Day 6: Extreme Obedience

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When I was a kid
I remember when I was a kid, one of the things I absolutely despised doing was brushing my teeth. Yes, like most 7-year-olds, the idea of spending 3 entire minutes with a brush the size of my head and some pasty-goo was simply not so appealing. But my parents, being the good folks that they are, decided that having teeth would be an important part of my life and made sure that I brushed them every night before bed.

But in my cleverness to thwart their plan of ensuring shiny chompers for their son (and to relish in 3 solid minutes of wild freedom in the bathroom, which I mostly used to stare at myself in the mirror), I devised a plan: my parents would always check the toothbrush to make sure it had been used, so instead of actually brushing my teeth, I just wet the toothbrush, stayed in the bathroom for 3 minutes and put the toothbrush back. Voila! Freedom! I fooled them!!

And by "freedom," I am of course referring to the multitude of cavities and fillings and painful trips to the dentist that ensued throughout my childhood years, as well the drill-sergeant-ish experience that was my parents hovering above me during teethbrushing time for the rest of my days. They did finally stop a couple months ago.

Why do we act like this as children? Better question: why do we act like this as adults-- taking mindless shortcuts of disobedience, believing that it will actually benefit us, when the result is always the opposite.

2 Familiar stories
In my reading this week, I thought about 2 very familiar characters and stories in the bible, whose obedience is so incredible, we gloss-over it most of the time.

But first, a little fun.



Genesis 6:13,14,17
God said to Noah, "It's all over. It's the end of the human race. The violence is everywhere; I'm making a clean sweep. Build yourself a ship from teakwood. I'm going to bring a flood on the Earth that will destroy everything alive under Heaven. Total destruction." (The Message)

Noah, after changing his shorts of course, responds in a way that we accept so freely (because he's Noah, right?), but it is completely profound. After God tells Noah that he is going to have to build this giant, ridiculous ship and take his wife and children and 2 of every animal on the planet, Noah doesn't freak-out or question or ask for a different plan-- he simply obeys.

Genesis 6:22
Noah did everything God commanded him to do. (The Message)

Genesis 7:5
Noah did everything God commanded him. (The Message)

It's difficult to imagine the fullness of Noah's obedience-- God has never asked me to build a giant ship and fill it with animals because He's going to destroy the earth. Maybe God hasn't spoken this exactly to me or you, but I bet He has asked you to build something-- something huge. Something incredible. Something so tremendous and ridiculous with your life that it terrifies you if you think about it too long.

The philosopher Dallas Willard talks about the concept of familiarity breeding unfamiliarity and I think this is one of those stories-- we know it so well, that the complexity, detail, and power of this story is actually quite unfamiliar to us.

One thing that is very clear however, is the result of Noah's obedience to God:

Genesis 9:1,3,7
God blessed Noah and his sons: He said, "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill the Earth! All living creatures are yours for food; just as I gave you the plants, now I give you everything else. You're here to bear fruit, reproduce, lavish life on the Earth, live bountifully!" (The Message)

More extreme obedience
Another example of extreme obedience comes through Abraham and his son, Isaac. Again, we are very familiar with this story, but put yourself in this situation, especially if you have children, and see where it takes you in your mind. God says to Abraham,

Genesis 22:2
"Take your dear son Isaac whom you love and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I'll point out to you." (The Message)

Yeah, you thought the ark was bad! What is that conversation between Abraham and God like?

"God, you want me to kill my own kid?? What??? I waited 100 years for him and now you're taking him away???" I can't imagine that any of us would respond to this level of request with honorable, obedience and respect. I think for most of us, it would actually draw-out of us a level of disobedience that we maybe never even knew was inside us.

And yet, Abraham is 100% obedient and again, God is faithful and consistent in His response to obedience:

Genesis 22:15-18
The angel of God spoke from Heaven a second time to Abraham: "I swear—God's sure word!—because you have gone through with this, and have not refused to give me your son, your dear, dear son, I'll bless you—oh, how I'll bless you! And I'll make sure that your children flourish—like stars in the sky! like sand on the beaches! And your descendants will defeat their enemies. All nations on Earth will find themselves blessed through your descendants because you obeyed me." (The Message)

Hearing from God
Andy Stanley talks about an interesting concept when it comes to hearing from God: he says that God is not interested in revealing Himself to you when you are merely wanting advice-- another option to put in your basket of consideration. He says that God is actually looking for a heart-position that says, "God, your way is the only way. Your way is the best way. I'm ready to be completely obedient to whatever you say, whatever it takes."

