“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” (Joel 2:12, ESV)

God does not want to be put first. He wants to be put center.

• At the center of your day
• At the center of your marriage
• At the center of your career
• At the center of your budget
• At the center of your friendships

He is not another thing among many. He is everything.

Imagine if a husband tells his wife that she is his first love. The implication is that he has other loves. That would not do. He would rightfully tell her that she is his only love and he has forsaken all others.

God does not want a portion of our hearts. He does not want most of our hearts. He wants all of our hearts. But we have a way of portioning out our affection. We certainly love God, but there are many other things we love that compete for our affection. There is a reason that the 1st Commandment is: You shall have no other gods. (see Exodus 20:3).

Yesterday, we spoke about the slow fade and how we come to a place we never imagined we would find ourselves. We get there when we take God out of the center. We get distracted by good things that pull us away from the greatest thing. God gets crowded out of the center by other things.

To get back to where we need to be is not going to happen with a half-hearted commitment. It will not happen unless we step up and say that we are all in. This is not sticking your foot in the water. It is taking the plunge.

Learning to Say No

The hardest part of total commitment is not saying yes. It is saying no. To fully endeavor yourself means that there are some tough choices to be made. It means giving up things you may not want to give up.

F.O.M.O. is an acronym that stands for Fear Of Missing Out. It is what leads us to try to do it all. It is the lure that leads us to relentlessly check social media. We don’t want to miss anything that might be important. We can’t say no because we fear we will miss out. But the problem is that when everything becomes important, nothing is important.

What is holding you back from more passionately pursuing God’s will for your life? What is hindering you from placing God fully into the center of your life?

People often consider giving up something for Lent. It is tied to the spiritual discipline of fasting. But fasting is not so much about giving up food (or anything else). We give up to get something more. We may give up food for a time period so that we can get more undistracted time with God. It is not giving up something for the sake of giving something up. It is saying no to a lesser thing so that we can say yes to the greater thing.

A key coming out of the slow fade is a wholehearted commitment. A major part of that commitment is to forsake other commitments. To what will you say no so that you can say yes to what is most important? What are the tough choices you need to make?

• Say no to social media to have undistracted time with people you are physically present with?
• Say no to binge-watching television to read more?
• Say no to Amazon spending to be more generous with others and to save more?
• Say no to fast food to lose weight and be more healthy?
• Say no to staying up late to wake up early for devotion or exercise?
• Say no to accumulated possessions to simplify life and lessen responsibility?
• Say no to social acquaintances to have deeper and more meaningful friendships?

Often times we think we can moderate ourselves. But we are indulgent beings. We become consumed by things with which we should not be consumed with. There may be times where you can moderate. But the further you have faded into the darkness, the harder the commitment will be and the more important the word no will become.

Reflection

1. What is the hard “no” you need to make?
2. Where does F.O.M.O have its grip on you?
3. What is one thing you could change in your life that would have the biggest positive impact to center God in your life?
   

Prayer

Lord, I want to love you and return to you with all my heart. But I have so many things that have competed for my allegiance and affection. It is so hard to let go. But I know that things have got to change. I feel pulled in a million different directions and I am not living an effective life. Give me the power of your spirit to surrender my idols. They have a powerful grip on me. I know that until that grip is released I will remain trapped. Please help me to break free from all that is pulling me away from you. Amen.

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” (Joel 2:12, ESV)

Fade to Black

If you have ever used a video editor, you are probably familiar with “fade-to-black.” It is a transition that can be applied to a video clip. It is most often used at the end of the video. The name is descriptive. The “fade-to-black” transition causes the video to simply fade out until you are left with only a black screen.

You can make this transition long or short. You can shorten the transition to the point that the screen just goes black. You can also lengthen the transition so that it is a gradual fade. It may fade so slowly that you barely notice the screen getting darker until you can no longer see it.

This is a parable for many things in life that are a slow fade. So many of our struggles and challenges in life do not come upon us overnight. Rather, it is a slow fade over time. Maybe you are not exactly where you want to be, it is likely you did not get there all of a sudden.

