "The serpent tricked me..."
So Adam blames Eve - and even God for giving her to him. Eve blames to serpent. And we've been doing it ever since. The problem is, they didn't get away with it. And neither will we. There's something that our society seemingly wants to get away from: personal responsibility. A well-known radio personality recently said this: "One problem with liberalism is that it wants life without consequence. And when there's no consequence, there's no virtue." The problem is, it's not going to happen. You and I WILL be held accountable for our lives. Maybe not by society, but certainly by God.
So how do we deal with all of this? I want to introduce you to three little words that are among the most liberating in the English language: I WAS WRONG. No excuses, no blaming others, I WAS WRONG. I messed up. I take full responsibility for what I did. The story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 illustrates this. Once he realized he was in a mess, he said, "I will arise and go to my father and say, I have sinned...". Have you messed up? Are there things in your life that are in shambles right now because of your actions or decisions? If so, there's hope. But it begins with you going to your Father and saying those three little words. You'll get nowhere until you do.
If you're looking for healing and forgiveness, go to the Father. But if you're looking for someone to blame, find a mirror.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
One More Night With the Frogs
By Gobel Brockman
Most of you know the story. God spoke to Moses in the burning bush and told him to lead Israel out of Egypt. He and his brother Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, "Let My people go, or Egypt will be hit with plagues." Pharaoh refused, and the plagues began. One of the first ones was frogs covering the land, to the point they were filling their houses. Pharaoh calls for Moses and Aaron and says, "I have sinned; pray that the frogs will be removed." Moses says, "When?", and Pharaoh says. "Tomorrow."
Tomorrow? He could have said "Right now!!" But apparently he wanted one more night with the frogs. One more night of the sights, smells, and noise of the lil' varmints. The thing is, that story happened thousands of years ago, but we still see it today. People whose lives are in shambles, but won't turn from the root cause. They'd seemingly rather have 'one more night'.
It amazes me sometimes how people whose lives are in constant turmoil try to make me feel we're crazy for being 'Bible Thumpers'. People who drink to the extent they end the evening 'praying at the porcelain altar', then go right back to the bottle. People who spend all week working for a paycheck, then gamble most of it away in a matter of hours. The list goes on. But the sad thing is, when I've talked to people in these types of situations and the told them they can be free from it, it's usually either outright rejected or I'll get an "I'll talk to you later about it...". It's almost like they're saying, 'one more night...'
My point this week is simple: you can be 'Frog-Free'. And you don't have to wait until tomorrow. But just as Pharaoh had to meet God's condition, so do we. You have to do it HIS way, and His way is through Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes to God but through Me." I can offer you no other help than that. You can have freedom, or you can continue in your struggle, and then try to blame everyone else for the 'frogs' in your own life.
Jesus is waiting. So are the frogs.
Most of you know the story. God spoke to Moses in the burning bush and told him to lead Israel out of Egypt. He and his brother Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, "Let My people go, or Egypt will be hit with plagues." Pharaoh refused, and the plagues began. One of the first ones was frogs covering the land, to the point they were filling their houses. Pharaoh calls for Moses and Aaron and says, "I have sinned; pray that the frogs will be removed." Moses says, "When?", and Pharaoh says. "Tomorrow."
Tomorrow? He could have said "Right now!!" But apparently he wanted one more night with the frogs. One more night of the sights, smells, and noise of the lil' varmints. The thing is, that story happened thousands of years ago, but we still see it today. People whose lives are in shambles, but won't turn from the root cause. They'd seemingly rather have 'one more night'.
It amazes me sometimes how people whose lives are in constant turmoil try to make me feel we're crazy for being 'Bible Thumpers'. People who drink to the extent they end the evening 'praying at the porcelain altar', then go right back to the bottle. People who spend all week working for a paycheck, then gamble most of it away in a matter of hours. The list goes on. But the sad thing is, when I've talked to people in these types of situations and the told them they can be free from it, it's usually either outright rejected or I'll get an "I'll talk to you later about it...". It's almost like they're saying, 'one more night...'
