Bobby Bosler: Life is full of small responsibilities that make a big difference. When we overlook these tasks in pursuit of a larger goal, we often prove inadequate for that one as well. Today, we are joined by Dr. David Zempel, who will discuss the importance of being faithful in the little things.
Welcome to the Thee Generation Podcast. I’m Bobby Bosler, and today it is my privilege to have Dr. David Zempel joining us for the podcast here this week. Dr. Zempel is the pastor of Martinsville Baptist Tabernacle in Martinsville, Indiana.
I love that church. That was where I did my seminary internship. And the people are such a blessing.
They have a vision to move forward for the gospel. And if you were at the 2017 Cola Clash, plus you heard Dr. Zempel speak. He was our featured speaker there that year.
And he, I know, was a blessing then and he’ll be a blessing again here today. So, Dr. Zempel, why don’t you please share with us what’s on your heart?
David Zempel: Thank you. It’s good to be with you today. Recently, I spoke to a group of college students and asked them what would make them different than their fellow students ten years from now.
There are, of course, many possible correct answers to that question. But one answer that some do not tend to consider is whether or not they have God’s favor on their life. Did you know that you can ask God to show you his favor?
In Psalm 119:58, we read this testimony of the psalmist: “I entreated thy favor with my whole heart.” I believe many who access this website and listen to these podcasts desire to know that what they do matters. I’ve been encouraged to meet an increasing number of teens that have a genuine desire to impact the world you live in.
But if you want to do something that matters, it is important to realize that the person you are today is an important part of your success story. In the days to come, doing something that really matters in this world and matters to God requires a character of life that God can honor.
As you think of various people you read about in the Bible, you will realize that just like in your school, some of the people you would think were set for success failed, and some that seemed like they would do very little actually changed the world. One such individual is Samson. He was born with the promise of God’s blessing, but in reality did very little that God could honor.
Why was that? As you look at his life, he had significant character flaws that prevented God from showing his favor to Samson. Samson did not honor his parents’ desires.
Samson did not listen to their advice. Samson was doing things he knew his parents would not approve, and so he did not tell them about them. Samson did not honor God with his behavior and often sought the approval of a worldly crowd of friends.
His lack of godly character prevented God from using him in truly significant ways, and the result is that he had very little impact on his generation. On the other hand, David was simply a young man that took care of his father’s sheep, but God used him to kill a giant named Goliath after that same Philistine warrior kept the whole Israel army terrified for forty days. Why?
Because David had a character of life that God could honor, enabling David to be victorious. Consider Daniel and his three Hebrew friends we read about in the book of Daniel. They purposed in their heart that they would not defile themselves.
And it was that character of life that God honored. So when they stood while others were bowing to an image erected by King Nebuchadnezzar, God honored them by going with them into the furnace of fire. As many of you know, that furnace of fire was so hot that the men who threw them in died.
But the three Hebrew boys—the Bible identifies as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—were not even singed by the flames, and their clothes had no smell of smoke on them. And the Bible tells us that the Son of God joined them in that furnace. The result was that these three men impacted their world with how people saw and viewed their God.
The king actually made a law that said people could not speak anything amiss to their God. In fact, in Daniel chapter one, Daniel chapter two, chapter three, chapter four, chapter five, and chapter six, either Daniel or his friends changed how the king and the people viewed their God. There are many true stories in the Bible just like this about people that made a difference because God had favor on their life, but impacting others is not automatic.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this podcast, Samson was destined for success, but he failed because he did not have godly character, and God could not use him to impact his generation. It’s unfortunate that many exceptional young men and ladies have a great desire to do something that really matters, but they never succeed because they do not have the favor of God.
And one key reason some do not have the favor of God is because, like Samson, they do not honor the boundaries God places upon their lives. One of the best decisions you can make as a young person today is to place yourself in an atmosphere where you have some authorities in your life that require you to stay within certain boundaries that build your character.
Simple things like getting up at a set time in the morning, fulfilling some basic expectations where you live like making your bed, cleaning your room, helping others with the basic maintenance of your living space. Far too many teens make choices in life based upon what they will be allowed to do, instead of making choices based upon character that will be instilled in them.
I’ve heard my son say a number of times, “Don’t tell me about your spirituality if you can’t make your bed.” What we’re talking about is this matter of character. The Bible tells us of another person that did not have the favor of God. His name was Adonijah.
The Bible tells us that his father had not displeased him at any time. In other words, if Adonijah wanted to do something, he was allowed to do it. If you want to change the world for good, and I believe many of you do, then choose to begin today to put yourself in circumstances where you are not allowed to do as you please, but are required to do as you ought.
I trust you’ll not only consider being a part of the Thee Generation, but that you will realize the quality of your character will determine whether or not you will have the favor of God. That enables you to have a meaningful impact on the world around you.
