"Passing the Baton"

 

“Passing the Baton”

 

In relay races the most crucial element isn’t the runners’ speed but passing the baton which each participant must carry during his or her portion of the event. It must be transferred within a specified zone on the track or the team will be disqualified. And dropping it means almost certain defeat. So the runners practice the maneuver constantly to avoid mishaps.

Figuratively “passing the baton” refers to a transition of responsibility and leadership. It’s used for changes in politics, business, ministry and even families. Due to human mortality this process is inevitable at some point. And just as in preparation for track meets this transfer exercise is necessary to continue smooth functioning. In politics it’s done every four or eight years at presidential changes after a transitional period of about eleven weeks between Election Day in early November and Inauguration Day on January 20. A family business in one of the towns in which we served is now led by the fourth generation but each CEO has been thoroughly trained in every aspect of the company’s operation and philosophy according to Christian principles before the baton is passed on. And after our mother’s death in 2014 my brother noted that I was the oldest McMillan and therefore our family patriarch. In each of these cases and literally millions of others the new baton bearer is charged with continuing to provide direction according to legal, historical and biblical guidelines—often all three.

When Joshua died after leading the Israelites in occupying Canaan it’s written that “Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him….” (Joshua 24:31). But he’d neglected to pass the baton by training new leaders (“…There arose another generation who did not know the Lord….”—Judges 2:10, NASB) and chaos resulted. Compare this outcome with Jesus’ words in His prayer just before Calvary: “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me (i.e. His disciples) out of the world…As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” (John 17:6,18). What happened? They were used by God to lead in the establishment of Christ’s church which is still alive and well after 2000 years as they and succeeding generations trained others according to Paul’s instructions in 2 Timothy 2:2 and passed the baton until the present day. We as present-day believers now have the baton in this race called life—are we equipping those who follow us to receive it?

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

(For more on this subject see “Succession”.)

"The 'Princess and the Pea' Syndrome"

 

“’The 'Princess and the Pea’ Syndrome”

 

“Once Upon a Mattress” is a musical comedy based on the 1835 fairy tale “The Princess and the Pea” by Hans Christian Andersen. It first appeared on Broadway in 1959 and has seen numerous revivals since then. The plot surrounds Queen Aggravian’s ban on marriage in her kingdom until her son was married to a princess who met with her approval. The Queen devised a test for Princess Winnifred: sleeping on a bed twenty mattresses high wit a single pea underneath which she passed and “lived happily ever after” with her Prince.

“The Princess and the Pea” has found its way into our vernacular to describe emphasizing small things but missing the main point (or “majoring on minors”). During my pastoral years we replaced the large pulpit with a simple lectern. One church member told me he “couldn’t worship without the original pulpit”. My explanation that our objective was to lessen the perceived division between the pastors and congregation fell on deaf ears. In another case,  in my haste I wrote “Xmas” instead of “Christmas” on a chalkboard (remember those?), much to the annoyance of a man who lost the point I was making. My justification that “X” is the first letter of Christ in Greek didn’t make any headway. I’ve also been guilty of letting minor matters distract me and keep from grasping a more important truth—maybe you’ve had the same experience.

The Prophet Jonah allowed his concern for his personal comfort turn his attention from something far more important in God’s sight. The Lord said to his grousing servant, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. And a plant, at best, is only short lived. But Ninevah has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness…Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?” (Jonah 4:10-11, NLT). I’d love to know Jonah’s response and the rest of his story (as I would with many Bible characters) but that’ll have to wait for Heaven. But I pray I’ll take God’s message to him seriously.

Our archenemy will try anything to distract us from “keeping the main thing the main thing”. We can’t afford to be “…unaware of his schemes.” (2 Corinthians 2:11), including diverting us from what matters most: honoring and serving our Lord. So at all costs let’s avoid “’The Princess and the Pea’ Syndrome” and emphasize the “…things (that) are excellent and profitable….” (Titus 3:8).

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"School Days"

 

“School Days”

 

When I was in fourth grade my misbehavior in class (guess I left my halo home that day) resulted  in my teacher’s requiring me to write the week’s spelling words five times each and the multiplication tables three times. I don’t remember what my offense was but even after 70+ years I haven’t forgotten the consequences. But I learned valuable lessons: repetition by writing can be an effective way of gaining knowledge as well as correcting unacceptable conduct.

This long-ago incident came back to me recently when at Karen’s suggestion I read something in Deuteronomy 17 I’d never noticed before. (See “Perfect Faithfulness” for another example of this.) Moses prophesied that Israel would desire a king (fulfilled in 1 Samuel 8) and he set guidelines for the monarch. Included were these words from Verses 18-19 (NLT, emphasis added): “When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy these laws on a scroll for himself in the presence of the Levitical priests. He must always keep this copy of the law with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of this law.” (The priests likely provided oversight to see that this was done accurately.) So he was to write it, keep it, read it daily and obey it. At the conclusion of his final words to the nation “…Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests….” (Deuteronomy 31:9), putting the principle into practice.

The Bible is given to us to impact our lives (2 Timothy 3:16-17). To do this some of today’s discipleship programs strongly emphasize Scripture memorization and one of the best ways to accomplish this is to write the words out and refer to them daily as the kings of Israel were told to do and the psalmist carried out in his own life (“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”—Psalm 119:11). Maybe this takes you back to your school days and what you learned then has stayed with you without your realizing it as happened with me. We learn from our own past experiences as well as those of others (see Romans 15:4 and 1 Corinthians 10:11) so let’s profit from both for our lives’ enrichment.

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan (with helpful input from Karen)

"A Wasted Day?"

 

“A Wasted Day?”

 

One of the churches I served held a men’s Bible study at 6:00am which opened with a rousing musical rendition of Psalm 118:24: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Since I wrote “Daily Bookends” about eight months ago I’ve sung this truth in my mind almost every morning, I have my plans for what I intend to do each day (as did the members of that group many years ago) but I have no idea of what might develop. Our Lord’s brother warns us against presumptuous planning in this way: “…You ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” (James 4:15, emphasis added).

I’m writing these thoughts on November 8. Yesterday as usual I prepared for my devotional reading (I’m in Isaiah) but God led me instead to Psalm 124 in which the unknown author expresses his trust in God’s protection: “Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Verse 8). This prompted me to stop, reflect on who God is and what He’s done and let Him speak throughout the day. There were periods of silence from Him which allowed me to take a couple of naps. At the end of the day I looked at the list of what I’d wanted to accomplish and saw few things crossed out. So was it a wasted day?

Waste means having no purpose. Does God do anything that doesn’t in some way fulfill His desires or intentions for His world and those who occupy it? Even if a day seems unproductive in my sight (as yesterday did) does that mean it was wasted? No way! Because God is sovereign over Heaven and Earth (“…the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.”—Deuteronomy 4:39) and “…his way is perfect…. (Psalm 18:30) every day and action is under His control and therefore will accomplish His objectives. So thank Him that He’s in charge (“…the Lord’s purposes {will} stand….”—Jeremiah 51:29).

I may never fully know why God changed my course yesterday but today I woke up refreshed and was able to function as I normally do and complete most of my plans (including some left over from yesterday). I was reminded anew of His words through His prophet: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways….” (Isaiah 55:8) and realized (for the umpteenth time) that God hasn’t told me to understand His ways but to trust Him, even through what might seem like a wasted day. It never is in His sight—I’m thankful that He’s in control, not me.

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan