Some suggest that it will take a miracle for this nation to rebound and recover from the brink of economic and environmental ruins it appears to be standing upon at this time. We all (as one nation under God) can look forward, someday soon, to saying, "BAM!" (meaning it must be a miracle) if we keep a fresh perspective and a firm belief in the power of God to help us overcome our every obstacle. It is through this great spirit of optimism that this nation has become, and shall continue to be, a great nation. This literary work serves as a guidebook towards positive thinking, perfect timing and placing in God our utmost trust. It translates our everyday experiences of trial and error into innovative ideas towards new learning. The contents within these chapters serve also as models, paradigms, examples and illustrations designed to help individuals in their daily walk with God.

BAM!

Material for a MiracleBy J. E. Wallace, Jr.

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2009 Dr. J. E. Wallace, Jr.
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4389-4725-9

Contents

Acknowledgements....................................................ixForeword............................................................xiiiIntroduction........................................................xvPART I CELEBRATING THE INCREDIBLECHAPTER 1 Understanding the Journey................................9Question your reality...............................................14Qualify your relationship...........................................16Quit when the timing is right.......................................18CHAPTER 2 Unleashing the Joy.......................................23Let God take care of the hurdles....................................27Learn how to triumph over the hurt..................................32Leap towards new heights............................................35CHAPTER 3 Utilizing Better Judgment................................41Trust God's message.................................................44Transform your mind.................................................46Take responsibility for your own mistakes...........................49CHAPTER 4 Using Wisdom to Complete the Journey.....................55Deal with immediate problems........................................59Do away with inefficient practices..................................61Develop new ways to instigate progress..............................64PART II CHERISHING THE INVISIBLECHAPTER 5 Seizing the Moment.......................................77Be observant........................................................83Be obedient.........................................................87Be an opportunist...................................................93CHAPTER 6 Sacrificing for the Mainline.............................101Get involved........................................................109Give increasingly...................................................113Go beyond insecurities..............................................119CHAPTER 7 Savoring Every Minute....................................123Don't be afraid to laugh............................................131Don't be ashamed to lament..........................................133Do your best to love................................................136CHAPTER 8 Seeking New Meaning......................................143Stay on your knees in prayer........................................148Share knowledge with other parties..................................149Strive to keep things peaceful......................................153PART III CHALLENGING THE IMPOSSIBLECHAPTER 9 Never Give Up On Doing Right.............................163Be mindful of your ministry.........................................169Be mature about misunderstandings...................................172Be motivated about your mission.....................................173CHAPTER 10 Never Give In to Doing Wrong............................177Be aware of your temper.............................................183Bridle your tongue..................................................185Biggie-size your trust..............................................191CHAPTER 11 Never Succumb to Doubt..................................197Anticipate reconciliation...........................................203Avoid redundancy....................................................209Aspire to do right..................................................216CHAPTER 12 Never Settle for Defeat.................................221We can overcome failure.............................................231We can overlook faults..............................................234We cannot afford to lose faith......................................239Epilogue............................................................243

Chapter One

Understanding the Journey

Understanding the Journey that you have endeavored to explore or embark on is essential towards the enjoyment of what you can and will experience. The thrill of our victories may very well be governed by our ability or inability to comprehend where we are in the present, where we have come from in the past, and where it is that we hope to go in the future. If we fail, due to a loss of focus, to grasp the reality of what we have achieved with great strides towards success, then, by our own errors, will we be less inclined to acknowledge, accept or appreciate the advancement made towards that of which we have been in pursuit.

It is essential, in our efforts towards achieving our goals and aspirations in life, that we allocate some time in our schedule just to relax, reminisce, and reflect on the joys that we have experienced. The Gospel narrative of Saint John shows us that Jesus Christ, on his journey to the cross, allotted time in his itinerary to celebrate. Christ, along with His disciples, answered the call to join the community in the celebration of a marriage in Cana of Galilee. Scriptures say:

"And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him". {John 2:1-11}

This story involves several intricate elements essential towards the understanding of one's journey. A key factor to remember, in efforts to maximize the potential of every moment, is to be aware of both our strengths and weaknesses. The Gospel narrative of Saint John points out that a pivotal part of the progress punctuated in this scripture passage was contingent upon faith, follow-through and divine favor.

Mary the mother of Jesus in this Gospel narrative illustrates the essentialness of employing faith in our everyday efforts. She is recorded as saying, "Whatsoever he (Jesus) saith unto you, do it" (John 2:5). We cannot expect extraordinary things to occur in our lives without the employment of faith that cancels out the fears of failure, which would so easily prevent us from focusing forward. The lesson that Mary, the mother of Jesus, brings to our attention is that we must not allow our fears of an uncertain future or our failures of an unbearable past prevent us from trusting God uncompromisingly in the present.