Consider monetary debt. Many people find themselves in seemingly insurmountable debt. The mountain of debt did not happen as a result of one major expense. It is week-in-week-out spending. One week you spend just a little bit more than you earn. It does not seem like a big deal. It was not that much. But you do it again the next week. And then the week after that. Over time, a little bit adds up to a lot. It is the slow fade into financial distress.

Or consider your marriage. You got married. You were so in love. You spent so much time together at first. You made the marriage your number one priority. But then came the career. Then the kids entered the picture. Life just had a way of happening. It was not that you said no to your marriage. It was that other things just slowly crowded your marriage out of the center.

Or consider your relationship with God. There is a reason we encourage consistent weekly worship and daily devotions. When you miss one Sunday, it becomes easy to miss the next. You miss a daily Bible reading, it becomes easy to miss the next. It is not that you chose to deliberately abandon your relationship with God. It was one small choice here. Then another small choice there. Slowly, the light of God fades and what remains is the darkness of the world.

You became lost and find yourself in a place you never imagined you would find yourself. It was a slow and gradual fade. You may not even be sure how you got to where you got.

You may have faded so far into the blackness that you have given up hope. There is no more light. Fade-to-black is for the end of the video. You think that this must be how the story ends.

More to Be Told

But I want you to pay close attention to the first words of Joel 2:12. God has declared, “YET EVEN NOW!”

There is an invitation … “YET EVEN NOW!” … as far gone as you may feel … no matter how long it took you to get where you are … there is no darkness too dark where the light God cannot reach. Your situation is not too dark. It is not too broken. It is not too unsurmountable. It is not too far gone.

You think there is no way out. You feel like giving up and resigning yourself to the darkness. But the light will always overcome the darkness. And the darker the darkness, the brighter the light will shine.

When the Israelites left Egypt, the came up against the edge of the Red Sea. Pharaoh’s army was chasing them from behind. This seemed like the end. There was no scenario of how this would work out for good. There was no way out and no way through. There was nothing the Israelites could do. It seemed the story was over.

But God intervenes. The Red Sea is parted for the Israelites to walk across dry land. Pharaoh’s army is drowned. God opened a path where there was previously no path. He annihilated the overwhelming army that had come against them.

It was not the end of the story, but simply the beginning of a new chapter. “YET EVEN NOW!” It is a call to faith. It is a call to believe that God is not done with you yet. That in so many ways, he is just getting started. That as bleak as it may seem, there is a new chapter to be written. There is more of your story to be told. And what is to come is even better than what was before.

Reflection

1. What is an area of your life that has faded into the darkness?
2. Are you lacking faith that a new chapter can be written?
3. How does God’s Word give you hope the story is not over?

Prayer

Lord, I don’t know how I got here. I have doubted that things could be made new. I have resigned myself to things remaining the way they are. I have conceded that this must be how the story ends. But I pray this day that you would renew my spirit. Give me confidence that “YET EVEN NOW!” … although I am so far gone … you will intervene to restore, resurrect, and revive me. Write a new chapter in my story that is even better than the last. Amen

“If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.” (Philippians 1:22–24, ESV)

Paul sat in a prison cell but he had confidence that God would deliver him from that prison. He knew he would get out. He was not sure when it would be but his deliverance was going to happen.

He acknowledges that he could die in prison. He was okay with that. He knew that would mean he would be with Jesus and that was his ultimate desire. But at the same time, he realized that God had him here on earth for a reason. But that reason was not for Paul. The reason Paul would get out was for the people God had called him to serve.

In Ephesians, it says:

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10, ESV)

We all have an assignment from God. There is work to do. He placed each of us in this time and place to serve his purpose. There are people around you who need you. God put you here for them.

Paul’s confidence that God would deliver him from the prison came from the fact that he knew he had more work to do. Paul’s work was not finished. And Paul believed God would give him the time he needed to accomplish the job. Paul’s deliverance was not as much for Paul as it was for the Philippians.

Who needs you?

• Your children?
• Your spouse?
• Your neighbor?
• Your coworker?
• A stranger?

There are people who need you that you don’t even realize need you. But they are out there. There are so many people who need a friend, who need encouragement, who need help, who need hope. You just might be the one to give it. God has given you the time. Let’s go make a difference.

Lord, give us more time and opportunity to reach more people before you call us home! Amen.

