More than I can handle

Posted on May 27, 2017 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

When we read the stories about the heroes of faith, it is easy to forget the uncertainty they experienced in the midst of their stories. When he started building the ark, Noah had never experienced a flood. When David was fleeing from Saul, David did not know if he would survive that day. When Joseph was sitting in prison, he did not know that within two years he would be second in command to Pharaoh. We know how each of these stories ends, so we can be oblivious to the emotions that these heroes experienced in the midst of their trials.

The recent resignation of a coworker to a competitor has caused me to be in some difficult situations over the last few weeks. I have taken over some of his former clients not knowing what he has said about my company or about his replacement (me). On top of the people challenges, there are technical challenges of quickly learning the clients’ systems so that I can be effective as a consultant.

As a result, I found myself feeling rather overwhelmed on a recent drive home. I was challenged by a fear of failure combined with self pity with a little bit of anger thrown in.

One of the Christian platitudes that I find most irritating is “God will not give you more than you can handle.” Try telling that to Gideon and the 300 men with him as they moved toward a battle with the entire Midian army. Try telling that to Job who, in addition to experiencing the loss of health, wealth and family, had to endure the empty and sometimes harsh words of his so-called friends. Both Gideon and Job had more than they could handle and God was behind it all.

No-where in Scripture have I found any support for the idea that God will not give me more than I can handle.

But as I drove home on that commute, I was reminded of two things which provided the necessary perspective to begin moving away from my emotional funk.

First, I was reminded that God was not taken by surprise in anything that has happened to me. These changes did not disrupt God’s plan for my life.

The second thing that came to mind is the promise in Philippians 1:6 that God will complete the work that he has begin in me. The circumstances in which I find myself will, if nothing else, reveal the parts of me that remain in need of transformation. God uses my circumstances as a tool to shape me into the person he intends me to be. How will I overcome my inappropriate fear, self pity and selfish anger if they are not exposed through these circumstances?

This knowledge does not make the circumstances any easier. But this knowledge is like a life vest that will keep me afloat until I get back to shore.

Quarterbacks, kings and the rest of us

Posted on February 1, 2013 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

The Quarterback

A lot is being made of the fact that when Alex Smith of the San Francisco 49er’s lost his job as starting quarterback, he acted like a professional and continued to work hard to help his team. Just this morning, I heard that the head coach commended Alex for stepping in to help coach his replacement.

Alex did not lose his job because he failed. The team had a winning record when he was replaced. I doubt that he stopped believing in his ability to get the job done, nor did he lose his desire to play. I am sure that when the first whistle blows on Sunday that Alex will feel a pang knowing that unless his replacement gets hurt or plays poorly, he will not get to play.

It is fascinating to listen to sports talk radio as they discuss this. They admire Alex’s circumspection and reluctance to cause a problem. But, they are sometimes at a loss to figure out what would motivate him to take this so well.

Most attribute Alex’s behavior to the fact that he is likely to get a large contract next year from a team that is in need of a starting quarterback if he does not cause problems in the locker room. Some attribute it to professional pride. Others point to his respect for his coach. Is it possible that he is doing it because it is the right thing to do, no matter the consequences? Without him telling us, it is impossible to know for sure what his motivation is.

The King

Jonathan was the crown prince. When Saul, the king, could no longer reign, Jonathan would assume the throne. Yet we learn in the book of 1 Samuel, that God had a different plan. David, the shepherd and giant killer, was God’s choice to be king after Saul.

Jonathan could have participated with Saul in the attempts to remove David as a threat. Jonathan could have complained, mocked or ridiculed David as a usurper to the throne. Yet, Jonathan did none of these things. What he did do was to help David and to make a covenant with him. Jonathan was content to serve under David, he understood that to submit to David was required of him in submission to God.

The rest of us

Our culture puts a lot of pressure on us to succeed and move up. “Second place is first loser” is often said with regard to sports but this attitude transfers into all of life. We fell pressure to move up the corporate ladder, add more clients, build our income or increase our prestige. We are told that we should never accept a lesser position, that we should strive and do whatever it takes to get the higher one.

Despite what self-help gurus and advertisers tell us, we cannot all be the boss. We cannot all come out on top. Some of us are underemployed. Some of us are in positions in life that are not what we would consider optimal. How do we deal with this?

The Bible has examples of men and women who had legitimate reason to be frustrated with their circumstances but choose to be content while they waited for change. Joseph, Daniel, Abigail, Moses and Ruth come immediately to mind. All of these were commended for their faithfulness despite their frustrating circumstances. They did not wallow in self pity, nor did they give up hope for change, they trusted God with their desire for improvement.

We can learn from Jonathan and Alex Smith that while it may not be glamorous or yield reward in the short run, faithfulness in the role we are currently given is the right thing to do.

For the Christian, who is seeking God through his circumstances while waiting (and perhaps striving) for change, we have the assurance that God “is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NASB)

Play backup if it is necessary but be preparing for the move up when God deems the time to be right.