The disciples' role in this Gospel narrative depicts the essentialness of obedience and follow-through. Defiance, disbelief and disobedience are the common threads for division and defeat that so often lead to the downfall and demise of God's people. We can defeat ourselves without the assistance of our adversaries simply by failing to follow specific instructions. Mary insisted that the disciples be in complete compliance with the commands of Christ. The disciples, as some scholars suggest, were deeply disturbed and filled with doubt; yet, they did as commanded by Christ. They filled six stone waterpots to the brim with water at a wedding when there was no wine (John 5:6). This act alone demonstrated the allegiance that the disciples held for Christ. Although they were confused and clueless, they remained committed. Perhaps our lives would be a lot less stressful if we applied this approach of affirming our allegiance to Christ in times of crisis rather than acting in accordance to the will of our carnal desires.

The Messiah in this Gospel narrative is, in essence, the epitome of everything good. The author in this narrative is quick to point out that Christ displays good timing, delivers good tidings, and distributes good results from a bad situation. Christ did the inconceivable by miraculously turning mere water into wine (John 2:6-10). This narrative proves that when we trust God in times of tragedy, travail and tribulation, He can enable us to triumph over our trials. The Apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Church at Rome, gives us a sneak at the confidence that we must have in Christ if we are to achieve the incredible by saying:

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" {Romans 8:28}

The lesson that we can learn from this Biblical narrative is simple. We must apply faith whenever we are confronted with failure by trusting and relying completely upon the favor of Christ Jesus as Lord over our lives.

Question your reality as a way of ridding yourself of needless trials due to preventable errors. Too often, we find ourselves involved in the pretentious practices of pursuing imminently impossible goals and aspirations. These pursuits a redeemed impossible primarily because of inadequate preparation. Any person neglecting to calculate the cost or take into full consideration the caliber of the commitment requisite for effectively completing a given goal or task will increase their margin for failure and error. Negligence of this manner will cause any effort being exemplified by that person to likely end up doomed towards failure simply because of default (unpreparedness). In essence, if we never truly analyze our strengths and assess our weaknesses, then we are not sufficiently competent about our true potential, performance capabilities or problems that we may, with all probabilities, likely encounter. Questioning your reality is to critique where you are so you can determine, more decisively, where you are capable of actually going. This is a common practice and it is often the first step in the search towards understanding your purpose while traveling along the path of your life's journey.

It is imperative that we intellectualize the cost of discipleship if we are to truly become Disciples of Christ. When we take time to calculate cost, consider contingencies, and critique the caliber of our commitment towards a given quest, we thereby put ourselves in the most advantageous position for progress. Those individuals who, upon questioning the challenges that lie ahead, strategize the right plan and seek the right path that will enable them to see the realities of their pursuit will most often seize success. The Gospel narratives of both Matthew and Luke intimate that individuals who earnestly inspect their own commitment become convicted by their own conscience, as it relates to their willingness to comply with the conditions of being cross-bearers for the cause of Christ. Scriptures read:

"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." {Matthew 16:24} "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." "Luke 9:23"

The recipe for success is not always found in knowing what to do but rather in knowing what not to do. If we are unable to commit wholeheartedly to the call and command of Christ, or some other significant area of interest, our involvement and participation thereby becomes a liability, rather than an asset, to the cause of which we have halfheartedly committed our efforts. It is upon this prcis that Jesus cautioned His would be followers and candidates for discipleship, charging that they would carefully consider the true cost of being a cross-bearer before continuing with Him on a journey that has no housing for fear.

Christ conveys to His would be followers that anyone who endeavors to be His disciple should be prepared to make some dramatic concessions in conduct, deliberate changes concerning character, and definitive commitments to conform without compromise to His commands. This requisite for discipleship forces any follower of Christ to question the very fortitude and foundation of his or her faith before embarking on a journey where a loss of focus could lead to absolute failure. The questions that one must ask one's self, before deciding to forge forward as a follower of Christ, is three-fold. How obligated are you to the cause? How obedient will you be to the commission? How observant are you determined to be towards the fulfillment of His commands?

Qualify your relationship with those who you consider close companions because the consequences can be far more costly than what you are willing to pay. Are you a friend or a foe to the followers of Christ? Too often, those who have considered themselves faithful followers of Christ have failed in areas where they should have succeeded simply because either their fellowship was faulty or their faith fizzled causing them to lose focus or suffer loss.

