Monday Motivator – June 4

You read about the urgency everyday. A famous football player commits suicide and everyone wonders “why?” What signs did family, friends, and former teammates miss? An airplane crash in Nigeria and everyone on board is dead. Was it pilot error, equipment malfunction, or weather related? What could have prevented it?

A wife is in tears outside her home. Her husband died tragically in a jailhouse fire that started by accident. The tragedy is harder to accept because it should have been avoided, but she failed to raise the bail money on time. If she had, her husband would be alive.

Rick had been in jail on breaking and entering charges. Denise spent three months trying to raise his bond, but it was taking longer than she expected. The irony of the story was that she had been in court earlier that week asking for help. But unexpectedly, a fire in the county jail killed her husband and three other inmates before anyone could get the fire contained.

Do we feel the same urgency for the welfare of our friends as Denise did for Rick’s freedom? How concerned are we for our family, friends, colleagues, and associates in light of eternity? They too, are facing a charge for wrongdoing before the real King and Judge. They may not be aware of it, but we know they are running out of time to deal with the situation. For them though, the solution is a different kind of freedom. Far from a parole, Christianity offers a new birth, a new life, a new power, and a new future.

Read 2 Corinthians 5:11-21.

This section of the New Testament is where the name Chi Alpha comes from. We take our name, mission, and calling from the apostle Paul’s words to be “ministers of reconciliation, as though God were making His appeal, through us.” When Paul wrote this second letter to the Corinthians, he shifted into overdrive in chapter 5, and you can sense the urgency he felt for the people of Corinth. With passion he urged his readers to “be reconciled to God” (verse 20), or get right in a legal and relational sense.

Just as Denise recognized that her husband had been arrested for a crime, all of us are justly accused of the sins we have committed. But how senseless for us to suffer the penalty when it is so avoidable. God has made redemption possible through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection on the cross. Everyone has a chance for an eternal pardon now and when you die. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, in order that we could be cleared of our wrongdoing against our Creator. Like the prodigal son in Luke 15, each of us can now return, forgiven and welcomed, by our heavenly Father.

Denise had to work very hard to raise the bail money for Rick. Each of us has to put our faith, hope, and trust in the person and work of Christ to be set free. And the offer of pardon is free.

Who knows how much time anyone has? It is true that everyone is responsible for their own decision to follow or ignore Jesus – but we who are followers of Him still have work to do. We do not know when our time will be up. So let’s keep telling others about Jesus before it is too late. What can you do this week to reach out to someone who does not yet know Christ? Serve globally. Do not waste today – show people the way to God by your words and actions.

Love is a verb,

Mike Olejarz

Monday Motivator – May 28

I watched a health report about the influence of “worrying” on people. There are a lot of us who actually worry ourselves into all sorts of health problems. One health professional said we spend much of our thought-life on ourselves. We want things to turn out right for us (and our family and our friends). Yet we’re obsessed with how we’ll be affected by decisions, events, and circumstances. Some people literally talk themselves into trouble and sickness.

It is one thing to be genuinely concerned about important stuff – getting good enough grades to maintain your scholarship, graduating from school, healing emotionally over a broken relationship, dealing with chronic illness in your family, or finding a good job. But it is another matter to be filled with anxiety about things that may cause inconvenience, delay, or discomfort.

If we are not careful, we can gradually become overwhelmed by lots of stuff that we probably can’t change anyway. The doctor in the news report I saw said, “We take care of ourselves as if we were our only child.” We worry, worry, worry, and it is all about us.

Think about how much time you spend narrowly focused on yourself. If you are thinking about how you look, the project you struggled to complete and turn in on time, what people may think about you, your choice of clothes, the conversation with a colleague, being habitually late for appointments, and second-guessing yourself – all the time – you could make yourself sick with worry. Doesn’t God promise us some sort of security about who we are?

Read Psalm 55:16-23.

I remember when I met Barbara in graduate school and became interested in her. After a few months of hanging out after church, I invited her out for a meal. We enjoyed spending time together. I asked about our friendship going to the next level and she said she was busy with school, had a boyfriend back home, and was not interested in anything but she and I being grad buddies. I reluctantly said okay. A month later I found myself fretting about our upcoming graduation and the fact I may never see Barbara again. I was losing sleep, wrestling with my feelings of infatuation and love for this young lady. Normally I am an even-keeled kind of person, but I found my stomach tied into knots and my mind filled with anxiety. Why did I feel this way about her if I could do nothing about it? Finally one night, I cried out to the Lord, “You promised me peace that passes understanding, and I want that more than the worry and stress I have about this woman.” From that moment on, the Lord helped me get some focus back in my life and I was no longer anxious about what may or may happen between Barbara and me.

