Pastor đ | Teacher đ | Writer | Severe Wx Enthusiast | Champion of the Underdog | Equipping youth & bivocational leaders to live as Christ.
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Website: http://hisgirlfryday.com
Itâs a rainy day in Marais when the light comes on.
Like Yusufâs dream in Inception, thereâs much noise in this gothic paradise. A sleepy ambiance met by projections reminding me 4,357 miles isnât enough to hide from the past.
But the scene, at least, is a start. What Iâve desired for yearsâŠnow a temporary reality. Finally, Iâm not in familiar territory. For once, it feels right to be an alien.
I dare not repeat last yearâs tale with context so easily accessible these days. I guess if thereâs anything worth saying, itâs nothing you havenât heard before.
We are all works in progress. I, like many, drifting high in the ranks wonderingâŠ
âŠHow can one feel stronger and weaker at the same time?
For instance, four, five plus years ago, I would have needed someone to acknowledge growth to feel it was genuine. I would have needed positive affirmation, especially from peers, to believe I had something to offer.
But this year, that insecurity has faded into a fastened peace. Sustained victory, once foreign, now an emerging trend in a maturing faith. No longer do I see my value as accomplishments divided by voids. No longer am I trying to please people. No longer am I finding meaning in ego.
Progress. Itâs a beautiful thing.
Of course, this doesnât mean Iâm no longer finding security in what I once feared (i.e. loneliness and escape). Or that there arenât days when I feel like a UFO standing in the rainâŠ
Indeed, the upticks are real, but there are plenty of days when all I can do is stand…
…and I long the norm to be ‘run‘ again.
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On paper, thereâs much to be excited about. The countdown to Milo. Lys thriving as a childrenâs pastor at our home church. Caeden and Everly are better than ever. Projects like His Girl Fryday, Fry Freelance, Commission U, Momma Wears Many Hats looking to take flight.
I get what the tab says.
At the same time, the year has been unique for other reasons. My closest colleagues at work are now gone. God-given assignments are struggling for traction. And for the first time in years, Iâm pouring into roles I may not ever occupy.
In all things, courage is a daily choice amidst the hustle, especially on days when I feel surrounded by enemiesâŠwhen I wish I could have more time with those who had something to pour in.
But itâs those moments when Iâm reminded how thankful I am forâŠthanksgiving. Honestly, I donât know how Godâs joy as strength would be possible otherwise.
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If 2019 has taught me anything, itâs how poor I am in receiving from the Lord. Call it a burden of heritage. Call it self-preservation. Call it a performance mentality on its last leg. Either way, Iâd much rather sow into people on an empty tank than not be sowed into at all. I figure worst case, Iâm at least getting somewhere while doing something right.
But there is a best caseâŠand itâs one Iâm basking in as I write this: As much as we want to open certain eyes and reconcile the impossible, I believe in all we say and do thereâs always a way to worship God with one hand up (raised) and one hand out (open-palmed)âŠa way to exalt Him with hopeful expectation regardless of circumstance.
No entitlement. No efforting. Just faith and hunger colliding into total praise. Abiding simplified in its purest form.
As I told Lys last week, when crap hits the fan, I never want to take the easy way out; I want to take the simple way out. Sure, life may get complicated, but that doesnât mean my reactions have to be. Christâs power in me, I can possess my emotions. I can see the âGod problemâ behind the âperson problemâ. And I can endure with perseverance as I receive His rest, especially when it doesnât make sense.
After all…
…perseverance isnât a means to strength, but a means to endure when strength is lacking.
Granted, who am I to say âbe strongâ when my first daily checklist item is âtake Bupropionâ. Seems I should be free of that sorta thing if Iâm to break out and do what I was meant to.
Then again, in a year that started with three antidepressants, maybe being down to one is an apposite microcosmâŠ
âŠto one whoâs not only making it, but shaking it off and shaking it out.
Two words with great power, but for some reason are hardly used in the same sentence.
Of course, we all know what they mean.
With work, you have what you put your hands to, your vocation, where skill meets a living; with worship, you have what (or rather whom) you lift your hands to, the reason for vocation, where purpose meets living.
However, if you think these terms are easily compartmentalized, I get it. After all, as long as the church teaches the principles behind them, we should automatically know how they apply in each setting of life, right? (*Sarcasm*)
Whatever the case, when we talk about how work works as worship, when we consider the origin of work and its modern-day application, thereâs fresh freedom and joy to be found.
