Category: Devotional Thoughts

I’m finally feeling inspired and coherent enough to put it into words something that’s been on my mind. I’ve been thinking about cynicism and the dark role it often plays in my life.

“Cynicism: An attitude of scornful or jaded negativity, especially a general distrust of the integrity or professed motives of others.”

I struggle with my cynical attitude. Maybe part of it goes with the kind of personality I have.

This world and the people in it give us plenty of reasons to be jaded.  People cheat, lie and manipulate to get what they want.

Isn’t it different in the church? Well, sometimes it is. But “church people” can be some of the most legalistic and petty you’ll ever meet.

I’m also deeply grieved by the gullibility among “religious” people—some will believe any idiot who holds a Bible and stands in behind a microphone (or in front of a camera).

There’s more: I’m reminded of a sermon I heard once from James Robinson. Someone told him he was fortunate to be in ministry, where people won’t stab you in the back. His response was something like this:

“The difference in ministry is people will stab you in the back and say God told them to do it.”

I could go on, but I think you get my point.

Is there hope for someone like me? Thank God, the answer is “yes.”

Let’s look at the book of Hebrews. Chapter 11 is a “hall of fame” of sorts, listing those who have glorified God through great acts of faith. Chapter 12 opens with these words:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith . . .
–Hebrews 11:1-2

This passage has a couple of very important truths for a recovering cynic:

First and foremost, I have to stay focused on Jesus, not people. He is the Initiator and Perfector of my faith. I’ll never be disappointed when I look to Him. Disappointment comes when I put too much of my focus on someone else. People will let you down—Jesus won’t.

But there’s another important truth here: God has given us plenty of worthy examples to follow. Hebrews 11 specifically refers to “heroes” of the Bible, and these are certainly helpful. But most of us have encountered genuine, loving, living examples of the Christian life here and now. Be thankful for them, and always keep them in mind.

Another book has helped me: Paul Coughlin’s Unleashing Courageous Faith: The Hidden Power of a Man’s Soul. He writes about cynicism and its effect on the human psyche:

“Cynicism protects us from having our hopes destroyed by not allowing us to have thumos-producing hope in the first place.”*

Coughlin’s basic argument is this: cynicism can be a form of cowardice. We use it insulate ourselves from any possible disappointment and excuse ourselves from attempting great things.

Ouch!

No man wants to be a coward. But I have to agree with Coughlin’s argument here, and I must say it challenged me to the core.

You may argue that some amount of cynicism is healthy or necessary. I think I would agree with you there—I’m not arguing we go through life with blind naivety about the way things really are. Even Jesus, upon seeing the masses, “would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people” (John 2:24).

But God has called me to be a man on a mission. That requires me to believe there’s a higher purpose in everything (and I do, by the way). At times it requires me to trust people (which I also do, though trust has to earned).

I can’t be a visionary, leader, or warrior while being a cynic—such roles just won’t peacefully coexist.

God’s grace is sufficient, even for a recovering cynic like me.

Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
-Psalm 37:4

These words from the Psalms are inspiring, yet a little bit confusing. We know that every promise in the Bible is true—Jesus Himself said that the “scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35). But how many of us can honestly say we have everything we want? Does this mean God has broken His promise?

Some preachers/churches have adopted some strange beliefs to explain such Bible promises. America in particular is infected with the “prosperity gospel.” The “prosperity gospel” preachers claim that Christians should always enjoy health, wealth, and prosperity. This false teaching is based on greed and spiritual immaturity—not the Bible. Unfortunately, this teaching is catching on here in the Philippines.

So what does this promise really mean?

1. First, God Himself should be our Ultimate Desire

First and foremost, this passage challenges us to delight ourselves in God. Our selfish nature is to go straight to the “desires of your heart” line. This is backwards!

Consider the words of Jesus:

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
-Matthew 12:44-46

What is the treasure in a field? What is the pearl of great value? It is salvation, our relationship with Jesus! I’ll repeat something I’ve said before: The greatest benefit of a relationship with God is a relationship with God!

Imagine this: A young man falls in love and marries. Within a few weeks, his bride tells him she is unhappy. “I thought you were rich,” she says. “I thought by now I would have diamonds, pearls, and a brand new Mercedes.” The husband’s heart would be broken!

We can be guilty of this same type of attitude. Like Solomon, we have a tendency to thinking about the blessings more than the One who blesses.

2. Second, God helps us to develop more mature, Christ-centered desires.

God is a loving Father. He is more interested in our character and our holiness than our comfort. Because of this, He has to say “no” to some of our requests as we go through the process of maturity.

What if a five year old boy asked his father for grenades and a rocket launcher for Christmas? How would a loving father respond? You already know the answer—a loving father would never give his child something that would harm him. Sometimes saying “no” is the most loving thing a father can do. Our Heavenly Father is no different in this regard.

Our desires mature as we mature. Our hearts become more in tune with His, and our prayers become more Christ-centered. Do we still ask the Lord for personal needs and wants? Of course! The Bible never criticizes this practice. The difference is that our overall perspective begins to change. God’s agenda becomes our agenda. This directly affects what we ask from God.

3. Finally, God meets all of our needs in His time.

Consider this statement from Paul:

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
-Philippians 4:19

Paul was actually in prison when he wrote this. He previously described being “content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12). He was content because his delight was in the Lord. He had learned to completely trust God.

We can trust God to meet all of our needs at the right time. He is faithful to do this! Notice I said “needs,” not “wants.” Part of the maturity process is learning to distinguish your wants from your needs. None of us have perfected this—it is part of the never ending process of spiritual growth.

Have you really delighted yourself in the Lord? Is He the all-consuming passion of your life? Make Jesus the center of your life and this will put everything else in its proper perspective.

These are the highlights of a message I preached a couple of years ago.  I accidentally deleted the post, but I was able to find it in a file and put it back up.