On gadflies and prophets in the church

Posted on April 18, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre 2 Comments

When David committed adultery and covered it up by committing murder, Nathan the prophet came unbidden and confronted David as recorded in 2 Samuel 12:1-15. Later on, in 2 Samuel 24:11, the prophet Gad is referred to as “David’ Seer” (NASB). David gave these prophets permission to speak into his life and provide correction to his faults and errors. He granted this permission on the basis of his relationship with God and his desire to remove any obstacle to loving God.

King Ahab, on the other hand, viewed the prophet Elijah as a “troubler of Israel” (1 Kings 18:17). Ahab refused to tolerate the prophetic voice speaking into his life and reign. He viewed Elijah as a troublemaker or gadfly and dismissed his message as an annoyance.

While modern church leaders cannot pronounce the death penalty upon those who speak out with suggestions or criticism, they can make it very uncomfortable for those who do not agree with the leader. There is a danger that those who speak up and voice their disagreements will be labeled as troublemakers, the way that Ahab tagged Elijah. This is dangerous because not everyone that voices discontent is seeking to cause trouble.

Martin Luther was not seeking to split the Roman Church. He simply voiced his discontent over practices that were harmful and against Scriptural command. Yet he was tagged as a heretic and a troublemaker. We should be wary of any system which places such labels on people.

How do you distinguish between someone who is trying to bring positive change and a troublemaker? I believe the difference is in their focus. A troublemaker works his way into the spotlight and works for his own glory. The one who desires positive change (in the church setting) seeks to draw people into closer relationship with Jesus Christ and into a greater commitment to living out Scriptural principles.

Another distinction is that troublemakers attack people; change agents attack problems. It is one thing to attack the pastor’s character or motive; it is another thing to suggest a better way of doing something. Criticizing people causes dissension and division; critiquing methods can cause growth and improvement. Troublemakers tear down. Change agents seek to build up.

No human leader (with the exception of Jesus) is right all the time. No human leader should be granted the power to be the ultimate authority in a church. No human leader should have the authority to label those who disagree as troublemakers. If you find yourself within a church that applies such labels to people, my advice would be to walk quietly away and find a more loving place to worship.

Why walk away? Because eventually you will be forced to choose between acquiescing to something with which you don’t agree or be labeled as a troublemaker and be shunned. Better to leave sooner before the accusations start flying.

Leaders, I would offer this advice. Better a few gadflies than a castrated group of yes-people around you. A few gadflies will cause more growth in you than a thousand yes-people. You need your ideas challenged. You need your authority challenged because God is the ultimate authority and it is to Him that we are all to submit. The prophetic voice that you need to hear will be silenced if you start believing you are above such challenges.

Faithfulness – The currency of God’s economy

Posted on March 31, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

Things took a turn for the worse in King Saul’s life when he allowed jealousy to creep into his relationship with David. From reading the account of Saul’s life in 1 Samuel, we know that Saul’s decline and ultimate downfall were his own fault.

Three turning points are presented where Saul took the wrong path leading to a disastrous result. Saul reached a turning point . . .

When he became impatient waiting for Samuel and performed the office of priest (1 Samuel 13:8-14). It was at this point that Saul was informed that his dynasty would not last.
When he disobeyed God’s command with regard to the Amalekites by allowing spoils to be taken and leaving King Agag alive. Saul used the excuse that the spoils were to be used as sacrifices to God. In response, Samuel told Saul, “to obey is better than sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 15:22)
When Saul started becoming jealous of David as a result of the women of the city ascribing victory over ten thousands to David and only ascribed thousands to Saul as recorded in 1 Samuel 18:8.

It is this third turning point which hit home this morning.

God does not allow each of us to have the same results. This is true in our monetary economy and it is also true in God’s spiritual economy. We all have equal opportunity to serve God, but we will not all enjoy the same level of success. As is noted in point number two above, obedience and faithfulness are what God values, yet it is easy to lose sight of this as did Saul. When comparing ourselves to others who have had larger impact, there is the potential to feel jealous, inadequate or feel like we are doing something wrong. When we look at the results and not at the call, then discouragement can set in.

Should the preacher at the small church quit because there is a mega church down the street that is drawing in thousands? Should the writer of a blog with small readership stop writing because there are so many others who seem to have a larger audience? Should the missionary quit because he has seen so few people come to Christ? If they are indeed doing what God has called them to do, then the preacher, blogger and missionary should not quit, they should press on.

God has called us to faithfulness and we must learn to leave the results to him. After a moment of reflection on this, it can be seen that God is not dependent upon us to accomplish his will. The outcome of God’s program is not determined by our success or failure. The results are not in our hands. Yet, he chooses to use us.

The currency in God’s economy is faithfulness, not results. Am I doing what God has called me to do? If so, then I can be satisfied with my results, no matter how they stack up numerically as compared to others.