So for today, I want to discuss what it means to be a worship-thinker as opposed to a work-thinker â what working to the fullest looks like when function becomes a part of our daily abiding in Christ.
For instanceâŠ
Do we treat work as a source of identity?
Do we treat work as a tool of personal fulfillment?
Do we treat work as a necessary evil in order to get a paycheck or other “benefits”?
If âyesâ, then chances are our work has become a place of pressure, performance-based thinking or worseâŠa means to an end1.
Accordingly, we must ask ourselves:Â How then do we treat work if weâre to elevate it as a selfless sacrifice of praise?
For starters, it doesn’t hurt to bridge work and worship with ‘mission’…
…however, to truly answer this, we must flash back to the Garden of Eden as captured in Genesis 2:15-20âŠ
âThe Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, âYou may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. The Lord God said, âIt is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.â Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.â
First off, before we discuss Adamâs work, note how God gave Adam a task before sin entered the world. This has huge implications as to how weâre to understand work. Often times, we see our job as a consequence or choice rather than a gift. We think what we do is a product of what we have done good or bad. But from the very beginning, we find God designating responsibility in the form of delegated authority. Specifically, God entrusted Adam to be an extension of His hand in cultivating the greatest garden ever and be an extension of voice in naming what Heâd already cultivated!
Going back to the garden timeline, itâs interesting to see how God appointed man a task, but didnât define it right away. While God would ultimately bring the animals to Adam2 (v. 19), He knew before this could happen, parameters were required to ensure intimacy and authority had boundaries to flourish.
Similarly, God also knew before He could delegate a particular assignment to Adam, he needed to not only learn dependence on Him in and out of work, but also his identity detached from the helper (Eve) who was to come. Again, this narrative order carries powerful implication given it underscores Godâs desire for us to learn spiritual reliance without assurance of task and/or relational affirmation. Yes, God intended a helpmate for Adam before he was created, but more importantly, God intended Adam to learn his identity (and purpose as overflow) before work or wife existed.
Thus, the existence of work evidenced by the Garden is proof God desires to establish intimacy with us outside of work so he can build upon that intimacy as we work.
Not to mention it also confirmsâŠ
Work plays a certain role in how we interact with God.
The only way to understand the purpose of work, enjoy our work and the fruit of our labor is by also enjoying God as we work (Psalm 16:11).
For Adam, tending the garden wasnât his purpose; worship was his purpose.
Accordingly, we can perceive our work has both a necessity and an overflow.
âPut on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.â
In this passage, Paul captures âwork as worshipâ once itâs an overflow locked in rhythm. Combined with Genesis, an applicative breakdown of these verses reveals the following benefits (Note: Due to word count, weâll wrap things up after this list):
Being a âworship thinkerââŠ
Frees you to enjoy the moment of the work
Provides a sense of closure at every juncture of every task even if the project as a whole is not done!
Frees you from becoming unnecessarily offended at other teammates since punctuality or accuracy isnât your first priority
Frees you to be honestwithout agenda/unbiased with your teammates because you know that how you handle yourself is a âfragrant offeringâ of worship to God
Motivates you to work over longer periods because you are no longer experiencing emotional drains that come from theâŠ
Fear that your voice won’t be heard
Fear that anotherâs performance will jeopardize project completion
Fear of failure, since your definition of success has changed
Motivates you to give God your best and embrace accountability
Helps you be more open to input/critique from team-members and supervisors
Reminds you the work is not your identity, but working unto the Lord is
Helps you to see work experiences as learning opportunities
Minimizes anxiety during a project/carrying out his responsibilities because you can better compartmentalize (i.e. prioritize at each juncture) the job
Minimizes fear on what your boss can do to you
Empowers us to not be controlled by the attitudes/behaviors of our co-workers
Helps you see business culture as more freeing when bottom lines go beyond profit or position
Refreshes the way you perceive success in your organization
Protects you from deriving identity from profits and/or positions
Protects you from taking on damaging behaviors like over-control and over-accommodation (people or employee-pleasing)
Allows you to be more patient in your work because each work moment is treated as a worship moment
Bottom line: When we see work as an overflow of worship, we find intimacy at the core of success: Bringing pleasure to God through the gifts Heâs given us so we can make His name known to the world.
Selah.