That is when you actually open yourself--your spirit, your heart, your eyes, your ears--to be able to truly tune-in to what God is saying, and the openness that it takes to let the full blessing (that God has made so clear in His Word) flow through your life.

My dog Chigui
A friend of mine spoke to me a couple weeks ago about an interesting thought on obedience and it made me think about my old dog that I had growing up. His name was Chigui (chee-gee). No, it doesn't mean anything-- just a 10-year-old's blabbering that became a name.

Anyway, Chigui was a wonderful dog. He was sweet and fun and loyal. But, he had a strong spirit of adventure-- which is a nice way of saying, if you didn't watch him, he would run off and explore the neighborhood into the wee hours of the night. Even when we would call him sometimes, he would still choose to take-off and do his own thing. Of course, when he finally returned, he was back on the leash in a heartbeat.

Do we think like this sometimes? Do we hear God's voice, asking us to do one thing, but then we choose something else that looks and feels like freedom instead? See, what Chigui didn't understand was that his few moments of "freedom" weren't actually free at all-- he was actually creating less freedom for himself through disobedience.

I think that we are the exact same way, sometimes! We foolishly think that these small acts of disobedience we choose are freeing and liberating, when they actually set us up for a smaller life with less freedom. It's those obedient dogs, who come when you call them, who do what you ask them to do, that you actually extend more freedom, more trust, more responsibility to, right?

I believe that harnessing this concept-- that obeying God's voice and not choosing the emotional and easy option, actually creates more freedom and blessing and opportunity-- is CENTRAL to living the amazing life God has planned for us.

Is God asking you to build something huge and ridiculous and risky?

Or maybe God is asking you to sacrifice something unthinkable-- a close relationship, a habit you've had for years, etc.

Either way, He has made clear the result of obedience to Him. So this week, let's really listen to what God is speaking to us-- then actually DO it!

Kudos to all of you joining me in reading through your bibles this 99 days-- keep sending emails and leaving comments on what God is speaking to you this summer! Disciplining yourself for this much reading is definitely not easy, but keep at it-- you can do it and the reward on the other side is HUGE!!

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Day 1: Ready, Set, Change!

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That's right, change-- a 6-letter, sometimes dirty word that most people don't want to hear. But stay with me. I'm getting ready to talk to you about something that will, if you let it, literally change your life FOREVER in the most amazing, expansive, fulfilling way you could EVER imagine.

But first, a little history.

99 Days is something my church started last summer when we decided to take the 99 days from Memorial Day through Labor Day and turn them into something cool. The idea was to do something--anything--that you had always wanted to do, always dreamed about, and dedicate yourself to doing a little something towards that every day for 99 days.

We had lots of people join in and do some really great things-- work on starting businesses, learning how to play musical instruments, become better fathers & husbands-- it was all great stuff.

As soon as I heard about this campaign and started thinking about what my 99 days was going to be about, God planted in my spirit a desire to read through the entire bible in 99 days. "Whoa-- are you KIDDING ME??? That thing is like, thick and stuff. You want me to read ALL of it??"

I quickly proceeded to start coming up with basically anything else I could do with my 99 days, believing there was no real way I could actually read through my entire bible in such a relatively short period of time. But, God was relentless with me and filled my thoughts and heart with nothing but diving into His Word and seeing what could happen.

So I did it. I jumped in, made a plan, and made it happen. I read my bible in 99 days, cover-to-cover, and it has completely changed my life and the way that I view EVERYTHING: God, people, family, friends, relationships, the church-- I really do mean everything.

Anyone that has spent any time with me over the last year can testify to this change in me. It is significant and real. So, as I have been getting ready to jump into 99 Days again this summer, I really want to do this again. But this time, I want you to come with me. That's right, I know you can read-- that's really the only qualification necessary. This is an invitation to join me this summer in seeking God through daily, consistent time in the Word and in prayer.

If you were anything like me last summer, you are, right this second, probably thinking of a million excuses not to do it or why you think you can't do it, but let me just stop you right there-- I've got lots more to say.



A MAJOR revelation that has permanently burned itself into my spirit is the idea of order-- of getting things in the proper place and order in your life and letting your life flow out of this order. For Christians, Christ-followers, believers, or whatever you want to call us, I have come to the amazingly simplistic realization that the first order of business of your entire life starts with your own, personal relationship with God.

