Underdog - My Chances Are Slim

Visit Center County PAWS for information about adopting underdogs.

We are in a series called underdogs and in different ways we are all underdogs and we love a good underdog story.  We often hear these stories in sports when the team that no one thought could win the game, whose chances were slim, pulls off the upset.  Maybe you remember this.

A true underdog story known as the miracle on ice.  The USA had no shot at winning, their chances were slim to none.  The Soviet Union had won 5 of the last 6 gold medals in Ice Hockey.  They were the heavy favorites to win again because they were a team of experienced professional hockey players going up against an American team of young amateurs.  The odds were against them, but they won the game and went on to win the gold medal.  It remains a feel good story to this day. 

We love underdog stories and the Bible is full of them because God loves the underdog, but I’m not sure God ever really sees an underdog.  Last week we heard that while David’s father didn’t see much potential in his youngest son, God saw in him a king.  When God looks at us he doesn’t see an underdog, he sees potential, he sees a purpose and a plan, and God sees in all of us a winner. 

In 2004, Rory McIlroy was 15 years old, and a budding golfer in the junior ranks.  When his dad looked at him however, he didn’t see an ordinary player, he saw a winner.  Specifically, he saw in his son the winner of the British Open within the next ten years, so he made the bet.  A bookmaker was willing to give Rory’s dad 500 to1 odds that his son would win the British Open before 2014, and so he took it.  He placed $350 on his 15 year old son. 

This was far from a sure thing.  Even as Rory’s career and golf game improved and he started winning big tournaments, the odds were against him because golf is a very fickle game.  One day you can be on top, the next day on the bottom.  For example, in 2011, Rory was now 22 years old and he was at the top of his game.  He had won a few tournaments that year and he was leading at the Masters for the first 3days.  He went into the final round 4 strokes ahead, but by the end of the day he was 10 strokes back of the leader and finished tied for 15.  In golf, there is no sure thing. 

The 2014 British Open was Rory’s dad’s final chance to win the bet he had placed 10 years earlier.  In true storybook fashion, Rory won the tournament and his father got $171,000.  Now I am not advocating gambling, and I am not saying we should bet on our children’s future, but here is a wonderful example of how God looks at our lives. 

When God looks at us, he doesn’t see a failure but a victor.  God doesn’t see someone with no potential, but someone who can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives us strength.  Through the prophet Jeremiah, God says, I know the plans I have for you.  Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future.  When God looks at us he doesn’t see an underdog but a top dog and it is that vision, that confidence and assurance, that needs to shape how we think about ourselves. 

Think about how different our lives might be if we said, God is for me.  God has placed me in this moment for his purpose and plan and so I am going to live for him.  Too often what we say is, my chances are slim so I’m not going to step out in faith, but if we could see ourselves the way God sees us, our lives might be different and our world might be changed for the good.  We need to stop seeing ourselves as the underdog and trust that God has a purpose and a plan for our lives.  God sees a top dog in all of our futures so we need to live with boldness and confidence. 

Today we are going to look at a woman who could have chosen the underdog path through her life because everything was against her.  Her chances were slim, but instead of giving in to that vision, she trusted God and stepped up and out and became the literal top dog.  Our underdog today is Esther and her story is found in the OT.  Esther began her life as a true underdog.  Not only were her people, the people of Israel, living in exile in Persia, but she was also an orphan.  The odds were against her, but we are going to see that Esther goes from underdog to top dog because of some very crucial choices.  Esther 2:3-18 (selected verses)

3 Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them. 4 Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it.
5 Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai.  7 Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother.  This young woman, who was also known as Esther, had a lovely figure and was beautiful.  Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.  8 When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. 9 She pleased him and won his favor.  Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food.  He assigned to her seven female attendants selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem.
15 When the turn came for Esther to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested.  And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her. 16 She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
17 Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 And the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality

The first choice that began to turn Esther’s life around was the choice her uncle made when he reached out and took her into his home.  (2:7) Mordecai doesn’t know the future for Esther when she is just a young girl, and it would have been crazy for him to think that she could end up being the queen.  Mordecai reached out to her because she was part of his family and she needed help.  He wants to do the right thing and care for her.  He wants to serve her, and it was that simple choice to serve that changed everything.  The lesson for us to learn here is that serving others is never a little thing. 

Mordecai doesn’t see the path that Esther’s life will take when he offered to help, he doesn’t serve her because she is going to be the queen, he serves her because she is family and she needs a home.   He reaches out to help and serve one person and serving one person in any way is never a little thing.  Simple acts of service can change a person’s life.  Simple acts of service can save a person’s life.

Serving others in love is the core of God’s Kingdom.  Serving others, serving the one in need, is the foundation of our faith, and it is the secret to healthy and strong relationships of all kinds.  Serving others is the secret to a long and solid marriage.  Marriage is not about falling in love, it is not about emotions and feelings but serving.  A successful marriage is not about getting along and getting our own way, it is about serving the other person.  No marriage will last if serving is not at the core of our thinking and actions. 