Footnotes
Or rather, a means as opposed to an end
Note: The fact God brings the animals to Adam is significant as it emphasizes Godâs sovereignty to reveal how our calling merges with our purpose (more on this in a future post)
Cover photo creds: Abstract Wallpapers; Col. 3 content collaborated on with Steve Fry as part of our ‘Commission U’ series at The Gate Community Church
In recent days, Iâve been thinkinâ what we, at His Girl Fryday, stand for.
âCause outside looking in, it may not be easy understanding what weâre about. Yes, we are a written resource. Yes, we have a heart for vocational leaders with ministerial influence. And yes, we have a bio on this page youâre welcome to view at your leisure.
But perhaps we havenât done the best job conveying how you fit into the message we carry. Like an expanding thumbnail struggling for resolution, perhaps we can sharpen the image not only on what we do, but how we aim to do it.
Assuming âyesâ, permit me to zoom out and bring it back in.
From my experience, I think itâs safe to say those saved and walking with Christ are united to see the lost, found, the blind, see, and the broken, healed. For those in daily relationship with God, actively choosing faith over fear, I believe we are unanimously burdened by those in proximity struggling and searching for deep answers.
But what if I told you wanting these people to find Jesus (be it our co-workers, our friends and family, our business partners, the next generation, etc.) is the beginning of evangelism, not a means or an end?
…and that this desire canât be separated from helping them discover not only their strengths, but their use as motivational/community gifts at work?
I donât know about you, but I see the part I must play.
Like many, Iâm concerned for the homeless, the backslidden, and the religious. Iâm wary for the depressed, the oppressed, and those thirsty for rest.
However, Iâm also burdened by the fact my neighbor, though a church goer, doesnât realize sheâs called to be an apostle in the education industry. Iâm burdened by my friend at work oblivious to his call as a teacher/pastor in financial arenas. And Iâm haunted by a supervisor unaware she has a prophetic mouthpiece geared for real estate.
Granted, these are fictional profiles that may or may not apply to you reading this.
The point is: At one point or another, many of us can relate to having carried a separation of church and state into our fields of expertise. While we continually hope our colleagues accept Christ (and for others to mature in Christ), not nearly as many think they can do anything apart from pointing in the right direction.
Not to suggest pointing by itself is a bad thing. There are times all we can do is point. I get that.
But I also think we often settle thinking our career is solely a parallel track to evangelism when in reality, it can be perpendicular as well. For instance, whoâs to say a nurse canât be a pastor when on the clock? Whoâs to say the gift of exhortation canât be applied when administering medical support?
Think of it this wayâŠ
There are seven ministry offices outlined by Ephesians 4 and 1 Timothy 3/5: Apostle, deacon, elder, evangelist, pastor, prophet, and teacher. Now, overlay them with the seven community/motivational gifts specified in Romans 12/1 Corinthians 12. Do the same with the nine manifestation gifts also listed in 1 Corinthians 12. Finally, consider the thousands upon thousands of career fields in the world today.
Like a Sonic drink algorithm, thatâs a whole lot of options to be like Jesus, lead like Jesus, serve like Jesus, and reach like Jesus.
The problem is we vastly reduce this number (assuming it can be quantified) thinking only a licensed pastor can do pastor things, a full-time missionary can do evangelist things, and so forth.
Why we do thisâŠwell, there are many reasons. For now, letâs just say thatâs why His Girl Fryday existsâŠand plans to stick around for a while. True, we may not lead thousands to salvation like some of you will; however, we figure by encouraging downcast vocationals, we can join you in helping people around the world unlock their God-given purpose.
After all, none of us can do what weâre called to do without someone on the other side. Why not lock arms and enjoy the ride.
SoooâŠI wasnât initially going to write anything on this, but after cutting a pod earlier this week, Iâm calling an audible.
âCause truth is: Iâm surprised how much a feel good movie in âIsnât It Romanticâ has me feeling, well, not that good.
While the film, in itself, is charming full of laugh out loud moments and clever wit, to say the film lacks irony would be an understatement.
*Spoiler alert*
For instance, when contrasting real life to rom coms, our protagonist is clear she hates happy endings since they hinge on plot convenience more than anything else.
The funny thing: This is exactly what âIsnât It Romanticâ does on the issue of self-love which begs the questionâŠ
Does self-love actually exist?
To be fair, the answer canât be addressed in a vacuum since real love canât be compartmentalized. That said, while secular voices can only go so far in their quest not to offend, one must wonder if we, as a culture, are synonymizing love and esteem as much as we are love and tolerance.
