by Ryan Smith | Nov 26, 2014
When I say the word, “Thanksgiving,” what comes to mind? When I was a kid, Thanksgiving brought images of Pilgrims, turkey, pumpkin pie, fall leaves and football. Now that I’m older, Thanksgiving still brings many of those things to mind, but there is much more at the forefront. Thanksgiving means travel, driving, calorie-counting, thinking of what I forgot to do at work, wondering if I should put the Christmas decorations up, and a litany of other things.
That being said, Thanksgiving still brings to mind family, togetherness, and most importantly: opportunity.
As you gather around the table this holiday weekend, whether Thanksgiving is a peaceful and joyous occasion for you or a dread-filled turkey fright fest, there are three ways I want to encourage you to use your Thanksgiving for the glory of God.
1. Be Thankful.
At the beginning of Ephesians 5, after a celebration of the gospel and a beautiful charge to unity, Paul turns a corner and shows believers how to “be imitators of God, as beloved children.” Paul inserts a word to contrast the attitude, speech and perspective of the believer with that of the non-believer. The word he uses: Thanksgiving. “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving” (Eph. 5:4). What is the overarching and defining mark of a believer’s attitude, heart and speech? Thankfulness. No matter where you are going, or what you are doing this weekend, find something to be thankful for. This honors God.
2. Use the Time.
The Pilgrims, parades, turkey, and football only take so long. Much of the time spent around Thanksgiving is not related to the holiday itself, but is simply “down time.” This year, as much as you think about the stuffing and gravy, think about how you can use the time for God’s glory and your joy. Do you have a long drive? Plan to turn the radio down and the family conversation up. Wondering what to do while everyone is in a tryptophan coma? Bring that gospel-centered book you’ve had on the shelf, get a new one, or commit to reading a certain portion of the Bible.
3. Use Words.
My hope for you is that you will spend Thanksgiving this year with those you love. Take advantage of the time not just to show love and spend time with each other, but actually say the words. We never know how many opportunities we will get. Take advantage of the opportunity before you. Dads, hug your kids and tell them you are thankful for them. Don’t just dance around the awkward conversation, talk about the gospel. Don’t just do thankful things, say thankful gospel-infused words.
No matter what Thanksgiving holds for you, remember Who holds Thanksgiving. Ultimately, our greatest thanks is rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Be thankful.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving and may these words of the Apostle Paul be true for you:
“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (Phil. 1:3).
by Ryan Smith | Nov 25, 2014
As a pastor who has been to a lot of funerals, I’ve heard it said many times. As someone around a lot of “church folk” I’ve heard the lofty conversations and speculations. I’ve even said it myself.
It bothers me every time.
It’s the way we talk about Heaven. Whether we are simply conjecturing, dreaming, wishing or all of the above, our expressed views of Heaven are usually missing one major thing…God.
When a loved one passes away, we immediately turn to the warmth of memories to cover us from the cold of loss. Memories are good things. They are the lingering proofs of personhood. Perhaps we will be remembered by words we said or things we did that will create echoes far greater than the sounds themselves. There are things intricately woven with our personhood that help define us to those we love.
Thinking about what makes someone supremely happy is instrumental in how we form our definition of them.
Bob loves golf. Susan loved gardening. When we think of Bob in glory or remember Susan fondly, something to the effect is said, “I’ll bet Bob can’t wait to get up there and tee off with (insert relative or celebrity)” or, “I’m sure Susan’s up there right now tending fields full of flowers.”
While I certainly understand and embrace the sentiment, there is a danger in characterizing Heaven as finally being the place where we get everything we want. To a degree, this betrays an often-overlooked view of God we may hold in the soil of our hearts: God exists for me.
We know God loves us. We believe if He loves us, He will make us happy. For me to be happy, I should get what I want. For me to have an eternal supply of what I want is the ultimate joy – it is my heaven.
There are many things the Bible tells us about Heaven, but the idea that we each create our own is certainly not one of them. There is an objective Heaven, and it is extraordinarily amazing.
I like coffee. I like music. When I die, I have a fear that people will say, “I’ll bet he’s up there in one giant coffee shop,” or perhaps, “Ryan is smiling right now holding a guitar that never goes out of tune.”
There may be coffee in Heaven and I would love to contribute music to the songs of Heaven, but if people think that was, or is, my greatest joy, I have done something wrong.
I want my greatest joy to be Jesus Christ. As the song says, He is my light, my strength, my song. What I am looking forward to about Heaven has nothing to do with décor, activities, or superpowers (flight please). It’s Jesus.
When I die, I hope people say, “Ryan is there right now with Jesus. He must be so happy finally seeing Jesus! I’ll bet he can’t stop smiling at Jesus! Ryan opened his eyes to see Jesus! Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!”
This is not to say enjoying something is necessarily idolatry. We should enjoy activities, nourishment and relationship and do it all for the glory of God. But let us hope people don’t believe the things from which we derive happiness are our gods who fill us with supreme joy.