The apostle Paul said, “Do not worry yourself sick about things…pray about it and trust in the Lord who cares for you” (my loose rendering of Philippians 4:6-7).  I had not been doing that about my interest in Barbara and it was literally sapping my strength and health. The Psalmist said, “Cast your care(s) on the Lord” (Psalm 55:22). It sure beats worrying.

Paul wrote Philippians from prison. Did you notice how much worry he expresses in his letter? Hint – none. How much joy and rejoicing does Paul model? Hint – lots. Are you anxious about things all the time? What does Philippians 4:6-7 tell you to do about it? Will you live that way?

Walk wisely. Worry and fretting rusts our trust in Him who is our anchor.

Love is a verb,

Mike Olejarz

Monday Motivator – May 21

How generous are you with your words?

I can’t recall if I saw it on the Golf Channel or in a golf magazine in the dentist’s office, but I remember an inspirational story about professional golfer Graeme McDowell. The year was 2006, the month was July, and the tournament was the British Open, one of golf’s four major championships. McDowell was not playing well and he was having trouble figuring out how to correct his poor and inconsistent play in preparation for one of the year’s toughest tests.

One night before the start of the four-day tournament, McDowell received an unexpected surprise. He was out for dinner and a stranger who happened to be a golf fan recognized him. The man struck up a conversation and suggested that he noticed a flaw in Graeme’s golf swing. Imagine you are a professional and someone offers you advice in improving your performance. How would you respond? Graeme was gracious to the person and went on his way.

When he got to the practice range the next morning, McDowell tested the advice. He was stunned when he realized that the fan had been absolutely right in his diagnosis and recommendation. He immediately saw results when the swing correction was applied. He decided to implement the swing change and finished the first day of the British Open in first place! Who would have figured the advice of a stranger in a pub would have mattered?

Read Ephesians 4:17-32…and zero in on verse 29.

I have learned that words are like that. They are powerful instruments for good or bad. You remember the children’s rhyme that “sticks and stones may hurt my bones,” but words can hurt too. We can use words to build up, inspire, encourage, or chastise, demean, and tear down. I remember a student who was told by her dad that she would never amount to anything, and certainly not like her older brother. I recall a professor ridiculing a student in class for their Christian beliefs and attempting to humiliate them in front of the class. In both cases, the students overcame the potential destruction of the words hurled at them by realizing who they were in Christ. They did not cave in to the possible hurt, or allow themselves to be defined in a negative way by a person in power over them at the time. They found victory in and through Jesus and His Word. They learned to turn negative words into proactive action.

When you meet with people, don’t focus on making yourself look good, but look for ways to build them up. Before you meet with someone, think about something encouraging you can say: It could be something they have done for you or a friend; an accomplishment or achievement to celebrate; a character quality you admire, or an example of how they live out their values.

Regardless, start today to add value to the people you meet by the words you use. I believe this is the idea Solomon had when he wrote in Proverbs 15:23, “A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in season, how good it is.”

Live communally. In a society where words can be used cheaply (even abbreviated in social media usage), or used and wielded as weapons (not just in political campaigns), we should use our words as tools to build up the hearts and courage of others. Good and gentle words are more powerful than bad and angry ones. Who can you give a timely word of help to this week?

Love is a verb,

Mike Olejarz

Monday Motivator – May 14

What is the major consideration (or process) that guides you in making most of your decisions? Merely financial? Christian community? Advice of parents? Scripture?

I read about actor Michael J. Fox leaving his acting career because of the impact of learning he had Parkinson’s disease. He said that every day on the set took time away from his wife and kids, and he felt that time could be better spent with them, as well as serving as a spokesperson for Parkinson’s research. He even said continuing in acting would be somewhat “trivial” in light of what he and his family were now facing.

My assessment was that Fox made a good decision, because as he said in the book I read, he had tons of money and fame, and was well-positioned to care for himself and his family. Why not use the next season of life for being with his family and for more charitable purposes? Both of those reasons made sense in light of his circumstances.