“For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:19–21, ESV)

Paul found himself in prison. But he believed he would be delivered. But things were uncertain. There were no guarantees. From where he sat, he could spend the rest of his life in the prison or even face execution.

But he knows that the Philippians are praying for him. And he is confident that their prayers will result in his deliverance from prison. Indeed, prayer is powerful. It is not the least we can do. It is the most we can do! Prayer will move obstacles and strongholds in life that were previously unmovable. Where there may seem to be no way out, prayer will open doors of opportunity.

A big part of the equation is Paul’s expectation. He saw the prayers of the Philippians as more than a nice thing. He saw their prayers as a powerful weapons against the schemes of the Devil. He knew that the sincere prayers of the Philippians would move the hand of God.

Yet, sometimes we pray earnestly but fail to see the deliverance happen. I have prayed with people believing and expecting that God would heal the cancer. But the healing never seemed to come and the person died. And we were left to wonder if God somehow let us down.

But when it comes to a believer, we know that they are healed. We prayed for healing and that was exactly what they got when they died. They are now with Jesus and there is no more cancer. They left the cancer behind on earth. And now in the presence of God, the cancer is removed. The prayers turned out for deliverance. It just was not in the way we expected.

So Paul is believing God for deliverance from the prison. He believes he will walk out a free man. He knows that there is still work for him to do on earth. His labor is not finished. God has more in store for him. He expects to see the sun again.

At the same time, he acknowledges that it might not happen. He could die in prison. But that does not matter. He says to live is Christ. In other words, he is living his life for Christ. That is what matters. He laid down his life for the sake of the gospel years before. And there is nothing he could lose. If he were to die, he says it would be gain. He knows that his death would mean that he would be unshackled from more than just the chains of the prison. He knew that he would be freed from all the suffering of this world as he dwells in the perfect presence of Christ.

Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Philippians 1:15–18 (ESV)

Why do we do the things we do? It all goes back to our values and convictions.

All the Right Things for All the Right Reasons

We can do different things for different reasons. I can do the wrong thing for the wrong reasons. I can do the wrong thing for the right reasons. I can do the right thing for the wrong reasons. But my prayer is that I would do the right thing for the right reasons.

We can also do the same thing for different reasons. That was the case above with the verses from Philippians. All were proclaiming Christ. Some did so from envy and rivalry. They were taking advantage of Paul’s situation. They saw Paul’s demise as an opportunity to make a name for themselves. Others proclaimed Christ out of love. They saw the need and were moved to action.

One example where we see people doing the same thing for different reasons is attending worship. People “go to church” for all sorts of different reasons. Some go because they have always gone and have a sense of obligation to go. Others go because they like the music or the sermon. Still, others go for the fellowship and friendship. Some go because they believe it is important to give their children that foundation. Others go because it is an opportunity to make connections and promote themselves. Some go because they are scheduled to serve as a volunteer. Others go to glorify God the Lord and Savior who is worthy of praise.

You see there are all sorts of different motivations as to why people go to church. I am sure there are more than the ones I listed. Some of those reasons are poor. Some of those reasons are decent. And some of those reasons are great. But as a pastor, whatever reason people come, I rejoice that they are there. Regardless of the motivation, God’s Spirit is present where God’s people are gathered. And when God’s Spirit is present, all things are possible.

Your Values

Do you know why you do things you do? Or are you simply going through the motions? I would encourage you to honestly access your activities in light of your values and convictions. If you are honest with yourself, you may find that you are doing things that go against your values. You may discover that you are not living in integrity. You find yourself in need of repentance and realigning your actions according to your values.

Or you may come to realize that your values are not firm. You tend to allow other people and your circumstances to dictate your priorities. This means you need to figure out what is important so that you have a filter with which to decide and have the courage to make difficult choices.

Knowing our values helps us:

1. Make difficult decisions.
2. Say “no” to good things so that we can say “yes” to the most important things.
3. Navigate and manage change.
4. Maintain our integrity.
5. Rejoice in persecution and suffering.

In the end, it is important that we identify our convictions, hold firm our values, and navigate our lives according to the principles that God plants deep inside of us. It is not enough just to have priorities, but we need to know why our priorities are so important to us.