Living – Page 9 – John Markum

Before you know God’s will…

Posted on July 15, 2013 by johnmarkum

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” – Romans 12:1, 2

Without a doubt, the greatest thing I get asked about as a pastor is something along the lines of, “How do I know God’s will for my life?” It’s a fair question. And it’s one that I’ve wrestled with most of my life, also. People have often asked me stuff like the following:

How did you know which college to go to?
How did you know Tiffany was “the one”?
How did you know God was calling you into ministry?
How did you know God was leading you to start a church?
How did you know God was sending you to California?
How did you know you were suppose to wear that shirt? (ok, this one, less often.)

Well according to Heb. 11:1, “knowing” any of these things is a stretch at best. You cannot “know” for sure anything God calls you to accept on faith. But the bigger reality check is that, despite all of the mystery and wonder we put to knowing the specifics of God’s will, what God really wants for each of us, is very clearly spoken to us in His Word.

No, God didn’t answer any of the above questions for my life in the Bible. He gave me answers to more important issues than the details of His specific will for the “what” to do with my life. He gave me the divine ways for the “how” I should live my life.

In Romans 12, Paul tells us quite clearly -even begging us- to submit ourselves as a “living sacrifice” to God, and that doing so is both “holy” and “pleasing” to God. When we do this, we live in such complete submission to the ways of God, that we understand this is our “true and proper worship.”

He goes on to contrast this way of living a life of worship by telling us not to be conformed to the “pattern,” or ways, of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind. This “transforming” comes from our regular submission in our hearts to God’s ways.

But we want DETAILS! How do I find the answers to all these important life questions?!? Paul tells us that as we submit ourselves as living sacrifices to the ways of God, “then“ He will lead us into the perfect will of God. In other words, as I obey God in what He has revealed, He will guide me in what He has concealed.

God’s will is a subject too broad for me to understand in my own life, let alone explain it in yours. But what I do know is this: As I walk in God’s ways, I will always be in His will. That’s why Paul can tell us later in 1 Cor. 10:31, “whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.” If you want something for reasons that give God glory, go for it!

It still might not work out the way you think it will. But Romans 8:28 reassures us that, “All things work together for good, to those who love God, and are called according to His purpose.”

When we were first telling our kids that we were moving to San Jose to start a church, my little girl, Kali, asked, “I thought we were going to California?!” I had to explain to her, “When you’re in San Jose, you’re in California.” The same is true of God’s will – when you walk in God’s ways, you’ll always be in His will.

So what should you do with your life?! Whatever you want to,… as long as you are doing so out of a love for God and a desire to bring Him glory. He’s got the details of getting you to His will under control.

Blessings,
Pastor John

The Sin of my Generation

Posted on May 15, 2013 by johnmarkum

Every generation has it’s pitfalls. And every previous generation is acutely aware of the next generation’s short-comings. Because of this, my generation seems to rebel against the criticism that comes from those in our parents’ and grandparents’ era. But regardless of the source pointing it out, adults between 25-40 are in danger of reaping the consequences of a severe generation-wide transgression.

The sin of my generation is entitlement.

Each generation’s experiences influence the next generation. My grandparents’ generation (those 60+) were strict, hard working, and learned to get by on little and be happy with it. Because of that influence, my parents’ generation (45-60) inherited much of their parents’ strong work ethic, but were determined to give their children opportunities and advantages that they never had. Out of love for their kids, they worked very hard to provide and make sure that their children had it “better” than they did. Our generation (25-40) grew up learning to take those advantages for granted, and their parents began to complain about how easy their kids had in comparison to their own childhood.

And so now we have an entire generation of adults who largely expect the world to provide the same advantages their parents gave them, which were thanklessly received but seldom earned. As a result, we see prolonged adolescence. Men “grow up” still milking their parents financially well into their 30’s. Grandparents are raising their grandchildren. Government assistance such as welfare, food-stamps, and housing are higher than they ever have been in our country. A “broken home” used to refer to a family that went through a divorce. But there are now more homes that were never whole to begin with.

If you fall within the demographics I’m describing, you might be beginning to protest. Before you go there, remember that I’m one of you. I’m speaking about the problems we’re dealing with as an insider. And no, we’re not all suffering from a self-centered sense of entitlement. Yet this is the pervasive problem of today’s American young adults. And to be fair, perhaps you are one of the multiple thousands of our time who did not have such a great advantage while growing into your adult years. But if you lean on those disadvantages as an excuse for not making something of yourself, then you are still suffering from entitlement.

The longer we – as a generation – continue to delay adulthood by clinging onto the sippy cup of our childhood that we used to have or didn’t feel we had, the more egregious our sin. We are committing a crime to ourselves, each other, and most of all, to our children’s generation by maintaining an attitude of entitlement.

So snap out of it! I’m not against you. I AM YOU. We’re in this together. And there is a huge responsibility laying upon us to make a difference and contribute something significant to this world. To whom much is given, much shall be required. I’ll post more on this subject later in my next post.

Blessings,Pastor John

Your Problem is Not the Problem

Posted on May 11, 2013 by johnmarkum

The lesson I’ve had to learn, and relearn, my entire life is frustratingly simple. And yet the Bible speaks to the title principle of this post repeatedly. Where, you ask? Well, for instance:

Matthew 17:20, “If you have faith like a grain of a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there,’ and it shall be moved.”
Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood… but against spiritual forces…”
1 John 4:4, “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

Here’s the thing… The problems, troubles, and frustrations that you and I deal with are a consistent part of living – especially for the counter-cultural, God-centered value system of a Christ follower. But when we begin to live, think, and behave as though these difficult circumstances are somehow more than external distractions from the greater battle we’re at war with, we’re already losing the real fight.

You see, your problem is not “the” problem – your perspective is. There is no external problem that is greater than the God who promises to indwell every believer. This same indwelling Spirit of God “always leads us in triumph,” in Christ (2 Cor. 2:14). That’s a pretty big claim. And our instinct is often to argue that claim. After all, we don’t always feel as if we are being lead in “triumph” by God. That feeling comes from our focus, though. And as long as we focus on our problem, rather than the God who is greater than our problem, we’ll always feel discouraged.

That is why Jesus tells us in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Don’t lose your focus on the One who promises victory over your trials. Following Christ does not mean that your world becomes “problem-free”. It means that you have overwhelming victory over those problems. The only thing better than not having a challenge, is knowing that no challenge can stop you. “If God is for us, than who can stand against us?!” (Rom. 8:31).

Blessings,
Pastor John