This in mind, I want to tackle the question by un-blurring the lines between self-love/love and self-esteem/esteem. As for love versus tolerance, donât worry. Iâll come back and do a âpart 2â once the right movie comes along.
Before we define any contrasts, letâs define some terms.
First, what is love?
For starters, the most central answer can be found in 1 Corinthians 13:
“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not [a]love [for others growing out of Godâs love for me], then I have become only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal [just an annoying distraction]. 2 And if I have the gift of prophecy [and speak a new message from God to the people], and understand all mysteries, and [possess] all knowledge; and if I have all [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love [reaching out to others], I am nothing. 3 If I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body [b]to be burned, but do not have love, it does me no good at all.
4 Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. 5 It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured. 6 It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail]. 7 Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening].
8 Love never fails [it never fades nor ends]. But as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for the gift of special knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part [for our knowledge is fragmentary and incomplete]. 10 But when that which is complete and perfect comes, that which is incomplete and partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now [in this time of imperfection] we see in a mirror dimly [a blurred reflection, a riddle, an enigma], but then [when the time of perfection comes we will see reality] face to face. Now I know in part [just in fragments], but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known [by God]. 13 And now there remain: faith [abiding trust in God and His promises], hope [confident expectation of eternal salvation], love [unselfish love for others growing out of Godâs love for me], these three [the choicest graces]; but the greatest of these is love.”
Granted, most are familiar with this passage; however, whatâs often missed is the reason why we struggle grasping it.
Hey, tell me haven’t ya heard? Love is a serious word. Hey, I think it’s time ya learned. I don’t care what you say. I don’t care care what ya heard. The word love, love is a verb.
âŠand while weâre at it, letâs hit the bridge as wellâŠ
Back in the day there was a man who stepped out of Heaven and he walked the land. He delivered to the people an eternal choice with a heart full of love and the truth in His voice. Gave up His life so that we may live. How much more love could the Son of God give? Here is the example that we oughta be matchin’ âcause love is a word that requires some action.
Yeah, yeahâŠIâm starting this exegesis with the most popular ‘love Scripture’ and one of the most iconic 90âs Christian rap songs ever. Nevertheless, the content is 100% certified truth; specifically, love isnât love without actionâŠwithout a transitive nature.
Speaking of which, allow me to get nerdy for just a secondâŠ
In math, the transitive property is expressed as the successive members of a sequence of at least three, where if A is larger than B, and B is larger than C, then A is larger than C. Interestingly, from a theological perspective, this confirms the existence of the Trinity (more on this in a future post).
In this case, letâs use the metaphor to compare us to âBâ with the people we love as âCâ. If ‘B’ (love median) and ‘C’ (love recipient) are given, then who represents A?
In fewer words, God (i.e. love giver). But the big picture point is this: The reason love exists is because there has always been a giver and receiver for all of eternity. Thus, whenever we talk about self-love, itâs only fair to reference the concept as intransitive since the act is not only internal, but immobile.
But CamâŠMatthew 22:39 says, âYou shall love your neighbor as yourselfâ. Certainly, self-love isnât a bad thing?
And to that, Iâd have to agreeâŠwait for it…in a vacuum. But as mentioned, we canât address this topic in a vacuum so letâs zoom out further and ask another questionâŠ
Is the self-love culture conveys the same as what Scripture describes?
âCause when we reference the Word, we find love, in every use, to be a direct response to receiving love. For example, before we can confess God as love (1 John 4:8), we must first believe the preceding verse: âLet us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.â
Therefore, the difference between self-love (culture) and loving yourself (Scripture) is one is contained and the other canât be. One is restricted, the other depicted. One is incomplete, the other complete. One is achieved, the other received. One looks to preserve, the other looks to subserve. I could go on.
For now, letâs discuss esteem.
As Webster defines, esteem is a regard involving an admiration, adulation, and/or appreciation of another. A derivative of gratitude, esteem molds an âI respect youâ statement into an âI value youâ declaration.
Unfortunately, most learn esteem as self-esteem, taking that âI value youâ and reforming it into âI value meâ. Again, this is appropriate in moderation; however, we must be careful not to abuse the practice as how we love. Reason being: like self-love/love, for self-esteem to exist, there must first be esteem and for esteem to exist, not only must there be a giving entity, but authentic community surrounding it. Put another way, the necessity of esteem isnât rooted in feeling valuable, but in sharing praise.