My point this week is simple: you can be 'Frog-Free'. And you don't have to wait until tomorrow. But just as Pharaoh had to meet God's condition, so do we. You have to do it HIS way, and His way is through Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes to God but through Me." I can offer you no other help than that. You can have freedom, or you can continue in your struggle, and then try to blame everyone else for the 'frogs' in your own life.
Jesus is waiting. So are the frogs.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
The Will Of God (Part II)
By Gobel Brockman
Last week I wrote about what I call the 'general' will of God, meaning there are things that are God's will for everyone. I encourage you to use Bible study aids such as Strong's Concordance or biblegateway.com and research all the Bible has to say about the will of God. This week, I want to talk about what I call the 'specific' will of God, meaning finding God's will for my life personally.
The same as last week, there's no way I can cover everything in one article, but in all honesty, I think we sometimes make finding God's will more difficult than it needs to be. I'll break it down into three points:
1) If you want to know what God wants you to do, you first must simply be walking with Him and listening to Him. In John 10 Jesus said, "My sheep know My voice...". If you're walking in fellowship with Him, His Spirit will lead you into what He wants you to do. In the Book of Acts, the apostles were praying and fasting, and the Holy Spirit said, "Send Paul and Barnabas on the work I have called them for." They heard from God when they were in a place they were listening for Him.
2) Let me ask a simple question: What are you good at? I believe everyone has talents and abilities that are God-given, and it stands to reason that if He gave them to you, He gave them to you for a purpose. There are things I'd like to do, but can't. For most guys, hammers and saws are tools used for creating or fixing things. For me, they're deadly weapons - for me and anyone around me. I'm just not a 'handyman'. Therefore, I don't have to worry about God calling me into the ministry of building things for others, because He didn't give me that ability. He did give me the ability to play music. And simply put, He didn't give me that ability to bring glory to myself, He gave it to me to bring glory to HIM. The same applies to each of you with the gifts God gave YOU. I think part of the problem is that some people want to do things they weren't created for. If you have a singing voice that sounds like Roseanne with a cold, it's a pretty safe bet that you're not called into a singing ministry - even if you want to be.
3) The Bible speaks a lot about faithfulness. In Luke 16, Jesus said, "The one who is faithful in little will also be faithful in much; the one who is unfaithful in little will also be unfaithful in much." If you are desiring to do more for God, you must first be faithful right where you are. Do what you know you're supposed to do right now. Continue to draw closer to God simply because that's what we were created for. And as you grow closer to Him, and are faithful in the way you live, you won't have to wonder about "what God wants". You'll be close enough to hear Him.
Well, I gotta get up and get ready for church. That's God's will for me right now.
Last week I wrote about what I call the 'general' will of God, meaning there are things that are God's will for everyone. I encourage you to use Bible study aids such as Strong's Concordance or biblegateway.com and research all the Bible has to say about the will of God. This week, I want to talk about what I call the 'specific' will of God, meaning finding God's will for my life personally.
The same as last week, there's no way I can cover everything in one article, but in all honesty, I think we sometimes make finding God's will more difficult than it needs to be. I'll break it down into three points:
1) If you want to know what God wants you to do, you first must simply be walking with Him and listening to Him. In John 10 Jesus said, "My sheep know My voice...". If you're walking in fellowship with Him, His Spirit will lead you into what He wants you to do. In the Book of Acts, the apostles were praying and fasting, and the Holy Spirit said, "Send Paul and Barnabas on the work I have called them for." They heard from God when they were in a place they were listening for Him.