Let's sit with that for just a second.

Step back with me and let's evaluate, together, on where this is for you. Answer these basic questions for yourself right now and be honest:

Do you feel close to God right now? Why? Why not?

Would you say that you spend a significant amount of time with God on a consistent basis?

If your answer is unsure or "no" to the last question, then what would you say is your primary source of direction for your life right now?

Please don't misunderstand-- this is not about feeling guilty about the status of your relationship with God. This is about stopping, taking a moment to reevaluate where you are and what your doing and then refocusing your direction. This is about recognizing that everything, everything, everything, EVERYTHING (is this clear, yet?) flows out of your personal relationship with God. Everything!

See, one thing I'm really tired of is the Church, believers, so-called Christians blabbing about changing the world and then, when you get into the heart of the matter, aren't even getting the FIRST and most important step correct! As the body of Christ, this is killing us! That is one of the main reasons why the world thinks the Church and Christians are a joke-- total fake hypocrites. Most people don't think that about God, but rather, about the people who claim to love Him and follow Him and put Him first in their life. That is not the perception we want as individuals, but it takes a life on purpose to do something about it.

Yes, there is more to the Christian life than your own individual, personal relationship with God-- I get that, believe me. That is the first step, though, and you're fooling yourself if you think you can have the rest of it without getting that right first.

So what exactly does this entail-- this personal relationship with God? What does it mean? What do I have to do to have it? This is the best part-- it's incredibly simple. Notice I didn't say "easy." I said simple, as in, not complex. People mix those up way too often. Developing this relationship with God is as simple as developing any other relationship that you prioritize in your life: if you say you love your spouse and you talk to them once a week, is that love? If you say you care about your kids and you consistently break your word to them, is that a relationship that will flourish and grow?

It's about time. Consistent time. Consistent time in the Word, consistent time in prayer, consistent time in worship, consistent time with other believers, consistent time pouring yourself into the House of God--the Church. It is that easy. Spend time with God on a regular basis and He will radically alter and bless your life in ways beyond your comprehension.

Still doubting? That's perfect, because this summer, that means you will REALLY be blown away when you see what can happen when you dedicate yourself to daily time with God.

I really want you to join me in this--don't worry about if you'll make it all the way through your bible or not, that is really not the point. Of course, getting all the way through is the goal, but the real point is developing the habit of getting into God's Word, allowing Him to reveal Himself to you, and cultivating a HUNGER for knowing Him.

Really, truly, that is the heart of it all right there-- beyond knowing your life calling, achieving dreams, walking in blessing-- all of those are an extension of what God is really after: you KNOWING HIM. That's what reading your bible does. That's what prayer does. That's what worship does. That's what time with other believers does. That's what time at church does. They all are pieces of a giant puzzle that individually, are fantastic things, but when you step back and look at the whole picture, you realize that it is all about knowing Him and making Him known.

This summer, I want to help take you in that direction.

And don't over-spiritualize this by pretending that you need to "pray" about doing this-- that's just being silly. Don't get me wrong, I love prayer and it is very important, but we as believers need to stop wasting time over-analyzing what God has already been very clear with us about-- I think God is ready for some of His people to stop hiding behind an attitude of false holiness and prayer and to start actually DOING something. God has already been extremely clear to us: He wants a personal, genuine, deep and meaningful relationship with you and reading your bible is a crucial part of that. It's just that simple.

So this summer, every day for 99 days, join me in reading your bible every day and letting God change you in amazing and wonderful ways that will revolutionize your world. Walk through this with me this summer and I guarantee you will be a different person at the end of this 99 days!

So, as I feel God sharing and revealing different things through my reading this summer, I'm going to write about them and post them on this blog and talk about them in the podcast (don't worry-- they won't be nearly this long!).

Let me clarify though, I'm not a pastor or trying to teach you about the bible or claiming to be any kind of spiritual authority or bible scholar-- I just want to share what I feel like God is sharing with me and I want you to do the same: post comments, tell me about your reading, what's happening in your prayer times, what God is saying to you... I want to hear all of it! Anyone can post a comment on the blog-- it can even be anonymous if you want and you don't have to sign-up or have an account or anything.

I just think it's a beautiful thing when believers can come together and share what God is doing in their life and what God is speaking to them!

So join me on this 99 days journey... it's going to be a great summer!