Is Waiting a Trial?

I was writing a small group lesson on James chapter 1 this week. James 1:2 (ESV) says, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds." The trials of life are coming. If you are not in a trial now, you can be sure you will be in the future. God uses trials to test our faith. James says that we should count trials as joy! We can and should have joy through our trials. Why, you ask.

God is intimately aware of the trials we face. Some of the trials He has designed and every other trial He has allowed. God is using them all to conform us to the image of His Son (to make us look like Jesus on the inside and outside).

Right now, I am going through a time of waiting on God. If He doesn't come through, I'm sunk. This is a great time of faith building in my life.

My question: Is waiting on God a trial? Vote in the poll below and then sound off in the comments section.

Is Waiting on God a Trial? 

5 Reasons We Need to Wait on God

Do you enjoy waiting? Yeah, me either. Waiting requires patience, and in my own strength I have very little patience. We live in a culture that wants everything now.

I heard a great message by Dr. Charles Stanley yesterday. Dr. Stanley said, "God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him." Does God have you in a season of waiting right now? This really hit home with me.

Dr. Stanley gave five reasons why God wants us to wait on Him. These five reasons encouraged me in my time of waiting (I add a little commentary to Dr. Stanley's reasons):

1. God is arranging circumstances - Timing is everything in God's Kingdom. God sees the "big" picture. Sometimes, God has things He wants to do in our lives but we need to wait for His perfect timing. Things that God may have planned for the future and not always the right thing to do right now.
2. God is purifying our motives - God is always looking at our heart motive. Why we do something is always more important than the act itself. God sometimes has to get our hearts right in order to be ready for what He has for us.
3. God is teaching us to rely on Him - It is easy to trust in other things besides the Lord. Sometimes, God wants us to wait to show our faith and trust in Him to be our sole provider.
4. God is protecting us from unseen dangers - He knows what is best for each of His children. When God leads us to wait on Him, it is always for our good. He knows the pitfalls that await when we get ahead of Him.
5. God is preparing us to make the greatest impact on others - We can have a great testimony for God when we have waited on Him and people see His mighty answer after waiting. Waiting on the Lord is never in vain.

Do you have any testimonies from your times of waiting on God? Share them in the comments and encourage us all!

Little help! Where do I go from here?

I am currently in a search for the next ministry role God has for me. I am attempting to think of everything I can do to let people know that I am available. I have done a lot of things in my search. Will you help me think of more?

1. Prayed... and then prayed some more
2. Activated resume with the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
3. Activated resume with the Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Tennessee State Conventions
4. Called all my friends in leadership and ministry  roles
5. Began networking with new leaders
6. Created http://jimcaldwell.me web site
7. Kept blog updated
8. Joined LinkedIn
9. Sent resume to several associations
10. Focused on spiritual and personal growth during this time

Think "out of the box" for me. What are some other ways (even if they sound crazy) to get my name into the hands of new people God might want to use to bring about my next ministry role? Please fill up my comments with ideas!

Two Lessons for the Church from the Irish/Italian Parade

1. People Will Do What They Want To Do!

I was at the Irish/Italian Parade yesterday (see above pic). Veterans Memorial Blvd in Metairie, LA was 6-7 people deep on both sides of the street where I was standing.

People were throwing beads like at any New Orleans parade. But they mostly threw fruits and vegetables!? That's why I have the baseball glove. I caught potatoes, cabbages, onions, carrots, lemons, and oranges. Kinda crazy, huh!

You can't keep people away from this parade. Thousands of people attend every year. They will plan their lives around this event. It is exciting.

Why are our churches not full of this same kind of excitement? Why do most churches have little excitement about what God is doing in the world? We have the most exciting thing to share in the world - Jesus. Yet, we have gotten so caught up in our traditions, rules, and regulations that most churches repel the world. Following Jesus' mission for saving the world is the most exciting adventure in history. 

People will do what they want to do. Could the Church learn any lessons from the Irish/Italian Parade? Just asking.

2. People Will Put Their Efforts Into Something They Think is Important!

People plan all year to ride in this parade. They pay money. They give their time. This parade has over 50 floats with 100's of riders. A lot of effort for a good time. 

I think we, as Church leaders, are guilty of not making Jesus' mission very compelling. We complain about no one wanting to serve Jesus. We scrounge for volunteers for our ministries. I think we are missing something. When people recognize their part in Jesus' mission, they will give their time and energy for it.

People will put their efforts into something they think is important. When we help believers understand the importance of what they are doing, many more will be willing to give it 100%.

Can we learn some lessons from the Irish/Italian Parade? Let me know in the comments...

4 Ways to NOT Follow the Lord

1. Focus on Your Problems

Focusing on your problems = worry = not trusting the Lord. Pretty simple, huh? When we place our focus on the storms of life, we can't follow the Lord.