Coffee may be the official beverage of Heaven. There may be long green fairways, gardens, great concerts and a plethora of other amenities. But honestly, I can do without them all. If heaven turns out to be the opposite of every one of my preferences, but Jesus is there, I’m good.
What is heaven like? There is a lot we don’t know. But we do know Jesus is there. That is enough.
I want to issue a challenge to you, Christian. When people think of you now or look back on your life, what will be said about “your” heaven (as if you could make one)?
Will it be an eternity filled with lesser things and creature comforts? Will it be games or activities?
An eternity full of anything but God is not Heaven. It’s Hell. It is an eternity of lesser things. Even an eternity of your favorite thing without Jesus would be torment – separated from the giver and sustainer of all life.
You can have the coffee. You can have the guitars, Thunder games and music.
You can have all of this world. But give me Jesus.
by Ryan Smith | Aug 12, 2014
I did not know Robin Williams. Yet what I knew of Robin Williams was instrumental in my growing up. Aladdin, Awakenings, Dead Poets Society, Hook, Mrs. Doubtfire, Jack, Patch Adams, Good Will Hunting – the list goes on and on. With every title springs colorful memories of the most gifted actor and the times he both spoke through his acting and salved with his ready wit and humor.
Whether in drama or comedy, Robin Williams had a magic touch. I even enjoyed watching his less successful films simply because he was in them. He was a man so alive and so in touch with human emotion that he could paint years of experience with one twitch of his face. His every appearance on a late night talk show was must-see because it was as if they promised to let a wild baboon off a leash. You never knew what would happen, but whatever it was, it would be Robin Williams.
I loved living in a world with people like Robin Williams. I don’t like being in a world where people like Robin Williams die. I hate being in a world where people like Robin Williams take their own life. When I received word Monday that Robin had died, I both didn’t want to believe it and found that I had somewhat expected it all at once. His struggles with drugs and depression had been well chronicled and even in his silliest moments you could sense there was more going on in the man than the jovial veneer exposed.
Depression is a slow killer and ultimately it makes others do its dirty work. It is a hidden disease whose greatest strength is in convincing the afflicted that at all costs, it must remain undisclosed. It troubles me that Robin Williams felt so hopeless. It is a cause for us all to remember that success, fame, adoration, money, and so many of our most idealistic pursuits are simply trivial and prove to be made of straw when exposed by the fire. I hate that Robin Williams knew no hope bigger than the weight of his own disease.
Robin Williams will be missed. Some day I will show my son Hook and while he soars with Williams’ pudgy Peter Pan, my recollection will be bittersweet. Someday my kids will watch Aladdin, and I will wish they could have experienced so much more of the talents and ticklish demeanor of such a brilliant actor.
Above and beyond missing Robin as an actor, this gives us all a moment to pause.
We never know.
Even the most outwardly happy and beloved of us can be screaming on the inside. There but by the grace of God go any of us. If you believe someone may be struggling with depression, ask and get them help. If you are battling depression, it is a lying thief. Get help. Get help. Get help.
Above all, this is a reminder for me as a Christian that the Gospel is all the more urgent. Jesus Christ is bigger than depression. His victory is stronger than the war raging inside diseased minds. In Christ alone our hope is found.
Robin Williams was a gift. He will be missed. Lord come soon.
*Photo credit: Jorg Hackemann / Shutterstock.com
by Ryan Smith | Jul 23, 2014
There is a new McCarthyism sweeping across our cultural landscape. The target of the prodding tongs and loaded questions is not a political viewpoint, ethnic group or social bias. The enemy of the state is those who hold to a biblical worldview.
Recently, Tony Dungy, former Super Bowl winning coach, author, speaker, and current NFL commentator, found the red dot on his chest of the new Christian McCarthyism. What was his crime? He stated that he would not have drafted NFL rookie and openly gay football player Michael Sam. His reasoning was not because of Sam’s sexuality, but because of the unnecessary media circus and distraction surrounding a seventh round draft pick.
Michael Sam was a great college player. After a sub-par NFL combine and running a disconcerting 40 time, his draft prospects looked dim. This is the case for many collegiate players seeking to enter football’s highest level. He was projected to be a late round pick if one at all. This is not newsworthy. However, given the fact that Sam is a practicing homosexual, he quickly became one of the draft’s main stories.
Tony Dungy, who is a professing Christian, stated as a football coach it would not be worth the media frenzy and distraction for him to take such a player. What type of player? A sub-par combine performing, slow 40 running seventh round draft pick.
But as Pardon the Interruption’s Tony Kornheiser stated, “What he said was that he didn’t want the media circus. What I heard was, ‘I don’t want a gay football player.’”
Here is the new McCarthyism at play. Tony Dungy is a Christian who holds to a biblical worldview. Because of this, the words he uses, the reputation he has built, and the respect he has garnished are all thrown aside at the possibility that a person’s lifestyle might be a source of discernment in a hiring decision.
