It is About Him

It is Olympic time and I love watching the great athletes. My six-year-old granddaughter and I were watching the female gymnasts. As we watched a tiny girl do a big tumbling run, I tried to be clever and told her, “I can’t do that.” Instantly she responded, “I know, cause you’re too old.” I just said, “Yes, I know.”

“Too old was just an excuse,” but I kept it. Even if I were twenty I could not do those things, but for her I needed an excuse. Excuses are a part of the human fiber. Even the great men and women use them.

Moses spent his first forty years living in a palace. He spent the next forty years working as a shepherd. At eighty he had lived a full and varied life, but just when he may have been looking toward the golden years, God had another plan for Moses. From a burning bush God called Moses to go tell the Pharaoh to let God’s people go. Moses started with his excuses.  First there was “Who me?” (Ex. 3:11). Next was “Who are You?” (Ex. 3:13) Though he uses other excuses the next one is the real one, “What if I fail?”   Here are his exact words, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?” (Ex. 4:1). Moses’ next excuse is actually the same fear of failure excuse. “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” (Ex. 4:10).

God responds to this excuse by telling Moses that it was not about him. It was about God. God says, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”  (Ex 4:11-12). Moses failed to understand that what God called on him to do, God would help him do.

This is the great lesson that we all need to understand. We all make excuses and we all have fear of failure, but we only need to know what he wants us to do. What God wants us to do, we can do. He will see to it. Do not ask, “Can I accomplish this?” Ask only, “Does God want me to do this?” When we attempt those things that God wills for us, we will succeed. It is not about us. It is about Him.

Lonnie Davis

The Secret of Happiness

Each morning as I leave for work, I often use the first part of my drive for a little “Thank-You” time. It is not really prayer, it is just a few moments of thankfulness. I begin by telling God some of the things for which I am thankful. I mention people: my wife, my children, my grandchildren. I mention things: my job, my car, my computer, my big screen television, etc.

 Sometimes as I drive along, I try to think of things that I have never given God a “thank you” for – my sight, my feet, my blood, my fingers, my toes, and all things I would miss so much if they were gone or defective.  Once you start thinking like this, you can go on and on. Even in this writing, I have not mentioned my health or my wealth. I am healthy and have no complaints. My only bad health has come from bad habits (diet and exercise). As for wealth, none of us are Bill Gates, but we are all rich people. We ought to give thanks to God for our wealth.

 The Bible says that Job was the richest man in the east and we know that in his day, the east was the richest part of the world. Job never slept in an air-conditioned room, watched a color television, or rode in an automobile, or flew in a plane. You and I have done all of these things. If he was rich, then what are we?

 God has given us so much that it is hard to imagine why any of us would ever be unhappy. There is a reason for it and here it is: blessed people become unhappy when they focus on the things they do not have instead of the things they do have. Count your blessings and not your troubles. That is the secret of happiness. Paul said, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thess 5:16-18).

 Lonnie Davis