Every decision you and I make is always “in light of” some sort of circumstance – small or large. Sometimes circumstances dictate or determine our direction. You may leave college for a time in order to go to work and help with a family emergency. Sometimes our choices reflect our priorities, or sometimes our priorities are determined solely by our choices. I hope our deepest convictions about what is important will guide our journey through life. I have seen many people whose poor choices, not often thought through, end up forcing them down a path they could have easily avoided.

Read John 6:25-40.

Jesus often said that everything He did was determined by a single purpose in life – He was devoted to doing His Father’s will. When his disciples, who always seemed worried about their next meal, could not figure out why Jesus was not hungry when they were, Jesus replied, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me…and to finish His work” (John 4:32,34). Once the crowds that followed Jesus ate a meals miraculously provided by Him and their response was to make Jesus their King. He told them, “I have come down from heaven not to do My will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38).

As Jesus faced the agony of bearing the sin of the world on the cross, He prayed, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet, not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

How important is doing God’s will to you? High, medium, low? How can you begin to understand how to establish the kind of priorities you really want in life?

In a world with so many content to “just go with the flow” and do “whatever,” there is no substitute for developing convictions that separate the “trivial” from the important. A determination to do the will of the Father in heaven is the gateway to joy and fulfillment.

Think theologically. Your decision to serve Christ affects all the other decisions of life.

Love is a verb,

Mike Olejarz

Monday Motivator – May 7

I find that as I grow older, it is not as easy to remember stuff. I used to have a mind that could easily recall batting averages for major league players, large sections of books and articles I read, and phone numbers of friends and family. I can still recall family information such as birthdays and anniversaries, but I also use helpful tools like iCal and my iPhone to have more information more easily accessible and retrievable. But someone asked me last week where my daughter went to college, and I could not remember the name of her school. It came to me hours later, and that sort of incident seems to happen with a little more frequency these days.

It’s one reason why I enjoy old TV shows like Bonanza, M*A*S*H, and Home Improvement (HI). I find that a certain episode strikes a chord with me about a period of my life and the impact it had. Often the rerun makes me nostalgic, but it also reminds me of how I was shaped by the ideas in the show. Often the memories are pleasant, but some are hard to feel bubbling up to the surface because it reminds me of a difficult season, like when I got into a fight with my wife and I slept on the couch that night…like Tim “the Tool Man” Taylor once did (HI).

Memory is a gift from God, regardless of whether it recalls success or failure, pain or hardship. Instead of being haunted by the past, God wants all of our experiences to point us to Him.

Read Deuteronomy 8:1-8.

Throughout the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, the key word used was “remember.” With the people of Israel poised on the border of the Promised Land, God commanded them to recall His faithfulness as well as their own mistakes during the past 40 years of wilderness wanderings.

“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these past forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands” (8:2).

“Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe His commands” (8:11).

“Never forget how you provoked the Lord your God to anger in the desert” (9:7).

“Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you” (15:15).

One of my favorite devotional exercises has been using Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest. The December 31 reading includes Chambers saying, “God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them in order to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual culture (a source of hope, nourishment, possibility, and growth) for the future.”

How able are you to recall past failures without being strangled by guilt? What can you do to cultivate your memory of God’s faithfulness to you? As we remember God’s faithfulness and our failures, the memory of both should encourage us to follow Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength (Deuteronomy 6:4)…never forget who He is, what He has done…and will do.

Grow devotionally. As you read Scripture, keep a list of the ways God shows His love and grace to you. Remember His past redemptive acts. To remain faithful, be sure to remember God.

Love is a verb,

Mike Olejarz

Monday Motivator – April 30

Those of us who work in campus ministry hear these kinds of phrases a lot: “There are no absolutes in the world today. What’s true for you isn’t necessarily true for others. We all need to tolerate one another.” I have heard those sorts of statements from students, faculty, campus administrators, and other campus chaplains for decades. I even remember occasions where a student group opposed the message of Jesus we tried to disseminate on campus, and no one used those phrases to defend our right to free speech. A faculty member told me one time that we were lucky to even be on campus, and he said our message was narrow-minded and hurtful.

I learned long ago that regardless of how smart people are, there is a wide understanding (and even less agreement) of what is true, right, and appropriate. There is a legitimate moral confusion in society about what is morally binding on all of us. The motto many seem to live by today on campus is, ”Get what you want regardless of the cost – even if it means cheating.”

The old underpinnings of western society that honored God’s standards of personal integrity, honesty, and accountability have been eroding and forgotten.

Read 2 Chronicles 34:3-33.