“Through Him, therefore, let us at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.” (AMP)
“All the earth will [bow down to] worship You [in submissive wonder], And will sing praises to You; they will praise Your name in song.â(AMP)
…for praise to have any purpose, it must be expressed as unrequited adoration. For if the affirmation of self is what focuses our esteem, then what we think is love is pride in disguiseâŠor as I like to say, a vehicle for validation.
And itâs here where self-esteem goes off the rail for many people. Yes, self-esteem has a place, but can we say it has purpose when it’s narcissistically misappropriated? For example, we see in entertainment, politics, even health, the cultural message of self-esteem being a barometer to success and worth. Ironically, the same voices are also surprised when such pathways are met by insecurity, stress, and burnout. Keep going, they say. Donât give up, they say.
Of course, Christ in us, we see how this is done the right way. In context, we tie esteem to love through the nature of God which then allows us to see anxiety as the bypassing of holy residence to feel significant. Sadly, for most, self-esteem is and will forever be detached from its Creator, leading many to strive for desirability through skillsets, passions, even status. How sad is it that many discover strengths without wondering or questioning how they got there in the first place? No wonder so many struggle with voids given theyâre pursuing meaning without reason!
But getting back to the movieâŠ
After our protagonistâs comatose catharsis, she finally comes to the pay off: While love is not a fairytale, it doesnât mean you canât love yourself.  True, the happy ending might not exist, but it doesnât mean you canât be happy. As long as youâre not depending on others for acceptance, you can love yourself to determine your destinyâŠand at least come close to a happy ever after.
NowâŠ*cracks knuckles*âŠI have much to say to this moral discount morale boost.
But being Iâm already near 1300 words, Iâll be short. The problem I have with this movie (and others like it) is how it conveys love as being stronger when itâs independent.
While I agree that our sense of value should be detached from what others think, if weâre constantly generating love out of self-preservation (i.e. an egotistic approach to void filling), thereâs no way we can sustain love in any capacity.
Essentially, the movieâs tagline fits the “moral” of the story.
To love yourself, complete yourself. Donât possess your emotions, numb them! To feel esteem, donât rely on others to affirm it, provide it for yourself. Donât just be indifferent to what others think, but be different to what others do. That way you can love you without the sensitivity to othersâ needs getting in the way. After all, love isnât given; it’s a personal choice.
*Sighs*Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â *Sarcasm subsides*
I guess what Iâm trying to say is…
The reason we love is because it has always existed.
The reason love has always existed not only points to the existence of God, but to the reality of a Godhead.
By this, we can accept the truth that though we were made for love, we weren’t made to ignite and sustain it by ourselvesÂč. Accordingly, as the object of love and not the subject, letâs be careful with any cultural messaging suggesting the contrary. In the same way we create because weâve been created and design because weâve been designed, we love because we were and are forever loved.
Again, God didnât generate us; rather He formed and fashioned us uniquely with delicate precision before the beginning of time (see Isaiah 44:24, Isaiah 49:15, Psalm 71:6, Jeremiah 1:5, Galatians 1:15). And while we can’t possibly fathom the eternity of such love, we can accept its presence as constant sovereignty living and breathing outside ourselves.
How sweet is it to know we can experience the Gospel as the greatest romance in history:
We love because we were first loved and we love because it was first given.
Finally, we can answer our original question, âDoes self-love exist?â
In short, outside of God, loving anyone or anything is impossible. Sure, we can admire, cherish, and enjoy the people in our path and the companies we keep. But if âour wayâ is more important than any other, we canât possibly know the origin and intricate delicacies that make love what it is. This doesnât mean a lost concept of love and/or esteem canât be based in self; it just means if whatâs good for us is the gravity, the epicenter of perception and paradigm, the idea of crazy, crave-able love is a mirage via the transitive property.
If a) God is love, but b) God isnât a part of our love, then c) is what we think is love really love at all?
OkayâŠenough preaching already; time for one last thoughtâŠ
Next time youâre discouraged about a situation with no happy ending in sight, rememberâŠ
Youâre not aloneâŠ
Youâre not your ownâŠ
Because of a + b, you donât have to express how you feel to know your love is real.
As a Millennial, Iâm starting to wonder if the church is exhausting the ânextâ in ‘next generationââŠif what she considers ânextâ is ânewâ and what she considers ânewâ is âmoreâ1.
