M&M's

I like chocolate. A lot. But I’m not the only one. After a recent trip I had one of those dump-truck size bags of M&M’s from Costco left over so I poured them all in a bowl that sat on the coffee table in my office. They’re gone now. But soon I will hear about it because I have staff meetings in that office – and people eat M&M’s. I have Leadership Board meetings in there – and Dan Blair REALLY eats M&M’s. The Sunday morning prayer groups meet in there – and it is never too early in the morning to eat chocolate, I’ve discovered. And I’m in that office. And I eat M&M’s (but not as much as Dan).

Having that bowl of M&M’s sitting there makes it awfully easy to just “reach out and touch one.” And, like the popular potato chip commercial of days gone by, “you can’t just eat one.” The maker of M&M’s knows this. They like that it is true.

The good news for me is at least on a monthly basis I can find an article on the internet or in the newspaper that links a health benefit to eating chocolate. I know, I know – they are mostly talking about dark chocolate but if the dark is good, cousin “Milk” has got to be good, too. Right? Right!? That is the good news.

The bad news is that spinning dial on that flat contraption made of metal and springs in my bathroom, commonly referred to as a scale. The bad news literally outweighs the good news.

I’ve been spending some reading time in the book of Proverbs in the Bible lately. I try to go back there pretty regularly, especially the first nine chapters. Those nine chapters set the stage for the next 22 chapters of one-liners that can become so memorable. A few days ago I was reading chapters four and five and my mind keeps going back to the words found there.

"Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil." (Proverbs 4:25-27, NIV)

It’s the fundamental rule of riding a motorcycle that the writer speaks of here. The rule is this: “You go where you look.”

You don’t want to hit that dead skunk in the middle of your lane? Don’t stare at it. You want to make the sharp turn even though you feel like you are going too fast? Look through the turn to where you want to be – not where you don’t want to be. Many, many, many novice (and not so novice) motorcycle riders have neglected this rule to their own peril and detriment.

The words that follow in chapter five are a father’s instruction to his son on how to stay morally and sexually pure and they are a repeat of “You go where you look.” He is telling his son not to go near the house of the woman who will seek to entice him into ruin.

"Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house, lest you give your best strength to others and your years to one who is cruel," (Proverbs 5:8-9, NIV)

Now the really cool thing about this is that this wise father doesn’t just stop at telling his son to stay away, he gives his son the right thing to look at because “You go where you look.” What is a young guy to look toward? His wife.

"Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well."
"Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love." (Proverbs 5:15,18-19, ESV)

There it is – the biblical command to be intoxicated…with love! The NASB version of the Bible says to be “exhilarated,” the NIV version translates it as “captivated.” It is wise to look at what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. (see Philippians 4:8) Not only is it wise, it is intoxicating and exhilarating.

Here is the good news. For every thing that threatens to capture your exhilaration and lead you down paths of destruction, God has created something that is even better, that is even more exhilarating and satisfying. Your job? Ask God to reveal it and then start looking at it. It is where you will go. Allow yourself to be captivated by what could be when you embrace God’s best.

I’m not done eating chocolate – remember, it has proven health benefits. I’m just going to eat the right chocolate – in the right amounts.

Oh, and all you guys and gals who meet in my office – BYOC. The dump truck is empty (thanks Dan) and will stay that way!

"He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life, And he who pursues evil will bring about his own death." (Proverbs 11:19, NASB95)

An Invitation To See God

Grow – Invite – Connect – Give

A couple of years ago my parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. The three kids worked together to pull the event off. My part was the invitations. OK, OK – it wasn’t my part, it was my wife Pam’s part. (I can’t even draw a straight line!) Well, my wonderful wife had a ball putting her creative powers to work designing and hand-making the invitations to the party. They were really great and when people got them, she received lots of compliments.

When I receive an invitation, I have rarely found it to be a negative thing. We receive invitations to weddings, to birthday parties, to baby showers and a host of other activities. An invitation is an opportunity to celebrate something good. Because of this, most people are open to receiving an invitation.

Last week I wrote about CSCC’s commitment to live out BBC – Balanced Biblical Christianity. As we live out BBC through the vision of CSCC of “Growing transformed lives through experiencing the truth, presence and people of Jesus” the idea of invitation is a critical element.

Each and every day most of us have interaction with other people. Whether we interact with many or few, our mission from Jesus is the same: make disciples. (see Matthew 28:18-20) Paul puts it this way in his letter to the Corinthians –

"We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:20-21, NIV)

Let me put it this way, the purpose of each of our lives is to invite others to see the glory of God. The way we do that is manifold. It depends on the person God puts in our path and the situation we find ourselves in.

Today I stopped to help a couple of ladies get their overheated car going. My parting comment was “I’ll pray for you that it all works out.” In the brief interaction I had with one of the women, it was apparent the broken down car was the least of her problems. I prayed that God would reveal His glory to this woman and her daughter. There was no time to present the Four Spiritual Laws, to invite them to CSCC, to even pray over their car. It was just one sentence that I pray sticks in her harried heart to nudge her closer to Jesus.

God puts people in our path every day that are so consumed with their problems that they can’t see God. You are there for a reason and that is to invite them to see life differently. A part of inviting others to see the glory of God is inviting them to be around people who are seeking God. Inviting people to your small group, a church activity, a worship service is all part of being an inviting person.

An invitation to see the glory of God is about as good as it gets. Don’t be ashamed or afraid. Go as far as the Holy Spirit leads you – no more, no less – as you invite others to see God’s glory. You might even see more of his glory too when you do!

With you in the journey,

David

PS – Do you have any “invitation stories?” Please tell me your story!

NEXT WEEK: How We Grow

Grow – Invite – Connect – Give