Serving others is also the core of the church and by that I mean both our willingness to serve one another in the church AND our commitment to serving the one who is not here, the one who needs God, and the one who is simply in need.  When churches turn from serving ourselves to serving others – things change.  When the church reaches out to serve, God’s blessings flow.
If we are not thinking about how we can serve others in and through the church, then we are missing a big part of what our faith is all about.  If we are only coming to worship for what we can get out of it, we will not grow and God’s blessings will not flow into us or through us.  Serving others is the foundation of God’s Kingdom, and it needs to be the focus of our faith.  We need to be shaped by a commitment to service.

I am thankful for some of the early jobs I had that taught  me the value of service.  I started as a paperboy and it was instilled in me that I had to serve my customers.  The paper not only had to be at people’s homes by 6:00 AM, but it had to be between the doors or under a mat.  It couldn’t be thrown from my bike, or placed in a box at the street, it had to be delivered to the door.  I learned early on how to serve others. 

I was then a dishwasher for a small family run Italian restaurant where the parents who cooked wanted very clean pots and pans.  They taught be how to get the copper bottoms to shine, and they didn’t want me to stand around when business was slow, so I cleaned the racks and the walls.  I swept up inside and outside, and I helped clean the small grocery store that the family ran as well.  I learned to keep busy because I didn’t want Mama and Papa Fatone to scream at me in Italian, but in the process I learned the value of service. 

I was then an aide in a nursing home where serving those who are often forgotten and truly in need really hit home.  I was serving people that had no one come to visit them, those who couldn’t say or do anything for themselves, and those who were 100% dependent upon me for their care.  It was a hard job, physically one of the hardest I’ve had, but it taught me the importance and value of serving others. 

I’m thankful for all those times of serving because they helped me see that the church is all about serving God, serving our brothers and sisters, and serving that one person who needs God, and the one person who is simply in need.  Serving shapes us and our service to others is what can help them become more than an underdog. 

Mordecai served Esther and it was that choice that began to turn things around in Esther’s life.  In time she won the favor of many people and then she won the favor of King Xerxes and became the queen.  She went from being an underdog to literally the top dog, and so we might think that her story is over and everyone lived happily ever after, but it is not over.  There are still lessons to learn from this underdog.  During the time that Esther had become queen, a man named Haman had risen in power in King Xerxes court.  Haman asked the King to send out an edict that everyone had to bow down to him, and the king did, but Mordecai would not do this. 

Time and time again, Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman and when Haman found out that Mordecai was Jewish he decided to go to the King and ask for all the Jewish people to be killed.  Esther 3:8-9.  King Xerxes agrees to this not knowing that his own queen, Esther, is Jewish.  The decrees are sent out and the Jewish people are in danger of being completely destroyed.  Mordecai tells Esther of the decree and says that she should use her position to intercede on behalf of her people, and this was Esther’s reply.  Esther 4:11.

It was going to be risky for Esther to go unannounced before the King.  If he chose to, he could have her killed for that simple act.  In fact, we see that the odds were against her because the king hadn’t called on her in 30 days.  Maybe she had fallen out of favor with the king and so her showing up unannounced would be an offense that would cost her life.  It was a risky and uncertain situation, and Mordecai leaves Esther with these words.  Who knows, maybe you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?  Maybe you became queen so you could intercede on behalf of all your people and save the nation. 

Esther now is the one who has a choice to make.  She can go before the king and try to help her people, or she can play it safe and stay home.  If she goes before the king there is no guarantee that he will receive her, he might reject her and have her killed.  There is also no guarantee that he will change his mind and spare her people.  If she stays home however, if she stays safe, she will have to watch as her people are killed.  Esther is given a choice: 

Uncertainty but Serving or
Certainty but Selfish.

This is a choice that at times we also have to make.  Serving others comes with some uncertainty.  Reaching out to care for people is messy, and it often calls for risk and sacrifice, but God is clear that life is only found in risk, and sacrifice, and service.  Jesus set an example for his disciples when he washed their feet.  He said, if you want to be one of my disciples you have to serve.  Jesus then gave his life for us when he carried a cross and once again said, if anyone follows me, let him deny himself and take up a cross.  Jesus made clear that God’s way is a way of service and sacrifice, but if it is done for God it brings victory.  If it is done for God it helps bring God’s kingdom to earth.  Jesus’ service and sacrifice ended not in death but in resurrection.  Service and sacrifice is often risky and uncertain but it leads to the fullness of life.

Every time we are willing to move from Selfish to Serving, we find life, but every time we move from Serving to Selfish, we die.  Marriages thrive when people move from selfish to serving.  Businesses flourish, churches grow, and governments reform when they move from selfish to serving, and every time we make that choice, our lives improve.  Things won’t be easy because with serving comes uncertainty and risk, but it is in serving that we are blessed and it is in serving that we find life.  It’s in serving we lift up the underdog and it is in serving that we learn to become the top dog.

Esther chose uncertainty and service, but she did it with confidence and she allowed God to be her strength and peace.  Esther 4:16. 
Esther asked everyone to fast and pray because in the midst of her uncertainty she was certain that God was with her and that God was for her.  No matter what was going to happen, she had confidence in God.   In the midst of our uncertainty, there is one thing we can be certain of, God is for us.  When God looks at us he doesn’t see an underdog but a person who has a God given purpose and plan. 

