Did any of you watch the
NBA playoffs? I did, and I loved it. My favorite series was the
Pacers and the Pistons. They were the best two teams in basketball
at the time, and my favorite two teams also. I thought that whoever
won that series would win the NBA Championship. What a playoff
series they had. Tashon Princes’ block of Reggie Miller’s
lay-up was among the greatest plays in NBA history.
When he did it, I was stunned. I couldn’t believe
it. I was rooting for the Pacers to come back at the time, and
I just couldn’t believe it. What effort… what determination…
what an impossible play! Not only was I going crazy, the announcers
were, too. They must have replayed it a dozen times. Sports Center
also highlighted it, responding with excitement and glowing praise.
All this for a basketball game!
Anyone who has ever attended an athletic event knows, the
more excited you get about it… the more you cheer and shout…
the more you end up enjoying the game. Of course you usually go
to enjoy it. Although, I guess, many a parent may just go out
of obligation, the ones who go to enjoy it and support their children
and their teams have the most fun.
When games are exiting and fun, the parents and fans seem
to go wild when their team scores or does something well. Some
scream. Some whistle. People high-five each other. They may even
do chest or belly bounces, depending on their physique. These
are the really good fans. They add to the excitement of the game
and make it even more fun to be a part of. The more you put into
something, the more you usually get out of it.
Tomorrow we start The Family Reunion, and I can
hardly contain myself. God’s Word is more exciting to me
than any basketball game could ever be. I dedicated a half dozen
years of my life to basketball with great return. I was part of
a team that won a MI state championship, and I got “born
again” on the floor of the MSU field-house. My success at
it helped me get into Harvard where I continued to enjoy the game.
I still would love to play, but I have difficulty finding anyone
who wants to play with an old man like me.
However, the thrill and excitement that bubbles up in my
soul concerning my relationship with God and His Word… my
appreciation for what God has done for me in Christ Jesus makes
me want to shout and sing. Nancy and John can attest to how I
play my music all day long and enthusiastically sing along. Neither
is it uncommon to hear exclamations of awe and wonder billow out
of my office when I am touched deeply with God’s grace and
wisdom as I see something more clearly from His Word.
God makes a difference in my life. How ‘bout you?
His Word sets me free to worship Him in spirit and in truth. This
Word of God is practical and valuable. It is useful and beneficial.
It is powerful and life-giving. God is worthy of our praise, and
our enthusiasm for His ways and words can never be overdone.
We sit in church and nod our heads. We sit there and think.
We do not shout or jump up. There are no high fives of joy and
recognition of the goodness of God. We might say, “Oh yes
that’s true; that’s good!” or “That really
blessed me!” But sometimes I wonder if we really know what
it means to be blessed. If you are blessed you ought to let your
face know about. That’s how it is supposed to work. Our
Sunday Morning Fellowship time isn’t supposed to be a cerebral
occasion. It is supposed to be a family time together.
To some of the things we hear we should be screaming, “Yeah
God!” We should be shouting! We should be so moved by the
greatness of God and His Word that we can hardly contain ourselves.
God is always so profound, so awesome and so wonderfully good!
Now I’m not suggesting we be out of order or irreverent,
but we should respond with more than boredom and yawns. I am not
saying that we should choreograph our services and add canned
laughter and an applause sign, so we know what to do. It should
be spontaneous. It should be real. It should mean something to
us personally and profoundly.
John Eldridge’s indictment of the church is that
the men are bored and the women are tired. BUT most people, for
the most part, come out of obligation and tradition – not
out of a true and vital spiritual relationship with God. Life
is exciting! The Word Is Exciting!
Most of the things we do, we do because we “have
to” or because we “want to.” How exciting we
find life to be when the things we “have to do” are
things we “want to do.” One of my favorite responses
to, “Dad, do I have to?” is “Yes you get to!”
They then have to decide if they were going to use some positive
emotion to spur them on or endure the task because of negative
feelings. It is all a choice.
Emotions were designed to help us. To add spice to life.
They push us toward activities. It is a force of life we should
harness. I’m not talking about being driven by emotion...
being out of control. I’m talking about using our emotions
appropriately and deliberately.
God gave mankind emotions to assist us in living for Him.
Never be afraid to express honest emotions. Emotion that matches
the moment is the healthiest thing in the world for our emotional
health. God’s Word even instructs us to “be angry
and sin not.” It is even OK to be angry when it is appropriate.
The key is to not sin… to not break fellowship… to
not lose control. There is nothing wrong with anger; it just makes
a better servant than a master. In other words, you use it and
tell it what to do. You are not controlled and run by it. Do you
think Martin Luther could have done what he did without a little
fire in his soul? Do you think that Jesus got angry by accident
when he saw the negative attention the man with the withered hand
received in response to his command to stand forth? He was living
in the moment and his response was appropriate. It wasn’t
manufactured. It wasn’t premeditated or planned. It was
spontaneous and appropriate, and he did not sin.
Never be afraid to praise God for His goodness and for
His truth. Release your burdens to the Lord. Cast your care upon
Him. If God be for us, who can be against us? You have something
worth shouting about.
There are things that we get excited about that really
have little or no significance on our life. Then there are other
things—like life changing promises and truths—that
should set us free to dance with joy. I encourage you to set yourself
free and let yourself get excited.
Stir up your emotions when emotions should be present.
Yeah! People might think you are a little strange, but then again,
just watch sports on TV and see how people behave regarding things
that have much less significance. If we are going to be a fan
of anything… if we are going to cheer anything... let’s
let it rip for God and His Word. At least you’ll be getting
excited about what God’s Word instructs us to.
