Seeking God Daily

John Wooden enjoyed watching the Indiana State Teacher’s College (now Indiana State University) football team and also walking to the college each morning durng his two year tenure as ISU’s basketball coach. You’re probably wondering how those two relate. It was during both of those times that the Coach and my Dad became acquainted. Dad was the starting fullback and middle linebacker on the football team and he and my Mom’s apartment was on Coach’s route to the college. Subsequently, Dad and Coach started walking to school together and engaged in conversations about sports, academics, the war (both of them were Navy veterans), marriage (my parents were newly weds), faith, and life in general. Those moments left an indelible impression on my Dad as he has spoken of John Wooden often during his life. I asked Dad what impressed him most about the man. Without hesitation, Dad described the “Wizard of Westwood” as a gentleman with unwavering character; a man who was always kind and considerate to whomever he was with causing them to feel good about themself.

John Wooden’s character gave life to his words.

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are.“

I believe that God brought John Wooden into my Dad’s life during a key time in Dad’s personal development. Although, he never again saw or spoke to the Coach after he left for UCLA, Dad went on to become a successful high school football coach and principal who was known in his community as a man of unwavering character, uncompromising faith, and unbiased kindness to all. Thank you, John Wooden, for helping to shape my Dad into the wonderful man he’s become.

“You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.“  (John Wooden)

“For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness knowledge; and to knowledge self control; and to self control perseverence; and to perseverence godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love.”  (2 Peter 1:5, 6)

John Wooden won a state basketball championship in high school, a national basketball title in college, was the national college player of the year while playing at Purdue, was drafted by the Boston Celtics, New York Yankees, and Chicago Bears, coached 10 national basketball titles at UCLA, was considered by most of his peers to be the greatest college basketball coach of all time, is one of only three individuals to be inducted into the basketball hall of fame as a player and as a coach, has written numerous best selling books, been quoted like a 2oth and 21st century Will Rogers or Mark Twain and has pretty much been a household name for over eighty years when the talk is of basketball. Not a bad resume and I could have added more.

Coach Wooden’s take on it all was simply, “Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.” Those words epitomize to me essential ingredients of a Christ centered life. Jesus taught humility, lived humility, honored humility, and accepts nothing less of his disciples. John Wooden was known as much for his humble, kind spirit as he was for his basketball accomplishments and in doing so exhibited as much about Jesus Christ to the world as he did basketball.  What does your life exhibit?

“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5)

“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? (Matthew 16:26)

Surely you have heard, read, or seen that legendary coach John Wooden died on Friday. He was lengendary in the minds of basketball players, fans, coaches, analysts, and the record books but far be it for “the coach” to ever consider such a distinction in his own mind. Much that Coach Wooden has said and even more that has been said about him defines who he was and what his life stood for.  This week’s Seeking God Daily is dedicated to the legacy he left us; not as a great coach but as a humble man of God. I’ve selected seven of John’s quotes that have been  an encouragement to me as I seek God daily and I pray that they will bless you as well.

“I have always tried to make it clear that basketball is not the ultimate. It is of small importance in comparison to the total life we live. There is only one kind of life that truly wins, and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior. Until that is done, we are on an aimless course that runs in circles and goes nowhere.” 

Growing up as a kid I permitted sports to have center stage in my life. As a young man my wife and children had most of my attention. At the height of my ministry years I often found myself more concerned with doing things in the name of Jesus than seeking to becoming like Jesus. What is of ultimate importance to your life? Your family, friends, fortunes, fun, _____________ (fill in the blank) or what about your faith?  With all of the fame and acclaim John Wooden received in his life I believe he clearly understood what really mattered. “If I were ever prosecuted for my faith, I truly hope there would be enough evidence to convict me.” Is that the desire of your heart?

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ…I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…”  (Philippians 4:8, 9)

Oswald Chambers’ was a living example of what it meant to “soar on wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31). He unswervingly demonstrated a life that was “abandoned to God”. In spite of illness, the discomfort of Egypt’s climate, and the rigors of serving as chaplain to the British troops during WW I, he daily walked and talked with the renewed strength that God promises to those who trust him. I’ll let OC wrap up our eagle week.