2) Let me ask a simple question: What are you good at? I believe everyone has talents and abilities that are God-given, and it stands to reason that if He gave them to you, He gave them to you for a purpose. There are things I'd like to do, but can't. For most guys, hammers and saws are tools used for creating or fixing things. For me, they're deadly weapons - for me and anyone around me. I'm just not a 'handyman'. Therefore, I don't have to worry about God calling me into the ministry of building things for others, because He didn't give me that ability. He did give me the ability to play music. And simply put, He didn't give me that ability to bring glory to myself, He gave it to me to bring glory to HIM. The same applies to each of you with the gifts God gave YOU. I think part of the problem is that some people want to do things they weren't created for. If you have a singing voice that sounds like Roseanne with a cold, it's a pretty safe bet that you're not called into a singing ministry - even if you want to be.
3) The Bible speaks a lot about faithfulness. In Luke 16, Jesus said, "The one who is faithful in little will also be faithful in much; the one who is unfaithful in little will also be unfaithful in much." If you are desiring to do more for God, you must first be faithful right where you are. Do what you know you're supposed to do right now. Continue to draw closer to God simply because that's what we were created for. And as you grow closer to Him, and are faithful in the way you live, you won't have to wonder about "what God wants". You'll be close enough to hear Him.
Well, I gotta get up and get ready for church. That's God's will for me right now.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
The Will of God (Part I)
By Gobel Brockman
I read a minister's article once where he said he began a sermon by asking, "What is your greatest need, and your greatest fear?" He had already prepared his message on what HE thought the answer was. But a young man, unfamiliar with the concept of starting a sermon with a question, stood up and answered! He said, "Sir, my greatest need is to know God's will for my life, and my greatest fear is that I'll miss it." The audience responded with enthusiastic applause. The minister said he's never opened a sermon with a question since!
The will of God - that mystical thing that seems so hard to find. One thing I find interesting is that we always seem to struggle with finding God's will for our own life, but seem to always know what God's will is for everyone elses's. But actually, the answer for finding God's will is simple - it's in the instructional manual (a.k.a. 'BIBLE') When it comes to God's will, I look at it this way: there is what I call the 'general' will of God, and the 'specific' will of God. This week I want to talk about the general, which simply means that there are thing's that are God's will for everyone. To know the specific - what does God want ME to do - we must be living in the general first.
There's no way I can cover everything in one blog, but here's a good starting point:
I Thessalonians 4:3 - "For this is the will of God, your sanctification..." Sanctification is just a fancy word for being totally devoted. God doesn't want your talent and ability, He wants YOU. Totally and completely devoted to Him. He wants us to determine in our hearts that we will live for Him regardless of the circumstances.
I Thessalonians 5:18 - "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God..." He doesn't say we have to be thankful FOR every circumstance, but we can be thankful that IN every circumstance, He is there.
I Peter 2:15 - "For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people." Simply put, if we're sanctified - totally devoted to Christ - it should be evident in the way we live.
Again, there's no way I can cover everything in one article, but the basic idea is that if you want to know what God wants you to do, you must first commit your life to Him, trust that He is there in every situation, and live like you believe what you say. I encourage you to look up all the Scriptures about God's will, then begin to live them to the best of your ability. Will you stumble? Of course. I do, a lot more than I want to. But as you begin to live in God's 'general' will, He will begin to reveal what He wants from you. You just have to be close enough to hear.
I read a minister's article once where he said he began a sermon by asking, "What is your greatest need, and your greatest fear?" He had already prepared his message on what HE thought the answer was. But a young man, unfamiliar with the concept of starting a sermon with a question, stood up and answered! He said, "Sir, my greatest need is to know God's will for my life, and my greatest fear is that I'll miss it." The audience responded with enthusiastic applause. The minister said he's never opened a sermon with a question since!
The will of God - that mystical thing that seems so hard to find. One thing I find interesting is that we always seem to struggle with finding God's will for our own life, but seem to always know what God's will is for everyone elses's. But actually, the answer for finding God's will is simple - it's in the instructional manual (a.k.a. 'BIBLE') When it comes to God's will, I look at it this way: there is what I call the 'general' will of God, and the 'specific' will of God. This week I want to talk about the general, which simply means that there are thing's that are God's will for everyone. To know the specific - what does God want ME to do - we must be living in the general first.
