People have been all out of sorts with all the chaos surrounding the recent storm that devastated NC. Some people have lost their lives, others have lost everything they owned, while others simply endured some wind and rain. Folks have been all over the spectrum, in regards to their responses and reactions to the storm. Some worried and were fearful over the damage the storm would do. This seems like the most reasonable response to a storm that wrecked havoc from one end of NC to the other. Would we fault someone for being fearful in the face of a catastrophic storm? Probably not. As the storm barreled towards NC with all the speed of a herd of turtles, I could tell that one of our boys was a little anxious about the impending storm. Neither of our sons have had to worry about a hurricane affecting them in their short life, but one son was a little concerned about how the storm would affect us. Misty and I tried to calm the anxieties as best we could as parents and we hoped we did a good job. Just moments after dropping my boys off at school I heard a person on the radio share something about fear. Addressing the worries that so many people had about the storm, she shared about how fear and faith cannot occupy the same space. The wisdom shared for the next few moments was wisdom I could give to my sons to help put them at ease.
Fear and faith are like oil and water. The two cannot mix and must occupy two separate places. If we have faith that God is sovereign (in control of all things; Psalm 115:3, 135:6) and that He has our best interest in mind (Romans 8:28), then fear has no place in us. We should not be fearful of the physical, financial, or spiritual storms in life if we have faith that God is in control. We cannot waffle back and forth claiming God's goodness and blessings when things are good and then retreat to fear when things are uncertain. We must choose which one, faith or fear, will take up the limited space inside of us.
I realize when the world is literally crashing down around you in the middle of a hurricane, it is easier said than done to choose faith over fear. Friday morning I woke up to the news of the devastation the hurricane had caused to coastal NC. We have family and friends living in the areas devastated by the storm. At the thoughts of what could be happening to a man I consider a brother and his wife, I allowed my fear and worry to get the better of me for a moment. Then I remembered the words from the radio. The same words I had reassured my son with just days before. I made the decision in that moment to not allow fear to overcome my faith in God's sovereignty, His protection, and His provision. It wasn't easy. It was much easier to worry, fret, and allow fear to consume me. But in that moment when I chose faith over fear, I felt the peace that is described in Philippians 4:7 (NIV). It says, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
The next time fear tries to rob you of the joy found in trusting God, remember you have a choice to make. You can allow yourself to be consumed by worry and fear, going directly against what God tells us in the Bible (Isaiah 41:10, 41:13), or you can choose to trust the One who created you, loves you, and sustains you. Choose wisely though, because you can't choose both fear and faith.
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On Labor Day I enjoyed my Father's Day gift from Misty and the boys. They gave me tickets to watch my two favorite baseball teams play. For years I have pulled for the Atlanta Braves in the National League and the Boston Red Sox in the American League. I once again had the opportunity to watch them play against each other in Atlanta and this time at the new SunTrust Park. In preparing for the game I found that I tended to lean more towards the visiting Red Sox as the team I would pull for, rather than the hometown Braves. When we finally made it to the ballpark our family of four were decked out in our Red Sox shirts and hats. I had told folks leading up to the game that it really didn't matter to me which team won since I liked them both. But when the pitches started being thrown, you could tell where my loyalty was placed. When the Braves made a good play or scored a run, I didn't stand and cheer like I did when the Red Sox scored. I couldn't help but notice, standing in a sea of Red Sox fans, that I wasn't the least bit worried about how the Braves would do in the game. My actions and thoughts proved a long held belief, that we have to decide who we will pull for or follow because there can be only one that we follow.
This idea isn't something new to us. We as humanity have known for millennia that we can only follow one direction. The idea that we can't serve two masters is a biblical truth that we see lived out in our lives every day. Jesus taught this idea in regards to two masters, God and money, stating that we would either love one or hate the other (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13). Jesus was right. We can no more serve two masters in our life than we can pull for both teams in the same baseball game. We see this lived out in the book of Genesis when Jacob was married to two sisters and he loved Rachel more than Leah (Genesis 29:20-30). As much as we would like to pull for two teams playing against each other or allow to masters to be the focus of our service, we see the reality of the fact that there can be only one focus for our attention.
In this life you have to choose your master. You have to choose what will be the focus of your attention, devotion, effort, finances, and service. Thanks to the freewill God has given you, you have the option to choose whatever you want to be the master you serve. Many people in this life put themselves as the master of their life. The king on the throne of their life is their own wants and desires. For those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they have at some point said they wanted Jesus to be their Master. For Him to be the Lord of their life means that He is in charge. He is the One who leads and directs their life. He is the Master they have given their attention, devotion, effort, finances, and service to as they allow Him to lead them. The catch is that so often we find ourselves, as well-meaning Christians, scooting Jesus to the side of the throne of our life and trying to place ourselves beside Him. The problem is there can be only one king on the throne of our life and it must be Jesus.
I'll close with this. You have the freedom to choose what master you will serve and what king sits on the throne of your life. Choose wisely and remember there can be only one king on the throne. The wise choice would be the King of Kings.
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