2. Focus on Yourself

I've been guilty of this one recently. When your focus is on yourself, not matter how good your intentions, you can't follow the Lord. God wants us to put all our trust and focus on Him.

3. Focus on Your Rights

We are told to protect our rights in this country. Nothing wrong with that... but you have no rights in God's economy. We were bought at a high price:

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (ESV)

¹⁹Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

²⁰for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

4. Focus on Doing Right

When you place your emphasis on keeping the rules (following the law), you will break them more. God doesn't want us to focus on doing right... He wants us to place our focus on Him.

Wrap-up:
The truth is, you can't focus on anything but God in order to follow Him. Everything else just gets in the way! Do any of these four hindrances speak to you today? Refocus on Him and follow Him today.

3 Things We Forget

As I get older, I tend to forget things more easily. Whether it is my keys or a recent conversation, sometimes I forget. At times, I forget things about God that are much more important than my keys.

The circumstances of life can get our focus off God. I have been going through a time of life where my circumstances are not what I had hoped. Sometimes, we forget some basic truths about God that get us off track during these times. Here are three things I have had a memory loss on recently that God had to reset my focus. See if you can connect to any of them.


1. It is all about God, not about me.

I am not here for me. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, "for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." I was bought with a price. He paid for me with the precious blood of His Son. I am not my own anymore. I am not here to look out for my interests. I am here as a bond slave of Jesus. 

When I start having a pity party (you know, "Whoa is me I don't have a job. Whoa is me,  I'm running out of money. Whoa is me...") I sometimes forget that it is all about God. If I believe He is in control of everything (which I do), then I have to trust He is right in the middle of every circumstance I'm in. Which leads to #2.

2.  God allows my circumstances for my good.

I'm not saying that God causes every circumstance, but that He uses them all for our good as believers. Romans 8:28 (NASB95) says, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." If you have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, you are called according to His purpose. Which means that God CAUSES all things to work for good for us! 

No matter the circumstance, as believers, we can know that God is using whatever we are going through for our good. These circumstances of life will mold us into the image of Christ. They cause us to look more like Jesus! I don't know about you, but that's what I want.

3.  God wants us to live today for today.

I've got to be honest, I am so ready for God to move me on to my next assignment.  I have been so ready at times to move on I have forgotten that God wants to use me today. God wants us to focus on what He wants from us today. He is not nearly as concerned about the future as He is about molding and shaping us today.

Matthew 6:34 (NLT) says, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today."

No matter your age and mental ability, let's don't forget these three important truths every day as we life out Jesus in us. God has such a great plan. We just have to walk in it. Let's walk it together in truth!

Hi, My Name is Jim and I have TJS...

It's Friday. An awesome day for most people. Everyone is ready for the weekend. Fridays have been hard for me lately. You see, each Friday when you are waiting on God to open your new place of service means another week of not hearing anything. Silence. Nothing.

I don't want you to feel sorry for me. No pity needed. I have just what I need to make it through another Friday.

Don't tell everyone, but I have TJS. TJS is not a disease. TJS can be transmitted though.

I have my emotional ups and downs. But my TJS is what keeps me rolling during the good days and the bad days.

I have Trust Jesus Syndrome. No matter the circumstances I go back to the truth that is found in Jesus. Sometimes I don't feel like it. But I trust Jesus to take care of everything because he is trustworthy. He has all things under control.

Here's a couple of verses I fall back on:

Romans 8:28 (NLT)

²⁸And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Proverbs 3:5–6 (NLT)

⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

⁶Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

Circumstances come and go. Emotions come and go. I have good days and not so good days. But trusting Jesus is my foundation for living. Let's trust Him together today. Share this blog with someone who needs to hear that God is in control today!

 

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

I used to listen to a song by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers called "The Waiting." The chorus said that "the waiting is the hardest part." Of course, this song is talking about waiting for a woman but I never let that stop me from making other comparisons. Sometimes, waiting on God can feel like the hardest part.

There are plenty of Scripture verses that speak to our waiting on God:

Psalm 27:14 (NLT)

¹⁴Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Psalm 37:7 (NLT)

⁷Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.

  

Proverbs 20:22 (NASB95)

²²Do not say, “I will repay evil”; Wait for the Lord, and He will save you.

  

Micah 7:7 (ESV)

⁷But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Psalm 130:5 (NASB95)

⁵I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope.

Right now is a time of waiting on the Lord for me and my family. Waiting tests our faith. Waiting refines us and shapes us. Many times I want to rush through the waiting. I want to pray that the waiting hurries up. But God always has a plan in our waiting on Him.

Does God have you "waiting" on Him right now? Let's trust Him together!