But consider the facts. Do you know who else decided they didn’t want the Michael Sam media circus for their team? Thirty-one other NFL coaches, owners, and general managers. Not only that, but the team that did draft him, the St. Louis Rams, passed on him six times before taking him in the seventh round. Either this means everyone in NFL leadership is anti-gay, or Michael Sam as a football player is one that teams could do with or without.
Hypothetically, what if Sam’s lifestyle influenced his draft status? This is not new. Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel slipped in the draft despite his high draft-stock because some owners and general managers decided his ensuing media circus and lifestyle would be a detriment to their team goals.
What about a person’s lifestyle creating a media distraction? Tim Tebow, a devout Christian, virgin, and biblical worldview supporter, was also discriminated against in the draft because of the media circus that followed him as well as his limited hopes as a successful NFL quarterback.
Where was the anger then? Where were those on ESPN lauding the Broncos for taking a young man with biblical sexual views? Where were the pundits spewing venom at every other commentator or NFL organization who said they wouldn’t take Tebow because of the media baggage?
Most mocked Tebow for his virginity. Most acknowledged he was a solid young man of character, leadership, and a degree of skill. But why were organizations given the pass on not selecting Tebow? Because of football skills and media frenzy. Why did Tony Dungy say he wouldn’t take Michael Sam? Because of football skills and media frenzy.
One Philadelphia writer put the case succinctly regarding Tebow late last year:
“Tony Kornheiser told me…that Tim Tebow is still the number one most searched athlete in America. THAT’S how insane our country is these days. A guy who is so bad at football that he’s LITERALLY the most popular football player on the planet…Still no job and still wildly popular. All because he talks about Jesus like they were boys back in high school.”
You don’t have to lift the veil on those words. You don’t have to speculate.
The new Christian McCarthyism is bent on hunting down those with a biblical worldview and fileting them in the public eye. Under what banner? Sexual liberalism. Sex is our god, and anyone who does not bow down to it is to be mocked, stripped of honor, degraded and labeled as a hate monger. This is particularly the case if your conviction regarding sex comes from the Bible.
Tony Dungy did not say he wouldn’t want Michael Sam because of his sexuality. He didn’t even say he wouldn’t want him on his team. He said he wouldn’t draft him because of the baggage the media has created and the distraction it would create.
Dungy stated, “I was not asked whether or not Michael Sam deserves an opportunity to play in the NFL. He absolutely does. I was not asked whether his sexual orientation should play a part in the evaluation process. It should not. I was not asked whether I would have a problem having Michael Sam on my team. I would not.”
However, he is being judged and ridiculed as a hate-mongering, homophobic bigot.
The new Christian McCarthyism hears only what it wants to hear.
Tony Dungy is only a recent example. Watch and be aware.
Photo credit: facebook.com/TonyDungy
by Ryan Smith | Jun 26, 2014
It may seem strange to say, but I love the Ten Commandments. I’m not talking about Charlton Heston’s flowing white beard or the plaque on the wall next to the Bill of Rights.
I don’t say I love the Ten Commandments because they are a list of “don’ts.” I say I love them because they are boundaries of protection and provision for God’s glory and my good. The reason God tells us not do certain things is that we are prone to want to do them. Each of the commandments reveals a deeper heart issue that I need to be saved from.
The Ten Commandments ultimately are calls to know God and trust His provision.
1. YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BESIDES ME. Know the true God. He has made Himself knowable and known.
2. YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FOR YOURSELF A GRAVEN IMAGE AND BOW DOWN TO IT. I am tempted to worship the created rather than the Creator. I worship the means and not the end. Don’t settle for a counterfeit. God has given us the real deal.
3. YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN. Don’t cheapen God. God’s name evokes His power, personhood, and provision. Those are weighty, lovely things and should be treated as such.
4. REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY, TO KEEP IT HOLY. You and I are not God. Don’t try to be. Rest in who God is and what only He can provide. It is enough.
5. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER. Our hearts kick against authority and embrace pride. Don’t think of ourselves more highly than we should.
6. YOU SHALL NOT MURDER. Murder reveals hatred in the heart.
7. YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY. Adultery comes from wanting to provide for ourselves beyond what God has provided. It means breaking covenants, which cheapens them. We trust our lusts or emotions beyond God’s revealed truth.
8. YOU SHALL NOT STEAL. Have satisfaction in God’s provision.
9. YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST YOUR NEIGHBOR. Lies are our way of providing for ourselves what we believe the truth will not give.
10. YOU SHALL NOT COVET. Have gratitude in God’s provision.
As I consider the deeper meanings of these commandments and what they reveal, they show I have a heart that wants to question God and provide for myself. This is true in salvation as well.
Each of these commandments force me to ask the question: am I God or is God God?
Do I create and sustain or does he? Do I save or does he? Do I trust Him or myself?
These are the basic questions of sin. God has provided salvation through Christ. He has proven He is enough and calls us to trust that. He calls us to trust Him. He has given us Himself. There is no greater love.