âCause truth is: While Iâm all about the emerging generation being poured into, I canât help but think we, as the body, need to re-evaluate ânextâ relative to Godâs discipleship intent. Granted, Iâm a part of the rising leadership community and have much to learn; still, the splinter lingers in the back of my mind:
Should the church replace, ‘The future of church leadership is the next generation‘ with ‘The future of church leadership is discovering the next for each generation‘ in its ‘life on life’ vernacular?
If âyesâ, then I believe the Lord wants to unveil specific strategies on how weâre to walk this out. But before we can dive into application, we must first bask our context in the Word.
 âOne generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.â (ESV)
âOne generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty and remarkable acts.â (AMP)
âGeneration after generation stands in awe of your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts.â (MSG)
âOne generation will declare Your works to the next and will proclaim Your mighty acts.â (HCSB)
âLet each generation tell its children of your mighty acts;let them proclaim your power.â (NLT)
Right away, we see why contrasting different translations is important when studying Scripture. For instance, if you read the ESV, HCSB, AMP, or a similar translation, you might interpret âone generationâ to literally mean one generation; however, in context, this is not what David is implying. Rather, David is stating how worship should be a successive and progressive tradition â a two-way street from which one generation can learn from another. Had David been posed with the idea praise3 could only be experienced from top to bottom, it would have been a compromise to adoration in his mind.
As such, the key takeaway here is delighting in God is not only at the core of who we are, but also the core of our unity…which cannot be reduced to a unidirectional expression.
Now, letâs collate this with the parable of the wineskins:
â’No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, âThe old is good.ââ ~ Luke 5:36-39 (ESV)
Exegesis applied, Luke is illustrating the fact no one can mix legalism with new faith or religious tradition with divine grace; however, in this case, letâs assume old wineskins apply to older generations and new wineskins apply to rising generations. When Luke suggests the old is good4, heâs not saying aged is better in all regards (though with wine, this is certainly the case) as much as heâs emphasizing the Ecclesiastes 3 reality that for each option, there is a season, a time, and a place.
In other words, whatâs new and whatâs established are not only meant to co-exist, but partake under the heading of âfreshâ or as Hebrew translates it, âmechudashâ meaning ârenewedâ. Accordingly, while the literal pouring of wine from new skin to old skin doesnât make sense, when we consider âfreshâ relationally from Godâs perspective, we can know God as faithful to renew fresh works in all men for cross-generational education and exultation.
Think of it this way: As disciple-making Christ followers, we can be like wine poured out as drink offerings (Philippians 2:17, 2 Timothy 4:6) upon the sacrificial offering of faith; however, unlike wine, we can serve free from the yoke of wineskins seeking to compartmentalize how that faith operates in action! For example, if you’re an elderly leader, you don’t have to feel your place in church is limited to on-call mentoring and if you’re a teenager, you don’t have to feel disqualified due to youth. Christ in you…if anything is possible, who says you can’t team and serve alongside those twice or half your age? If God has called you, then go for it!
As the Spirit impressed upon me before writing this…
…how sweet it is knowing each generation has the capacity to pour into another? That no matter who is involved, as long as God is being praised and exalted, there is a place for His fresh work in all modes and peoples of life.
To tie this up, Iâm all for Millennials, Post-Millennials/Zennials having their opportunity and time to step up. But I also don’t believe the retired generation has to be retired from leadership roles if they’re called and appointed in that season. History has constantly shown the emerging generation to approach the older ones with a ‘what about me‘ mentality. And don’t get me wrong. I get my peers looking around wondering who is willing to pour into them. But the flip side is also true. We can’t neglect pursuing places for those who naturally have more insight or pigeon-hole them where they’re not called as a plug-in for program.
After all, leadership is not a function of age, but a) a way the God can be glorified and b) an outlet for the fear of the Lord to be known. If the body wants to know the fullness of ministry as God intended, age can’t be a primary (key word) filter in finding the balance between giving/receiving…pouring in/pouring out. As long as you have breath, you not only have a purpose, but a place for that purpose to manifest.
Stay tuned next time when Iâll dive deeper into the ânextâ vs. ânewâ vs. âmoreâ dichotomy as alluded to in my opening. Until then, be blessed and refreshed even when pressed and donât forget to rest in His best.
Selah.
Footnotes
Or visa-versa
One of Davidâs favorite psalms
In any form, be it discipleship/mentoring, teaching, prophesying, pastoring, etc.
