My friend Deacon Dave would sometimes talk about how people can get the “blues.” I get it. This past week was kind of a dumpster fire for me. Oh, it’s not that my life is not great because my life is great! I’m doing the most important work of my life and I’m doing it with some great people who love Jesus a lot. My health is good, my family is good, the Blonde loves me and we have the world’s greatest Rough Collie living at our house, Captain the Wonder Dog. My biggest problem last week was my barbecue hot spot was closed.
The world is what gets me down. The decay of our culture makes me sad. I was telling someone at our worship service last week, “There is only one rule in our society right now and that is there are no rules.” No one stays in their lane because there are no lanes in 2023. Some might call this freedom but it’s really bondage (Galatians 5:1). I know I’m uptight, old, tired and cynical but attitudes, behavior, priorities and perspectives are off the chart. We lift our hands to too many things.
I was reading in a book entitled The Great Dechurching that many pastors think they have lost the fight because of the limited amount of Jesus people put into their lives compared to all the hours of content they consume from the world (social media, news, streaming, etc.) They say, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” I’m not sure what our strategy should be to create value for the “right things” but whatever it is right now it is obviously not working.
I remember when I was a kid in church and the Sunday school class teacher would ask questions and there was one boy in our class that would always have one answer, his answer was always, “Jesus.” The question might have been, “Who built the ark?” and he would say, “Jesus.” They might ask, “Who parted the Red Sea?” and he would say, “Jesus.” I’m starting to think that he was more right than wrong and what I mean is the answer to the problems of a decaying culture is Jesus.
Jaden Oberkom is a former All-American kicker at Texas Christian University, and he is the all-time field goal leader in the Big 12. The best thing about Jaden is not that he has a stud leg or that he bleeds purple like me, it’s that Jaden loves Jesus. He also set a goal for 2023 to share Jesus with someone every day. Can you imagine?! We need more of that because Jesus is the only thing that is going to change things or make a difference. One more chili cookoff at church, one more fall festival is not going to do it. We need to get busy about God’s business and that includes telling people about the guy that died on that tree for the forgiveness of our sins (1st Peter 2:24). He is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). We can be nice to people (I think nice is overrated), build wheelchair ramps and pay their water bill, but sooner or later we have to talk about and tell about Jesus. By the way I’m pretty sure I’m writing in Jaden Oberkom for president when I vote in 2024.
Jesus is all we’ve got and Jesus is more than enough. He is still changing lives but “faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17).” Let’s all go and tell!
He told me to tell you that.
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