In many ways our culture resembles the ancient kingdom of Judah. Their people had adopted a shifting view of morality, where they conducted idol worship in direct rebellion against God’s instructions to worship and serve Him alone. They clearly rejected God’s absolute standards set forth after Moses led them out of slavery in Egypt and they agreed to live according to the Ten Commandments. Years later they ignored God to the point where they even forgot where the Book of the Law (which included the Commandments, and other instructions for living in covenant unity with the One True God), was kept. Then the boy king Josiah arrived.

“While he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his father David” (v 3). Josiah set out to clean up Judah and Jerusalem (v 3-8). In the renewal process, the priests rediscovered the Book of the Law – the first five books of the Bible (v 15). Josiah’s response was to read the Book to his entire Kingdom and command the people to “obey all the words of the covenant written in this book” (v 31). The result was a moral re-awakening and period of spiritual renewal – temporary, though – for the nation. But the results were far-reaching.

Today, as always, there is only one source of true discernment. It is found in God’s Word, the Bible. We can’t read the Scriptures to an entire nation like Josiah did, but we need to consider how we can model its principles and call people to know the Author of Life. The mission of Chi Alpha’s is to “Reconcile Students to Christ: Transforming the University, the Marketplace, and the World.” We believe the Bible alone declares the way to be right with God, one another, and how to be involved in being good stewards of all of creation.

I am asking you to immerse yourself in God’s Word each day, to put your neighbor’s interest above your own (on campus and in the marketplace), to refuse to compromise God’s standards of holiness, and to serve as an effective ambassador and communicator of the message Jesus gave to His followers. Society will eventually take notice the difference Jesus makes in your life.

Serve globally. “There are no absolutes” is a contradiction in terms. Represent Jesus absolutely.

Love is a verb,

Mike Olejarz

Monday Motivator – April 23

I am not one who pays attention to the variety of diets available, but I am glad when I hear stories from folks like Jared, who lost weight while eating Subway subs, or Janet Jackson, and how she benefited from Weight Watchers. I know many folks have trouble with their weight, so eating well and developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is critical for all of us. I also know many followers of Jesus struggle with another issue – being “thin” Christians due to spiritual malnutrition. It’s hard if you try and live for Christ solely on the sermon you hear once a week.

After almost three and a half decades of following Jesus, I have discovered one diet that is a surefire way to get in shape spiritually and stay on track – I call it the Proverbs Diet. It consists of taking small portions of the Book of Proverbs each day for a month, chewing on it slowly (i.e., meditation), and allowing God’s Word to work into your life. It’s true that you are what you eat!

Consider the following Scripture Mc-Nuggets to whet your appetite:

• The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom  (1:7)
• Wisdom will protect you from being enticed by evil (2:12)
• Don’t trust your own wisdom, but lean on God’s (3:5-6)
• Pay attention to your Father’s instruction (4:1)
• Don’t mess around with sexual temptation (5:3-10)
• Hate evil behavior and perverse talk (8:13)…check out verses 34-35 as a bonus!
• Wise people want to grow in wisdom and are teachable (9:9)
• Laziness leads to poverty (10:4)
• If you want to be respected, be kind to others (11:16)
• You are stupid if you do not listen to instruction and correction, too (12:1)
• Pride leads to nothing but arguments (13:10)
• God is watching over all of us (15:3)
• God alone is sovereign (16:4, 5, 9)
• God’s name is a refuge (18:10)
• Kindness to poor people honors God (19:17)
• Being led astray by alcohol is foolish (20:1)
• The discipline of children is a good idea (22:15)
• Honey is good for you (24:13)
• Too much honey is not good for you (25:16)
• Deceit is no laughing matter (26:19)
• Iron sharpens iron – be accountable to others to grow into Christ-likeness (27:17)
• Don’t live in a fantasy world (28:19)
• A wise person is self-controlled (29:11)
• God’s Word is flawless, so know it well (30:5)
• A noble wife is worth more than rubies (31:10)

Just one chapter a day for a month will get rid of the tentacles of sin that so easily entangles and prevents you from running your race well (Romans 12:1-2), and tighten up your spiritual muscles. While you are at it, work to memorize a verse from each chapter over the month, too.

When will you start this diet? Consider keeping a journal of valuable truths you learn (and are willing to apply) from reading a Proverb a day. How will you keep yourself accountable for what you read during this diet? Walk wisely. A Proverb a day keeps the devil away and you in shape.

Love is a verb,

Mike Olejarz