When people do not know the whole story, they fill in the gaps with negative assumptions.

People always assume the worst and not the best in others.

One challenge for Christians is to quiet the negative voices in their heads and look for the best in others. We are to offer encouragement over criticism. We assume the best and fill in the gaps in our knowledge with positive thoughts.

Sometimes, living for Jesus means rewiring our brains so that the stories we tell ourselves are filled with light and not darkness.

This past Sunday, I finished a nine-week sermon series on the story of the Bible. It was a series that required hundreds of hours of reading and listening to trusted teachers to prepare each message. I have not worked this hard mentally for a series in a long time. I spent around 12 hours preparing to write each 30-minute sermon. The last one in the series about the End Times took closer to 20 hours to complete.

With each sermon, I wrote out two or three rough outlines before I landed on what exactly I was preaching. I literally threw away several sermons in the process of editing. One of the messages was about half done when I took my cursor, highlighted a whole page, and hit delete. There is so much more I want to say each week, but the constraints of time only allow me to say so much. Also, studies show us that the more you hear does not equal more retention. A concise sermon is best for both the speaker and the listener, and I know that.

Right before one of the sermons in this series, I sat and prayed quietly, “God, help me say what needs to be said and nothing more.”

If you listen to one of these messages, I am sure you will think, “Why didn’t he say anything about this or that?” Perhaps you will say to yourself, “He should have mentioned this or that passage of scripture.” Believe me, I thought about using those things but chose to say what I felt God was leading me to say to address the needs of my congregation.

No sermon is an exhaustive exploration of any topic or passage; they are an attempt to scratch the surface of the Bible so that people will go home to dig deeper on their own. They are the leaping off point on the things of God that should continue through the week. The goal is never to say everything but to set you up so that your week is learning and living out all the things left unsaid.

The monastics are known for offering a vow of silence. This does not mean that they can never talk; it means they are quiet most of the time, with set hours for them to speak. The goal is to tame the tongue, listen to God, and remove the distractions that stand in the way of their spiritual growth.

Recently, I asked my most trusted advisor about a situation in my life. They responded directly, “You could save yourself a lot of trouble if you learned to keep your mouth shut.”

It hurt a little to hear that, but I know they were correct. I don’t know how to shut up at times. I get started talking, and there seems to be no off switch. I say things that are overly honest, too direct, or come off as harsh. I don’t mean to do it, but the more I talk at times, the worse the situations in my life become.

One commitment I am making to end this year and start next year is to shut my mouth more. I need to listen, ask questions, and learn to be comfortable in the silence. I would not call it “a vow of silence” per se, but it is an opportunity to grow as a person who wants to be more like Jesus.  

As you read through the story of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus, you will notice a theme that keeps appearing. “They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!’ In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. ‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.’ Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. (Mark 15:27-32 NIV 2011) Over and over, we read that Jesus was insulted and mocked by the crowds, the soldiers, and even those on the crosses beside him. 

Yet, throughout the story, Jesus never returns their insults or is provoked by their mocking. At one point, it seems to infuriate Pilate, who shouts, “Do you refuse to speak to me?” (John 19:10). Matthew’s account says, “But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.” (Matthew 27:14) The Gospel of Mark adds, “The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked him, ‘Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.’ But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. (Mark 15:3-5)

Later, the Apostle Peter will write this, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, about the events he witnessed as he watched the crucifixion from a distance. “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” 1 Peter 2:23

In the face of false accusations, lies, insults, threats, and mocking, Jesus made no comment. It doesn’t take much work for me to find the application. How about you?

One way to improve your life is to reverse engineer. That means coming up with an end goal to your life.

For example. You might want to live a long life, have a committed, loving marriage, a great relationship with your kids, and live a life that pleases Jesus.

Once you have the end goal, work backward. If you desire to live a long time, you will need to be healthy. For you to be healthy, you will need to start exercising regularly. You enjoy walking, so you need to start walking five miles a day starting tomorrow.

You can do this for anything, including your spiritual health. If you want to love Jesus deeply, have a spouse who walks the journey of faith with you, and children or grandchildren who live a life of faith, then what are you going to do to achieve that? More specifically, what are you going to do today or tomorrow that will head your life in that direction?

Where you end up in the future is the result of the actions you take today.

I am not a clinical Psychologist and hold no degrees in human behavior. All I have is fifty-two years of life experience. That said, people, including Christians, do things that I will never understand.

They say things, share things, post things, and make comments both online and in person that baffle me. They act in ways contrary to the way of Jesus. They struggle with addictions that range from food to gossip to alcohol. People are unpredictable, mean, kind, compassionate, and unique, often during a twenty-four-hour period.

Frequently, I find myself guessing about their backstory and what their upbringing must have been like. I try to draw conclusions about their home life and how they relate to their spouse and kids. I tend to question their motives and what lies behind their actions.

The complicated truth is that, in most cases, we will never know. We will never understand why people behave the way they do.

I firmly believe that one reason God wants us to travel on our journey of faith with others in a Church is that it pushes us to grow. Other people drive us to grace and forgiveness. Sometimes, that means offering it to others and other times, pleading for it ourselves.

There is no simple book that I can hand out that says, “Here is what you are going to experience in Church and how to handle it.” People will always leave you guessing. All I can promise newcomers is that you will not understand the behavior of others, but know that God will use those people to make you more like Jesus.

The gospels record that Jesus fed 5,000 men (Matthew 14:21) once and 4,000 men another time (Matthew 15:38). Each time, he took a small amount of bread and fish, and then he miraculously fed an enormous number of people.  

At our final Senior Adult Luncheon of the year at the Church I lead, 33 adults came and enjoyed a fried fish dinner. Throughout the spring and summer, I catch lots of fish, and I keep them to feed our senior citizens twice a year. The last few times I have done it, one of the men in the group also contributed fish, and we had more than enough to feed the whole crew. Often, there are leftovers for people to take home and enjoy later. 

For this lunch, I cooked 180 pieces of fish and fed the 33. It was not miraculous, but it was splendid. Every time I have the opportunity to spend time with this group, it is humbling for me. I look out at them and see all those years of life experience. They have seen love and loss. They have known war and peace. They have watched the world change in more ways than I can fathom. And yet, they are still holding onto faith. After a lifetime of joy and pain, they still cling to Jesus as the only hope for eternity.

During the first seven years I was at this Church, I led the youth group. That demographic is thriving in our community, with more than 75 kids coming every Wednesday night now. Recently, six of them have placed their faith in Jesus and were baptized. I love watching them learn and grow. They hold so much potential for the future.

But those 33 are the joy of my ministry. Those people who follow Jesus for a lifetime. I hope and pray all 75 of those teens will one day enjoy a senior’s ministry, too. My desire is for them to spend their whole lives clinging to their faith.

Youth group is an incredible ministry, but feeding the 33 touches the depths of my soul.

I understand that you don’t like how I do some things as a Church leader. I don’t like how I do some things either. I would probably agree with your criticism. 

Show me what you are doing better, and I will gladly watch and learn.

Empty critique does no one any good. Telling others what they are doing wrong without personal experience is not helpful. It only serves to pull others down.  

Abraham was promised that his descendants would receive the land of Canaan. From then on, it became known as “the Promised Land.” It was described as a place flowing with milk and honey. That is not a literal statement but a metaphor for a place with excellent natural resources and where livestock would flourish.

The only problem is that people already live there. The Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites dwell there. These tribes have been living in total rebellion against the God of creation, and Abraham’s descendants, the Israelites, will have to defeat them in battle and drive them out of the land. They will serve as an instrument of God’s judgment on the evil people who live there.

Here is the tension: for the people of God to receive the blessings he had promised, they are going to have to trust God as they fight evil and drive it out of the land.

This imagery is symbolic for the followers of Jesus. We, too, are seeking out the blessings of the Lord, but to find them, we have a battle on our hands. We will have to fight the evil in our own lives and push back all the sins that have taken possession of our hearts.

God’s blessings are beyond imagination, but it always takes strenuous effort to receive them.

I trust in the Lord with all my heart, but I am not reckless.

There is no reason to believe that being a Christian or a Church excludes you from the harsh realities of living in a fallen world. We are susceptible to the same tragedies that impact the rest of humanity. That means when sinful people make sinful choices, it touches the lives of people who follow Jesus and those who don’t alike.

As a result of this thinking, our Church invests lots of money in safety and security. We have purchased security cameras, a substantial first aid kit, and radios with earpieces. Background checks were submitted on all children’s workers. Recently, we spent a significant amount of money updating fire extinguishers, indoor security lights, and exit signs. In the very near future, we hope to have lights all over the parking lot for visibility at night. We are trying to do everything to keep our Church community safe and secure.

I am sure there will be a few people who say that we should just trust in God. They might feel we are wasting our time and money. The Church leadership and I firmly place our faith in God and his power, but we also know the depravity of humanity, so we use our resources to make sure no one gets hurt without us being prepared.

At the Church I lead, we have total faith in Jesus, and we keep our eyes open and facility prepared for when someone or something goes rogue.