So here’s the rest of the story.  Esther went before the King and she wasn’t killed but asked for and received what she wanted.  King Xerxes did not destroy the Jewish people but instead destroyed the one who had him make that decree – Haman.  Not only had Esther saved her own life, but she saved her people and their enemy was destroyed – all because she was willing to serve.  All because Mordecai was willing to serve.  All because Esther was willing to serve

Who are we serving today?  Who is the one in need, the one far from God that we are working for?  God has placed us where we are for a purpose and a plan, and it might be for just this moment that we need to step up and act.  The odds may be against us and our chances might seem slim, but our simple step of serving others begins to turn underdogs into top dogs.  Serving lifts up our lives, and it lifts up the lives of others. 



Next Steps
Underdogs – Our Chances Are Slim

1. Read the Book of Esther. 
● Identify the ways that Mordecai served.
● Identify the ways that Esther served.
● What uncertainty and risks did they face?


2. Never call serving others a little thing.
● Where in your life is God calling you to serve? 
o Marriage
o Work
o School
o Community
o Church – the Blessing of the Backpacks is a great way to serve both in the church and in the community.  You can sign up today.


3. What uncertainty are you facing in life right now? 
● How might serving change your circumstance?
● Consider prayer and fasting as a means of finding God’s peace in the storm.
● How might your service help someone else during their uncertain time in life?


4. In the midst of our uncertainty – God is certain.
● Read Romans 8:28-39
● Give thanks for God’s certain love, grace and strength


5.  What unique position has God given you and how can you use it for God’s purpose? 

Underdogs - I'm Not Qualified

Unless you are a very fortunate person, every one of us has experienced what it is like to be an underdog.  We were been chosen last for the team in gym, picked last for the class project, overlooked for the “select” chorus, rejected for the school play, and never the one to get the promotion at work.  Or maybe we have been the one who falls in love with all the wrong people, or maybe we have never found the right person at all.  There are times we all feel like the underdog. 

I have been the underdog.  Chosen last for teams, never invited to any of the cool kid parties, or any parties, and mostly overlooked all through school.  My last year in seminary I was taking a class and a guy came up and said, you must be new here.  I said, no.  I had been in his class for three years, just always overlooked. 

Because I was an underdog, when I had the opportunity to get my first dog, my own dog, I picked the underdog, the runt of the litter.  I was in Jr. High and a family on my paper route had a dog that gave birth to a litter of brown and white puppies, Mack was the only black one.  Every time I saw the puppies, Mack was the one who was always pushed to the back and not allowed to get much milk.  He was the underdog and my heart went out to him.  When they were old enough for me to take one home, I took him.  Everyone asked me if I was sure that was the one I wanted, the runt of the litter, and I said yes.   

We all know what it’s like to be an underdog which is why we love underdog stories.  Some of the greatest movies are about underdogs.  How about Rocky,

or The Karate Kid. 

The entire Star Wars saga is about how the underdog, Luke Skywalker, becomes the top dog and leads a ragtag nation against the evil Darth Vader. 

And of course we can’t leave out Rudolph and that island of misfit toys

and my all-time favorite character, the constant underdog in all things – Charlie Brown.

The Bible is full of people who were true underdogs and while we often look at these people and see individuals possessing a faith that is beyond our reach, what we are going to see is that they were all underdogs just like we are.  During this series, we are also going to meet some real underdogs.  We have partnered with PAWS in Centre County and each week we are going to feature an underdog that will touch our hearts.  You will be able to learn more about these dogs in the bulletin, and the PAWS website, and you can help sponsor the dogs or become a guardian angel and cover the costs of adoption. 

During the series we are also going to collect small items that PAWS is always looking for.  The list is in the bulletin, and you will be able to drop these items off in the bins at the front doors of the lobby, and by the office.  We want to help turn these underdogs into top dogs and help care for them while they wait to find a home, and if you are thinking about a new pet in your home, we would love for you to consider one of these dogs. 

One of the most interesting things about the story of God as it unfolds in the Bible is that God loves the underdog.  When the odds seem to be against someone and all hope seems lost, that is often the person, and the moment where God steps in and uses the underdog to save the day.  God chooses the underdog to make it clear to everyone that the salvation or the victory did not come from human wisdom, strength, or power but from God, and that is something we always need to remember.  God may choose us because we are the underdog, but that doesn’t mean we should boast about it, we need to always be humble.  God chooses the weak to show the world that He is strong.  He chooses the underdog to make clear that God’s power and glory are seen. 

So God loves the underdog and today we are going to look at David.  I know what you may be thinking, the story is going to be little David going up against the giant Goliath in battle.  After all, that appears to be a true underdog story, a young boy taking down a giant of a man with a slingshot and a stone, but that’s not the story we want to look at because before David was the underdog in battle, he was the underdog in his own home. 

