Man do I appear Good on the outside. Go to church, lead the youth group on a retreat, teach lessons, sincere in praise and worship and read God's word each morning. Lately, though, I have seen just how easy it is to keep appearances. I was reading through II Kings and came across 15:3-4. "He (Azariah) did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. The high places, however, were not removed..."
My life, at times, seems like it could be a 'however.' You know, "I give everything to Christ, I don't worship idols or promote anything of the sort. BUT there is that one sin I have neglected to discuss with my accountability partner...oh wait, I mean - I want to have an accountability partner, but I am just too busy right now." It is amazing, when our heart desires something how easily excuses can crop up. The kings all throughout II Kings are listed just as Azariah, doing most everything, but not actually destroying the high places (idols) commanded by God...he is not an isolated king.
I encourage you, examine your definition of "giving everything to Christ." You may find that what you really mean (as I discovered) is that you give everything your heart does not desire any longer... {for example: I give swearing and foul language to God...but tithing and finances are not something He's convicted me of yet}. What a person may find if they seek out Christ in this matter is that they are able to operate in their lives without a heavy or oppressive burden to be doing what they know they should have done a long time ago.
This little guy operates with the joy of a non-burdened heart (for he is too young to understand). Wouldn't it be great to have the grin and disposition of him in our spiritual lives now? Listen, you and I can have it. Here's a starting point: James 4:1 - "...what causes fights and quarrels among you, is it not the desires that battle within you..." Don't let your life be a "however."
Hey Doug,
ReplyDeleteIt's your old friend and junior counselor extrordinare Dustin Wikoff. My mom had told me months ago you were in Tremont now working at a church and I thought that was cool. Then fast forward to today, I'm on the Camp o' Champs website looking into information for my son possibly going there and I spend an hour looking on all the pages for familiar faces. I saw Jess Zobrist, and found out Ben's a baseball player?!! I was dumbfounded, anyway I saw Nate and Bill and Paul's names on there, but did not see any Rumbolds.
So I did the next best thing, I googled your name. And I found your little blog here. So, I thought I'd leave a comment and maybe even throw in a Seinfeld quote if I can work one in. Unfortunately, I cannot share a nutty bar with you. :) Seems like things are going well for you, and it's good to see you're still impacting lives in a positive way. Take care. Oh I forgot a Seinfeld reference......hmmmm "Up here, I'm already gone!" - Dustin Wikoff
Dustin,
ReplyDeletewow, good to hear from you. when i saw your mom at the bank memories flooded in...mainly those related to nutty bars and unbelievably hot afternoons in the 'gym' at camp. what are you up to these days? i see you have a son, how old is he...and is he your only child? I have a daughter (Jada) and my wife's name is Jessica. if you look on the blog there are comments and pics all over it of them. visit www.tremontncf.com to get the number for the church I work at and give me a call - it would be great to catch up over a cup of coffee.
doug
Well, I'm working at the Pekin Daily Times newspaper in the Circulation Department. It's ok, but I just started going back to college online to finish my bachelor's degree in accounting. It's gonna take a little time, but my job prospects will improve greatly. I have two kids. One is my 6 year old step-son to be Ryan, his mom and I are getting married in Sept after being together for 3 years. I'm pretty much the only dad he's known, so he's my son, no "step" needed. I also have a 5 year old daughter Drew from a previous engagement. I made some mistakes in the past, but my daughter was a good thing that came out of them. I have her every weekend and get to spend a lot of time with both of them.
ReplyDeleteSo pretty much my life is being a father, husband, and a worker in a job that doesn't do much for me but pays the bills. I'm trying to work at that last part with the whole schooling thing. I don't want to rent forever. :) Well, back to work.
-Dustin