There are some jobs no one wants. Take for example, no one wanted to be the guy who had to tell George Steinbrenner that the Yankees lost. If you were that guy, it’s quite possible that you’d lose your job just for brining the news. An entire television show has been dedicated to just these kind of jobs — Dirty Jobs — jobs that no one wants but someone has to do.

The Bible has a few such jobs as well. Who wants to go tell Ahab and Jezebel that God doesn’t quite approve of what they’re doing? Who wants to be the bearer of bad news before Herod and Herodias? What kind of guys tells Nebuchadnezzar that his days are numbered? It’s one thing to be alive during the major course changes of world history but its another thing to be on the frontlines. If you remember correctly, Elijah had to run for his life, John the Baptist lost his head, and Daniel spent some time amongst the lions. These guys pulled some tough duty.

Most of us aren’t called of God to walk before the pagan firing squad. We aren’t going to operate in the circles that these biblical heroes experienced. Yet, there are other biblical heroes whose call to duty is much like ours. They were called not to successfulness but faithfulness. They were called to call others to God. They were called to people with hardened hearts. They were called to ministries with no earthly hope of success.

Consider for a moment Isaiah. Isaiah’s call to ministry comes in chapter 6. There he has a vision of God’s throne room. There he has an incredible religious experience. There, moved by the worship of the one true God, Isaiah responds to God’s question, “Who shall go for us,” with a hearty, “Here I am, send me.” Amen!

Those who’ve been tasked with recruiting missionaries love to preach of Isaiah’s willingness to go. And, he was willing. But, we dishonor the depth of Isaiah’s commitment if we ignore the fact that he was commissioned to go forth to a people who didn’t want to hear his message (just like many of us today). Worse yet, God told Isaiah that no one would respond. Isaiah was called to a dead end ministry with no hope of worldly success. He wasn’t going to see a revival. He wasn’t going to facilitate a major church growth spurt. He was called to preach to a rebellious people whom God already knew would not respond. You see, Isaiah wasn’t called to sucess. He was called to obedience. That’s tough duty.

Jeremiah experienced the same fate. He was set aside from the womb for the great task of preaching repentance to his countrymen. Yet, he too knew that there was no hope. His message would go unanswered just as God had warned. The people would not listen. The people would not respond. Jeremiah would preach. The people would sin. Jeremiah would preach some more. The people would sin some more. It was a lose-lose proposition for Jeremiah, yet he continued on in the face of stern opposition. Now, that’s tough duty.

Today, many of us need to learn the powerful lessons contained in the stories of Isaiah and Jeremiah. Too many of us become quickly disheartened when the world doesn’t jump for joy at our proclamation of the gospel. Too many give up hope and then give up trying.

That’s just the laypeople. Those called to the ministry vocationally don’t do much better and that’s much worse. They feel called of God to serve him. They feel led to go to churches where they can make a difference. Then, frustrated with the lack of progress, dismayed by the obstinance of a church full of sinners, they cry “uncle” and beg God to send them somewhere else, to someone else who will soak up their words of wisdom and sing their praises to their neighbors.

Good luck, gentlemen. God doesn’t call pastors to success. God call ministers to faithfulness.

Imagine the Bible without Isaiah 53. It’s not inconceivable if Isaiah had given up as easily as many of us do. Imagine the New Covenant without Jeremiah 31. It’s not hard to think that Jeremiah could have walked away in despair 13 chapters earlier when he complained of the people’s rebellion. Now, imagine many of our churches if someone didn’t step up, answer the call to tough duty, and love the unlovable in many of our pews.

The Christian walk, Christian ministry … those things are tough duty. Don’t measure the value of your efforts by the so-called marks of success. Measure your success by your faithfulness to those things that God has called you to do. It may be tough duty but it’s rewarding duty.

Army Ranger, and former pro football player, Pat Tillman died in Afghanistan in 2004. This post was written as a reflection on his death and, ultimately, all who’ve served and died for our freedom.

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I’d never heard of Pat Tillman before he joined the Army in 2002.

Not being a big football fan, I had no idea that he played for the Arizona Cardinals. But the minute the story broke about his enlisting and volunteering to be a Ranger, I knew Pat Tillman because I was, at one time, just like Pat Tillman. I, too, was an Army Ranger.

Like so many others, I felt a certain amount of shock when his death was announced last week. I read with a great deal of personal interest all of the stories that appeared. I knew Pat Tillman because I knew guys just like him. Guys with that certain esprit de corps, that do-anything, go-anywhere attitude. You could see it in their eyes. It wasn’t pride and it wasn’t arrogance. But it wasn’t far from it. It’s that look that comes when you know that you’re ready to take what the world throws at you. Pat Tillman had that look.

Tillman was, in the football arena, the little engine that could, the little guy that somehow made it big. When he walked away from it all for the life of an Army Ranger, the media couldn’t understand why a young man in his professional prime would give up millions of dollars. Some thought him an idealist, a go-getter with a never-say-die attitude. Others heard him say that he wanted to do something for his country but they really didn’t understand. They never will. Not until they walk a mile in his shoes.

