obey – Page 2 – John Markum

“A 13:13 Moment”

Posted on June 23, 2011 by johnmarkum

Below is a post made by Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church, Charlotte, NC. I read this today and couldn’t help but pass it along to my blog viewers. I hope everyone in my church would embrace the principle of this post.

“You acted foolishly,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if only you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.”
1 Samuel 13:13

It’s a moment you never want to have.
A 13:13 moment.
The moment you realize just what you could have had, if only you had…

What a scary verse this is. Besides the fact that you have a double instance of a bad number (13:13), the thought expressed in it should rattle us to our core. When most people talk about the consequences of sin or disobeying a specific instruction of God, they usually focus on the negative consequences that actively happen to us as a result.

You sleep around, you could get an STD or get pregnant.
You cut a corner at work, you could lose your job.
You ignore God’s calling, you could end up in the wrong career.

Those are definitely bad, but there’s an even scarier thought to consider. And that’s the unprecedented blessing of God you missed out on because you weren’t willing to obey.

The levels of influence you could have had.
The marriage you could have had.
The life you could have had.

I never want to have a 13:13 moment. I never want to hear God say:
If you had been generous, I would have…
If you had not settled, I would have…
If you had stepped out in faith, I would have…
If you had…I would have…

And you don’t either. The last thing you want your life to become is a cautionary tale of what could have been. Whatever God is asking of you, believe me, it’s not about what He wants from you. It’s what He wants for you.

And you can have it, if only you will…

The Pain of Obedience

Posted on June 15, 2011 by johnmarkum

“If anyone will be my disciple, let them deny themself, take up their cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23

I think that the reason there are so many fair-weather church goers is largely because of unmet expectations. Whether the expectations are set by a pastor, friend, or their own assumptions, many people are falsely under the impression that once they “give their life to Jesus” everything gets easier. Nothing could be farther from the truth…

It is painful to follow Jesus.

I suspect this is not the word of encouragement you may have been hoping for. But the fact remains the same. While the gift of God is free, the cost of receiving it is high. In fact it’ll really only cost you one thing: everything. As a follower of Jesus, God will call you to do things that are outside your comfort zone. From trusting Him with your tithe, to sharing your faith, changing your major, breaking up with a boyfriend, inviting a total stranger to church, or relocating your family. It is painful to obey God.

But pain doesn’t have to just hurt. Pain has the ability to push us to do something different; to step out in faith and trust God as we boldly follow His leadership into the unknown and uncomfortable. When we do this we get to see not just what we are capable of, but what God is willing and longing to do through us. I don’t know anyone who God called to do ordinary, mundane things:

Abraham: “Leave everything familiar to you and go to a place that I will show you after you leave.”
Moses: “Demand my people’s freedom from the most powerful man on earth.”
Joshua: “Lead your army into battle against overwhelming odds.”
Jonah: “Go to a city you hate and preach to them.”
Mary: “Endure criticism and ridicule for being unwed and pregnant.”
Joseph: “Marry the woman who appears to have been unfaithful.”
Peter: “Step onto the water during a raging storm, in the dead of night, and walk to me.”

And on we could go. Obedience is painful. But the pain of obedience is far less than the pain of disobedience. God’s way is always better than my way. This is when faith gets difficult, but this is where faith counts. When we are at the brink of leaping into the uncomfortable or turning back into complacent disobedience God summons us, “jump!” Whatever we stand to lose pales in comparison of what we stand to gain when we get to see God move!

Don’t hold back! Be reckless! It might hurt. It will definitely cost you. But it’s so worth it! Endure the pain of obedience.

Blessings,

John

The Worthwhile Marriage

Posted on May 20, 2011 by johnmarkum

Beth and Randy Ritter are the epitome of a worthwhile marriage to Tiffany and me. They were in their 70’s when Tiff and I knew them, and had been married for over 50 years. Every Sunday they would walk from the church parking lot into the building holding hands, smiling, making eyes at each other, and giggling like a couple of 18 year-old’s on their first date. They had raised kids together, moved around the country, and were the embodiment of self-sacrificial love. I learned more about a worthwhile marriage from watching the two of them for 3 years than in an entire marriage seminar. I doubt they even realized they had an impact on my marriage, but they did.

If nothing worthwhile is ever easy, marriage is definitely an example worth noting: It is both worthwhile and difficult. And I’m not saying that because my marriage is struggling. I’m saying that because my marriage takes work, like every marriage that counts.

This is the reason why no pastor at Edgewood would ever perform a wedding for someone that had not first gone through a series of pre-marriage counseling sessions. Each of us do a few things different but the overall message is the same with all of us: a wothwhile marriage takes work. Too many couples spend way more time and money on one day, the wedding, but then expect the rest of their marriage to be simple, effortless bliss. The average cost of a wedding is just over $24,000! That’s more money than I made per year in my first job out of college. But for all the fuss, and preparation, and money, and stress, very few actually expect to have to work at their marriage.

It kills me when I hear other couples say things like “I wish we had a marriage like Mr./Mrs. So-n-so!” Well then do the things that Mr. and Mrs. So-n-so are doing! Mr. and Mrs. So-n-so would tell you that they make time for each other, they work through their disagreements, they put the desires and needs of the other above their own, and they still have dates. And if you have kids, then you have to double your efforts. Because having kids raises the stress level in your marriage and decreases you motivation to want to do anything for anyone else.

And older couples are in just as much need to do something difficult in their marriage. The divorce statistics of couples who have been married for 15+ years is alarming. I’ve lost track of the couples I’ve heard of that had a great marriage at one point, and a few years after the kids leave home, they split too.

If you want a good marriage, you’ve got to do the things that create a good marriage. As a man who married way out of his league, I can tell you from firsthand experience that it pays off to put hard work into your marriage. We celebrate 7 years this June, and it seems unreal that we’ll be having our fourth (and final!) child this August. Some days it feel like we’re running an asylum trying to keep up with the needs of a home, 3 kids, a growing ministry, and each other. But Tiffany is my best friend and partner in all of these areas of my life and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Whether you and your better-half are newly weds, veterans, engaged, or you’re as single as a $1 bill, your marriage (or future marriage) will depend on your willingness to do what is worthwhile versus what is convenient.

Have a long, healthy, worthwhile marriage!

Blessings,

John