When God takes you up on your sermon
Here’s something I’ve learned after 23 years of ministry-related work: Preach like you mean it, because God just might take you up on your sermon.If you’ve been in the ministry for any period of time, you probably know exactly what I’m referring to here. This is the kind of truth that makes me have second thoughts about researching the book of Job. God seems to have ways of making sure we know what we are talking about when we discuss these difficult subjects!
You could say that Paul warned us about this when he wrote: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV). In order to have comfort to pass on to others, we must first go through the trouble that requires it. God is more interested in our character than he is in our comfort. The same is true for the spiritual realities we preach.
Even though I know this truth, nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to experience when I took on the production of a 30-day program for churches based on the award-winning song by Tim McGraw, “Live Like You Were Dying.”
The beginning of this project was filled with excitement and confirmation. I had just resigned from my position of 14 years as pastor and CEO of Purpose Driven Ministries, having surfed the biggest ministry wave of our lives around the 40 Days of Purpose campaign. That was when a friend and colleague came to me with the idea of building a similar campaign around a thoughtful popular song. When I heard the song he had in mind, I was hooked. It’s a heartfelt song known to Christians and seekers alike that makes us think deeper about life and relationships. This I could preach!
I met with songwriters Tim Nichols and Craig Wiseman and discovered that Craig had been praying about how the transformational truth in his songs might have spiritual impact. The direction of the Lord couldn’t have been any clearer. We not only had the song, we had the writers behind us as personal friends with a similar passion.
The project becomes personal
The opening message of the song is about how fragile our lives really are - how in an instant, life can stop on a dime, and we are suddenly pouring over x-rays and faced with every life-threatening question our minds can muster. Little did I know in mere weeks after this meeting, I would be the one pouring over my own x-rays with my wife and facing open-heart bypass surgery in less that 24 hours.
For the next 12 weeks, “Live Like You Were Dying” became reality for me. It was no longer just a project or hypothetical presumption. I was living every line of this song - every turn of the phrase.
God put me to the test and I found that in every aspect, the realities in this song were true. Speaking sweeter became the desire of my heart as I became grateful for each moment I had with family and friends. Loving deeper came with an awareness that I might not get to be around those I loved much longer, and forgiveness came easily as there was no reason to take a grudge into heaven.
And if that wasn’t enough, two weeks after my diagnosis and operation, we found out my wife, Fay, had a lump in her breast. She probably would have brought it to my attention sooner if it weren’t for my own surgery. After surgery to remove the tumor, the prognosis was cancer. Facing radiation treatments for Fay in the midst of my own recovery, we were both suddenly living like we were dying - taking life one day at a time, grateful for every breath and every moment together.
Through it all, I learned anew that every day is a gift. Every day I’m sure to tell Fay, our three sons, and daughter-in-law the simple words: “I love you.” And every day I notice I’m much more patient and forgiving of those around me.
God allowed me the privilege of becoming an expert in living like I’m dying. He wants me to know this not just intellectually, but personally, in the deepest sense of the word. As servants of his, we must always be ready to test out the truth we claim to know. It is part of God’s loving direction to qualify us to minister to those with similar needs.
Life is fragile. At any moment you could be staring at x-rays. Believe me, I know. There are deep lessons to be learned by living with this reality. Whether you have a week to live or 50 more years, I promise you will get more out of life if you learn to live like you were dying.
|