Here’s the setting.  The people had been begging God to give them a king.  While God wanted to be the king and lead his people, the people kept asking God over and over again for a king just like all the nations, so God finally gave in and anointed a king, a man named Saul.  Now Saul looked like a king.  He was tall, very tall, a full head and shoulders above the rest of the men around him, so he was a natural choice to be the king.  Saul ruled for many years, but he wasn’t faithful or consistent.  One month Saul would follow God completely, the next month he would do what he wanted to do.  Sometimes he would acknowledge God as Lord, sometimes Saul made himself Lord.  Finally God got tired of Saul’s lack of faith and trust and decided to anoint a new king.

So God decided to do a new thing and anoint a new king, and God is still always looking to do new things.  No matter who we are, or where we are in life, God is looking to do something new and fresh in our lives.  The new thing might be stepping out in our own faith to deepen our relationship with God, and this fall we are going to have several opportunities to do that in new small groups.  It might be to step up in the church and serve in some new way and in a way that we know will stretch us beyond what is comfortable.  It might be to serve in the community, step out in missions, or start something new in life that God has laid on our heart and mind. 

While God wants to do something new in our lives, what often holds us back is fear.  It is fear that leads us to make excuses.  I’m not good enough.  I’m not smart enough.  I’m not strong enough in my faith.  It’s fear that says, I don’t know if this is what God wants from me.  I don’t have the right background or resources to do this.  We make underdog excuses out of fear, but if God is calling us – then God is with us – and if God is with us then what can stand against us. 

God wanted to do something new in Israel so he sent the prophet Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint a new king in Israel.  1 Samuel 16:1-5

Samuel goes to Bethlehem and finds Jesse and his sons and it says he consecrated them, which means he set them aside and invited them to come back to a sacrifice where God would anoint one of them for something important.  They know Samuel is there to anoint one of them to be some kind of leader, so the anticipation for Jesse and his sons must have been great.  Something extraordinary is going to happen. 

That evening they all return and the first of Jesse’s sons, Eliab, is presented to Samuel.  He is the oldest so it makes sense that he would be the king.  It’s always the first born that gets all the breaks right?  (I can say that being the youngest.)  From what we know of Eliab, he was also tall and good looking and again it is always the tall people who are chosen leaders (statistically this is actually true), and it’s always the good looking people who get ahead.  But God tells Samuel not to look at the outside, his height and appearance, but the heart.  It’s not Eliab.

Now can you imagine being Jesse’s second son?  His name was Abinadab and he must have said, “Yes!  Finally it’s my turn now,” and so he is brought before Samuel – but he is also rejected.  Now the third son in line must have been beside himself because he is always overlooked.  But it is not him.  Nor the fourth, nor the fifth, nor the sixth, nor the seventh.  None of Jesse’s sons gathered there were chosen by God.  Samuel is confused and so asked Jesse, Are these all the sons you have? 

While Jesse doesn’t say this, by only bringing these 7 sons, he has made it clear that these are the only sons that matter.  These are the only ones who are qualified and able to do the job.  Even in his own home, the 8th son is overlooked.  He wasn’t even invited to the sacrifice, but Samuel says, go get him, and here’s the rest of the story.  1 Samuel 16:12-13a

David was overlooked in his own home.  His own father didn’t think he was qualified to even come to the meeting with Samuel, and sometimes the feeling we have of being overlooked and unqualified comes from own homes.  It starts when we are very young.  Many of us have had to fight the voices we have heard all our lives telling us that we don’t measure up, that we aren’t good enough, that we aren’t qualified to do the job. 

I’ve heard this a few times in my life.  In seminary I was told I wasn’t very good at preaching and it was my roommate who was asked to be a guest preacher in the chapel.  Going through the process to be ordained there was a pastor I worked with who said I didn’t measure up and that my words and preaching weren’t good enough.  Some in my own church told me I didn’t have what it takes to be a pastor  We all hear those voices at times and what we need to learn from David is that being overlooked and disqualified is not the end. 

Let me stop here and go back to Sadie Marie. 

We chose her for this week because they said at PAWS that she is a great dog that is often overlooked.  Being a little older and a little bigger wasn’t in her favor, so she was often overlooked, and yet look at her, she is beautiful and full of life and love.  Here’s the good news for this underdog, we have found out that there is now an application pending for her adoption.  Being overlooked was not the end of her story – and it is not the end of our story. 

Being overlooked and told that we aren’t qualified happens all the time, so we need to be prepared for it, and we need to tell ourselves that it’s ok for others to say that as long as we continue to live for God, and follow God’s leading in our lives.  We may be overlooked by those around us but we are NOT overlooked by God.  David was not overlooked by God, instead he was anointed by God.  And that’s the second lesson we learn from David, underdogs can become God’s top dogs. 

Our story isn’t over yet; there is more to come and God has more in store for us.  We have all been picked by God to be in this place at this time for God’s purpose.  God has placed us in our jobs, in our schools, among our friends, in our community, and in this church for a reason, and our story is not over – God is looking to do a new thing in our lives and while we may feel like an underdog – we can become a top dog in God’s plan for the world, so we need to keep going.  And that is the last lesson we learn from David, we have to keep going. 

