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.
