Bridging the Gap

I will always recall one of my Bible teachers telling us, "boys you have to learn to preach across the gap." Of course we struggled to understand what Brother Carr was talking about. His response has stayed with me all these years, "Boys, you are going to have to learn early on that you can't live perfect lives, but you have to preach a perfect gospel. Sometimes that means you have to preach lessons that are mighty close to home.

There are places in our lives where we all have to preach across the gap. It is hard to train and correct our children when they throw our own failures and inadequecies up in our face. In teaching a Bible class we sometimes have to deal with topics that haven't quite mastered in our own lives. Some people may call this hypocrisy, but the truth is that we are called to "preach the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27).

Recently I have been facilitating a men's study/prayer group on Monday mornings. It is a thrill to have a such a great group of men who are committed to starting their week with Christ. Our current topic of discussion is Patrick Morley's book, "The Man in the Mirror." The title alone illustrates how hard it is to facilitate this discussion. Reading each chapter and trying to evaluate my own life is painful at times. I know the lessons we share on Monday are helping me, challenging me, but sometimes it is like a doctor probing around for an abcess. When he finds the troubled area - it doesn't feel very good.

Preachers aren't the only ones who have to cross that chasm. We all have the difficult challenge of living what we believe and teach. That should also remind us of the importance of showing some grace and understanding to those who walk in leadership positions. They don't live perfect lives, but like the rest of us, they pursue that perfect pattern.

A Thorny Situation

Conditions and circumstances in life are never quite what you want them to be. Many people add to thier own unhappiness because they believe the grass is greener in another pasture. They walk through life always thinking life would be better if only... If only I had more money; If only my husband treated me better; If only I could fit into the clothes I wore ten years ago.

I believe this is a universal condition. Even the apostle Paul struggled with this his infirmities. Three times he prayed that God would remove the thorn in his flesh (II Corinthians 12:7-8). Paul believed that life would be better, that his circumstances would be more productive if only he could get rid of that stubborn problem in his life.

We don't always enjoy the way God works. Many of the lessons we learn come through hardships and adversity. I don't know how many times I have prayed that some challenge or difficulty will be removed, only to have God say, "my grace is sufficient for you" (II Corinthians 12:9).

God perfects us the same way that gold is refined in the fire. We must walk through the furnace of affliction if we are to come out pure, brilliant and ready for use in God's service. Paul put it best when he said, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (II Corinthians 12:18-19).