We think David is about 13 years old when he was anointed by Samuel, but he doesn’t become the official King of Israel until he is 30.  That’s 17 years of waiting, working, wondering, and walking with God into the fullness of his calling.  These 17 years were difficult ones for David.  He was questioned by his brothers and persecuted by Saul and his leaders.  He was chased from his home, chased out of his own country for a while, and he suffered bouts of real doubt and depression.  While he could have easily given up, he didn’t.  David kept going, and it was these 17 years that helped David become the king.  They were years of growth for David.  It was these years that helped David become king.

As we desire to become all that God wants us to be, as we ask God to take us from underdog to top dog, we can’t skip the growth process.  Don’t forget, Rocky didn’t win in the first Rocky Movie – he lost to Apollo Creed, he didn’t win until Rocky 2.  David was an underdog for 17 years before he became the king.  We can’t be afraid of the growth process because what we go through as the underdog helps us become the top dog. 

David was forgotten by his father and overlooked by his family, but that did not disqualify him from being anointed by God.  Underdogs can become top dogs if we will remain faithful, hold true to God’s calling in our lives, and work through the hard process of growth, maturity and change that God has for us all. 
 

Next Steps
Underdogs – David

1. What underdog story (movie, cartoon, character) is your favorite and why?  What does this underdog have to teach you about being a top dog?

2. Where do you feel like an underdog today? 
Marriage and Family
Work and Career
Spiritual Life and Serving God

3. What excuses are you making in each of these areas?

4. Where are you skipping the process of growth God wants for you? 

5. Read the story of David in 1 Samuel 16:1-13.

6. In what way is God calling you to something new at home, in school, at work, in the church, in our community, or in the world? 

7.  Allow God to anoint you for this work and begin the process of growth.  A wonderful opportunity to hear God’s call, experience God’s anointing, and grow is through the Global Leadership Summit, August 8-9.  Registration forms at the Connection Table or register online at www.bellefontefaith.com/gls.

Life Hacks - Prayer

Today we are finishing up our study of the book of James by looking at a life principle that ultimately gives fuel to our faith and provides the power to follow all the practices – or life hacks – that James has given us.  What helps us in times of trials, gives us the energy to be doers of God’s word, helps us treat all people with dignity and respect, tames our tongue, tempers our temptations, and leads us to wisdom is prayer.  James begins and ends his book by talking about the power of prayer, and so today we are going to end our series by looking at how prayer is the key to a stronger faith, and healthier relationships and a more vital life. 

While I know we have all been learning from the life hacks provided by James, the other life hacks we have shared have been fun too, and I can now say that I am a fan of frozen potato chips.  So here are the final life hacks I have to offer.
1. A tennis ball in dog food makes them eat slower
2. A squeegee can pick up cat hair on furniture and carpets

Back to prayer, prayer has been at the foundation of James principles and practices and we are going to define prayer as simply keeping company with God.  Prayer is spending time with God.  It is both listening to God and talking with God.  It is sharing our hearts and desires with God, and allowing God to shape our hearts and desires.  Many people have asked why we should pray if God already knows everything.  We don’t pray to inform God, we pray to be formed by God, and we pray because God wants to spend time with us.  We pray because God enjoys our company.  We pray because God loves us. 

So here is the first principle about prayer, pray every day - because God enjoys our company.  We don’t pray to just tell God what we want, or what we are sorry for, or even what we are thankful for, we pray to simply be with God.  Prayer is an intentional time where we open ourselves up to the presence of God and it is a reminder that God enjoys the time with us.  This time with God is not only important to God but it is vital our lives and faith. 

Prayer has not only been a part of all the major people we see in the Bible, it has been time in prayer that shaped these people.  Abraham prayed.  Moses prayed.  David prayed.  The prophets Elijah and Elisha prayed.  Mary and Joseph prayed.  Peter and Paul prayed.   Jesus prayed.  Think about that, Jesus prayed, and his prayer life was so powerful that it was the one thing that the disciples specifically asked Jesus to teach them.  They didn’t ask Jesus to teach them how to multiply fish and bread, turn water into wine, or even how to heal the sick, they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray because they understood that prayer was the foundation of Jesus’ life and the fuel for his own faith and connection with God the father.  They wanted to pray like Jesus. 

One of the most important things during any time of prayer is for us to hear God’s message of love.  There are two times we hear God speak during Jesus’ life, and in both situations God says the same thing.  At Jesus’ baptism, a dove descended on Jesus, and the voice of God said, this is my son, whom I love.  With him I am well pleased.  And then later in Jesus’ life God spoke again and said, this is my son, whom I love.  With him I well pleased.  Listen to him. 

Twice it is recorded that Jesus heard God’s words of love.  Twice we know that Jesus heard the affirmation of his father, but I don’t think these were the only two times Jesus heard this message.  Jesus often went off by himself to pray and during those times of prayer Jesus heard again and again that he was loved by God the father.  Again and again Jesus heard that he was chosen, and anointed, and connected to God the father.  If Jesus needed to hear that God loved him, if he needed the affirmation of his heavenly father, how much more do we? 

So one of the most important things for us to hear in any time of prayer is that we are loved and affirmed by God.  We need this reminder daily, so we need to pray every day and allow God’s love to rest upon us.  We need to hear the kind of message that came through the prophet Zephaniah who said…
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.  He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.  While this sounds a bit strange to us, God truly does want to rejoice over us with singing.  God delights in our presence.  This is how much God longs for our company and desires us to pray – every day.