The same response came [in recent years] when Southern Baptist personnel were slain in Iraq. And before that in Yemen and in the Philippines. The media questioned the missionaries’ right to be in these foreign lands. They questioned their dedication to a cause that insists that it offers the only correct answer to life’s ultimate questions. While some acknowledged the great sacrifice of these soldiers of the cross, the media for the most part didn’t understand. They never will. Not until they take up a cross and follow Jesus.

Pat Tillman can teach us a thing or two about being an American. He was a hero. Not because he once played football for millions of dollars. Not because he jumped out of airplanes for thousands. Not even because he died in the line of duty, making the ultimate sacrifice. He was a hero because he was willing to do what so many can’t. He was a hero because he knew the Ranger creed and lived it:

– Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor and high esprit de corps of the Rangers.

– Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move further, faster and fight harder than any other soldier.

– Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be, 100 percent and then some.

– Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.

– Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.

– Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission, though I be the lone survivor.

Pat Tillman was a hero because he heard the call to duty and answered.

In the end, Pat Tillman died for his country, going where millions of others couldn’t go.

So, too, will many of us die in the name of Christ. We have been given our marching orders: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). We know the cost: “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it” (Matt 10:39).

Pat Tillman proudly wore the beret of an Army Ranger, carrying his nation’s colors into battle, willing to die for the cause. Are you carrying the cross of Christ and the sword of truth? Or have we learned nothing from those who’ve gone before us?

Every Christian loves John Newton’s signature hymn, “Amazing Grace.” It speaks to us on many levels. We’ve all been sinners. We’re all deserving of God’s wrath. We’re all undeserving of God’s grace. What God has done in salvation is truly amazing.

The problem is not that grace isn’t amazing. The problem is what the church has done to grace is amazing. We have preached such a consumer-friendly gospel for so long, grace has become cheap. Grace is easy. Grace is convenient. We talk about grace so much that we’ve lost touch with what is amazing about grace and how much it really cost.

Grace is amazing but it’s not cheap. It cost God His Son. It cost Jesus His life. You can’t get any more valuable than that. Yet, we talk about grace as though it comes easy. We talk about grace and play down the debt that was paid. We talk about grace as though it was free. It wasn’t. Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe.

Grace is amazing but it doesn’t come cheap either. Yes, God freely offers salvation through grace to those who call upon the name of the Son. In that sense, it is free. But, it’s still not cheap. When God’s grace is shed upon us, it does cost us something. It costs us our freedom. We are no longer free. We’ve been bought with a price. We owe our wholehearted allegiance to Christ.

Some people, like the rich young ruler, aren’t ready to pay that cost. That’s the point at which we’ve cheapened grace. We preach a Gospel of free love and free living. We announce forgiveness for sins but we don’t renounce the commission of sins. We speak of salvation as though it is a “get out of jail” free card waiting to be used in eternity future and we ignore the fact that God’s grace demands repentance on our part. We are so afraid of sounding legalistic and muddying God’s grace with human efforts that we miss the point that God’s children are God’s children and no longer their own. By God’s grace we have been saved and through God’s grace we are called to a rewarding but difficult life of self-sacrifice. We’re called to the difficult road, not the easy.  God’s grace and with it salvation cost us nothing to attain but it comes with a high price: our very lives.

This man-centered gospel of cheap grace, easy believism, is preached in far too many pulpits. We call fallen man to salvation while ignoring the call to a changed life. We offer salvation in exchange for a spoken confession and maybe baptism. We don’t explain the costs. We don’t expect any change in return. Thus, our church rolls are fat with the names of unrepentant sinners, people who’s lives are no different today than they were the day before their profession of faith.

The Southern Baptist Church, righly evangelistic and rightly concerned with calling sinners to God’s amazing grace, has sometimes failed to admonish seekers to count the cost. Today, with spiritual inflation, the cost is much higher. Today, we have millions of individuals on our rolls relishing the idea that God’s has graciously saved them without considering the fact that there is little or no evidence of the new birth in their lives. Instead, day by day they become more gospel-proof as they assume their eternal fate is secure, their place in heaven bought with the blood of Christ. They assume the Gospel is for non-believers only. And, they invest nothing in their spiritual walk or the life of the church.

Grace is amazing. It wasn’t cheap. It cost Jesus everything. And, it isn’t cheap. It costs us everything. When Christ paid the price for our salvation, He paid the full price. And, He didn’t ask for His change from us. Instead, He demands a change in us, the change that He provides in those who are truly saved. Now, that’s real change and that’s amazing grace.

If the statistics hold true, my life is more than half over.

I’m 43 years old and the older I get, the better I was. It’s not that I feel old; it’s just that everyone else is starting to look younger and younger. I have become, contrary to my youthful wishes, my parents. I’m a little grayer, a little heavier, but hopefully a little wiser, too.

I’ve also come to realize the importance of my legacy. Webster’s dictionary defines “legacy” as an “inheritance,” something left behind for others. Some of us leave money for our loved ones. Others leave property. All leave memories. We all have a legacy.