“There is no thrill for us in walking, yet it is the test for all of our steady and enduring qualities. To “walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31) is the highest stretch possible as a measure of strength. The word walk is used in the Bible to express the character of a person—”…John…looking at Jesus as he walked…said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” There is nothing abstract or obscure in the Bible; everything is vivid and real. God does not say, “Be spiritual,” but he says, “Walk before me…” (Genesis 17:1). Having the reality of God’s presence is not dependent on our being in a particular circumstance or place, but is only dependent on our determination to keep the Lord before us continually.

“…those who hope in the Lord…will walk and not be faint.”  (Isaiah 40:31)

I’m going to put the big bald birdies on hold for a day because John Wayne’s birthday was yesterday. I idolized him as a kid, attempted to master his walk and voice as a teen, referenced his movies and quotes as illustrations when I taught and preached, mourned his death in 1979, and now have an extensive library of his films. He is still one of Hollywood’s biggest icons of in your face toughness and I’m still a big fan. In his final movie, The Shootist, he portrays an aged gunfighter who’s dying of cancer. Ironically, during the shooting of the film, the Duke was in a real life battle with the “big C” that eventually took his life. There is a memorable line in the movie that could characterize much of John Wayne’s  life. ”I won’t be wronged, I won’t be insulted, and I won’t be laid a hand on. I don’t do these things to other people and I expect the same from them”.   Nice sentiment. It’s reminiscent of what is often called the “Golden Rule” which says, ” So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12). Unfortunately, what Jesus had in mind and the way many interpret this teaching are miles apart. Jesus’ ministry clearly communicated an unconditional doing for others in every aspect of life while our American culture puts a provisional spin to it. “I’ll do for you but not until you do for me first”. Do you attach strings to your kindness and caring? Are you waiting for people to treat you fairly before you reciprocate? You may be waiting a long time, Pilgrim.

“Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it.” (Oswald Chambers)

“…whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant…just as the Son of Man (Jesus) did not come to be served, but to serve…” (Matthew 20:26, 27)

I was on a fishing trip in Canada a few years ago and bald eagle sightings were an everyday occurrence. We saw them feeding their young in meticulously constructed nests, dive bombing like Kamakazis to snatch defenseless Walleyes, and my personal favorite, soaring higher, farther, and faster in the face of ever changing wind gusts. I marvelled how they utilized those gale forces to their benefit. God has equipped the eagle with massive wings that have hundreds of feathers that function like flaps on an airplane guiding its movement and speed.  What are adverse winds for lesser birds are advantage winds for eagles. In fact, eagles have been sighted in hurricane force winds soaring effortlessly. Turbulence in life is inevitable for everyone and we have a choice to struggle and eventually be grounded by it or, like the eagle, rise to greater heights. How can this happen? God wants to give us wings that will enable us to turn adversity into advantage, anxiety into confidence, fatigue into energy, confusion into clarity, and defeat into victory. His wings can guide our every movement in life no matter what we face and then make adjustments when and where needed. How do we get these wings? ”…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).  This hope of which Isaiah wrote is not a wishful thinking but rather a “blessed assurance” that God wants and wills to display his presence and power in and through us. When that happens, we will marvel at how we are able to soar higher, farther, and faster in the face of life’s ever changing winds.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverence.”  (James 1:2, 3)