The second life principles is this, pray about everything - because God cares about us.  Let’s look at James 5:13-18. 

James says we are to pray when we are in trouble, when we are happy, when we are sick, when we are wrapped up in sin, and when we are experiencing the gift of righteousness.  In all the circumstances of life we are to pray, and we really are to pray about everything because God cares about everything. 

When I was in college, the fellowship I was part of had a Daily Prayer Meeting.  We met in an empty classroom in one of the main buildings on campus and we would pray about everything.  One day a girl in our group came in and said she needed a bike to help her get to classes and work, and so we prayed that God would provide a bike.  I’ll be honest, I was somewhat new to the whole prayer thing and I thought, really?  We are praying for a bike?  But we did and a week later Tracy came to the prayer meeting and said she had gotten a bike.  I’m not saying God will give us everything we ask for when we pray, I am saying we need to pray about everything because if it matters to us – it matters to God.

You would think that I would have learned from that situation to pray for everything, but I forget to pray for things like bikes.  When the sump pump at my parsonage in Lewisburg stopped working one Saturday night – when it was raining hard – I had to set an alarm to go off every 30 minutes so I could go down and trigger the pump to start so my basement wouldn’t flood.  I shared that story in Sunday School the next morning to explain why I was so tired and someone asked me if I prayed for the sump pump.  I laughed and said, no.  They said, why not.  I said, it was a sump pump.  And then I thought about Tracy’s bike.  If it matters to me – it matters to God. 

I should have prayed for my sump pump.  I should have shared with God that situation and prayed.  The sump pump may have started to work, or God could have given me the knowledge about how to get it working, or maybe God would have just blessed me with a sense of peace that I needed for Sunday morning. 

What matters to you right now?  What is important to you today?  Whatever it is, big or small, it matters to God and we need to share it with God.  It may not miraculously get fixed, or be provided, but if it matters to you – it matters to God and we need to share our lives with God.  We need to pray every day because God enjoys our company, and we need to pray about everything because God cares about us. 

Now here’s the thing, most of us know we should pray more often, we even understand that there is power in prayer, but we just don’t do it, so here are three life hacks to help us pray more faithfully. 

Did you know that there is an app we all have on our phones that can help us pray?  Let me show you… (Power button)
1. Power Off.  We need to power off to turn on and tune in to God.  Sometimes all that is needed for us to turn to God in prayer is to turn off the world.  Phones, tablets, computers, and TVs make it very easy for us to start our day tuning into the world instead of tuning into God.  What’s the first thing you do in the morning?  Sometimes before I am even out of bed I have checked my email, scanned the news, and seen what has been posted on facebook.  I’ve tuned into the world before I have tuned into God.  I’m working to try and turn this around so I don’t tune into the world until after I have tuned into God.  I’m trying to power off my devices so I can focus on prayer.

To remain focused and tuned into God during prayer we can also keep a prayer list or a prayer journal.  Sometimes writing down what I share with God helps me stay focused on what matters and it reminds me from day to day what I have and what I want to share with God. 

Setting aside a specific time and place for prayer can also be helpful.  A few years ago I decided to not turn on the TV in the morning to watch the news but to take the time while I was eating breakfast to read the Bible and pray.  So now every morning I am able to sit at a table where I can keep company with God through his word and prayer. 

2. Invite In.  James 5:14.  We not only need to invite God into our lives when we pray, but there is value in inviting others into our prayers as well.  There is power when we pray together.  Jesus said where two or more are gathered in his name, he is there, and when Jesus is there, the power of Jesus is there. 

Praying with others not only brings the power of Jesus, but it can keep us diligent in praying, and it can shape our prayers.  Prayer partners can be a good way to help us be intentional in our times of prayer and keep us going.  Whether we actually meet with someone to pray, or just ask someone to check in with us about our prayer life, the support and accountability in prayer can be powerful. 

Praying with others can also teach us how to pray.  It was praying one on one with the guys in my bible study in college that taught be more about prayer than any class or workshop ever did.  The disciples grew in their desire to pray by simply being with Jesus when he prayed.  .

I hope in your marriages and in your families you are praying together.  If not, introduce it as a practice.  Pray at meal time.  Pray at bedtime with your children.  Pray for your children in the morning or at the start of the day.  Invite God into your lives and invite others into your times of prayer. 

3. Envision Change.  James says, the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.  In other words, prayer changes things, so what are the changes we want to see in our lives, our relationships, our jobs, our community, and our world?  What change are we looking for?  Can we see it?  Can we name it? 
Envisioning change can be helpful for several reasons.  It can help us check our motives to make sure what we are seeing and wanting is right and pure.  It can also help us see what might need to change in us to bring about a change in others, or the world.  Sometimes the change that comes in prayer is going to take place in us, and so we need to see that, and be willing to accept that. 

Jesus had a strong vision of what he prayed for.  When he taught his disciples to pray he told them to pray, thy kingdom come, and Jesus could clearly see what the kingdom of God was to look like and how he could be part of bringing it in.  Seeing what he was praying for gave direction to Jesus’ life and it can give direction to our lives as well. 