There's no way I can cover everything in one blog, but here's a good starting point:
I Thessalonians 4:3 - "For this is the will of God, your sanctification..." Sanctification is just a fancy word for being totally devoted. God doesn't want your talent and ability, He wants YOU. Totally and completely devoted to Him. He wants us to determine in our hearts that we will live for Him regardless of the circumstances.
I Thessalonians 5:18 - "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God..." He doesn't say we have to be thankful FOR every circumstance, but we can be thankful that IN every circumstance, He is there.
I Peter 2:15 - "For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people." Simply put, if we're sanctified - totally devoted to Christ - it should be evident in the way we live.
Again, there's no way I can cover everything in one article, but the basic idea is that if you want to know what God wants you to do, you must first commit your life to Him, trust that He is there in every situation, and live like you believe what you say. I encourage you to look up all the Scriptures about God's will, then begin to live them to the best of your ability. Will you stumble? Of course. I do, a lot more than I want to. But as you begin to live in God's 'general' will, He will begin to reveal what He wants from you. You just have to be close enough to hear.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
In Due Season...
By Gobel Brockman
Imagine this: A farmer goes out in early spring to plant his crops. Then, after two or three weeks, you see him out again, trying to bring in the harvest, even though nothing has grown yet. Silly, eh? Yet sadly, we do it all the time. We pray, then think God's abandoned us if He doesn't answer in 24 hours or less.
I understand impatience. I'm as guilty as anyone. I don't like waiting. If I go into a restaurant and there's a long waiting list, I'm usually ready to turn around and just hit a burger joint, even though the food won't be as good. I call it 'The Microwave Mentality'. You can throw something in a microwave, and in two minutes it's ready to eat. I sometimes try to treat God like that. Only problem - it doesn't work. We had a guest speaker in our church recently who said this: "One thing I've learned about God - He's SLOW..."
There are times we must remind ourselves that God has a different agenda than we do. He knows every little detail about our future, while we usually don't even know what we're having for supper. The Bible says '...his ways are higher than ours; His thoughts are higher than ours...' Sometimes I think we need to ask ourselves, "Do I really believe that?"
Remember these words found in Galatians 6: "Do not be weary in well doing, for in DUE SEASON you shall reap, if you faint not." (Emphasis mine). I'm in a place of waiting right now. If you are as well, let me encourage you with this: Put up the tractors, the harvest isn't ready yet. God knows what He's doing, and when it IS ready, it'll be worth the wait. I just hope there's not a waiting list the next time I go out to eat....
Imagine this: A farmer goes out in early spring to plant his crops. Then, after two or three weeks, you see him out again, trying to bring in the harvest, even though nothing has grown yet. Silly, eh? Yet sadly, we do it all the time. We pray, then think God's abandoned us if He doesn't answer in 24 hours or less.
I understand impatience. I'm as guilty as anyone. I don't like waiting. If I go into a restaurant and there's a long waiting list, I'm usually ready to turn around and just hit a burger joint, even though the food won't be as good. I call it 'The Microwave Mentality'. You can throw something in a microwave, and in two minutes it's ready to eat. I sometimes try to treat God like that. Only problem - it doesn't work. We had a guest speaker in our church recently who said this: "One thing I've learned about God - He's SLOW..."
There are times we must remind ourselves that God has a different agenda than we do. He knows every little detail about our future, while we usually don't even know what we're having for supper. The Bible says '...his ways are higher than ours; His thoughts are higher than ours...' Sometimes I think we need to ask ourselves, "Do I really believe that?"
Remember these words found in Galatians 6: "Do not be weary in well doing, for in DUE SEASON you shall reap, if you faint not." (Emphasis mine). I'm in a place of waiting right now. If you are as well, let me encourage you with this: Put up the tractors, the harvest isn't ready yet. God knows what He's doing, and when it IS ready, it'll be worth the wait. I just hope there's not a waiting list the next time I go out to eat....
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)