The psalmist gives us great warnings concerning our affiliation with those individuals who may weaken our walk of faith, widen our margins towards failure and cause us to waver or (at the very least) look away from the guiding principles of God's Word from time to time. Wisdom literature records:

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish". {Psalms 1:1-6}

How often have we entered into error due to our affiliation or acquaintances with individuals of whom we were warned not to associate, nor be found in their company? Because we fail to heed the warnings of our conscious or hear the words of wise counsel, we end up traveling down dangerous paths of destruction, which are likely to cause us to lose sight of our direction and contribute imminently to our downfall. This is the case that our lives will likely parallel if we do not put stock in the value of Scripture, pay no attention to sound teaching and perpetuate that same pattern of behavior which the Psalmist attempts to warn his audience to employ every effort to avoid.

Great things can always be expected from those who are willing to listen to that voice of reason. Through the guidance of a conductor, an orchestra will play a piece of music as it is meant to be played, which will, in all likelihood, result in an audience being well pleased, won over by its precision, and overwhelmed with jubilance by its performance. This example of perfection is a byproduct of people being in tune, in time, and in harmonious transition while working together as a team. The opposite result would occur if the members of the orchestra chose not to be led, not to listen, or simply decided to look in another direction.

How horrible would a band of musicians be if they disconnected themselves from their bonds of unity and uniformity? The end result would be equivalent to catastrophe. This is why it is so essential for the body of believers to live in brotherhood with one another. When the church and community can come together in peace and harmony, as illustrated through the example of an orchestra or band, they can lead as a model of tranquility, order and unity for others to follow. We cannot realistically expect to persuade others to walk not with the counsel of the wicked if we, ourselves, are unable or unwilling to heed and hearken unto the voice of wisdom, from which we have received great warning.

Quit when the timing is right if you want to gain new ground on the road towards recovery, restoration, and revitalization. We should end our evil ways when we are afforded the window of opportunity to get up from a fall or to be successful in areas where we have only experienced failure. It may seem too difficult to quit bad habits on a whim or a quick suggestion, but it may not be so painstaking to quit when someone is in your corner acting as an agent of assistance and pledging their allegiance towards helping you to get through the hurt and well beyond those high hurdles of hopelessness. God is that someone in the person of Jesus Christ who has come to help you to realize that the time is right to quit doing, saying, or thinking anything that will prevent you from enjoying the privileges and pleasures of paradise in this life and the life to come.

It is perhaps safe to say, without having to present an arsenal of artifacts to substantiate the allegation, that many people are unable to remain steadfast and unmovable in their works of ministry simply because they have continued to walk in manners contradictory to their confessions and claims of the Christian faith. For instance, if you are a married man who chooses to circumference yourself with the company and companionship of colleagues who are single and not in any type of serious, meaningful, or committed relationships, then their influence upon you could mar your image of what you, as a married man, should or should not do. There are pivotal stages in our lives when we simple outgrow things. This applies to every aspect of the human life. As responsible adults, we cannot continue to conduct ourselves as adolescents in our adulthood and expect other individuals to think that this pattern of behavior is permissible by any standard in modern society. Scripture warns us against spiritual immaturity saying:

"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I though as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things". {I Corinthians 13:11}

The apostle Paul understood the importance of words such as "integrity" and "character". He uses a portrait of his life, as shown in stages, to personify with prose the importance of precise timing and proper transitioning. He intimates that when he was young his behavior was becoming of a youth. Here, Paul means that many of the mistakes he made were typical of the errors that individuals, during those integral trimesters of childhood, usually fall victim to emulating. There are concessions afforded to all of us to enter into brief bouts of bad behavior as little girls and boys. However, there is a time when we are expected to grow up, get our acts together, and to govern ourselves with better behavior.

Adulthood is that trimester of life where we, having reached maturity, now are held accountable and responsible for our own individual actions. We are expected at this stage to have learned over the sum of our lives what is reasonably appropriate and acceptable in regards to our conversation, character, and conduct in and throughout the community. Paul suggests through Scripture that there is a period of maturity in life when we should, of our own election, choose to quit doing, saying or acting in ways not characteristic of responsible adults. King Salomon, in his wisdom writings, wrote:

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:" {Ecclesiastes 3:1}

(Continues...)

Excerpted from BAM!by J. E. Wallace, Jr. Copyright © 2009 by Dr. J. E. Wallace, Jr.. Excerpted by permission.
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