To help us pray we need to power off, invite in, and envision change, but the most important thing is to just pray.  Spend time with God.  Begin a conversation with God.  Listen for God to speak and share and sing over you and know that God enjoys your company.  Prayer is so important because it is the fuel that ignites our faith, it forgives our sin, it helps heals our souls, it restores our relationships, and it fundamentally changes our lives. 
 
Next Steps
Life Hacks – Prayer

Prayer – keeping company with God.


Life Principle
• Pray every day - because God enjoys your company.
• Pray about everything - because God cares about you. 


Life Hacks:

1.  Power Off – to turn on and tune in to God
• What time of the day can you turn off the world (phone, tablet, computers, TV) and tune into God?  Pick a time and place to pray every day.
• Share with God what matters most to you today.
• Listen to what matters most to God.

2. Invite In.
• Ask God to enter into your schedule, your relationships, and your heart.
• Join a small group where others can pray for you, and where you can pray for others.
• In your small groups, being a prayer partner ministry.
• Pray together in your marriage or family.  Start by praying before meals, or at the beginning of your day.

3. Envision Change.
• What one change are you praying for today?
o Write down what it would look like for God to answer your prayer. 
• What one change might God want in your life? 
o Write down what it would look like for God to answer His prayer.

Life Hacks - Wisdom

The book of James is filled with principles that can make our lives and relationships better - if we will follow them.  The practices that help us follow these life principles we are calling life hacks, because a life hack is a new or novel way of doing something that is better than the old way.  It’s a new practice that can improve our lives.  Last week you heard that I love most kettle cooked chips, what I didn’t know – and here is an amazing life hack – you can freeze potato chips.  I know, it’s crazy, and in my house there are never any leftover chips to freeze, but you can freeze chips and some people say that if you freeze flavored chips and eat them right out of the freezer that the taste is stronger.  

Since communion is today, let me offer this life hack on getting grape juice or wine stains out of clothes.  Soak the stain in equal parts of dawn and hydrogen peroxide and you will see the stain begin to lift.  Or you can try pouring white vinegar over the stain which neutralizes purple and red pigments, then rub in some detergent and wash.  If you spill on carpets, blot out the excess liquid and then pour salt on the carpet.  The salt will pull out the stain.

With many of the life hacks we have offered, there is sound logic behind them.  For example, the salt crystals absorb the stain out of the carpet and the vinegar neutralizes the red pigments.  Sometimes there is science behind the life hack, sometimes it is just looking at something in a new way, like seeing a cup as a hand protector and not just something to drink out of, but with all of them there is a certain amount of wisdom, and James gives us a life principle that deals with wisdom.  James 3:13-18.

James tells us that there are two kinds of wisdom in this world.  The first is a wisdom that comes from above and this is the wisdom that comes from God.  God’s wisdom is pure and leads to a life of humility, peace, and good works.  But there is also a wisdom from below, an earthly wisdom, that James says is unspiritual and if we follow this wisdom our lives become selfish, chaotic, and can lead us into all kinds of evil and problems.      

The wisdom from above is the truth that comes from God, and this can be found in the direction we find in the world of God, the example we see in the life of Jesus, and the strong promptings of God’s Holy Spirit that speak into our hearts and lives.  While there are times we struggle to fully understand God’s wisdom, God has assured us that if we seek His wisdom, we will find it.  If we ask God for true wisdom, God will provide.

The wisdom from below, this earthly wisdom, is found all around us.  It is found in some of the wisdom or advice we get from people.  While much of what we hear might sound good and even seem helpful, it doesn’t always mean that it is from God.  If those sharing their advice and wisdom aren’t followers of Jesus, then we can’t be certain that their wisdom is from God.  If people aren’t informed by the wisdom that comes from above, they can’t share with us God’s wisdom, and so even if what they say sounds good and reasonable, we can’t be certain it is from God.

We also hear earthly wisdom at work and again, while the advice and direction we receive might sound good it doesn’t mean it is from God.  For a few months after college, I sold cable TV subscriptions door to door.  I learned how to talk about cable TV in ways that would motivate people to sign up.  I had one woman already to sign up.  She really wanted cable and my boss and coworkers would have said that it would have been an easy sale.  I could have done it, but then she told me that she needed an operation and she didn’t have money for both.  The wisdom I learned from my employer would have said sign her up and let her figure out the health issues later.  I couldn’t follow that wisdom, it didn’t seem right, so I didn’t sign her up, and began looking for another job.  

Earthly wisdom in relationships says things like, if it feels good – do it.  In finances it says, go ahead and buy it now, you can pay it off later.  Earthly wisdom is found in advertising, music, sports, entertainment, and through all kinds of social media.  There are subtle and not so subtle messages that bombard us in social media that shape our values and our decisions, in fact there are people called social media influencers because their presence on social media and the advice they give influence the decisions of others.  All of this wisdom from below shapes our values and lives if we listen to it and follow it.   