The great Puritan preacher Jonathan Edwards left a lasting legacy — greater than his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God.” Born 305 years ago Oct. 5, Edwards has become a spiritual hero, influencing not only his immediate generation, but also those that followed. Fittingly, Edwards expressed great concern about his legacy even as a young man. Not yet 30 years old, he wrote, “I frequently hear persons in old age say how they would live if they were to live their lives over again. Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age.”

Edwards died 35 years later but has been speaking to us ever since. Later in the 18th century, English Baptists looked to Edwards to provide the theological rationale that launched the “modern missionary movement.” Without it, William Carey would have never left for India. Early Southern Baptists like Furman, Manly and Johnson echoed the writings of Edwards in their sermons and their theology as well.

Today another generation has “discovered” Jonathan Edwards. While most Baptists could not agree with everything he said, nor should they, there is a treasure trove waiting to be mined in his sermons and theological writings, a calling to greater godliness. Edwards lays before us a challenge to live a Christian life worth remembering.

Eavesdrop as Edwards counsels a young believer: “In all your course, walk with God and follow Christ as a little, poor, helpless child, taking hold of Christ’s hand, keeping your eye on the mark of the wounds on his hands and side. From these wounds came the blood that cleanses you from sin and hides your nakedness under the shirt of the white shining robe of his righteousness.”

Does your faith exhibit that kind of trust?

Listen as he speaks about our loving God: “The more a true saint loves God with a gracious love, the more he desires to love him and the more uneasy is he at his want of love to him … the more he thirsts and longs after God and holiness, the more he longs to long, and breathe out his very soul in longings after God …”

Does that describe your love of God?

Read as he describes our relationship with God: “There are many reasons to think that what God has in view, in an increasing communication of himself through eternity, is an increasing knowledge of God, love to him, and joy in him. And it is to be considered that the more those divine communications increase in the creature, the more it becomes one with God; for so much the more is it united to God in love, the heart is drawn nearer and nearer to God, and the union with him becomes more firm and close, and at the same time, the creature becomes more and more conformed to God.”

Does your Christian walk reflect that closeness?

Jonathan Edwards was supremely concerned about the nature and content of the Christian faith. His works were not theological musings but biblical discipling. Ultimately, for himself, his legacy, and his spiritual progeny, Edwards had one great desire: the glory of God. The apostle Paul shared that same concern. “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Is that your greatest concern as well? Is that the legacy that you seek to leave? If so, put yourself under the authority of Scripture, in communion with other faithful believers in the local church and under the tutelage of a wise teacher like Jonathan Edwards.

Well, election day is finally upon us. I don’t know about you but it couldn’t have come soon enough for me. I’m sick of the “he said”/”she said” of the political commercials. It’s no wonder after two years of politicking and three months of solid political maneuvering by the various candidates that the average American is sick of the whole process. I entertain my hopes as to how all this will end on Tuesday but regardless I am glad that it will end.

As we enter these final hours before the vote, I want to reflect on one last thing related to the election. As I’ve listened to Christians talking about the electoral process in general and November 4th in particular, I am convinced that we as Christians have much to be ashamed of.

We ought to be ashamed that we haven’t prayed more for the election. We love to talk about it. We seemingly enjoy complaining about it. We all act as though we’re worried about it. But, how many of us have actually spent time on bended knee praying about it? My guess? Not enough.

We ought to be ashamed that we’ve spent so much time praying for the election. We’ve bemoaned and besought God over this important election day as though the world depended on what will happen in the next four years. Yet, at the same time, how many of us have spent a proportionate amount of time praying about something that will impact all eternity — the souls of our lost family members, friends, and neighbors? My guess? Not enough.

We ought to be ashamed that we haven’t given serious thought to the serious issues in the last four years. We’ve spent endless hours talking about abortion and marriage and homosexuality in the last several weeks. How many of us are equally concerned about those issues between elections? My guess? Not enough.

We ought to be ashamed that we’ve spent so much time questioning the sovereignty of God. “Whoa,” you say. “I don’t question the sovereignty of God.” Really? We’ll see Tuesday night when you discover that not every vote went your way. Is God any less sovereign if Obama wins than He is if McCain wins? This one goes right back to my first observation above. If you really trusted the sovereignty of God, you’d have spent more time praying for God to complete what He has begun and less time trying to help Him with your pathetic human efforts. Only God can change mankind. Not Obama. Not McCain. Not you. God. How many of us act like we really believe that? My guess? Not enough.

We ought to be ashamed that we’ve spent so much time denying the sovereignty of God. For weeks Christians have been acting as though John McCain or Barack Obama hold the future of the world in their hands, as though they can save or condemn millions of souls by the sheer stroke of a pen. Humanly speaking, maybe. Spiritually speaking, not a chance. God holds the future in His hands. God has, according to Isaiah 46:10, already written the history of the future in eternity past. All we are doing is waiting to see how God will reveal His great glory. How many of us have thanked God for that amazing and comforting reality lately? My guess? Not enough.

There’s probably so much more that we should be ashamed of, but this is good start. I feel the urge to repent. How about you?