Have you ever had someone encourage you to keep an eagle eye on something or someone? When my  sister and I were kids our grandmother would tell us each Christmas Eve to keep an eagle eye on her front room door because she had heard that Santa Claus had been seen in the neighborhood and he just might pop in to say hi and get a cocoa pick-me-up before his busiest night of the year.  That expression, of course, was alluding to the incredibly keen eyes of the great bald eagle.  The eagle’s eyes are said to be three to four times more powerful and sharper than human eyes and enable the king of the raptors to see panoramically as well as to zero in on distant objects with vivid detail. God, the creator of eagles, has the ability to see us in complete detail. He knows what’s going on in our hearts and heads at all times. Psalm 139 reveals that when God checks us out he knows where we are and where we’re headed, our frame of mind, what we’re going to say next, our emotional makeup, and exactly what we’re needing at that very moment. How do you feel about this? What does God see when he has you in full view? Is he pleased? You can be sure that he will be if you take care of your own sight and remain “eagle eyed” upon God’s one and only Son, Jesus. As Jesus never lost sight of where he was headed, he’s available to sharpen your focus on where you are to be headed. BTW, although Grandma has been gone nearly 25 years, I still find myself eagle eyeing our front door on Christmas Eve, just in case Jolly St. Nick decides to drop by.

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him…”  (2 Chronicles 16:9)

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer…”  (1 Peter 3:12)

I don’t know exactly when it started but I have been intrigued by eagles for a long time. Interestingly enough, though, I didn’t actually see a live eagle until I moved from Indiana to Minnesota to go to college. While on a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of northern MN, my eyes first caught sight of the majestic flight of our nation’s icon. I was mesmerized. In the excitement of the moment I foolishly stood up in my canoe, nearly swamping it, and yelled, “Look, its an eagle!” At which my MN friends replied, “Oh, really?” It was a common place experience for them but a brand new one for me to see an eagle in its natural habitat. Later that year I took a class on Proverbs and came across the following statement: “There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky…” (30:19). Here’s some fodder to chew on this week as we learn some valuable lessons about God and ourselves from a big, beautiful bird: Has my relationship with God become commonplace or does it still amaze, still seem brand new everyday, and still challenge my understanding?

“Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name…who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”  (Psalm 103:5)

Oswald Chambers lived a full life of just forty-three years. His sensitivity to the heart of God still amazes those who read his works in our present day. He had much to say about faith. Here are some additional anointed insights from My Utmost for His Highest.

“Faith is not some weak and pitiful emotion, but is strong and vigorous confidence built upon the fact that God is holy love. Faith is the supreme effort of your life —throwing yourself with abandon and confidence upon God. God ventured his all in Jesus Christ to save us, and now he wants us to venture our all with total abandoned confidence in him. But faithfulness to my own ideas means that I first clear the way mentally. Faith, however, is not intellectual understanding; faith is a deliberate commitment to the Person of  Jesus Christ , even when I can’t  see the way ahead. The life of faith says, “Lord, you have said it, it appears to be irrational, but I’m going to step out boldly, trusting in your Word.”

“Whatever he says to you, do it!”  (John 2:5)

Dramatically rising nearly 1,300 feet above the Belle Fourche River in the Black Hills of northeastern Wyoming is the massive volcanic intrusion of sedimentary rock called Devil’s Tower. Forty years ago I climbed it for the first time. I’m not sure why I climbed it…perhaps, because “it was there”. Next to teaching preschoolers, it was one of the most strenuous and challenging experiences of my life. During my initial encounter with Mato Tipila, as the Lakota Tribe calls it, I was struggling with a particular pitch. I couldn’t see where to move next and the blood was rushing from my fingers and feet causing me to have the shakes; not a good thing when you’re dangling 500 feet above the ground. Above me with my belay rope was my buddy, John. He told me that he would be my eyes and then instructed me how to position my feet and where I should place my hands. In spite of my pain, fear, and inability to see where to go I moved as he prescribed and, wouldn’t you know it, his directives were right on. My confidence to make the move, though, was not in John’s plan but rather in John’s person. Because of our close relationship I trusted him. That’s the kind of faith God requires of us; one that puts absolute trust in him in spite of our pain, fear, and inability to know what to do next or what he might do next. It’s all about the relationship. He promises to be our eyes. When you trust the person of God you’ll discover that  his plans are right on.

“…We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”  (2 Chronicles 20:12b)

“We live by faith, not by sight.”  (2 Corinthians 5:7)