Earthly wisdom is also found in news and politics, and in many ways this is where it’s easy to see how earthly wisdom works.  All across the political spectrum there are people who claim to have the answers to our social problems.  There are dozens of options, solutions, and ideas that are coming at us all the time.  Not all of this wisdom we hear can be right.  Not all the news we get from either Fox or CNN can be trusted all the time because it is filtered through people who have their own unique perspective or agenda.  All of these ideas and information and wisdom comes at us constantly and it doesn’t promote peace but chaos.  

So we have news, politics, entertainment, social media, family, friends, work practices, peers, sports, and our own human desires shouting at our hearts and minds every day.  We are inundated by messages that try to shape our thinking and our values and our decisions, and it is often this earthly wisdom that guides our lives, but if the wisdom is not from God, it is ultimately not good for us.  To experience the life God wants for us we need to learn how to follow the wisdom from above and so here are the three life hacks to help us do that.  

1. Stop... and care for others first.  Twice James connects selfish ambition with the wisdom that comes from the world, so if we can stop thinking about ourselves first, if we can break the hold selfishness has on our lives, then the door is opened for God’s wisdom to enter and shape our hearts.  Opportunities to serve and care for others are all around us, we just have to be willing to step out and take them.  Most of us know someone who could use some support, love, and attention.  If we will step out to care for them, God will reshape our thinking.  

Coming back later this afternoon to high five kids in the hallway as they come to the first night of VBS shows families that we are a community that loves and cares for both children and Jesus.  Praying for those serving this week at VBS is one way to care about others.  All of you were so generous in your donations of snack crackers for Centre county foster children, but let’s not stop there, we will have a container in the back parking lot that will need to get filled to send to Belize to help people in need there.  We can all play a part in this mission and this is one more way to stop and care about others first.  Working at being less selfish and self-absorbed begins to reshape our thinking and helps us focus on wisdom from above. 

2. Look... at what we have and not at what we don’t have.  Wisdom from God says we are blessed, and that we need to be content with what we and have not constantly wanting more.  What we need to do is learn how to be content with what we get and discontent with what we give.  

The wisdom from God says that a good and faithful life is found when we learn to give ourselves away.  God’s word says it is more blessed to give than to receive, and Jesus said, those who try to keep their lives will lose it, but those who give their lives away will find real life.  In other words, true life is found not in what we get and accumulate in life, but in how we give ourselves away.  

At the end of life, earthly wisdom counts up what we have gotten in life and directs where that will go, Godly wisdom considers what we have given.  What we give are the treasures in heaven that ultimately make a difference.  What is God asking us to give this week?  Is it our time, our talents, our treasure?  If we can give more today, and store up treasure in heaven?  When we do, the wisdom that comes from God will shape our hearts and lives.  

3. Listen… to God first.  We live in a world with so many voices coming at us that it is hard to know who to listen to, so we have to set aside time every day to intentionally listen to God.  Before we seek wisdom from family and friends, before we go searching for direction online or in the world, can we ask God for wisdom, and then listen to God in prayer?  Can we listen to what God has shared with us through his word?  Can we examine the life of Jesus to see the example that he has given us?  Can we quiet ourselves and allow God’s spirit to speak directly to our hearts?  

It is not easy to silence the voices around us long enough to listen to God, but we can.  We can limit the influence of social media, limit screen time with ourselves and our children.  We can stop listening to all the news and fake news which comes with its own bias and agenda.  We can silence some of the voices around us and when we do we have the opportunity to hear more clearly the voice of God.  

Our VBS theme is ROAR and it centers on the idea that while Life is wild – God is good.  When life gets scary, when events in our life are unfair, in the midst of unwelcome change, and when tragedy comes and life is sad, the world offers its own perspective, advice, and wisdom, but the wisdom from God says this – when all of that happens – God is good.  The wisdom from above says that God is always good and that God is always working for good in the lives of those who love him.  God’s wisdom doesn’t say everything in our lives is good, but that God can use it for good, and that the God working in us is good.  Can we quiet the voices around us so that we can hear the roar of God’s love and grace?  At times God’s voice thunders like a lion, and sometimes God’s voice whispers like the wind in the trees, but we will never hear that voice until we silence our hearts and minds and learn to listen.  

So to begin to hear and follow the wisdom from God, we need to stop.  Stop living for ourselves first and break the grip that selfish ambition has on our lives.  We need to look.  Look at what we have and what we have been given and not just what we want.  And we need to listen.  Listen to God first.  We need to silence the many voices around us so we can hear the roar of God’s love.  When we do stop, look, and listen, it is the wisdom from above that shapes our lives and leads us to a life of God’s goodness and peace.  

Next Steps

Life Hacks – Wisdom

Life Principle

There are two kinds of wisdom, one comes from above and one comes from below.  Read James 3:13-18.

Life Hacks

1.  Stop.  Stop and care for others first.

• Find one person to serve this week.

2. Look.  Look at what you have and not what you want.

• Learn to be discontent with your giving by giving in some new way this week.

• Give a mosquito net to the VBS Offering to help eradicate malaria.

• Give to the Belize container project.

3. Listen.  Listen to God first.

• What voices do you need to turn off so you can hear God roar?

• What practices do you need to start so you can hear God whisper?

• Commit time each day to reading God’s word.

• Make time in your prayers to be quiet and listen.